Operation Game anyone?

it's been a crazy month and a half. so, after having an mri 2 days after i saw the dr, the next week i was told that i had/have water on the knee. i was prescribed light walking and/or biking(to keep my knee in line with my toes more), loads of anti-inflammatory, and heat. interestingly enough, during this time, i also learned the same thing happened to my mom when she was my age. i was finally starting to feel like myself again the past couple weeks, and then i apparently pushed myself too hard on the treadmill(i wasn't really going that fast, 3.5 mph doing inclines). so, this week i've been dealing with that.

other than that, and our car drama this past week(got it fixed for the same problem--check engine light--4x's in 1 week), life is busy and going mostly well. still have our daily challenges with each of the kids, in their own way.

school

yay! school has started back up this week. both ivy & collin go to the same school now. collin starts 10 minutes before ivy but gets out 2 hours earlier. collin seems to be adjusting well to the new school, schedule, 2 bus drivers(different for morning & afternoon), and having 2 teachers.

ivy also has 2 teachers this year. i'm not exactly sure how that works. she said one of them is only there 3 days a week. wish i could say she, andrew, and i all enjoy our just over 1/2 mile walk in the mornings to the school.

i think right now, it's just andrew who enjoys it. ivy doesn't have the luxury of riding part-way in the double stroller like she did last year(she's too tall & at the upper weight limit). this year, i'm just using a single stroller. as for me, i sort of like it. ivy whines a lot on the walk, and right now my knee is in a lot of pain to walk at a slow ivy pace of just over 2.5 mph. it hurts when i stop walking for her to catch up to me. i saw the doctor yesterday, and tomorrow night i'm going in for an mri. thankfully, just in los alamitos. sooo glad they aren't sending me up to l.a. the commute would drive me crazy.

Where has the summer gone?

Good question. We had originally planned to do all sorts of fun stuff once Tom got back. However, life doesn't always go as planned. Tom got stuck on medical hold for most of the month he was supposed to have off. They did some post-deployment physical and decided he needed to see a cardiologist because his resting heart rate is so low, 44 beats per minute. He's fine, and yes, still alive despite such a low heart rate. I think it's a combination of his running for so many years(at least 15!) and genetics(his dad, though not a runner or athlete by any stretch of the imagination, also has a low heart rate).

So, we've done a lot(8 weeks) of swimming lessons for Ivy. Andrew got 5(out of 6) Saturdays of Mommy & Me type swim class. He now LOVES being in pools--except when there are stairs, at which point, that would be the only place he'd want to be. Collin got 2(out of 3) Saturdays of the same swim class. During those classes, Tom was with Andrew, and we were lucky to get Ivy watched.

Ivy & Collin have also learned how to bike without training wheels. We only taught Ivy. Collin hasn't figured out brakes yet, so for now, he drags his feet going down the driveway or puts his feet down when he wants to stop. Anyway, that's been most of our summer.

Another talent

Ivy was frustrated at me moving slowly the other day. I twisted my knee hopping into the car after grocery shopping by myself Thursday night. Anyway, she was thirsty and ended up getting her own cup. "This must be my talent Mommy: pouring apple juice in a cup without spilling."

Happy 5th Birthday Collin!

This is a video I took of Collin opening presents. Thought it'd be faster/more convenient than multiple pictures.



Collin, what can I say? It's been an amazing day today! We're so proud of you for choosing all by yourself to go to primary instead of nursery at church today. And to top it off, you stayed in there most of the whole time. That hasn't happened for nearly 2 years! Mommy & Daddy were getting quite concerned but had no idea what to do. We're so thankful you're choosing to show your independence too.

Little by little thru the Spirit and trial & error thru different experiences, I am finally understanding your world. What I thought was a sensory issue turned out to be merely your frustration at wanting to do something yourself instead of Mommy "helping" you.

My birthday wish for you is to never stop being the sweet, sensitive little guy you are. More progress in certain things would be nice, but I'll wait for you to do things in your own time.

A Newly Discovered Talent

Talents come in all shapes and forms. Thank goodness for kids who can think of creative ones that I never would've thought up on my own.

Ivy, "See? This is my talent. I can hold grapes in between my fingers"

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home!

Tom flew in late tonight from Kuwait--he's still collecting his things before coming home. We are so grateful to have him back & many thanks to all who've helped us in any way, big or small. It means a lot, even if it wasn't a big deal to you. We're looking forward to having family time this week/weekend & celebrating our anniversary next week.