People At Work

We had a work day today. Grant went to work, and while he was gone, as soon as school was done we headed outside. The weather has been so nice, and yard work was a must. We spent several hours outside, and then took a break for dinner--during which time Grant came home from work. We ate dinner, and someone fell asleep just getting down from the table:

And just thinking about going outside to do more work put this guy to sleep for a few minutes:

Power naps are wonderful things! But we did get back outside and worked for a few more hours and got lots done!! It sure was exhausting though.

Tuckered Out

You know our outside dog, Raider? You know the outside dog who spends about 95% of his time inside?
Every night the kids take turns having Raider sleep in their rooms. Our kids share rooms, so one night the boys will have him in their room, and the next night it is the girls' turn. Well, we went in to check on the kids before we went to bed, and found this:

I think she pushed him off his bed just a bit! And he kind of reminds me of Nana on Peter Pan with that blanket over his head

Tent People We Are Not

Grant and I were recently talking about how the kids and I need to get out of the house more often and we need to do more with the kids to make memories. I think with the craziness of the last year, some activities have just been put on the back burner.
We thought about going on trips, but do you know that when a family of 7 goes on a trip that they can't really "just stay in a hotel room"? We would need more like 2 hotel rooms or a suite, and that gets pricey. So the next option is camping, right? Grant and I are not campers. I use to think that I loved camping and that it was so much fun to be in the outdoors. But then I went camping. I like a comfy bed, and the idea of taking toddlers out to a camp ground and expecting them to be quiet and not wake up neighboring campers is just silly. I thought about my sister. She goes "glamping" with her husband. Anyone who has seen pictures of their "tent" can appreciate it. It got our minds thinking, how could we go glamping on a much smaller scale and make it portable? This is what we came up with:

Doesn't this look like the perfect tent? We thought about getting a {very old} camper and gutting it and redoing it, but in the end decided that it would be like having 2 houses to take care of and I would spend all our time camping---cleaning. So a cargo trailer seemed like a perfect investment (especially since they don't loose their value much). Now we just need to figure out how to sleep all of us in it :)

Hunting Time

We took the kids to the same Easter egg hunt that we go to every year. A family in our church puts it on, and it is a huge event and lots of fun. This is Piper being so sad that she found an egg, but we wouldn't let her put it in her bucket because it hadn't started yet.

They changed the ages this year, so Karmin was no longer in the easier field; she was in the same spot looking for eggs as Ben and Trevor. And thus, Lydia went with the older group too. I took Piper to the younger field. She was super cute. And happy again.

Grant tried to stay with Karmin and Lydia, but they were gone. They were looking in and around trees, and everywhere else.

After the egg hunt, we had a potluck lunch and the kids got to play. Ben found a camo egg---again. Really, they are very hard for the kids to find. They hide them for the big kids so they have something to do for awhile. Doesn't he look so old?

Everyone had a nice day, and we even remembered to put sunscreen on before we went, so we didn't even get burnt. And we didn't get ticks. :)
It is a fun tradition and nice to spend time as a family doing something fun the day before Easter. I'm thankful for this season and for our Savior who died for each one of us. And I'm thankful that He was resurrected so that we can live again and be with our families forever. Happy Easter!

Sisters, Sisters!

I've got the cutest and sweetest girls ever!

Party Time

Trevor had an easy Birthday party this year---taking after Ben's idea a few months ago. He invited several friends over for pizza and a great game of capture the flag. They also played tag and fruit basket. Super. Easy.
I love how 2 of the kids that he invited are Ben's age. It was a fun day and the weather was perfect. We had Spring Break this week, and this just felt like the perfect ending to a wonderful week.

Painting

Theresia invited us to go to a pottery place today to get the kids out of the house. I thought it would be fun, so we decided to go, and I am so glad we did. The kids had a lot of fun. Piper really got into it. Piper chose to paint a mermaid and she painted the whole thing bright pink. And then at the last minute she added some purple right across the eyes. So we call it her bandit mermaid. Lydia found this little bunny and said that she was going to make it a rainbow bunny. I should have had more faith in her abilities because when she first started, I was thinking that it would be "interesting." It turned out so cute, and it just looked like a very loved bunny that had so much character. Karmin painted a cute turtle. Trevor painted a dog to look like Raider. And Ben painted a cup that he will give as a gift later on to somebody. It will be fun to get them back and see how great they turned out.

Biker Girl

I had to be proud (and kind of look down at myself in shame) when Karmin came in and told me she learned to ride her bike without training wheels. I know, she is a bit old for not knowing how previously. We tried getting her a bike last year, but it was too big for her, and we just never got back to buy her one that fit. So we just put it off. She would try now and then, but it was too tall.

I didn't even know that she was attempting to ride it again this year (hence the shame). Then she came in and told me she learned how to ride. And I think that is just how Karmin is--she just teaches herself so many things. She taught herself how to read, how to do math, and now to ride a bike. I guess even recently she used an app we have on our iPad that is meant for ages 12+ and she taught herself how to do algebra. She just works like that. This is probably the reason why Kindergarten was so boring for her!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

The kids pulled out their kites this week, and have had so much fun with them! Ben and Lydia didn't have kites, so we made some homemade kites that worked so-so until I was able to go to the store and buy $1 kites. Thank goodness for a lot of wind!

One Year

It has been one year since we spent a week in the hospital with Trevor. Back when we were in the hospital, Grant and I talked about how when we each learned about Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, we just kind of skimmed over those topics because they were harder to understand than something like a heart attack. It is a bit ambiguous, and Trevor's symptoms certainly don't make it any easier! However, I now think we could teach a class on the topic.
Since he was one year post-diagnosis, he had to go get scoped to see where he was at. It was our indication of how he is really doing with the medications. The results weren't perfect, but they were just about awesome as they could be. He still has a little bit of inflammation in one area (Trevor actually has 3 types of Crohn's), but since he has improved so much we know the medications are working and that unless something else comes up, he doesn't need to be scoped again for 8 years! He officially has gained all of his weight back from 2 years ago, and grew 4 inches in the last year.
Trevor's symptoms don't match the typical symptoms you would see in Crohn's. And getting any doctor to believe us that the way he exhibits symptoms is next to impossible. So we just have to do what we can. I've tried to buff up on eating healthier in our home by having homemade bread rather than store bought, and things like that, but I still have a lot more room for improvement.

Trevor is a different kid these days. He plays with other kids and he plays outside. He only takes an occasional nap, and he has a sweet tooth (something that he did not have before). He is active and more vocal. I've learned that he will probably always be tired, he'll deal with more health problems than the average person, and that he'll have to get a good education to support his health care costs when he is an adult! But I've also learned how courageous he is, how much pain he puts up with, how he doesn't complain, and I'm beginning to learn what things matter to him most in life.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Mr. Trevor turned 10 today! He had an exciting day full of crepes for his breakfast in bed, macaroni and cheese for lunch, and Pizza Hut for dinner. He went to Taekwondo and got to break a board there since it was his Birthday, and then he had his first night as a Weblos (which there are a lot more boys in that group, so he was so excited).

What a year it has been for our Trev-Man. He has been through a lot and when I say he has been a trooper--I mean he has taken everything in stride, and has never complained or been upset why this has all happened to him. And it is not just the typical Crohns problems--there are a lot of other things that he has to deal with that come as a result of the disease and/or medications. He handles it so calmly. He takes a drama class in school and that has really helped him to come out of his shell when he is outside of our house. He loves his snuggle time and hugs. His love language is definitely touch. He does have a sweet tooth these days and his favorite is chocolate. He has the biggest most tender heart. Trevor is really stepping up and is babysitting here and there for us (when Nana and Papa are close at hand). He has recently taken to riding his bike and playing other things outside. He loves going to Northside, and I think the smaller class sizes are perfect for him. He is a great kid, and is definitely our snuggle bug and we're glad he is--we love our Trevor hugs.