Teaching About Malawi

I found out Kyler's class was learning about the country of Malawi and I was so excited. It just so happens I was born in Malawi while my parents were missionaries there. In addition, I also went back as a student missionary while I was in college and worked in an orphanage for babies. I mentioned this to his teacher, and of course she asked me to come talk to the class about my experience. I really do not like getting up in front of people, but I figured I could handle a group of 1^st and 2^nd graders! So I agreed.

February 27 was the day! I brought in a few carvings I brought back with me, along with some pictures of my time there. And I brought a chief chair for the kids to take turns sitting in. At the end I let them take turns trying on a caftan (formal dress). I think they enjoyed that part more than anything else. But it was fun to be able to share my experience with the kids. I love Malawi and it was neat to be able to share that with them. 

 Kyler and I wearing caftans

 Caden had to try it on too!

 Mrs. Wessman and me

Cherub Choir

On February 23, Kyler sang in the “Cherub Choir” at the Village Church. The Cherub Choir is made up of the entire 1^st and 2^nd grade students at his school. They sang along with the Village Church choir during the church service. The kids did a good job. It's always fun to hear the kids singing sweetly!  I tried to upload a video but I guess it was too big of a file.  :(

Belated Birthday Celebration

On the 20^th, my friend, Holly, took me out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. We had such a great time together and enjoyed some very tasty food! The presentation of the entree and dessert were amazing! The company even better.

 My sweet friend, Holly

 Yummmy!

 Doesn't that look divine?!

 Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm!

Holly and I were roommates in college and I am so happy to be living near each other again so we can hang out more. Fun times! :)

Endocrinology/Pulmonology Updates

Monday, February 18, Caden had two doctor's appointments in Spokane; endocrinology and pulmonology.

The endocrinologist is the one who monitors Caden's growth hormone therapy. Every visit she checks his height/weight and once/year she does bone age studies on his hand. At this appointment he measured as growing almost a full inch in the previous three months! That is pretty astounding for him! However, he hadn't gained (or lost) any weight at all. :/ So he's super skinny right now. It seems that no matter how much food we can get him to eat, he has such a hard time gaining weight. We did the x-ray for the bone age study but I don't know when we will get the results of that. Last year it came back “normal” for whatever that is worth... But for now I am really happy with his growth. The doctor was pretty happy also.

At the pulmonologist office we saw the Nurse Practitioner there. Previously we have only ever seen the doctor but he wasn't available on this date and we try to always coordinate the two appointments since we have to drive 3 hours to get there. Anyway, I talked with the NP at length regarding Caden's new diagnosis of Scimitar Syndrome (SS) and his upcoming surgery. She did an exam and said his lungs sounded great even though he was fighting a cold, which was good news. She also wanted to do more research after we left on SS so she could better educate herself. And she planned to talk to the doctor and is going to get back to me regarding their recommendations for medications prior to surgery.

All in all the day went well and we were back to Walla Walla shortly after 5 that night. But it still makes for a long day!

Seattle

Saturday morning, February 16, I got up very early and flew from Walla Walla to Seattle to visit my dear friend, Melissa. We are friends from college and have kept in touch over the years. She had her first baby, Ethan, the week before Thanksgiving, and I was so excited to go meet him and spend some time with her and her family.

We have recently reconnected after a few years of very sparse contact. I am so grateful for her presence in my life. There are few people who are such a blessing to me as she is. She is a woman of God and is lifting me and my family up in prayer. During our time together over the two days I spent there, we prayed together and shared many things.

Saturday afternoon she drove me around the area where she lives. It was such a gorgeous, sunny day but it was quite windy. We enjoyed most of our sight-seeing from the car because of that. Ethan was such a trooper throughout the day and I had so much fun cuddling and snuggling him while I was there. He is a miracle baby also and it was so special to meet him. 

I left Seattle Sunday night feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after spending this time with Melissa. She has the gift of encouragement and seems to always have just the right thing to say. I wish I had that gift! I am lucky to have her in my life and have her lift me up as she does. I only hope I can do the same for her one day. Today I am praising God for such wonderful friends! 

How can you not love this adorable boy?!

Such a handsome boy!

So thankful for my dear and wonderful friend!  xoxo

Skiing Again

Seems like all I've been posting on here lately is about skiing. I guess that's because it's been a big deal for us this winter. Kyler is loving it so much and I am so glad we are exposing him to it early so he can have years to improve and enjoy it!

Friday, February 15, I took Kyler skiing on my own. I was pretty nervous to do this because I haven't skied in so many years, not counting the bunny slope at Mt. Bachelor earlier this month. I am really afraid of falling and hurting my back, which is already not in great shape. But I knew how important it was to Kyler so I wanted us to have a good day together.

It turned out to be a great day! Kyler took a couple runs on the bunny hill before his lesson started. He was supposed to have a group lesson, but it turned out he was the only one at that time slot, so he ended up with a private lesson. And the instructor said I could tag along during the lesson. It worked out great for both of us! The instructor was perfect for Kyler. She really pushed him to do better and work harder yet she praised him generously when he did well. It was perfect! He did so incredibly well with her I was impressed. She even had us both doing intermediate runs by the end of the lesson! :)

Overall, Kyler and I had a great day together and I am so happy to be able to create these fun memories. I feel this is especially important given the fact that I have to leave Kyler at home for at least a month while I travel to California with Caden for his open heart surgery. I want to leave Kyler with happy memories of me while I am not able to be with him. 

I am so incredibly proud of Kyler and how well he has taken to skiing. He is truly doing amazing and I look forward to next year when he will have more opportunities to continue learning!

VIP

Valentine's Day was a busy day for us because Kyler was also VIP for the day in his class. He got to take in pictures of himself, and anything else he wanted to show his class. He got to have about 20 minutes to tell his classmates about himself, his family, etc. The teacher has the kids each fill out a little questionnaire to help them get started. Then, after that, they can add whatever information they want.

I asked Kyler all week what he wanted to take for his VIP day to show his friends. He couldn't think of anything. So I went into his room with him and asked him about almost every toy/object in his room. Every time, he answered with a “no.” I happened to pull down a couple photo albums of pictures we had taken of him professionally. Most of them are him by himself, but there are also some family photos and ones with friends or with Caden later on. As soon as Kyler saw these books, he said he wanted to show them to the class. So that's what he did.

He spent a long time going through each picture and telling the class, “This is me having my picture taken,” about almost every one. It was so funny! The first picture of him was at 2 months old and the last picture I put in the album was when he was 5 years old. It was so cute to see him show his classmates. And, it was hilarious to listen to them make “awwwww” sounds throughout. So adorable!

Great job Kyler! We love you!

Valentine's Day

This year for Valentine's Day, I decided to do something special for both the kids. And since I use this time of year to spread awareness about congenital heart defects, I ordered custom valentine's for them with facts about CHD's on the back. Kyler told me he didn't want me to talk to his class or his friends about the fact that he and Caden have CHD's. But he told me I could give facts about CHD's as long as it didn't include their names. Caden on the other hand, wanted me to talk to his class about them. But I didn't think preschool was the appropriate age to do that. So, instead, I used Caden as an example in one of the CHD facts I listed on the back of the valentine.

In addition, I thought it would be fun to make a special treat for the kids to take to school and hand out along with their valentine. So I made chocolate covered pretzel rods with valentine's sprinkles on them. I was happy with how they turned out. It was relatively simple, although it did take a fair amount of time. 

Here are the valentine's both the kids took to school. I am really happy with how they all turned out! :)

In the morning, I got to go to Caden's preschool for their valentine's party. The kids got to eat snacks, watch an episode of Clifford the Big Red Dog, and hand out their valentine's to the class. Caden had so much fun and is really loving being in preschool. 

In the afternoon, I was able to be in Kyler's class for their party. His classmates decorated paper bags for their friends to put their valentine's in. Then, they went around the room filling each other's bags. After a short recess, the kids went to another part of the school and had some fun activities to do. They played a game, made brownies in a mug, and did a fun craft project, all while eating some yummy snacks. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I got to be there for it. 

We had a really nice Valentine's Day and I am glad I got to spend time with each of the boys in their classrooms. It's amazing how different I see this “holiday” than I used to. Not that I don't enjoy spending quality time with my hubby, but realistically, it's not always easy to do. And, I would rather spend time with him throughout the year, not just on one given day. So my focus for the day has now turned to our children and raising awareness about congenital heart defects.

Garrison Creek

Thursday, February 7, Kyler's class headed to Garrison Creek again to put on a program there. I love that his class does these things in the community. It is a great opportunity for the kids to get up in front of people, and so much fun for the residents living in the retirement community.

Unfortunately my camera battery died as soon as I turned the camera on. :( I wasn't able to get any pictures or videos from that day. But I am supposed to get video from one of the other moms and I will try to remember to post that on here when I get it.

Kyler did a great job as part of the group singing songs. And he and his cousin, Mason, took turns telling silly jokes. It was very cute!

100 Day Celebration

Tuesday, February 5 was the 100^th day of school celebration in Kyler's class. Every year the Kindergarten class comes in and does a sticker dot project with the 1^st and 2^nd graders. Each of the older kids are paired up with one or two of the Kindergarteners and are given 100 sticker dots to create a picture. It's fun to see the different pictures they come up with. They are very creative.

In addition to this, Kyler's class collects items to donate to a local shelter. They are always in need of paper products such as toilet paper and paper towels. So the goal was to collect and donate at least 100 rolls. They more than met their goal, but I can't remember what the total count was. And, the kids got to participate in delivering the items during school one day.

I love Kyler's teacher and the projects she does with the kids. What a great service project for them to be able to see first-hand how their efforts can help other people.

Skiing Mt. Bachelor

Sunday, February 3 was quite a big day for us. Well, for me anyway... I went skiing for the first time in more than 13 years! I'm still not quite sure what possessed me to do this considering the chronic back issues I have! But I am glad I did because we had a great day.

We headed up the mountain fairly early so we could be there right when the lifts opened. We rented our skis in Bend at a pretty good price, and the chair lift for the beginner hill is free and that is where we planned to stay all day. It is quite a good arrangement to be honest! I figured I could ski with Kyler since he is pretty independent now, even though this was only his 2^nd time skiing ever! And, Greg would be able to stay with Caden and help him since he requires much more hands-on assistance. It worked out to be a pretty good deal. However, there were a few times when Kyler had a complete meltdown that I questioned my ability to deal with him. In the end, everyone had a good time though.

After several hours, Caden was D-O-N-E! He was exhausted physically and emotionally and couldn't take it anymore. So I took him back to the car and we ate lunch while we waited for Greg and Kyler to do a few more runs. Then we headed down the mountain so we could be back in time to watch the Super Bowl.

I am so glad we were able to create these amazing memories for our boys. I hope these are times they will always look back on with happiness. I am so proud of how well both boys did skiing. I think they will be able to continue to develop their skills over the next many years.

Eagle Crest

While we were on our mini vacation, we stayed at a friend's vacation home in Eagle Crest, Oregon. It was so perfect for our little family getaway. We were able to prepare our own meals, relax by the fire, and watch movies at night.

On Saturday afternoon, we visited the indoor pool/hot tub in the community. And later, Greg and Kyler took a short hike and a bike ride. The bikes at our friend's house were a little on the big side for Kyler, but he still managed to ride it and it was too cute to see him on the huge bike! But what a wonderful way to spend the day. 

Greg and Kyler on their hike

Hiking along

Riding the huge-for-him bike!

Tubing

We decided to seize the moment and take the kids tubing on Mt. Bachelor on my birthday. After a late breakfast (due to my sleeping in!), we got the kids in the car and drove up to Bachelor. We heard from some friends they had a great tubing hill for the kids where you don't have to haul your own tube up the hill, you just clip the tube onto a cable that pulls you up as you sit in your tube. Very fun!

We were very disappointed to find out Caden was too short to participate in this fun. You have to be at least 42 inches and he is nowhere close to that. :( He was so sad! But, they have a small area where you can pull a tube up and slide down on your own. So, Greg took Caden over to do that while Kyler and I did the big hill. We bought tickets to tube for two hours and we had so much fun! 

Toward the end of our time, Greg and Caden sat at the bottom and watched us. They started chatting with a lady who there also and it turns out she had a ticket she wasn't using and she offered it to Greg. She and Caden had already become friends (because she gave him crackers!) and he was happy to sit with her the rest of the time so Greg could join me and Kyler for the last couple runs. 

 

It really was a very fun day and we were so glad we drove up the mountain to do it. As we were leaving, both the kids started begging for us to take them skiing. We hadn't planned for them to ski on this trip but since they were really begging, we decided we would try to do that on Sunday morning if we got an early enough start. But in the meantime, I was really enjoying my birthday! Now it was off to get my birthday drink at Starbuck's and my free ice cream at Baskin Robbins!