Shriner's Follow Up

Tuesday, September 4, Caden had a follow-up appointment at Shriner's for his scoliosis. When we saw the ortho doctor there in March he wanted to see Caden back in 6 months because of him starting on growth hormone therapy. The doctor said the growth hormone can cause rapid growth which can accelerate the curvature of the spine and he wanted to monitor Caden to see how it affected him.

We were really happy to receive a good report! The doctor said not only had Caden's scoliosis not gotten worse, it actually seemed to have gotten better. He said it was unusual, but it was good news, nonetheless. At this point, he said he doesn't need to see Caden back for another year. Yay! :) I love good reports like that! 

Caden by the statue in front of
Shriner's Hospital for Children in Spokane

Labor Day Weekend

We decided to spend Labor Day weekend at Wallowa Lake with extended family. Several people in Greg's family own cabins there and Greg's parents were going to be there visiting also. So we decided to take our tent and camp in the yard of one of the cabins. It's a great way to camp! You get the experience of sleeping in the tent and the fresh air, with the amenities of a warm cabin, kitchen, bathrooms and showers!

We had a great time! We went boating, tubing, jet skiing, canoeing, and just plain relaxing in the beautiful weather. What a weekend! Unfortunately I had to leave with Caden on Monday morning in order to get him to an appointment in Spokane the next day. But we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Wallowa Lake. 

Greg and Kyler with Grandpa Dan

Canoeing with cousin Clara

The boys with Grandpa Dan

Caden thinking about going fishing

We need to make that more of a tradition and go to the lake more often. It's only about 2 hours away from us in Walla Walla.

Walla Walla Gleaners

Back in July, I joined a local organization called the Walla Walla Gleaners. This is a volunteer-run organization which coordinates gleaning of fruit and vegetables from local individuals and farmers. The idea is to create less food waste and to help those in need as well. Much of what is gleaned is donated to local food banks to help the less fortunate.

To be a member, you pay $40/year and this entitles you to go on gleans with other members of the organization. What you pick is entirely dependent on what is offered. It varies year by year depending on availability. Also as a member you are asked to donate at least four hours of time/month. And, the benefit is getting to take home the majority of what you pick. If you don't want everything you pick you can donate it. And there are some gleans where they establish up front if there is a certain percentage of what is picked that is supposed to be donated. But other gleans you get to take everything you pick.

I took full advantage of being a member and went on as many gleans as I possibly could. I came home with cherries, plums, apples, corn, pears, and more. I went into full food preservation mode, canning and freezing everything I could. In addition to what I picked on the gleans, I also did u-pick blueberries and peaches, and we have an apricot tree and an apple tree in our own yard. I don't honestly know how much food I preserved this year for use during the cold months to come, but it was a lot! I am so excited to be able to enjoy these things! I will definitely be joining the Gleaners again next year as I came out way ahead of my $40 investment and few hours of time. :)

This picture is the start of some of my canning this summer. Pictured here are cherries (Bing and Ranier), Apricots, Apricot Sauce, Peaches, Strawberry Jam, and Plum Jam. The pantry filled up even more as the months went by. Yummy!

1st Grade!

Monday, August 27 was Kyler's first day of 1^st Grade! How did that happen??? He was barely born a few months ago, right? I can't believe how fast he is growing up! He was very excited and he was also a little nervous because he didn't know what to expect. At the school he goes to, they have three classrooms which are combination of 1st/2^nd grades. We requested one of the teachers mostly based on how many outside of class activities she sponsored. In her classroom, kids put on programs at a nursing home once/month, they perform plays in local churches a couple times/year, and they can participate in a Lego club if they would like. I figured all these things would be very good for Kyler. So I was pretty happy when we found out we got the teacher I requested.

On the first day of school Kyler woke up readily and ate a yummy breakfast. Once he was ready, we took a few pictures before we headed off to school. 

He was so excited to find out he had his very own desk where he could keep his supplies. He tried to get acquainted with everything for a few minutes and when the teacher started worship, Caden and I left Kyler to start his first day of school in the 1^st grade. 

Sitting at his very own desk!

 The whole first week of school is half days to help the kids adjust back into the routine again. So when I picked Kyler up at noon, I told him I would take him out to eat at the location of his choice. Guess what he chose? Taco Bell! We rarely eat there so this was a special treat for him. Then, as an additional treat, I told him he could have ice cream and he said he wanted to go to Dairy Queen. He ordered a chocolate cone with sprinkles on top. Isn't he the cutest thing? :)

Enjoying his ice cream and sprinkles!

We love you Kyler and pray you are able to have a wonderful year of learning ahead. We know you are capable of so many things and we can't wait to see how you grow and thrive in the year to come.

Southfork Hike

Saturday afternoon, August 25, we took a little drive out to a place called Southfork to do a hike. “Hike” is used very loosely here because Caden isn't the best hiker. But we all enjoyed a lovely walk along the river. Kyler absolutely loved being out there and was so sad when we had to leave. It was a wonderful Sabbath afternoon spent with my three favorite people in the world! We need to do things like this more often.