Bus Notes

Our kids have such an awesome bus driver!  He wrote Nolan the note in blue for his great behavior on the bus and Nolan wrote him back.  Hooray for the support staff who take their responsibility of being a role model seriously and offer great learning and encouragement to the kids who are around them.  Thanks for a great year on the bus, Rob!

Crusing Baby Buddy

This past weekend Simon started walking behind his push toy.  He's so cute as he toddles along, with his butt sticking out far behind him and his legs barely bending.  He gets such a huge grin on his face and is so proud of himself.  I can't believe how quickly time is going!

Wausau Date

After several weeks of being stuck at home due to illness, I decided to take Nolan and Livi down to Wausau for a date with mommy.  We spent a while wandering around Target, looking at the toys and enjoying some popcorn.  They each got to pick out one item to bring home.  After shopping, we headed to Olive Garden for a nice meal together.  They LOVED the breadsticks and had such amazing manners.  I was so proud of them and really liked that we got to spend some time together out of the house!

Visit to Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma Edie has been feeling pretty yucky and weak lately and recently Grandpa Arnie took a turn for the worse.  He has been in the hospital for the last several days with pneumonia.  They later found out that he actually had a blood clot in his lung, which was part of why he wasn't healing very quickly.  Anyway, Mom asked me to come to visit them so we decided to head to Eau Claire for the weekend.  Mom and I went to Durand on Saturday to help Grandma with whatever she needed while Grandpa was in the hospital.  We stopped by the hospital first.  Grandpa was in good spirits and I was able to get him laughing a little, which was nice to see.  With a little coaxing, we were able to convince Grandma to go out to lunch with us to the Durand House.  We had a really nice meal there together, but afterwards Grandma was feeling really tired so we took her back home to nap for a while.  Mom and I ran some errands and when we got back, Grandma had taken a turn.  She was coughing really hard and couldn't seem to stop.  Knowing that she has been undergoing chemotherapy, we knew it was important to get her checked out because even a cold could prove very dangerous for her.  We took her to the ER at the same hospital that Grandpa was at.  They took really good care of her and ran some tests.  Grandma kept apologizing for being there...evidently she didn't think pancreatic cancer and uncontrollable coughing were worthy of medical intervention, but her doctor disagreed and wanted to check her out.  It took several hours and I spent my time going between the two of them, keeping them posted on what was happening with the other one.  They did a CT scan of Grandma and found that she had fluid leaking into her abdomen and up into her lungs which is what was causing the cough.  They increased her diuretics and hoped that within a few days, she might be feeling better.  We finally left the hospital a little after 9pm.  Mom decided to stay with Grandma overnight, but I headed back to Eau Claire.  (I didn't have my contact stuff.) Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Mom again before we left to come back to Rhinelander.  This road of Grandma's illness has been a rocky one, and Mom, the nurse and caretaker, has borne more than her share of hospital visits, doctors appointments, and late nights of worry.  I know she gladly does it, but it is hard sometimes.  I'm glad I was able to be there with her this time.

Taste of Chocolate

This year was the seventh year we attended Taste of Chocolate.  It was warmer this year, which was a treat, considering last year we had subzero temperatures!  We had a delicious dinner at The Brick - I had scallops.  We had plenty of laughs and lots of fun with this beautiful, strong, and caring group of women.

Star of the Week

Olivia was chosen as the Star of the Week in her 4K class.  She was so excited to complete her poster to share some special information with her classmates!

Ten Months

Weighs 24 lbs
Pulls Up and Cruises along furniture
Has six teeth
Loves sloppy joes, oatmeal, and taco meat
Kicks his feet when he wants something, especially in his high chair
Usually sleeps 6:30pm - 6:30am
Super smiley, but a little tempermental
Hard to buy time when we go places
Loves Miles, his fuzzy baba, and his big brother and sister

Pick Me Up

I received this sweet note from one of the members of Trinity this week.  I feel so grateful for the positive words and sense of belonging I have felt since I began working at this church.  Hard to believe it's been six years already!

Morning Out with Buddy

In the chaos of our everyday life, I don't always get to spend one-on-one time my kids, especially with Nolan.  I've been trying to change that, so we went on a mother-son date this morning.  Our first stop was Briar House for a special drink and time to look at the books and toys.  It was fun to get to converse with him without any distractions.  He soaked up the attention and I loved it, too.  Next we headed to Kohl's to look for a new pair of shoes.  Though the shopping part wasn't his favorite (no surprise there), it was wonderful to get to have some special time with my super awesome kid.  Nolan, you are loved!