Summer Updates

This summer is quickly fading into the sunset ... or at least into the beginning of September, which for us means school is about to start.  We always start the day after Labor Day and that is right around the corner.  

So much has happened this summer (nothing medical really, I am so very happy to report!) and it has been non-stop busy!!  We really packed it in ... as it should be ... especially since there were no medical issues taking up the bulk of our calendar.  So, we've tried to have FUN and LOTS of it!!  

In between the F-U-N, we've had a few things come up that we've had to work on or out and this post will be to highlight those things.  Other posts coming to highlight some of our F-U-N!

Jonah - Speech: We found out after Jonah's last appointment in July that our insurance company would not be authorizing any more therapy session ... like. for. the. rest. of. the. WHOLE. YEAR!!!  EEK!!  What?  At the beginning of this year, our insurance, which is provided through Brian's employer, was changed to another carrier.  That happens from time to time.  Not typically a big deal.  The insurance provider we had last year did not have a specified number of sessions that were allotted to us and when the switch was made at the beginning of this year, no one thought it necessary to inquire if there was a limit with the new carrier.  Well, guess what??  There IS!  Yep, 20-session limit.  EEK!!  

I just happened to check what the cost would be if we wanted to pay out-of-pocket the full fee for a session ... and ... well, ... it's $421 PER session.  Did I say "EEK" yet??  So, as you can imagine, we will not be doing that.  

Fortunately, Jonah is eligible to receive some speech therapy at school which will continue this year.  But it is very beneficial for him to receive the additional therapy so I have been on the look-out for additional resources and helps because I am not a speech therapist and coming up with ways to help him articulate his sounds does not come naturally to me.  I have been looking for suggestions for software programs and would even be willing to pay for a program that is interactive and engaging (although, not Articulation Station as that program is only compatible with Apple products from what I understand).

In the meantime, we have received some packets for him to work on and I will post about those once we begin in the next few days.  I am actually pretty excited about these as they were sent to us all the way from ENGLAND.  (We l.o.v.e England!)

Brynn - Orthodontics: Guess who got braces???  
Don't let the glum look fool you!  
She has been begging for braces for several years now!

We had no intention of having her get braces so early but this girl has really, I mean REALLY BIG teeth.  Our dentist said they are the biggest teeth he has EVER seen.  That's pretty unique for our 11-year-old girl.  The dentist originally wanted her to obtain a referral from an orthodontist because he was certain that some of her teeth would need to be removed because there is clearly NO SPACE in her mouth to accommodate the size of her teeth.  Some of her teeth are coming in at all different angles due to the spacing issues ... which is where the orthodontist comes in. 

So, get this ... the Orthodontist is recommending that SEVEN (7) ... Y.E.P. ... I typed SEVEN ... of her teeth be extracted!

WHOA!!

(well, after they did impressions for her braces, one of her crowned teeth was made loose and she, of course, worked it out on her own within a couple of days so now there are only SIX left to be extracted.)

Isn't she a beauty??

She's quite impressed with her new look.

Rees - Research - Since our beloved surgeon retired (sniff, sniff) and meeting the one assigned and recommended to be his replacement, we have decided that we feel it is best, at least for the time being, to research our options (outside of Wisconsin).  

Yes, you read that correctly.  You might think that sounds really strange ... I even find it a little odd to type it.  But, let's face it, ... we had a really turbulent eighteen months with Rees and the spectrum of medical issues that he had.  The experience definitely altered us permanently and with the knowledge and experience we gained from it, we feel that a facility of surgeons with a more extensive range of experience and possibly alternate ideas/methods might be what Rees needs going forward.  

When our beloved surgeon retired (sniff, sniff), I requested a copy of all the surgical records for Rees.  I went through them and compared to the notes that I had been keeping all along on everything we have gone through with Rees and I compiled key information and photos and sent out in a letter to numerous locations throughout the United States.  I found a listing of Craniofacial and Plastic Surgeons and Facilities sorted by State on the website for Children's Craniofacial Association.  

Guess what?  We have gotten responses ... several of them and it's helped us narrow our seach.  We have heard from CHOP (Philadelphia), St. Louis, New York, Minnesota, Ohio, Kansas, and Texas to name a few.  Now, some of the "Best of the BEST" are located in Texas and they have several really well-known and prestigious centers for craniofacial anomalies.  However, pretty much the entire state of Texas is considered out-of-network per our health insurance plan.  Now, I'd really like to say that we want the BEST care for our son and we don't care whether or not the facility is out-of-network, but in all honesty, are we truly being responsible if we seriously consider a facility that is not included in our health network?  We are already pondering the possibility of considering facilities that are IN our network but are out of state and will likely cause us to incur significant travel expenses.  We have really good insurance and still ended up paying significant fees related to our portion of the astronomical medical expenses that Rees incurred over the 18 months that he was frequenting the hospital.  To think what our portion would have been had his expenses been considered out-of-network ... well, ... let me just say, "OUCH!"

We are so thankful and praise the LORD for our health insurance!!

We have some new options and we are going to be looking into them and praying for God's guidance as we continue on this journey.  

Next Up: Fun Camping Adventure and Getting Ready for Back-to-School

Long Since An Update ...

Hi Friends!

It's been a while since I updated so, of course, there is LOTS to share.  

Summer is in full swing and we've been non-stop busy!  

Soooo ... this is going to be a REALLY LONG post, segmented into weekends as that seems to be what the summer has been all about ... THE WEEKENDS!!!

Weekend Beginning June 9 - 

This was the kick-off to summer and it started with us taking our girls and their friends up to CAMP AWANA.  Molly and her friend, Mina, have been going to Camp AWANA for the last several years and they LOVE it.  Mina's sister, Gwen, has gone the last couple years and this was Brynn's FIRST TIME to CAMP AWANA!  

The girls had a GREAT TIME at Camp!  They made new friends (as they do every year) and they learned new songs (to sing about Jesus) and they had new experiences (like playing Knocker Soccer Ball).  

(they had to WEAR these giant beach-ball-looking things and try to knock each other into the goal!)

(it's always fun when your team comes in 1st Place!)

(they even had fun when the camp lost power during a storm!)

While the girls were away at camp, we took the boys camping for a few days - just the two of them with just the two of us - something neither they nor we have experienced before.

It was SO HOT that they spent MOST of their time in the water!!  

They did not mind at all!

The only low point was something we just don't seem to get used to ... it is inevitable from time to time, especially in new situations or places we don't frequent.  There were gasps and looks of shock, whispering and pointing ... from a group of children who were playing in the water.  

Thankfully, Jonah and Rees seemed oblivious to it.  Sometimes, I wish this mama was oblivious too.

When we weren't in the water, we were at McDonalds enjoying a frozen Strawberry Lemonade and taking goofy photos with phone apps!!

Weekend Beginning June 16 - 

For Father's Day Weekend, we did our best to spoil the Babas/Dads/Grandpas in our life.  In the morning, the dumplings gave their gifts and homemade projects to their Baba.  

In the afternoon we headed out for some fishing and a picnic (never mind that we forgot the worms - for the fishing, not the picnic).  

Grandpa gave Molly a little lesson on proper casting (even though there was no bait on the end of that line) ... 

... and Jonah was so enthusiastic about casting his pole that he Cast His Pole right out into the water!!!  Baba, in his wisdom and skill, was able to use a different pole to "fish" for Jonah's pole ... SUCCESSFULLY!!

It was ridiculously windy ... but, never mind, ... we had a quirky but enjoyable time ... Fishing, but NOT really fishing!!!

Afterwards, we took a little walk in a nearby Arboretum (never even knew it was there!) and then went into town for some ice cream!!

Don't these gents look thrilled to have their picture taken??

The kids took straight to the competition of checkers.  Notice the players are the two most competitive members of our household.  Don't worry ... they managed to remain stable and low-key.   

Weekend Beginning June 30 - 

My dad's birthday is towards the end of June and he is REALLY into the Milwaukee Brewers so we took him to a baseball game!

We even tailgated!!  Brought all the tailgate fixings and set ourselves up for the real deal!!

In case you missed our tailgate experience, which I previously posted about, you can CLICK HERE to read about that ...

Jonah wanted to be patriotic while tailgating.

Rees was INTO the Blue Cotton Candy!!!

It was a good experience ... AND ... THE BREWERS WON!! 

So, that was a definite PLUS!

After the game and the LONG walk back to our car, we quickly discovered that one of us did NOT close our door all the way ... which lead to the interior lights to stay on ... which lead to the battery being drained ... which lead to us not being able to GET IN our vehicle, MUCH LESS start it!! 

Oh boy!!  

Well, before you know it, there were several parties scouring the remaining cars with people left in the parking lot in search of jumper cables!  It was a pretty humbling sight!!!

We were BLESSED because someone DID HAVE jumper cables and got us back on our merry, though slightly frazzled way!!!  

Thank-you, JESUS!!

Weekend of July 7 - 

As we didn't see both Grandpas the weekend of Father's Day, we planned to see Brian's parents a couple of weekends later.
To enjoy the day and provide some entertainment, we held a little kickball (mock baseball) game ... Complete With National Anthem Via CellPhone At The Start Of The Game!!!

The game was only "SLIGHTLY" competitive ending with a few tears shed ... 

Afterwards, we headed out for Ice Cream ... because, well, Ice Cream makes everything better!!

We had FUN eating our selections and getting photos to remember the day.

We interrupt this scheduled Weekend Reporting to share some WEEKDAY news ... July 12, we got a lot of rain ... I mean A LOT of rain!!!

Our house and street were fine but houses down the street and towards the back of our subdivision were not as fortunate.  

In ALL these photos, the water is in locations where it is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE!

It was a pretty big deal where we live but believe it or not, there were other towns around us that had MUCH, MUCH WORSE situations ... like National Guard-taking-over-the-town-type situations.  

We are thankful not to have had any problems and our thoughts and prayers have been with all the affected towns/homes/people.

Weekend of July 14 - 

We went to the Milwaukee County Zoo - Jonah and Rees' FIRST TIME - NO KIDDING!!!

We, of course, saw lots of animals!

They really enjoyed feeding the goats.  The goats were really friendly ... probably because they knew food was involved ... regardless, that was quite fun for the kids.

Brian even got to get up close and personal with HIS FAVORITE ... a Bald Eagle!!

That was pretty sweet!

Did you know that a full-grown eagle only weighs about eight (8) pounds??  And MOST of their weight comes from all their feathers!!!

I was SHOCKED to learn this!!!

Brian' s love for eagles goes along with his favorite Bible verse, Isaiah 40:31

...but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

These primates look a little glum, don't they???  

This guy cracked me up!!  

I wanted to say to him after I took this photo, 

"What?  Do I really look that bad?"

The next day we took the kids to Chicago Chinatown - again Jonah and Rees' FIRST TIME.

We weren't sure what to expect exactly but we thought the boys were going to be REALLY EXCITED!!!

But as we entered Chinatown and began looking for a parking spot, we discovered that the one day we chose to go to Chinatown on the day of their Summer Festival.  THERE WERE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE!!!

As we continued to find our parking space, the boys became very quiet.  Rees looked a little worried so I asked the boys, "Do you know where we are?"

Jonah replied, "In China?"

As I was trying to respond that it was not actually China but a place where lots of Chinese people live, Rees blurted out sort of in a panic, "Mama, you take me back-leave me in China?"

Oh, the pain that was in my heart when he asked that question!!

We explained that we will NEVER take them back to China unless we go there for a visit. We are a family ... FOREVER ... and China doesn't get any of our dumplings back.

When we got to the Dim Sum restaurant and we took our seats, I thought Jonah's eyes were going to POP out of his head as he saw the ladies wheeling around their carts with all the delightful dishes of dumplings and delectables!!

They truly enjoyed the food and they loved the experience!!

Weekend Beginning Aug 5 - 

For the last month or so, we have also been planning and preparing on and off for a rummage sale!  The rummage sale is for my dad and is at his house.  For those who don't know, my mom passed away a little over a year ago and we are now at the point of making the decision to go through many of my mom's things.  

While going through some of her clothing, we came across some of her infinity scarves.  I brought a few of them home with me and when I went to put them away, ... LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!

This made me laugh so hard and I felt a really warm and good feeling!!  My mom really liked popcorn and she would buy it in these giant bags from Gooseberries.  She'd always ask me if I wanted her to pick up a couple bags for me and I'd always be like, "I couldn't possibly eat that much popcorn!"  She'd get me a bag anyway!

I can totally picture her eating the popcorn by the handfuls and a piece falling ... her looking and not being able to find it ... so just going about eating her popcorn again ... not realizing the piece fell into her scarf ... for me to find later.

Who knows how long it was in that scarf?  Who knows ... but I relished that piece of popcorn for a few days ... that piece that passed through her hands and missed her mouth ... such a small and simple thing ... yet it blessed me immensely!

I miss my mom every day ... but I am so grateful that I have good memories of her, memories that make me smile ... or laugh ... or even cry.

Friends, my mom had A LOT of things so for any of my local readers, come on out to see us as we pull off this rummage sale for my dad.  

There are LOTS of pajama sets and night gowns. Many of the sets were hardly, if ever, worn!! 

My mom LOVED pajamas!!  

There are several coats and many, many shirts and tops.  Most are sizes Large to X-Large.  Again, many are only slightly worn, while there are quite a few that are in great condition.  Some still even have the tags!!!

My mom also had a TON of jewelry ... you know the dress-up or costume type you can get at Kohls.  That was her second favorite place to shop, next to Wal-mart, of course.  Or maybe it was the reverse.  Either way, there's a lot.  My dad spent three whole days going through all of it and organizing it into the various little sets, if applicable.  Then he even bagged it all in cute little plastic bags.  Whew!!  My photos aren't doing anything any justice, but just want to give an idea.

There are also shoes, purses, bed sheet sets, books, DVDs (mostly all thriller-type ... that's my dad!!), fans, bird cages, electric and throw blankets, pictures, and lots of odds and ends. 

AND ... for my very special customers ... or any takers really ... I will making up the biggest batch of Welsh Cakes ever and they'll be available for purchase at the sale.  Who knows?  I might even be inspired and "energized" to make a few other items too.

My dad will also be trying to sell quite a few medical-related items.  There are a lot of things that were purchased with the intent that my mom would need or use them, however, most items just sat and collected dust.  So, my dad paid full price for a lot of equipment that hopefully someone else will need and use and be grateful for the reasonably discounted price.  

Prayers that the right person(s) will come along ...   

This is a Bath Tub Assist Handle = $8

This is the most used item my mom had - purple walker with seat = $35

My mom's name was written along the sides for her nursing home stay, however, I was able to get this off with nail polish remover.  What a handy tip!!

I call this the Tricycle Walker, virtually unused = $60

Wheelchair = $80

Shower Chair = $5

Portable Commode Chairs = $25

We have two of these.

Also available but not photographed at this time are a Bed Rail (Brand New), Hospital Bed, and Stair Lift.  Please pray that we're able to get these items sold to recoup some of the money that was spent.

If you read to the end of this post, ... you deserve a prize!!!  Surely, you are special and should be awarded with something ... how about an all-expense-paid trip to the destination of your dreams??

Wouldn't it be great??

In my mind, at least, I'll be handing out that award to each and every one of you!!