Family Fun Time

We were going to do a few errands and things on Friday, but because of an injury Abby got and the pouring rain, we ended up just having a fun play day. We went out to breakfast at our favorite local pancake house. Then Ryan thought it would be fun to go see a movie, so we went to see Chicken Little (personally, I didn't like it). The kids enjoyed the movie, even though it was a little scary for them. Then we headed to our neighborhood bowling alley, Park Lanes, and Ryan played his first game of bumper bowling.

He tried rolling the ball himself and using the ramp. It was difficult to get the ball rolling on his own, so the ramp seemed to help a lot. He did pretty well for his first time, and we all had a really fun time. The pathetic thing is this is Mommy and Daddy's score even with the bumpers up!

Pumpkin Pie

Ryan LOVES pumpkin pie. So, of course, I made it for Thanksgiving dinner. Since he's not much of an eater, he suffered through the turkey, gravy, dressing, and mashed potatoes just so he could have a piece of pumpkin pie later! I caught him taking a lick of his whipped cream before I made him use his fork.

Surgery Date

We got a date for Ryan's surgery today. It will be January 18th. We could have had it done three weeks from now, but we thought it would be better to wait another month after we've moved and so we can have a full year's use out of our insurance deductible. Now that it's scheduled, I feel a little nervous. I have been praying about how much to tell Ryan about it and when because he is so fearful of things. They have a tour of the hospital available, but I'm afraid that might make him more afraid. Hopefully he'll be brave when the time comes (hopefully Mommy will too!).

Second Opinion

We saw a children's ophthalmologist today for a second opinion on Ryan's eye condition. There weren't any revelations really. She agreed that surgery is reasonable (and if it were her child, she would do it), but she said it is also reasonable to not do surgery. However, if we ever think we'll want surgery for him, we should do it now. The surgery is most successful the earlier it is done. If we opt for surgery, it will restore peripheral vision but not really improve his vision to the point where he will not need glasses (at least for several years). He sees almost 20/20 with his glasses now. The patching has been working great, and he sees equally well out of both eyes now.

If we don't have surgery, his strabismus will stay the same and will not improve with time. So basically, he will have limited peripheral vision, and his eyes will still cross, significantly when he's looking at something up close. If we wait and let him decide when he's older, we run the risk of the surgery not being successful. So to do reconstructive surgery now or to leave well enough alone is the question.

I know I certainly wouldn't want to live my whole life with my eyes crossing back and forth incessantly, and my hubby agrees. We've decided we are going ahead with the surgery. We believe it's in his best interests, and I pray we've made the best decision for Ryan.

These pictures don't show it very clearly, but they show somewhat how his eyes cross with and without glasses. I had a difficult time getting him to look at the camera and hold still so I could get a good picture. His left eye probably crosses a little more frequently than the right, but they both do cross.

Often without his glasses, his eyes will cross
even more than this picture shows.


This is a little bit blurry, but it does
show how his right eye crosses too.


This shows how his eyes look when he crosses them at
distance with his glasses on. This is probably about
how they will look after surgery without glasses.

Thumb Sucking Ban

I have been talking to Ryan about stopping his thumb sucking for a couple of months now, but having the dentist talk to him this week really helped him think more about it, I believe. For the last couple years we've managed to train him so he only sucks it at naptime and bedtime, but now it's time for that to go too. I suggested that we put a Band-aid on it to help him remember, and at first he really didn't like that idea. But yesterday at naptime he asked me to put a Band-aid on, and he even fell asleep without sucking his thumb! Then last night we put it on again, and he managed to go to sleep again without it.

We're really proud of him for trying so hard, especially since this has been a comfort/security habit for him since he was two or three months old! I must confess we did bribe him too. We have been thinking about getting him a bicycle for his birthday anyway, and so we informed him that if he has kicked the habit by then that he will get a new bike! He is so excited, and he definitely wants a "green one with training wheels." (I hope we can find one in green)

Playing Tow Truck

As a treat for being so brave and cooperative at the dentist today, I took the kids to McDonald's for lunch and so they could play in the play structure. There was a little boy there about two years old (yes, he is a boy) named Anthony who was a little afraid to go through some of the tunnels. Ryan took him by the hand and helped him through the tunnels, and Anthony followed along happily. When I thanked Ryan for being so friendly and helpful, he said, "Sure. We were playing tow truck!" I'm not sure Anthony knew that's what they were doing, but they both had a blast.

First Dental Appointment

Ryan had his first dental exam, x-rays, and cleaning today. I was really nervous about how he would react during the visit, but he really impressed me with how brave he was! We let Abby go first so he could see what would happen, and though I could tell he was apprehensive, he was very cooperative with the hygienist and the dentist.


Best of all, he had no cavities! We do have to work on breaking his nighttime thumb-sucking habit, but other than that, he got a very good report from the dentist. Because this visit went so well, I don't think he'll be scared the next time we go. Thank you, Lord!

Delivering Shoeboxes

We missed church Sunday because we were all sick, and it was the last day to bring our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. So today we brought them to the woman's house who is coordinating the program at our church. Ryan picked out some really neat Hot Wheels and a cuddly teddy bear for the little boy who will receive the box. He has been asking about about "the kids who don't have a lot of stuff" almost every day, and I hope and pray he is understanding and learning to be generous with the blessings God has given us.

Building Castles

We were all sick this weekend, with the exception of Ryan. Daddy felt good enough today to spend some time playing with the kids. He and Ryan built some pretty neat castles, and I was able to take this picture before Abby knocked the whole thing down. I think we may need to get some more blocks though because we always want to build one bigger than the blocks we have!

There's More Than One Way to Rake Leaves

Much to my hubby's dismay, Ryan is terrified of our leaf blower. So in order to involve the kids in the outdoor project, Ed had to do it the old fashioned way. (This is no small task since our neighbor's yard has an 80-foot huge oak tree right next to our house.) Since the rain finally let up today, the kids had lots of fun playing outside, and Ryan even found a new and fun way to rake leaves.

Sharing a Seat

We had a nice family day yesterday. We went out to breakfast and then ran some errands. Afterwards we went to see our new house and then we took the kids to OMSI. We watched a planetarium show, and the kids had a blast. Ryan wanted Abby to sit with him in his seat during the planetarium show, and they were so cute sitting together with Ryan’s arm around Abby.

Sibling Love

When I picked Ryan up from his CBS class today, his teacher told me, "He really loves his sister!" She didn't elaborate, and I didn't think to ask any more about what she meant. Then when we went to pick up Abby, her teacher told me how much Ryan loves his sister. She said that when they joined the classes together for music time, Ryan was just begging to see his sister. When they finally found her in the large group, they ran to each other and gave each other a huge hug, and she said Ryan had the biggest smile on his face. Then they stood next to each other very closely during the whole music time just as happy as can be!

It was great to hear that story! Sometimes at home I wonder if they will ever be friends. Abigail adores Ryan, but he's not always very tolerant of her, especially when he's trying to play with something that she might mess up.

I cheated and took this picture this evening. I would have loved to have gotten a picture of them hugging at Bible study (obviously I didn't), but since I've been wanting to get a picture of them hugging anyway, this was a good excuse to get one and post it!

CBS is Fun!

I joined a Community Bible Study (CBS) this fall, and it has a fantastic children's program too. They actually teach Bible stories and verses and songs, as well as play games and do fun crafts and activities. Ryan said to me this morning, "I LOVE Bible Study!"

A couple weeks ago I helped out in Abby's classroom, and now Ryan is dying to have me in his class and asks me every week (it's nice to know he wants me around!). When quizzed after class about his Bible story, he was able to tell us the whole story of Joshua and Caleb! It's neat that he is learning so much there. Because we weren't there last week, Ryan didn't know his new memory verse, and the teacher was dumbfounded when he read it to her! I took this picture today of him playing before class actually began...doing one of his favorite activities, playing with trains.

"See My Trick!"

Ryan wanted me to take a picture of him doing his favorite "trick." I have been trying to teach him how to do a "bridge." He can't quite get his head off the floor yet, but he's getting close.