The Big One

Ryan wearing Daddy's fishing hat.

Our pastor invited Daddy and Ryan to go fishing Saturday at one of his friend Ron's place that needed to have some big fish emptied out of his creek. Even though Ryan was not feeling well, we allowed him to go since he was just devastated at the prospect of having to miss it. He and Daddy had a great time, and Ryan caught the biggest trout he has ever caught. In fact he caught three trout, two of which were very large.

The angle of this photo doesn't show how big this trout is,
but we estimate it was close to three pounds (over a foot long)!


This is NOT the biggest one. This one was about a two-pounder.
Sorry for the gory shot, but Ron degilled him before Daddy could get a picture.

Ron was friendly and helped Ryan bait his hook with some super bait (liver), cleaned the fish after he caught them, and even gave Ryan a canoe ride. Ryan had a fantastic time, and his catch was so big that our family couldn't even eat it all in one meal!

Answered Prayer

Since I listed out some specific prayer requests prior to Ryan's surgeries, I thought I'd post the specific answers we received. We were praying:

1. That Ryan will tolerate the anesthesia well. Last time he was pretty nauseous.

He did so much better this time! He was nauseated once on the elevator ride down, but he was just fine after that.

2. That he would be free from infection.

He had absolutely no infection!

3. For skill and wisdom for the doctors.

Both surgeries accomplished the task, and the eye surgeon said she didn't think she could have achieved a better result!

4. One of the uncommon side effects from the particular eye surgery he's having done this time is that his lower eye lid could droop slightly. We are praying that would not happen, of course.

No drooping! Thank you, Lord!

5. He will have peace and be courageous! He is very anxious.

He did cry when he first found out that morning that we were going, but he seemed pretty relaxed and was very cooperative during all the pre-op vitals, discussions, and time before surgery.

6. For a quick recovery, speedy healing and minimal pain.

He had almost no pain with his stenosis surgery, and some mild pain from the eye surgery for a couple days. However, they gave him Tylenol with codeine this time and that helped him cope much better than last time. His healing went very well and continues to heal quite nicely.

7. Lastly, we pray that the surgeries would have the desired outcome and be successful. The eye surgery is difficult for the doctor to know definitively where to cut and suture. So much of the outcome is based on things that she can't predict or control...like how his brain will "interpret" the new position of the eye. So we're praying for the best possible outcome.

Again, the stenosis surgery was successful!
The eye surgery was successful on many levels (no drooping, excellent positioning), but we won't know the complete picture for a month or more.

Needless to say, the Lord was most gracious in answering our prayers! He is faithful even when He chooses to answer differently than we hope, but this time I am grateful He saw fit to walk us smoothly through this small trial.

Good Reports

Yesterday Ryan had his two follow-up exams with the urologist and the ophthalmologist. Both went very well.

The urologist said it has healed well and the remaining stitches will dissolve soon. We don't need to go back to him again unless Ryan's having problems. Ryan is enjoying his new freedom to stand when urinating, though he asks me every time, "Can I stand?"! (We used to have him sit because it was nearly impossible for him to get it in the toilet otherwise.)

The eye surgeon was very pleased with the results of his eye surgery. I had been examining his eye myself and thought it looked just about perfect, so it was good to hear her concur. His eye is still healing though so we have to wait another month or so to find out if he will need bifocals and/or a new prescription. He still crosses a little bit up close, and she thinks perhaps bifocals may help.

Recovering

Ryan's eye is looking much better. Though it's still a little red, it looks much better than it did just a few days ago. He says it doesn't hurt anymore too, so that is a blessing.

I'll spare you (and him) pictures of his other surgery, but suffice it to say it's healing very well too. He is excited that it doesn't take as long to go pee as it used to! Mommy is excited that it now shoots out straight and directly into the toilet!

Doing Better

Ryan told me a few days ago that he's not angry anymore. His behavior has significantly improved also. What a relief!

I have been thinking about why he might be angry. I don't truly know what's going on inside his head, but I think perhaps we didn't give him enough information. Because he tends to dwell on things, we often try to keep things from him. Though he knew he was having the two surgeries when Gramie came to visit, he didn't know which day it was and perhaps we should have told him the day before instead of the morning of the procedure. I was concerned he would sit up and worry all night, so we didn't tell him.

In retrospect I think he might have felt that we "sprung" it on him, and in a way we did. Sigh. I continue to ask the Lord for wisdom with this little guy. He is so complicated at such a young age! Your prayers are so appreciated.

Angry Boy

Ryan has been acting out terribly the last several days since his surgery. We finally asked him if he knows why he is behaving so badly. Is he upset, tired, scared, angry, confused? He frankly told us he is angry that he had to have surgery and just wanta his eyes and [other parts] the way they were. I was a little surprised he could actually articulate what he was feeling, and slightly encouraged that we now have something specific we can focus on.

Along with disciplining him, we have been trying to love on him and reassure him and try to begin teaching him how to deal with his feelings. Please pray for him (and for us!). Sometimes it's as if his intellect is too advanced..he understands things far beyond his emotional ability to cope with them. I feel so inadequate to help him, but it certainly causes me to keep leaning on Him who has the answers!

The Pictures

Well, my favorite part of having a blog is sharing pictures! We didn't take loads of pictures today, but we did get a few of his progression through the morning ordeal.


Don't ask me why but Ryan woke up at 4:00am this morning. I told him to go back to sleep, but neither of us were really able to. So we finally allowed him to get up and get dressed at about 5:00. We left for the hospital about 5:30 with one sullen little boy. He must have not heard me or understood this morning when I told him we were going to the hosptial for his surgery this morning. He was chipper and ready to go. Then he asked why we were going, and he was NOT happy!


He eventually settled down, and I don't think he said two words the whole way after that. We checked in and everything went pretty quickly after that. In fact, he didn't even get to play in the playroom this time around, which didn't please him. He got to pick out a stuffed animal, and he chose this kitty and named him Stockings.



Daddy playing This Little Piggy with Ryan.
They gave him versed again this time, and it made him a "happy" boy! So long as we could keep him from falling off the bed, he was enjoying life. Both surgeons and the anesthesiologist went over the procedures again, and then they took him away...always the hardest part. They told us that they would do the procedures simultaneously, and the stenosis surgery would be about 30-45 minutes and the eye surgery about 60 to 90 minutes.



After two hours we still hadn't heard from the urologist, and Mommy was starting to get a wee bit stressed. Finally, he appeared and said he had been done for long time but he was waiting till the eye surgery was over before he came to talk to us...WHY!?



Anyway, he said all went very well and his recovery should be fairly easy. Then the eye surgeon showed up and again gave us a good report. We were told they would come get us as soon as he woke up and started calling for us. However, after about 30 minutes they called us and said they were taking us all back upstairs to the final recovery room. He had woke up very well and wasn't nauseous or distressed at all.



He ate a popsicle and took some pain medicine, and we got him dressed and were out the door within an hour and a half. Last time we were in post-op for 45 minutes, then in recovery for over two hours. He did wonderfully today!



He is feeling great now, and we're having trouble keeping him still. He had a caudal block and is still unsteady on his feet from the anesthesia. The nurse told us to keep him quiet for the rest of the day and that they have about two kids a week come back to the ER after having surgery because they fall and need stitches!

I am grateful to the Lord for His mercy toward my son! We will keep you posted on how he progresses and on how successful it all turns out. We go back to see the eye doctor tomorrow and again next week. We also will go back to the urologist next week.

We're Home

Ryan's surgeries went very well today. It lasted two hours, which was longer than expected (giving Mommy and Daddy a stressful hour), but both surgeons said everything went well.

Ryan seemed to tolerate the anesthesia better this time around. He woke up beautifully with no pain and minimal nausea. We left the hospital just four hours after arriving, which was much quicker than last time. We got home a little before 1:00, and we had to stop for a prescription.

He's eaten four popsicles and half a peanut butter and honey sandwich! He is complaining that he "needs to scratch" his eye, but he isn't in any pain so far. He urninated right after we got home, so that was great!

I'll update more later, but that's the report for now. Thanks so much for all your prayers.

Specific Prayer Requests for Surgeries

Tomorrow are Ryan's surgeries, and I thought I'd list some things we'd specifically like prayer for. I know he is in the Lord's care, but the Bible does say, "You have not because you ask not." If you care to pray along with us, we are praying:

1. That Ryan will tolerate the anesthesia well. Last time he was pretty nauseous.
2. That he would be free from infection.
3. For skill and wisdom for the doctors.
4. One of the uncommon side effects from the particular eye surgery he's having done this time is that his lower eye lid could droop slightly. We are praying that would not happen, of course.
5. He will have peace and be courageous! He is very anxious.
6. For a quick recovery, speedy healing and minimal pain.
7. Lastly, we pray that the surgeries would have the desired outcome and be successful. The eye surgery is difficult for the doctor to know definitively where to cut and suture. So much of the outcome is based on things that she can't predict or control...like how his brain will "interpret" the new position of the eye. So we're praying for the best possible outcome.

His surgeries begin at about 7:30 am, and last time we were home by around 2:00 pm, if I remember correctly. I didn't list it above, but of course Daddy and Mommy could use your prayers too. I am much less anxious about it this time around, but it is never easy to hand your baby over to someone else to anesthetize and cut on! Thanks so much.

Completed First Chapter Book

I find it hard to believe, but today Ryan finished his first chapter book, The Boxcar Children. He had been slowly reading it in the beginning, but then the last week started reading it during his quiet time, some days 30 pages at a time! I gave him the book as a reward for finishing it. I'm so proud of him.

Caterpillars and Mole Hills

We took a much-needed outing to our local lake and park, Trojan, weekend before last. We had been cooped up for weeks because Abigail was sick, but her fever was gone now and we needed out! We brought all our fishing gear, but the kids spent most of their time exploring the water's edge, digging in the dirt and running around playing games they created from their imagination. Among other games, they built a miniature Mt. Hood from the remains of an abandoned mole hill and then promptly demolitioned it with an imaginary bulldozer.

Ryan found this beautiful caterpillar, and we had an impromptu lesson on metamorphosis and the wonder of God's creation. Frankly, I was impressed that Ryan held it so willingly. He's usually pretty squeamish about crawly things.

Dig those dirty fingernails!

Upcoming Surgeries

Ryan's surgeries are just a week away now. We haven't really talked to him about it for a while, but recently when we've mentioned that Gramie will be coming soon, he has gotten upset and whined that he doesn't want surgery. Apparently, somewhere along the line he associated Gramie's coming with his impending surgery (smart kid), and he knows that if she's coming, surgery is not far off either.

I'm not really thrilled about it either, but I am much more as ease than I was last time around. I know he is in the Lord's hands, and now I have a good idea how he will handle everything, so I feel better prepared. Of course, life (and the Lord) often has a way of surprising me. I'll just have to wait, pray, and see how it goes this time around...hopefully the last time around!

Cookie Dough Kid

We made cookies recently, and Ryan excitedly told me he wanted to lick the spatula! I knew once he tried it he'd love it. Poor Abby was very dismayed though...up till now she's been able to lick the beater and the spatula!

No Idols Here

We watched the newly released DVD of Curious George tonight. In one of the scenes the Man in the Yellow Hat suggests trying to find the lost idol of Zagawa in order to save his museum from closure. Ryan turned and looked at me aghast asking, "Some people make idols?" I explained that some people did and they worshiped them too. He sensibly said, "But we don't because we want to obey God." It's encouraging to know that memorizing the 10 Commandments wasn't a superficial act, but that he's actually understanding and applying what he learned! I spent most of the day today reminding each of the kids to talk nicely to each other (even banning Ryan from talking for part of the day!) and felt a little frustrated at how they were behaving. It was so encouraging to hear this comment and to be reminded that little by little some good things ARE taking root.

Kindergarten

After a two-week break, Ryan started Kindergarten this week. It was not an organized start to the school year, but we managed to get five days of school in despite a sick little girl and lack of planning on Mommy's part.

Ryan is excited to be in Kindergarten, though he doesn't really know what that means. We're beginning this year with math worksheets, copywork, and reading McGuffey's First Reader. It's mostly review this first week to ease back into the routine of school.

Mr. Independence

When Gramie and Granpa came for my birthday in July we ate out a lot, and every morning Ryan had French Toast. That was the first time he seriously made an attempt at cutting his own food, and he did a fair job of it. But this morning while we were eating (French Toast again) breakfast, he decided he was big enough to cut his own food. He did a great job! There's not much left that I need to do for my little boy. He's so independent. He's learning to tie his shoes, so that's the next things he'll master. It's such a great feeling watching them gain independence, but at the same time, I still like it when he needs me!

Feeling Neglected

The last couple days we have been really focused on Abigail and her needs, and I think Ryan has been feeling a little neglected. In addition to not having his playmate around, Mommy and Daddy have been doing little more than holding Abby all day since Saturday. Then yesterday we were really focused on her and her doctor, trying to get all the information we needed to monitor her blood sugar.

So today I took him back into our room and asked him what he wanted to do. He didn't really answer so I asked him if he wanted me to read him some books. His face lit up, and he enthusiastically said, "Yeah!" So he went and got a dozen books, and for almost an hour we sat together and read his library books. Afterwards he thanked me and seemed to be in better spirits.

As a side note, Friday Ryan got Daddy's undivided attention for about five hours. He and Daddy went fishing, and Ryan did fantastically!

Weird Kid...Just Like His Mother

In addition to cleaning all of our windows, today I cleaned out and organized the kids toys and closets. I started in Abby's room, and Ryan kept running in, jumping up and down, begging me to come do his room! He loves to organize, just like his Mommy. Finally I got to his room, and we weeded through toys and games and clothes, and it is organized. So he's happy and I'm happy.

Preschool Presentation

Our homeschool year came to a close today, and Ryan did a little presentation for Daddy to show him some of the things he has learned this year during preschool.  He did the Pledge of Allegiance, sang some songs, showed a sample of his printing, recited some scripture, read a selection from his reader, etc.  Ryan enjoyed it, I think, and I know Daddy and I did.  Afterwards we had cupcakes, and Ryan showed Daddy his school folder full of all the worksheets and things he's done this school year.



He is so excited about being a kindergartener next school year, but he is also excited about the two-week break we're taking!  We will begin back with school on the 18th of September, and it's hard to believe we'll be schooling for the whole year this time around.  It's also hard to believe I have a kindergartener in our home, albeit, one younger than most.



I am so proud of Ryan!  Though he doesn't always have a great attitude, he is learning to be diligent (he can be done with school in 45 minutes if he's diligent!).  He's learned lots of math facts, his writing has improved tremendously, and I estimate that he is reading on about an upper 1st or lower 2nd grade level!

Finishing Preschool

Our homeschool year came to a close last week, and Ryan did a little presentation for Daddy to show him some of the things he has learned this year. I posted more news and some video on my homeschool blog, if you're interested in reading more and seeing him recite some poetry or say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Daddy Time

This weekend we decided to spend some one-on-one time with each of the children. Daddy took Ryan fishing on Friday morning while Mommy spent time alone with Abigail. Unfortunately Ryan and Daddy didn't catch any fish, but they had a good time being together.

Artwork

Ryan has decided he loves to draw, and he does it everyday. He drew this picture this morning, which for those of you familiar with the movie, is obviously the cast of The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue. ;) For those of you not familiar with it, beginning on the top left and going clockwise: Radio, Lampie (in yellow and hard to see), Computer, Maisie, Toaster, Kirby, and Blanky (also yellow and hard to see).

Library Prize

Our little library has been having their summer reading program, Paws, Claws, Scales, and Tales. They have crafts and special events once a month or so in addition to the regular storytime. Also, each time the kids went to the library, they got a ticket to put their name on to be entered into a weekly drawing.

Just look at those rows and rows of books at the St. John's
Library...and this is one of the small libraries, whoo-hoo!

Though our community is VERY small and despite the fact that we go to the library at least weekly and sometimes more often, neither Abby nor Ryan had won the drawing all summer...not until the very last one, that is! Ryan won the last drawing of the summer and got to choose his prize. He chose the book bag which is very useful, especially since he has his very own library card now. We recently paid the fee to join the Multnomah County Library system (since we were quickly reading through our local library's small collection of children's books), and when we did Ryan got his own card. He was very excited last week when he checked out his own books for the first time!

Surgery Date

We have been patching Ryan's eyes (first one, then the other) for the last two weeks to see if he still skips lines while reading. Unfortunately, we discovered that he doesn't which means that when he's using both eyes he's not transitioning well between eyes when he moves them across the page to the beginning of the next line. The surgeon believes that the surgery will help this transitioning and give him better vision. So we are going to go ahead and have the surgery done, especially since we have been able to coordinate the stenosis surgery and this one to be done simultaneously. It is scheduled for October 18 when Gramie will be here.

Our library had their last big summer reading day on Monday, and Ryan for the first time agreed to get his face painted. Mommy ended up having to finish the second half because he got scared or shy or something, but, hey, at least he tried this year! This picture shows slightly how one eye is a bit higher than the other, though I never notice it except in pictures. He's never standing still long enough to see anything most of the time!

Riding Again

Ryan earned his bicycle earlier this year by quitting his thumb sucking habit by his fourth birthday. He had stopped for months, but then at some point he regressed and starting up the habit again. We finally had to take his bike away and start all over. After some threats of putting on his surgical arm restraints at night (which is the only time he was sucking it), he got serious and stopped again.

Yippee, we were able to give him back his bike last weekend! It's too bad summer is almost over, but at least he'll get some enjoyment out of it for another month or whenever the rain begins.

Hungry & Resourceful

This morning apparently I didn't get breakfast on the table promptly enough for Ryan because next thing I know he has set the table for both Abby and himself, got out the Cheerios and dried cranberries (he loves those sprinkled on his cereal) and put those on the table and is telling me he's ready to eat! He didn't get out the milk but only because he's not allowed in the fridge yet. What a great helper!

First Chapter Book

Ryan has been asking me to read The Boxcar Children again for several months now, and I keep telling him he can read it again for himself when he's ready. He's looked at it a couple of times but apparently decided the picture/word ratio was way too high for him. Pictures are still a very big deal for Ryan when it comes to books. But yesterday he insisted he wanted to read it, so I let him read it during his school time yesterday, not really expecting him to stick with it.

I was very surprised, however. He read the whole first chapter (nine pages with only three black & white pictures), and today he read the second chapter (11 pages with only three black & white pictures)! I knew he was capable of reading the words, but I am surprised to see him tackling longer stories that have few pictures. This is definitely a new adventure that he is enjoying...hopefully he'll stick with it and finish the book.

Not Just School, But a Way of Life

As we were consulting with Ryan's eye doctor last week, she was very surprised to learn that he is reading already at four and a half years old. I told her that it was her fault! Because we had to begin patching Ryan's eye for three hours a day while doing close-up work 18 months ago, I decided to make some of that time constructive. Ryan had been expressing interest in learning to read, so I started teaching him during his patch time. He was reading on a basic level in just three months at three and a half years old! She said she had never heard of another patient learning to read because of having to patch, and it made me begin to think about the whole experience.

To me (and hubby), homeschooling is more a way of life than a schooling preference. I don't think it started out this way, but it certainly has evolved into that. We originally just wanted to ensure academic achievement and protect our children from some of the influences found in public schools, but after years of praying and researching it, we have found it to be a lifestyle that we embrace. We are always teaching our children as we go about our daily lives: pointing out flowers and plants as we hike, teaching them to count and measure as we cook, on-the-spot Bible lessons as situations arise, etc. Homeschooling is just the natural extension of that.

Reading is huge part of our chosen curriculum, and thankfully it is also a huge part of our everyday lives. Ryan reads aloud to me daily and frequently to Abby too, he reads on his own periodically throughout the day, I read aloud to them several times a day, and we have a family read aloud time in the evenings where we enjoy a good book as a family! I have always loved to read, and this part of homeschooling has come as naturally and smoothly (so far) as I could have hoped for. It's just our way of life.

It was interesting to me that if Ryan hadn't learned to read last year, we probably wouldn't be having another surgery this year. Because of some interesting things I had noticed as he read to me, the doctor suspects that he's not transitioning well between usage of his eyes. If he wasn't reading, we'd just assume the problem was a minor cosmetic issue and probably would not have put him through another surgery, but now that it appears that the issue is actually going to improve his vision, he will have the second surgery.

So we have come full circle. He learned to read during his patch time before his first surgery and during his reading we learned we need to have another surgery. We are now patching again to see if it corrects the problems he's been having transitioning his eyes (it seems to be). While I'm not excited to put him through another surgery, I am grateful that we caught this and can give him the best possible outcome for his vision.

Writing a Letter

Recently, Daddy went camping by himself for a weekend, and the kids and I had a weekend to ourselves. We invited Ryan's friend Jakey and his mommy over for a fun play day. However, Abigail came down with a 104 degree fever the night before, and we had to postpone it, much to everyone's dismay. Ryan was particularly devastated because he was so excited about it for weeks beforehand. Saturday instead of pouting though, he sat down all on his own and wrote Jakey this note with a picture. Though he doesn't quite get spacing words and keeping them on the same line, though some of his letters are backwards and words aren't spelled correctly, Mommy was so impressed with his budding writing skills! If you sound it out phonetically, you might be able to make out what it says. Not bad for 4 1/2 years old.

"Jakey, I'll invite you some other day. Ryan"

Things Don't Always Turn Out the Way You Want

Ryan had two appointments today: One with a urologist, and one with his eye doctor. The urologist told us that Ryan will definitely need surgery, and the eye doctor said she would like to do one more surgery on him as well. It was not exactly the news I had hoped for.

We had hoped that Ryan's urological problem, a stenosis, could be treated in the doctor's office, but the urologist said it would only have a 50% chance of success if done in-office (though he was willing to try if we thought Ryan would lay still for it...uh, no.) versus the 100% success rate he's had with outpatient surgery. We opted for the outpatient surgery. He will probably have it done in October.

Then we went for a six-month post-op check-up for Ryan's eyes. His surgeon said everything looks good except that one eye is slightly higher than the other, something we really hadn't noticed. At first she said it is really only cosmetic, but then I mentioned a couple of interesting things I've noticed when he's reading to me and she thought maybe his eyes could be the cause. So we are going to experiment with patching during reading to see if it helps. If it does, then she definitely recommends another minor surgery to even his eyes out a little more. It won't correct the crossing any more than what he has now, but it might help him to use both eyes together better than he is now.

The only good news today was that we will probably be able to do both surgeries at the same time (if we can coordinate two surgeons' schedules), so he would only need to go under general anesthesia once.

Ryan is less than thrilled with the idea of having another surgery (or two...he doesn't know about the eyes yet), and frankly so am I. However, I am not tempted to be as fearful as I was the first time. I just don't want to see my little boy hurting again. Thankfully we have a God who allowed His Son to undergo unimaginable suffering so that we may "draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Serious Discipline

Kids just say the cutest things sometimes! Recently Ryan had an attitude that needed adjusting. Daddy told him about a coworker who had had a bad attitude and had gotten fired because of it. Ryan's eyes got really big. Then he soberly and increduously asked, "You mean they shot him?"

OMSI Fun

Our annual pass to OMSI is expiring next month, so we are trying to go a couple more times while we still have it. Daddy joined us on our last visit, and we had fun doing crafts, playing in the sandbox, and learning about robots. In the robot exhibit we got to make "jitterbugs," cute little critters who are powered by a small motor. It was a fun day, and hopefully we can go at least one more time!

One Year

It's hard to believe it, but I've been blogging for a year! Today marks the first anniversary of Ryan's blog, and I have enjoyed it so much. I looked back through some of the previous year's posts, and I am amazed at how quickly life goes by. It's a good reminder to enjoy each day for the joy it holds.

Free Treat

Our library is having special events all summer, and we went on Monday to hear stories and make a craft. The kids make a fish print using a real trout. I thought it was kind of odd at first, but they actually turned out quite nice.

The library shares a building with United Koffee Shoppe, and UKS surprised each of the kids a free soft serve cone! It was pretty hot out and the ice cream melted fast, but Ryan managed to eat all of his before it was a dripping mess...and he enjoyed every bite!

Surprise!

I thought it was just my kids who had a hard time sitting still, looking at the camera and smiling at the same time, but I guess they get it from their Granpa!

Gramie and Granpa surprised us by showing up on our doorstep Friday night! They came to wish Mommy a Happy Birthday. Ryan was beside himself with glee, and we had a great weekend doing nothing much but visiting and eating out (Mommy didn't have to cook all weekend!).

If only I could figure out how to keep the glare off of Ryan's glasses! They are so clean too...Ha!

Beach Fun and Clam Strips

It was way too hot to stay in town, so since Daddy had Friday off, we decided to go to the beach again. It was a perfect 72 degrees there! We tried again to build a sand castle (we are pitiful at it), and Ryan dug trenches and filled buckets to his heart's content. We ate dinner at Doogers, Mommy's favorite local seafood chain, and Ryan declared he was going to try something different. This is HUGE for Ryan. He had clam strips! He ate almost all of them, and on the drive home threw them up all over the van. We think he just had a coughing spell that caused him to vomit because he really didn't seem sick before or after. Poor guy. Well, our van really needed a good cleaning anyway.

Gymnastics

The children are supposed to sit in tuck position along the red border of the trampoline until it's their turn to jump. Ryan is doing a great job of obeying here!

Wednesdays are favorite days in our house because Ryan and Abby have gymnastics on Wednesday evenings. Ryan's favorite "apparatus" is the trampoline by far! He loves to do the jumps, and he has really improved in the last couple of months. When Abigail fell and hurt herself two weeks ago and we had to leave gymnastics before it even began, Ryan was crushed. Thankfully, Daddy showed up before we left and Ryan got to stay afterall.

Ryan "presenting" after finishing his jumps.

He Did It!

Ryan has never tried cookie dough, except for maybe the slightest little taste one day when I was trying to coerce him into trying it. Today I didn't even bring it up since his answer is always no. My sister-in-law and I were just laughing about his reluctance a couple of days ago. Neither of us can fathom someone not liking chocolate chip cookie dough!

Well, today after mixing our cookies, Ryan said he wanted to try it! Whoo-hoo! He took two pretty decent tastes, said he liked it, but then didn't want anymore. Maybe he will never like it, but I'm so glad he finally tried it. Funny little boy!

Aargh, Matey!

Pirates are pretty popular around our house, partly because Ryan wore eye patches for six months and partly because of some of the books we've read. One of our favorite books is How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long. Adorable book! This evening Ryan and Daddy had a sparring match courtesy of McDonald's Happy Meal Toys.

VBS Closing Ceremony

Ryan had so much fun during VBS, even if he didn't seem to learn too much. Who knows what's rolling around in his heart and mind that might be built upon later though. We attended his last day for their closing performance only to watch Ryan lay on the floor through most of it! Most of the kids sang the songs and did the hand motions, but Ryan just lay on the floor or sat on his teacher's lap. I wasn't surprised, but I had hoped maybe he'd participate this time around.

Big Brother

While I was making lunch today after VBS, Ryan and Abby were unusually quiet. That often spells disaster, but as I sneaked up on them to peek, I found Ryan reading a book to Abby. I don't know why, but he's been such a great big brother today! He's usually good with her, but today he has gone above and beyond what I've seen from him before. I am wondering if it is because he is missing her in the mornings while he's at VBS. Twice this week he's mentioned that he wishes she were a big girl so she could go go VBS too. Whatever the reason, I hope it lasts!

VBS

This year Ryan is old enough to go to vacation Bible school for the first time. He goes from 9:00 to 12:00 every day this week, and it's been taking a toll on him! He has been pretty tired, but he's having a great time. I wish I could say he's been learning a lot about Jesus, but that doesn't seem to be the case. He appears to learn more in Sunday School. Yesterday when I asked him if he listened to the Bible story he said, "I listened, but it didn't come along with me."

I arrived a little early today and took some pictures of him playing tag with some of his friends. He didn't know we were watching, so it was fun to see him in action when I'm not around. I was pleased when he and Jacob (a friend he's been talking about all week) crashed into each other that he didn't make a big fuss about it but he got up by himself and then helped Jacob up. Then this afternoon he's been unusually kind and accomodating to his sister. Hmmm...maybe he's learning something afterall!

10 Commandments

Today I hung our framed copy of the Ten Commandments low enough on the wall that Ryan and Abby could easily see them. Ryan noticed it right away and stood there and read them to Abby. This idea is working better than I thought!

Vista House

We took a drive up the Columbia Gorge on Saturday and enjoyed the cool temperatures and gorgeous views. After hiking Larch Mountain, we stopped at the Vista House. The last time we visited they were doing some renovations and it was closed. It is now open and absolutely beautiful, particularly the stained glass.

The views are spectacular from the Vista House (hence the name). You can see for miles up and down the Columbia River, especially since it was such a gorgeous day. We even had someone offer to take a picture of the four of us (twice in one day!), which is always nice. Ryan was especially excited to watch a long train on the Washington side of the river as it snaked its way along the riverbank. We were up so high that he thought it looked like a model train.

I Can't Do It

I was chatting with a neighbor recently, and the subject of school came up. I ended up telling her that we are homeschooling, and her comment was, "Oh, I could never do that. I know my limitations, and there's no way I'd be able to do that."

I've been thinking about her comment ever since then, and I totally agree! When we first starting thinking about homeschooling and realizing this was the direction the Lord was leading us, I would get a knot in my stomach every time the thought crossed my mind. It is an overwhelming, seemingly impossible task, especially when you consider most homeschool moms (or dads) also have to keep house, cook meals, fulfill church commitments, etc.

Thankfully, the Lord didn't "spring" this idea on us. I have had lots of time to pray and think about it. When the time came to actually implement it, He gave me everything I needed to begin, including tremendous peace. Like a few other aspects of life, I've learned that I truly can't do it...not on my own. I am grateful to know the Lord Jesus Christ and have Him there with me, leading me, enabling me, and giving me peace, blessed peace.

He's still teaching me how to depend on Him, and I must admit to being a slow learner in several areas. But I AM learning. I am learning to give our children, their education, their salvation, and their futures to Him. After all, He loves them even more than I do.

4th of July

This picture was taken at 9:15 pm, and we didn't
even need a flash. Ryan had taken a seat as
far away from the fireworks as he could get,
so Abby joined him there.

I love the 4th of July; however, do-it-yourself fireworks are not my favorite thing. Daddy loves them though! Since it gets dark so very late here (after 10:00pm), we haven't ever braved the crowds and taken the kids to see them. I'm sure we will one year, but this year we just bought a small package of fireworks and set them off in our backyard. Last year the kids were pretty scared, but we thought they'd enjoy them this year. We were half right! Abigail was hesitant at first--mostly I think because of her big brother's protests--but she came around fairly quickly and enjoyed the pretty sparkles.

We finally had to use the flash at 9:40,
though it really wasn't dark enough to see
"real" fireworks for another 20 minutes or so.

The Best Part

On our way home from Long Beach, Daddy asked Ryan what the best part of the day was. He said, "The whole day!" I'm happy he had a day that he enjoyed and made him feel special. We are so blessed to have him.

My favorite part came when we were eating Elephant Ears. Ryan spontaneously looked at his Daddy and said, "I'm glad God put me in this family!" Then he gave Daddy a great big hug. That was by far the best part of the day for me.