The Weekend Update

• There's not too much new to report on medical conditions. Ryan has a long day of evaluation this week at a center for cognitive rehab. Thankfully this will be in Midland! My shoulder issues are still there, but as I have mentioned before the Dr. thinks it's nerve damage that is not showing up in an MRI. He thinks it will heal, but it may take 18-24months.
•  We have been getting ready for the new school year. We'd like to get an early start since we will likely have to take some time off for Ryan's other surgery.
• The girls have been busy this weekend writing a children's book! Moriah is going to write the story, and Emma is going to take the pictures to use in the book. They told me they are going to dedicate their book to their sweet little cousins! This morning they asked me if they need to mail the story to a publisher or if we need to take it in.
• The girls have recently taken an art class in Midland which has encouraged a new interest in art. After the last class we were at Michael's buying charcoal and oil pastels!
• Someone this week asked Emma if she had taken any fun vacations this summer. She replied, "Well, if you count Flint. We've been there lots this summer!" She must've already forgotten about our trip to IL!

Aiden is 3!

Aiden, my cute little boy, you're 3 now!

For your special day we had a few friends over for a pool party,

and we had birthday snow cones at Aunt Angie's.

What a blessing you are to all of us! We love you so much and

we are thankful for the fun gift that God gave us in you!

You absolutely adore your sisters and you try to copy everything they do!

They are rather fond of you too!

They spend time reading to you, playing with you and building forts for you!

Some of your favorite things right now are:

Color-- red (pronounced wed :)

Book--My First Big Book of Trucks

Toy--Dump Truck, Lightening McQueen

Playing "tack" with daddy

cold hot dogs...yes, cold!!

You tell me that when you grow up you will drive a police car.

Your daddy and I would be proud to have our son driving a police car,

but we'd really like for that police car to be in a very small town somewhere. In the U.P. perhaps?

And apparently you are wanting to start practicing for driving that police car with my van!

Recently when someone came in and asked if we could move the van you said, "Just give me the keys mom, I can do it!" I may be a bit old-fashioned, but I think 3 is just way too young to be asking for keys to the car!!

Although you are only 3 you have recently proven just how smart you really are! The other night after being tucked in bed way past your bedtime, you came out into the kitchen. Dad and I were there visiting with his cousins, Nate and Sarah. You gave dad a glance, but walked past him. As you came up to me you hugged me and said, "Mommy, I love you." That sweet proclamation of love was immediately followed by a request for some food! Nate laughed and said, "You just convinced me you are the smartest 3 yr old around!"

The girls went to nature camp and learned a song about Tarzan and Jane. You have been singing about Tarzan's tan and Jane's pain ever since and cracking us up with your Tarzan and Jane voices!

This summer your sisters played softball. You must've been watching closely as we cheered for them when they were up to bat. The other day as I watched you from the kitchen window, you put a ball on the tee, picked up your bat, bent your knees, closed your eyes, and said, "Aiden! Aiden! Aiden!" Then you gave a big swing, hit the ball and yelled, "Yay Aiden!"

One of my favorite things you do is when just the two of us are together. You give me a smile and say, "Mommy, it's just me and you, just you and me!"

Then you wrap those little arms around my neck and give me a big squeeze!

We love you Aiden and we are thankful God has chosen us to be your mom and dad!
We pray that you will be a man that will glorify the Lord in all you do.

 May you have a desire to know Him and His Word, and may you serve Him all the days of your life!

We love you, son!
Mom and Dad

A Visit With Family and Friends

On our recent trip home we spent a few days in St. Louis and then we stayed with my mom for a few days. We had the chance to visit with some of our family and friends. It was our first time seeing most of them since the accident. I have been looking forward to hugging them for so long now! I guess there's something about a near death experience that makes a person want to just hug those people that are dear to them!



We celebrated mom's birthday with pizza and ice cream cake! She had all of her daughters there, all of her grandkids, a few of her nephews and their families, and some close friends.

We also celebrated a birthday for this cute little boy!

We had some friends over for some birthday fun in the sun!



There was lots of time for loving on our cousins,

Thanks Uncle Scott for the yummy treat at Eckert's!

And the sisters had lunch together.....



Notice anything different?? Yep, that would be my friend Jenn and her son Evan!! They recently moved to Kentucky, which isn't too far from my mom's, so they came up for a few days! Which was really great until she devised a plan to boot me out and be the "new" sister!! Looks like her plan is working perfectly!

We were rather spoiled this trip! Uncle Mike took us our for a lunch date! Doesn't he have some adorable lunch date ladies?

Some of my friends from college were able to get together for a little reunion of our own. Of course I don't have a group shot of all the moms, but I do have one of all our kids....well, we're missing 3 of them!

These two boys look like they could get into some trouble together!

Their mommies were college roomates!

We are very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! We know that God has put each one of you in our lives for a purpose. Thank you for spending time with us and for loving on us while we were there! Making a trip down was a much needed part of our healing process, and I thank you for your prayers and encouragement as we went! We love you and we can't wait to see you again!

A Visit to The Lou

The kids and I made the trip home to be with my mom for her 60th birthday. Yep, that mom of mine is still sweet and sassy, but now she has sixty to go with it! For her birthday we reserved 2 rooms at a hotel in downtown STL. Even though she had to work on her birthday, we wanted her to not have the hassle of drivng through the fair traffic after work. We had so much fun just being together, and it was special for me to share with my children some of my childhood 4th of July activites. 

Here are a few highlights from our stay in St. Louis:

Mike, Ang, and I took the kids to the St. Louis Science Center, where Aiden was fascinated by the see-through floor in the bridge over the interstate. The girls and I were able to see the Body Worlds exhibit which was super cool! Our favorite part was being able to see a healthy lung, a smoker's lung, and a coal miner's lung! We also saw a body with metal fixations...just like daddy!!

We all joined Mom at the Arch for one of her programs. Here she is with all of her grandchildren just before the program.

It was great to see some old friends and meet some new ones at the Arch. The kids enjoyed mom's program, and they listened to the cowboy program as well. Emma was able to try her hand at using a lasso!

And we all had a chance to try the new Dyson hand dryers in the restroom!

One of my favorite things was one evening after my mom finished work we took the kids for a walk around downtown. We went to the City Garden where the kids played in a sprayground.

hehe...this one cracks me up!

The kids had a blast in the hotel pool on the roof!

Emma also cooled off thanks to the STL Fire Dept!

Our trip also included:

                                                 Fireworks under the Arch!

Imo's Pizza....always a favorite!

Pappy's Bbq...a new favorite!

A Bill of Rights Program at the Old Courthouse

Breakfast at Starbucks!

Garden Goodness!

One of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies!

The other day I shared a recipe for blueberry buckle  and now I have to share another summer favorite!!

Whole Wheat Penne With Veggies

Doesn't it look delicious?! Whole wheat pasta, veggies, and basil! Super easy and really yummy! This is one meatless meal that my dear hubby will eat, but you could easily add some chicken as well. During summer I often cut the recipe in half and make it at lunch time for Emma and me. There is always enough for the both of us and a little bit leftover. It's always better when the veggies and basil are fresh from the garden!

Whole Wheat Penne With Veggies

1 box whole wheat penne pasta

1 small onion, chopped

1 summer squash, chopped

1 zuchinni, chopped

1 c. chopped asparagus

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2Tbsp olive oil

fresh basil

Cook pasta according to pkg.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in large skillet over med. heat.

Add onions and cook until soft.

Add other veggies, except tomatoes, and cook until tender (about 5-7min.)

Add tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 3 min.

Toss w/pasta and fresh basil.

Blueberry Buckle

It's blueberry season here in Michigan and we love to pick blueberries! It's one of our usual summertime activities! Ryan has missed out on the picking, but the girls and I have gone twice. It's more difficult than usual for me with the shoulder, but we must have our fresh blueberries!!

The girls and I were out in the patch today and when we came home I baked one of our favorite blueberry treats, blueberry buckle. The recipe comes from an old church cookbook that was a wedding shower gift to me from Ryan's cousins. In order to respect her privacy, I will not share the name of the woman that submitted the recipe.

    Blueberry Buckle

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 cups flour

2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries, washed

Mix shortening, sugar and egg thoroughly. 

Stir in milk.

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Blend in the blueberries.

Spread batter in a greased and floured 9inch pan. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup stick butter, softened

Bake at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I didn't get a picture of the finished product soon enough, but you get the idea :)

The Weekend Update

My sister told me that it has almost been a month since I have posted on here! Must be I'm enjoying these summer days! Here's a quick update on our family.

The kids and I made a trip to my mom's at the beginning of July. That is where we were coming from when the accident happened; we had been home for Thanksgiving. To answer the question that I hear most often, yes, it was hard! Very hard. But it was very worth it! My mom turned 60 and I really wanted to be there to celebrate with her! Even though I tried to hide my anxiety about the trip, the girls and I were all feeling a bit anxious as we left home. Not even 10 miles from our house someone hit a deer right in front of us! My shoulder/neck was feeling sore that day, and we made a stop for motrin, but we made it to mom's!  My brother in laws, aka my BILS, take good care of us and they helped load and uload the van several times, carried the diaper bag, drove in downtown STL for me and helped in many other ways!  Ryan did stay home, he is not up for a road trip yet. It was hard being away from him, even the kids missed him more than usual. Every day one or more of them would cry about missing him. Even Aiden said several times, "I want to go back to my daddy." He was well taken care of by his mom and some other family and friends. Thanks to everyone who helped him out while we were gone! Even though it was a bit difficult for all of us, it was a good thing to get "back in the saddle."

Ryan does have a consultation with an oral surgeon in Midland concerning his jaw. He is still very limited in how wide he can open his mouth. That appt is late August.

He recently had an appt with the ENT surgeon in Flint. He said things are still continuing to heal well, and they will do a hearing test the next time they see him.

Last week I had an MRI to look for damage to a nerve bundle in the shoulder area and the MRI came back clear.  My doctor said that there can be damage to the nerve(like a stretched nerve) that may not show up on the MRI.  For now we are going to assume that is the issue. Damage to a nerve could cause the muscle loss that I have.  We are going to watch it and he'll see me again in a few weeks.

 We may not be able to do all the things we usually like to do, but we are enjoying this summer. I feel like I have been able to take a deep breath for the first time since the accident. I'll post more later on our summer fun!