I took Christmas pictures of the kids in front of our Christmas tree a few days ago. I used my good white tablecloth over two foam chairs - you'd never know Barbie and Superman were under there! Lily & Leland actually cooperated really well, but of course I bribed (threatened?) them with Christmas cookies if they looked at me and smiled. At the same time, preferably. Lily is old enough to understand a good bribe when she hears one, and if she cooperates Leland is much more likely to cooperate too. Monkey see, monkey do.
We have now had Leland for one year! I can't believe a year has gone by already. We also just celebrated our three year Gotcha Day anniversary for Lily.God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams with our two amazing children.
As always, click on the picture to see more pictures.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Let it Snow!
It has snowed quite a bit in the past two weeks, and the kids have been loving it! Even I couldn't help but be excited to go out and play with them. In the past when I would think of snow I thought of freezing cold, bad traffic, shoveling, and wet shoes. But now that we have two small kids, it has really changed my outlook on life. We have a small hill in our backyard that is just right for sledding, and the kids love to help shovel snow in the front yard. I can't wait until we get some sticky snow so we can make a snowman. Or Brocky the Goman, as Leland says. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Gingerbread House
The kids and I had so much fun making our first gingerbread house! Actually, grandma helped the kids build the house from a kit, and then the kids and I decorated it. I'm pretty sure Leland did more eating than decorating, but that's okay. I just hope the frosting didn't stick like glue to his stomach! The kids loved it, and I think making a gingerbread house will be a yearly Christmas tradition for us.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We had a great time with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law. We ate our fill of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad, rolls and of course pumpkin pie.
After we ate, my brother set up his new WII video game. We had a blast playing tennis, bowling and boxing. The kids loved it too!
We set up our Christmas tree and yard lights yesterday. The kids get to pick out their own personalized ornament from the mall every year. This year Lily picked out Elmo and Leland chose Cookie Monster. Gary bought a train that goes around the tree, and we also bought a lighted train for the front yard. The kids loved setting up the Christmas decorations, and especially the train around the tree. They played with it for a long time yesterday with the remote control, making it go forward and backwards, and play Christmas carols. So cute! So far they have been really good about not pulling ornaments off of the tree!
As always, click on the picture to see more pictures.
After we ate, my brother set up his new WII video game. We had a blast playing tennis, bowling and boxing. The kids loved it too!
We set up our Christmas tree and yard lights yesterday. The kids get to pick out their own personalized ornament from the mall every year. This year Lily picked out Elmo and Leland chose Cookie Monster. Gary bought a train that goes around the tree, and we also bought a lighted train for the front yard. The kids loved setting up the Christmas decorations, and especially the train around the tree. They played with it for a long time yesterday with the remote control, making it go forward and backwards, and play Christmas carols. So cute! So far they have been really good about not pulling ornaments off of the tree!
As always, click on the picture to see more pictures.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Minnesota Harvest Apple Orchard
We woke up Saturday morning to beautiful sunshine! It's the first time the sun has been out in a month. At least it seems that way! We got up early and headed out to our favorite apple orchard in Jordan, about 20 minutes from our house.
They have so many fun things for kids. They have pony rides, a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, tractor rides, apple picking, music (polka while we were there - Lily really liked it!), and of course apple desserts (Gary's favorite).
The tractor brought us out to the orchard to pick apples, and the kids had fun eating apples right off the tree. The petting zoo was a little scary for both kids. Leland wouldn't get near any of the animals, and after a sheep chased Lily down she wasn't too excited about it either! She liked the rabbits the best. She's been asking for a kitty and a dog lately, so it will probably change to rabbits soon. So far daddy has held strong and said no to all. We'll see how long that lasts!
It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and we had a lot of fun at Minnesota Harvest!
They have so many fun things for kids. They have pony rides, a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, tractor rides, apple picking, music (polka while we were there - Lily really liked it!), and of course apple desserts (Gary's favorite).
The tractor brought us out to the orchard to pick apples, and the kids had fun eating apples right off the tree. The petting zoo was a little scary for both kids. Leland wouldn't get near any of the animals, and after a sheep chased Lily down she wasn't too excited about it either! She liked the rabbits the best. She's been asking for a kitty and a dog lately, so it will probably change to rabbits soon. So far daddy has held strong and said no to all. We'll see how long that lasts!
It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and we had a lot of fun at Minnesota Harvest!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Roundhouse Train Museum
We wanted to take the kids to the zoo last week, but it was raining. We ended up at the Roundhouse Train Museum instead, and the kids (including Gary!) loved it! There were all kinds of train engines and cars to go in, train whistles and bells to sound, and best of all Thomas the Train tables to play with! That rainy day turned into a lot of fun.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Riding Bikes
Every day Lily & Leland go outside to ride their bikes, as long as it's not raining. They love to line up at the top of the driveway and speed down into the street. Fortunately, we live in a cul-de-sac so we don't have to worry about traffic. They have so much fun, and it's good exercise too!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Surprise!
I came home from my haircut today and found that Gary had gone to a garage sale and brought home a giant blow-up trampoline! Our exercise/storage/play room in the basement is now entirely filled with this thing. But take a look at the kids' faces! They've had so much fun jumping I know they'll sleep good tonight. Can't beat that for $20!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Camping
We went camping at our favorite state park last weekend. We love to go to William O'Brien State Park because the roads are paved so the kids can ride their bikes, it is close to lots of fun towns like Stillwater and Taylor's Falls, and most importantly there is a good bakery just down the road from the campground! We always hike to the railroad bridge in this picture and take our family picture. It's fun to see how we've changed over the years! Grandma and Grandpa came to visit us for a day and had fun playing ball, going on walks, and reading books.
Leland's physical therapy is going very well. His balance is really improving and he is getting stronger every day. He was nervous about the appointments the first couple of weeks, but he looks forward to them now.
Lily and I have been playing school and she has been learning how to write letters and numbers. She is a fast learner and I'm going to have a hard time keeping up with her!
As always, click on the picture to see more pictures.
Leland's physical therapy is going very well. His balance is really improving and he is getting stronger every day. He was nervous about the appointments the first couple of weeks, but he looks forward to them now.
Lily and I have been playing school and she has been learning how to write letters and numbers. She is a fast learner and I'm going to have a hard time keeping up with her!
As always, click on the picture to see more pictures.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
The State Fair
We went to the Minnesota State Fair with the kids last week. Lily & Leland's favorite ride was the big slide, so Gary took them on it several times. They also loved the Tom Thumb donuts. They were both completely covered with sugar after eating just a couple of them! They also liked the animals, especially the chickens, rabits and horses. Leland sure enjoyed his first trip to the state fair. It's hard to believe that this was Lily's third state fair already! Time sure flies when you're having fun.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Bogota, Colombia
We traveled to Bogota, Colombia August 6-13 with a team of 40 people from all over the United States. It was amazing, life-changing experience! One of the highlights of the trip was working in an orphanage on top of a mountain. These homes had no roofs, electricity, or plumbing. The women have to walk down the mountain and carry water back to their homes. Our guide told us that drug lords in this area give guns to 10-year-old children and tell them to kill someone and pay them $1,500 U.S. and then they disappear and the crimes are never solved. But the Christian orphanage we went to was full of life, color, music, and love. There were 380 children, and we brought clothing, balloons, stickers and toys for them. Gary was almost trampled as he was passing out balloons! The children will never, ever forget our time with them.
The leader of our team spoke at many churches, and the rest of the team would pray for sick people after the services. There were over 6,000 peopled healed! Gary and I saw many healings, including cataracts disappearing, deaf ears, lame feet and legs, headaches, and an arm. It was incredible to see God working so powerfully!
The leader of our team spoke at many churches, and the rest of the team would pray for sick people after the services. There were over 6,000 peopled healed! Gary and I saw many healings, including cataracts disappearing, deaf ears, lame feet and legs, headaches, and an arm. It was incredible to see God working so powerfully!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Lily & Mom
Lily and I recently took a cooking class together. The class was designed for 3 to 5 year olds, and it was terrific! We made Peanut Butter Cookies, Brownies, and Cinnamon Rolls. The kids took turns measuring, stirring, rolling and sprinkling. The parents had just as much fun as the kids did! The best part, of course, was tasting all of the goodies and bringing some home to share with Daddy and Leland. What a fun day we had!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Cool Shades!
We weren't able to to camping all spring because of all of our trips to Iowa City, but we started to make up for lost time over the last two weekends! We went camping over the 4th of July and again last weekend. Leland loves riding his Big Wheel, and is now walking around more than he crawls. He is loving his freedom! We went hiking, swimming, and fishing, and played mini golf. Leland caught his first fish and Lily caught lots of fish too! The kids loved all of the fresh air, cooking hot dogs over the fire, and going for bike rides. We all had a great time!
Monday, July 2, 2007
California!
We had a great trip to California last week! We flew to San Francisco and then drove up to Redding in northern California for a church conference. It is just beautiful, surrounded by mountains and lakes. The conference was great, and we did a lot of fun things with the kids too. Leland went swimming for the first time, and loved it! We also went on go-carts, bumper boats, and to a great playground with lots of things to climb on. Lily loves to swim and always makes friends with the other kids in the pool.
Leland has been taking a few steps by himself, but mostly walks while holding our hands. He's getting stronger every day! Physical therapy will start next week, and we go back to Iowa City for a checkup at the end of July. He is loving his freedom and has been zipping around on his big wheel, following Lily on her bike. So much fun!
Leland has been taking a few steps by himself, but mostly walks while holding our hands. He's getting stronger every day! Physical therapy will start next week, and we go back to Iowa City for a checkup at the end of July. He is loving his freedom and has been zipping around on his big wheel, following Lily on her bike. So much fun!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Before and After
Isn't this an amazing transformation? Just look at those straight feet! After 18 casts over five months and one surgery, Leland's feet are looking great. Today his last casts came off and he got AFO braces which he will wear 23 hours a day. We bought him his first pair of shoes, and boy is he proud of them! The smile on his face when he put those shoes on made everything worthwhile. He is so happy that he gets to be like Lily and put shoes on when we go somewhere.
Leland was diagnosed with Peripheral Arthrogryposis about a month ago, which is paralysis of the muscles below the knees. He will still be able to walk, but it will be very stiff. He can't move his ankles or toes, but he does have feeling in them. But after much prayer and fasting over the past month, there was a breakthrough today! With our doctor, plus five visiting doctors from England, plus two nurses, plus a nurse assistant, plus, Gary, me, Lily & Leland all crammed into a tiny exam room, the doctor tested his toes for paralysis and there was a very, very slight movement in his left toes! Everyone saw it, and we jumped up and down and cheered! Nothing yet in the right foot or either ankle, but it is an absolute MIRACLE that those toes moved. We will keep on praying and we know that many, many others are praying for him also. This little boy is going to run like the wind!
We will be starting physical therapy soon and return to Iowa City for a checkup in a month. Dr. Ponsetti is an amazing man and we feel very blessed to have him as Leland's doctor. For those of you who don't know, Dr. Ponsetti is 93 years old and still seeing patients. He is the best of the best for treating club feet, as you can see from the pictures above.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Happy 2nd Birthday Leland!
Yesterday (June 12) was Leland's 2nd birthday. With a little help from Auntie Julie, he really enjoyed his cake! There was chocolate everywhere. Mmmmm, mmmm good! We had dinner, opened presents, played in the park, ate cake, and then played outside some more. Lily had fun helping Leland open his presents. She actually did most of the opening, since he was too busy playing with the wrapping paper to open presents.
It's hard to believe that six months ago we were in China just getting Leland! We can't believe how blessed we are to have him in our family, and we thank God every day that we get to be his daddy and mommy.
As always, click on the picture to see more pictures.
It's hard to believe that six months ago we were in China just getting Leland! We can't believe how blessed we are to have him in our family, and we thank God every day that we get to be his daddy and mommy.
As always, click on the picture to see more pictures.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Lily's New Bike!
Lily is getting so tall that her knees were hitting her tricycle handlebars, so a couple days ago we bought her her first bike It came complete with training wheels, fringe on the handlebars, a purple basket up front, and a bell. She loves it!
Leland had his tenotomy surgery on Monday, May 21st. It went well, even though it was pretty painful for him. We gave him children's motrin for about a week, but he is doing fine now. We go back on June 6 to have the casts removed and have his feet measured for leg braces, which will be ready on June 18. He will have his final cast removed at that time, and then we will be done with casting, and trips to Iowa City!
Since we don't have to go back to the doctor until June 6, we had Memorial weekend free. My mom and dad were camping, so we drove to Stillwater to visit them for a day. Mark and Julie came for dinner, and we had a great time together. It was so nice not to have to pack and make the drive to Iowa!
Lily and Leland "helped" me plant my vegetable garden yesterday. They each had a shovel and made a huge mess everywhere, but they had a blast! Leland especially was just covered with dirt. He's all boy! Lily helped me plant seeds. She loves to learn new things and is always asking me to teach her things. It won't be long and she'll be teaching me things! What great kids we have. We are so blessed!
Leland had his tenotomy surgery on Monday, May 21st. It went well, even though it was pretty painful for him. We gave him children's motrin for about a week, but he is doing fine now. We go back on June 6 to have the casts removed and have his feet measured for leg braces, which will be ready on June 18. He will have his final cast removed at that time, and then we will be done with casting, and trips to Iowa City!
Since we don't have to go back to the doctor until June 6, we had Memorial weekend free. My mom and dad were camping, so we drove to Stillwater to visit them for a day. Mark and Julie came for dinner, and we had a great time together. It was so nice not to have to pack and make the drive to Iowa!
Lily and Leland "helped" me plant my vegetable garden yesterday. They each had a shovel and made a huge mess everywhere, but they had a blast! Leland especially was just covered with dirt. He's all boy! Lily helped me plant seeds. She loves to learn new things and is always asking me to teach her things. It won't be long and she'll be teaching me things! What great kids we have. We are so blessed!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Leland's First Haircut
It has been a long time since I've posted! It has been a busy spring. Leland's orthopedist referred us to a specialist in Iowa City who deals extensively with older children with club feet, so we have been driving back and forth every week for a new cast. I think we will be done by the end of June. He has a minor surgery scheduled for Monday, May 21. He will wear one cast for three weeks, then he will be fitted for braces on his legs, then we make one final trip back to get the braces. We should be finished with our Iowa City trips by the end of June.
The casts haven't slowed Leland down a bit! Now that it has warmed up outside, he loves to swing, climb, play t-ball, jump on our neighbor's trampoline, play in the sandbox, and walk around in his walker. He and Lily have a lot of fun playing together. Lily loves to play with him, push him on the swings and ride her tricycle with him.
Leland had his first haircut last week. He was not very happy about it at first, but we go to a kid's haircut place where they play videos and blow bubbles, so he was distracted long enough to get the job done. He looks like such a big boy with his new haircut!
The casts haven't slowed Leland down a bit! Now that it has warmed up outside, he loves to swing, climb, play t-ball, jump on our neighbor's trampoline, play in the sandbox, and walk around in his walker. He and Lily have a lot of fun playing together. Lily loves to play with him, push him on the swings and ride her tricycle with him.
Leland had his first haircut last week. He was not very happy about it at first, but we go to a kid's haircut place where they play videos and blow bubbles, so he was distracted long enough to get the job done. He looks like such a big boy with his new haircut!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
We've Had Leland Three Months!
Sunday was our three month anniversary of having Leland. It seems like he has been with us forever, and at the same time it seems like just yesterday we were in China.
The casting process is difficult for him (and me, since I have to hold him down while they remove the casts and put the new ones on). It takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the whole process each week. But we are thankful that Leland has an excellent doctor and the staff really cares about him. The casting technicians bring in toys, videos and CD's from home especially for Leland on his appointment days to help comfort him. They are so sweet.
February was so cold that we stayed inside most of the time. We played in the snow a little bit, but Leland can't get his casts wet so he couldn't go out much. Lily had fun shoveling snow with daddy and making snowballs.
We had fun with our friends the Holmbecks when they came for a visit. The kids LOVED playing with Kayla, Noah, Emily and Olivia. It was way too quiet around here when they left!
We can't believe how blessed we are to have Lily and Leland in our lives. Life is definitely more fun with little ones around!
The casting process is difficult for him (and me, since I have to hold him down while they remove the casts and put the new ones on). It takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the whole process each week. But we are thankful that Leland has an excellent doctor and the staff really cares about him. The casting technicians bring in toys, videos and CD's from home especially for Leland on his appointment days to help comfort him. They are so sweet.
February was so cold that we stayed inside most of the time. We played in the snow a little bit, but Leland can't get his casts wet so he couldn't go out much. Lily had fun shoveling snow with daddy and making snowballs.
We had fun with our friends the Holmbecks when they came for a visit. The kids LOVED playing with Kayla, Noah, Emily and Olivia. It was way too quiet around here when they left!
We can't believe how blessed we are to have Lily and Leland in our lives. Life is definitely more fun with little ones around!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Happy 3rd Birthday Lily!
Lily turned three on January 20th. We celebrated Julie's 30th birthday at the same time, which is January 21st. Lily picked out her party hat cake from a children's cake book I have. It doesn't look exactly like the picture, but she sure liked it! She was so excited - she talked about party hats for days before the party. She had so much fun opening presents - she would stop and play with each present and we could hardly get her to open the next gift! Leland liked the wrapping paper and climbing on and in the boxes the best.
Leland had his MRI on Tuesday and everything was normal. On Thursday we went in to meet with the specialist, and they casted his legs right then and there, from his toes to the top of his legs. Thursday and Friday were pretty difficult for him. He was in some pain because they are stretching his feet towards the normal position, and he had to learn to crawl all over again which was pretty frustrating for him. But by Saturday he was getting around a little bit better and was in much better spirits. Poor little guy - I'd be mad too if I couldn't move my legs! It's worth it - in a few months he'll be able to walk!
Leland had his MRI on Tuesday and everything was normal. On Thursday we went in to meet with the specialist, and they casted his legs right then and there, from his toes to the top of his legs. Thursday and Friday were pretty difficult for him. He was in some pain because they are stretching his feet towards the normal position, and he had to learn to crawl all over again which was pretty frustrating for him. But by Saturday he was getting around a little bit better and was in much better spirits. Poor little guy - I'd be mad too if I couldn't move my legs! It's worth it - in a few months he'll be able to walk!
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Home Sweet Home
We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years with lots of visits from friends and family. Gary's sister Deanna and her husband Paul and their kids stopped by for a visit, and my sister Sue and her husband David and their kids were in town for a week. They stayed at my parent's house about 15 minutes from our house. Lily and Leland had a great time playing with all the cousins. It was pretty quiet around here when they went home!
Leland is doing great. He had his check up with the pediatrician and got a couple of shots and a blood draw - not fun. Everything came back looking good, so we were happy about that.
Last week we met with the pediatric orthopedic specialist, and Leland will have an MRI on his spine next Tuesday, and begin casting on Thursday. Each week they will remove the cast and put on a new one to try to loosen his tendons and move the bones to the correct position. Since he is so old (it works great on newborns) the doctor is not sure how effective it will be, but he says it is worth a try. After eight weeks, he will have surgery on his feet (and possibly his finger) to straighten them out. We are praying that he will be walking by summer!
Lily loves being a big sister (most of the time!) and really likes playing with Leland. They are so cute together. She is very protective of him. The only time they don't get along is when one of them tries to take the other's toy away, which both kids are pretty evenly guilty of doing to the other.
Gary and I can't believe how blessed we are! God has given us two precious children and we are so thankful for them.
Leland is doing great. He had his check up with the pediatrician and got a couple of shots and a blood draw - not fun. Everything came back looking good, so we were happy about that.
Last week we met with the pediatric orthopedic specialist, and Leland will have an MRI on his spine next Tuesday, and begin casting on Thursday. Each week they will remove the cast and put on a new one to try to loosen his tendons and move the bones to the correct position. Since he is so old (it works great on newborns) the doctor is not sure how effective it will be, but he says it is worth a try. After eight weeks, he will have surgery on his feet (and possibly his finger) to straighten them out. We are praying that he will be walking by summer!
Lily loves being a big sister (most of the time!) and really likes playing with Leland. They are so cute together. She is very protective of him. The only time they don't get along is when one of them tries to take the other's toy away, which both kids are pretty evenly guilty of doing to the other.
Gary and I can't believe how blessed we are! God has given us two precious children and we are so thankful for them.
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