We headed to Canyon Lake to visit Uncle Mike and bring Jener back for a couple of weeks....
Bryce rode on Uncle Mike's tractor and loved it!
Although we couldn't get in the Guadalupe due to flooding, we did enjoy the pretty outdoor space at our rental.
We also visited Canyon Lake to play a while...
The river was very rough!
More Pie Face...
We headed to the NB Park again this year. The kids love it there.
On the way out, we stopped to check out Gruene....
After the Canyon Lake trip, I had my targeted sonogram. Milly Jean is looking great! She's also moving all the time !
After having more tubes put in in April, Avery's hearing seemed to get worse and worse. Worried, I took her in to see Dr. Carron. One ear looked fine, but the other had a large hole, and the tube was sideways. He decided to do a hearing test, and it didn't turn out well. One ear was just as bad as it was before the last tubes, and the other ear was worse. Dr. Carron was stumped. He decided to
go back in to reinsert tubes and investigate. I could tell he's concerned it could be bone related, so that worries me. If it is bone related, she will need hearing aids. We scheduled surgery, and oddly enough, it is the day after her cardio appointment and the day before my fetal echo and an intense sonogram. I admit, I left the doctor's office feeling completely overwhelmed! I'm worried about valve replacement, her hearing and just putting her through anything else period. Bless. Her. Heart. That put me into an intense prayer mode, and I asked some close family and friends to join in.
What do you do on a hot, boring day? Head to the splash pad because it's free!
We also visited the park a few times when the heat wasn't too intense.
And went BACK to the splash pad, lol.
On the 4th, we went to Pop's for the Yankee Doodle parade in Country Place. The kids loved it.
We headed to a Braves game that night and watched fireworks afterwards. Avery and Bryce were crazy that night!
We also did a few fireworks of our own over the weekend...
Our last road trip of the summer was to visit Uncle Mitch in Raleigh. We had a great time hanging out with family!
We went to the park...
The pool...
The science museum...
To Cowfish (and Chuy's) for dinner...
To Lifepointe for church...
To the dam...
And just spent some QT with Mitch, Josie and Coop. Aunt Becca was out of the country on a mission trip, so we missed her.
Both Bryce and Avery said their favorite thing was the slide at the pool. In Bryce's words, "That was awesome!" He also loved that they had stairs and enjoyed playing in Cooper's room.
When we returned home, we decided it was time for Bryce to start sleeping in his OWN bed. It's still a work in progress, but he's made it through the night a few times, fallen to sleep every night in there, AND earned a cool Hulk Smash mask that he loves!
Also...this is what happens when you have an older sister who wants to play dress-up!
We met Mrs. Norris and Peyton at Tinsel Town to see The Mysterious Life of Pets. It was such a cute movie with great company!
Avery and Bryce were "playing" in Avery's room. Shortly after, they walked into the living room and Bryce's hair looked like this....
He fell asleep in his leisure suit that he just had to wear...
I had innocently asked why his hair looked like that, then, I realized he'd cut it! I asked and he said, "yes"! I asked Avery and she responded the same. I admit, I lost it for a minute! They used purple, dull point craft scissors and had brought their hair down the hall to the bathroom trash before coming in the living room! There was a ton of Avery's hair in the trash, but I couldn't really tell where she cut it until I had time to look through it and brush it a while. This is the spot where she took it off the top...
The easy solution for Bryce was a buzz cut! It pains my heart lol. I'm glad he has such thick, fast-growing hair! I'll just keep Avery's pulled back until we have a "before school" cut soon! I've heard all kids do this, and I even did it myself; however, this is a first for my two. Avery also keeps sneaking into my make-up bag and putting on her own mascara, lipstick and eye shadow. If she can't sneak to get any, she just draws her own make-up in her face with MARKERS! This is a girl who freaked when I tried to put make-up on for her first dance recital! She is a HOT mess!
"Mommy, I thank my frands are gonna like my new hair cut." -Bryce
"Bryce, you look SO handsome!" -Avery
Avery had her cardiology check-up, and thankfully, Dr. Ebeid said she looks good for now. She hasn't grown much recently, therefore, the valve is still the appropriate size and functioning ok. He'd like her to be 50-55 pounds to replace it in the cath lab, so she has some weight to gain! She's 40 right now. Hopefully, with her absorption of nutrients improving, she'll be able to gain. Regardless, we are grateful for another 6 months with no intervention.
After her cardio appointment, we were invited to meet Ole Miss Head Football Coach, Hugh Freeze, at Sal and Mookie's! Our friends, the Meads and the Pucketts, were there too. Avery decided she is a Rebel around the age of 2, her favorite color is red, and she loves anything "Hotty Toddy", so she was excited! Coach Freeze is very kind and gracious, and he's not afraid to talk about God. He showed her a picture of his red-headed daughter, and he loved Avery's dress. Her favorite part was sitting in his lap and eating some of his Batson Sundae. Actually, she didn't get the memo to get out of his lap and stop eating his sundae- ha! The profits from the ice cream sold benefits Batson which makes it even sweeter. Coach Freeze also signed Bryce's shirt, and left a special message for Avery on the pillow we had made from Papaw Sid's Ole Miss shirt. I know that would make my dad smile. Avery even made friends with Officer Anthony who asked for a picture with her. He liked her red bow. Coach Freeze told us to tweet a picture at him, and he tweeted right back.
The following day, Avery went under for Dr. Carron to check out her ears. In one ear, he replaced a tube. The other ear has a large perforation, so he didn't stick a tube in that one. It isn't likely the hole will close on its own, so he'll probably surgically repair it when she's a bit older. He really feels like Avery's Eustachian tubes will function better once she's gotten bigger. We are doing another hearing test next week at post-op. If her hearing is still poor or moderate, we will probably look at hearing aids to help her for the time being. I can tell it has improved some, but I think the aids may be necessary for her to hear well in school. We'll see how it goes. Thankfully, Avery did not get sick from anesthesia this time! She did feel nauseous after drinking some juice (and the Popsicle she woke up asking for), so we took those away and she slept it off. While in recovery, we met Avery's Kindergarten teacher's daughter, Anna! We also had the same sweet nurse that Avery had in April. They're always so good to our girl.
The day after that, (I know-crazy-busy week) I had a closer look at Milly with both Dr. Tucker (sonogram) and Dr. Shores (fetal echo). They didn't detect any problems! Milly is around 1lb and 6oz right at 23 weeks, and she is a mover! I feel her all thoughout the day and night.
I can tell she has the same nose as her brother and sister!
The following week, Daddy took the kids to the pool while I got to work in my classroom. It's been quite a summer, and honestly, we're all ready for a consistent routine. I'm looking forward to my Kinder class coming in soon!
Then, came Avery's post-op with Dr. Carron. Due to the hearing issues she's had, we decided it best to move forward with hearing aids. Avery goes in to begin the process at the end of August. Her loss isn't severe, but this should really help her in school and should improve her focus. Avery is really funny about her ears, so I'm hoping for little resistance when we get them. Of course, it hurts our hearts a bit that she has to deal with yet another issue, but in the big scheme of things, we know how extremely blessed we are. I always make myself stop and remember just how far she's come and just how much God has done for her!
The last hurrah of the summer was Miracle Treat Day-yum! I love how DQ gives back to our local children's hospital where we spend so much time.
And I end with this: Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead. 1 Peter 1:6
While this was our summer in a nutshell, I've left out much of the anxiety, worry, anger, pain, and hurt both Jake and I have experienced. Some pretty big changes are occurring within our little family, and things we planned and prayed for are happening in ways we'd never expected them to. Life hits hard, and those hits can come one after another with little time for recovery. People can do and say things that make it really difficult for you not to harbor bitterness and resentment. It can leave you feeling hopelessly broken in moments, I admit. Thankfully, through prayer and that relentless hope God instills inside of you, you find a way to see the good in what's happening. You remember that other people aren't perfect and neither are you. You forgive and move on (whether you leave those people behind or see a reason to keep the relationships going). You begin to realize that things may happen in a way you don't expect, but that the prayers you prayed (and are praying) are being answered in His way and His time. We don't always know what is "best" for us regardless of how much we convince ourselves we do. Our plan is not necessarily the best plan, and it takes some time to see and admit it. Above all, God knows what he's doing, and he never leaves us alone to deal with things if we focus on him and his promises. I'm confident that He has some pretty big and pretty great things in the works for us, and even on the "low" days, I'll refuse to sink. I'm making the commitment to move on in faith believing in God's promise that there is "wonderful joy ahead!"
Here's to a great school year with positive changes in store!
