The Evens

Not too old to swing!

For the next few months our boys are all even ages @ 12, 10, and 8! Someday I will wonder what life was like during the time of these evens, so. . .

BRAYLEN

1. Growing up, and yet I still see the little boy living inside him.
2. Thriving in middle school.
3. Best friends with Hunter; hangs out with Matthew most days after school.
4. Has the most obnoxious antics at the dinner table!
5. Just a couple inches shorter than me. It won't be long and he'll pass me up.
6. Glued to his iPod touch. Or a good book.
7. Likes to mow lawns and is good at it.
8. Still prays with us every night before bed.
9. Will not take many clothing suggestions from me. He knows what he likes without any input from his mother!
10. Loves to run sprints and long distances, and can run 1 mile in 7 minutes, 10 seconds.
11. Has become Derek's #1 go-to-guy for help around the house. I've been replaced in that area!
12. Calls me mom most of the time, but I still hear him call me mommy. :)

Playing the trap set at his band concert

KALEB

1. Looks forward to feeding Ginger every day.
2. Needs to be with people, and needs to be alone sometimes too.
3. When I think of Kaleb, I think of the word "delightful."
4. Plays all kinds of games with Aaron: Star Wars, GI Joe, cars, etc.
5. Still loves his meat and doesn't like casseroles.
6. Won't pick up a book to read unless he's told.
7. He likes to play with my hair.
8. Shoots hoops in the driveway many afternoons.
9. Has great compassion for Aaron, and prays for the seizures to go away.
10. Loves to tell us stories from his school day, and is able to do all kinds of voices!

AARON

1. Loud and wiggly and feisty!
2. Determined to get his own way at just about any cost.
3. Brilliant. Too much for his own good sometimes. :)
4. Snuggly at bedtime, just like he's always been.
5. Helpful in the kitchen. Maybe that's because his appetite has been huge lately!
6. Loves loves loves to go fishing.
7. Asks me all kinds of questions. Lots of them I can't answer.
8. Still a collector of many things. Mostly rocks, leaves, and sticks.

He asked me to take a picture of his barrel o' slime.
I agreed, only if he would be in the picture with it!

That's our life right now. This week we've had the camper in our driveway in anticipation of our first camping trip of the season. As expected, the boys have asked every night if they could sleep in the camper. They will soon get their wish. :)

Aaron has had a good week. Derek and I haven't seen many seizures, which is quite a change from last week when we saw several every hour. I'm not sure why that is. He's in week #3 of his new medicine, and the dose did increase from 5 to 10 mg per day on Tuesday. However, that is still way below the eventual dose of 100 mg per day. Also on Tuesday, I started taking him to our chiropractor. I asked him to be as aggressive as he can be with battling Aaron's epilepsy. Whatever he's doing is different than before, because Aaron notices the different positions and manipulations while on the table. Whatever the reason, I give God the credit for Aaron's spectacular week. :)

April is coming to an end, and that's more than okay with me. School will be out before too long. And we will have a new nephew in May, just as our first nephew turns 1 in May! Yay for May! :)

 

Aaron's Birthday

Now that I've had a few days to catch my breath, here are a few highlights from Aaron's 8th birthday.

Grandma took Aaron out for cookies and they visited the new pet store in town.
Aaron's little toy (he calls it Pokey) came from a stop at the local hardware store.

He LOVES his present from Uncle Eric and Aunt Amber.
Snap Circuits keep him entertained for hours! Only the Wii can compete for that honor!

Braylen and Kaleb each bought Aaron a package of fishing lures.
I posted this picture with Braylen since Kaleb was in the snap circuits picture. :)

Aaron's been begging me to plant seeds. Easy birthday gift! :)
As of today he has several marigold plants poking through the dirt.
(I came down with a cold on Aaron's birthday, and when this picture was taken I was feeling pretty lousy.)

Another big hit is this bow and arrow set from Grammy and Grampy!
Watch out! Aaron has good aim! :)

Aaron with his football cake. As we were lighting the candles, he told me he really
wanted a football FIELD cake. Well...next year!

Two days later we celebrated Aaron's birthday with our family in town. It was a stormy evening, and the party was cut short when it threatened to hail. Aaron is learning that with a spring birthday, you never know what's going to happen!

Jumping up to reach the birthday banner!

Our biggest hockey fan

The traditional family cake picture

How can my little boy be 8 already?

Planting those seeds he opened on his birthday

Because of the chaotic weather, I'm missing a picture of Aaron's favorite birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa. They bought him his very own tackle box and stocked it with new lures (and some favorites from their own supply.) We've already taken Aaron fishing twice with his new tackle box. He's turning into quite the little fisherman. :)

I took the kids and their gear (plus an extra 12 year old boy) fishing on Saturday while Derek went hunting...but that story is for another post.

Happy Birthday Dear Aaron!!!!!!!! You are dearly loved by so many!!!!!!!!

A Little Bit of Spring

I have more to post about Aaron's birthday, but on this rainy Thursday I need to see a little bit of spring.

They came in from the garage to dye Easter eggs...Aaron even kept his safety glasses on. :)

Braylen agreed to dye only two Easter eggs...he used to want to do more than that.

Aaron, on the other hand, wanted to dye all 18 eggs! He had to settle for 8.

Kaleb wants me to point out that the red and orange eggs belong to Braylen.

Daddy joined us towards the end. I realized I was never worried about anyone spilling any of the dye this year. They can color eggs without any help from us, but I'm glad they still want us with them at the table. :) Good thing we like egg salad and hard-boiled eggs, since we have 18 eggs to use! Yesterday Aaron had rotisserie chicken and sweet corn for an after-school snack. Apparently the eggs can't compete with that.

Youth turkey season began on April 7th. Derek and his dad took all 3 boys hunting, and Braylen and Kaleb each carried a gun. Braylen was successful, and hopefully Kaleb will be next time!

Braylen's huge turkey! What a fun hunt for him!

They all had a great day in the field.

Easter Sunday kicked off a busy stretch of April for me. Doctor visits, music programs, a baby shower for my SIL, birthday celebrations, and a big-deal fundraising banquet...I needed the message of Easter to sustain me through the days ahead. "Up from the grave He arose, with a MIGHTY triumph over His foes!" Thank you Jesus!

My handsome fellas on Easter, complete with a turkey feather in Aaron's hand. :)

We spent the afternoon at a park with our extended family. 16 people and 2 dogs.
It was a beautiful day. :)

The very next day, we loaded our family into the Suburban and drove to Aaron's neurologist appointment. Braylen and Kaleb entertained themselves in the waiting room, and afterward we enjoyed a family lunch at Red Robin. I had planned on touring the capitol building that afternoon, but I was out-voted. We spent the afternoon at a sporting goods store instead. Maybe I'll get my wish next time!

So here we are, 10 days later. My busy April is behind me now. Not that the rest of the month is boring...far from it. But I definitely feel like my load is lighter on this side of April. Aaron had an MRI on the 13th. He stayed so still and we were very proud of him. Results came back normal, PTL! Waiting for those results was so hard for me. We did learn he has pansinusitus, which means every sinus cavity is inflamed and infected. To clear that up he's taking Augmentin for 2 weeks. So far the Lamictal + Depakote combination hasn't helped his seizures any, but we really won't know if it's working until the middle of June. Tuesday was a good day. Wednesday was a hard day. Sharing the events of Aaron's Wednesday with Derek last night brought us both to tears... I'm trying really hard not to let myself get stuck in the sadness of epilepsy all of the time, I really am. Like God provided the Israelites with enough manna for each day, He gives me just enough of His peace each day...one day at a time.

Hebrews 4:15-16 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Boys on Broadway

Kaleb and Aaron recently participated in their school's music programs. This year's theme was, "On Broadway!" I just love these shows! I'm amazed at what my kids can do when they work hard. Kaleb did quite a bit of fancy footwork in his performances. First he was a chimney sweep in "Chim Chim Cher-ee," from Mary Poppins. Then he danced as a newspaper boy (newsie) to the song, "Seize the Day" from the broadway show Newsies. Derek and I noticed that Kaleb never looked to his neighbor for directions during the program. He memorized his songs and his steps and remained laser-focused on that. Quite typical for Kaleb, right Mom? :)

Kaleb the Chimney Sweep

Showing us his stuff as a Newsie

Moving right along...

Can you see his smile?

Kaleb's program ended with "Circle of Life" from The Lion King. Our school has an after-school drum circle, and those kids did an amazing job with this song. Between the different drums and the lion masks and choreography...this song was so cool. I know this sounds silly for an elementary music program, but that last song gave me goosebumps!

After the program and relieved to be done!

Aaron's program, one week after Kaleb's, was just as much fun. Being the youngest, his activities always remind Derek and me that our days with a cute little boy on stage are coming to an end. (Kaleb and Braylen, while ALWAYS cute to their mommy, are the big boys now.) This makes us hold onto Aaron's cuteness as long as we can. :)

Aaron's time to shine came during "Whistle a Happy Tune" from The King and I. He stood by himself at a microphone and sang a few lines from this song. We could hear his voice above the rest of the chorus of kids and there's no better sound than that. After that song ended, he stayed at his microphone and had a speaking part to introduce the next song, "The Bare Necessities" from Jungle Book. He did such a great job and didn't appear to be nervous...we were sure proud of him.

Not the clearest picture, but the best I have. Aaron's waiting for his song to begin.

All smiles after his program. Isn't he cute?!

We were happy that Grandma was able to come to Kaleb's program, and to Aaron's dress rehearsal. Even Aunt Sarena and her mom-in-law came to Aaron's rehearsal! When Aaron told me who came to see his practice program he said, "Grandma, Grandma, and Aunt Sarena." Cute!

Kaleb and Aaron, I love you, a bushel and a peck! (the closing song in Aaron's program, from Guys and Dolls.)

Eight

Aaron William is 8 today! Oh, happy day! :)

We let him open one gift before school. He LOVES his very own Hank book on CD
from Grammy and Grampy. He insisted on bringing it in the car with him this morning!

Today is a perfect rainy, stormy, windy day in April. But that won't stop us from enjoying this special day with our son. I actually find it fitting. Walking through epilepsy with Aaron is kind of like choosing to have good days even in the storms. Since the seizures have not stopped, we put Aaron on a new medication this week. Now he's taking a combination of Depakote (old medicine) and Lamictal (new medicine.) I thought the potential side effects from the other drugs were scary, but the risks with this new medicine are terrifying to this nurse-mom who knows too much.

Another mom recently gave me some wise advice. When asked how her daughter's doing, she responds based on how today has been. "She's had a really good day today, and we're thankful for that." Or, "Today she hasn't felt well, but she's sleeping soundly now." Choosing to live in the moment, trusting God moment-by-moment, instead of worrying myself into a pit of fear and despair. When I stop and look at Aaron, he's laughing and running and playing. I have much to be thankful for! Today is a good day for all of us.

Remember when I mentioned I was having a hard time with Aaron's birthday list this year? He has such expensive taste! Here's his list. :)

Here's what it says, with each item ranked in order of most-wanted:
2. Go Kart please*
1. Fishing lures*
*he circled these two items and wrote "favorites" beneath them*
6. Nerf guns
5. museum night
7. sleepover
fish for supper (he later changed his mind on this, so that's why it's not ranked!)
10. Big battelship
8. for weeler
9. new bike
4. Ipod (he means the iPod touch like Braylen has)
new shose (already received these, so they're not ranked either.)
3. Tackle box

At lunchtime I'll pick him up from school and bring him home for corndogs and oranges. (That's what he wants!) I look forward to celebrating his life today. 8 years ago we had no idea how this third son of ours would shape our family. God's given us such a gift in our son Aaron! Happy Birthday Boo-Boo!

Happy Birthday Ginger Girl

Our doggie is three years old today! Her boys have taken extra special care of her on her birthday. She's had lots of love and attention from them. I didn't buy her a bone this year, but I did buy two bags of her expensive dog food today! It was on sale. :) Later I discovered the gate had been left open for an hour and a half. Where was Ginger? Roaming around in the front yard. She knows she has it made here at home--why run away?!

I wonder if the lilacs will be blooming this time next year?

Wednesday night we were a part of something really special. Our pastors and elders of our church prayed over Aaron while anointing him with oil. The timing couldn't have been better. On Monday we increased Aaron's medication again, even though one of his liver enzymes is elevated. This coming Monday he has another appointment with the neurologist. (This will only be the second time we've seen this doctor.) Easter is this Sunday, and Aaron's birthday is next week. It just seemed like the right time to ask for this. 17 people gathered around our family to pray for Aaron and read scripture. How loved and blessed I felt that night! The prayers that touched me the most were from Kaleb and Braylen. They love their little brother, and without this diagnosis I would have missed how much. Our hope is for Aaron to be completely healed from this epilepsy. But as Kaleb said in his prayer, we will praise God if Aaron is healed. And if Aaron is not healed, we'll still praise God. When putting the boys to bed that night, Aaron said his "blank-outs" have brought our family closer together. He's right. There's no doubt in my mind that God is using this trial in our lives for a greater good. It doesn't mean I like it, but I have peace knowing He's at work within our family.

James 5:14-15 "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up."

Since Wednesday night I have only seen one seizure, and that was tonight at supper. One! We were seeing (on average) one per hour before Wednesday's prayer meeting. Praise God!

Aaron loves to climb the fence, and is proud that he can do it all by himself.

Yes, we're already mowing the lawn. We started in March this year!

A couple of funnies:
I clipped some lilacs and put them in a vase on the table. When Aaron sat down for breakfast this morning, he saw the vase and said, "This looks like we're in a movie." Can you tell we hardly ever have fresh flowers on our table? :)

Tonight Aaron told me he wants a duck for his birthday. When I told him we don't have a pond to keep it in, he said, "We have a cage. It can live in our cage." With our parakeet? I don't think so! I'm having a hard time with his birthday wish list this year. Other items on his list are: a go-kart, a 4-wheeler, and an iPod touch. Sheesh!

A Blur

Since coming home from Illinois, my life has been one big blur. I've even been too busy to take pictures! I downloaded my camera tonight and found only one new picture. One! Aaron and I wore purple last Monday in honor of Epilepsy Awareness Day. It's also called Purple Day. I long for our pre-epilepsy days, I really do. But longing for those days doesn't do anything to help us today. And really, Aaron is still the happy-go-lucky little boy he's always been. He's looking forward to his birthday, although Derek and I told him he's not allowed to turn 8. He can have a party and receive gifts, but he has to stay 7! :)

With just three days at home before taking another trip, my kids did not want me to leave. I didn't want to leave home again, but this opportunity to attend some training was too good to pass up. (And Derek is such a sacrificial husband!) The time passed quickly, even though I traveled many miles to Joplin, Missouri and back. Not quite a year after their tornado, the damage was still very evident. A pile of rubble stands where the high school once stood. Debris still clings to treetops. It's a good reminder that nothing here on earth lasts forever. Our pastor likes to say that people and God's Word are the only things here on earth that are eternal!

This week we're dealing with sick kids. Aaron and Kaleb have colds, Kaleb has a rash on his face that just won't go away, and today Aaron developed the dreaded fever. When he gets a fever, he's usually down for 4 days, minimum. I'm giving him breathing treatments, allergy meds, and a fever reducer. Plus, his Depakote dose has been increased again. I've lost track how many times we've changed doses and meds. (I do keep a written record.)

Derek had five hours of DT's today--very taxing physically. Tomorrow he has an interview within the PD. I'm not sure what we're hoping the outcome will be. Braylen, bless him, continues to thrive at school and at home. This is definitely a good year for him. Sometimes I think he's the only one in our family who has a good day. Well, that might be a bit extreme. Kaleb is plenty happy, even with his cold and his rash. He and Aaron had spring pictures at school today and for the first time ever I didn't tell them what to wear. These pictures show their entire outfit, and Aaron wore navy sweat pants with an orange t-shirt. Nice. Kaleb wore his Cubs t-shirt with matching shorts. Both boys have red noses and Aaron looked especially worn out. He lasted just a few hours at school before I had to come pick him up. (sigh)

Since this blog post is so cheerful (ha!) I need to end it well. Last week Kaleb needed to bring a rock to school. He has this rock he's always called "Buddy Rock." It's shaped like the moon and even looks like the moon. We looked all over for Buddy Rock. I wonder if any other mother of boys has rock collections stashed where I do. I have a plastic container overflowing with rocks, and it's stored in my pots and pans cabinet. Each rock is a gift from one of my sons, so I keep them all. :) Kaleb and Aaron have ice cream buckets and boxes under their beds, filled with rocks. We have painted rocks in the basement. Could we find Buddy? No. Then I hear Kaleb say, "I'd rather have my buddy rock than gold." We never did find it, but I gave him one of my "special" rocks from the kitchen. It's worked out great.

Best of all, last Wednesday Kaleb shared the gospel with his friend (D) at Awana! This is what he told me he said: He asked D if he was a Christian. D said he wasn't sure. Kaleb told D he needs to ask his mom and dad to help him ask Jesus into his heart. Kaleb said to D, "Becoming a Christian will change your life. Jesus will be with you all of the time and you will never be alone. It's the most important decision you'll ever make. And after you do it, you know you will live forever in heaven."

You know what? All of the junk in our lives--the sicknesses, disease, job uncertainty, pain and injury, stress--those things are but a blip on the screen when compared to all of eternity. They blur together and weigh us down and then our son comes along and reminds us what we're here for. I'd rather have Jesus than anything. There's a song for that, and the last two lines say it all...

1. I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; (or buddy rock!)
   I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
   I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
   I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand
   
   • Refrain:
     Than to be the king of a vast domain
     And be held in sin’s dread sway;
     I’d rather have Jesus than anything
     This world affords today.
2. I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
   I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
   I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
   I’d rather be true to His holy name
3. He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
   He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
   He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
   I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead