Ophthalmology and FAST MRI

Ok, getting around to the medical updates now.  Cole had his bi-annual eye appointment with the ophthalmologist, Dr. Jeffries.  Unfortunately it was that time again so Cole needed to be dilated.  I remember having to hold him down as a baby and feeling so bad because I knew he was scared and it stung.  What I didn't know back then is that it really wouldn't get easier.  He was so upset when he found out he needed the drops that I need two nurses to help me hold him down while the drops were applied.  And yes, tried the verbal approach first.  He wasn't having it.

Other than that, his appointment went very well and as expected.  I did ask whether any new research is suggesting any additional treatments in the future.  I've been trying to follow what's happening with optic nerve regeneration but they haven't started doing any pediatric trials yet.  Unfortunately she said it is unlikely that would help him since the communication with the brain would still be impacted.  Although discouraging, I continue to have faith that new technologies will become available. She recommended we ask his neurosurgeon or neurologist so we will do that at our next appointment. Cole has become much more verbal about what he can see and how his world looks.  Although I still don't think I fully appreciate what he explains, we are getting more insight.  For example, he said he always sees one and a half of me.  I look forward to better understanding his world...I have been told that nothing in his world is focused so that puts a lot in perspective.  And honestly, it makes the work he does at school so much more impressive to me!

Although his prescription didn't change, I wanted to use our annual allocation for lenses and we ordered new glasses.  Unless you have a child with a vision impairment you have NO idea how hard it is to find frames that work.  Although I'm sure it's hard regardless, it's much harder when the lenses are so thick and you need space to fit the bifocals.  Just when I find one I think looks great, he says he hates it.  And it doesn't help that we always go after school when he's the most tired.  Anyway, it will be nice having a back up pair!  We are constantly searching for his lost glasses.

In addition to ophthalmology, Cole's neurosurgeon asked us to have an MRI before our next appointment.  We are SO lucky to have the FAST MRI at INOVA Loudoun now.  You have NO idea how amazing this is!  It used to take HOURS to get to DC, wait for the scan, do the scan, and drive back.  It was easily half of a day.  The new FAST MRI machine at INOVA Loudoun was able to complete his scan in THREE MINUTES!  The techs there were absolutely amazing with Cole.  They really got down to his level and connected with him in a way that help reduce his anxiety over what he needed to do.

When he thinks a lot (or is lying) his nystagmus gets much more exaggerated.  I was able to be in the room with him and holding his foot and talking to him.  I could see his eyes going absolutely crazy.  It is a bit bizarre because the noises are like loud banging but they are completely random and sound like they are coming from different places within the machine.  Almost as if pieces of the machine have broken loose.  We haven't had brain imaging since 2013 so it will be interesting to see if Dr. Myseros still thinks his ventricles are "teeny tiny" or if they have gotten larger.  Unfortunately we have to wait until our appointment in November to talk about how the scan looks.  But as we know, if he isn't showing signs of a shunt malfunction we assume everything is working smoothly.

Next up is his big #8 birthday! Then his appointment with the pediatrician and finally the neurosurgeon with a surprise getaway trip for the kids in-between!!  I can't wait to see their faces when we surprise them!

All Geared Up for Back to School, Box Lacrosse and Soccer!

Summer has ended and therefore school must begin.  The kids are in 2nd and 4th this year at Potowmack Elementary School and although they aren't very excited about school, they do like their teachers and are glad to be reunited with their friends.

Reagan has Ms. Stanford this year and went into Open House not knowing any other friends in her class.  Luckily she found a few she knows and has even made some new friends. Fourth grade is proving to be MUCH harder than third grade.  She continues to have daily word study (spelling) and math work sheets.  They are reviewing addition, subtraction, rounding and multiplication.  The big difference is the complexity of the social studies tests and level of content detail and testing strategies.  She has been having weekly tests and we're studying nightly for those.

Reagan also decided to join a group at school called Battle of the Books!  I was excited she was willing to try it.  This is a group of 4th graders and a group of 5th graders who read books throughout the year and then have a "battle" to see who knows the most about the books they read.  It's a great way to get her more interested in reading and so far it's working!  She finished her first book, Shelby Holmes and just started on her second which is due by the end of the month.

Cole is really enjoying second grade.  He's finding the work and schedule to be very similar.  One big difference is that he has stayed on the green behavior chart or gone up to blue or purple every day for the first month of school!  This behavior report is great news that shows he is maturing and ready to learn.  We did start him on a long acting medication to help with his focus and attention.  It's amazing how much it is helping him to complete tasks and even focus on homework after school. He now has daily word study and math worksheets.  I feel blessed there are medications that are able to help him.  We also hope they will help with some of the issues on the bus related to overstimulation.

Outside of school Reagan decided to try Fall box lacrosse this year in addition to a weekly lacrosse clinic.  She has really become more focused on the game and having a lot of fun with the girls on the team.  Her dad is also helping to coach the Fall box league and she loves having him right there on the sidelines.  Fall box is a little different because there are literally no out of bounds.  They "box" in the field which keeps the play going much longer. It's also on turf which is a very different game than the grass clumps she's used to.  The ball definitely travels faster!  She's having fun and despite having to play several games in the pouring rain she really looks forward to the games!  That's a good sign if you ask me.

Cole asked if he could do soccer this Fall and started at Dulles Sportsplex two weeks ago.  He hasn't tried soccer since he was four years old but thought he wanted to try it again.  Although it's not in his nature to be aggressive and go after the ball, he's having fun and keep up with the class pretty well.  Although it is very challenging to track with the ball and where the game is moving, it is great exercise and he says he's having fun!

Summer, Done. Wait, what?!

Wow, I'm such a slacker!  I haven't posted since the end of school in June!  No, I take that back.  I'm not a slacker, but rather living life and enjoying time with family.  We really did have a fun filled summer. Most of my contracts for work where slowing down and ended in early August.  We had my niece, Allison living with us most of the summer to watch the kids while I worked...but since I didn't have a busy work schedule we had a great summer of fun. She was part of the family, had her own room and stayed during the week and she was my partner in crime on all these adventures!  And most notably is the fact that we went all summer without a hospitalization or doctor's appointment!

We were jam packed with the usual activities like the Cascades Rapids Swim team.  Both kids participated and worked really hard.  Practice was every week day at 8am for Cole for 30 minutes and at 8:30am for Reagan for a full hour.  They had swim meets every Wednesday from 5:30pm until about 8pm.  They both poured their hearts into it and although they weren't the fastest swimmers, they learned a lot about not giving up.  It's a great activity and so good for both of them.  I'm hoping to convince them to do it again next summer!

Cole also participated in the Extended School Year (ESY) program again this summer and received braille instruction twice weekly for 45 minutes during the month of July.  Although he dreaded having to go, he always left smiling and we feel strongly that it helps him keep up his skills which make going back in the Fall so much easier.

One of our first trips was to the Natural Bridge Zoo down in the Shenandoah Valley area.  It was a really nice zoo with a lot of different animals.  The most important of which was an elephant named Beautiful.  Not only did we all get to ride her, Cole was able to go into her pen for a close encounter to feel how tough her skin was and how rubbery her tail was.  It was a great experience and I highly recommend making the drive down there.

We also went tubing down the Shenandoah River with my niece and nephew, Jacqueline and Robert. Although it sounds like a very relaxing float down river, it was actually really hard to stay together and keep up with Cole and Reagan and not feel like we were going to lose them.  Absolutely worth the trip, but I will bring rope next time so we can tie the tubes together to stay at the same speed.  After tubing we went with my sister and her family to the fire works on July 3rd in Lovettsville.  It was really nice to watch good fireworks without a lot of crowds!  They did a really nice job.  Cole even played kick ball with a family who was playing before the fire works started.  He was voted "most valuable player" by both teams !

Another fun adventure was a Washington DC Duck Tour - an amphibious boat from WWII that took us through DC and into the Potomac River.  The Australian guide knew more about my home town than I've known in a lifetime.  He was super knowledgeable and made the trip very fun.  He gave Cole the nickname "Mr Trivia" for answering a lot of the questions correctly including the name of a US National Monument off the coast of China called Mariana's Trench!  Who knew?! We also walked up to the Capitol and around Union Station.  I was hoping to visit more of DC but it was super hot and the kids were pretty worn out after walking the steps at the Capitol.  There will be more days to DC I'm sure!

We also took the obligatory trip to Cunningham Falls State Park.  I absolutely love that we have a lake and beach like this so close to home.  With just a little over an hour you can be sitting with toes in the sand, relaxing and watching the kids swim, soaking in the rays of sun.  This year we took a friend of Reagan's Julia and met my friend Tara and her daughters Maggie and Kate.  It's an absolute must for us every summer.  Unfortunately we didn't get there as many times as I'd have liked, but there's alway next year !!

We also snuck away for an overnight trip to Ocean City MD with my sister Michelle and niece and nephew, Jacqueline and Robert.  It was a fun little get away and the weather was really nice.  We had a relaxing day at the beach followed by a fun night on the board walk.  The kids rode a few rides and did some shopping.  And of course we did lots of shopping all along the main strip.  OC MD is still one of my favorites and another must-do for me in the summer.  The kids even let us have a telescope photographer do a photoshoot.  I had no idea she would take so much time, but she got a lot of fun pictures and the kids will have fun looking back at them!

We also snuck away for a week in the Kill Devil Hills with Johnny's family.  Despite being very rainy most of the week, it was so nice to get away from home and spend time with family.  The house was beautiful and right on the beach with a pool in the backyard.  Absolutely perfect for watching the sunrise, going for a quick swim in the ocean, and searching for crabs on the beach at night with flash lights.  Reagan had a lot of fun flying kites again this year and was super excited that I let her get corn rows in her hair.  That was a first for her and a big hit.  Both kids also convinced us to let them get hermit crabs.  It's now October and they are still alive, don't leave their cages and don't eat much, so it appears to be a win-win.  The big question is how long will they live...they've made it about 2 months longer than I expected!

A new addition to our summer adventures this year was roller skating.  We hadn't been in probably two years and wow did that time change a lot !  We went once to the Bush Tabernacle in Purcellville and my kids were hooked.  My niece basically grew up on skates since my sister managed the skating rink for most of Allison's childhood.  She was a huge help teaching the kids to skate and they loved watching how easy she makes it look!  They both did really well and begged to get roller skates!  We also visited the roller rink in Manassas and tried to go back to Busch but it was closed.  More to come with skating I'm sure since Cole begged me to have his 8th birthday party at the skating rink!

And as if that wasn't enough fun, we finished the summer with a trip to Hershey Park.  Another must-do in my opinion.  I absolutely love it there and so do the kids.  It was our first trip to Hershey where I felt the kids truly made it all day without any melt downs.  It's so interesting to watch them grow up - one day you just realize, wow, that wasn't hard and was actually a lot of fun :)  It is fun being able to do more with them and not have them get worn out so easily.  And Reagan was excited because I let her get her first henna tattoo.  It was a dolphin on her ankle and she thought she was oh so cool.  It's the little things right?  We also stopped to watch the dolphin show and had a close encounter with the dolphin where the kids could feed one.  It was a great experience and we learned a lot.

It was super hard to send Allison back to Westminster College, but we know that's what is in her plan.  It was hard to see her go and Reagan and I were both pretty teary eyed.  It was hard to believe the summer fly by so quickly.  We are excited about having her come back next summer and are counting down the days!  We will start our adventure fun list at Christmas break!  Who knows where the fun will take us!

The School Year Comes to an End

Just like that the 2017-2018 school year comes to an end.  It was an amazing year with a lot of growth for both kids.  Reagan completed 3rd grade and Cole completed 1st grade.  Both absolutely LOVED their teachers and are very sad to be leaving them.
 
Reagan had Mrs. Sherry and she was such a perfect fit for her.  In the last few days of school Reagan participated in "Trade Day".  All the students in the 3rd grade were tasked with coming up with a product that they could trade.  The kids had teams of four and brainstormed ideas.  They had to be able to make 20 of the same product (5 each) but weren't able to buy anything to create the product.  Reagan's team decided to make bookmarks.  They used paint strips and colored pictures in each of the color squares.  Then punched a hole in the top and threaded ribbon through it.  Other teams made "lava lamps" with oil and vinegar in water bottles, some made miniature basketball hoops out of tongue depressors, plastic cup and a paper back board with triangular football.  Others made "backpack bling" using beads and string they found in the classroom or at home.

Each team then created posters that they hung throughout the halls at the school to advertise their product and let people know what room to visit to find it.  They also setup a "store front" in their classroom.  Two teams at a time were able to go from one 3rd grade class to the next when the whistle blew to trade for other products.  There were no forced trades - both kids had to agree to the trade.  They had so much fun and I love the creativity that they showed!

On the last day of school Cole asked if he could go visit Mrs. Galvan over the summer.  When I told him no, he asked if he could email her then.  I found a paper in his writing journal where he wrote that the best thing about 1st grade was Mrs. Galvan.  That says a lot!!  Both teachers were absolutely amazing and they will be a tough act to follow next year!!

Wait, what? She's NINE?!

The last year has truly flown by!  Reagan decided this year she didn't want to have a big party and decided to just have three friends over for her birthday for a sleep over.  The fun started with up-do's, make-up, nail polish and glitter at Sweet and Sassy for Ciara, Isabella, Shelsey and Maggie.  Then they got to pick a station to make something.  Most of the girls picked to make scented lotion and one made a bath bomb.  They smelled so good!  The salon did a great job and all the girls had fun.  Reagan has been begging to wear make-up and the salon for her birthday was a good day to be a princess for a day.  Then wipe it off and be my little girl again...this mom is NOT ready for make-up!

After the salon we went to an early dinner.  You guessed it - she wanted Otani's!  She absolutely loves the Japanese steakhouse and it is a must for her birthday every year.  She was even able to get one of her friends to try her California roll for the first time!  Luckily they know us there well so they always make it a special event.

After dinner we went back to the house and the girls decided to try a science experiment with the bath bomb kit I bought for them to make and take home.  Although they had fun, the activity ended quickly when the powder wasn't hard enough to stick together in the mold.  Not sure if they didn't measure the baking soda correctly or the water but we only got about four to work correctly.  That's why it's called an "experiment" right?!


After that they decided to go play in the basement for a while so I had time to get the cake and fondue fountain working.  I always forget what a huge hit the fountain is!  And what a mess it is LOL.  But totally worth it and the girls had fun dipping their strawberries, marshmallows, bananas and rice krispie treats.

Reagan chose a unicorn theme so she had a unicorn cake with her unicorn plates, napkins and decorations.  She is absolutely obsessed with unicorns!

After dessert the girls decided to get in PJs and watch a movie.  They decided on Descendents which is a Disney movie that is much like a  musical.  Overall the girls got along really well and had a lot of fun.  The following morning they rode bikes, took the dog for a walking then the girls went home so we could get to my parents' house to help them take down a monstrous tree that was infected by the Ash Bore.  It's killing all the Ash trees in Virginia.  Truly a horrible disease.  We had so much fun working together as a family to get the tree chopped down, limbs piled high and the larger pieces stacked into wood piles.  Although it doesn't look that big, it was a HUGE tree and took the 10 of us over 4 hours to clear it.  It was so fun working together - and I actually used the chain saw for the fist time!  Wow, I underestimated how hard that is to do!

Algonkian Tribe Championship, Lugnut awards and Season 2 of the Cascades Rapids!

Wow - what a weekend!  This weekend we wrapped up the Spring sports seasons and kicked off the Summer sports!  Reagan played for the Algonkian Tribe Girls 3/4 team this Spring and had a great time.  It was amazing to see the improvement in all the girls from the K-2 team she played on for the last two years.  Their ability to understand the game, starting to get some idea of a strategy and learning where they need to be on the field has really improved.  She has a lot more to learn, but she has found something she loves and we're excited she wants to stick with it.  After coming home with her Championship trophy today she announced that she'd like to play until she goes to college!

They finished the season 6 and 2 and went into post season last weekend.  They won last both play off games Saturday and Sunday which put them into a game Saturday then Sunday this weekend.  They were in the top bracket for the modified field teams (the A teams play full field, the B teams play a modified field). They played Burke yesterday and Alexandria today to win the Northern Virginia Youth Lacrosse League (NVYLL) Championship for the Girls 3/4 which placed them first out of 35 teams.  The team played hard and really found their groove.  She is excited about doing a clinic this summer in addition to possibly being able to play on a summer league (if we find enough girls to play).  She will definitely play Fall Box league in McLean.  Box lacrosse is slightly modified in that there are no out of bounds.  So the game is a little more intense but there are only games once a week with no practices. We will see how it goes!

We also had an end of year awards party for Cole's Dulles Little League Challenger team, the Lugnuts.  Cole really started to like T-Ball and was even trying to hit coach pitch.  He played once a week in a very laid back environment.  Everyone involved was really encouraging and we were surrounded by people who understand that every child is different and that each child is facing his or her own challenges.  It has been very hard to find activities that are a good fit for Cole so this was a good shift for us.  Time will tell whether he decides to play again next year, but it's so good for Cole to be in an environment where he gets positive support and encouragement.  It was really fun to see the smiles on all the kids faces as they ran, walked, or wheeled across home plate!

As we wrapped up lacrosse and t-ball we also kicked off the Summer swim team season.  Practices have run for two weeks but we have missed most of them due to weather, lacrosse practice or pool closures.  We look forward to the practices moving to mornings once school is out for the summer.  Just a few more days!  The exciting news is that Cole was in the lowest of three swim groups for the younger kids team last year, the Riptides, but qualified for the highest team this year!  They said if he is able to keep up at practices he could even move up to the Rapids in the next two weeks.  The biggest difference is that Riptides practice for 30 minutes each day while the Rapids practice for an hour.  That's a lot of laps!!  Re
gardless, he was able to swim across the pool without touching the bottom so he is able to swim at the developmental meets with Reagan this year.  This is so exciting!  And he is very excited.  The kids had their first meet this weekend which is called Time Trials.  This is run like a meet so the kids get used to what to do, but it's just our team.  It places the kids in certain lanes with other swimmers that are about their speed.  Our first pre-season meet is this Thursday!

There are many moments I marvel at how far our kids have come.  I was in tears as I saw Reagan swim 50 meters Saturday without being disqualified for any errors.  Last year she only swam one way across the pool (25 meters).  Now that she's 9 she has to swim down, flip and then swim back.  I was in awe at how amazing she looked.  The delays in the left side are a little less noticeable than last year and it's just the beginning of the season. And Cole made it all the way across without any disqualifying errors!  As I get a tear in my eye with pride, I also know both kids came in dead last in their age group.  Most people watching my kids have no idea that just being able to swim is a miracle.  Sometimes I feel like I share their story too often.  I worry people get tired of hearing about how hard they have it.  "They look just fine" they say.  But I want them to know so they don't think it's for a lack of trying.  These kids have such big hearts.  We have 265 kids on the Cascades Rapids swim team with 24 girls who swam free style in Reagan's age group Saturday and 13 who competed with Cole.  She can't rotate over her hand or even hold up one finger on her left hand.  He didn't walk until he was TWO and can't see across the pool.  And although I am proud of them, just as with Running with the Stars, t-ball, and lacrosse...I always wonder how different it would be if they didn't have to contend with so much.  And as I run up to give kisses and tell Reagan how great she did I see the look of disappointment on her face and she says, "mom, I was last."  My heart is broken that she is so sad. I work so hard to keep her from feeling discouraged.  I just wish she knew how amazing I think she is...and that not every child who has brain surgery to remove part of her brain ever walks or talks again.  And as much as I pray that one day both my children realize how truly blessed and amazing they are, I also pray that they remain modest, work hard and know that their dad and I are so proud of everything they do.  And I love that every step of the way Johnny is there to give those pep talks when they get discouraged and remind them never to give up.  And for that, I too am blessed...

Running with the Stars 5K

How did I miss this update?!  Both kids were excited to do their second season with Running with the Stars.  They ran twice a week after school for three months.  The coaches focused on stretching, good running techniques and encouraging them to be healthy!  As always the season ended with the Spring Running with the Stars 5K in Ashburn which I ran with them.  They had a lot of fun and I'm super proud of them both for finishing!  Time will tell if they decide to join again in the Fall.

Another EEG and new mouth hardware for Reagan!

Well it's that time of year again so Reagan had her Spring EEG with a follow up appointment with

Dr. Lavenstein.  Each year she gets one night where she gets to stay up late with dad, going to Walmart or staying up late watching a movie.  Then she gets up with mom four hours later and we run to Dunkin Donuts.  It's become a Spring tradition that she actually looks forward to.  She knows the drill, knows what will be expected of her and she is probably the easiest patient they have there all day.  We are so blessed she understands what is being done and can follow instructions.

Those dedicated followers on our journey know that each Spring

we get our hopes up that perhaps the epileptic activity has slowed and we could consider taking Reagan off her seizure medications.  Unfortunately she continues to show significant spikes in her sleep deprived EEG which would be indicative of seizures if she wasn't medicated.  As high as 10-15 per minute even during sleep.

Our appointment with Dr. Lavenstein went well and as expected given these results.  He said she is looking great and doing well and we shouldn't be discouraged.  It's so hard not to, though.  Not only did he not want to take her off the meds, he increased them due to her weight gain from last year.  On the up side, he decided he only needs to see her yearly now.  One less drive to Fairfax!!  And so we stay the course and hold out hope that maybe next year we will be the magic year that her brain settles down.  But we are always thankful that her seizures CAN be controlled - we definitely don't take that for granted.

In other big news Reagan was fitted for her permanent pallet expander today.  With each stage of development you forget how awful it was for you and jump in blindly.  Well this is no different.  I had hardware on my teeth from age 8 to 16 and even then took a retainer away to college.  It's easy to know you're making the right decision, but hard when you know how awful it is when you're going through it.  She's in pain, can't swallow and will probably cry every night for a week when I have to turn the key.  Not looking forward to this phase, but we'll get through it like all the others.  I had to laugh that the EEG was a breeze but this was traumatic.  It's all about perspective and prior experience.  Luckily we know this tool will help her make room for the teeth still coming in and get us setup for braces.  They said to expect the expander for about 9 months.

It's amazing that it's JUNE!  Wow, no clue where the year went, but it will wrap up before we know it!  A few more posts before then since I'm a little behind....

Spring Break 2018 ~ Myrtle Beach, SC

South Carolina here we come!  We decided to take advantage of our timeshare for Spring Break this year and drove south.  We broke up the trip on the way down and got tickets to a Fayettville Marksmen hockey game.  We've had so much fun going to Hershey Bears games we knew the kids would have fun.  It was fun seeing the military influence on the town.  They even had a "puck shuck" where you could buy pucks to throw on the ice after the first period and try to get close to a target and win a jersey.  Front row seats made it easy for Cole to get engaged with the game and the crowd was a lot of fun!

We got down to our resort on Sunday and despite being a little chilly, we promised the pool and we held to our promise.  The pool water was a balmy 85 degrees so it was great while you were in the water....but getting out was pretty chilly!  It did warm up Wednesday and Thursday though and we got in a lot of pool and beach time.  It was fun because there were five pools right outside our building so you had your choice!  That included a waterfall the kids thought was really neat.  It landed in the lower pool and came out with such force that it pushed you in the water.  They were entertained with that for a long time!

We also visited Boardwalk on the Bay - it's a large shopping area with restaurants over a lake with bridges in the middle.  We ate at Margareta's for lunch where they had a two story pitcher that filled and then drained after the volcano.  We took the kids to a store called RideMakerz and let them pick out cars to build.  RideMakerz is just like Build-A-Bear but for cars.  You can pick the body, chassis, motor/no motor, upgraded tires, rims, and of course extra pipes and sticker kits.  It's fun because they let you screw the car together and if you want to run it like a pit crew at Nascar they have timers so you can race against time or the person next to you.

The resort had a lot of activities for the kids.  Cole decided to join the Ninja Warrior competition at the playground one morning.  I should have realized it was going to be timed and practiced ahead....lesson learned! But it was a fun for him to see how quickly he could run up the stairs, across the bridge, up the climbing wall, up the spiral stairs and come back down the slide.  It was harder than he expected but he still had a good time.

They also decided to try mining for gems and fossils!  It was a lot of fun sifting through the sand.  They got a bag and a pamphlet that explained all the gems and fossils.  And Reagan did a great job holding the sifter with two hands.  Amazing the little things that make me realize how far she has come!  They found huge Amethysts, shark teeth, ammolites, and sea lilies!  It was very entertaining and Cole has been carrying around his "mummy" gemstone for a week now and has decided to ask Grandpa to help him bore a hole in it to with his lapidary equipment so he can make a pendent just like the Egyptians did.

The resort also hosted an Easter egg hunt for the kids divided by age groups.  Luckily Reagan and Cole were in the same group.  It was small but the kids had fun.  Egg hunts are extremely challenging for Cole because kids are super quick to grab the eggs and it takes a little longer for his eyes to scan, find and pick up.  But we did it together and they both collected several.  They were able to turn them in at the end for a bag of candy.

On our last day we decided to get tickets to the Pirate Voyage.  After our experience at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede in Tennessee we figured it was worth checking out.  It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast.  There were Pirates, mermaids, and sea lions!  Lots of acrobatics, dancing and singing.  We were able to get front row so it was a little easier for Cole to see.  They also had a lot of fire and skeleton costumes with the black light which were great for him.

The one resounding theme for our trip was Reagan with her lacrosse stick.  She took it to the pool, took it down to the ocean, and had it in the condo asking to throw her the ball.  It's fun seeing her excited about it this season.  Now that Winter is hopefully behind us and the snow is done the season should start full swing!  Now if only we can hold off the rain so they can have a few good practices before the next game!

Skiing, Tubing, Luray Caverns and a visit to the Ophthalmologist !

Tomorrow is April and I haven't posted a single entry all year !  That means two things.  First, work has been insanely busy and second, the kids have been healthy and life has been normal!  The year hasn't been all work though.  We've had several fun adventures!

We started January with a ski trip to Wintergreen.  We had a great time and Johnny and I actually broke out our skis too! Neither of us had been skiing since before having children.  Little did we know our bindings were no longer serviceable....which meant new skis for both of us!  We had a great experience at Wintergreen with the adaptive program two years ago and decided to take the kids back again. Each of the kids had a team of three instructors!

It has been hard getting lessons in any of the adaptive programs since they fill up quickly.  We also found a program at Canaan Valley but they didn't have any availability all year when we called in January.  They recommended we contact them in November next year.  Unfortunately it was also a very short ski season this year.  The kids loved it though and we are looking forward to planning more trips next year.

We literally only had one snow of about 4" all winter so we needed to go to the mountains to find snow.  We also took advantage of the snow and took the kids tubing to Liberty.  It was insanely fast but everyone had a really good time.  Despite it being very cold, they worked up a sweat and wanted to take off their coats!

In addition to skiing and tubing, I took the kids with a few of my nieces and nephews to Luray Caverns.  I've been wanting to take the kids for a while but haven't had the opportunity.  It was a great experience and they were the perfect age for it.  I've been several times before but seeing the excitement on their faces was so fun.  Cole walked the entire tour with the guide asking as many questions as possible.  Also, the guide asked if anyone wanted to sing and my niece Jacquline sang Ave Maria.  It was absolutely beautiful!

In addition to all the fun, Cole had his six month appointment with the ophthalmologist. He was dilated at the previous appointment so it was a pretty straight forward visit.  Dr. Jeffries said she is very happy with the improvements from his eye surgery last year.  In previous appointments Cole was unable to read the eye chart from the chair and had to walk halfway to the monitor to start reading the letters.  Although the font still needs to be very large to read the letters, he is able to sit in the chair now.  Unfortunately she doesn't expect to see any additional improvements, but she also doesn't expect his vision to get worse.  She was also happy with his new bifocals.  Unfortunately, however, she felt the optometrist didn't make the bifocal part of the lens large enough and asked to have it increased when he gets new frames next year.

Next up is Reagan's EEG, appointment with the neurologist to review the results, and an appointment with the orthodontist to talk about a palette expander and braces.  But first, Spring Break!