Sweet Family Time

We got to spend the last week with Grandma and Papa! It was so good having them in town, and we had such nice weather that we were able to go out and do quite a bit. 

They arrived on Saturday, which is when Maddie had her Father Daughter Dinner, so we kept things pretty low key since she had to get ready for her date. The boys got to enjoy some extra time playing games and painting with Grandma and Papa, while Maddie was off dancing the night away :)

Sunday we headed to church, and then we had lunch at Uncle Julio's and then the kids got to experience Build-A-Bear for the first time. It was such a fun experience, and despite the plethora of choices, we actually made out fairly well. Chase, Fluffy, and Flame are a happy addition to our stuffie collection haha.

We got to visit Harper's Ferry. I had been before by myself, so it was nice to show the area to the rest of the family. We had beautiful weather, though the wind was pretty cold. I am so glad that the kids enjoy historical sites and museums; it makes adventures {and school field trips} more fun!

We also got to visit a goat farm to snuggle some baby goats! :)  A friend of mine had told us about the new kids and how you can go snuggled them {for free!} during the week, so we stopped by to check it out. And it did not disappoint! I was surprised that Aiden pet the goats, but he actually did pretty well. It helped that they were mostly calm, and he could pet them on his terms. Eli pet a goat and then was done. Maddie didn't want to leave haha.

We also visited Mount Vernon. We had originally wanted to go into D.C. to see the cherry blossoms, but the parking was limited due to peak bloom. We decided to skip the crowds and see Washington's home instead. We hoped to see some cherry blossoms on the property, but unfortunately they weren't quite blooming yet, but the tour was still worth it!

Washington's Tomb

View of the Potomac from the Old Tomb

The lone blooming cherry blossom haha

The rest of the trip was filled with games and reading and dress up and grilling. It was a sweet week together, and I am so thankful for the time to spend together.

We miss them already, and we're looking forward to the next trip!

Father Daughter Dinner

Maddie has been doing Pioneer Girls this year, and she has been absolutely loving it. They had a Father Daughter Dinner this weekend, and she was able to do a fun date with her daddy, which she also absolutely adored. And my heart was melting all over the place.

It reminded me of all the Father Daughter Dances I did with my dad growing up for Girl Scouts, and how special those were. I loved the themes and getting all dressed up, going to dinner {usually Olive Garden, because when you're 8, that's the fanciest you can imagine haha}, dancing the night away with my daddy and friends, and we usually ended the night with a frozen yogurt parfait at TCBY.  The best nights :)

So now, watching Maddie get all excited about getting dressed up, helping her curl her hair, letting her borrow a fancy purse, and watching her beam with excitement as her daddy opened her car door as they headed off for their night of fun...I hope it's a special memory she always remembers.

This one was also special because Grandma and Papa were also here to see her off. I also love that her brothers were so excited to cheer her on and tell her how beautiful she looked. 

As is typical whenever she comes back from Pioneer Girls, she was overflowing with energy and excitement, spilling out her words so fast because she is just so happy to share all of the fun she had. She talked about the yummy dinner and cake, and about the dancing and limbo and the conga line. She talked about the talk that Mr. James gave, and she just couldn't wait until next year :)

My. heart. just. can't. take. it.

Health Check-In :: Colonoscopy

In January, I was working through a Shingles diagnosis and needed to take a second round of the anti-viral. Thankfully, I was cleared after that round, and then I was able to get back on Stelara. The time that I was off Stelara, which was about 3 weeks, I didn't have a migraine, which was a huge blessing! And also a major confirmation of how much I hate the side effects of this medication.

I had also had an MR Enterography, which showed inflammation in my ileum, so my GI wanted to do a colonoscopy to further evaluate. The prep for a colonoscopy is never fun, and because this one was scheduled later in the day, I had more fasting time. Which sadly triggered the return of my migraines. Thankfully, I was able to take my rescue med before I had to drink the prep, so it was able to circulate in my body long enough to work and carry me through the whole process.

I had the generic of Suprep this time, and the downside was that it tasted sweeter than the name brand, which made it harder to get down. But my overall increased water intake over the past year made the additional 32 ounces of water after each round a walk in the park! I still had to sit in front of a heater outside the bathroom, because the massive amount of liquid in a short time made my whole body shiver with cold. But the upside is that I got more sleep overnight, and ultimately made it through.

Bottoms up!

When I got out of the procedure, my GI was actually very pleased with what he saw. He said that things looked better than what he expected, and that he wasn't overly concerned. That we would wait on the biopsy results and then make decisions from there.

The biopsy results came back with no evidence of pre-cancerous changes {huge praise!}. But we still have the discrepancy between the MRE and colonoscopy. He spoke with the radiologist, who is theorizing that the inflammation is deeper than what the colonoscopy can show on the surface. Because all of my other markers are good right now {no symptoms, good biopsy results, good labs}, the plan is to keep my medication the same and monitor things. I don't love the idea of inflammation simmering under the surface {literally}, because long term inflammation causes damage. But there's not much else I can do about it, except pray. Pray that Stelara continues to target the inflammation, or that other issues become apparent so that we can address them more specifically {hence the monitoring}.

So for now, I praise God for no cancer and no surface inflammation. I praise Him for no symptoms and good labs. And I will continue praying for remission to hold and strength to endure the side effects in the meantime. And a cure. Always praying for a cure for this awful disease...

{iPhone Rewind} :: February

We got to celebrate Chinese New Year with our church members!

Maddie and Daddy :)

Maddie's drawing of Mrs. Amy C haha.

Geography time!

We had a genuine ice day!

Aiden: is that what you are going to wear?

Me: umm...yes...? I was planning on it. Is this not ok?

Aiden: well, maybe you could pick something else.

Apparently my fashion choices are not 6-year-old approved.

My football-loving boy enjoying the Super Bowl!

We got some more snow days too. I was sick in bed, but the kids got to play in it a little before it melted.

Brothers at the library :)

Maddie drama at the library haha

These ranunculus made me so happy :)

Celebrating Valentine's Day with a few little treats :)

Learning the Fruits of the Spirit!

Drawing the planets for Science

The kids have been making and playing "hideout" haha

We are taking advantage of the glimpses of warmer weather, wishing for Spring to come!!

They wanted to surprise us by decorating the dinner table :)

Haha!

Comparing the Imperial system to the metric system

Me: most countries in the world, the military, and most scientists use the metric system

Eli: so then why don't we use it?

Me: that's a GREAT question, buddy! ;)