{iPhone Rewind} :: July

When you call out for Aiden and hear giggling...he's not very good at hiding :)

Eli showing his true feelings about wearing his eye patch. Haha- sorry kid! {the patching and checkered patterns are supposed to help him strengthen his eye until he is old enough for vision therapy}

Reading time with the crazies :)

When you wake up in the morning, having felt really cold all night, only to realize that a nameless toddler girl had turned the A/C down to 50 degrees so it ran all night long. Because she's tall enough to reach. And has zero self control. Sigh. 

Having a freezer full of homemade popsicles is a must for us during the summer. Our favorites are watermelon and mango/pineapple. Super easy, and healthy too. Frozen fruit for the win!

Stuff that popsicle in there!

He loves his stickers :)

And he loves his puppy dog :)

We gave the boys haircuts, and then Eli and Maddie wanted to do Mommy and Daddy's hair

Candyland is entertaining with these kiddos haha

She has the patience of a saint.

It's 100 degrees outside, but he insists on wearing a beanie

Painting with water is always a hit!

And little guy gets to "color" ... we're still trying to keep the crayons out of the mouth, but he insists on being like the big kids :)

When you need the entire hallway to play with your LEGOS

My little artists

He just wishes he was a little taller...

Our sweet friends Lauren and Miguel sent a fun gift for our little readers!

Daddy gets the royal spa treatment

My Maddie Girl :)

He loves ALL the water!

Not so sure about this grasshopper friend...

"Daddy, do you want to build LEGOS with me?"

He will never be too big for snuggles

Morning reading time!

Can we just take a moment and mourn that it feels like 93 at almost 10 o'clock at night?

My sweet girl has latched on to the idea that she was once frozen as a teeny tiny embryo. She will often yell this out in excitement :)

Cuties :)

My co-workers are cuter than yours :)

I think our anniversary plate turned out pretty good!

Show me your muscles!

This is by far our favorite Kiwi Crate- help the chameleon "eat" the bugs :)

Crohn's Chronicles :: Entyvio Infusions

With the recent news that my Humira stopped working, my doctor's recommendation was to start with a new medicine called Entyvio. It wasn't around when I was first diagnosed, but has still been on the market for a few years {so it's not completely brand new}. I took Humira as a shot at home, but Entyvio is an infusion, so I have to go in to an infusion center to get the medicine.

This past Friday, I had my first infusion. I will have a few "loading doses," to kick off the regimen, so the infusions will be more frequent at first, but then I will level off to every 2 months. It's not quite as convenient as doing it myself at home, but it's less frequent, so I guess that's a good trade off.

Infusion #1...here we go!

As far as Crohn's treatments go, my doctor is very excited about the results he is seeing with Entyvio. He likes the science behind it, and it is the first treatment that is specifically for IBD {Humira is prescribed for a number of different conditions}. One of the good things about Entyvio is that it is more targeted for IBD than Humira, better for my immune system overall. My doctor described it as though my immune system were an octopus. Taking Humira is like cutting off a tentacle to my immune system; taking Entyvio is like cutting off a suction cup. So while I still have to be cautious because there are still immune suppression issues, there seem to be better outcomes with Entyvio.

Like with any synthetic, biologic drug, there are always risks of side effects. For the most part, the ones for Entyvio seem less mild than Humira {?}, but we'll see. So far so good, but we'll see after a few more doses. Remission is possible as early as 6 weeks, most people see it within 6 months to a year. So I'm settling in for the year, but hopeful for sooner!

So this is the start of my Entyvio journey. I'll go back for another "loading" dose in a couple of weeks. I'm hopeful, and I am praying that the Lord grants remission again.

Fun Resource :: The Daily Grace Co.

I am always on the lookout for good Bible study and devotional material. And I think I may have found a good resource in The Daily Grace Co.! I have been able to walk through a few of her studies, and I have really found them helpful. She offers a range of studies, and I have worked through a few of her shorter {3-week} ones: 

• It is Well: Walking Away From Anxiety
• Haggai: The God That Comes Near
• Habakkuk: Even If {current}

It's hard to find time to sit down in the quiet and do Bible study. I have talked about this before, and it's definitely something for which to fight. What I love about these studies is how succinct they are. They seem to be great go-to studies for summer reading, and the best part is the app! Each day, you have verses to read, a short devotional, a few reflection questions, and then there is a 2-minute video to watch. It's perfect for moms with little ones! I can do my reading while the kiddos are playing or reading, and they will often come and watch the video with me too. And while the study is not in-depth {word studies, commentaries etc.}, it is not fluff either. They are biblically rich and gospel-centered. They're really good.

They often have 50%-80% off sales, which is how I have purchased studies for just $5 or $10. You get the actual physical book, if you want to write in it, but you also get the download code for the app access. You can really get a good deal when the sales come through! There are some other fun resources on her website too. I have some journals to coincide with my studies, as well as fun resources for kids.

We have started memorizing a verse a week, and these little cards are prefect!

Anyway, totally random, but I just had to share! I am so thankful for this resource, and I look forward to walking through more of the studies in the future.

Sundaes on a Sunday

Today is National Ice Cream Day, so of course, we celebrate in this house! :)

We decided to make our own sundaes, and the kiddos LOVED them. We let Eli and Maddie pick their toppings {which of course, they picked all of them}, and they could hardly contain their excitement while we were building their little sundaes.

This was Aiden's first time to have ice cream, and he was definitely not disappointed. He figured out pretty quickly that the whole ice cream thing was SUPER fun. He wanted every last bit, figuring out that licking the bowl was the only best {and right} option :)

It was a fun treat to have sundaes for snack, and we definitely had some pretty happy kiddos. We enjoyed every bit of our ice cream...down to the last drops :)