I think I accidentally forgot to share great news with everyone about Ellie's recent cardiology check up. We've had the same heart doctor since she was 20 weeks in utero :) but this summer he retired. A new, sweet, young cardiologist came to the clinic and with a cheerful smile shared great news for our family! She said Ellie looked so good she can now be on annual appointments versus bi-annual. I usually take her April and October and now we just have to go once a year! Go Ellie!!!
Here she is with big brother Xavier. The two of them relaxing, putting their feet up :).
Can I document the fact that this week the door to the back yard has begun to swing open and closed and open and closed and open and closed like it usually does? :) The yard has been unused since about June and it's a noticeable change to have kids in and out and in and out and....I think you get the picture. What better way to celebrate than a bowl of freshly popped popcorn with just the right amount of butter and salt?
 |
| I sure am glad I gave eating a chance!! |
These past two weeks have been a bit a little challenging due to the fact that I decided to administer standardized testing in our home. I had a couple choices including going to the library on two or three Saturdays to get it done but I decided to let them do it during regular school hours. The challenge was keeping Ellie absolutely quiet. I'd say 50% of the time she was sitting down like in this picture not making a sound.
 |
| Ellie sitting in the background with her iPad. Julia writing some letters and the boys concentrating. I used a saints book to divide them and remind them what is truly important :). |
The other half of the time though she was pulling Julia (who was not taking a test) or needing me. It worked out ok - we finished! Doing these tests remind me of how grateful I am for homeschooling. I can directly see what the boys might need extra help with and I can tailor their education toward that. It also reminded me how academic testing is just one part of their formation and I'm happy to say we've moved back into our normal rhythm or our day.
 |
| Jeff and the kids were playing a game and Ellie was cheering for them! Every time someone said "yes" or "great", she'd put her hands in the air and say "yay"!!! |
The other day we were doing a video chat with some friends that moved and all of the sudden, Ellie came crashing into the scene and stuck her face right in the camera. It was cute and funny and we all laughed. One of the boys said "Here's Ellie-Asaurus, watch out for the attack of Ellie". And right away, Ellie put her hands up to her mouth like she was going to yell and she made a roaring sound! We all froze, we could not believe it! She did it again, "RARRRRR" right into the screen! She heard us say something about an attack and did she even know we were referencing a dinosaur?!!! We were stunned!!! It was awesome!
After two months of having the iPad, I finally got all the pictures I wanted with her using it to write a thank you to the foundation that awarded it to her. I wanted to get a video of her using it and it took a while to get just the right thing I was going for. But her are some of the pictures that I ended up sending in. She was happy to pose and kept turning it around for me to see. I think she wanted "Steve" to be included in the photo too.
 |
| She has started this adorable thing where she gets a notebook and writes along with the character when he makes notes in his little notepad in the show. |
 |
| She's very serious and changes crayon colors often. |
 |
| There's a great game she likes where she moves shapes around. She's improved immensely with this since first starting with it! |
I'm happy to share with you the finished product of the quilt I told you about. It will go to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit where Ellie struggled (and recovered!) from pulmonary hypertension and where she spent those precious few days healing after her open heart surgery. A few months ago I learned about a friend of a friend who had a baby with Down syndrome in Arkansas. He was fighting some of the same cardiac and pulmonary battles Ellie faced. But his conditions seemed much more serious and I read daily emails wringing my hands worried about this sweet little family and their firstborn son, Walt. They nicknamed him "Walt the Warrior" for his strength through his 9 month battle. Their family was handed the heavy cross of giving their son back to the Lord last month. Here is the quilt that will be circulated through the ICU covering babies and children like Walt and Ellie. His name will be read by many and he will be remembered.
We had to say goodbye to our wonderful physical therapist who we loved very much! She's moving on to a different place and we'll miss her! Here's Ellie working with her on her last appointment. Luckily they are replacing her next month so we look forward to meeting the new person.
The kids all had a few dollars in their wallet from birthdays, tooth fairy, etc. and wanted to know if they could go grocery shopping! I almost never take them to the store with me, I'm a well oiled machine with the same list every single week so it's not really that "fun". But we went on a day where we didn't "need" anything (well, bread always manages to make it in the cart!) and the kids got what they wanted! Their favorite cereal, fruit and of course things like jello ended up in the mix too! But we had separate purchases and counting of change and everything! They were good about sharing their food at home (but mostly stuck to their own items). I think we'll be doing this again!
 |
| Ellie was in charge of driving the cart around. |
