City Slickers

We went to visit JRR’s sister (Aunt J) and her family this past weekend in a small TX farming town. Knowing how “citified” we are, Aunt J feared we would suffer extreme boredom (which she should never have feared; we always enjoy visiting with them!). So, she called on some friends to arrange some “field trips” for my city home schoolers. Well, Uncle J and Aunt J have friends who are most gracious and hospitable. They went above and beyond and made an already fantastic trip an absolutely unforgettable one!

On our field trip day we had 3 stops. First was the local airport, where our first host, R.C., introduced us to the occupation of crop dusting. He and D.B. took time to show us the crop dusting plane, explain various facets of the business, and answer our many questions. Then, to our delight, R.C. treated each of us to a ride in a 1947 Aeronca Chief, which is a two seat, hand prop plane. Here is D.B. starting the plane:



Here are big L and little L with their cousins and hosts:


This wasn't H's cup of tea, so she didn't join us on this trip.

Next, it was on to cut wheat! Our second host, K.S., thrilled the boys with a ride on a combine and a chance "driving". As on our first stop, our host shared wonderful information and patiently answered all of our questions. H decided to join us this time, but only because the third stop involved feeding 1 month old calves. She agreed to a picture in front of the combine, but was not interested in getting in.



All the boys were thrilled to steer the combine, but Big L was especially excited because K.S. let him actually cut some wheat.




Our final host, Mrs. S. (K.S.'s mother), made H's day with the bottle feeding of calves. This is what H held out for all day.



It was a wonderful day. I am grateful for the opportunity for my children to experience life outside the city. Without these great people and their professions, we could not be the "city slickers" that we are!

Thank you Aunt J for all your planning. Thank you R.C., D.B., K.S., and Mrs. S. for your kindness and generosity.

Fishing Trip

Grandpa, the boys and I went to Port Aransas on a fishing trip. Here's the highlight reel:



This clip is also available for download here.

H's dance pictures

Just want to share her dance pictures. They are scanned, so not the best quality, but I still want to share them!

H is 13!

Yes, we now have two teenagers in our home. In another year and a half, we will have 3, but we won't go there now; today is about H.

Inspired by Joyful Journey's suggestion, I gathered some photos of H from over the years, and I would love for anyone who has a favorite H story (or stories) to please share! I must warn you, as I began looking for pictures, I had a very difficult time narrowing the selection. Here is the best I could do~maybe some of these will be story starters!


WHAT A CUTIE!



FEARLESS:



FOR GRANDMA:



THE AUNTS WHO WILL ALWAYS HAVE GUM:




DADDY WASTES NO TIME:




NEVER A DULL MOMENT:





I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SIX YEARS OLD!



MAKING THE BEST OF THINGS:



MANY SIDES OF H:




SWEET SIDE:

The Party

The birthday girl decided to celebrate her special day with a pool party. The girls decorated their own tote bags, had brownie fudge sundaes, and, of course, swam.

Swamp: The Beginning

Earlier this year I began a compilation of H-isms. It was just a file on my computer, and I had forgotten about it. Today, I looked in it and found this:

Dad: H, do you want Caesar dressing since we don't have Ranch?

H: [with a look of disgust (surprise, surprise)] That stuff tastes like dead goose!

Neither JRR nor I remembered this conversation when the other taste equivalents were made, but apparently this one predates previous swamp installments.

Concerning Hope

(Updated)

It occurred to me today that, although most who read this blog are family and friends that already know our story with Hope, maybe I should give a little background on her for those who might read and do not. Without knowing a little about Hope, posts about her might seem strange or nonsensical. Especially posts like the one about the chocolate syrup. That sounds like an episode of Friends~”The one with the Chocolate Syrup”. Sorry, I digress.

Hope was born with a genetic disorder called tuberous sclerosis complex. Put simply, she has benign tumors on her brain, kidneys, liver, and skin. The affects of TSC vary widely, but for Hope it has meant a tough battle to control seizures, developmental and cognitive delays, and various social and behavioral difficulties. We are very fortunate that we are not dealing with certain medical complications that can result from TSC, such as tumors growing and causing hydrocephalus and/or kidney complications. Our greatest struggles, after dealing with seizures, are her learning and social delays. There has been one issue for which we were completely unprepared: at first meeting, one is unable to tell that Hope has anything wrong. Why would that be an issue? Well, people expect her to understand, act, and interact like any other girl her age. This can bring about much frustration and misunderstanding. It is heartbreaking to see her struggle in that way. (In September 2012, we learned that one of the many tumors on Hope's kidneys had begun growing rapidly. We were relieved the biopsy confirmed it was benign, but she is now facing lifelong medication to control its growth.)

However, TSC is not what defines Hope. She is a beautiful girl (young woman!), inside and out. She loves to dance, write, and draw, and she brings so much joy and laughter into our lives. I know the Lord in ways I would not have if we had not been blessed with Hope.

As we walk the uncertain road of life with TSC, we take the not-so-good along with the wonderful and find the lessons and the joys in it all. This blog has proved to be a great place to share how we have learned to find humor in that which we cannot control, and joy where once we would have only seen pain.