may has arrived...

so the last post was april 6...yikes. i promise we've been busy. e.b. has been home for 9 months! it is so hard to imagine april 5 last year marked one year from her referral -- and she still was not home! two years post referral she is home and c had surgery to correct accommodative esotropia. what this meant for him was a procedure under general anesthesia to readjust a muscle on his left eye. it meant waking up from general anesthesia (which is very difficult for children -- as we were able to witness being in a very busy and full pediatric recovery room.) it required compresses to his eye to help stop the bleeding (he had so much bleeding the blood came out in his tears and even in the drainage in his nose.) it required ten days of trying to get ointment into his eye 3 times each day. the first 5 days were miserable for him and us with this task but then he learned how to allow us to do it.  then add in the reward of playing with the ipad if he did a good job and he did quite well. he did so well in fact that by day 11 (no more ointment needed) he was asking for more ointment (of course to see the ipad!) now we wait to see if his body will learn how to use his eye with the muscle adjustment. two weeks following his surgery we finally jumped aboard the potty train. c was a total pro. he woke up and asked right away to wear his big boy underwear. he refused pull ups at night time and he has not had a single mishap at nap time or night time. we are so proud of him for these two big accomplishments. e.b. is talking up a storm...using almost full sentences and sometimes giving us accurate accounts of what she might have done at nursery school or church.  a couple weeks ago when i picked her up from nursery school she informed me she had filled both of her tunic pockets with sand. nice. it wasn't long till i realized she had also dumped sand on her own head...it was in her hair and pretty much anywhere sand could get caught. she still loves to copy everything her big brother does. thankfully he is enjoying playing with her more. we hear more laughter than yelling most days and it's hilarious to hear them carry on conversations. we are blessed. and now for what you have been patiently waiting for...more pictures!

c moments home after surgery...

playing with iphone and eating ramen noodles!

the day after surgery playing with special magnetic puzzles from j, k & g!

(thank you!)

while c was laying low at home e.b. went sampling at sam's with daddy!

who doesn't love a good teeth brushing?

trying his lefty clubs on for size!

(just like daddy does!)

getting ready to break in the clubs

special muffins from panera on potty training day#1

a special delivery for his 1st day of potty training --

his lollipop bouquet from m! (thank you!!!)

checking out our first roses of 2013

using his toy drill as a "radar gun"

e.b. trying to help to catch the speeders in the neighborhood...

c taking the tractor out for a morning ride...

e.b. having a low blood sugar moment...

soon we were heading out to meet daddy for lunch!

this pic cracks me up...
e.b. at a children's day event
(this is her balloon "flower" converted into some type of headgear!)

e.b. riding shotgun at the park

enjoying the swing once again!

getting serious about golfing...

what a surprise when we arrived at nursery school one morning...
working trucks!!!
there was a big project taking place in the parking lot -- so we were
able to watch the trucks work and also get up close to check some out.

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast."  Psalm 139:7-10