Good New, Bad News

 Kolin and I went to Vanderbilt for some tests on Monday. The good news is that the CAT scan revealed the cause of the gross hematuria. The bad news is that it is a large, unpassable kidney stone(s) and will requires surgery to remove. We have not scheduled the surgery yet but will  let you know when we do, probably late November or December. He is not in any pain. The bleeding is a result of the stone bouncing around during times of high activity and is not causing any 'damage' in the process.
That's all we know for now.

Henrietta

Just a pretty picture of Henrietta and her friend.

Kaden's Major Accomplishment!

That's right folks, he's reading!!

Solar Flare

We are studying Astronomy this year and we had the amazing opportunity to look at the sun through a special telescope. It just so happens that the sun is very active right now and there are many solar flares going on. We actually got to see them through the telescope! A friend who was with us put her fancy phone up to the telescope and was able to take a picture of it! It was better in person, but still amazing. Some of the solar flares we saw he estimated to be 100 (or was it 1000?) times bigger than earth! It was very cool to see.

The sun is white and if you look at  o'clock and at 5 o'clock you can see two seperate flares, just little white wisps rising off of the sun. The one at 3 looks like an atomic bomb if you look closely, and is a lot more energy than a bomb.

This one is a little blurry but a closer look at the 3 o'clock flare at it's peak. They act like wisps of smoke from a snuffed candle, but move much slower. Each flare lasts several minutes from explosion to extinction.

HOT Meat Goat Classic

Both boys were old enough to participate in the Heart of Tennessee Meat Goat Classic Pee Wee Division-Showmanship.

We arrive, pick a stall, put down wood chips, feed and water then get to work grooming the goats. Haircuts are Mommy's job. Boys do the brushing.

Kolin and Snowflake

All the contestants entering the ring.

The Boys and their goats in the Winner's Circle.

They each got a medal and a ribbon.

Some friends of ours came to the show. These are the same girls that painted the greenhouse. Their parents are beginning the process of adoption. Among other reasons, this is their answer to abortion. Please visit their blog to read more and enter the raffle for a great date night! Drawing is December 1st!

http://www.findingourhiddentreasure.blogspot.com/

Greenhouse Progress

So a few weeks ago I had to go in to the office for three full days. Konrad took the week off and while I was away the boys built the greenhouse!

The Crew

Rhett, Konrad, Mark, Kolin & Kaden

The (Almost) Finished Product

Project Manager Rhett

Since then I have stained all the exterior wood, cleaned the windows and allowed the boys and their friends free reign with paint.

They probably don't know it yet, but all the white boards are primed plywood and will be covered soon with stained wood.

Titans Game

Pregame

Enjoying a refreshing beverage.

After a TITAN Touchdown!

Mor fun pics from the game.

Kolin Update

   I know I haven’t talked to each of you personally and I can’t remember who I told what, so I thought I would update you all on what’s been going on.

    As you know Kolin had surgery on his kidney/ureter two years ago this October. Since then each follow-up ultrasound has been better than the last and his pediatric urologist and Vanderbilt Children’s has been happy with his progress. Since then Kolin has had occasional blood in his urine. After a while we began to notice that each episode occurred after times of intense physical activity. During our checkups I would mention this but he kept saying it was normal to have a little blood in the urine.

   Well, lately the frequency seems to be increasing so one day I called the pediatrician. Evidently I wasn’t making myself clear enough to the urologist because the pediatrician got very animated about it then urologist said I didn’t tell him it was visible blood in the urine. What other kind would I even notice?! Do I look like I have microscopic eyesight? I digress. To make a long story short the pediatrician called the urologist the urologist called and two doctor visits later we are scheduled for either an MRI or a Cat scan (can’t remember) of the kidneys.

   Urologist said he wasn’t worried more curious as to why this is going on. Some causes could be kidney stones or scar tissue from surgery. He also made a note in his chart after surgery that Kolin has a large collection of blood vessels at the top of his kidney where the surgery took place, could be something to do with that or something with a fancy name I can’t remember that means sometimes after heavy exercise there is blood in the urine.

    Kolin is in no pain, it doesn’t bother him a bit when he has an episode. We have ruled out an infection of the kidney or bladder. So we will let you know more when we know more.

1st Broken Bone

  I say first, and I hope it is the last, but Konrad warns me that this is how it goes with a house full of boys. The crazy thing is, he wasn't doing anything crazy! He was just running in a gym and fell on it wrong. They way he describes it, he twisted on it as he fell so maybe that is what caused the break.  He is such a tough little boy, so when he cried out loud the whole trip home from the gym, I had a feeling it was serious.

He was very brave at the hospital. He was put into a hard splint attached to his arm with wraps and ace bandages. He will keep this one for several days until all swelling is gone and then they will put a cast on for 4-6 weeks.  After a long night at the hospital we finally made it to bed around 2am. He woke up once from pain but was able to go back to sleep after a dose of IBU.  He has felt fine today and was trying to play catch with a nerf football. Kolin is being a very good big brother, gentle and uncharacteristically sympathetic. He seems to realize the serious of this injury compared to their normal daily injuries. He did not like his little brother crying from pain. He even carried Kaden's stuffed animal around the hospital for him.

The good news is that the break is above the growth plates so hopefully no surgery or pins will be required. We will go see an orthopedic specialist next week and will know more then.

Scooter

Kolin and I rescued this little box turtle from the middle of the road. Her name is Scooter. By the rings on her shell we think she is about 10 years old. She didn't seem scared of us, kept her head and legs out a lot of the time. Maybe she's been captured before ;) While we had her we researched turtles at the library and on the internet and learned about what they ate and what they need to live. That helped us decide that she needed to be free. We kept her for a couple of days and then took her to a wooded area near a creek and let her go.

Don't Panic...

He's ok, but did have a serious run in with the deck this afternoon. Has a one inch gash on top of his head. He blames his brother of course. He turned the bathtub water all yucky red. It was pretty gross but I think he's going to make it.

VBS

Kolin in the cockpit! a scene from Vacation Bible School.

What's Growing Around Here...4

Crimson Daylily

What's Growing Around Here...3

Echinacea

VBS

On the set of our recent Vacation Bible School-Amazing Wonders Aviation.

What's Growing Around Here...2

Poppy

What's Growing Around Here...1

White Day Lily

3-Leg Race

One more pic from field day.

Field Day Fun

At our recent homeschool field day Kaden just happened to end up in line behind his brother during this game of Jughead. The object was to pour the water from the cup into the jug without spilling. Ha!

This game was called Clamming for Marbles and each team of three competed to see who could pick up the most marbles...with their toes! 

It was a fun day all around. 

Leah's 1st Birthday

Baby Leah turns 1!

Proud parents Ryan and Alice and Baby Leah

I got my cuddle time in!

The boys had their own ideas about what a birthday party should be like. Ian, Kolin and Kaden wrestled, ran, stomped, yelled and generally acted like heathens. If a terrible storm had not been going on outside they would have been banished to the backyard.

Thankfully nothing was broken, spilled, or destroyed (that we know of).

Graduation Gift

This is Keith from next door, and the boys enjoying Kaden's graduation gift. He almost got it completely unwrapped before I got a picture, but you can still read it.

They had a good time and I even greased them up with soap to go faster. It came with a little sled but most of the time they slid without it. All three of them said their stomachs hurt the next day.

And finally, what every hot afternoon needs, POPSICLES!

Soccer Celebration

Soccer is over and trophies have been received.

This season the boys played on the same team.

Even though Kaden was playing above his age group he did very well and competed fiercely.

Kolin really improved throughout the season and came on strong during the last game to score three goals!

The are already talking about next season.

Graduation

We recently attended Kaden's Preschool Graduation. It went off without a hitch. The class came in, did the Pledge of Allegiance and sang some songs.

Then they left the sanctuary while the audience watched a slide show of baby and family pictures. Then they marched in down the aisle in their caps and gowns and received their diplomas.

Afterwards there was a photo session in the lobby followed by a cookie reception. 

He is very excited about being a Kindergartner now. He keeps asking when we can start school. And in case you are wondering...we plan to start in July.

Bike Ride

A few days ago we loaded up the truck, a picnic lunch, water bottles and headed out for a bike ride. Kaden had been asking to go on a ride for several days, so the night before I wrote them a note to find the next morning.

They were both very excited. We rode for about 2 1/2 miles around the battlefield, stopping for lunch at a picnic table near the ranger station.

We also noticed the beautiful red clover growing in mass along the trail. It was like a waving sea of red.

Easter Egg Hunt #2

On Easter Sunday we went to Hendersonville. We ate dinner, visited with family and had an Easter egg hunt. It was a beautiful day, perfect weather for a back yard hunt.

Kaden scoffed at the "pretty" Easter basket I gave him for the hunt. So he opted for a lovely plastic bag.

Soccer

The boys are on the same soccer team this season, which is so nice! One game, one practice! They are enjoying their season.