It's Been a While

Hello. I've not written in such a long time. I used to love to write but it seems I'm always on the computer at work and I just don't want to look at the computer any more when I get home.

BUT

I also don't have a very good memory. Time is flying by. SO FAST. I try to keep a journal, but it's hard to sit down and write. So I need to try to do better about recording life somewhere, somehow. A little bit here and a little bit there.

So here's an update on the going ons in our house:

Mid July, Caroline woke up and didn't want to walk. At first, I thought it was her shoes. Then I noticed she was limping. We thought she had twisted her knee climbing on a little chair we have in our room. We gave it a week or so to heal but it didn't seem to get better. She would limp around, especially in the mornings. I took her to the doctor and they sent her over to children's hospital for xrays and blood work. We had a follow up visit two days after that. The xrays showed nothing wrong. The blood work showed an elevated SED rate and a positive ANA. So they referred us to a rheumatologist. Fortunately, they were able to get her an appointment quickly. We were so worried about her. Her rheumatologist diagnosed her with pauciarticular juvenile arthritis. They said that she will probably outgrow it but we don't know when. The kind of arthritis she has usually affects around 6 joints in the first year, and on one side of the body. So far, she has it in her right knee, ankle, and middle finger. It's the worst in the mornings. She limps and cries. Some mornings are worse than others. Their first course of treatment was ibuprofen 3 times a day. However, that didn't seem to work well. So now she takes Naproxen (perscription Aleeve) twice a day. It seems to help but she still has a little bit of swelling in her knee. We were referred to a Orthopaedist for possible cortizone shots put in her knee but he said her knee looked ok. We're going to hold off on that. It's hard to see our little girl hurting and limping around. But in th big picture it's not the worst thing that she could have. It is manageable and hopefully she will outgrow it.

In mid August, we went to Idaho to visit Kase's grandparents, aunts, and uncles. It was such a lovely trip. The girls handled flying pretty well. Kase's parents and brother came as well. It was nice to spend time with them. The grandparents are the sweetest and live in the cutest little town in Idaho. The weather was absolutely wonderful (no humidity!) and we enjoyed spending time with family. Caroline met her great grandparents for the first time, and Eliza re-met them (she doesn't remember meeting them when she was 6 weeks old). We strolled around town, ate some good food, went to the fair, and visited with family. It was a wonderful time and our hearts were sad as we drove away from family and the beautiful mountains heading back to the airport. We hope to go back to visit again soon.

In late August, my trusty almost 20 year old jeep bit the dust. We had been looking for a new-to-us car for a few months, but I just couldn't commit. We wanted something bigger that would be easier to haul kids around in. I felt bad about getting a different car when mine still worked.... well mostly worked. It was loud, smelly, and would randomly shut off while driving. Our mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. One night, after test driving cars, Kase headed out to play soft ball and I was taking the girls home. We had just turned onto a busy road when my car shut off. We rolled to a stop right in the middle of the busy road in front of where giant diesel trucks pull in to get gas. The car wouldn't start back up. I tried and tried. The girls were worried and I was nervous as cars whized past us. I called a friend to come get us and scheduled a tow truck. I was nervous about getting the girls out of the car and into my friends car. Finally, the car started. We drove halfway home and it died again on top of some railroad tracks. We rollled off the tracks and it eventually started again.  That was the last straw. It was time to say good bye to my beloved jeep. We drove down to Chattanooga and picked up a Toyota Sienna that we had our eye on. We got a decent deal, plus it is SO much easier with the girls. THERE IS SO MUCH ROOM! I never understood how awesome a minivan is. I'm in love. AND my dad was able to fix the jeep. So it's still floating around in the family.

September was a jmuch calmer month which is always nice. We did take the girls to a children't museum in Knoxville. It was small and a little ghetto but they liked it. Caroline finally started talking more in September and not just whining/crying a lot. She is able to be reasoned with. She LOVES her stuffed puppy dog and her plush Elsa. Of course, she LOVES frozen and Elsa now too. She has become so much fun. She is pretty fun.

So far, October has also been a good month. October and Autumn are my favorite. It's been rainy and we've not been to the pumpkin patch yet. We did camp a little with my parents in their RV. Kase, my dad, and my brother worked on one of our cars and put on new rotors, struts, shocks, and breaks. I am proud of Kase for learning how to do all that. Eliza has been practicing for the primary program. She knows all the songs and her part, but she is very nervous. It is this Sunday and I am hoping that she will do it. We got her some Elsa click shoes (as she calls them.) also known as heels that light up when you walk. She loves them. She went to bed with them on the first night. I snuck in and took them off of her after she fell asleep. The next morning, she had them on again. I asked her how she got her shoes back on. She said she woke up and they had snuck off into the floor so she caught them and put them back on. She thinks they're magic. At church, I just got a new calling (that is sort of like an assignment that you accept for where you will help out at church) from nursery/ward music director to young women beehive (youth girls 12-13 yrs old) advisor. I'm excited to get to know these girls. I think it's going to be fun.

I'm going to try and be better about writing so that I can remember all the seasons and details of our life. It's a pretty sweet life with two sweet little girls.

I'm also going to try to post pictures soon.