Eden's Poem

One of the many items I found in the stack of things that came home at the end of the school year was this poem Eden wrote.  It kind of stopped me and made me a little sad for her.  

I'll type it out here in case it is hard to read in the picture.

Older

By Eden Justice

As a baby I struggled,

I know more now,

I am longing for those old summer days,

those days where I just got to play.

I am getting older now,

sometimes I wish I was a girl again,

little and carefree,

I am trying to hold on with memories.

But I guess I'm older now.

I guess I'm not a little girl anymore.

I miss all the good laughs we had,

I guess I miss all things, good and bad.

I miss the old life I had.

I am older now.

Oh my Eden, she has always been a mature and grown-up soul.  How does she already know those thoughts of an old soul longing to be young again?!   She just turned 10!   Eden - you still have many carefree days, full of laughter.  Don't let them pass you by!

Clown Fountain Sprinkler Fun

This clown fountain has brought hours upon hours of entertainment. 

Summer days, laying on the warm sidewalk with a towel over the top - the best!

Outdoor Creations at the New House

I love that these kids keep themselves very entertained with whatever they find around the yard.  So much creativity!

Eden Procedure #2

We finished the last few days of school just in time for Eden and I to head to Denver for her second procedure.   On our drive in, we stopped at a random mexican food restaurant in Pueblo for some dinner.  We just happened to choose the night where kids eat free, get balloon friends, and there was even a live mariachi band.  Win!  It was so fun.

The following morning we were in the hospital geared up and ready to go.  The plan was to see how the airway had healed from her first procedure a month ago.  Then, if necessary, he would laser out more tissue from her upper airway.

When we were here a month ago, Eden had a very hard time coming out of anesthesia.  She couldn't breath and her airway was seizing and she struggled to cough mucus and get good breaths for quite some time.  It was scary and difficult for her.  This time I was so grateful that they were prepared with a CPAP machine to help hold her airway open as she came awake from the anesthesia.  She was very mad, and complained that it was giving her a terrible headache, but she was able to breathe better and it was a much safer experience.  Thank goodness.  Even though we do this every year, there are still scary surprises sometimes and I hate it.  This poor airway has been through a lot which means this tough girl has sure been through a lot.  I love her deeply and wish so badly I could take her place.

Dr. Prager ended up taking out a bit more of the tissue that was causing the obstruction in her airway so we spent another night there in the hospital to monitor her and make sure she would not get too inflamed and swollen.  She did well and handled it all with such grace and patience.

I hate the circumstances, but I love the time I get to be one-on-one with Eden.  We have a very deep connection and have learned to really communicate without words.  She is so strong and teaches me so much. I hope this procedure will help her going forward so we can avoid this place for quite some time now.

Meanwhile back at home, these three hooligans were having tons of fun adventures with dad.  Teamwork at it's finest.

Creative Play

I love stumbling upon something cute that represents imagination.  99% of the time it's Olive and I know this because

1.  She has the most imaginative and creative pretend play

2. She never cleans up after herself when she is done

Isn't this cute though?!

Bentley's Class Performance

We came home from Orlando to finish out the last few days of the school year.  Fortunately, Bentley's teacher held off on the class performance so we wouldn't miss it!   His class is a kindergarten-2nd grade class.  They had a little skit full of songs about animals.  Bentley was "Billy" the boy who goes on an adventure and meets lots of different animals.  He is so cute.

Well done Bentley and the rest of Mrs. Fox's class!

Cute Little Baby....

Oh little baby of mine - why are you growing so fast?!  

Karly is the baby of the family and doing all the cute baby and toddler things for the last time, so when I watch her I find myself cherishing all the memories of each of the kids at this stage.  Time sure does fly by, and sometimes that's helpful, but sometimes I just wish I could freeze and cherish it all just a little bit longer.  I wish I could have all my kids be three for a day, all at the same time and watch that cuteness overload.  It's such a fun and magical age.

The look on her face as she plays in the bubbles is priceless.  I also love that her jammies are tucked up into her undies.

And what can I say about this tiny, itty-bitty bottom?  She hardly has any cheeks at all!   ha ha

I love you Karly baby.  You are the perfect caboose for this family.