Team Tate and a Great Report!

We have quite a few appointments sprinkled throughout our summer, and last week on Monday was Tate’s turn!

This appointment with Tate’s neurosurgeon was scheduled one year ago when Tate last saw this doctor, and was just for a check-up (or check-in depending on how you look at it).

I knew Tate did not need this appointment!

We have zero concern about Tate’s stability right now!

So I had called to see if we could change this in person appointment to a video or telephone call instead.

They told me they would send a message back to the doctor and get back to me.

After several days of not hearing back from them, I called again.

And again, and again, and again.

I would sit on hold for 20 minutes or more each time and never get through to a person!

I went on Tate’s my chart account to see if I could send a scheduling message that way, and it said medical questions only, so I did not.

My trio and I ended up driving to Madison last Monday to go to this appointment!

This is only the second time in eight years that I have done a trip to UW Madison for a medical appointment for Tate or Eliza without Blake.

He had a very busy day at work that day, and we also knew the appointment would probably not be anything he would need to be at.

We arrived to Madison a bit early, so we got out to stretch our legs and do some Father’s Day shopping before our appointment time!

Next we headed to the hospital.

There was a lot of road construction near the hospital, and then they sent us to an over flow parking area down the hill and around a couple of bends.

It was a hairy handful of minutes as we tried to make it to our appointment on time!

But we made it!!

I don’t know who all was parked in the parking garage to make it too full for us, because inside the hospital looked like a ghost town.

Someone came from another area and took us back to a room, but she did not even weigh Tate or check his height.

The doctor came a bit later and talked to us.

He asked me lots of questions and then said “You don’t need me, why are you here??!!”

Sigh.

He also did not touch Tate or even have him stand up!

I told him about my efforts to not waste his time that day and he was very sorry for it all, but obviously has no control over what is going on in this world anymore than we do.

ALL that being said – we are very, very thankful that one of Tate’s most needed surgeons told us we don’t need him right now!!!

That is GREAT news, wouldn’t you say??

After Tate’s appointment we made a day of it, even though now it was pouring buckets of rain.

First up was some lunch at Chipotle – the kiddos wanted to eat in the van.

Then we headed to Costco and my trio helped me stock the pantry and freezers.

Nothing like the good feeling of being stocked back up!!

So, this mama made it to Madison and back, through road construction, to an over flow parking area, and then around the big city and all the way back home in the pouring rain.

As soon as we got home and unloaded, I joined Ruby Jane right there on that couch!!

I was so thankful that I had stuffed the instant pot before our 7:30 a.m. departure that morning and we had pork roasts, potatoes and carrots waiting for us for dinner.

Team Tate will be on the road again this summer to see Tate’s much needed orthopedic surgeon.

This is an appointment we won’t change, as Tate has imaging scheduled that day as well, which is important!

Can I just say that it has been a WHOLE YEAR since Tate has had any imaging done – and that is the longest stretch yet without any pictures of his insides!!!!

Oh how we praise the Lord for all He has done for our Tate Owen!!

STABLE, stable, stable….and we will take it!!!

Another Week and We Have a Graduate!

Let’s start with the BEST from last week!

Chad Ryan finished his work for his senior year of school and is now A GRADUATE!!

It was SO exciting for us all – and more emotional for me than I ever thought it would be!

We are SO, so happy for Chad!!

And can’t wait to see what the Lord has for him in this next season of life!!

Here is a literal snap shot of last week…

How I love memories through photos!!!

My health hasn’t been the best as of late, and I literally spent all day Thursday on the couch or in a chair on the deck.

At least my deck view looked like this!

I had a routine eye appointment on Friday afternoon.

SO much I could say about medical places right now, you know what I mean??

Thankful that my eye prescription is the same, and all else was well with my eyes!

I took this photo on my way home that day as I drove through Coon Valley.

What a great way to capture a moment in time!

Someone FINALLY got a haircut last week.

Some certain kiddos thought she was very cold because of it, ha, ha!

Saturday we had quite a lot of rain.

As a matter of fact, I have yet needed to water our garden since the day we planted it!!

I guess it has been pretty rainy so far this June.

These two got the crazy idea to go and sit on the driveway during the downpour.

No words.

They do crack me up all the time though!!

I am happily enjoying one cup of coffee each day again after a very, very long break.

Not sure it’s completely best for me, but I am enjoying it for now!

I saw this cute mug for $2 and brought it home, but it is so big I have a hard time holding on to it, ha, ha!

Here are my signature sky photos to end this post about another week.

Thank you, Lord, for the sky.

As I type this my health is a little better than it has been the last two months.

Autoimmune disease is tricky, and it waxes and wanes so easily sometimes.

I am very grateful for my hubby who continues to poor into my health and for all of the things that the Lord has burdened us to try!!

God has blessed our efforts over the years more than words could ever convey – and it is humbling!!

Ok – enough teary eyed stuff!!!

Hope you all had a great week last week and that you are crazy enough to sit in the rain too!!!!

Happy Friday, friends!!

The First Week of June

Wow, the titles of my posts have been so catchy lately, ha, ha!

We started the first week of June with Memorial Day.

Our librarian had asked us to walk in the Coon Valley Memorial Day parade with the library car, and we said SURE!

So Blake, myself, and our trio headed out early on Memorial Day morning to do just that!

Once we were back home, I made some simple picnic foods and then Kay’s joined us for dinner and some fun time playing outside!

It was a beautiful day that day!

Tuesday morning we felt like we needed to recoup from our fun weekend!

We all pretty much felt like Ruby Jane here –

But I got everyone up and moving anyway and we worked on our rhythm on Tuesday and Wednesday both.

We always, always, always do better when we keep our rhythm flowing!

Some kiddos more than others, but even me!

This next photo is just to remind me there is so much I never want to forget!

I printed off a United States map and quiz.

Guess who LOVED that?!

And got every single one right with only one misspelled word!

We have started visiting a different library for awhile because of road construction.

It was fun to browse a new place!

We have been having SO MUCH FUN in the kitchen these days!

Tate just wants to bake all the day long, and Eliza usually joins in on the fun!

Lane is our constant helper, but is usually off building something for his STEM class!

I wish I would have taken even more food pictures this week – but here is what I captured.

That week on Thursday evening our friends dropped off their two dogs for us to watch for four days.

WE FELL IN LOVE!!

Izzy and Freddie are SO adorable and just acted like they have always lived with us for their whole lives.

We were so sad to give them back!!

It is always nice to have a change in dynamics and have some big kiddos home!

We had some beautiful days that first week of June and spent a lot of time outside, even though it was too cold to swim.

Yes, they are trying to see how high they can get each other on the tree swing in this next photo.

And yes, we just had a tree swing break recently.

And yes, I am just sitting there watching and saying nothing.

Just making sure you are getting the full effect of this photo, ha, ha!

We finished off that great first week of June by hosting our grandson River’s 5th birthday party!!

Kay asked if we could host because they were without a kitchen!

They were doing a full kitchen remodel because unfortunately they had found some black mold.

We were THRILLED to host!!

It was a super fun party!!

We LOVE David’s family so very much and enjoy being with them!!

River shares a birthday with his Grandma Deb – which made it more fun!

River is the most joyful, enthusiastic, high energy five year old I know and I LOVE HIM TO PIECES!!

I think a good ending to this post is my signature – some sky photos.

How I love the sky!

I never tire of looking at it and just relishing in its beauty, do you?

What a wonderful week it was!!

Summer seems to barely be here and flying by all at the same time!

Our days are packed and yet some are slower – but it is all SO wonderful!

I just want to hold on so very tightly right now…life is so fragile!

I hope that it is easy to see the goodness of God in your daily life as well!!

Happy June, friends!!

The Last Week of May

Well, hey there!!

I’m just a smidge behind on my weekly posts….so I am going to try to catch up on them!

This post is about the last week of May.

We had mostly normal things happening, which means I do not have a lot of photos!

But I did take some and I am glad I have them.

Addie and I had been needing some time together, so we went to town together one morning for some shopping and coffee.

It was raining buckets and buckets that day, but we had the BEST time just wandering stores and talking each other’s ears off!

Lane had a birthday gift certificate he wanted to spend, and Tate and Eliza had some saved money they wanted to spend, so we headed to our local Walmart on another rainy day that week to let them shop.

Of course they all chose Legos!

Blake is in charge of Lane’s online STEM class and they spent some time working together on it in the evening that week.

Lane is learning SO much through that class!!

The last week of May was long enough ago that I cannot remember the weather exactly – but I do know that we still today have yet to open our pool for the summer.

We had that one hot week in mid May and ever since then it has been cool!

The Friday before Memorial Day was GORGEOUS though.

We spent the day working inside and outside!

Chad was home all day which was a huge help to me!

Tate and Eliza and I ran and got some garden plants that day to replace the ones that had been ruined by the hail storm.

Friday evening Blake and I and the kids replanted them and also planted all of our strawberries that had arrived in the mail.

It was a fun evening at home instead of a date night!

Do you see the baby radishes in this photo??

One of our tree swings broke that night – and yes someone was on it when it happened.

It was terrible and Addie was hurting for days afterward.

Tate made some sun tea for us.

SO yummy!

We finally went through all of the shells we brought home from Florida and got them in some display jars.

They look SO pretty!!

I suppose a post on this little ole blog wouldn’t be a post without food photos, am I right?

I do love to take photos of our food!!

I have found this NEW LOVE for baking lately and my people are such willing and patient taste testers!

Things are starting to turn out, he, he!

Check out this honey cake!

I am sure you know how great my helpers are too!

Except for this one, just saying.

The weather has been a mix for sure – lots of cool rainy days and then some cool sunny days.

The sunsets never disappoint though!

SO grateful for that kiss from God before bed each night!

May was GOOD.

June has been good so far too.

Stay tuned to hear what we have been up to!

I’m sure you can already guess most of it – we are so predictable that way!

I’ve missed you all and hope you are doing well!!