Team Tate On The Road

Calling all prayer warriors!


This morning we head to UW-Madison with this cutie to see two of his surgeons – neurosurgery and orthopedics.

There are concerns about Tate’s stability currently, but these appointments were already scheduled for Tate’s yearly checkups. Praise the Lord for His timing!

If you could join us in prayer for Tate, these appointments, and the outcome of them – we would appreciate it!

While you are at it, please praise the Lord that Tate has never had a tethered cord release, or a VP shunt revision since his initial surgeries when he was flown from Baotou to Beijing at 3 months old in China.

INCREDIBLE, and SO praise worthy!!

We are full of peace, and going in faith with open minds and prayerful hearts, hopeful to hear our favorite word…S T A B L E.

The Lord will be with us!!

The Month of May

As I thought about posting on our blog again now that my hand is healing, I questioned whether to catch-up with the time that had lapsed, or just to start where we were!

I’m glad I decided to catch-up!

Just going through and editing these photos has brought me so much joy as I remember the days they were taken!

We enjoy looking back at our scrapbook here!

So let’s catch-up with some May photos – and then I will catch-up with photos of our school days and of our sweet grand babies!!

Even though I was not sleeping hardly at all before my surgery at the end of May, and I was also so limited in what my hand would allow me to do, we still had a very nice month!!

I tried to find projects that I could actually do to fill some time so I would not lose my mind!

I cleaned all of our files one afternoon, the storage room one afternoon, and cleaned and purged a bookshelf another afternoon.

I also still managed to fold laundry, and to clean and vacuum with my left hand.

The kiddos would switch the laundry in the machines for me and then dump the finished laundry on the bed.

Don’t you love how the dumped laundry in the photo below is still in the shape of the laundry basket?

They make me smile!


We also had many fun things going on in May – like a wedding shower one Saturday that Eliza and I attended.

It was so lovely!


Our early summer brought LOTS of outside time!

We could not keep ourselves inside on those beautiful days!

We wait a long time for warm weather here in Wisconsin!

We would spend time on the deck, on long walks, on our bikes, in the garden – anything to be outside.


The kiddos were in the pool on May 1st.

You read that right!!

May FIRST.

Crazy kiddos!!

But the pool was left up over winter, which worked out AMAZINGLY by the way, and so it was ready for swimmers if they were crazy enough to swim!

Even with the heater running they did not last very long.


Washing the van was a better idea!


There were cold and rainy days in May too.

No worries – we know what to do on cold and rainy days!


I cannot make a post anytime, but certainly not about the month of May, without mentioning my team of helpers.

This trio of ours had to carry quite a load while their Mama was out of commission!

I know you already know this – but they did it all willingly, cheerfully, and diligently!

They helped pull off some delicious meals and kept up with so much around our little nest Twin Oaks!


I have also needed help with grocery shopping.

I do NOT like to shop for grocery.

Never have.

Yuck. Blah.

BUT – I never knew how fun it could be if you just take helpers!!

Blake has been the chauffeur for some kiddos and me now – and it is FUN.

We have been shopping only every two weeks and just filling two carts overflowing each time.

This is the BEST grocery shopping plan and we can never go back to when I did it by myself!!


I do not drink coffee at home anymore, and I do not drink caffeine, but I love a decaf iced Americano from Starbucks!

We just happen to have a new Starbucks on the south side of town now that is not really out of the way if you have a craving for a decaf iced Americano!

It still feels like a treat every time!


I never ever want to forget how this miracle that we call Tate can do ALL the things.

And he even sits like this all the time to make himself “straight” so he can reach the counter better!


Our dynamic duo are still always together!

They are better together!!

I just realized so many of the photos in this post are of them together!


Did you notice how much these children have grown?

I know, I know.

Tate needed new shoes. And clothes.

He is getting bigger!


Eliza still wants to cuddle.

How much longer do you think Blake can pick her up and hold her?

Ok, I’m crying now!


We are also raising some giants here.

One of them is 17 and we spent a whole morning in town looking for work boots to fit giant feet.

I enjoyed having Chad off work and with us though!

And please notice the cute photo bomber in this photo.

I don’t know how he did that so perfectly!


I will add this photo again of our second giant in the making – who is posing with his first plate of food at dinner time.

Emphasis on “first” plate of food.


Here he is again.

Almost taller than me.


The weekend of my surgery, Eliza stayed home with me while everyone else went to church.

We are thankful we have live stream now!

I got to see some of my favorites helping lead worship, and listen to the sermon right along with the rest of the fam – even though we were in different locations!


Here are a few sky photos so you know it is REALLY me!!

I still love the sky.

God is so creative.


To end this super long post, I will show you the start of the plans for our lower level family room!

We purchased new couches and I LOVE them!

We are going to build a wall unit on the long wall – complete with closed shelving, open shelving, and an electric fire place!

Lord willing, that is!


While we were in Indianapolis at the beginning of May the furniture arrived and we asked the boys to set it up and take the old stuff to the dump.

They did.

Sweet boys!

But they did it in their own way, of course.

Glad I wasn’t home watching them, just saying.

Grant really rode on that couch from the backyard to the front yard!


See, wasn’t that fun to re-live May?!

I’m so thankful I take photos!

I don’t want my memories of May to be anything different than these ones!

Well, now it is time for me to work on my hand therapy so I can get full function back in this bum hand of mine – so I better get after it!

I get to start strengthening exercises this week and I’m excited!!

Maybe for my next post I will be able to type even faster, ha, ha!

Stay tuned – more to catch up on coming up!

Planting Time

Summer came early to us here in Wisconsin this year.

We were SO happy about that!

While Blake and I were in Florida we made some decisions about finishing our little nest we call Twin Oaks!

One of the things we budgeted to do was add some landscape to the front of our home.

I was SO excited about this!

Thankfully I have a neighbor who has a very bright green thumb!

She was super generous in getting this project off the ground – not only by splitting a bunch of her plants to share with us – but also by coming over to help plant them all.

She’s a keeper – both as a neighbor and a great friend of mine!


A couple days after we got those first plants in the ground, Blake and I had a date to shop for the rest of what we needed to finish this project.

It was fun picking everything out!

The guys worked on getting this project going and finished when they could, but they did most of it the weekend after my surgery.

I was sad to miss helping with this, but enjoyed watching them!


We also added a new bench on our front porch and I love it so much!


Look how great it turned out!!

We added lights throughout that are solar powered and light up at night, and also a spot light on the new tree on the very end of the house.

It’s beautiful!!


Another May planting project was our garden beds!

Tate was the most excited about this, and is definitely the most enthusiastic gardener I have ever had!!

I shopped for some plants with my trio at our favorite green house at the beginning of May.


We planted the garden on May 12th this year – which is way earlier than we normally do!

We did have a couple night of frost after that, but we covered everything and it did great.

Addie rounded up the planting crew – and of course my hubby showed up like this.


We had an ice cream party after we finished it all that night, and I snuck a photo of this guy – so funny!


The garden has done extremely well this year so far!

Here is how it looks now!


Being outside working on these projects has been really nice!

Without getting too deep and mushy – there is a feeling of healing of sorts as we make our house our home.

Lord willing, we have more plans for Twin Oaks that will take place in our family room in the lower level!

Time will tell!

Did you all plant a garden this year?

How is it doing?

I hope you are seeing the fruit of your labor!!

I love having our little garden space!!

It is a joy to take care of and very satisfying to harvest for our meals here!

I’m glad summer is only half over, aren’t you?

Here’s to many more days in the garden before the cool weather arrives!!

Mother’s Day

The day after we got home from our trip to Illinois and Indianapolis was Mother’s Day!

And a sweet day it was!

My crew spoiled me with a wonderful meal, gifts, Addie’s traditional Mother’s Day cheese cake, and the WHOLE day together with EVERYONE HOME!!!


My son-in-law also made lattes for everyone – his lattes are the BEST!!!

And lookie there – I did not take one photo of everyone together that day!

Honestly, it is nice to set my phone aside, skip the photos, and just enjoy the kiddos and those grand babies!

We celebrated Kayla too – the most inspiring mama I know!!

It was such a great day!

Hope all you Mom’s out there had a great day too!