We All Scream for Ice Cream

You can have barbecue, stay outside with some daylight until 9 p.m., and even turn on the air conditioning, but nothing says summer like going down to the shore. Tim doesn't really like the beach, but I think that seven years of whining to go have finally worn him down. Plus Mac really likes it. So we went down to the boardwalk at Point Pleasant on Saturday as a birthday/father's day celebration. The difference between this year and last year is amazing -- Mac actually went on the rides this year. She even rode the helicopters that flew into air if you pull back the lever. She loved it! 

And speaking of loving things, Oliver L-O-V-E-S ice cream. Just like we all do. I think everyone enjoyed the first Kohr's of the season a little too much.

We get a Break

So Oliver's MRI got cancelled. Apparently, the machine broke down due to a power surge. I'm both disappointed and relieved. We'll have to reschedule in the near future, but for now, we can just enjoy the day. 

Time for Prayers Again, Please

You guessed it - Oliver is going to the doctor for another procedure. He is having a MRI as a follow up to his EEGs. He hasn't really done any of the twitching, but the doctor set this up a while ago. I feel like we should go trough with it since it should hopefully put the issue to rest, and also because an MRI will show if his hydrocephalus has gotten any worse. Since we still have no shunt, it is good to know how things are looking. Of course, since he doesn't show any signs of hydro, seeing it on the MRI would be disturbing because we would be left with a tough decision: if he has hydro but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems, do we leave it or fix it with a shunt? And, of course, the MRI requires sedation, which I HATE. It makes me so nervous (and usually causes some wheezing) every time. We are going to a local hospital, and he has never had anesthesia there. But I'm sure they know what they are doing...

So you can see why I am asking for prayers. Little or big it, it doesn't matter, I know God listens to them all :)

It's Been a While

I realize that I have been negligent in posting. But I've been in kind of a funk and I have nothing productive to say. I think that I don't even know what I'm thinking or feeling, so I certainly don't know how to put it into words. We've been busy -- very busy. I've been so tired -- tired of feeling like I should be with the kids while I'm doing work, and tired of feeling like I should be doing work when I'm with the kids. And don't get me started on physically tired. And I've been worried -- worried that Mackensie has some serious emotional/behavioral issues, worried about everyone's health, worried that my dissertation isn't "relevant." And did I mention that I still haven't lost the belly fat from Oliver even though I've been working out regularly for maybe the second time in my life? That is so not going to last if I don't start seeing results.

But even though we've been existing in this haze of worry and disarray, we have had some exciting events. Tim and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary! To celebrate, we went to the Chart House and actually spent the night up there. It was so nice. We even went to the movies, which I get to do maybe twice a year. I also had my first day at Penn State. I'm developing an online course over the summer, and Wednesday was my introduction. I was happy to find out that it only took an hour to get there, and that there is a Starbucks, 2 Dunkin Donuts, 2 sushi restaurants, and a Target in the five minutes between the PA turnpike and the school. All of my vices in a neat little row.

Also, Oliver got new braces. I'll have to post a picture of the size difference between his first pair and this new pair. They seem so big! The chunky little monkey is growing up...