Sweet dreams

Friday and Saturday we had a sleepover with our Aunt Tawnya, babysitter of Kyra and lover of children.

On Friday night we drove up to have dinner which was salmon, grilled zucchini and broccoli with sauce. Then we got to have Tawnya set up her projector and we watched two movies. The first one was a VeggieTales called "Big River Rescue." It was all about helping others. Bob and Larry had to help Little Jimmy aka Big Jim find his Mama. My favorite part was when Larry came running back from Muscotine yelling, "Beware the babies!" The next movie we watched was "The Love Bug." Good movie!

Saturday we went to a whole lot of parks. There was one that had a playground like the Taj Mahal and we played Hide and Seek there. It was awesome! There are so many places to hide. We went horseback riding as soon as we finished with the parks. Tawnya's friend, Dan, has neighbors with two horses, one named Seeker and he was jealous. The other one we called Peggy. Even Tawnya got a ride!

We went out to lunch at Zupa's and ate 5 huge salads and one huge bowl of clam chowder. Then we went back to Tawnya's and took baths in her big tub. We also got to choose presents from her stash of promotional freebies. I got an electric fan, Jason got a cow, Paige got a Snoopy, and Alexis got a notebook. It was fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Hmmm, seems like it's a little smaller."

That was the first thing out of Dr. Daddy's mouth when the resident pulled up the last two MRIs on screen. It was followed closely by, "It does seem to be a little smaller," courtesy of the resident, and that observation was officially diagnosed when the neurosurgeon walked in and said, "Hmmm, looks a little smaller." With three doctors concluding the same thing, it must be true - the tumor is smaller than it was just two months ago!

Sure, it only went down by about 25%, but considering the only way they know to shrink it is by going in with a knife, no carbs and a few pills is much less invasive. We're thinking the secrets to this success are she's been almost completely off carbs for 4 months (maybe a handful of blueberries and tomatoes, or if she skips the fruit she gets one piece of bread) as well as taking some really strong anti-cancer supplements that seem to have really done the trick. Wahoo!!!!

Happy Birthday to Mom!

Today is Mommy's b-day! She is 35 years old. She got a riveter, hybrid shoes, a CD, a DVD, a vase, blueberries, and a card from me. Tonight we are having a movie night. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Boy Time!

Today at 5:54am, Kyra became a big cousin instead of the littlest cousin. My mom's only brother became a dad because my amazing aunt had a wee little tyke! He was 7 lbs 10 oz (which is the same weight as his dad) and 21" long (same length as his dad, too). He has reddish brown hair, just like daddy. So everything is like father, like son! .

When I was little, mom promised my uncle that if he babysat me I would babysit his kids when they were babies. So, it's on to babysitting for me and parenthood for them. I'm so glad I've had practice with Kyra - I'm really good at diapers, even the dirty ones. I'm good at feeding, too. I've had enough baby sisters and a brother so I'm great at playing with babies. I've learned they love patty-cake, peek-a-boo, counting piggies, and newborns love smiles. I'm set!

Red White and Blue - Wahooo Wahoo!

The fourth of July was great this year - it started with close to 2 dozen hot air balloons at 6am, watching them be filled and then lifting off. Then we went down to wait for the gigantic parade that came by our stakeout place around 9:30 and ended about 11:00. I got to see my teacher and give her a hug when Freedom Academy's fire truck went by. They also had an alien Primary Children's float that I liked, too. Then we went home to rest and went over to eat and light fireworks at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They're in a culdesac, so we don't have to worry about cars driving by. There was one that sent up parachutes that we had to run to catch and Dad said that something that fun should probably be illegal. I love the USA!

Entrepreneurial Ideas

I tried lemonade stands when I was little. I think I cleared a whole $2.75. Sada and Alexis started a store this week and invited their friends over to help run "The Quarter Store." They manned it for 14 hours and made $22! Yes, there were a few generous customers who didn't take their $.75 in change, but still! And the best part was I didn't have to help set it up!

They sold "Assorted Items" like giant crystalized rocks, lava rocks - "bubble rocks" that send up bubbles when dunked in water, necklaces, bookmarks, fresh herbs - thyme, sage, mint, lemon balm, sugar snap peas from the garden, plaster paw prints (best sellers) and plaster bug fossils. And for $.25 each item they did great! They did split the money between 5 or 6 helpers, but Sada told me that the amount of money wasn't important. "The most important thing is that we earned money by working hard and doing a good job." They plan on keeping it up through the summer and changing the inventory daily. Yes, they are adorable.

Graduation!

At Sada's physical therapy review last Tuesday, the team decided she's progressed enough that her basic need now is endurance and strength training - both so easy to work on during the summer without having to go to the clinic! Sada was thrilled not to have Sergio stretching her weekly and promised him she will work on her exercises so when we go back every 4-6 weeks she can show off. He will continue to keep tabs on her to make sure she's not compensating for balance or vision in ways that could turn into future problems. Just one extra appointment each week that I don't have to plan around brings such a sweet smile to my face - and she's earned a break. She is more limber than I've EVER seen her before, she can walk and run farther than ever before, and the workouts have affected her whole body from her walk to her sitting posture to even the way she holds her pencil while writing. Sergio has really helped her with a miraculous gross motor and balance recovery and thrown in a bunch of extra bonuses to boot. Everyone should have their own personal trainer for a few months at least once in a lifetime to knock out the bad habits we don't realize we have. But truth be told, Sada is glad to get rid of hers finally!