Ice Skating in August!

Yes, you read that right, we went ice skating last week. Jamahl has been wanting to work on his skating skills so he got on-line and found out when our local rink had open skating. Friday was the day, so off we went. Auntie Roo had plans of laying by the pool but we convinced her that ice skating would certainly be more fun! It was quite the event. We all got our skates on, and off we went to the ice. All five of the girls surprised us and could walk in their skates without help. I have to admitt that I was tempted to not even get skates for Keyan but boy was I proven wrong. She walked out to the ice, grabbed her buckets, and away she went. It was amazing...my little "disaster waiting to happen" figured out how to lean on the bucket and move. I couldn't help but feel a little ashamed about underestimating her. I hope she just keeps proving us wrong. Abby was the star of the day though. She was all over the ice, twirling, stopping, going fast, and loving every minute of it. Sidney was not fond of the ice no matter what we did. She finally let me push her around slowly but made sure I did not go to fast. McKenzy had to go potty about 100 times so once she finally warmed up to skating, it was time to get off the ice. Jamahl is making great progress in his balancing abilities and surprised us all when he was able to fall and not panick! It was quite an adventure that we will certainly be doing again soon. Of course, you just never know what crazy thing we will try next.

If you want to see the pictures slower, just click on the slideshow!

The County Fair

I am a little behind in posting but I wanted to share what we have been up to. A few weeks ago we all went to the Ottawa County Fair. The kids had a great time. They spent a lot of time checking out the animals and petting them all. We had supper at the fair, and we even had a few dollars left so they could each choose two rides. The girls have never ridden rides, but they were quickly carnie professionals! We had a great evening together as a family!

Grasshopper invasion

OK, these pictures do not do it justice but we have a grasshopper infestation in our front flower garden and along the side of the house. It is the most amazing thing!!! If you look closely at the pictures, you can see all of the grasshoppers.There are hundreds of them, all different colors, shapes, sizes, and types. It is so weird. They must have heard that large families are welcome here! You have never seen anything like this. All you hear is hop, hop, hop, almost like large rain drops. It is certainly something to behold!

Our first baseball game

We all joined my Mom's extended family for a local ball game. It was a lot of fun and the kids really had a good time. Of course, like anything else, it takes an army to go with us in order for us all to survive but I guess that is what family is all about. We had all sorts of treats and made at least 100 visits to the little girls bathroom, but we had a blast non the less. It was a lot of work but very nice to do something besides sitting at home.

Paul and I actually had a minute to share a quick meal without the kids hanging all over us! Grammie and Poppie had them all occupied with ice cream!

Jamahl thoroughly enjoyed the Dove Bar that Poppie bought. That face sums it all up!!!

Sidney is just too cute for words! She loved spending time with the family and getting spoiled with the special treats.

And than there is Keyan....we didn't know if she would be healthy enough for the game but she was doing alright so we decided to give it a try. She was so happy to be out and about. It was great to see her completely engrossed in having fun. She clapped with every cell in her body and cheered the loudest of all. It was wonderful!

McKenzy liked the ice cream too but only the vanilla part. She doesn't really care for chocolate!We were very proud of McKenzy because she made it thru the fireworks after the game without crying. She sat with her ears covered but was able to enjoy the colors. It was a great night with family!

Memorial Day Weekend (a lot late!)

We had a great Memorial Day weekend with the kids. Grammy and Poppy stayed up north for a few nights at a Resort by Lake Michigan so we headed up there for the day on Saturday. Sand, water, and a trach do not go well together so the girls have only been to Lake Michigan one time and it was so cold that we only stayed for 5 minutes or so. This time we spent a couple hours playing in the water and sand. They LOVED it! Keyan was feeling well enough to have her trach capped so that took some of the stress off. It was a great milestone for all of us and a memory that Mommy will not soon forget.

Jamahl was in the water in less than five minutes. The fact that it was cold did not stop him at all. Before the end of the afternoon, his layers were all wet and he was down to his t-shirt and skives!

Keyan kept pushing her limits and getting closer and closer to the water. She never stopped running until we made her take a break. By the end her legs absolutely would not hold her up any longer but she kept up with everyone else as long as she could!

Abagayle does not like to be cold so she kept finding the warmest places on the beach. She finally warmed up enough to chase Uncle Jeremy, scout for treasures, and roll in the sand. She had so much fun.

Sidney followed in the footsteps of Jamahl and just kept getting wetter and wetter. She too ended up in just her diaper but she did not mind at all. She loved digging and playing with Jamahl. She will be ready for the beach anytime!

McKenzy did not like the way the sand felt on her feet but eventually was won over by her siblings to join in on the fun. Her only real complaint was that her binky kept getting all sanding! She could play in the sand for hours!

Here are Sidney and Abby rolling down the dune. They of course had sand in every crevice of their bodies but it was all very worth it.

What can I say??? We tried to get a nice family photo but I really need to know the limits of having 5 kids. We literally have 30 pictures and there is not a single one where everyone is looking. Oh well, the fun that we had will long outlast the pictures that don't turn out. It is amazing how such a seemingly "normal" event like going to the beach becomes so huge when you have special needs in your family. We have definitely learned not to take anything for granted!

Keyan's coming home day!!!

We have finally arrived at Keyan's special day. Three years ago on the 13th of May she came home from the hospital. She had a few failed attempts at coming home in March and April but would end up back in the hospital within 24 hours so we don't celebrate until the day she STAYED home! I am always amazed when I look back three years ago but Keyan amazes me the most. It is absolutly incredible to see how far she has come.

She started her day licking powdered doughnuts. She has acquired quite a taste for the white doughnuts since Poppy has been home for the last month and a half! She has such a love for life and even though she may not actually eat the doughnut, it is as good to her as if she were.

We met a freind for lunch at Logans where Keyan promtly ordered ice cream for her meal. Of course, her sisters were a little put out by her getting her dessert first but as Grammie said, "It is her special day!" We are very excited about the progress she is making when it comes to putting things in her mouth. It is stil not large amounts but we celebrate every little step along the way.

Keyan knows that she is the queen for the day and is enjoying being spoinled even more than normal. Isn't her smile contagious? Keyan, you are such an inspiration to all of us. Your determination far exceeds that of most people. Despite your challenges, you meet life head on and love everything about it. Your forehead kisses and unending hugs are always a pick-me-up. Your memory is amazing and hearing you sing every word on the Disney sing-a-long CD brings me to tears every time. You have given us a lot of scares, but even more joy. I know that you are going to do spectacular things in your life and I can't wait to celebrate all of those milestones with you. Daddy and I have learned so much from your personality and spirit. Thanks for keeping us on our toes. We love you!

All the girls stopped to pose for a group shot outside of the restaurant. We have not had nice weather for about a week so they were soaking up the sun. The other girls love Keyan and were excited to be celebrating her day. It always ends up being one big party! What a great coming home day.

Home Again!

For those of you who did not know, McKenzy spent the the beginning of the week, Sunday -Wednesday, in the hospital with pneumonia. Yes, you read that right, McKenzy, NOT Keyan! She woke up Sunday from a nap having a hard time breathing. Luckily, Paul and I went with our guts and I took off to Zeeland's ER. By the time I entered the building, the nurse grabbed her from me because she was blue. Talk about scaring a Mom! They admitted her to Zeeland hospital that evening. Thru the night, she continued to need more and more oxygen so the doctors transfereed her to Spectum by ambulance Monday morning. By Tuesday she had begun to stabalize and was able to come home on lots of medication Wednesday evening. She was so happy to be home. After the doctors told her she could go home, she told everyone that came into her room,"I going home today!" I called home to let them know that we were being discharged and my Mom put the other girls on speaker phone to say hello to McKenzy. As soon as she heard their voices, she started sobbing. When the girls at home heard her crying, they followed suit. It never ceases to amaze me how close they really are. After being initally elated to have McKenzy home, it did not take everyone long to realize that McKenzy after 4 days of IV steroids was not all that fun. Steroids make the best of us crabby, and since Kenzy tends to be quite emotional anyways, it has been very hard on her as well as the rest of us. This picture sort of represents how her sisters felt after a short time. Keyan went right back to her usual routine, Sidney was quite annoyed by McKenzy's screaming, and Abbagayle could not believe she ever missed McKenzy being gone! All kidding aside, it was a very frightening four days and we are glad she is feeling better and home to make our house full.