Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I have updated this blog, but I have been busy trying to keep up with all of the riff raff, better known as summer. So, since it is 4:30 am and I am at work with nothing better to do, I thought that I would give a little rundown of our summer thus far.
As some of you may know, I run a Baggo league from my house called Urbana Independent Bags League. I started it last summer and it is basically a gathering of neighbors and friends on a Saturday night for a grill out and a Baggo tournament. In the spirit of competition, I keep statistics and publish them on a website www.uibl.blogspot.com for the participants to follow. I rank players throughout the summer based on a point system that I developed. The whole purpose was to have an alternative source of entertainment that doesn't involve spending loads of money, includes families and is a safe place to drink some adult beverages and not worry about driving home (or at least for some of us). It has been quite successful and word has gotten out around town about the league resulting in more interest from others.
Dylanne completed her first season of coach pitch softball. She was on a team that had some boys and some girls, but they were all kindergartners. She did very well, although her attention span was lack there of at some points. I did work with her a bit in the yard, but she is just more interested in putting on dresses and playing girly stuff right now. Because of my work schedule, I was only able to see 1 of her 5 games, which was a bit heartbreaking for me, but I know that in the future I will be able to catch more of them. She also completed kindergarten with flying colors. All reports on her final report card were excellent as she has really grown this year from an academic stand point. Speaking of growing, she has really shot up this past year. I look at a young lady now and can't believe that it seems like only yesterday she was a baby. Heather and I struggle a bit with her sometimes "diva" attitude. Her attitude is up and down depending on what seems to be the day. I am really proud of Dylanne for the way that she has handled Micheala's newly diagnosed diabetes. She makes an effort to not eat in front of Micheala when Micheala cannot eat. She also has been an excellent friend to our neighbor boy, Austin, who is getting ready to have a bone marrow transplant this month to help his leukemia. We've had long talks about what Austin is going through and she has made an excellent effort to play with Austin before he spends time in the hospital.
What can I say about Micheala? Her strength has been incredible this past month. She has completed her first year of pre-school and thinks she is going to be in kindergarten next year. I have explained to her numerous times that she has one more year of pre-school left, but she refuses to believe me. Diabetes is going really well for Micheala. Her blood sugars are running normal, she is on a good diet and eating regimen and is doing her shots and blood sugar testings without throwing a big fuss. As far as her Chiari Malformation, that is going excellent as well. She is sleeping much better at night, which results in Heather and I getting rest as well. Micheala has taken a huge interest in gardening this summer, thanks to our neighbor Erica. She has planted numerous flowers around the outside of our house and can name all of them. She is also growing some tomatoes and peppers in a mini garden. Micheala and our dog, Mika, have become quite close over the last month. I'm not sure the dog appreciates all of the affection all of the time, but at night, Mika is always looking to lay with Micheala. One thing about our neighborhood is that there just isn't very many kids for Micheala to play with and she sometimes gets pushed aside by Dylanne and her friends, so she has become best friends with Erica, our neighbor. Erica does a fantastic job of letting Micheala help with her various outdoor projects. and Heather and I appreciate the patience Erica has with her. Although Micheala can get cranky at times, she still has that happy go lucky attitude that always can make you laugh.
Heather and I are doing great. We think that we have reached a point of "living" once again. Heather is busy at work trying to budget the various youth programs in Linn County and has been under some stressful deadlines as of late. She fractured her cheek bone last weekend while horsing around at one of our Baggo tournaments. She still has a bit of a black eye and some discomfort, but she is surviving. I am proud of the research and learning that she has done in regards to Micheala's health because she really didn't know all there was to know about diabetes until Micheala's diagnosis. We haven't had to visit that "cancer" word with Heather as of late, which is refreshing. She is currently thinking of taking another shot at her Masters degree in the near future. I am still working at the Linn County Youth Shelter. As most of you know, the flood destroyed our building last year and we are currently at a temporary location at the Linn County Detention Center. We were suppose to have a new building by now, but FEMA, the board of supervisors and other parties involved have been held up, causing a delay in our future. June 28th is a big day for me, as the board of supervisors have been kicking around the "need" for the Linn County Youth Shelter, and our future will be decided on or by that date. I have all the confidence in the world that we will continue to have a program, I just have to wait and hear it officially. I spent all of last week working on our house, as we got it appraised. I painted the living room (green) and our bedroom (magenta/periwinkle), as well as doing other repairs that I could do with my little knowledge in home repair. I have painted a few garages this year and sounds as if I may have a few more to do by summer's end. I enjoy painting and use it as a stress reliever.
Our family has also enjoyed our newest member, Braylon. We are so fortunate to have Chris and Joni live so close to us and can visit them at any time. Braylon has really grown and is absolutely adorable! The girls think he is awesome and always want to hold him, but Heather and I try to hold them off, as we see how they treat their dolls.
All in all, things are going great thus far. We enjoy being outside with our neighbors and friends. We are happy that we are finally moving forward health wise and can get back to doing the things we love to do. Heather and I talk at night about how we could never handle some of the things we've gone through alone and thinks it only makes us stronger, which I sure is true for a lot of families.
Here's to a great rest of the summer for all!
