Helmet?

As many of you know, we've been concerned about the flatness of Ethan's head for awhile now. Our pediatrician diagnosed it as a moderate case of plagiocephaly, which is fairly common, esp. in multiples (due to cramped quarters in the womb). Well, our ped. in CA and our new one here, seem to lean to the, "you probably don't need a helmet, it might get better, and its not too bad" camp. But, they did agree there is ear misalignment, and a bit of forehead protrusion. (that sounds ogre-ish, doesn't it?)

We decided to see a specialist (pediatric plastic surgeon), and saw him 2 weeks ago. We hoped he'd have a stronger leaning one way or the other. But no, he was pretty much in the middle also. Basically, its your decision, he said. It might get better, and it might not. But now is the last window of opportunity if we wanted to proceed with the helmet.

We decided to proceed with the next step, an appt. with an orthopedic doc. to do a 'scan'. Hopefully we can find out if our insurance will cover any of it.

He'd have to wear it 23 hours a day for 3-4 months. I think they are kinda cute, and I'm not worried about that. I know he'll never look back at pictures and ask why we did that to him, but he might cry over being made fun of some day for a flat head, and I'll know we could've helped prevent that... Esp. being a boy, and not super thick hair endowed.

You'd definitely be able to tell them apart! (What if after the treatment, Ethan ends up with a better shaped head than Kellan? yikes)

Anyway, pray for us and our decision making. They couldn't fit us in until Dec. 13th. We will see!

So incredibly thankful...

We are amazed with the countless blessings in our lives... Often we reflect on how good God is to us, but on Thanksgiving it seems even more glaringly apparent. We are truly thankful for all the extras He has shared with us, but we do know that its His grace, first and foremost, for which we are to be thankful. His grace is sufficient for us...



Here's our wacky family on Thanksgiving... Complete with Caleb and his 'pink eye'.

We have crawlers! 7 3/4 months.

Who would've guessed that they would start crawling on the exact same day? They'd been so close for awhile now. We knew it was just a matter of time. This morning when I put them down on the floor in the living room, they seemed to just get it, and off they went, after whatever they were most interested in at the moment. Kellan combined regular crawling with army crawling here and there the first couple days, but by day 3 (today), they are both regular crawling all over the place. Fun for me, eh?

Aidan crawled at 7 1/2 months, and Caleb was more like 9 3/4 months. Hmm...

Here comes winter...

We got our first real IL snow on Sunday afternoon after church. It was beautiful! The boys were very excited, but I think Weston was the most excited! After church, we noticed the first tiny flakes falling, and Caleb was amused when one landed on his nose. Once we got home, we opened all the curtains and watched it fall heavily as we ate our warm lunch, and then we bundled up Caleb and Aidan to play in it for a bit. Even Kellan and Ethan seemed to enjoy watching it fall as they looked out the window. Very fun! It melted off a few hours later, but I'm sure its just a taste of what's to come.

Riding the bus...

Caleb was very excited to finally get to ride the bus to school. Enjoy the pics!

Ouchies today...

First, Aidan fell outside, whacking his mouth good on the back stairs/and or concrete. Bleeding mouth, swelling, etc...

About 30 minutes later, Caleb fell inside, on the hardwood floor. Bleeding mouth, and very fat lip.

Yikes...

deep question

Yesterday Caleb was playing in the living room as Daddy was on the computer. All of a sudden, Caleb bounces over to Weston and asks, "Daddy, are toys real or pretend?" Deep question for a 3 year old!

Today he was singing "Our God is an Awesome God" in the minivan. So adorable, but we were amazed as neither of us has ever taught him that song. He said he learned it at church. So cute!

Here was Aidan last night as he went to bed. "Good night Robots", "Goodnight Light Saber", "I'll miss you". :)

and not to leave the twins out... Weston walked into the living room at one point today and noticed Kellan playing with/chewing on a light saber, and Ethan doing the same with a transformer. He commented, "that's my boys!"

Jumping Beans

We finally got the "Johnny Jumpers" set up for the twins. They wouldn't fit over the wide wood moulding, so we weren't sure just how to go about it. But, their brillant Aunt Robin noticed a place in one of the double door frames to set a dowel or rod (someone had already attached the holders). So we did, and now they can both jump together! So cute, and so fun... especially when their big brothers push them like swings...

Awana Cubbies

Caleb has been doing great in Awana Cubbies every Wednesday night. He's done a great job memorizing his verses. Last night he got his vest, and his first patches. So very cute! Had to share a picture. He's on the green team if you didn't notice.

First experience of a real fall... so beautiful!

The weather has been amazing! Clear blue skies with lots of sunshine, but a crispness to the chilly air, and beautiful colors everywhere you look. Wow. This picture doesn't do it justice, but you get a small taste.

"I'm not smart, I'm Jango Fett"

Just a fun title to catch your attention. Caleb said this last night to us and it made us laugh so hard. We we're attempting to build him up for his first day of preschool today. We told him he was so smart, and he replied with that. He said it with a smirk too, knowing it was funny. For those of you who didn't catch it, its a Star Wars reference.

Anyways, he, and I , survived his first day today. He cried, but they said not for too long. His teacher reported that he loved the computer, was very smart, and wouldn't paint".

Norman Rockwell Halloween

What an absolutely fun night to be a parent of small children! We had a blast dressing them up (thematically, from Toy Story), and parading them around as they walked around in awe of being in costume, seeing everyone else in costume (Caleb was particularly enamored by a homemade Jengofet (sp?) costume he saw at church), and loving that everyone was just handing them candy for being cute...

We first went to the "trunk or treat" at Bethel, which was well attended and tons of fun. And then we even had time to stroll down our cute little street, with the kids kicking piles of beautiful fall leaves as they went from house to house, meeting super-friendly neighbors. It was a blast.

Enjoy a few pictures... Caleb as "Woody", Aidan as "Buzz" and the twins as LGM's (Little Green Men)

"Frost"ing

So cute, I had to jot it down.

It has been getting pretty cold at night... below freezing in fact, and this morning, as we were walking to the van to load up to head to church for bible study, I pointed out all the frost on the grass to Caleb and Aidan. Caleb didn't really understand, so I stopped, and picked a blade of grass and let him look closer at it, and feel the little ice crystals... When we returned home later in the afternooon, he commented, 'hey, the frosting is all gone!'. So cute!

I also love the way he says 'this day' instead of 'today'. He's starting to get the concept of different days of the week, and anticipating when certain things will occur, and he gets very excited when he clarifies that something will be happening 'this day'.

Lately he has also gotten very clever with when to change his wording, attitude, tone of voice, etc, to make a request. He's learned that he's much more likely to get what he wants when he takes all those factors into consideration. On one hand, I feel scared he's becoming a little manipulator, but on the other, he's learning some important life skills. For example, "mommy, since I took a good nap and cleaned up my cars, do you think it would be a good idea for me to have a piece of Halloween candy?" (okay maybe not a word for word quote, but you get the gist.