Nancy 的个人资料The Side Family照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
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2月21日 "Always take the weather with you"One of Sue's favorite albums in highschool was by Toad the Wet Sprocket and on it was a song that I liked a lot especially the phrase "everywhere you go, always take the weather with you" Having grown up in Taiwan where balmy evenings and hot sticky days make it perfect for growing a pineapple on your balconey it has been a shock (even after 11 years in the U.S.) to experience the dead chill of Mid-Western winter. Luckily the last few days have been surprisingly sunny in the afternoon making me long for spring and foolishly leave my jacket behind on outings.
Our mood lately has been much like the weather with unpredictable lows and surpising sunny moments! We are starting to notice more and more signs of Spencer's asthmatic condition... hoarse throat, sporadic dry cough, and occasional activity intolerance. This has left me dumbfounded and feeling a little guilty for not adding it all up sooner. At any rate, we had a slight scare with him again on Sunday when he woke up complaining that his heart was "beating wrong" He did in fact have an irregular heart beat. The doctor's office gave us some symptoms to watch for and so we watched. Unfortunately being a nurse doesn't always help when it's your own kid... anxiety about your baby can get in the way especially when you know just enough to be "dangerous". Anyway, we will be changing his asthma medication and probably doing a followup with the Dr. about his heart.
Spencer hasn't been the only one with new diagnoses lately... Chris finally checked in with his PCP after several seemingly unrelated symptoms started adding up to something he couldn't ignore. We asked for his thyroid to be checked and sure enough he is hypothyroid. He is now on medication for that and we are hoping for improved labs when he goes back in a month. Unsurpisingly we have "discovered" that thyroid disease is fairly common in his family.
With all these new worries it's been a God-send to have some pleasant weather to enjoy. We've managed to clear the larger branches from our backyard (finally) and the city crews got to our neighborhood this week to haul off the brush... it's really nice to have those unsightly piles of branches gone! We also had a contractor come look at our basement this past week so we are one step closer to repairs.
The kids finished out their basketball/cheerleading season and we are now looking forward to swimming lessons as prep for the summer (I plan to spend a lot of time pool-side!) We are comparing price and scheduling options of the YMCA vs. MSU swim lesson programs. Speaking of scheduling...nursing school is moving along at a fast pace... I only have two weeks left for this section. May is moving in quickly! (definitely something to make me smile!) I worked it out with my boss to be able to work part time after I graduate with alternating weekends. That makes me grin like an idiot with glee!
Chris and I are planning a weekend trip with our close friends Paul and Kate Blandford... plans are for fishing and scrapbook shopping. We have booked a two room cabin at a Branson Bed and Breakfast. Grandma Friend and Grandpa Larry will be coming down to watch the kids for us while we are gone. I think it will be a great time for all (including the kids!) and a much needed chance for relaxation.
2月10日 Ice StormI'm sure you can all forgive me for being so late in writing news about the ice storm that hit SW Missouri a few weeks ago. I posted a few pictures of the damage we experienced so you have some idea of what we've been dealing with. I can honestly say that the storm was a learning experience for us! Having no power for 13 days gave me a true empathy, however humble, for those affected by hurricanes in the Southeast. I learned how to change the oil and refuel a generator. I learned how many hours one bag of pellets or 5 gallons of gas will heat the house. I learned to wear my socks to bed and be thankful for 67 degrees indoors! I learned that things are just things... and that family, healthy and safe is a blessing I have once again taken for granted. I learned how to cook multiple meals on a flat griddle and that running water through the coffee pot will heat it enough to wash the dishes. I finally learned how to work the fireplace at Fruitwood and thankfully I didn't burn anything in the process! I am still learning to trust God to take care of all the damage and "guide" the insurance company to help us get things back to normal.
Chris experienced a record number of calls duing the storm... during one particular shift they ran 20 calls in 24 hours. Just recently they fought a house fire and Chris ended up being interviewed for a local radio station (see the pictures I posted). He has had to do a lot of work to clean up our yard and in the process has managed to wreak havoc on his back. He's been going to get the kinks worked out but it's a slow process and we still have branches down in the back yard!
The kids learned to get creative with their playtime since we didn't have TV! They helped in the clean up of course... even little ones can haul branches! School was out for an extra week due to the weather and I've never seen the kids so thrilled to go back! Basketball and Cheerleading was also delayed so we will be finishing the season up a couple weeks late.
We have since been getting back into our normal schedule. Spencer was diagnosed with moderate intermittant asthma recently so we are trying to get him feeling better while he battles a virus on top of it! Abby has been selling Girl Scout cookies (you can still order) and has done pretty good considering the weather. Charles is working on his first "paper" for school... a 2 page composition about President Nixon... I'm so proud!
Hope everyone is well!
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