Date Night - Pointfest and Cedar Point

Date Night! Woohoooooo!!!

Thank you to www.itickets.com for sponsoring a fabulous date with my hubby! 

 On Wednesday I received a call that I had won tickets to Cedar Point and PointFest on Saturday.  I then jumped on the phone and called Grandpa and Grandma and asked if they want 4 little visitors! 

It was fun to watch Royal Taylor, Franscesca Battistelli, Skillet, Jaimie Grace and more. We rode rides, or should I say I rode rides for my husband!  

 My feet like to stay on the ground, unless I am in an airplane. My hubby has jumped out of an airplane.

Of course he wanted to ride the biggest fastest Roller Coasters.  

A little Dramamine and lots of praying helped me stay calm!

 My highlight of the day (well, besides me time with the hubs) was Francesca Battistelli!  When ever we hear "I lost my keys", the volume knob cranks and 4 little singers and dancers belt it out as if they were on stage! Click below and picture my 4 kids singing like crazy to this song!

 Look...no kids...okay, we did miss them...but, look no kids!

 What a job it would be to build Roller Coasters! It sure does look neat from below!

 This was the ride that my hubby said he wanted to ride all day.  I thought...no problem...I can sit in a swing.  It really doesn't go fast.  I'll be fine. The lady that got out of my swing before me said she has never been so terrified.  I thought she was exaggerating.  Let's just say that when I got off my knuckles were white and I wanted to fall on the ground and kiss it! Never again.  Been there, done that. I rode everything my hubby wanted to and I got my Elephant Ear on the way out of the gate. I'm not sure if it was worth all of the riding to get my Elephant Ear but I couldn't leave without one.  My Dad used to get us one when we went to Cedar Point when I was little so I had to get one!

Great Date!  It was nice to spend time just the two of us.  It has been too long.

Thanks Love for helping me to do something that caused me to step out of my Mommy Box! 

...and caused me to soar to new heights (literally) 

that I would not do on my own (and may never do again! ha!). 

Anything for you!

I Love you!

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Recipe

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Ingredients

4 cups Bisquick

3 Ounces Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup melted butter

1 t garlic powder

1/4 t salt

1/8 t onion powder

1/8 t dried parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine Bisquick, Cheese and Water.  Mix until dough is firm. Use a small scoop to place dough on prepared pans. Bake at 375 for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown. Combine the rest of the ingredients and brush over the baked biscuits as soon as they are removed from the oven.

 These biscuits are absolutely, melt in your mooch, delicious!  Perfect with a bowl of Autumn Soup.

 When I was done taking pictures of my dinner, 

everyone else wanted me to take pictures of their food too!  

 Guess they couldn't wait to eat their biscuits!

You can find the original recipe HERE

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday ~ A list of ...

Glow Sticks ~ Swimming at Dark!

Glow Stick Use # 376 ~ Night Swim

It is very hard to see kids at night in a pool, even if 4 adults are watching, overhead lights are on and flashlights are being used!  Well, our cousins came to town late and were hoping to swim so Mommy grabbed glow sticks and everyone jumped in!  

It is amazing how bright the glow sticks are under the water! 

It is worth the $1 investment for some safe fun!

Here are our lifeguards!

 Gearing up for some crazy fun!

A fun, last late night summer swim of the season.

We will never do another night swim without Glow sticks!

Cleveland Clinic Eye Surgery

Another God Kind of Day!

Two years ago Big Sis had trauma to the eye when a wire went into it. We have seen God's amazing grace and his hand of mercy all over this situation.  You can read the summary by clicking HERE.

There have been so many that have prayed, encouraged and loved her over the past two years. As a parent there is not much better than seeing your child loved on by others!  

2 Weeks Ago

Everything looked great as of a few months ago.  I took her in for a routine checkup 2 weeks ago and had all 4 kids with me! Daddy was working and I thought this would be a quick in and out appointment.  Here is a glimpse into that appointment!

 We had a bag of goodies to keep us busy!  

The bendy wax straws are always a favorite for our doctors office busy bag!

 Middle Sis sat on the special chair to keep Big Sis company!

I sat and watched as my baby was asked to ready the vision test screen labeled 25. She couldn't do it.  Then 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70 and then 90.  She was able to read 2 letters on the 90 screen but she worked really hard to be able to do so and then it seemed like she was guessing. The doctor prescribed her new glasses and said she needed to patch her good eye and read 2 hours a night. Pretty easy.  We can do that.  We got home and she put her patch on.  She couldn't read, not even if the page was up to her face.  We kept trying day after day.  She kept pressing on even though she couldn't see.  When the patch went on she said it looked like it was night time and she couldn't see anything.  I had her try to read a math problem to me and she got the numbers wrong.  She ran into large objects.  How can we do this.  We can't let her straight A's go to F's because she has to be patched but if patching is the answer than do we just watch her grades plummet? I was frustrated, she was frustrated.  Yet, she was amazing.  She tried so hard.  I would see her silent tears and and find her laying on her bed crying because she couldn't do it.  I heard that she was sad at school although she would tell her friends everything was fine.  

I called Cleveland Clinic a few days later and we were encouraged to keep trying. I went in search of large print books just to get started, although she needed to work to the small print chapter books that she usually reads.  Friends brought large print books and encouragement.  This still wasn't working. She just couldn't see with the patch on.  She was tired and squinting all of the time because her brain was working so hard to see.  I called Cleveland Clinic back and said that I need to know what to do.  I explained everything above and they asked if Big Sis could come in Friday for a laser procedure or possibly an in surgery procedure where they go into the eye and vacuum out all of the "fluffiness". I asked if it was possible to move it to the following Tuesday because I need one child to partially recoup from her surgery before the next one goes in!  I just remember that God won't give me more than I can handle and his grace is sufficient for me! They said Tuesday would be just fine.

Daddy just started his teaching job and wasn't able to go with us.  Grandpa and Grandma surprised us and they came along for the trip.  Big Sis was once again smiling through her nervousness.  She teared up a few times but no one noticed because Mommy was trying to hold herself together!

Here is Big Sis getting ready for her preliminary check. 

She had many eye drops to dilate her eye, numb her eye and a gel to 

attach a contact mechanism piece to her eye. She is so brave and strong!

 

Below is my goofy girl playing around.

Thanks Dr. for giving her something to take her mind off of things!

She read the vision test screens again and it was just as bad as it was a few weeks earlier.  After the Dr looked at everything, he wasn't really comfortable with doing the laser procedure.  He wanted to have her patch and get stronger glasses for another month and then reevaluate. (Now enters Mommy's tears.)  It's a good thing my Dad was sitting next to me or I might have completely fallen apart!  Today there was a student doctor in with us.  She suggested using a tool that is only used for adult patients.  They have not used it on their pediatric patients before.  This tool shines red lights into the eye horizontally, vertically and diagonally.  Big Sis had to tell them which way the lights were moving and by this they were able to see into the back of her eye.  The doctor said that with these results they could tell the eye was fine and she would be a perfect candidate for the laser procedure.  They said Mommy could go with her to be a helper!  It is a good thing because Mommy needed to go with her!  I got to help hold her head so that she wouldn't move during the procedure.  She did fabulous and did not move at all! 

Here is the machine.  Big Sis said that it felt weird and when it was half done she wanted it to be over. Her eyes started to tear up a few times but she held it together!  She did fabulous.  

24 laser bursts and 4 minutes later and we were headed back to the room to check her vision.  She started with the 90 screen and read it correct and fast! Then the 70 screen....here comes Mommy's tears again! Perfect!  The Dr. says that he is so happy with the results that he doesn't care if she gets anything else right because he was already so happy with the results. 50, 40, 35, 30, 25....PERFECT! Her vision is back to 20/25!  She will have to wear her glasses because her lens transplant doesn't focus close up so she needs her bi-focal lens.  We are fine with that because it could be so much worse.  She will continue to patch for the next 4 weeks to strengthen the eye but that will be a piece of cake because she can see when she reads!  The rest of the evening her eye hurt a little bit and today it is doing great!

Amazing!  I cannot believe the results!

20/25 Vision!

They checked her eye pressure 1 more time and it was perfect!  

Big Sis was the first patient at the Cleveland Clinic to get to use this Eye Pressure Tool a year ago! They ran it for a trial period and then decided to get it.  Before this tool, they used eye drops that burned and numbed the eye and they wheeled in a big machine to check it!  Now they only use this hand tool!

So, now what....

Big Sis will patch every evening and return to the Cleveland Clinic in 4 weeks.  She will have to stay home from school for a week plus an additional week of no recess or gym.  Since the lens in her eye was  shot with a laser 24 times it is loose and not in a fixed position. It will be okay in 2 weeks. Her lens can be jarred if she bumps her head or runs around like a normal kid! So we are keeping her down for now so that she won't have to go in for a surgery to fix her lens if it moves.  

What a great day!

Below Big Sis and Grandpa are having a bit if fun by the really cool BIG guitar!!

Guess who saw a rainbow on the way home?

What a week!  Eye surgery and Tonsils/adenoids were taken out. 

I hope next week is a little slower!

Thank you Jesus for a wonderful outcome and 

Thank you to all who prayed!  

Miracles do happen whether by God only or by Him using doctors with amazing technology!

and Tonsils, too...

Hi Everyone, 

It's me, Middle Sis! I have some news for you!  It has been a bit busy around here lately! Two weeks ago, Lil Sis and I went to the Ears, Nose and Throat Specialist.  He was the one that took out Kylie's tonsils and adenoids when she was 3.  He said that Lil Sis should wait a few months, if possible before her tonsils and adenoids come out because she is just a little peanut.  

He likes to wait as long as possible before he has to give little kids a sleepy-time nap.  When he looked at me he said I would get to come in 1 week later and get mine out right away.  It sounds kind of fun because he said I could have Gatorade, Jello and Popsicles whenever I want to have them!

Well, Aunt B was in town to visit and she left me a very special note and some money to buy some princess soup and any kind of Popsicles I want!  So, the night before, we went to the store and I got to get my own yummy treats!

 The next morning, Mommy and I went to the Surgery Center.  Daddy was very sad he couldn't go.  It was his first day of teaching his students so he couldn't miss that. He really wanted to be with me so I told him I would send him lots of pictures.  It was a very big day for both of us! I packed my bag of a few special things!  I brought my Read and Rhyme Story Bible, my Minnie and Daddy's Mickey! 

They gave me a special outfit to wear and put a neat light on my finger!  

They weighed and measured me and then we were off to the movie room!

They let me pick out any movie I wanted to watch, but, it sure was hard to watch 

it when they kept coming to ask me questions! 

We sent Daddy LOTS of pictures because I know he wanted to be here.

A few minutes later they took me for a ride on my super fast bed and believe me...they 

took me on a fast ride! Good thing I didn't fall out!

 A little while later I was all done.  I don't remember anything except for the 

really stinky air that I had to breathe!  

 The doctor said that my adenoids blocked 80% of my breathing plus I had huge tonsils, too.  

He said I should be able to sleep better now.

Best part of the day....my cool Crayon Band aid! Isn't it Awesome! I got it because when I woke up from my nap I had some wire things that went in my hand. My hand was drinking medicine!

 When I got home and settled in on my couch bed I got my first Popsicle 

and it matched my socks and my Barbie!

 The next day, a special delivery arrived in the mail from my cousin Zoe!

 Thanks Zoe!  I love it all!  My new Jammies from Zoe said "I had a loooong day"  and they were right!  I wore these a few days but Mommy made me change so she could wash them otherwise, I would have worn them forever! 

Thanks Miss Bridgett for the fun little Ice Cream with little spoons in it! 

She even brought one for Mommy too!

 My Cousins came with Popsicles and I shared them!  It is lots more fun when you share Popsicles!

 My friend came with a BIG tub of ice cream just for me!  I saved it for a few days for when I could have dairy again! It was so yummy! A perfect treat!

Great Grandma and Great Grandpa sent me a special card and stickers and a note pad too!  I called them on the phone and tried out my new voice.  It sure is funny to hear how I sound!

Grampy Lou and Grammy Gloria came for a visit with some special surprises!

Grandma and Grandpa surprised me with balloons and a visit for a week! 

Gramps and Grammy came over and brought me a special journal with a lock on it!

Thanks to everyone for helping me stay busy while I am on the couch for a LOOOOONG time.  The first and second day were pretty good but I have been feeling really bad since then. Today is the 1 week mark from my surgery.  Last night was pretty rough.  

Biggest thanks is for all of the prayers! Family, friends, our Church Family and even strangers were praying for me! Thanks for praying I know God answers prayers!

Love you all,

Middle Sis