Basement Remodel

We are remodeling the basement to put in two bedrooms for Amber and Ashley. There will also be a bathroom and t.v. room.

Gardening

Well, I've decided to try gardening this summer with the kids. We decided on several vegetables to plant. We had to start some early inside the house, like our peppers. We started these March 1st. I will take some photos of my garden now and post them a little later.

More of Phoenix, AZ

All the kids came down to our hotel room to watch a movie. They wanted the lights out so that it felt like the movie theater.


Now, who could resist posting this picture. This is at the science center. Jim and I raced each other in wheelchairs. It was an exhibit that let you sit in the chair, use your arms, but kept the wheelchair in place. There was a screen that showed your progress. Who won, you might ask? :) You'll have to ask Jim about that, although, if he admits that I won, he probably would say something like, "I let her win", you know, something that boys says when a girl beats them and they don't want anyone to know. :) I have to say, though, that the look on my face is nothing short of comical. I look like I am really straining.

Phoenix for Christmas

Christmas 2008 was spent in Phoenix, AZ with my entire family. We stayed at a really nice hotel and then went out and found places to take the kids and see the sights. One day we took the kids to an amusement park, Castles and Coasters, like a mini- Adventureland. The kids had a great time. Bill convinced Amber to go on the kids version of the space shot. It wasn't too bad. Her face when they first took off was priceless, but she actually went back and road it again with her dad.



We also went to the science center, the zoo, and drove all the way to Sedona. The trip home from Sedona was memorable as Addie threw up all over me, the van, and herself. This started the 24 bug that many of us got. Thank goodness our room had two bathrooms. I was sick 7 times that night, and the girls in the other room were sick all night too. Bill was a busy guy.




We went to a railroad museum of some sort and the kids rode in a cattle car with Grandma and Grandpa. It was quite comical to see them all scrunched in.

So Daddy thinks he going to play football...

I'm not so sure... :) Addie got this princess makeup table for Christmas. The brush, comb, lipstick, etc., all make noise when you pull them out or put them back. This fascinates Alex, so Addie was showing him how everything works. He doesn't actually play with the table anymore, now he just steals the little stool and he uses it to turn lights on and off.

Addie's Birthday- 5 years old!

Can you believe it?? Addie is 5 years old. She is attending 4/5 year old preK in Radcliffe (the same building that her sisters are in). Addie is really growing up. She has a great personality and can really crack you up.




This is a picture from the Heubner side of birthdays.

Colo-NESCO

Well, for a lot of people that didn't know, we moved back to Hubbard last June and Bill took a job at Colo-NESCO teaching English and coaching football and girls track. His team performed really well this past season, making the playoffs. It was an outstanding season! Way to go Bill (and the boys of course)!

Halloween 2008

Well you might be wondering where Amber is in this picture. We are entering a new realm of childrearing, that time when 6th grade girls trick-or-treat in packs! Amber and her girlfriends all went together. One of their moms was the driver and followed them from house to house in her car. You know, we have to offer some feeling of independence, yet at the same time keeping the parents happy too.

Alex's 3rd Birthday

Okay, so I know that I am a little late in posting these, but, better late than never. Actually, my mother told me that I needed to update my blog because she always glanced at it and nothing was ever put on. So, mom, here you go! :)
You can tell that Alex is a shy and quite child that we have to encourage to show emotion. :) Ha ha! Actually, the last photo shows Alex's true personality!

Girls with their teachers

Addie and Mrs. Zoske


Ashley and Mrs. Tysdahl


Amber and Mrs. Nehring

First Day of School

Amber is going into 5th grade this year, hard to believe. Ashley is in 3rd grade, and now part of the upper-elementary. Addie is going to attend an all-day pre-K program this year. She was so excited about this, because she has been begging to go to school and this is for kids that are 4-5 years old. The best part is, it is FREE!!!! Yeah!
Alex wasn't so sure about taking his sister to school and leaving them there the whole day. He was very excited to go pick them up at the end of the day. The first day we drove them to school, but the rest of the time they have to ride the bus. Today when we walked to the bus, Alex was very upset that he didn't get to climb onto the bus. The whole walk home he said, "mommy soon, ride bus? mommy soon?" Very cute.

The new puppy

Well if you didn't know, we have a new puppy. Her name is Scout and she is a purebred Brittany. Larry and Suzy's dog had a litter of pups and they brought one to Canada for us to give to the kids. Needless to say they were very excited when they found out she was ours and we got to take her home.

More Canada Photos

My big northern.


Mom's first northern that she caught with Bill and I.


The berry picking group.


Bill's big northern.


The whole Canada group in front of the new cabin.

Canada 2008

This was probably one of the best years in Canada. We only took the one motorhome (mom and dad's) and Larry and Suzy drove up with Harold Munson (friend of the hunting group). Bill and I and the kids stayed in a cabin with Larry and Suzy and Harold. It was sooooo cool! I cannot tell you how nice it was. Suzy and I walked in together to check the new cabins out and our mouths just dropped open. They had new laminate wood floors, a couple couches, a fireplace with slate tile surround, a wonderfully clean bathroom and large kitchen. It was the nicest cabin I have ever stayed in. We caught lots of walleye and several large northern. Even Alex and Addie caught fish on their own poles. This year I decided to go blueberry picking with Mom, Dad, Larry, Suzy, Harold, and our three girls. Our girls did such a good job picking. They were so excited that their berries were going to go to our house for us to use, so I think they worked a little bit harder. Our family ended up picking 17 cups of berries. I have plenty to make a couple of pies and then use the others for some new desserts I want to try. The weather was perfect for being on the water, so my mom waterskied a couple times and the girls tried to also. They didn't do too well, but it was good for them to attempt it.


Alex and his first fish.


Addie and her first fish.


Ashley helping Dad drive. She didn't fish a lot, but she was a good "minnow getter".


Amber and the only bass caught on the trip.

Birthdays

This summer Ashley turned 8 and Amber turned 10. Hard to believe that we have one in double-digits now. They are all growing up too quickly. This is Amber's last year in the elementary. Next year, on to Middle School. This was their summer for a friend party, so Ashley had several friends over to play, and Amber, when it was her turn, had a sleepover. As usual we went to Canada during Amber's birthday so our family celebrated there.


Ashley's friends.


More of Ashley's friends.


Amber opening up Grandma B.'s present.


Amber's friends.


Amber's birthday in Canada in the cabin.

Black Hills

Okay folks, so this will take you back to June 2008. Our family went on vacation with Bill's parents to the Black Hills in South Dakota. We also visited the Badlands too. We had an excellent time, loved our campground, and enjoyed all the sites we saw. Other than a problem with the motorhome, everything went smoothly. But you know, when do we ever vacation and not have a problem with the motorhome??? :) Last year it was the tire blowout, this year the transmission.


On the way out we stopped at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead and the kids got to make rope the old fashioned way. They also got to make corncob dolls (even Alex) and grind flour in the mill.


We rode a wagon to the school house and the girls had to put on bonnets and aprons and attend "school". They sang songs and did warm up exercises. When school was finished they had to ring the bell.


This is the whole group at the Badlands. It was very impressive. You could see for miles in many directions.

More News

We had our MRI on Friday in Iowa City. Dr. Joshi is looking for something in Alex's brain that would explain his abnormal gait, specifically toe-walking on the left foot, and tight heel cords. We also had a physical therapy appointment this morning to discuss what we could do to fix the toe-walking. On my way to the PT appt, Bill called and said that Dr. Joshi called with the MRI results. She had found some scarring deep inside the brain that would indicate that there had been damage to the brain. Now, this could have been caused by several things. It could have been in utero, if his mother had had a certain kind of infection or illness. It could have been caused during labor/delivery, or it could have been something after delivery, like a stroke or oxygen deprivation. All of it is hard to understand, but I am so thankful that things weren't worse. Dr. Joshi said that it is called sclerosis. You might think of multiple sclerosis, but it is just sclerosis, or scarring. She said that by looking at it, you could tell it was from a long while ago. Most likely around birth.
So I gave all this information to the PT and we went from there. She had several things that she wanted to look at with Alex. She measured his legs to check for identical length and then worked to get him to stand flat on his foot. Obviously he doesn't love it, but it is possible. We are to try and catch him standing incorrectly and then quietly go down next to him and pull his foot into the correct position. We also have a couple of stretching exercises to work on. In the next week or so, another therapist will be visiting us at home to order possibly two braces. One that he will wear in the daytime that will help force him to walk in a more correct manner, and the second brace, will be at night, more like a splint that will force his foot to flex back in the night. Neither of these is going to thrill him, but I am excited that at least they can be removed for bathing/swimming. The PT said that she views his problem as moderate, not severe and she doesn't believe that he will be in a brace for too long. Our hope was that we would get things taken care of now, so that when he goes to school it won't be an issue. I told her this and she agreed with me, that it was her plan to get things taken care of now.
It has been a really long day already, and it is only 3 pm. While all of this news is welcome, there is a certain amount of "chewing and digesting" that the brain needs to do. Mentally it is a little taxing. Today I found out that I didn't get the job that I interviewed for in Hubbard. I was really hoping for this one, and I really thought I would enjoy it. Combine that with the fact that the house in Independence hasn't sold, and you understand my heavy mind. I cried on the way home from the PT after finding out about the job, and Alex and everything else. I asked why!! Why didn't the job happen? Why Alex?? Why should he have to deal with this? Why do we have to deal with it? Why hasn't the house sold? Why us? And as I cried the only thing that came to me is BECAUSE. Because this is the life that God has for us. It is the life that He chose for Alex. Everything is in His plan. That honestly doesn't make this a whole lot easier. I am still upset. It still bothers me that I didn't get the job, and that the house hasn't sold and that our little guy has to go through all this, but as I think about the fact that God has his hand in it all, and as I remind myself of that over the next few days and weeks, it will get better. And honestly, somehow just voicing the thoughts (blogging them) helps. To reread them and see them in print makes them a little more real.
And what is it that little orphan annie always says? The sun will come out tomorrow... :)

Summer Haircut

for Alex!! Well, he is such a sweaty thing, we decided to cut his hair for summer. It was not a happy time. He doesn't like clippers, so Bill had to hold his hands down for me. When he was all done he was okay.