A Heart of Compassion

Today Sky received a Valentines card in the mail from her great grandma and grandpa with $2 in it. She was so excited! She said, "I needed some money to bring to school for a special project to help people!" I was truly touched that she would take her cash, and rather than buy candy or toys, give it to this project to help others. She is becoming a sweet, compassionate young lady and we are so proud of her. She took it a bit too far when she tried to confiscate Brad's Valentine money for the project too. Brad, being two years old, was not about to share his money. Below is an email that we received from her teacher and it tells more about the project and it also shows how Gardenhill (Sky's school) is actually concerned about missions and is teaching the students to care for others. I would love for Sky to be involved in this SOS organization someday! Here's what her teacher wrote:
The kids got a note today explaining a giving project initiated by a group of upper grade students at Gardenhill. The group is the S.O.S. Club (Smiles Over Seas) and they are working to help support the ByGrace Orphanage in Kenya. By Grace was started and is supported/run by one of our very own newer Gardenhill families that are here from Kenya and going to school at Biola. Miss Clock, one of our 5th grade teachers went on a work/mission trip to build a part of their school and some housing for the 30+ orphans last summer. She is going again this year, and this group of students has a passion to do what they can to help these kids in Kenya.
For one week, we have been challenged to bring in our "change" to help raise money for a borehole well so that the orphans can have clean water at the orphanage. (I think right now they have to purchase water and have it brought in.) The S.O.S. Club has named their drive "Your change can make a change". I think this is a great project for kids as this is something that they can easily do. Would you help support our class in filling our gallon jug. Maybe help your child to to odd jobs this weekend to raise money. We will gladly take any coins and/or bills. We have talked a bit about the orphans and what they have/don't have compared to us. This would be a good time to talk to your kids about all that we have, even in hard times.
Remember, this is only for one week - Feb. 1-5. There may be one other collection week later in the year also, as they are looking for an organization/corporation to match the funds. But for now... make sure the kids bring their change by Friday so we can fill our jug and "make a change" in some lives. (I have told the kids they can't put in their lunch money - it needs to be money that their parents say is OK :)
We have also been collecting pop tabs from cans to recycle - don't forget to send yours in. The kids love getting to put them in our jug and showing the class how full it's getting.One other way you can support this group is by bringing in used ink cartridges. They can recycle them and get money to put towards school supplies to take to the Kenyan students.
Lastly, our class will be sponsoring a boy and girl orphan. Later this month we will get their names, pictures and a list of the specific needs of our "friends" over seas. Please consider how you might use this as an opportunity to teach your child about reaching out to help others and the impact that we can all have on our world. I think the kids will be excited to help out others in need!
Thank you ahead of time for your support of our S.O.S. Club - it is exciting to see young kids meeting, gathering ideas and working to implement them to raise money to benefit others. I have been to several of their after school meetings and seen their passion first-hand. They are really a tribute to our great families, community and school. We are raising great kids at Gardenhill!

More on Lila's head

In my last post I wrote a lot about our sweet Lila's need for a corrective head helmet. My friend Jamie sent me this website that shows pictures of helmets and how parents have decorated them to make them as fun and cute as possible. www.plagiosupport.org If any of you readers has an idea for decorating Lila's helmet, we are open to suggestions.
Lila is such a blessing to our family. She was a suprise for us and I have felt ever since I was pregnant with her that God has some special plan for her. I know He has a special plan for each of us but I really feel something extaordinary for Lila. Anyway, as we walk through this journey (that we'd rather not be on, naturally), we will be looking for people in our path to touch with God's love.
Please pray for us, especially as we get closer to the days of the helmet. I will really miss kissing that sweet little head of hers and seeing her crazy little hairdo. And it will be hard to face the public stares but I want to rise above that as much as possible.

Lots of Rain

It has rained every day of this week. I usually walk Sky to and from school and I haven't been able to go even once this week. Thankfully we do not live in an area that has mudslides or flooding! However, one of the big redwood type trees on our street did come completely uprooted and fell across the road. Sky has been talking all week about wanting to see a rainbow and as I was driving her to school this morning we saw one. She was so excited about it.
Yesterday I had to drive quite a distance for an appointment for Lila with the cranial facial team in Los Angeles. It was a treacherous drive with lots of traffic but thankfully no accidents. On one of the freeways, the entire left lane was flooded and unusable.

Ken's mom got Ken a donkey chia pet for Christmas. Ken and the kids seeded it and have been watering it faithfully and here it is in all of it's glory.

Ken has been teaching an 8 hour Saturday class for the interterm in January. This Saturday is his last class. Last Saturday we went with our good friends, the Jensens, to the Children's Museum of La Habra (the membership here was another gift from Ken's mom). We had a blast together. The girls enjoyed the dress up/stage area. Even Brad got in on the action a bit.

One of the highlights is always the dinosaur statues at the entrance.

Then there's our sweet Lila. So much to report about her. First of all, she has 2 conditions:

1. Torticollis is a twisted neck in which the head is tipped to one side, while the chin is turned to the other. This is often present at birth (true in Lila's case) but isn't always noticed until the infant starts holding their head up.

2. Plagiocephaly, also sometimes referred to a “flat head syndrome”, occurs when a portion of an infant’s skull becomes flattened due to pressure from outside forces. There are different forms of plagio, including bracycehphaly (where the skull is flattened uniformly across the back, resulting in a shorter, wider head, and scaphocehpaly (where the skull is flattened on the sides, causing a longer, narrower head). Plagiocephaly is caused by extended periods of pressure against one side or portion of the skull. This can happen in the womb, or because the muscles in one side of the neck are tighter than the other (a condition called torticollis that may require physical therapy to correct), or simply due to an infant’s having a preference for turning his head to one side.

We've known about and have been working on these 2 conditions for 2 months now. But we were referred to the cranial facial team about the possibility of needing a helmet to help reshape her head. I met with them yesterday and they did recommend a helmet. The decision is ultimately up to us but since our insurance covers it, we are probably going to go ahead with it. She will have to wear the helmet 23 hours out of the day every day for the next 6 months. This is a cosmetic issue but could also affect her if she ever needs glasses (they wouldn't fit properly on her face). I'm sure there'll be more to come on this...

In an effort to help her sleep through the night we have introduced some "solids": rice cereal and sweet potatoes, both of which she despised. She clamped her mouth shut and wouldn't allow that spoon in. The eyes say it all in this picture.

Lila had her 6 month well baby check up today and weighed in at 14 lbs. 9 oz. and measuring 25 in. She is below average in weight, average in height and above average in head circumference. She had 4 vaccinations today and is a bit crabby because of it. Poor Lila! She's had 4 doctor's appointments this week!

Sweetness

In the photo above you can really see how Lila's head/neck is tilted to one side. We're still working on it via occupational therapy and now chiropractic care.

Such a big girl!

Lila enjoying a book with big brother Brad (in one of his sweet moments). Brad is currently obsessed with the Itsy Bitsy Spider. I think we probably read that book 10 times a day. Lila will be 6 months old tomorrow!

Family Update

It's amazing how much "family news" can accumulate over a few weeks!
Sky is officially nighttime potty trained. She had been having dry diapers for a few weeks and then she asked if she could stop wearing the diapers to bed. I agreed as long as she didn't have accidents every night and she hasn't had an accident yet! Way to go, Sky!
I started back on Weight Watchers. It's time. Actually, it's past time. I recently found out that I have high cholesterol (which I know will improve if I eat better). I'm going to try to do the program without going to the meetings and I have a friend from church who's going to do it with me. Wish me luck!
At Lila's 4 month check up I asked the doctor about some concerns that we had about her neck stiffness and she referred us to an occupational therapist. Lila needs to go once a week for 6 weeks (at least) to the therapist. The therapist does some stretches and massages on her neck and back. We also do some of this at home with her. It is definitely painful for her and sometimes she is sore after the appointments. But it's also so necessary as she really does have a limited range of motion.
The occupational therapist referred her to the cranial facial team because of her misshapen head. That appointment is in 2 weeks so we'll see what they have to say. She may have to wear a helmet to round her head out.
How did all of this happen? Well, my theory is that her neck was crimped in the birth canal before she was born. She has preferred that side of her head and her neck has been stiff the other way from day one. Hopefully all of this attention to the problem will resolve it.
Ken and I were both summoned for jury duty this fall. I was able to get excused since I take care of underaged kids and Ken was able to postpone his service until January since he was teaching. Anyway, he was summoned for this past week and he had to call each night to see if he had to report for duty the next day. He called everyday and was never required to come in. That was a huge relief for him! He's hoping to get his sample chapter for his commentary on Judges completed (or at least worked on) during the rest of his break. He is teaching an interterm class but it's all day on Saturdays (8-4:30) so he still has everyday of the week to work on this project. The spring semester starts the first week of February.
We've definitely been enjoying a slower change of pace. It's been nice to have Ken available to watch Brad while I bring Lila to all of her appointments. I can't imagine how hard it would be to keep Brad occupied for 45 minutes while Lila does her therapy! We've also been catching up on the past 5 years of movies that we've missed. Slumdog Millionaire is my favorite so far, I think.
Lila is still waking up twice during the night so I am pretty tired most days. She will probably start eating solids (rice cereal, etc.) in a few weeks. So far she's only had breast milk. Maybe the cereal will help hold her longer at night. She will be 6 months old next week! She is such a gift to our family. She's so sweet and happy.
Brad. Well, Brad is 2. He can be super sweet and lovable. He still feels like he's made of cinder blocks. He enjoys testing his limits and eating fruit snacks. What else can I say?
Well, I think that recaps the past few weeks. There's a lot going on but we're so thankful for our healthy family and our new house and Ken's great job and Sky's great kindergarten experience when so many families are facing such difficult times. We have so much to be grateful for!

The Getty Art Museum

Ken and I (along with Lila) visited the Getty Museum last week. We had a blast there. It would take weeks to explore that place. Above is the outdoor sculpture garden. Some pretty cool modern art pieces there!

The outdoor gardens are pretty fantastic. Everyone has to take a tram up the side of the mountain where the museum is located. Below is a picture from the tram.

The trees below are works of art in and of themselves. We had a coffee and breakfast at a table in this courtyard.

Really amazing architecture!!!

An artist actually designed the outdoor gardens. They are truly magnificent.

Lila is just so easy. She was just glad to look at everything.

Inside we saw a temporary Rembrandt exhibit which compared his work to his pupils' work and showed how to tell the difference between the 2. We also saw so many amazing paintings. Works by Monet, Gaugin, Renoir, Van Gogh, and many other very famous artists were on display. We also saw some pretty amazing manuscripts and ornate furniture. Such a fun place!

Christmas 2009/The Christmas Cat

Sky LOVES cats. She has a gazillion stuffed animal cats, all of which have names, and she is frequently seen meowing around the yard. She has asked us for a cat but we have always said no for a few reasons:1. We've had a few cats over the years and it hasn't been a good experience and 2. We have really full plates just taking care of the 3 kids, never mind pets.
Anyway, one day while Sky was outside having a kitty picnic in the yard, this cat showed up. We have no idea whose it is and it has no collar. At first we assumed that it was someone's in the neighborhood but as time goes by, it is evident that this cat has no home. The family across the street from us lost their home to foreclosure last month so maybe it was theirs. We really don't know.
Well, Sky won it over and is very attached to the stupid thing now. She even named it Peanut.

This is what we see every morning when we open our back door. It even tried to get into our house once. Ugh. But, yes, we are now feeding it and Sky is totally attached to it. I actually bought cat food at Target the other day. What does this mean???

Recently I tried my hand at cutting Ken's hair and here's how it turned out. A little too short but I'll know better for next time. Ken is a brave soul! We figured that during break, while he's not teaching a class, would be a good time to try.

Christmas Eve

Now that's cute!

We had such a nice Christmas this year! No one was sick (last year vomitting began on Christmas night) and the kids are at such a great age to enjoy the presents and the magic of the season while also understanding the true meaning of Jesus' birth. Thanks to many of you wonderful family for sending wonderful presents or money for us to buy great presents. There was sooooo much!

We've been trying to start some Christmas family traditions and we did something really fun this year that I think will be an annual tradition. I created a scavenger hunt (with clues) for each kid to find 1 present on Christmas Eve (we all helped Lila find her present!). The kids had so much fun figuring out the clues and finally finding their gift. Brad got that motorized quad (in the above picture) and he loves it.

We are really enjoying having Ken around more too as he gets to have 2 weeks off from work. We were able to enjoy a nice date lunch a few days before Christmas as some friends of ours watched the kids for free (except for Lila) and we used a gift card for the Cheesecake Factory and spent some time walking around the mall (I can't remember the last time I did that!). It's always such a treat to have alone time and the opportunity to finish conversations without interruptions!