First Day of School 2020

This is definitely not the way we wanted this year to begin, however, these kiddos have definitely made the most of it. They have their own workspaces in their bedrooms, are staying organized and working hard. This momma is exhausted. I’m not cut out for staring at a screen all day, but we do feel blessed to have the spaces we have to work from, and the fact that we can be together. Here’s to going back in person, sooner than later! 

Mommy Gets a New Car...Again

Well... the Acadia was a car I loved. I loved the look, the feel, the size...but not so much the problems.  Since we purchased the vehicle last July, and following transmission issues in December of ‘19, it had been in the shop a minimum of 5 times. I was done. 

So, Raelee was my sidekick while we shopped around and we ended up driving home a 2015 Lexus 250t. It’s a smooth ride and has a lot of pep. May be not as big as we’d like, but something we can count on and will last a long time. 

Mason’s 1st Sleepover

Mason has never really had any interest in staying the night with someone. But he insisted he was ready to invite his buddy, Trace over for the night. So, we had him over after XC practice one Sat to swim, play, watch movies and spend the night. This was Trace’s first time spending the night with a friend too. They did amazing but were out like lights before 9:30. They were exhausted!

Macon’s First XC Meet of the Season

While the meet looked especially different, the kids did great!  Every runner had their own box, with no more than 15 or so running at a time. This was a one-mile race at Tom Sawyer. He ended up running a 7:53 mile. It was great to have a sense of normalcy again. We miss watching our kids do what they love. 

Mason’s Bobcat Basketball Celebration

Earlier this month, Mason and his Bobcats got to celebrate their shortened season at Coach Russell’s house with swimming, food and of course, basketball. He had an absolute blast!

Jordyn Makes the BEHS Cheer Team!!!

To say that this girl was elated, would be an understatement. We are so happy for her and the memories she is going to make being a part of this National Championship team. On July 11th, she saw the post we had all been hoping for. She made it, along with only 8 additional freshman. Way to go baby!

Evans Orchard & Cider Mill

We desperately needed to get out of the house. And with Raelee on the mend, we headed to Georgetown to take in the beauty of their acres of sunflowers. We were not disappointed !🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

Raelee Takes a Turn- Lupus 2020

Raelee has been experiencing so many random symptoms beginning in late May, early June. It started with swelling in her hands and ankles. Then, just a few days before we left for the lake, she took a run in the neighborhood and seriously struggled the whole time. She complained of rapid heart rate and trouble catching her breath. By this point, due to swelling, she had been to the doctor and CBC was ran, but normal. She had also been in for a sports physical. At that point in mid June she had experienced the swollen joints. Upon personal research, I discovered that swelling could have been a result of her acne medication, minocycline. Discontinued the medicine, naturally, but she continued to have swelling. She felt badly while we were at he lake during the 4th, and just wasn’t herself. She had taken a week off from running. When we returned she woke up the following Sat morning with a bad headache and was running a 104 fever. I took her to Fast Pace where of course they tested her for strep and COVID,  given the circumstances. Both were negative. Once again, she went into her pediatrician two additional times for lab work yet everything was negative. Ultimately, we went to the pediatrician one more time on July 21 and Dr Lewis suggested admission to Kosair. We went home, took our time packing bags, and headed to the ER. She had a fever when we arrived. They ran a million more tests including a nose swab for COVID a second time. This time, her labs were off and they admitted her. She stayed 4 nights, 5 days on the 5th floor. She was in isolation for 3 days as adenovirus came back positive and we were awaiting results of the second COVID test. Finally, a diagnosis by rheumatologist, Dr. Schmidt, came in. She suspected she had drug induced lupus. Immediately, they ran 3 doses of IV steroids. She was sent home with prednisone for 6 days, naproxen, and a strict iron vitamin regimen due to anemia caused by the lupus. She is definitely feeling better these days. However, she did have to be put on a second round of oral steroids after her 2.5 week follow up appointment. We go back in mid September and hope her levels continue to improve. As of now, her ESR, CRP and Ferratin levels are still elevated, but no other labs are. These levels, while elevated, are declining, which is a positive sign.  

This goes down as this momma’s  scariest time of her life. 

July 4th at Kentucky Lake 2020

With the beach and all things vacation being cancelled this year, we opted to take a last minute trip to the lake with Trisha, Dan and their girls. We lucked into a last-minute lake house that slept 14, right on the water. Lots of cooking, laughing, tubing, and relaxing. These not so “lake people” enjoyed it so much, we decided to join them again Labor Day weekend at Dan’s parents’ lake house!  

Summer in 2020

This year has been one of disappointments. So many cancellations (cruise, beach, camps...). The list goes on and on. However we did feel blessed having a pool at home. It’s definitely made quarantine and social distancing more tolerable. Few friends at a time have been by to swim, cousins, and just time taking walks at the park, picnics with friends, and more time outside in general.