Family Night

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Awhile back, Addie and I had a conversation about how we should be more purposeful with our time when we have everyone at home.

Everyone at home is the key there, by the way, and it is rare!

She and I made a decision to start a family night on Thursday nights, and strongly encourage everyone to be and stay at home with us.

It was a GREAT idea!

We are rotating who gets to plan the family night – which is also a great idea!

We have had three so far and they are my favorite thing we are doing this summer.

The first one took place the evening Tate, Blake and I returned home from Madison after Tate’s appointment with his orthopedic surgeon.

Addie was in charge and we had a game night!

We played Guesstures and laughed so much my face hurt the next day!

I planned the next week and decided to have dinner around the fire and night time swimming.

It was SO relaxing and enjoyable!!

Only some crazy kids swam because the rest of us (meaning me!) were sitting around the fire in sweatshirts and blankets, ha, ha!

When we finally drug ourselves back inside way too late, we all commented about how very nice it was to slow down and enjoy a fire and each other.

This last Thursday was Tate and Eliza’s turn to plan our evening.

And plan it they DID!

We also used the time together to celebrate their Forever Family Day anniversaries, which are both in July.

They chose a special meal and I was very thankful Addie was off work that day to help me prepare it all!

Sweet and sour meatballs with ramen noodles and cheddar cheese biscuits – and they loved it!!

For dessert they requested crepes with peaches and cream.

It was also a huge hit!

And crepes are very fun to make, by the way.

After dinner Tate and Eliza had a coloring contest planned for the rest of us.

While we were coloring, they asked each of us questions that they had planned and written down in a notebook.

It was a very creative family night and the questions were very good!

I got second place in the coloring contest, thank you very much!

Addie Mae was first place.

Someone, named Blake, tried to cheat – but the judges of the coloring contest were not falling for any of that, ha, ha!!

Nice try, Mr. Moschel.

We ended the evening around the campfire again.

PERFECT.

Just perfect!

It was by far our best family night yet!

Chad is in charge of this week – I wonder what we will do?

I have to say that sitting around that fire brought back memories of farm life at Adoni Acres.

We had camp fires and food around a fire a lot when we lived on the farm!

They are AWESOME memories – so here’s hoping these family nights will be awesome memories too.

There is nothing better than being together – we are just better together, you know?

I sure hope this family night idea sticks around!!

Memories made and memories now kept!!

Our Little Garden Space

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What a blessing our little garden has been this year!

We are constantly out there piddling around in it and enjoy it very much.

We planted a lot of different things this year – including a cut flower section!

We also planted kohlrabi, carrots, radishes, kale, strawberries, three types of tomatoes, basil, chives, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, golden beets, cucumbers, snap peas, marigolds and zucchini.

Here is the garden back at the beginning of July –

I took these photos just yesterday!

We have enjoyed everything we have harvested so much – ever since the first two strawberries became ripe at the beginning of July!

Tate and Eliza love to put on their muck boots first thing in the morning and run out and check the gardens.

I am so glad they are learning to love to grow things!

We also have four watermelon plants growing on our hill out back and are hopeful for a yummy harvest of those as well!

We have been fighting deer, bunnies and a huge invasion of Japanese beetles in our gardens this year, but we are NOT giving up!

We have lost several plants due to the deer and bunnies – even a whole zucchini plant.

I am hopeful we will still get enough zucchini to shred and put up in the freezer with our one plant left, – but if not, we can buy a case of zucchini from the produce stand at Addie’s work to fill our freezer with.

We are certainly thankful for all of the rain we have had this summer!

I think we have only watered the gardens four times now!

Looking forward to many more days of enjoying our harvest and taking care of our gardens.

It’s been a great summer so far!!

Some Fun in Madison

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After our appointment with Tate’s orthopedic surgeon last Thursday, we decided to make a day of it and do some fun things in Madison before heading home.

I’m SO glad we did!!

I have heard Tate tell some friends since that day that he got to do these things with Blake and I!

First we decided to go to the zoo.

It was a beautiful day, and the zoo is free!

While we walked around the zoo, it gave Tate the opportunity to ask some very mature and good questions about his prognosis that the surgeon had shared with us.

I was very impressed with Tate’s thought process and his ability to ask us good questions!

We saw lots of things at the zoo that we loved, but my favorite was the flamingos.

God is SO creative!!!

Can you just imagine Him thinking “I’m going to give some bright pink birds to this earth I created, and while I’m at it, I’ll have them stand on one leg.”

They are majestic birds!!!

We saw a carousel and Tate wanted to ride.

Memory made!

After the zoo we headed to Chipotle for lunch.

I was impressed with how they cared for someone like me at this place!

All I had to do was say “I have celiac disease” and the server took off his gloves, washed the whole counter down, washed his hands, put on new gloves, and stayed with me the whole way down the serving line.

Lunch was delicious!!

Next up was a trip to Costco to get grocery for the week and to also stock up on anything we needed.

We had a HUGE cooler in the back of the van just for this purpose!

On our way out of town, Blake stopped to get coffee.

Not only did he get one for himself and me, but he also allowed Tate to choose a decaf treat!

I would have given Tate a mountain that day if I could have.

He drank his coffee treat just like Grant drinks coffee treats – it was completely gone in 2.2 seconds, ha, ha!

About half way home I looked back and saw this – he is under there, I promise, and sound asleep!

I was SO thankful for the beautiful day as we drove home.

This is how we roll once home after medical days –

It was wonderful to have a dynamics change and have a day with just Tate!

He is a cheerful gem, and very fun to hang out with!!

I am glad when he is asked about his doctor’s appointment that he tells about the rest of the day too!

Eliza’s turn is coming up next, and we will have a long travel day with her too.

I still cannot believe all the Lord has trusted us with!!

We just are NOT worthy!!

I am SO thankful that I get to be Tate’s Mama!!

What a privilege!!

Thankful for the memories from our day together!

Memories made and now memories kept!!

Team Tate Back to UW Madison

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Last Thursday Blake, Tate, and I headed out before 6 a.m. to go to UW Madison to see Tate’s Orthopedic Surgeon.

This appointment was for a routine check-up!

We were not allowed to bring any siblings into the building where we were headed that day, so Addie Mae was with Lane and Eliza for us.

Thanks, Ads!!

It is this surgeon that takes care of Tate’s very complex spine, but we also have a neurosurgeon who is involved in the care of Tate’s spine as well.

The orthopedic surgeon focuses more on the bones and the neurosurgeon focuses more on the spinal cord, if that makes sense.

We were super early for our appointment that day, but better early than late!

It actually worked out good, because right after they did Tate’s imaging that place filled up and they got very behind.

First a resident came in and checked Tate over thoroughly.

She was wonderful!

We love that Dr. Noonan is teaching his skills to others!

Then, after a somewhat long wait, the surgeon came in.

First, let me say, we have had the BEST year with Tate’s health since we saw this surgeon one year ago!

Also, one year is the longest we have went without any imaging of Tate’s spine – how cool is that?!

Lastly – I literally was expecting this appointment to be a fast “Tate looks perfect and stable and see you in a year!” kind of appointment.

Expectations can be no good, friends.

I should have approached this appointment like I used to – with an open mind and very prayerful heart.

OK – now about the surgeon’s words –

He told us that he had spent a long time measuring Tate’s images from that day and also from years past – all the way back to 2018 (hence our somewhat long wait for him to see us!).

He measures the degree of Tate’s scoliosis curve, just so you know, but he also looks at Tate’s organs (lungs particularly) in relation to that curve.

He said that Tate’s curve had measured the same at 62 degrees until that day.

It has increased by 5 degrees, and is now at 67 degrees, and that we cannot let it continue to worsen (there was also a diminished lung capacity).

Then he said we needed to talk about surgery.

This surgeon has not used the word surgery in over five years, so this was a hit to our hearts and minds for sure.

BUT – there is always a degree of error in measuring imaging.

AND they had new imaging machines that day which had Tate standing a different way than he ever has before, which could also cause the measuring of these new images to be off from the old ones.

THAT is what we are hoping for!!!

Thankfully our surgeon is SO, so cautious and has never wanted to do surgery unless absolutely necessary.

So, he is having us come back at Christmas time for another round of imaging and we will go from there.

The talk about surgery was a lot.

It is NOT something that any of us need in our heads right now, so we (especially me) have been pushing that conversation out of our heads and into our prayers.

The surgeon did tell us that there are not one hundred Tate’s running around, so he has no one to base his decisions on, and no data to show him the way.

He said that Tate is unique, one of a kind, and extremely complex.

He said that not only did he need to decide WHEN to operate, but he needed to decide WHAT to do.

He said that he has a team who will work with him to make these decisions, and named a neurosurgeon specifically.

Tate has spina bifida, hence the need for the neurosurgeon.

Tate has a bony formation at the top of his back and his spinal cord is split and goes around this formation and then comes back together again.

Tate has missing vertebrae, half vertebrae, and at the base of his back he has five vertebrae and some ribs that have all been fused together into a ball since birth.

Tate has a severe scoliosis that is currently at a 67 degree curvature.

Tate also has a VP shunt in his brain and a neurogenic bladder, both because of his spina bifida.

Tate is our MIRACLE – an agile, full of life, stable, amazing kiddo who takes our breath away to this day.

We are praying that the Lord will continue to keep Tate stable and that he will NEVER need surgery!

We are hopeful that the imaging in December will show that the measurements were off due to that degree of error and those new machines.

Will you join us in praying for Tate?

We covet your prayers!!

You all have supported us SO much through our adoptions and medical days with your prayers, and we THANK YOU!

We couldn’t do this without you all!!!

Praise the Lord, while you are at it, for ALL He has allowed for our Tate Owen!!

Tate is fearfully and wonderfully made and we speak those affirmations over him all the time!!

May God receive the glory for ALL He has done!!

Tate Owen, you are brave and strong and WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

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