Another reason the month seemed peaceful was due to a wonderful and faith building experience I had in dealing with Anna's eye sight issues. Put everything into perspective. You see, I was worried because despite consistent usage of her glasses, Anna's eyes continued to cross. I knew her appointment was coming up, so I prayed to be able to advocate for her needs and be steered in the correct direction to allow the best medical care possible for my sweet little angel. In the back of my mind was the fear that maybe her eye sight issues were neurological as that offered one explanation to account for crossed eyes. Her far sightedness concern was so slight, that the doctor hadn't ruled out a brain tumor yet to be the cause of her eyes crossing. Typically kids with a prescription of 2.0 do not cross their eyes- it's too slight of a problem. Typically the lenses would be 2.5-6.5 to truly indicate Strabismus. So, I was worried. And sure enough, during our appointment the doctor agreed that the glasses were NOT working. Her eyes continued to cross; on to plan B... she started to write a prescription for an MRI to explore neurological problems. I was TERRIFIED and even more so because she told me she hated to do MRI's on young children unless absolutely necessary due to recent studies indicating the harmful effects MRI's can have on brain development- yikes!
Suddenly, a thought popped into my mind "ask her about the possibility of incorrect lens prescription". I know this thought wasn't my own.... I was so grateful for the inspired idea. I asked her and she quickly dismissed that theory indicating that there would be NO way the prescription would be off as we had just recently done dilation and prescription check. It couldn't be the prescription! Then another thought popped into my mind to remind her about that the day Anna was dilated and given her prescription, she was TERRIBLE and so non-compliant; screaming, melting down. I remembered thinking- wow, how can we even trust the accuracy of this with her non-compliance! The doc sees 100 patients a day so would never have remembered this. But I remembered and so she reluctantly agreed to have me dilate the eyes all weekend and then we would re-check on Monday morning. You'd better believe I was beyond anxious. But Monday came quickly and to my complete relief and gratitude and joy-- it was a prescription inaccuracy that accounted for Anna's eyes remaining crossed!!! She didn't need a 2.0 prescription.... she needed a 3.0! That's a 50% increase as the doc put it. For so many reasons this was a relief. Now she does fall into the category of a typical Strabismus case and not a possible neurological problem. I prayed all the way home in gratitude for the blessing of her health but also in gratitude for the blessing of the spirit to guide me. Can you imagine how awesome I felt having KNOWN without a doubt that Heavenly Father spoke to me and directed that entire medical proceeding!? It was a pretty sweet feeling and one I never want to forget. It's humbling to know that God is in the details of my every day life and cares so much for me and Anna that He would intervene.
Here we are at Children's Hospital.... of course, Anna loved Ronald McDonald or "McDonald" as she called him.
On to a sports update:
Sad to see flag football come to an end. The boys played their little hearts out and enjoyed this football season so very much. Unfortunately, the playoffs did not go as they had hoped. Poor little boys were crying their eyes out after losing their games and not progressing to champion status. But it was wonderful while it lasted and I was so grateful for amazing coaches and fun families to spend the season with. We will definitely look forward to next year for sure. So fun to have Grandma out for the day while Blake was at an Orthodontic Conference in San Francisco. I could never have gotten the kids to all of the places they needed to be without her help- ha! And plus, she was just good fun to have around during the games and craziness of the day. She even spent an extra night so that I could attend a Memorial for a friend who had recently passed away. It was a special night and I was so grateful for her help.
In Evelyn news....
Piano/voice recital was a huge success! Evelyn sang "Sing a Song" and played The Spinning Song. She was utterly impressive in both voice and piano.... that is, in mom's humble opinion. But truly, my heart bursts with joy when I listen to her little voice sing out and when I hear her playing the piano. The other day I was playing the piano for her to practice her voice pieces and asked her to do it again so I could hear one more time. She didn't understand why I cared! She had done it once, end of story (in her mind). I explained that it is my hobby to hear her sing and play. One of the most favorite parts of my day! Just like it's my favorite to watch the boys play soccer! Didn't quite convince her to continue practicing, but I gave it my best shot and it is absolutely true anyway. I just love to watch my kids do the things that they love. Man oh man, Evelyn is growing up! Here's a picture of her with her friends on their latest field trip. Oh, and by the way, she's started her own blog called "Live, Love, Learn". So cute.
A few fun memories from May:
Anna attending Hayley Reardon's "Little Mermaid" party!
Hanging out at Douds for our monthly Sunday dinner !
There is always, ALWAYS a playdate happening over here:)
Dane is such a speedy and determined little racer. His school did a fitness fundraiser and he clocked in the most laps in the quickest time for his grade;)
I think the highlight this month for me had to have been Mother's Day. Blake and the kids spoiled me with darling cards, delicious dinner and basically all sorts of lovely service throughout the day. I had fun connecting with my mom and mother-in-law and just appreciating the opportunity I have to be a mother. Nothing comes close to this blessing.... it is the most wonderful calling of all time. Of course, I had a blast texting silly e-cards to my mom and sisters. I loved the mother's day t-shirts that Nancy had sent for the kids to wear. So cute. I'm so grateful for a wonderful mother who taught me how to strive for the best I can be in all things. Such a special day.
Another highlight was our family golf day last weekend. The boys are truly AMAZING golfers. I know I'm their mother, but seriously, they are GOOD. I attribute all of this to Blake. Instead of leaving our family for hours to go out golfing, he takes the boys with him and they golf 9 holes-- at least once, sometimes twice a week. They spend hours out their working on their swings and talking, enjoying each other's company. It is very sweet and I admire Blake so much for his desire to spend time with his kids. Last Saturday was awesome because the girls tagged along and Evie was actually quite good! I took lessons back at UW when Blake was in dental school. I really enjoyed golf so I see it as a fun activity all of us could enjoy together in a year or two when Anna grows. As for now, she was thrilled to chase balls and play with her little Aladdin and Jasmine figurines on the grass nearby. Fun day for our family.
And one last May highlight... our youth temple trip. I am enjoying my calling more and more with every passing month with this past month being the best ever because we were able to attend the temple as a youth group. It was a very special morning-- four girls had never gone before and it was just so sweet to have them enter the temple for the first time. Best part of my calling is spending time with these young ladies who are wonderful in every way. Camp is two weeks away! Check out the blankets we made to wear to the firesides:) Summer vacation in 7 more school days!
