July 4

We spent 4th of July week this year at Spring Lake. It was so much fun!There were anywhere between 13 and 28 people staying there on any given night so there was always something to do. The beach was the perfect place for the kids to play in the sand while the adults chatted. The kids' favorite activity was tubing behind the jetski. We also went into town (Grand Haven) for ice cream and to watch a concert. The kids liked playing on the bleachers more than listening to the music. They adjusted well to a later schedule (I let them stay up until 9:30 for the first time). However, I did make them go to bed before the fireworks started. Maybe next year. :)

Still learning to talk...

The way my kids pronounce/refer to things cracks me up. Here's just a few.

bugaburger- hamburger (Grant)
ziggy zag- what Kate calls the impressions that her blanky makes on her body when she
sleeps on top of it
bessert- dessert (both)
pop-in-the-corn- corn on the cob (Kate)
napkins in your hair- curlers (Kate)

The other funny thing I wanted to record is that everyday for the past 6 months or so Grant wakes up and tells us "who" or "what" he is that day. Some recent ones are astronaut, pirate ship, cinnamon, allosaurus and tong man. :) Kate is always a "baby" whatever he is for the day. Except one day. She said she was not an alligator like Grant. Instead she wanted to be a neck. Ok.....

Bowers Farm

The other day Bower's Farm came up with the most ingenious idea. They had a barn garage sale during open barn hours. That meant that Jim and the kids could pet the farm animals while I shopped! It doesn't get much better than that. :)

Happy Father's Day

We spent Father's Day at my parents' lakehouse and for the record I think my dad did too much cooking to consider the day a net positive. But, we sure did have a fun day. The kids are finally at the age where they like boat rides and playing catch in the water. It looks like it is going to be a fun summer.

Getting Better...

Thank you for your prayers! The medication seems to be working. Grant is much more comfortable and complains only once every couple of days. We have a month of medication left and then it is off to U of M to find out why this fungus has returned.

Fungus part 2

Over the last two weeks Grant's tummy pain has gotten significantly worse. I took him to the pediatrician and pulmonolgist on Friday to see if they could offer any help. The consensus was to take Grant to U of M GI. His pediatrician wrote us a recommendation but the soonest they can get him in in Ann Arbor is August. So, we scheduled the appointment for August 5. In the meantime we got a prescription for the same antifungal medication that worked before. He's been on it three days and I'm already seeing significant improvement. He has a 45 day dose to wipe out any sign of the fungus. The concern is why his body continues to grow the fungus, if that is in fact what it is. The pulmonolgist also took him off the inhaled steroids now in case that is what is growing the fungus. Please continue to pray for total healing for my Grant.

The Zoo

We went to the zoo today for the first time in a year. We only ended up seeing a couple of animals because the kids really enjoyed the play structure near the entrance. As you can see Grant was in a silly mood.

Rainy Days

Yesterday we went to Great Lakes Crossing. They have a bunch of food play structures in the center of the mall that the kids had a blast climbing on. Then we went to a sporting goods store and they pretended to ride a bear. I'm not sure the bear was meant for climbing, but it made for a good picture.

Hangin at the Park

The kids loved last week's warm spell. We're at the park every chance we get. Kate loves to continue to climb all things. Last week when I wasn't looking she climbed onto the kitchen counter and ate not only her candy, but Grant's from our special trip to the candy store. Read: Lots of tears. Later that week she climbed out of her crib, went to the bathroom, got dressed and climbed back in her crib. All this while Jim and I were laying in bed on Saturday morning, trying to guess what the kids were doing. I guess it could have been a lot worse. :)

Tummy Trouble

Lately Grant has been complaining about his tummy. Sometimes he says it is hot and sometimes it just hurts. I've kind of been ignoring it, thinking it must not really hurt, or it probably isn't a big deal. But, the last couple of days it has been more extreme. The pain woke him up in the middle of the night two nights ago and yesterday at the park he was wincing in pain while he was playing. So, I can't ignore it any longer. I called his GI doctor yesterday, but he is out of town. The nurse said he'd get back to me on Wednesday. Please pray for healing for Grant.

End of the year program

Easter

We had a different kind of Easter this year because most of our family was out of town. We went to the 11am church service because we were going to do an easter egg hunt before church. But, an unnamed child had a 40 minute tantrum so we had to cancel the event. (I call it an event, but Grant and Kate were the only two participants.) Said child got a chance to pull it together in the afternoon and did considerably better. So, I went out back and hid the eggs and they had a blast searching for them. Later that night Jim made us power pancakes for dinner (think low carb, high protien). We ended up eating them out of tupperware in the car because we were late for the ice cream party that our friends were having at their house. We learned the kids love whipped cream shots straight from the bottle. Must have been hanging around uncle Josh.

Sweet Grant

Here are just a couple photos of Grant recently. He is in really sweet phase. Kate has been sick lately and has had a hard time sleeping. The past two nights he offered to sleep on the floor next to her bed and he actually fell asleep. He woke up saying his back hurt but it was worth it to help Kate.

Hosanna

Yesterday when Grant's "alone time" was over he told me he had a surprise for me. I walked into my room (where he was playing) and in front of me were a ton of hangers, towels, washclothes, bathmats and hand towels zig zagged around the room. I was about to express my frustration with the mess that I had to clean up when he interrupted me. "Do you know what this is mom? These are the coats and palm branches we put on the ground because Jesus is coming! Hosanna! Jesus is coming!"

Florida in April

We had another amazing visit to Florida. This time we spent the first half of the trip with the Koss grandparents and the second half with Grandma and Grandpa Ned. The kids loved zipping around in the golf cart, playing with Snickers (the dog), swimming in the pool and eating in a restaurant where they could throw peanut shells on the ground.

Another one bites the dust

It seems like just about everyday Kate's climbing antics get her into trouble. Tonight at a restaurant she climbed to the top of the booth (after being told not to) and fell off onto her face. She has a nice large welt on her left cheek. Earlier today she decided to put on my high heels and walk down two flights of stairs before tripping down the last three steps and landing on her head. This lovely photo was taken after she tripped on the driveway and landed on her face. I thought Grant was active!

Bathtime

Marshmallow fight

Back in December I read a magazine article about a woman whose favorite Christmas tradition was having marshmallow fights on Christmas Eve. So, I went out and bought 4 bags of marshmallows, put them in the cupboard and decided it would be our new favorite tradition too. Then I forgot about them...until last night. Grant spotted them and asked if we could have a marshmallow fight. So, we divided up our ammo and started throwing. It was fun until Jim decided he was in 8th grade dodgeball and I was his enemy. :) Really, though, it was a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. Kate kept asking if she could eat them. We told her no bc they were dirty. But, whenever we'd turn our heads she'd sneak one in. The chipmunk cheeks gave it a way a little bit.

March in Florida

The kids and I just got back from 7 wonderful days in sunny Florida. While Jim was here working we were visiting grandma and grandpa Koss in Naples. The kids loved playing in the sand and pool. When it was cold out we visited Chick-Fil-A, the library and the stripmalls. We ate well (when don't we in the Koss house?). Grant vacuumed the whole place and scrubbed both showers for us (voluntarily). We went on several "bug hunts" and Grant was brave enough to let a giant bug crawl up his arm. We played baseball and trucks in the sand. Papa was an all-star and went in the Gulf with Grant everyday. On the last day two sting rays were inches from their legs. Grant then reported to everyone on the beach that he saw a "sting bat." A good time was had by all!

ahoy!

Every morning Grant wakes up and tells us his new name. Some days it is superman, others it is Captain Hook or Peter Pan. Jim gladly joins in the fun and makes pirate ships, rocket ships or whatever is needed for the adventure.

A note on Kate- the doctor said to try Mylanta and it seems to be working.

Health update

Good news in terms of Grant's health! He's only complained a handful of times about a "hot tummy" since we started the anti-fungal medication, and I think a few of those were to get attention. So...I think it is working! His cough is now totally gone so he's gone from 4 breathing treatments a day to just one. Yeah God!

Kate has been complaining of her tummy hurting for several weeks now. No, I honestly don't think it has been to get attention. There are several reasons for that, but no need to go into them. When we ask where it hurts she points to her chest area. It is almost always a few minutes after she starts eating. She is really starting to avoid eating these last couple of days. The doctor put her on zantac last week but I don't think it is doing any good. I am going to call tomorrow for the next step. Please pray for healing for Kate!

"Adult Words"

Grant is constantly repeating words and phrases that the adults around him use. Today he tried a little too hard:
"Mom, can you buy that toy for me? You'll probably say no, that we need to save up 50 degrees first. So, why don't we just text the owner and ask him to put it on hold for us?"

Pancake Night

Breakfast is Jim's favorite meal. The Original House of Pancakes is his favorite breakfast place. The other night we took the kids there for the first time. They were super excited about it, mostly because they've heard Jim talk about it. On the way home we passed a huge snow pile and Jim suggested he and the kids climb to the top. I resisted, reminding him we didn't have boots, mittens or hats with us. He encouraged me by saying, "this is what's all about." So, we pulled up in front of the snow pile and they climbed to the top. I'm glad Kate and Grant have such an adventurous dad because if it was up to me we'd be inside eating chicken.

Playdate with Oliver

Yesterday cousin Oliver came over for a play date. Its so much fun to finally have all three of them interacting. They are going to have a blast as they all grow up together. Kate often calls her doll Oliver. (It vacillates between Willa and Oliver.) When it is Oliver Kate pretends she is Lindsay and Grant is Uncle Josh. "Josh" is always talking about bonfires and lawnmowers.

There's a Fungus Amongus!

The doctor called today and they are pretty sure it is a fungus that can be treated by medication! Thank you, God! He'll start the treatment on Friday (it lasts 3 weeks) but we should know within 3 days if it is working. If he's not better in 6 days we are supposed to call the doctor back. Please pray that the fungus goes and Grant can live pain free again!

Scope Results

Everything went really well with the scope. Grant went down and came to very happy. The doctor found some polyps that he thinks are either a food allergy or fungus. Fungus would be our number one choice because that is easily treated with medication and he would feel relief within just a few days. The doctor will call on Monday with the biopsy results. We are so thankful it was nothing serious!

Why everything is okay

Grant: Mom, my ear really hurts whenever I burp. But, it's okay; I'm tough.
Me: You're the toughest guy I know.
Grant: You know why it is really okay, mom? Because God is always with me.

Health News

Grant went back to the doctor today because his ear hurt...again. He still has a double ear infection. We are on our third round of antibiotics in just under a month. The doctor said if this doesn't clear it up he has to go to injectable antibiotics. Please pray with us that Grant's ear infection goes away completely!

Thursday is Grant's scope. 10am. Please pray for everything to go smoothly and for wisdom for the doctors. We need answers!

Silly Kate

Lung Report

We just got back from the pulmonologist's. He is treating Grant for whooping cough. He said he is not sure if he has it, but he has some signs. The biggest being the coughing fits that Grant has where he can't seem to get air and eventually vomits. However, Grant is wheezing and that isn't typical of whooping cough. There is only a 2 week window to treat whooping cough before it gets really bad, so he said he'd rather be cautious and get Grant on medication now. The good news is Grant continues to be joyful and embrace life. The doctor did say no running around for now so we'll see how that goes over. We're thankful to have such great doctors who genuinely care about Grant.

Upper Respiratory Infection

Grant, Kate and Jim all caught some kind of upper respiratory infection. Kate and Jim are on the mend, but Grant still has quite a cough. Over the weekend he coughed so hard he gave himself a bloody nose. Yesterday at the YMCA he was coughing so hard he threw up on the bleachers. :( He's back on the nebulizer and qvar inhaler twice a day. He has licked this kind of thing so many times now we are confident he will make it through it. It just takes him a little longer than the average kid. We will head to the pulmonologist on Friday just to check in.

On a side note- Grant's new answer to everything is "you bet." If I say, "Grant do you want a snack?", he comes back with a quick, "you bet, mom." It melts my heart... and reminds me of his ever so enthusiastic dad. :)

Scope

After a long day of Grant complaining about his tummy being hot yesterday, we finally scheduled the scope for February 10. He has to eat all foods until then. Does anyone want any gluten free food from our pantry? :)

Inside Time

I try to get the kids outside as much as possible, but sometimes it is just too cold. If it isn't obvious by the photos, they've gotten rather creative about how to keep busy indoors. Grant loves dressing up in Kate's princess costumes. The worst part about it is that he is insistent on wearing the high heels all the time. He calls them his new "house shoes" and doesn't want to take them off.

Today they decided to give all their cars a carwash. I let them have a couple of spray bottles and told them to get some rags from the laundry room. Kate came back wearing a mop cover on her head. She said it was in case some water sprayed her hair.

P.S. Cutting out eggs and dairy did not seem to help Grant's tummy. This week we've cut out gluten. So far no improvement. We're going to keep at it for another week or so. Please pray for wisdom for us about what next steps to take if a gluten-free diet is not the answer. Thanks!

Let it Snow

Eggs?

After a couple of weeks on no dairy Grant started complaining of a hot tummy again. It has gotten pretty bad and now he is in pain probably 10 times a day. We are cutting out eggs now to see if that makes a difference. We are kind of at a loss. He is scheduled for food allergy testing the first week in February. If the food elimination and food allergy tests don't give us the answers we need we'll have to reschedule the scope. Boo.

Bye Bye Cindy

A week ago we said good-bye to our au pair, Cindy, who has been living with us for the past year. She has been a huge blessing to us and we will miss her. We won't be getting another au pair this year. Everyone is healthy and we are ready to embrace life as it comes. So far the kids are adjusting great and we are keeping busy with basketball, bootcamp, gym class, swimming, Bible school and playing with friends. All is well.

No Scope!

I called today and officially canceled Grant's scope and biopsy on Monday! So much has happened in the last 3 weeks since we scheduled it. After talking with others we decided to try a food elimination diet with Grant to see if that would have any impact on his "hot tummy." The first group that I cut out was dairy because he already hates milk so I thought it would be easiest. Within one day he stopped complaining about his tummy. Prior to this I don't think he went a single day without complaining. We tried to add cottage cheese to his pancake mix on Sunday and by afternoon he was in pain. Our suspicions were confirmed. So, we're going to keep him away from all dairy for now. I made an appointment for food allergy testing in February (first appt I could get). But, for now we are praising God for a (relatively) easy fix. Grant is being a great sport about giving up his chocolate chip cookies but I suspect it is because he doesn't have to drink the milk that goes with them!