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!