September little things...

Here we are in mid-September already. We've had our ups and downs so far this month. I will share a couple of things that don't necessarily have photos to match. Kate hasn't had the greatest start to the school year. It began with a headache that wouldn't dissipate regardless of regular dosing of pain meds. She ended up going for an early brain MRI and God gave us stable results. Doctors are still unclear on the source of the headache but she was prescribed some strong pain meds and over the course of a week the headache finally went away. Since then she's been battling nausea and appetite loss. She's down several pounds in a short amount of time and we hope to find a way to improve her appetite soon.

Claudia started 8th grade volleyball and while it's not her favorite sport, we are happy she's playing and having fun with her friends. She's also been doing well in school and has had a fun, generally positive, attitude to start the school year. She also turned 14 in the last couple of weeks. My next blog post will be a belated post dedicated to Claudia. I need to start digging for some great photos to share.

Natalie and Maddie have started their soccer seasons. Each girl aged up to a bigger field which always proves to be a fun challenge. Natalie's team has seen success with two wins so far while Maddie's team is short on older girls with experience playing actual positions so they are focusing on growth this fall.

Speaking of growth... Maddie has historically refused to learn to ride a bike. I'd remove her training wheels and help her practice but she was not having it. She has a scooter she loves and would only ride that. Well fast forward to last week when a little girl showed up to play with Maddie and she had her bike along. Maddie asked to sit on it and she pedaled away without batting an eye. Apparently you wait long enough and a person learns balance even without the bike. Maybe it was all of the time she spent on her two wheeled scooter? Either way, Maddie is thrilled at her new skill and now we will likely never see her again. We are going to need to get an Air Tag for her bike to keep tabs on her location.

Speaking of Maddie, this girl has battled through three ear infections in the last four or five months. She is finishing another round of antibiotics and we are praying we won't need to pursue surgical options. We have enough medical care needs in our life but we will do what we must. Here she is in the doctor's office wearing her new cat headband.

On somewhat of a whim, Matt and I decided to take the girls to Clear Lake for a very short weekend. That lake effect weather was in full force and while it was gorgeous by the lake, the temps were cooler and the water quite frigid. That didn't stop our little water fans though. Even Matt braved the lake and swam out to the buoy with CJ. Normally I'd be all in on something like that but I decided to wuss out and not swim in the crazy, cold water. I did however thoroughly enjoy the hotel hot tub. 

Clear Lake public splash pad

It really was a gorgeous night by the lake

And here we are at one of Clear Lake's newest Main Street business, an old fashion soda fountain. They offered phosphates and chocolate cokes. It was a fun stop. Matt also thought this sign was a great prompt for a funny photo. He's not wrong.

Hope September is treating you well, too. Please keep Kate in your prayers.