Happy Holidays

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and share our Christmas card to those that did not receive it in the mail.

I'm excited to officially be on winter break for two weeks! I'm pretty caught up with the holiday shopping and almost all of the presents are wrapped. The kids have school Monday and Tuesday so I'll have time to finish any last minute shopping then. We are leaving for Kansas on Thursday and will stay for about a week. The kids are excited to rent a van and are making lists of things that they will bring in the car. I'm thinking the iPad will come in really handy for movie watching! Dad and Elaine have bought 2 sets of bunk beds and the kids are ecstatic about sleeping in them. They are a little nervous about seeing Pearl, their dog, but they will get used to her.

Kevin is slowly improving with his back/leg but is continuing with PT and will have another epidural steroid injected when we get back from our trip. Kevin went to the neurologist on Monday and after reviewing the MRI, Dr. Schenk does not think Kevin will need surgery.

Kevin went back to work on Sunday and while I think he enjoys getting back to his normal life, he is tired again and having a hard time sleeping during the day. The shoveling required for the big snowfall might of set Kevin back a little but he doesn't complain too much. I'm definitely seeing a snowblower in our future! Thanks to our great neighbors for giving a helping hand last weekend.

Aidan finally got to perform in the big play at school and did a great job! I'll have to post a video clip soon, once I figure out how to do that. Alaina is busy with school work, reading, and writing. Unfortunately, the change in weather has impacted how much time we spend outside and the kids are running wild and fighting a lot. We've been trying to give them "alone" time with each of us and time-outs are in the high numbers lately! I'm hoping we can figure out better ways to keep them busy and give them a chance to get all of their energy out!

Hope you all have a safe and fun holiday!

Love,

The Lakso's

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Alaina showing off her new hair extension.

Aidan enjoying dinner at Applebee's!

Wednesday, 11/24

Sorry for the delays in updates! Kevin hasn't been saying much so it's been hard to get a feel for how he is feeling and what is going on.

Since my last post, Kevin has been regularly attending PT and had a neurology appointment. The PT has given home exercises for Kevin and has increased the difficulty of work that Kevin does when he is there. Today he was doing squats, balancing on a BOSU ball, using bands to strengthen his leg, and starting some leg lifts with weights. Kevin said he was pretty worn out after today's session.

I accompanied Kevin to his neuro appt on Monday. Dr. Schenk reviewed the information from the hospital stay, did some neuro testing, and strength tests too. In Schenk's opinion, most of Kevin's pain/weakness/tightness is due to the bulging disc and not his MS. He said that MS patients don't tend to have this type of pain. Kevin is experiencing numbness in his hands and stomach which would be MS-related. The doctor is suggesting that Kevin remain off of work until 12/10 because Kevin is still taking pain medications and is not maneuvering around very well. Kevin stands all night when he works so that is not the best for his condition. Kevin did not want to miss anymore work but is willing to do what the doctor says.

The doctor wanted to review Kevin's MRI with a neurosurgeon but his feeling was if Kevin was not an MS patient that the doctor would be walking Kevin right over to neurosurgery to consult for back surgery. This is because Kevin has had the pain for 4 months now and is not able to do his normal job/life. However, since Kevin does have MS and this can always influence things he'd like to consult with the nuerosurgeon and meet with us on 12/13. If Kevin has not improved and can't manage his pain without the pain pills then surgery is our next step.

I'm enjoying a day at home while the kids are at school! Mom and Lloyd arrive soon in the middle of a potential blizzard and I couldn't be more excited. Mom and Barb planned Thanksgiving dinner over the phone and Barb did the shopping. Kris and Barb came over today to help get things ready for the feast tomorrow and mom and Lloyd will finish up when they arrive.

I couldn't be more blessed with love ones and support from you all! I'm hoping that Kevin will continue to improve and life can get back to "normal" very soon. I do enjoy having Kevin around more often and will miss when he has to go back to work.

Sara

Tuesday, 11/16

It was a quiet day at the Lakso house. I stayed home one more day to help get things in order as far as setting up appointments, canceling other appointments, refilling prescriptions, etc. Kevin went to sleep last night at 5:30 p.m. and then was up off and on all night. We didn't have much time to talk in the morning so I didn't have a good feel about how he was doing but I knew he wasn't cured yet.

I got the kids off to school and ran a couple of errands and shoved things here and there in preparation for our cleaning ladies. It is such a wonderful thing to have this service and fit it in to the budget each month but it takes preparation on my part. Kevin can't seem to understand why you clean before paying for someone to clean your house but you just do...or I do anyway. I didn't want to be around when the girls arrived so we attempted an outing.

Before that Dick and Barb came over bearing a variety of interesting pillows for Kevin to try and one for me, a walker (just in case), and the blood pressure set (Kevin's mom is/was a nurse). Kevin's blood pressure is still a little high but it was better today. Kevin is still experiencing numbness all over particularly in his legs and today he couldn't feel his left leg. This made it difficult to walk but Kevin managed pretty well all things considering. We aren't sure why this is happening and may follow up with someone tomorrow if it doesn't get better or we may wait until the physical therapy appointment on Thursday to see what they think.

We went to lunch today and Kevin managed that pretty well. I had an errand to run and he stayed in the car and wasn't complaining so I'm guessing he wasn't in too much pain. When we came home he rested for a while and eventually went to sleep. The kids spent some time with our friend and neighbor, Jani while I dealt with the cable guy and Kevin slept. Later in the evening we had a delivery of Let's Dish! that we were so excited to receive and are very thankful for, thanks Megan and Catherine.

Kevin's asleep again and we'll see how tomorrow goes. He says he doesn't really have the pain shooting from his back to his foot but still has tightness, numbness, and the loss of feeling or weakness in the left leg. The effect of the epidural steroid can take 3-7 days and we were told that you might see some regression before improvement. PT on Thurs, Neurologist on Monday. Kevin's going to be on his own tomorrow so hopefully he will take it easy and rest!

Good night...
Sara

Monday, 11/15

We are home! It was a long day but we finally made it with only a few bumps along the way.

I decided to take the day off so that I could be present at any appointments or procedures and to be there for discharge. I was able to get a sub and my speech friends helped give a little extra therapy to the kiddo's for me in my absence. Thanks girls!

I tried to surprise Kevin and just show up with a coffee but I had to call. I'm the worst with stuff like that! We did a lot of sitting around and waiting. Kevin's room was so cold that I was in full winter gear the whole time which included a couple of socks, a couple of shirts, Uggs, scarf, a jacket, and coat and mittens when necessary. The nurse thought I was nuts.

The highlight of my day was Kevin's somewhat flamboyant nurse, Joel. I smile just thinking about some of the things he said. One very humorous conversation involving a suppository, a glove, and a finger was just over the top! When we were about to discharge Joel said, "All right lets get our poop in a group and get out of here." Not quite sure what scenario I'll be able to use that line in!

Kevin attempted walking the hallway today and make it about 200 yards or feet not sure which one but couldn't make it back. He asked to be taken off the PCA pump and they did that in the a.m. and Kevin was o.k. with that. Kevin took a shower by himself but I could hear him saying, "Oh that is tight!" A common phrase heard lately referring to his leg. Around lunch the IV's were pulled out and we had a consult with the pain clinic nurse. It was decided that Kevin should be discharged and then head over to the clinic for the epidural steroid injection. When she did her assessment, Kevin was more numb in the good leg than the bad which seemed odd to us and he was very weak.

We had to wait a while for the discharge and our 1:30 pain appointment was getting close which was putting Joel in a tizzy. He ended up threatening the dr. through email and raced Kevin through the hallways in the wheelchair while I trailed behind lugging 5 bags or so, I was exhausted! We checked into the MAPS pain clinic and Kevin tried to walk to the examining room but almost fell so had to be wheeled in the room. I had to leave for the injection so I went to get my car and started planning for today. I realized at that point that Kevin couldn't be alone tomorrow. I was calling mom and Barb to make the best plan for everyone.

When I saw Kevin in recovery he seemed good until he tried to walk, just couldn't do it. They wheeled him to me and we discussed (or argued) the whole way home about me staying home from work. Kevin said he'd be fine but I wasn't so sure about it. The decision was made quickly when Kevin pulled a stunt when we got home.

He needed to hold on to me and the car to get to the door. Then he had to pull up his pants to lift his leg or I had to lift it for him to get up the one step. He grabbed a drink and I went to the bathroom and I come out and he's gone! I thought he was playing a trick and hiding from me so I was really quiet trying to listen for him. After a few minutes or so I start really looking for him and you want to know where he was? At the end of our driveway with a push broom as a crutch and stuck half laughing/half crying! Unbelievable. This guy hasn't walked in 5 days and thinks he's going to just stroll out and get the mail. Well it took us a while to get into the house using me, the broom, the car, etc. You can guess Kevin didn't have a leg to stand on (literally and figuratively) about whether or not I'd be going to work. He is now glued to the chair and was instructed not to leave.

Tomorrow I will watch over him, fill prescriptions, make appointments, and try to get my hands on a walker. Wendesday, hopefully, Dick and Barb will come over and maybe Thursday and Friday. What would I do without you guys?

Alaina just arrived home and was excited to see Kevin. She asked, "Does he have any cords?" She was still a little unsure about him but I know she's excited. I emailed her teacher so he could let her know. Let's hope for a quiet night with relaxation and some yummy food from Sara and Christ!
Sara

11/14, Part 2

The kids had a pretty good day at home which allowed me to get a few things done - put away Halloween stuff, laundry, dishes, sweep, etc. The kids marble reward jars were discovered and both realized they were close to a prize. Aidan just wanted to pick up a piece of paper for his marble but oh no, you actually have to do something helpful for that marble. He helped me pick up his room and was in charge of all the books he had in every possible area of his room. Alaina decided that she should test every marker/crayon/pen that we had to see which one works and which ones don't. Not really a task that I needed done but she had already started and I didn't have the heart to tell her no. She had to have gone through 200 markers so she really did deserve that marble!

Barb came over to watch the kids so I could run a couple of errands. She had just come from the hospital and was lucky enough to be there when the internist came in to see Kevin. Barb was impressed with the dr. and thought he explained things really well. The dr. was pleased with Kevin's progress and explained a lot of details about back injuries and the recovery process. Kevin's blood pressure was high which maybe be due to the steroids he's on so they put him on medication for that. The dr. went through the plan for Kevin and since Kevin is making progress they may release him tomorrow to go to the pain clinic for another assessment or he may just go home or he may have to stay longer. There was also talk about attempting PT again to see if they can be of any help.

While I was gone Kris and the girls came over to visit Alaina and Aidan and then when I returned the gang was off to find Carbiou to get Kevin a much needed coffee! We had a little down time before my friend Sara and her husband Chris arrived bearing a yummy meal for us! I put Chris to work to fix a pesky, hanging cabinet door and he did a great job not only getting the door on but also straightening it somehow. I'm not so great with tools so I really appreciate his help.

Then I loaded the kids to go over to Krissy and Jake's and the kids were very excited about that! I knew they were in great hands so I went off to get a little Applebee's for Kevin and I. Check out the pics above of the kids at Krissy's! When I go there Kevin's nurse was in there giving him meds and fixing tubes and other things. Rudely, I ate my food because I was starving and can't stand cold fries. Kevin ate his food and then his friends Danny and Melissa stopped by for the visit. They are funny and young and it was nice to talk about random stuff instead of all of the stuff that Kevin and I are dealing with. Kevin was getting tired so we all left and hopefully he is sleeping peacefully right now.

I'm not sure what will happen tomorrow but I hope we see more progress and that Kevin can come home, if he's ready! We sure miss him a lot around here!
Sara

November 14th, Sunday

I can't believe how exhausted I am! I don't really feel like I'm doing anymore than usual but man this is really hitting me too. Thankfully the kids are on a puzzle mission right now so I can take a breather and give you an update on Kevin.

We arrived this morning around 8:30 to alarms sounding in Kevin's room and Kevin doing some knee tucks with a big smile on his face! He didn't seem to be bothered by the alarms he was setting off with his calisthenics! Apparently it was from either his bed alarm or his oxygen thing. I was just happy to see him doing something and to see that smile.

The kids are still a little afraid but again warmed up quickly. Alaina and Aidan couldn't get that darn cafeteria/vending machine area off their minds and so we had planned to eat breakfast there. I was armed with lots of dollar bills and we had hoped Kevin could join us for his first official walk but he was told no. He's not allowed to leave his bed let alone his room without assistance and can't leave the floor he is on. So we had to eat alone.

Aidan was hell bent on getting something out of the spinning vending machine even though there weren't any breakfast items. He decided on a large ham and cheese sandwich and an apple juice. After spinning the machine around several times he put the money in and slid the door open and was just so excited about the whole thing! The juice door stuck so we lost a few bucks. Alaina was more interested in the cafeteria and was as usual requesting chips. The two of them either want the exact same thing and fight over or want the opposite! The included where we ate the food (cafeteria or Kevin's room), who pushed the up/down button and who pushed the floor button, etc. They never stop competing. I'm in constant negotiations with them!

When we went back to Kevin's room he was ready to go for a walk. Kevin's favorite nurse showed up and said there was a kid's playroom at the end of the hall that we could go to with Kevin. She suggested the wheelchair but Kevin wanted to walk. The kids and I went ahead so he could take his time and he successfully walked a full hall's length and then sat in the wheelchair while the kids played. It was nice to be out of the room for a change. One the way back Kevin decided to take it easy so Aidan and Alaina pushed him while I guided and the nurse took care of the IV machines. Kevin made the comment, "Oh, I'm all the way at the end of the hall." It's weird that he hasn't been out of his room yet in the four days that he's been here and that I'm always rehearsing "2234, 2nd from the end of the hallway on the left with a red square (not everyone has a red square and I'm not sure what it means). What different perspectives we have!

Kevin told me that his left leg is really weak and tight and that it is difficult for him to move it. He still is in pain but is managing it better and the pain meds are decreasing. We'll see how the walk impacts him for the rest of the day. We talked again with nurse about the pain clinic plan and how all that would work. We are thinking he might get discharged tomorrow and then hopefully get right in to the pain clinic but we are not sure.

Now we are home and Kevin's parents are bringing soup for lunch and Dick will probably watch the Vikings game with Kevin. Barb's going to watch the kids for a bit so I can get groceries and then my friends and neighbors, Krissy and Jake, are going to have Alaina and Aidan over for dinner tonight so I can see Kevin again. Thanks again to everyone and their support, help, thoughts, and advice. I, we, couldn't get through this without all of you!
Sara

Saturday, 11/13

We awake to a ton of snow! The kids woke me up and Aidan was in full snow gear over his PJs. They were standing in my bathtub looking out the window in awe. They would say, "Look it's on the trees," and "Ooh do you see it on the slide?" The first snow is always a wonder.

We quickly got ready so we could go and see Kevin. I did not put the cars in the garage so we had some work to do before we left. The kids tried to help but it was snowing pretty hard and we were just a wet mess! I decided to start our short trek to the donut shop and then hospital even though the car wasn't exactly clear of snow. I couldn't see half of the time and frequently had to stop to clear the wet, heavy snow. We finally made it to the donut shop and the only thing Aidan wanted was donut holes and they only sell those in bags of 30! After much discussion we left with a couple of donuts for Alaina and Kevin and Aidan lugged the large bag of donut holes as I'm saying, "You know you are only going to eat a few of those right?"

We finally make it to see Kevin around 9 and the kids while nervous at first quickly got comfortable and were excited to see Kevin. I took each one on a little tour of the hospital and they were both impressed by the spinning vending machine and the coffee/hot cocoa vending machine. Nothing else was really all that impressive. We stayed for about an hour and then left. Kevin had a lot of pain in the night since he wasn't clicking in his sleep but other than that he was doing o.k.

We came home to lots of neighbor kids in the snow and we had fun playing too! My neighbors all helped out in some way today by snow plowing my driveway, shoveling, fixing my attic door, watching my kids, listening to me, giving advice, etc. You all know who you so thank you so much. I went to see Kevin while the kids were at Maggie and Devin's house and we had a quiet visit. Kevin seemed to be feeling the best that I've seen him since this all started. I stayed for about an hour and a half and then went home.

Later in the evening my friend and neighbor, Sonja, took the kids for dinner and swimming (God bless you!) and I got to stay with Kevin for the longest stretch yet. I had brought games and movies but we mostly talked which was nice. Two different times I tried to sit next to him on his bed and alarms sounded! We learned that he has an alarm on his bed so that he can't get up without help. Apparently somehow my joining him set that off.

There was again some confusion about next steps. Kevin told me the internist stopped by and said that they want to switch him from the dilaudid (now that is the clicker medicine, not sure when that changed or if I was mistaken that it was morphine before) to Oxycontin pills. They also want him to start walking some and that they wouldn't discharge him until he could walk the hallway. Kevin also said that we would have to go the pain clinic after he was discharged to find out about the epidural and this might occur on Monday and it might not. I was very confused and didn't see how this made any sense. We called in the nurse and she made some calls and now things make more sense. There is a MAPS pain clinic in St. Francis that is connected with the spine doctor's office. The plan would be get Kevin into a place where he can be discharged then he would go directly to MAPS and go from there.

We'll have to check in with that tomorrow, I guess. Sonja brought the kids to the hospital in their PJs and they got to say goodnight to Kevin. On the way home, Alaina said she was scared of Kevin because he's different but that she misses him too. Then Aidan started talking about dying and heaven. They are both at two different stages of understanding. I just hope I'm saying the right things...

Good night,
Sara

November 12th

I ran out of cell phone minutes and its only 12 days into the cycle! What can I say, lots of phone calls to mom, dad, Dick and Barb, Kris (Kevin's sister), friends, doctors, teachers, etc. After a quick call to Verizon I now have enough minutes to hopefully get through the month! I took a couple of hours off in the morning from work to take the kids to school and to stop and see Kevin for a bit.

Nothing new except that he was still in pain and had some rough times in the night. Every time he gets up to go to the bathroom he has terrible pain/spasms when he gets back into the bed. I finally made it to work around 10 but had a hard time focusing on what I needed to focus on!

Dick and Barb visited Kevin in the afternoon and Kevin again had a bad spell. He was given a couple of shots of morphine which were not helping much. They left when he fell asleep. I had planned on taking the kids to see Kevin in the hospital but when I called Kevin he was in severe pain and could barely talk to me. I distracted the kids by taking them to Applebee's. Kris and her girls came over in the evening to watch the kids so I could see Kevin. Alaina and Aidan were so happy to see their cousins and Kris had brought a bag full of goodies! I was instantly relieved of guilt for leaving them knowing that they would have fun while I was gone. Thanks, Kris, I owe you one...or a few!

When I arrived to visit, Kevin was stable but now had a morphine pump that he could push a button and administer a dose every 10 minutes. He had just attempted to go to the bathroom again and was in pain. The clicker did not seem to be helping much. It seems weird to me that yesterday Kevin was maneuvering around our house (albeit he was in great pain) and now a day later he can't even tolerate getting up to go to the bathroom even considering the pain meds he is on. Goes to show how much pain he was in on Thursday and was using everything he had to get from point A to B. I'm glad he can rest and that the staff is helping him manage his pain.

Kevin seemed a little out of it and was repeating himself some and not following some of the questions I was asking him. There had been some discussions off and on about the spine doctor coming to visit today and this epidural steroid injection but nothing was clear. I was trying to talk Kevin through and lo and behold who strolls in the door but Barb! She had driven all the way home to Cottage Grove and then came back to Shakopee with her friend to go the craft show. She just had to check on Kevin one more time and once I explained that we basically had no idea what was going on she took action into her own hands. The wonderful nurse and mother went to find some answers! She came back and explained that the plan was to keep Kevin at St. Francis over the weekend and try to get his pain and swelling under control. On Monday the MAPS pain clinic staff would assess Kevin and determine if the epidural would be appropriate and if not consult the spine doctor (that can't the correct title but that's what everyone calls this man we keep hearing about but never see).

Barb didn't stay long but I felt like her visit and investigation made me feel better and understand. As Barb and my mother pointed out (sorry Kev) Kevin can't be held 100% reliable on his reporting because of the amount of drugs he is taking. I need to start asking some questions and make sure I'm clear about what is going on.

I left Kevin around 9 to find a sleeping Aidan on the couch with Kayla and Alaina and Ali playing nicely! After the Jambor girls left Alaina was tired but afraid to go to bed. She had lots of questions and just wanted her daddy home. I let her sleep in his spot and that seemed to help!

November 11th

My dear mother-in-law, Barb, came over and stayed with the kids while I took Kevin to the ER. When we knew Kevin was going to be admitted I sadly left him so that I could quick get home to make a plan with Barb. Fortunately, St. Francis is just down the road from our house which makes getting back and forth to Kevin easy. Unfortunately, it is a small hospital so things might move a little slower and they have to bring in all of their specialists.

We decided that Barb would stay with the kids until bedtime and I'd go back and stay with Kevin until the drugs kicked in and he could go to sleep. I didn't want to ever leave him but needed to try to keep life as normal as possible for the kids and can't miss anymore work than I have to.

The rounds doctor saw Kevin while I was there and explained that they were going to give him lots of meds to control the pain, keep him from moving as much as possible, and then have the spine doctor review the MRI and possibly consult for surgery if necessary on Friday. Kevin was given dilaudid, toradal, IV steriods, flexerall, and morphine. Even with all these meds and laying in a supposedly comfortable bed (according to Kevin) he was still in great pain. They upped some of the doses and still nothing made Kevin feel any better. I left around 9 p.m. and Kevin was just starting to feel some relief and was about to fall asleep.

All the while the kids were o.k. but weren't really sure what it meant to be in the hospital. Unfortunately, Kevin often doesn't feel well and recently he'd been pretty bad so that isn't new to them. Kevin is always around so it was weird that he wasn't home but they didn't seem to concerned.

The kids had a good time with Grandma and got lots of love and attention! Barb cooked up some pork chops I had and they devoured them! For some reason every time my kids are with Barb and Dick (Kevin's parents) they eat really well. We just can't figure it out! Maybe she tops everything with M&Ms or something! Or she just cooks a lot better than me which is definitely true.

Kevin

I've decided to move my Kevin updates to blogspot to be able to give more information and for the people not on Facebook.

November 11th
In the beginning of September Kevin started having back pain/leg pain. He often gets leg tightness or discomfort when he has an MS flare up so this wasn't surprising. After a couple of weeks of this pain, Kevin saw our chiropractor. The chiropractor did an xray and said that Kevin had a pinched nerve. At that point Kevin's pain had moved down into his leg which we knew was impacting the sciatic nerve. Kevin had 7-8 sessions with the chiropractor and would have some relief but then he would worsen.
Because Kevin was also experience some numbness he consulted his neurologist and they decided to try oral steroids. It was difficult to tell if Kevin was just having severe back pain or if he was in an "episode." Kevin didn't feel any better with the oral steroids and it was determined that Kevin would go on IV steroids after he finished the oral meds.

On Halloween, Kevin couldn't take the pain anymore and went to the ER at St. Francis Hospital here in Shakopee. The doctor couldn't do much since Kevin was already on the oral steroids and was planning the IV treatments the following week. The ER doctor did give Kevin a shot of prednisone and sent him on his way.

Kevin (and the kids and I) endured 5 days of 1 hour IV steroid treatments at Methodist Hospital. Kevin usually felt really good after the 2nd or 3rd steroid treatment and is like his old self by the end of the week. This time, Kevin felt a little better on day 3 but then got worse each day after that. The nurses were surprised because they said he should feel better each day.

On Monday, November 8th, Kevin again went to the ER and this time they did an MRI. It was revealed that he had a bulging disc. The ER doctor consulted with Dr. Schenk, Kevin's neurologist, and Kevin was put on a leave from his work for two weeks until Kevin was scheduled to see Dr. Schenk. He was given dilaudid through and IV and then was sent home with percoset.

Kevin was in tremendous pain and the percoset didn't do much for him. We set up physical therapy to start on Wednesday to help get some relief for Kevin's pain. When I took Kevin to the PT I knew something was not right. He could not get in the car without help, couldn't sit, walk, stand, etc. without great effort and obvious pain. The PT gave Kevin's some suggestions of things to try and scheduled several appointments over the next few weeks.

On Thursday, Kevin was on the phone with Dr. Schenk's office trying to figure out how he was supposed to get through until this magical 11/22 appt. Finally, Thursday afternoon Kevin just couldn't take it anymore and we went back to the ER. The same ER doctor was working and he basically said, I can either give you the same meds you had before and send you home but once they wear off you will be back in the same pain or I can admit you to the hospital and we can try to get you comfortable and go from there. We, of course, opted for Kevin to be in the hospital. It was such a relief to know that Kevin wasn't going to have to maneuver through this big house and be in so much pain!

March 2010

March 7, 2010

Happy almost spring! I love that I see more and more grass each day as the snow melts. Its deceiving in Minnesota because I know it will snow again before spring really arrives but I can pretend for now... We had lots of chances to play outside in the last couple of weeks since the weather has warmed up!

Things are moving along with the house selling process but not as much as we would like. Our has been on the market for a few weeks and we've had lots of showing but no offers yet. We struggle to keep the house up and Kevin's losing some sleep with midday showings but we're handling it o.k. Our biggest problem is that we shove things here or there right before our showing but can never remember where things are. That's my job today to find a home for all of that stuff!

Alaina's doing great in kindergarten and loves school. She is reading some (mainly sight words) but can sometimes read a whole sentence in a book. Alaina continues to love art at home and school and enjoys playing house/school on a daily basis just like her mommy did! We recently bought "Big Baby" a fluffly pink snowsuit from the Goodwill and because of the size of her doll from the back people think she is a real baby. I either have to explain or accept the looks of astonishment I get when Big Baby travels with us, which is most of the time. Alaina started another session of swimming lessons and she had to move to the school age class since she is turning 6 in this session. Yesterday was the first day but she did just fine. Alaina is having an overnight birthday party next weekend at the Waterpark of America with her cousins (a couple weeks early) and is very excited for that.

Aidan is doing well in his class at The Cradle Club. He would still rather stay at home with me and he gets sad some days when I take him but always has fun and gives me a dirty look when I pick him up! Aidan has recently become very independent getting himself ready for the day and will do the full routine on his own including adding "hair glue" which sometimes is lotion, shampoo, gel, etc. His hair glistens on those days! He is such a mushy kid and tells us multiple times a day how much he loves us or that we are sweet or his best friend. I hope that never ends. Aidan is in swimming too and has become quite the daredevil! He'll jump off the diving block in the deep end (with the teacher present) and puts his head under the water so many times that he gets tummy aches from swallowing so much water!

Kevin and I has been battling a sinus infection/bad cold for the last week but I think we on the mend. We are anxiously awaiting the sale of our house so we can start looking for a new house. Hopefully that will happen soon...

Love you all,
Sara