Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Ethan James turned five on Monday, November 27.  Yikes!  Where does this time go?

Our sweet boy has been a wonderful addition to our family since day one.  His heart, his sense of humor, and his curiosity lend a nice dimension to our family every day.  He still brings joy to people around him through the week, both young and old.  We are thankful to have Mr. Ethan in our family, even when (especially when?) he makes goofy faces for pictures.

During the last year, Ethan has continued to grow and change and learn.  He is now about 43 inches tall (which means he can ride bigger rides ... more on that later) and is still quite solidly built.  Ethan has developed an interest in drawing and coloring, but vehicles and the mechanical workings of objects around him are still his first love.  Ethan has also shown more of an interest in music during the last year, both listening to it and making his own.  He still loves being in the water and has come a long way in the last year with his swimming skills.

The day before Thanksgiving, the boy and I took a fun hike at Lake Kegonsa State Park, my go-to introduction "hike" for our kids.  He was SO much fun.  I wish the weather had been nicer during other parts of November to allow us to do more of these little trips just the two of us.

Ethan's birthday celebration actually started on Sunday.  Since we knew none of the kids had school on Monday and since Ethan has been asking for months "When are we going to the Kalahari again?", we decided to do a family trip up there for his birthday.  The plan was to go to church on Sunday morning, then come home and have him open his first gift, which would announce the trip.  Then we'd all pack up and spend the rest of Sunday and as much of Monday as we could handle in the Dells.

But then Kate woke up with a nasty earache on Sunday morning.  I'm pretty sure that we have had about a half dozen viruses travel around this home in the past month.  Kate hasn't exactly been fully healthy since sometime in October.  I'm fairly confident that the nasty cold she got during her swim week turned into bronchitis, but since she never had a fever and she was steadily (if slowly) improving, we decided to just keep pushing fluids and rest with her.

Earaches with Kate are a different story, though.  The few times she has had them in her life have been like this ... cold upon cold until one day her ear really hurts.  Each and every time (which have only been four), she has an ear infection, gets antibiotics, and feels much more like herself within 24 hours.

So Sunday morning, Kate and I were at Urgent Care by 8 a.m., and home with her antibiotics a little after 9 a.m.  But she still felt cruddy.  We opted for church at home and then Matt and I had a conference with both girls about the initial plan for Ethan's birthday and then our options.  Poor Kate said, with tears in her eyes, that she didn't really want to go to the Kalahari while she had an ear infection.  Sweet Anna suggested going up with Matt and Ethan, but then thought that idea through and realized it wouldn't be fair to Ethan.

In the end, it worked out for the best.  Matt and Ethan went up to the Dells on Sunday and had the whole afternoon and evening to do whatever they wanted.  Mini-golf, go-karts (which Ethan is tall enough for now!), dinner in the room, and then lots trips down water slides were just what Ethan needed and wanted.  As with my trip to Colorado with Kate, this trip with the boys could go faster and more smoothly without having to think about the whole family.

The girls and I stayed home and had some girl time together before going to bed early and sleeping well.  Then we headed out bright and early on Monday to meet the boys for breakfast at Cracker Barrel, where birthday hugs were shared by all.

After changing in the hotel room, we all headed to the water park for about 2 1/2 hours, definitely the longest we have lasted together as a family there.  Medium water slides, big water slides, the wave pool, and the lazy river were enjoyed by all.  Here's a few of Anna's milestones from that morning:

1) She climbed the stairs for the tall water slides for every trip but 3, when Matt carried her partway.  Way to go, Anna!
2) She confidently walked into the zero entry wave pool with her walker.
3) She didn't need any sensory breaks the entire trip.
4) She managed the entire Thanksgiving weekend with NO hydrocortisone.

When we got home, Ethan opened up his gifts from the sisters and proceeded to play with the new hot wheels tracks the rest of the day.

All was prepared for him to be special person at school on Tuesday and he was even in bed by 6:30 p.m. on Monday night.  But then he woke up with a fever in the middle of the night :(  He has definitely been more low key throughout the day, but I think he'll be back to normal in time for school on Wednesday.

Except for that little issue with a fever, I think his birthday experience will be kept as a happy memory in his mind :)

Thanksgiving
Please give thanks that Ethan is a happy, healthy, typically developing 5 year old.
Please thank God that our family is blessed to spend time with Ethan every day.
Please give thanks for all of Ethan's attributes and their affect on the rest of us.

Requests
Please ask God to continue maturing the faith that is already growing in his heart.
Please pray that God continues to give us wisdom and strength as we continue to develop our parent relationship with him.
Please ask God to continue to shine through Ethan's life to those around him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday morning we packed up and headed over to Iowa to celebrate Thanksgiving with Matt's family again.  We have had an off and on tradition for the last decade or so to gather with his family at a hotel somewhere to be together for the holiday.  It works fairly well at this point, although no one sleeps quite like they would if they were at home :)

This year the weather was warm enough that we were able to let the kids roam around outside at a nearby park before we headed indoors to Grandpa's senior living complex for the late afternoon and evening.

This brief time outdoors did wonders for Kate and Ethan, who had already spent several hours in the car and then another few hours in the hotel.

Kate, especially, needed some open space and nature to help her reset her body for the rest of the day.

The remainder of Thanksgiving included food, family, and fun times.

The kids entertained each other with various games as well as the exercise room of the complex.

Actually, I think the exercise room was the best thing for them while the food was being prepared :)

Saturday morning our kids were up early (as always), so after a quick breakfast we took them into the hotel pool for an hour or so, before heading back over to Grandpa's for some more family time, more games and more food.

We hauled our crew back home on Friday after lunch.  Although the trip was short, it is always a blessing to be able to reconnect with Matt's family and allow the next generation to continue to build relationships with one another.  We have much to be thankful for.

Quick updates

One more day until Thanksgiving break.  It will be a relatively busy few days off of school for us, but the kids (and adults) are ready for a change of pace.

I failed to mention anything about Kate and Ethan's parent-teacher conferences in either of the last two updates, so here's a quick summary.  Ethan is doing just fine; he is a delight to his teachers.  He is a good listener and genuinely enjoys learning.  He will definitely be ready, both academically and socially, for kindergarten next fall.  Like his sisters before him, he is a bit reserved when it comes to jumping right in to play with his classmates.  Like them, he also likes to take it all in before making decisions.  We are very glad that he is in the place he is this year.

Kate is also doing well.  In third grade, the students participate in their conferences by reflecting on the first quarter and then setting goals for the year, with input from their parents and teachers.  Kate and her teacher came up with virtually the same goals for Kate, although they made their decisions independent of one another.  The only added goal Kate's teacher had was to "keep doing what you're doing", a pretty good sign that Kate is off to a good start at the intermediate school.  In general, Kate is a conscientious student who takes pride in her work.  She is thoughtful about what she does, and often takes longer than others because of this characteristic.  Her writing, again this year, stands out to her teacher.  We only wish that we could get to read more of what she writes these days :)

Last week was a relatively relaxing week, after all of the extras that had been happening in October and the beginning of November.  The only "extra" part included the fifth grade swim unit.  Anna's aide and I had communicated about some of the ways to make the transitions go smoothly, and it sounds like everything went well.  Anna was able to ride the regular bus with the rest of the kids (for the first year since 1st grade) since she can do the stairs on and off the bus and only needs her walker at the destination.  It sounds like she worked hard during her time in the water, which made her extra fatigued at school.  But after Monday, she planned ahead about when to use her wheelchair to make sure she conserved enough energy for learning.  Slowly, but surely, she's learning how to become more independent.

The evenings last week included some work on the kids' Christmas ornaments that they gift to family every year.  They all seem to enjoy this process right now.

The weekend included a Saturday morning book club/playdate for all three of us girls, then an open afternoon for everyone.  Sunday afternoon Kate had a friend over to work on a 4H project, but also to play.  The kids were more tired than I expected them to be on Sunday evening, but all of the activities were worth it.

With some sunny, windy weather for a few days, Matt was finally able to finish up the yard work for the season.  A little more leaf collection was necessary before the final mowing of the lawn.  Now most of the small engines are officially winterized and stored away.

Monday was a big day for some McFarland kiddos.  The fifth graders all went to see the movie Wonder in the morning, after all of the fifth grade teachers read the book aloud during the first quarter.  The girls and I had read Wonder a few summers ago and we were all anticipating the release of this movie.  Anna and her school PT had a conversation in the morning about what she wanted to use for the field trip, crutches or walker.  They chose crutches, and it sounds like it all went well, except that Anna was pretty wiped out by lunchtime and needed to use her wheelchair for the afternoon.

In the evening, our family attended the community's Bowls for Hunger event at the high school.  The girls thoroughly enjoy seeing past and present teachers and classmates at this event; the food is good; the bowls are memorable; and it's all for a good cause.

One more day, then the Thanksgiving and birthday celebrations begin!

Preschool Germs and Neurofatigue

We've had a few different sets of preschoool germs going through our home in the last couple of weeks.  The first major cold to enter the family since the end of September was brought by Kate (we think) during the 3rd grade swim week.  Poor girl had some major upper respiratory symptoms with a cough that is still lingering.

We think Ethan caught a milder version of that one and was in the middle of recovering when he came down with a fever that had been making the rounds in his preschool classroom.  An off and on fever made for a tired and low energy boy last week.  Once the fever broke, his cough resumed and his is lingering a little, too.

I had a version of the cold those two had, but didn't have nearly the same severity of cough.  Matt has come down with something like it, too.  Anna complained of a stuffy nose in the morning for a few days, but that's it.  Nothing too bad for her and we are thankful of that since her energy tank was very low by the end of last week.  We always knew that Anna's system is different, but Matt and I recently read an article that puts Anna's different energy levels in perspective.  Here's a link for those interested in how neurological fatigue affects those who have experienced a traumatic brain injury.

By Thursday (after pushing pretty hard without much of a break last weekend), Anna's tank was l-o-w.  She doesn't usually cry during therapy on Thursday afternoon, but she did last week.

Friday the kids didn't have school, which was an incredible blessing.  The kids had a low key morning while Matt and I did some outdoor work together.  Then Anna and I headed off to a birthday party/play afternoon at a friend's house while Matt took Kate and Ethan out into the field for the afternoon.  Good times were had by all.

Saturday Matt had a chainsaw training course and the kids and I had nowhere to be the whole day.  Anna and Kate stayed in their pjs ALL day.  Kate even threw on some warmer clothes over her pajamas in the afternoon to play outside in the leaf pile and the field with a neighbor.  Check out their awesome jumps!

Kate had SO much fun :)

Combine those experiences with a relatively relaxing Sunday morning (in comparison to the last 6 weeks) and everyone's tanks were refilled by the end of the weekend.  Matt and I realized how much we missed our true Anna when we noticed how different it felt when we had a cheerful and pleasant kid on our hands for all of Sunday evening and Monday morning.

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner ... then Ethan's birthday, followed close behind by all of the holiday festivities.  Whew!

IEPs and first communion!

Anna's annual IEP meeting was last Monday.  As always, the team is very supportive and encouraging, yet also ready to take Anna to the next level.  The more progress she makes, the higher the expectations are that are placed around her.

Anna's main challenges that affect her ability to learn and participate in a larger group classroom setting are: her mobility challenges, her vision challenges, and her slow processing.  Because Anna's motor skills are not where a fifth grader's should be, it takes her much longer to move around a classroom or to write anything.  Because Anna has cataracts and nystagmus, everything looks a bit blurry and hard to find.  Because the "speed limit" in Anna's brain is so much slower than a typical fifth grader's, she requires longer to think and process.  Put all of this together, and she also often experiences neurological fatigue on a scale most of us rarely experience.

Since Anna is, in the words of different members of her team, so stinkin' smart, she requires various accommodations to be successful.  Having someone else write things down for her, using word prediction software to type, having fewer problems to complete, and having extra time are all aspects written into her IEP.

These meetings drain me, mentally and emotionally.  We stopped to get Culver's for dinner that night ... yes, we sometimes reward ourselves with food around here.  Kate and Ethan also deserved a treat for always sitting in the corner of the room during these meetings playing contentedly with whatever happens to be around.

Moving on ...

This past Sunday Anna, along with several of her fellow fifth graders, received their first communion.  The special occasion was celebrated with family, church family, and friends.

My parents came to hang out with us on Saturday afternoon, and Matt's parents came on Sunday.  Anna's godparents (one of Matt's sisters and her family, and Melissa) also celebrated with us on Sunday.
 

Celebration and fellowship were enjoyed by all.

Halloween and Harvesting

Halloween went smoothly and easily at our home this year.  No nasty candy hangovers here this year :)  Thanks to the Reformation celebration at church, we had a knight and two jesters for trick-or-treating.

Although it was c-o-l-d on Tuesday night, the kids and I trekked around our little loop and had a fun time seeing neighbors.

Anna made it almost all the way using her walker, but about 2/3s of the way through, her hands were simply too cold to go on.  Thankfully, Dad came and rescued her in the black car.

Wednesday evening a college friend stayed with us as she was traveling around the Midwest for residency interviews.  We took Anna over to church and then were able to go out to dinner, just the two of us.  Fun memories :)

Fridays so far this year have been fairly wide open.  This last week Ethan was a little bummed to stay home, until ... we heard the combine out back.  Hooray for harvesting!

Not only did we watch the farmer for awhile, but we also found a few youtube videos describing how a combine works.  The day turned into a very educational one :)

Reformation and Halloween

The girls didn't have school on Thursday and Friday last week.  Whew!  It was a good break.  Thursday was kind of busy because we headed across town for my weekly Bible Study in the morning, and then the kids all came along for therapy in the afternoon.  But ... all three kids were thrilled that they got to stay in their pajamas for the morning.  It's the little things, right?

Friday afternoon Kate stayed at a friend's house for the afternoon while Anna, Ethan, and I headed over to Middleton so Anna could have her new AFOs fitted.  The appointment was long, but we came home with the new hinged, American flag patterned, bigger AFOs.

Matt also took those days off, but to continue with the fall projects around the house and yard.  Friday he rented a log-splitter and split firewood ALL DAY.  Judging by the cold weather the last week and a half, I have a feeling we will be using a decent amount of firewood this winter.

Saturday was a free day.  Well, except for the different homework assignments and other general weekend tasks.  Kate's claim to fame that day is that she stayed in her PJs all day long.  Boy, she was in heaven.

The evening ended with our family's pumpkin carving.  Ethan has been very curious this year about the pumpkins we grow in the garden vs. the pumpkins that are good for carving.  There is definitely a difference, and now the youngest member of the family is informed.

This year we picked up a pumpkin for each kid and they were able to design and draw their own carvings.

Matt used the jigsaw (again) for the actual carving process, but we made sure that each kid was at least partially responsible for cleaning out the guts.

 Anna's sensory sensitivity made her make a few funny faces while she cleaned hers out, but she did it :)

Finished products: Anna's is on the left; Ethan's is in the middle; Kate's is on the right.

Sunday was Reformation Sunday ... a BIG DEAL in our church this year.  500 years of the blessings of the Reformation were discussed, displayed, and celebrated.  Special music, festive outfits, learning opportunities for young and old, food, and entertainment.  Although it was a long morning, it was a very special celebration for a very special occasion.

The kids were offered period costumes to wear for the morning, and then had the choice to bring the costumes home for Halloween.  Yes, please.

The girls and I had about an hour of down time before going to a friend's house for our monthly "mom and me" book club meeting.  This month's selection was "Out of My Mind," a powerful book chronicling the life of an intelligent 11 year old girl with cerebral palsy who, as part of her disability, is nonverbal.  Our book club was made complete with a visit from a speech/language pathologist at a local high school who brought along various communication devices.  Exposure to experiences like this, and the wisdom with which these fifth graders approached the topic, make me wonder how this next generation of kids will choose to affect their world.

Halloween events and other news from this week will be included in the next post!