A very medical summer...

Being pregnant I knew I would be spending a lot of time at the doctor this summer, what I didn't know is how much time our family would be spending at the doctor!
In addition to seeing my OB on a very regular basis, I also had to see my eye doctor to keep a check on my eye pressure for glaucoma. Praise God - my pressure has been 17 and under and I have not had to be on my drops throughout my pregnancy!
I made the goal of having all of Reagan's appointments for kindergarten done before the end of June. Thought that would be one visit to the dentist and one to the eye doctor. It was only one visit to the eye doctor, but 3 to the dentist. She had 4 cavities in her molars so we had to go back to get them filled and she even had a 'baby root canal'.
We got through that and thought we were good to go! Boy was I wrong...
At the end of July we had back-to-back graduation parties on my dad's side of the family (that's what happens when you are 1 of 16 grandchildren). At the first party Nola got her fingers slammed in the door. Thought we might be heading to the ER, but she calmed down (thanks to the Noreen and the dog) and she was ok.
The next day we went to Blaire's party and the girls were having a great time in the jumper and playing with cousins. That evening Reagan got a large piece of wood stuck in the ball of her foot from the deck. (remember the jumper...she was not wearing shoes) Jacqui got out her first aid kit and we thought the slivers were all out.
The next day she said it still hurt but I sent her to zoo camp anyway - thinking it was just her drama. That night Pat soaked her foot in salt water and a little piece of wood came out. Thought that was it...wrong again.
On Thursday when Johanna (our neighbor who is a nurse) stopped by she looked at it and thought I should have a doctor look at it. Off to the pediatrician we went. She couldn't see anything so got us set up to see a podiatrist/orthopaedic the next day.
Oh, and keep in mind, I kept sending her to zoo camp the whole week - the poor thing was walking on her heel.
That night Nola was up in the night coughing and having trouble breathing - sounded like croup. Luckily my mom was here for a sleepover so she took one for the team and slept with Nola.
Friday morning I was off to my doctor's appointment. While I was waiting I had to call our pediatrician again to get Nola in. She ended up with a 3:30 appointment - same time I had to have Reagan at her doctor. So thankful my mom and dad were able to take Nola and I took Reagan. Nola did have croup and was put on steroids.
From Reagan's appointment we went to the hospital to have an ultrasound of her foot - sure enough, there was a 2 cm piece of wood still in her foot!
Monday morning came and the surgeon called to tell us Reagan would have surgery at 2:00 to have it out...yes, a sliver can lead to surgery!!
Reagan was a trooper through it all - she was very excited that they put a hot pink cast on her foot after surgery to keep her foot safe. She had a rough time coming out of the anaesthesia but once she fell back asleep she was much better.
5 days later the cast came off and now she is in a walking boot. Still can't swim, but it has to be cooler than the cast.
Nola got a little better but was still coughing - back to the pediatrician. The cough had turned into bronchitis - luckily the z-pack worked and she is 100%.
Now we just need a healthy baby and we'll be all set...

Bonfire!!

We finally got our act together and hosted a bonfire last week. The girls have been asking since last year's bonfire with the Erb's.
This year the Erbs, Goys and Williams joined us for quite a fun night.
Cassidy had brought us the largest marshmallows I have ever seen so that added to the fun!
The kids just had a great time playing with one another and signing Reagan's cast. Pat & Dave worked hard to get a great fire going and soon we were roasting away.
The marshmallows were so big - it was even hard to keep them on the graham cracker.
We have plenty of leftovers so I think another bonfire may be in our not-to-distant future!

Zoo Camp!!

After such a great experience last year, Reagan was very excited to be going to zoo camp again this year. And to add to the excitement - Cassidy went too! They both had a great week - and came home tired out each day. Her counselor, Annie, was great and kept them busy all morning.
On Friday we were able to go see the Zoo Camp show. Reagan & Cassidy's group performed 'Barnyard Dance' on the outside stage and did such a great job.
We then watched the other groups do their songs and puppet show before Zoo Camp came to an end.
What a great week - and I can't wait to hear all the tidbits that Reagan learned. Funny how she can't remember anything when I pick her up but weeks later she is telling me about a nocternal animal she saw there when it was cloudy.
She is well on her way to her goal of becoming a veterinarian!!

Happy Birhtday, Finn!!

I can't think of a better way to celebrate Finn's birthday than to join him, his family and friends at the Planetarium! I don't know if I had ever been there before - possibly on a field trip in school, but I can't remember.
After Reagan learned all about space in school she was very excited to be exploring the Planetarium.
They have a great kids exploration area and the girls couldn't get enough of it. They were able to put on astronaut clothes, so how astronauts sleep standing up, walk through a very black room - resembling space, and use a computer to launch a rocket.
One of the coolest things was they had rovers on a platform and the kids (or parents) could control them from a computer and the other kids could go under the platform and stick their heads through domes - very fun!
We were able to see the Big Bird show 'Big Sky'. It was fun and very comfortable seats!
We had lunch together and enjoyed delicious chocolate cake! It was such a beautiful day to be in the city - and such fun to celebrate as Finn turned 3!

And the rain came tumblin' down...

And right into our basement. We have not only had a very hot summer, we have had a very rainy summer. We got a little water on the day there was a tornado in our neighborhood but Pat was able to clean it up.
The Friday night storm didn't leave us so lucky. We woke up to puddles on our carpet so we knew it was time to tear it out. Pat and my dad worked so hard and got the carpet out quickly so the smell went out with it!
We are blessed that we didn't get as much water as other people - praying others are able to get their houses back in order soon.
We now have new carpet and a new set up downstairs - amazing how a little water can get you to clean your basement!!

Zoo Days

We are so lucky to live to close to Brookfield Zoo - and the girls love going there. Nola wanted to go for weeks - but as we drove past and saw the lines and lines of buses I couldn't bring myself to brave all of the field trips. And with it being such a hot summer it hasn't been our #1 destination.
A few weeks ago we did venture there with Michelle & Ella and Katie, Thomas & Andrew. It was fun to see animals early - before the heat really set in. The girls played in the splash pad before heading to their favorite place - Hammil Play Zoo.
They were veterinarians, birds and got their faces painted before heading home.
I am sure we will get there again soon - once its not 90 degrees and humid!!

Happy Birthday, Papa

For Papa's birthday we went out to dinner with the whole Mulcrone family (minus Dan who had diving). We had a great dinner and the girls were very excited to be celebrating with all of their family.
We went back to Grandma and Papa's house for dessert and more fun times. The girls did some great drawings with sidewalk chalk and loved their time with Bridget and Shannon.

Fun with Friends

We were lucky enough to have Shadia, Ray and Sophia visit us for a weekend this summer. Shadia and I have been friends since before we started school and it is always great to spend time with her and her family.
The girls were thrilled to have them over and even more excited that Charlie, the dog, came with them. He was a great dog and the girls couldn't get enough of playing with him.
It was fun to see how much Sophia has grown since we saw her in November. She is definitely Shadia's daughter - friendly from the moment she arrived.
The girls were also excited to try out the slip and slide that Sophia brought to them. We have used it many times - and the girls have figured out how to lounge in the end.
We had a great weekend and can't wait for our next visit!