Conquer Chiari

Our little boy Austin had spinal surgery in 2009 to correct a tethered cord. During that same time period, they diagnosed him with a Chiari Malformation. He is asymptomatic at this point, so the only treatment necessary is a brain MRI every year and a half, along with an appointment to see his neurosurgeon.

For me, this video highlights the urgency of finding a cure or alternative treatment before Austin develops symptoms.

There is a Conquer Chiari walk on September 22 of this year at locations around the country. If you live near Louisville, think about joining us.

Perm- Before and After Videos

Here's what my hair looked like yesterday:




And here is what it looks like after my perm today:



If you are interested in the specifics, I went to J. Michael's Spa and Salon and got a "flash wave" from Kara. She was a great stylist. She also cut quite a bit of length off my hair and gave me layers. I'm so happy with the result!

Extra time on my hands

Guess what?

Joseph and I are kid-free this week! My parents came to pick them up yesterday, and I'm going to pick them back up the middle of next week. Whoo Hoo!

(Disclaimer: Of course we love our kids, but everybody needs a break from time to time :)

You may be wondering what I plan to do with all this extra free time. Well, today was a washout since I worked till 2:00 and then went to the doctor (thyroid check-up and everything's fine). But tomorrow---

Tomorrow, I am getting a perm! No more straight hair for me (at least for a few months). I'm going to have curls! I figure it's about time I set a new hair trend. A few years ago, I got a short bob with bangs, and several of my friends and family members followed suit. So, if the perm thing turns out for me, it won't hurt my feelings if you all decide to try it as well :) I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures. After all, I do have a little bit of extra time for blogging this week since it is so quiet around here.

Bye for now!

JCPS Kindergarten and Academics

School is out for summer! Hurray!

Kindergarten Graduation- In case you didn't notice, Austin is sporting a new short haircut for summer.

I've written off and on about our public school experience this past year, so I thought I would give a few closing thoughts to wrap things up for summer.

I suppose our mundane is interesting for some...

Dear Grandma (and anyone else who thinks our life is interesting enough to keep reading :),

I've been meaning to respond to your email, and I thought some of my other friends and family might be interested to read about our life lately.

It was so good to see you at Jane's wedding. I can't believe my little sister is married! The wedding was just beautiful, wasn't it? Jane looked so elegant and pretty. She seems to be settling into her life on the West coast very nicely. We've skyped some, and she seems so happy with Zach. It's so romantic how they drove out west with no belongings except for what they could fit into Zach's car. Talk about starting a new life together! She's actually inspired me to do a big purge of my belongings, and I've given quite a bit of stuff away lately.

Sisters having a laugh after the ceremony.

Well, Austin is fully recovered from his tonsillectomy. I'm really happy that he wasn't too uncomfortable (or unpleasant!) while we were in Tennessee for the wedding. Austin's snoring has stopped, so the surgery must have cured the apnea. Hurray!

Lots of fun things going on at Austin's school lately. He took a field trip to the Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts a few weeks ago. Here's a picture of his art creation.

Austin made an alligator out of clay and wood. Everyone loved it!

By the way, we gave Austin a buzz cut this week. His pretty golden locks are all gone for the summer. I liked the long hair on him, but he was already sweating too much with the hot weather. It's been around 90 degrees for much of the past week or so. It will grow back.

Today, Austin had Kindergarten Graduation. Tomorrow is Field Day. He wraps up after-school soccer on Friday. Then, he has a three day weekend for Memorial Day. Tuesday is Beach Day. And, the last day of school is next Wednesday. It's all fun days from here on out- no more homework. Austin is really happy about that :)

I'll be sure to post pictures later of all the fun we are going to have this week. Love you!