Keegan

Keegan went to the dentist for the first time this summer.  Landon and I also had appointments that day and Keegan was super excited.  He couldn't wait to go and asked me all week how many more days until he could go.  I hope he always likes going to the dentist!  He sat so still and did great!

Patiently waiting in the chair

 Getting ready

 Being so good and still while they counted his teeth and cleaned them

 The first time we were in Illinois this summer, Keegan had some allergic reactions.  He broke out in hives and his eyes were swollen also.  Two of the times there were dogs around so I thought it might be that, but we couldn't figure out the other time.  When we came back home, we saw his pediatrician and she did some blood work to test for allergies.  It turns out that he is allergic to many things including cats, dogs, mold and trees.  His numbers for having a fish allergy were also extremely high.  Since there were multiple things that showed up on the blood test, they recommended that we see a pediatric allergist.  Milk, eggs and wheat were very minor allergies also that the allergist said not to even worry about.  Cats and dogs were pretty significant, but he just needs an antihistamine for those.  The only allergies that are life threatening are food allergies.  His milk allergy was .3.  So…I asked about his fish allergy and it was 19.7, much higher.  Since we eat a lot of fish, I wanted to do the scratch test to see if he was really allergic and to see what kinds of fish would bother him.  The allergist did a scratch test with all types of white fish.

Here is the picture as soon as she put the fish oil on him.  

 This is what he looked like 5-10 minutes into the test.  

All of those welts means that he was having an allergic reaction.  So, it turns out he can't ingest any fish.  He has never liked fish (probably because it makes him so sick) so that is good at least.  We just need to be a lot more careful with fish around him.  He has an Epi pen that we would have to use if he would ever ingest any type of fish and have trouble breathing or have a reaction.  Weirdly, shell fish is not an allergy for him but we wouldn't even try it.  We also realized that the other time he had a reaction in Illinois was when we had a fish fry at my parents house.  Even though he didn't eat any, he was around it.  

I hate that he has allergies and will have to deal with this his whole life, but Keegan is such a trooper. He did great getting blood drawn, didn't even flinch.  He was also amazing with the scratch test.  He played with toys the whole time and never complained except for saying his back itched.  He has reactions that have to itch him and bother him like crazy and he does so well with them.

On an exciting note, Keegan starts Preschool this year.  I can't believe it and it makes me sad, but he is so excited about it so I love that!  He will meet his teachers on September 8th and start September 10th. This year he will just go for two mornings a week.  He is going to Fit by Five, which is were Landon also went.  I will keep you posted with First Day of School pics for both of the boys!

Summer Fun

Although we weren't home much this summer, we did some fun things while we were here.  Matt and I bought the boys a water slide off of Craigslist last spring, so they finally got to try it out this summer.  It is a lot of fun for them and they both love it!  We don't get it out all the time, but it's a nice treat for them sometimes! We plan to use it more next summer when we are here! One morning we had Landon's friend, Vivian, and her brothers over to use it.  (Forgot to take pictures)  That same afternoon, Landon and our neighbors played on it while Keegan took his nap.

Here is the whole gang….

Landon loving it!

 Short break to eat popsicles!

Landon and Keegan both learned to ride new bikes this summer.  Landon learned last year how to ride a two-wheeler without his training wheels, but he got a new bike from Santa that was too big for him until this summer.  Keegan learned to ride his two-wheeler with training wheels this summer.  Both of these pictures make them look so big :(

Keegan on his bike

 Landon on his new bike

 One night we had a fire, made s'mores, and Matt camped out in the tent with the boys.  They had a blast!  Keegan came in to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and then decided to stay in and sleep with me, but he made it most of the night!

Reading their bedtime stories

 Here are some pictures of the boys playing at a park that is right by church and right by where Landon takes piano lessons.  

4th of July

We had just made it back home late on July 3rd from our two weeks in Illinois, Indiana, and then back to Illinois.  So….we were pretty low key for the 4th of July this year.  We spent the day at home just hanging out and then we went to see Fireworks that night.  Here are some pictures from the day:

The boys wearing their 4th of July shirts and shoes

 Landon helped Matt wash the car (apparently he needed his goggles! )

 Landon and Lilli had a lemonade stand at the end of our driveway

 Family pic in our 4th of July gear before Fireworks

 Landon and Keegan getting ready for the fireworks

The boys watching the fireworks….so excited!! :)

Happy Belated 4th everyone…hope you all had a great day!

Grandpa

On the morning that we were leaving Michigan City, I got a call from my mom that my grandpa wasn't doing very well.  He had been in bad health for a number of years, but he always surprised us.  We had been in Illinois before Michigan City and were supposed to head back to Ohio that day.  We debated for awhile  what to do and decided to head to Illinois.  Thank goodness we did.  I made it to the hospital by 4 pm and sat with my family for the rest of the night until we said goodbye to my sweet grandpa around 9:30 pm.  We lost him on June 28, 5 weeks after we lost Granny.  They were married for 65 years and they didn't know how to live apart from each other.

After my grandma passed away, my poor grandpa broke his hip.  He made it through surgery and then he got double pneumonia.  He made it through that too, but then it was just his time to go.  There is always a plan, and this was his plan.  Grandpa was sick for far longer than Granny was, but I think he stayed around to take care of her.  Grandpa was so strong and he battled for so long.  The poor guy went through so much.  When Granny was gone, he was ready to be with her again.  

It still is so hard for me to realize that both of them are gone.  We lost them in such a short amount of time, and it was and definitely is still really hard.  It gives me comfort to know that they are both together again though and completely pain free!!!  I know they are cracking everyone up in heaven and still the life of the party.  

My grandpa was a guy who could make and fix anything.  He built so many things for me.  Some of my favorite things are the trophy shelves I had in my room growing up, a little rocking chair for my boys, and my all-time favorite thing he made me is the bedroom outfit that we use now.  He made us our bed, a chest, a dresser and a night stand.  There is a plaque on our bed that is engraved with Granny and Grandpa's name and I love it!!  I think of them every night when I go to bed and I know they are looking down on me and watching over all of us.  

Although some people might think my grandpa was intimidating or grumpy, he was a giant teddy bear to me.  He definitely told things like they were and I had to make the boys cover their ears several times so they didn't learn his vocabulary, but he was super sweet too.  He loved to play with the boys, get them all riled up and make them laugh.  He would tickle them and get them so wound up! I remember him doing that to me when I was a kid too!!! 

The past few years (or ever really) he didn't prefer to talk to people when they called.  If Granny wasn't there, he wouldn't answer the phone.  However, they had a caller ID that came across the TV when someone called and Grandpa would almost always pick up the phone and talk to me when I called.  It didn't matter if Granny was there or not, he would still talk to me and I loved it!  It was nice to always catch up with him, even if for just a couple of minutes.  We would talk about the weather, Days of our Lives, the birds and the squirrels and the boys.  I always asked how he was doing and no matter what he would always say, "Well pretty good!"  If Granny wasn't there and I asked where she was, it was always a funny story.  Either he didn't know, she should have been home by then, or he would rattle off exact details with the times.  He always surprised me and I loved our talks….thanks for picking up, Grandpa!!! :)

I loved watching Grandpa open his Christmas presents.  We would all open presents one at a time from youngest to oldest.  We would open one present and then it would be the next person's turn, so you had to wait awhile until it was your turn again.  Grandpa would open his present and then instantly start opening his next present.  He couldn't wait and would love to peek and he was so fun to watch!!  As I got older, I liked watching Grandpa more than I liked opening my own presents.

I was so blessed to have the 4 best grandparents that anyone could ask for, and I was definitely blessed to have each of them as long as I did.  Grandpa Haseley was my last one, which made it especially difficult to say goodbye.  However, I know that they are all together now and watching over all of us.  

I just posted lots of pics of my grandparents when I did Granny's post, so I will just post a few more now.  This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandpa.  He would have been 87 in November and this is when he turned 85!! 

 This is a picture that I just found today of Granny with my boys.  I love it, so I thought I would share it with you.

This is our bedroom outfit that we love so much.  We are so blessed to forever have a piece of Granny and Grandpa with us!!
Our bed and nightstand

The Plaque on our head board

The dresser

Thanks for all the great times and memories, Grandpa!  You and Granny will be forever missed.  We love you guys!  Until we meet again...

Michigan City

I met three of my best friends (Autumn, Brittany, and Meghan) and their families in Michigan City for a mini-vacation at the end of June.  We had such a great time, as always.  Although we usually only see each other once a year at Thanksgiving, we can always just pick up where we left off and it's like we hang out all the time.  Obviously us four girls have always gotten along, but what makes everything so much better is the fact that all of our husbands and kids get along too.  We have so much fun when we are together for just a few hours, so getting to spend four days together was heaven!  We all stayed together in one big house that was AMAZING and we didn't want to leave!  I'm so blessed to have these girls (and their families) in my life.  I don't know what I would do without them :)  Here is a reminder of the families:

Heuring:  Tim, Meghan, Chloe (5), Grant (3)

Usalis:  Mike, Autumn, Aspen (5), Skylar (3)

Welk:  Doug, Brittany, Mykah (3)

Here are some pictures from our fun vacation…enjoy!!

Day 1:  We couldn't check into our house until 4 pm, but we wanted vacation to start earlier than that, so we met at noon at Indiana State Park to have a picnic lunch, go to the beach, and go to the Indiana Dunes.  Everyone had a blast!  

The kids (minus Grant who didn't want his picture taken yet) at the beach

Mike burying the kids feet in the sand

All the kids with their buried feet

My crazy boys

The dads took all the kids to run up the Dunes.  Here is Landon halfway up.

Landon and Keegan towards the top

At the top…everyone made it!!!

After the beach, we headed to our house.  I think all of the kids fell asleep on the way, but unfortunately, it was only 20 minutes.  When we got unloaded, the girls went to the grocery store and picked up pizza to eat for dinner.  

Here are the kids eating on the screened in porch

This is the boardwalk at the back of our house

After dinner, we all just hung out.  The kids watched a little show before dinner and the adults played games when the kids went to bed.

All the kids on the couch downstairs

Day 2:  When we woke up, the dads decided to take the kids kayaking and paddle boarding on a little lake that our house was on.  There was a viewing deck right in our back yard, so the moms could watch and take pictures!  This pic kind of shows you part of the lake behind all the houses.  It is taken from the screened in porch.

Matt with the boys in the Kayak…looks like they loved it!

 All the dads with the kiddos in the kayaks.

 Time for a switch…Mike took Aspen first and then traded for Skylar.  Tim took Chloe first and then traded for Grant.  All the kids got to ride in the kayaks.  

 Matt dropped Keegan off after kayaking and took Landon out on the paddle board.  Landon sat while Matt paddled.  It made me very nervous but it all worked out!

 Chloe, Landon and Aspen watching everyone on the lake.

 Later that morning, we took the kids to the pool that was just right down the street.  The air was pretty chilly, but the water was really warm so the kids still had fun!

Aspen, Chloe and Skylar walking to the pool

The kids swimming

After the pool, it was time for lunch and naps back at the house.  For dinner that night, the dads cooked brats, hot dogs, mac and cheese and fruit for themselves and the kids.  The moms got to go out for dinner!!!  

Here we are, all ready to go out!

We thought dinner would take much longer than it did, so we also had some ice cream before we headed back to the house.  Since we were home so early, we took over and the guys headed to a brewery.  They got home just when the kids were going to bed, and all of us just hung out again after that.  

Before the kids went to bed, they watched a movie and had some popcorn.  Here they are!

Day 3:  This was supposed to be our beach day, but the weather didn't cooperate.  It was chilly and windy in the morning.  We just hung out for a little while in the morning until we figured out what to do. 

Here are some of the kids eating breakfast

The kids looking at the lake after breakfast

We decided to head to a park by the pool instead.  The park had sand volleyball, basketball courts, an open field and a playground.  

This is the only picture I can seem to find from our park visit.

After the park, we decided to eat lunch at the house and then take the kids for ice cream.  What started as such a slow day turned into lots of fun and adventures.  

Here are the kids at the ice cream shop.  It was much warmer where the ice cream shop was because it was downtown, not on water!

After ice cream, some kids went to take naps.  The Usalis family headed to the beach, along with Matt and Landon.  Here are some beach pictures!

Aspen buried in the sand

Landon buried in the sand

Skylar buried in the sand

Since it was pretty chilly, the beach crew wasn't gone long.  We all went to another park right by our house after naps and had a blast!  We wish we would have found this park sooner!

Aspen and Landon on the tire swing

 Mykah and Keegan on the regular swings

 Keegan on the trampoline

 Keegan and Mykah on the tire swing

 Me and my girls…Brittany, Autumn, me, Meghan

 Our whole group…..all 15 of us!!!

 I don't have any pictures of the challenge we did at the park, but it was so fun!  There was an obstacle course set up for all of us to do a challenge.  The kids all did their challenge, the girls did their challenge and the boys did their challenge!  It was a blast!  The guys had been doing challenges with each other the entire trip.  Every time one of them lost an event (corn hole, board games, the obstacle course, etc.) they got a strike.  The first guy to have 3 strikes had to jump in the lake behind our house.  Spoiler alert:  Tim lost, but Mike jumped in with him this night around 11 pm….hilarious!!!!

After all the park fun, we headed back to the house to cook dinner.  We had hamburgers and basically anything else that we needed to eat in the fridge since it was our last night.  After dinner, we had a fire and made s'mores.

Love this pic of Skylar and Grant playing together before dinner.

Getting ready for s'mores.  This was in the backyard of the house.  I took the pic from the screened in porch up above

 Keegan eating his marshmallow

Landon eating his s'more

Keegan, Landon, Aspen and Chloe getting ready for their dance party on the porch

Family pic at the fire

After Tim and Mike jumped in the lake (and the kids were in bed), the adults played more games and hung out before bed.  All of us had our own rooms to sleep in at night, but the kids wanted to have a sleep over.  We bribed them the first two nights and said if they were good, they could have a sleep over the last night.  Landon, Aspen, and Chloe did not forget that.  So…we rearranged a couple things and let those three sleep in the office where the pull out couch was.  They insisted on sleeping in their sleeping bags instead.  

Here they are getting ready for their sleep over

And here they are once they were asleep

Day 4:  This was the day we had to leave.  We had to be out of the house by 10 am….so sad!

Here are some kiddos eating breakfast

 One last group picture of all the kids on the stairs

 One last group picture of the adults (taken by the kids) on another set of stairs

Landon, Grant, and Mykah watching a show before we left.

I thought I took pictures of our house in Michigan City but I can't find them right now.  I will post them  later if I find them!

What a great trip!  Can't wait to go back and do it all over again!  Thanks for a great time, girls!  Love you all (and your families) and miss you tons!!!  :)