Owen at the Dentist, Doctor, and Hospital

Owen says that if he never has to see a doctor again- that's okay with him.  These two past week, it has been one thing after another.  The one "scheduled" thing that Owen had was a dentist appointment.  This was his first cleaning, and he did a great job.  He actually liked sticking the flouride in his mouth, and he really liked the stickers, toothbrush, and toy that he got at the end of the appointment.

On the same day as Owen's dental appointment, he had an appointment with the otolaryngologist (aka- the ear, nose, and throat doctor).  There has been an on-going issue with Owen's ears.  We first realized that something was wrong when Owen failed his Pre-K hearing screening in May.  We went to an audiologist for a more extensive screening- which he also failed.  We were then referred to the otolaryngologist who determined that Owen had fluid built up in his ears.  The doctor tried to clear up the problem with medication, but it didn't work.  He told us that Owen was going to have to have tubes.  Before leaving that day, we made the appointment to have the surgery the following week.  Unfortunately, this would not be Owen's last doctor's appointment of the week.  On Saturday Owen started running a fever and on Sunday he developed a rash all over his torso. I took him to convenient care where he was diagnosed with scarlet fever.  Scarlet fever!  Who gets scarlet fever?  I didn't even know that that disease was still around.  The good news is that Owen recovered from it relatively quickly and was still able to have his ear surgery on Friday.

 Owen did great with his ear surgery.  I was a little nervous because they had to put him to sleep, but it turned out well.  There was no serious reaction to the anesthesia.  He was a little grouchy when he came to, but the nurses gave him a couple of popsicles and he felt better pretty quickly.  Today is the day after surgery, and he is acting like his normal self.  He has handled these last two weeks like a champ.  Hopefully these tubes will make a big difference in his hearing and his speech.

Summer Waves

A few months ago I purchased a Groupon for Summer Waves, a waterpark on Jekyll Island.  The deal was just too good to pass up (more than 50% off the price of admission).  Since summer is coming to an end, we decided that we needed to go ahead and use the tickets while we still could.  So, Brian and I loaded the kids up and drove to the Golden Isles.  The kids had a ball at the waterpark.  There were two kiddie areas for them to enjoy.  The newer kiddie area had one of those buckets that fills up and then dumps on everyone standing under it.  This was Olivia's favorite thing, and she stood under the bucket getting "dumped on" many many times.  In the same area, there were little guns that shot water.  Owen liked playing with those the best.  In addition to the kiddie areas, there were also slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river.  The kids were happy to learn that they were tall enough to go down three of the large slides.  That's much better than the one large slide that they can ride at Wild Adventures.  Our day at Summer Waves was a success, and it was definitely worth the (deeply discounted) price of admission.

A Visit from the Cook Clan

 My cousin, Pam, and her family visited over Labor Day weekend, and we had two wonderful evenings of good food and good company.  The kids have certainly grown since I last saw them.  I am sad to say that TWO of them are now taller than I am (and it probably won't be long until the third one is, too).   Pam's family is also hosting a German exchange student (Tim) this year.  It was neat to hear him compare life in Germany v/s the U.S.  While everyone was thrilled to see the Cook clan,  Owen was especially excited to get to have a boy to hang out with.  He has deemed Benjamin as "cool".  Here are some pictures that I took / stole from Pam.

Megan's House Duathlon

The Megan's House Heels and Wheels Duathlon is a local race that raises money for Megan's House- an Easter Seals program.  I participated in this last year and enjoyed it so much that I decided to do it again this year.  I felt fairly confident going into the duathlon this time because I had done one before and knew what to expect.  It also helped that I had a new road bike (that I love).  A few things were different this time.  To begin with, a mile was added to the second "run" portion of the race.  This meant that I had to run 2 miles, bike 13, and then run 3 more miles.  Another change was that a triathlon was added.  Most people who were at the race were doing the triathlon- including my friend Amy who you see in the picture with me.  I ended up being the only person in my age division for the duathlon, so I won the age group award with a time of 1:39:05.  I was watching what the triathletes were doing, and it didn't look too bad.  I think I may try to do that next year.  We'll see how it goes.

Bring-a-Friend to Wild Adventures

 I mentioned before that we had purchased season passes to Wild Adventures this year.  One of the perks of having the passes is that we occasionally get the opportuinty to obtain free bring-a-friend tickets.  We got some of these tickets in July and had until Labor Day to use them.  So, this weekend we took some of our favorite people with us and had a fun day at the park.  Olivia and Owen loved having their aunts, uncle, and cousins with them.  We rode rides, saw the Tigers of India show, and played at the water park.  I think that everyone had a good time.

Amazing Race Champions

The Toys R Us crew participated in dominated Valdosta's Amazing Race this year.  This event is a fundraiser sponsored by the United Way of Valdosta.  Brian and four of his co-workers made up the team.  This group had to solve clues that led to eleven different locations around the city.  Once they arrived at a location, they had to complete a task.  Only after completing the task could they be given the clue to the next location.  The tasks ranged from painting ceiling tiles at the YMCA- to construction work at Habitat for Humanity- to sorting and folding uniforms at the Red Cross.  All of the locations that they visited were connected to the United Way.  The Toys R Us team was the first to come in (by a long shot), and was awarded the championship trophy.  I never doubted that the TRU crew would win.  They have fabulous teamwork at that store, and I knew that if even a fraction of that teamwork transferred to this event then the other teams wouldn't stand a chance.  Good job, guys!!

This is Taryn Chichina

After hearing the testimony of a child who was sponsored through the Compassion program at Sunday School this week, the Lord put it on my heart to become involved in this ministry.  In her testimony, the girl from Kenya spoke of how she grew up in a small hut in the slums of Nairobi.  The hut had a dirt floor, and a roof that leaked when it rained.  When it did rain, the family had to huddle in the corner- and even after it stopped raining they couldn't go to sleep because the floor was sopping wet.  There was no plumbing or waste management system, so there was trash and human waste everywhere.  Crime and disease run rampant in these slums, and many of the kids born in these circumstances never leave.  The turning point for this girls' life was the day that she learned she had been sponsored by a couple in Oregon.  Her entire family rejoiced because they knew that their child would now receive a steady source of food.  In addition to this, though, the girl also received an education and came to know the Lord.  The girl giving the testimony is currently on scholarship to study education at the University in Nairobi.  She is also a servant of the Lord who gives her testimony across the globe.  Her happiness as a child and potential as an adult was completely changed- and all of this was possible because a family in Oregon decided to give $38 a month to help someone else out.  I cannot imagine anything better to spend $38 dollars a month on.  This is why I have decided to make a long-term commitment to this program.  My money is going to sponsor this beautiful child named Taryn Chichina.  She was born about a month after Olivia in 2006.  Her mother has passed away.  Her father is alive but is not in the picture for some reason.  She lives with her five siblings and her grandmother in Kenya.  This family is in extreme need.  I am so excited about sponsoring this child that I can barely contain myself.  I hope that this makes a difference for her and her family.  I look forward to sending her letters and to being a part of her life as she grows up.  Since Olivia is the same age as this girl, I hope that they can also develop a correspondence.  Please pray for Taryn and her family.