new school

today is casey's first day at St. David's Episcopal School. we worship at St. David's church, and i have always heard the sweetest, greatest things about their little school. children can start in the bright beginnings program as early as 16 months, and the school goes up through kindergarten.

casey and i arrived, monkey in hand, and made our way to the courtyard, where he immediately found some basketballs. this child loves athletic balls, all kinds. he brought them to me, saying, "momma, momma," which i translated to "look, momma, so big!" as i was snapping pictures, he walked over to a tricycle and climbed right on! such a big boy! his feet didn't reach the pedals, but he was content just sitting and watching the other children arrive and play, as in true casey fashion.

we then made our way to his room with the bright purple door, and casey met miss leslie, his new teacher. i got to watch him walk around the room for a few minutes before i had to leave. all i heard were his cries and little feet running after me.

i told myself i should be used to this feeling - casey's been in daycare for over a year now. but i couldn't hold it in. as i walked back through the main building, big tears were falling fast down my cheeks. the accountant, who knows me from church, offered a Kleenex and a hug, and the head of school, sweetest lady, said she'd call. and she did, two hours later, with news that casey was doing just great and was presently in a reading circle.

maybe it was because it's a new place and a new step. the years before pre-school. the fact that my 17-month-old little boy is in "school." oh my love, my heart. thank you, precious Lord. here's to a great year of learning and discovering, of finding Jesus and singing praises. 

praise

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

How great are your works, O Lord!

Your thoughts are very deep!
 

Psalm 92:1-5

17 months and a new car!

happy 17 months to my precious boy today! momma made a trip to toys r us on sunday ... sometimes i think casey is getting bored with his toys, so i want to liven it up. i also want toys that challenge him and teach him things. but, all boys must have fun, too! so casey got his first coupe, and he loves it! we took it outside after trevor put it together, and casey didn't show too much interest. but back inside, it was all he wanted. he sat in it, opened and closed the door a thousand times, waved, and said "bye, bye!" i was thinking this morning, he sees me do this everyday as we pull out of our driveway. we look back at the house and wave bye, bye to roxy.

casey is oh-so-precious. when i ask for a kiss now, down on my knees, he walks right up to me and gives a kiss so willingly! and sometimes, out of nowhere, he runs toward me with outstretched arms and wants a hug. makes time stand still. nani and aunt lacey joined us for church on sunday. nani carried casey back from communion and as trevor and i were coming back just behind them, he saw us and squealed with delight. love. thank you, Lord, for my beautiful baby boy.

adenoidectomy

how's that word for you? ha. i was informed today that casey will have to have his enlarged adenoids removed (tissue behind the nose). however, we have an appointment with dr. moe scheduled for september 12, so we will wait till after this meeting. but early prayers do no harm... we thank you for them.

frappe fetish

i am work this morning and should be writing one of my articles for the next diocesan newspaper. i will. i will because i stopped by mcdonald's this morning and got a mocha frappe. just go try one. they are awesome. thanks, lace, for the introduction. of course, my sister and i are chocolate LOVERS, and if you ask for extra chocolate syrup, it gets even better! now i have my motivation... go get one!

casey's congestion

everywhere we go, people hear casey breathe, and they ask us, "gosh, does he always sound like that?" i guess we have grown used to the sound, used to the drainage, used to the boogers! but bless his heart, casey is always congested. our pediatrician keeps talking about allergies, but we can't take him to a specialist until he's two years old. and in the meantime, claritin and zyrtec are not helping at all.

this morning casey had a check-up with his ENT, dr. moe (wonderful doctor). it's been almost 8 months since dr. moe put tubes in casey's ears. since then, the boy's ears always look wonderful and there have been no more ear infections! it's just the rest of the head and sinus cavity that are always stopped up. dr. moe was very concerned about his congestion, and he asked me about casey and snoring. honestly i've been concerned about his snoring, because it's really picked up over the past month, and lately, casey seems to be a 100% mouth breather.

dr. moe noticed his tonsils were aggravated as well. so this afternoon, we are going to have his adenoids x-rayed. it will take a few days to get the results, and a follow-up appointment is scheduled next month. however, if they are inflamed as well and blocking his airway passages, casey may have to have his adenoids and possibly his tonsils removed. i can't stand the thought of seeing him under stronger anesthesia than when his ear tubes went in, or seeing him with an IV hooked up to his little arm. but i do know that casey has never been able to breathe clearly, and we want to help him in any way we can. i also know, that so many precious children endure illnesses and complications much worse than this, and most importantly, i know our Heavenly Father will watch over him (and us) as we continue to seek Him and His plan.

austin

this past weekend we visited trevor's sister, audrey, and her family in austin. it had been a year since we were last at their house... a year, and it's only an hour's drive. sheeesh. well at least we made it, and i'm so glad we did, because i love visiting her and her family. we laugh, we visit, we shop, it's great.

saturday audrey and i went to ikea (of course) while casey napped, and then it was off to the Round Rock Aquatics Center, awesome! this place was great. it's a huge pool with areas 1-foot deep and others just over 3 feet. it has a lazy river, where you can float on tubes, and tons of slides and toys for kids of all ages. braeden jumped right in. casey, well, he liked momma's lap for quite a while. once the snacks came out, though, he was all about it.

we also visited uncle tom's restaurant, ski shores. we had gone last summer as well. great little place right on lake austin. boats cruise right up to it. casey loved it. he got to run and play, pick the flowers, and eat french fries! we had a great time, as usual. sweet summertime, hot and wonderful.