Random events

We've had all sorts of fun the last few weeks, oh and some coughs and colds thrown in to the mix too.

• Trav and I went to Bryan Adams a few weeks ago. He played in the main concert hall at NDSU. He was amazing and we could have listened to him for longer than the 2+ hours he played. It was an acoustic performance, which was even more incredible. He's 50 now and he can still really play - we tried not to remind ourselves that the last time we saw him was nearly 18 years ago. Adams was 32...ouch! That's way younger than what we are now!
• We enjoyed a production of Geppetto and Son, put on by a local middle school. It was wonderful - we all had a great time.
• We're going to start monitoring Carson's blood sugar. We're suspecting he may have blood sugar swings which in turn can lead to some really grumpy Carson behavior at times. He's just not himself when these swings happen, so we are somewhat hoping there is a medical reason behind it all. The strategy would be to have snacks that would sustain him - high in protein snacks. This does NOT mean Carson is diabetic, we're just taking a look at his blood sugar levels.
• While we won't know until next week, we are preparing for the potential of Grace no longer having in-come care eligibility by the end of this month. There have been extensive cuts to some programs in Minnesota. The PCA program has been hit hard. It's a blessing and a challenge all in one. We are thankful Grace has qualified for as long as she has...it has been wonderful to have her in-home for this long. If she no longer qualifies, that is a wonderful sign of progress. We've spent quite a bit of time researching and checking out various centers this past week. We are thrilled that we have found a place! It's just a few minutes from our home, they have openings (no easy feat to find) and are structured with a Montessori curriculum. We toured the school yesterday and in many, many, many ways feel it is a wonderful match for Grace. The staff has experience with 'sensory' kids and the environment lends itself to experiential learning. The socialization and peer interaction will be wonderful for Grace as well. This is certainly an instance of seeing God's work in action - what may be seen as a closed door is truly an open window.
• Speaking of open windows, prayers are working for Papa Ron, Nana Jane and their little sweetie as plans are made to find him a forever family. Please continue to keep all of them in your prayers.
• We were tuned in every day to the Olympics and snuggled for hours on the couch watching the coverage. We cheered on the amazing athletes and learned more and more about each sport. Carson loved halfpipe snowboarding and was amazed by slalom snowboarder, Chris Klug. Chris had a liver transplant in 2000 and was a bronze medalist in 2002. Grace's favs were speed skating (she would shout 'Go! Go! Go! Go!' regardless of who was racing) and any form of ski jumping (but the more flips the better). During commercials she would request to watch baseball. She is quite the little sports nut!
• As you all know, despite Team USA's men's hockey win again Team Canada part-way through the hockey round robin, Team USA wasn't able to pull it off again. It was rather tense in our house those two Sundays. ;) Trav wouldn't let me body paint the kids with red, white and blue. Too far?!? Grace would alternate between chanting for "USA!" and "ABC!". Hey - they are all letters!!! The Gold-Silver medal game was great though. I just won't mention a certain foot rub that I still owe someone...
• "THE FLOOD" is the hot topic around here once again. Feels like we just got our community back to normal and cleaned up and here we go again! With our ground very saturated late last fall, combined with substantial snowfall and living in a flat, flat, flat (think dining room table flat) valley, the conditions are prime once again. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when and how high. Volunteer efforts began last Monday to start filling sandbags on both sides of the river. Of course, they have to be kept in a warm area - sandbags can't freeze. (There should be a minor in sandbagging at area colleges/universities - there are so many little nuances with those crazy things!). Anyway, we know the flood won't hit until later - probably in April - our melt is much more behind last year's (unless we suddenly have some tropical days). We're in the midst of nice mid-to-upper 30's days and freezing at night, which is perfect. A slow thaw is what we need (and no more precip). Our local paper will have tons of coverage - here's the link to The Forum.
• I'm not going to talk about how we're having a birthday party this weekend. I'm not going to comment on a certain little girl growing up way too fast and turning three. Hrmph! Not ready for her to be called a preschooler instead of a toddler. It's time for this Mama to throw a bit of a tantrum over this and pout. 'Cause I know that will make me feel better. ;-)