July update, so many things to celebrate!

On July 7th, Josiah started a new phase of treatment called maintenance.  This is a significant milestone  because the intensity of medicine and side effects will be lessened.  His hair is already starting to grow back.  He will only go to the clinic once a month for certain chemotherapy and take the rest of his chemo by pills at home each day.  Each month he will have five days of steroids and I truly hope that we all learn how to deal with that well as we get used to this new routine.  He is not himself, it is hard for the girls to understand, and it has been a challenge for me to know how to parent through it.  If he continues to do as expected, he will complete chemo treatments Feb. 2016.

In addition to regularly supervising this year's mini garden, Mary has been busy setting up a library.  I have loved every minute of watching her ponder which books to include in her collection, consider different ways to sort and label books, stick pockets in books, write on checkout cards, and learn to use a date stamp.  Opening week brought a handful of patrons who each graciously checked out just a few books as well as her first official story time.  For those interested, her library is open by appointment in our home.  Whose kid is this anyway?

Stella has been embracing the power of the stool.  Why wait to grow when you can get into way more stuff by climbing.  She has successfully transitioned to a toddler bed, loves baths, loves all things girly, loves brushing her teeth (aka sucking the fluoride free toothpaste off the brush) and has mastered her scream.  When she is not busy getting into things, she enjoys thinking of new ways to get into things.


I have recently had a dream come true.  Aaron and I have begun to work with wood together.  We have put shelves in one closet and in our utility room.  Awhile back I caught myself saying something like "In my other life I would have been a woodworker".  I have said things like that before, but this time I decided it was ridiculous to continue saying that.  So we bought some wood, and built some shelves, and bought more wood, and bought a saw, and build more shelves, and started designing a mud room/nook….  I'm so excited!

We enjoyed time with our friends the Harts during a recent visit from Kansas

Forth of July enthusiasm.

4th of July fireworks painting...explosive.