Quick update

Wow, I'm definitely not a good blogger in the summer! We are enjoying our summer and are looking forward to next week. Tanner will be staying with some friends and attending police camp at the children's museum, while Jon and I attend a communication skills workshop at Texas School for the Deaf in Austin (all in ASL). When the workshop is finished, we're all excited to spend the weekend at a hotel while Jon attends a conference for work.

Tanner's migraines have not improved. Since the last post Tanner has had 2 or 3 migraines and is trying to avoid one as I'm writing this. We've increased one of the medications and changed the time we give it to him and are praying that will start working soon.

I think that Jon and I have both been down lately because of this. Wondering about the future, trying not to worry. We are trying to focus on a Father who knows the answers and holds us all tightly in His arms, but, are still sad about the pain and suffering Tanner is going through.

We would appreciate your prayers for his headaches, and specifically, that he would not have any next week while we are in Austin. Thank you for your love for our family.

It's Summer!

It's definitely summer here! We've been busy ever since school finished.

We had a great weekend in Rockport at Camp Aranzazu as soon as school ended. Our amazing hosts and friends Tammie and Tracy Shelton brought us fishing, taught us the high ropes, and showed us baby foxes. We did a few other things that weekend as well and had a memorable time!

Here is Tanner climbing the rock wall at the camp.

The day after we arrived home, Tanner began swimming lessons. He loves the pool and enjoyed being able to swim every day for two weeks!

Tanner also had his last baseball game along with the closing ceremonies and of course, a trophy!

Last week Tanner went to "Beyond the Moon" camp at the George Bush Library. He loved it! Rockets are a big interest right now, so it was a perfect thing for him to do. His favorite thing was to stand on a floor that vibrates & shakes as you watch videos of the space shuttle taking off - the first day he went on it 8 times! Eventually he had to be encouraged (AKA, forced to leave) to join the rest of the class & see some other things!

This week we have Sports Camp at our church every evening, Tanner is excited that he will be playing soccer. We're not looking forward to the heat though (high 90's)!

Health wise, things aren't as good as we wish they were. I started this post last Wednesday, and stopped because we had to bring Tanner to the ER due to another migraine. He's continued having them almost weekly and the pain seems to be worsening. Normally, the meds at the ER stop the vomiting and also take care of the headache. This time, it stopped the vomiting & helped him fall asleep, but, he still had the headache the following day. We're hoping and praying the medication that was increased a few weeks ago is still needing some time to kick in!

So, that's the latest news here! Tanner is waiting for a tennis partner, so, I'd better get going!

Birthdays and Baseball

I realized recently that Tanner has now celebrated more birthdays with us than without us! It feels like a milestone, it's so great to have had 4 years of celebrating Tanner.

What a lot of change we have seen in the last 4 years! He's learned to communicate, his personality really shines as we see his sensitivity, generosity, and humor. He's become a fun and thoughtful little boy who has grown significantly, both physically (it seems as though he's getting taller everyday) and developmentally. We love spending time with him, learning more about him, teaching him and loving him!

Tanner has been having fun playing challenger baseball this spring - some pictures are below from the season so far. He does really well hitting the ball, but is not quite as attentive on the field. He loves playing and we're so thankful he had this opportunity.

Tanner's migraines have started up again and have been occurring weekly for the past month. The medications haven't been working to stop the vomiting and he feels pretty bad. Fortunately, it usually only lasts for an evening and he feels better in the morning. He's mostly pretty cheerful despite his misery, he'll smile and sign I love you, even while vomiting, what a trooper! The doctor has recently increased one of his medications, so, we're hoping that starts working soon (it hasn't started yet, as he had another migraine tonight :( ). We would appreciate your prayers that this medication increase would start working soon, it's so hard to watch him suffer.

We're looking forward to going to Camp Aranzazu in Rockport this weekend to help them prepare for summer campers and visit with friends. It will be a nice celebration to the end of the school year!

a long-awaited visit...

We've been quiet on the blog lately as we've been busy spending time with our great friends Jim, Heather & KJ who came for a visit! We had a great time fishing, sailing, biking, playing games, drinking coffee, enjoying childrens museums, hanging out and watching the boys play (and fight) together.

Below are a few pictures from a memorable week.

On the health front, Tanner has been doing well overall. He's had a couple of migraines over the last month, but, thankfully they've been controllable without any ER visits.

We're looking forward to school being finished in a week and a trip to Rockport, swimming lessons, "Beyond the Moon" day camp, a weekend at Texas School for the Deaf with other deaf children & their families, and sports camp at church - and that's just June!

Tanner's New Bike

Tanner received new wheels for his bike from Aunt Nece & Uncle Steele for his birthday. Jon attached them to the bike we bought him a few weeks ago & then built a new trailer for Tanner to haul things around. Here's my first video editing attempt to show off the new bike! Tanner is LOVING it!

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