Horses

This is the girls on the horses at the Fourth of July celebration.

Fourth of July

We stayed local and celebrated in our historic downtown. Everything was free and the girls had a great time. A got to bounce in a jumping thing and K made a sand art bottle. Both of them got to ride ponies/horses. We ate carnival food and then settled down in the back of the van to watch the fireworks. They had just finished when the rain poured down so we were lucky. It was a wonderful and relaxing day since we cancelled suit therapy for the day. Our thanks go out to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country. A special thanks goes to my brother Stephen, retired infantry in the USMC.


Here's a picture of the girls on the Fourth of July.

Fourth birthday

K had a wonderful fourth birthday. We celebrated at Grandma's house. She had an angel food cake with blue whipped cream on top for the "ocean". Then we put ocean creatures on top. She thought it was great. It was a water birthday and she received a swimming pool, a swimsuit, and some swim accessories. She also got a toe piano (you're supposed to play it standing up). This is a great toy for her because she can lay on the floor and roll around on it to make all kinds of music.

Bench sitting

Well, let's just say she's not a big fan. Some people say that suit therapy is just torture. I think K would have agreed at this moment. Fortunately, the receptionist who has fallen in love with K brought her a banana and after a 30 minute screaming session, K finally quieted down.

Suit with helmet

These are some pictures of her in the whole suit (with the hat). We didn't use the cords on the hat because she's just getting used to it. The rest of the cords, however, are adjusted to help her body move in space better and give her some support in her trunk. They also provide resistance which is good for when she is walking.

Suit Therapy

This is a picture of K in her suit. Here is what's called "the spider" because of the 8 bungees (4 in the front and 4 in the back) attached to her. She really enjoys a game they play where they push her down to the floor and she has to lift them back up. This works on her extensor muscles in her back and her head control. Then they lean her all the way back and she has to pull up to a standing position. This shows her in the suit. Also, she is wearing knee imobilizers just for some stability. She does love this game, but it's very tiring for her.

House update

This is our house....we took this picture before we made our two week vacation. While we were gone they tore it down because they put the garage on the wrong side. Major oops! By the time we returned, however, it was back to where it was when we left. We are glad that the mistake was now rather than later. Hopefully, everything else will go very smoothly.

Pennsylvania trip

We went to Pennsylvania after West Virginia and had a wonderful time. As always, it was great to see the family. We didn't do as much as we had planned to do while there because both K and myself were sick, but we still had a good time. We went to the Philly Zoo and to Dorney Park. The girls loved the zoo. K's favorite was the elephant. A's favorite was the polar bear. My favorite was the tortoise with a disability. He was so cute. He broke his leg a while back and it never healed properly so they put him up on a dolly and strap it to his back. This gives him mobility! It was so exciting to see. This is a picture of him. A also loved going to the candy store. My favorite trip was Dorney Park. I love all the wild rides.

Granny and K

It's obvious to me in this picture just how much K loves Granny. The feeling is obviously mutual. We learned in our visit that Granny's job around the house while growing up was to take care of Junie, another little boy with cerebral palsy. Because of this, she feels right at home with little K and takes great care of her. She even got down on the floor to play with her and kept her well-fed and happy during our entire visit.

Hiking in WV

We found all sorts of interesting things when hiking in WV with Mims. That was the highlight of A's trip. She found some bones of animals and decided she wanted to be a palentologist. Then, she found a dead beaver (who was shot by a local) and decided she wanted to be a veternarian. She was very saddened by the beaver, but it opened the way to an excellent conversation about conservation and the circle of life. This is a picture (albeit not a very good one) of a heart shaped pond on the left that A thought was very cool. On the right is a picture of her holding a caterpillar on a stick that she found. She liked to hold them, but didn't like them to move while she was holding them. Mims helped her pick up quite a few of them. She wanted to rescue the caterpillars by moving them off the road. The outfit is one that she and Mims picked out together. She loves it!

More Dress Up

A on the left with an outfit she picked out herself. Can you tell she has a wild streak? On the right is K the skunk.