Enjoying our grass

We have really been enjoying our grass.  We had a slight mishap with over watering it, and therefore watering our dirt and street too, but short of that, we've been spending a lot of time runnning and playing in it.  Today we decided to have a picnic outside.  The weather is getting warm but it is still enjoyable.  We do not have a playset yet, but are working on that.  We are still waiting for the handicap accessible matting the grass grows through to be delivered as well.  All in due time :). 

In other news, I'm glad to say Madi's poo is back to normal.  When you have a kiddo with spina bifida, you worry a lot about poo and if they are getting constipated or not.  Lots of kiddos with spina bifida do not feel the pressure when they have to go.  Others feel the pressure but cannot push well enough to get cleared out on there own.  Lots of kiddos go on bowel management programs.  We do not do a bowel management program yet, so I have to watch her closely.  We were out of town for the weekend visiting family and ate more processed foods than normal.  Then Madi's papa fed her cheese noodles.  We all went gluten, dairy, wheat, and peanut free a while back, so Madi hasn't had food like that for a while.  It lead to lots of tummy aches and constipation, which is just no fun.  After lots of beans and a morning with little sleep and lots of nursing, I am happy to say all is flowing well again in the Veprek household.  Today Conner was dancing around showing Madi how to push by making silly faces, and Madi was laughing hysterically (which helps her push).  I was wondering to myself, "do other famillies do this too?"  Probably not, but that's ok. 

Woooo Hooooo!

Pictures to come later but WE HAVE GRASS and it is beautiful!!  We can't run on it quite yet (though we let Conner have a little run anyway), but it looks awesome!  Today I ordered this http://www.boddingtons.us/ground-reinforcement/turf-reinforcement-mesh.htm to help make the entire area wheel chair and HKFO accessible and to protect the roots of the grass.  This way, the entire surface is usable to Madi, but it's also affordable.  We were looking at a rubberized surface and they are just way too expensive (we're talking over $20,000 just under the playground area alone!!).  The mesh cost about $1,500 including shipping and the metal pins needed to install it, which may seem like a lot, but when you compare it to other options, it is very, very cheap.  It feels so awesome to finally see it all coming to fruition.  Now to find a playground :).



Just realized I took a picture on my phone to send to David when he was at work, so I do have a picture, though it's a crummy one.  You can't see all of the grass, but I'll post more pictures in a bit that show the part around the corner that you cannot see in this one...

Let there be SOD!

I went out to do dishes and heard the truck pull up that was delivering our sod!  It was 10:00 at night and I was in my pajamas, so I stayed in until the truck left.  After it left, though, I ran out back like a kid in a candy store!  WOOO HOOO!  Tomorrow my dad and his crew come to lay it on the ground.  I couldn't be more excited!  I've been wanting a slip-and-slide, for the kids, of course, for so long.  This is going to be an awesome summer!  Off to order our matting for on top of the grass.....


Oh, and another funny, really quick.  Two days ago, I was outside with the kids working on organizing garage sale goodies.  Conner asked to go inside to go potty, and since David was working from home, I told him sure.  I was just about to go check on him when he came back carrying a bag of bagels (homemade gluten and dairy free) that he took out of the freezer and heated IN the bag all by himself.  I guess he pushed the learning tower over to the microwave.  He told me he just pushed one minute so they would not get too hot.  He was also carrying a kid's knife (like a little kid's butter knife that they use when they help me cook) and David's peanutbutter (Conner eats homemade cashew butter).  He told me he made us lunch.  HA!  My little man is growing up!  I couldn't believe he did all that by himself, and was also a little blown away that he could.  It's a great example of why I do not leave my kids alone for any amount of time :).

Loving Our Amtryke, a Few Funnies, and a Few Updates

The weather has been beautiful outside so we have been spending as much time as we can enjoying it.  Madilynn has been really loving her Amtryke and, in fact, loves it so much sometimes she refuses to get out of it to eat, so I have to set up a make-shift table on the chair.  If I have to put away laundry, I pop her in and push her around with me.  Because her feet cycle when I push her or she uses the hand petals, it is amazing for her circulation.  I had to take a picture because it's just too cute!  In this picture I had tried to take her out and had already taken off her shoes and unstrapped her, but I put her back in when she started breaking down, which is why her feet are undone.  Normally her feet are strapped in as well.

And a few recent funnies from our house....

#1:

Me- Madi, how old are you?

Madi- (holds up 5 fingers and shouts) 3!

Me- Madi, you are not 3, you are 2.

Madi- No!  Madi 3!

Great, she's already trying to be older than she really is! 

#2- I was roasting a chicken on the rotisserie.  I already feel morbid enough while I do this and don't enjoy.  Then you add in Madi shouting, "Mmmmm, baby chicken!  YUM!  Baby chicken!  Cute chicken!" as I do it.  After I took it out to serve, I was cutting it in pieces and Conner kept pretending to make it talk saying "Ouch!  You are cutting me!  I don't like this!".  Thanks for the help, kiddos ;). 

Updates:

- We get our grass in TOMORROW!

- Our first homestudy is in two weeks!  I guess we need 4 because we are trying for International.