Go Bears!!!

You mess with the bull...

You get the horns!

How We Spent Our Summer

Pretending to be an otter...

Skyping with family...

Simon and Charlie had some friends visit...

Playing in the bouncey house...

Giving S. a helpful push...

Playing at the playground...

Spending time together as a family...

Relaxing...

Loving on the dogs...

Celebrating Eid...

And napping...

All in all, it was a great summer, and over in the blink of an eye.

My Future's So Bright...

Splish, Splash!

Memorial Day Weekend

How we spent our Memorial Day Weekend 2010:

Wrestling Gators and Sightseeing at the Brookfield Zoo...

Making Friends with Some Giraffes...

Re-Hydrating...

Napping in the Sun...

And Saying a Big THANK YOU to the U.S. Military!

Little Chef

Syed Brian decided to help us cook breakfast. His job: finishing the scrambled eggs for Simon and Charlie. They waited patiently, and they were very satisfied. Next up: learning how to do dishes.

Hit and Run: Take 2.

Scene: 11:00 AM, Saturday.

Syed Brian is given the opportunity to take his wagon out of the garage on his own. See what happens....

Syed Brian: I must run away!!! Grandpa is going to be MAD! Daddy says that when you hit one of Grandpa's cars, he gets upset and shakes his head. And daddy should know...he has hit or wrecked LOTS of Grandpa's cars according to Mommy. If I run away now, maybe no one will notice...

On second thought................I'm pretty strong.

I'll pull the wagon out from underneath the truck! Grandpa will never know that I hit his truck!!! Shhh...nobody tell him what I did.

Calvin and Hobbes?

Tank Inspector

Syed set up a new fish tank. And he needed to have it inspected. Who better to inspect the tank than his son? He fits into the tank very well, and is able to complete a comprehensive inspection. Simon and Charlie attempted to help, but were useless in this endeavor.

And Then There Were 10...

Good news - the surgeon was able to count to 10! The skin is still a little raw in places, and there still needs to be some healing. We're pleased with the results, although we kind of miss the extra toes. And before you ask: no, we did not keep the extra toes. We thought about it, but we were a bit concerned that we would receive too many strange looks if we kept a pair of big toes in a jar on the mantle as a conversation piece. There is also a bit of a bonus - the surgeon started to separate the webbing between his toes, so the child might be able to wear flip flops one day. The only downside of the webbing being removed: his career as a swimmer might be over before it began. *Sigh*.

Superstitious

9 months, 4 days.

That is how long the helium balloons pictured above have been floating in our great room. Seriously, who knew that helium balloons could last this long?!? These were the balloons that were sent to Syed Brian when his shunt was placed. We're still on the first shunt, and we're becoming superstitious that when these balloons fall, the shunt fails. So far, so good, and we see the neurosurgeon tomorrow for a routine check up. Let's hope the balloons float for a long time...

Easter Weekend

For Easter weekend, we were fortunate to have family visit. We had a wonderful time and Syed Brian had fun with his grandparents, cousins, aunt and uncle. More pictures are on the Flickr site (right hand side of blog).

He's Home

Syed Brian is all done and is already asleep in his own bed. He did great and the surgeon is very optimistic about the outcome. He will be in casts for about 3 weeks. We appreciate everyone's kind thoughts. He's been quite a trooper and we're glad he's finished. He has some fashion-forward black boots to go over his casts that will allow him to walk a little easier...all the kids on the playground are going to be jealous.

And He's Off...Again!!!

We're back at Children's Memorial Hospital for Syed Brian's third (and hopefully last) surgery in 8 months. Thank you for all of the kind thoughts! He was in a great mood this morning and was quite a hit at the hospital in his Super Man PJ's. He was stopped by everyone we saw - many were quite surprised that Super Man was smaller in person than on the movie screen...we just smiled and said the camera added about 150 pounds and 4 feet in height. Check back later for more updates.

One Last Look

Here's one of the last pictures of Syed Brian's toes. Tomorrow the extra toes are being removed and his feet are being "re-built." We have mixed emotions about it. In one sense, it will be nice to be able to buy him shoes. I think many see us take him out in public in nothing but his socks and presume that we are careless parents who neglect their child; or some might assume he is a bit of a neanderthal. Either are possible, I suppose. On the other hand, we kind of like his toes; they're cute and are a part of him. We're going to miss having an even dozen. So, wish us luck...soon he will have 10 toes (unless the surgeon can't count).

Taking Grandpa for a Ride

Sometimes you just don't know what to say...

One minute you're listening to a grandfather's stories of immigration, including visits to Amsterdam, and the next minute you're watching the same grandpa being pushed on a toy tractor by his grandson. Clearly, it's the circle of life.

Then and Now

Syed Brian has grown and changed a lot in the past year. However, one thing hasn't changed - he still loves to sleep on his dad. And who can blame him???

Reason #284 for Cabinet Locks

Improving the Bottom Line

No. More. Formula.

It's a beautiful thing, particularly for the budget.

Another Guardian Angel

This past week, we lost my grandmother, but we gained another guardian angel. One can never have too many guardian angels, as far as I'm concerned, and we're lucky to have such a special one looking out for us.