you're probably sick of looking at my brother's head shot

I keep starting posts and leaving them unfinished. It's so sad, but rather than wait for the time that won't come, I'm just going to post a quick catch up entry. Sorry for the lack of detail.



Dana turned 6 on August 22nd, leaving Matt and I feeling sentimental and so proud. Those of you who know him know why. From the first minute we held him and gazed into his face, we knew we'd been given an amazing gift. He's certainly not perfect, but there's no one like him, no one at all. Praise God for another year with our little man.





Dana and Janie just started to play soccer and they're both doing well. The league is very low pressure, with only practices once a week and no games. So far, the smiles outweigh the complaints and they both are learning a lot.



My mom, Clara Joy, and I took a trip up to Kentucky to visit my Aunt Sally this Labor Day. It was a pretty special trip in more ways than one. Clara really got a kick out of traveling with just Mommy and Grami, but I realized pretty quickly that Clara is more work without the older two around. A bored Clara Joy is a very naughty Clara Joy...

No news on the Marfan front. I have the long awaited echocardiogram on Monday, which I'm a bit apprehensive about. I've been dealing with some pretty high resting heart rates, which I have been told is normal. They feel pretty extreme though (133 bpm sitting in a chair, shortness of breath), so we'll see what the cardiologist says. If he's not worried, then I won't worry. I shouldn't waste time worrying anyway, at least that's what I keep telling myself. Dana had his six year check up on Friday and I got a chance to discuss the Marfan thing with our favorite doctor, Dr. Spraggins. Thankfully, she knew a good amount about Marfan. She was obviously concerned, but it's so comforting to know that she's well-informed and contributing to the discussion. I trust her opinion more than most doctors, because she's so balanced and she knows my kids so very well. If any of you are hunting for a pediatrician, I highly recommend her. She's an incredibly talented, godly doctor... such a blessing.