Mid-Summer Happenings

Any of you moms out there feel like your ability to formulate words and clever musings nearly vanish post kids?   Before kids I feel like I could type entire blogs using words.  I now struggle to put together a few sentences.  I rely HEAVILY on pictures to fill up my blog pages.  Hoping this is a temporary phase!  I haven't been very good at blogging for the past several months.   Life is just happening, and blogging is not making the priority list.  BUT, I'm starting to get a little caught up, so let's get some summer happenings down.

I cannot believe it's mid July right now.  I really can't believe it's mid-July and we got some low 70 degree weather this week.  What an unexpected blessing!  I know many of my Texas friends have shared in this sentiment this week, but it's an extra special blessing in our household.  I have talked about it a bit it in a few monthly updates, but our little one has some severe allergies.  Food mostly, but also environmental and seasonal.  She's allergic to eggs, dairy, soy, peanuts (she has an epi pen for nuts), chlorine, and about 100 other foods.  Seriously though, 100 others.  At one point we've been down to about 5 things she can eat.  I don't share this much on the blog, but come across more and more people that deal with allergies in their kids.  Not all are as severe as others, but the struggle is still there.  It's hard.  Really, really hard.  Especially when you have a kid that has to wear footie pjs all day, and can't ever go outside.  That's the reality we live in.  So hard watching your kid not being able to play at parks, or swim in pools, or go to friends birthday parties.

BUT, this is the road we're on.  We love our little one, and wouldn't trade her for anything.  She is one of the happiest kids you will ever meet, and loves to dance and play.  She doesn't yet realize anything is even missing, but there are days that are harder for her.  Days she cries at the back door wanting to go play so bad.  Or just wanting to go get the mail with me so she can go out for a second.  Breaks your heart, but trusting God, that one day this will pass.

And for those of you out there that are nearly leaping out of your chair with suggestions and solutions, know that this is a severe case.  I appreciate all the help, but we have tried more solutions then I can count, and nothing seems to really work.  If you haven't gathered, or don't know this about us, we are on the far holistic side of medicine.

So, our summer happenings are more on the indoor, stay at home side.  There have been about a handful of days I've been able to put her in regular clothes, and by "regular" I mean a onesie (so she can't itch her back or tummy) and leggings.  We usually have to tuck her socks in somehow so she can't pull them off and we have to try and keep her leggings down.  It's really an all out workout trying to make it all work, so that's why we resort to just keeping her in footie pjs.

BUT, here are some cute pics of our summer so far.

Grandma helping us up to the slide.

Grandman and Grandpa having some fun.

She loves the teeter totter!

We love our accessories!

As you can tell. ;-)