April Round-Up

A word of advice: Grab a comfy chair and a good snack as there are a lot of pictures this month.  

April started with our ambitious plans for a fun Spring Break "Stay-cation".

First thing on the list was a pajama party at the Mud Room.

The kids ate cookies and sipped hot cocoa while painting their masterpieces.

Henry chose a candy cane Christmas ornament.  Out of everything they had there, I couldn't figure out why he chose that.  It wasn't until later that Joe mentioned that Henry thought it was a pirate's hook. That sounds like the Henry I know and love.

Claire picked out a state of Michigan ornament.  

And, of course, blue paint.  Her favorite.

We all worked together to paint a decorative Easter Egg,

 each adding our own special touch.

George was happy to hang out with us while we painted.

This year, I wanted to help the kids prepare for the real reason we celebrate Easter. We put together a set of Resurrection Eggs, and each evening for 12 days, the kids would open an egg to read a verse and find a small object pertaining to that verse. It was a really nice way to read through the Holy Week account as a family.

 

The kids were so eager to open the final egg on Easter morning.  

 They were surprised to see it was empty, just like the tomb!

You know those images you have in your head of how perfectly presentable your children will look for church on Easter morning.  Well, my image was certainly not what our children had in mind.

Claire's "two-sizes-too-big" winter boots and "do-it-myself" hairstyle.

I couldn't convince Henry to button his Easter shirt 

over his beloved Darth Vader shirt.

At least George let me dress him.

Despite the hassle, I realize they are indeed Picture Perfect.

After all, I had to remind myself, being perfectly presentable for Easter service is not why we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. 

After church we visited our friends the Kruis family

 and spent the afternoon dying eggs.

Lots of Star Wars themed eggs this Easter.

We had a great time, but by that evening, Joe and I realized we were both coming down with the flu bug that the kids had had the previous week.  Needless to say, the fun, ambitious Spring Break we had planned didn't turn out as we had hoped.  

We still tried to make the best of it.  And the kids were such troopers.

They were easily entertained by simply playing with their shadows.

The latter part of the week, we were able to do a few fun things as a family.  The library and parks are always family favorites.  We also spent a day in Grand Haven.

Later that month, the kids had fun with Daddy at "Take your Kids to Work Day".

Eager to help him do his job.

Claire's birthday gift taking shape.

The long awaited moment: planting her first seeds!

Our last day of Bible Study Fellowship

Henry and Mrs. Belock.  His other teacher, Mrs. Johnson, wasn't able to be there the last day.  Henry had a great year.  His teachers loved, loved, loved him.  

Every week we'd pick up our friend Katelyn for BSF.  Their teachers, Mrs. Helweg and Mrs. Waldecker, are the dream team.  Claire cried when she had to say good-bye.

George with his troop of teachers. 

Speaking of George, what's he been up to?

Roaming the countryside

Reading the classics

Going on treasure hunts

Exploring new worlds

Overcoming obstacles

And you know that where George goes...Henry is sure to follow.

After all that, a nap is in order.

One thing that has been a significant process is 

trying to track the root cause of George's severe eczema.

Pictures don't do it justice.  

More and more so, his little body was covered in these red, itchy patches.

We began to realize it was food related as every time he ate, his face would flare up and his eyes would often get bloodshot.

I had never heard the term "Poor House Parenting" before my research of eczema. But since everyone claims to have a "cure" for eczema, it's easy to spend a small fortune trying every avenue.  For us, it was a lot of trial and error and careful monitoring.  

I usually turn to Dr. Sears when I have questions about my kids' health.  And on this particular topic, he was immensely helpful.  He has an entire book: "The Allergy Book".  And in a medical world that often underestimates eczema, his website was a breath of fresh air. 

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/skin-care/eczema

I think the best results we've had so far is with powdered goats milk which we use to make formula. It will take us at least another week to know for sure, but we're thinking he may have allergies to both dairy and soy.  Then we can start to add in other foods to his diet again to see if there are additional allergies.

Also, the Eczema Blend essential oils work well to calm the rash, along with a heavy coat of Vaseline at least once a day.

We may have him do some muscle testing at some point to help us confirm our findings, but I feel we're on the right track.