Naked Cowboy

Logan loves to play naked after bathtime. (Really, what kid doesn't?) So this evening, he was playing with his toy rifle and wearing my cowboy hat from when I was a little girl. The photo opportunity was toooo good to pass up! So, here's my cute naked cowboy!

Blog Makeover, Updates, and Family Pictures

I recently updated the look of our family blog! And while I know it still needs some "tweeks" here and there, I am quite pleased with my DIY project. (Yes, I know I could have avoided some major headaches by paying one of the lovely blogging companies to do it for me...but where would the fun be in that? And aren't we all trying to be a bit more fiscally responsible?) So, why pay for someone to do what you can learn to do yourself! :-)

Today is the boys last day of preschool/MDO for summer break. I am actually really looking forward to having them home---all to myself---for the summer! I have purposely only signed them up for one activity per week, per little man. So, Logan and I will start a mommy-and-me swim class June 9th and Ben will start a gymnastics class June 10th! This will be the first break Ben has had from swim lessons in 3 1/2 years! However, he has been telling me that he wants to take a tumbling class---so, we gave him the option for the summer: swim class or tumbling/gymnastics class. He chose gymnastics! I know he will like it. Anything where he can run round and be his natural, "rough and tough" boy-self, will be a good thing for him. And I really think Logan is going to enjoy his swim class too. He is ready! He LOVES the water, dunks himself underwater in the bathtub, and wants to wear his brother's swim goggles to just play around the house. (Silly baby!) I will keep you posted on how their classes are later in the summer.

But with that said, we will have more summer "free" time to play with friends and family! Sooooo...who's up for a playdate? :-) Let me know!

Logan's speech therapy evaluation is this afternoon after school. I am eagerly anticipating how that will go. I am intrigued how they will evaluate his speech, or lack thereof. I will keep you posted on that as well!

And finally, I don't think I ever blogged about it before, but at the end of last year, our family took family photos (thus the new photo at the top of our blog), when we scheduled Logan's one year photography session. We were so pleased with the way the pictures came out and really enjoyed working with the photographer, Jennifer Denton. And subsequently, the entire Rees family reunited as well in December for family photos too! Here are the links to our photo sessions if you care to look at them!

http://http://www.portraitsbyjenniferdenton.com/clients/hood_web/
http://http://www.portraitsbyjenniferdenton.com/clients/logan_web/
http://http://www.portraitsbyjenniferdenton.com/clients/hoodfamily_web/

Orsinger Park

We met some friends at a great county park on Friday. We had a wonderful time together. The park was great for preschool-age and toddlers alike! We played a lot, ate our picnic lunch---and went home exhausted! The boys took 3 hour naps! The park is really close to our home and we look forward to going there this summer too!

Here is Ben and Drew---silly boys playing in the huge sandbox!

Logan played so hard---and his chubby cheeks turned so pink! He had a great time trying to keep up with Ben and Drew!

The Two Amigos: Ben and Drew.

PI Video

There is a great video that details what it is like to live with a Primary Immunodeficiency disease and the progress that has been made through research and legislation and the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.

You can check it out by clicking here: JMF Video

Thanks for caring. And thanks for watching.

The past 38 Months

38 months ago, at 15 months old, our oldest son Ben was diagnosed with a Primary Immunodeficiency disease (PI). And for the last 38 months, Ben has endured numerous hospitalizations, surgeries, and other medical procedures to treat and hopefully reverse the disease. For the past 38 months, we have held onto the hope that Ben's immune system would start producing the antibodies that his body completely lacks, that Ben would "out-grow" this disease. We never lost hope, or faith, that he would be healed. However, yesterday, after another round of tests last week, Ben's hematologist/immunologist called to inform us that his lab work was worse than 6 months ago, and that there was sufficient evidence to prove that Ben will not "outgrow" or be healed from this disease. It was with great sadness that I took this phone call to learn that my child will live with this disease for the rest of his life.

So yesterday, oddly enough after my conversation with his doctor, Ben and I were talking about his port (he asks questions about it quite frequently). And I asked him why he has a port. And he answered:

"Because I am special and that is the way God made me.

And momma, did you know that God and Mickey Mouse

made my port together to help me feel better?"

So as we turn down this new phase of Ben's disease, and no matter how much this new phase saddens me, I have to remember that

God and Mickey Mouse are behind it all---

and they make us feel better.

If you would like to know more about PI, you can visit the website: www.info4pi.org.

Rainy Days = Moon Sand Fun

Taking a look back...

Ben and Logan were the same age, 18 months, for their 1st "memorable" trip to the zoo. (Yes, I know Logan went when he was a baby, but it wasn't memorable for him. He slept through the whole trip!) So here are 2 pictures looking back, on Ben's and Logan's 1st zoo trip. Both of these pictures were taken in front of the monkeys---and, no it wasn't planned, but they were both wearing the same shirt---just 3 years apart! You can tell Ben was much more amused by the monkeys than Logan was... :-)

Mother's Day weekend

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with my boys. I got to sleep in both Saturday and Sunday (!!), and got to do exactly what I wanted to do! After having coffee on the back porch with Randy Saturday morning, we got dressed and took the boys to the zoo. It was a wonderful morning for the zoo. It was cool, breezy and not too crowded. We hadn't been to the zoo since Logan was a baby.
(Remember this post? http://randykristenbenhood.blogspot.com/2009/03/family-fun.html)
Anyway, we all had a great time! The train was out-of-order---bummer! So we will have to go back and ride the train very soon. I wonder if Logan will like the train, now that he is bigger? ;-)

My boys...I love all three of these boys more than life itself. And I feel so blessed to be their wife and mother.

Ben really loved this kimodo dragon. :-)

Logan loved the aquariums at the zoo. He probably could have spent all his time in this area!

Logan, not tooooo sure about these things called monkeys.

Eating lunch...

Petting zoo!

Logan, not toooo sure about the petting zoo either. But, for his sake, these pigmy goats were a little "rough"!

My little monkey!

Can you tell Ben really like taking pictures perched up on the cast-iron animals? I think there were only a couple he didn't get pictures on...and that was only because he didn't see them! :-)

So after the zoo, we all had wonderful afternoon naps; ordered pizza and lounged around the rest of the evening. Bliss. Then Sunday, Mother's Day, we went to church, played outside, took another nap (!!), and ate fried-chicken for dinner. We really had a wonderful, family-oriented weekend---and this mom truly felt loved and important. I hope everyone had a wonderful mother's day with their family!

Logan, 18 months old!

WOW! Where has the time gone? Our baby is now 18 months old, and I feel like we were bringing him home from the hospital just the other day. We are enjoying this little man so immensely that we can hardly breathe at times. Watching him grow and play with his big brother brings us so much joy! Ben and Logan are such good friends, buddies, playmates, and brothers. They love each other so much. They both look for each other when they first wake up in the morning, and their eyes truly shine upon the sight of each other. Logan has proven to be quite the adventurer. He fears nothing and loves to play more than anything else---well, maybe not more than his love for eating. :-) He is a snuggler, loving little boy---who really loves his mommy. I am so proud to say that he is a "momma's boy".

We went to his 18 month well-child check yesterday and everything went well. Logan is 26 lbs 12 oz, and 32 inches tall. He is at the 70% for weight and 50% for height. By all means, he is a big boy. His doctor has referred us to ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) because Logan is not talking yet. His only understandable word is "mama". He is vocal, however does not use understadable language. He says a lot of "gah", "guh", grunts, and even growls. He uses sign language and is able to point to what he wants or needs. So, ECI will come to the house for an evaluation and if they believe he needs speech therapy, they will provide a means for him to get that. Logan loves to be read to; and we are constantly try to engage him in conversation. Randy and I have been concerned with his speech delays for awhile now, so we feel good about the ECI referral. We are not worried; we have so many friends that have said the 2nd child talks later (especially since Ben talks a lot), and we are confident that Logan is a normal, playful, happy little boy. The evaluation will just determine if he needs more than what we can provide in our home. I'll keep you posted on what happens!