Little Levi is almost 3-1/2 and should definitely be potty trained by now. He’s trying the potty, but doesn’t use it exclusively. Asher, who isn’t quite 2, occasionally also gives it a shot. Tonight I saw a look on Asher’s and just knew he was getting ready to push out a poop. I grabbed him and threw him on the potty. He successfully pooped on the potty. Then while he and I were washing our hands, he peed all over himself, me and the bathroom floor. A hit and a miss.
Levi’s Quote of the Day
We went to Andy’s brother’s new apartment for a house warming party. The parking lot was full of cars. Little Levi exclaimed, “Uncle Adam has a lot of cars!” I think he’s a comedian in the making, but Andy doesn’t think he even knows what a joke is.  We’ll see.
Jude’s Quote of the Day
The boys follow me everywhere. I have a trail of them, no matter where I go.  I snuck down to the laundry room tonight, hoping to throw in a load without 3 helpers swarming me. Sure thing, Jude found me in no time and yelled to his brothers, “She’s in here! Let’s get her!” And the swarming began.
Spaghetti Legs and No Pancakes at the Parade
It was another busy weekend. It started with a HopeKids movie, Descipable Me 2, which we all enjoyed. Then the boys and I headed to Litchfield for the day. (Andy stayed home to “get stuff done,” as he so often does. I have come to think that must be code for “chill out.”) We attempted to get Jude up waterskiing on the boom, but his legs are just like spaghetti and he kept losing his skis. He’s still not an independent swimmer and not totally comfortable in the water so maybe we are trying to put the cart in front of the horse. I think we’re probably done trying to teach him to waterski for this year, unless Ivan succeeds in skiing, in which case, I know Jude will start really trying.  I got a little barefooting in and then the boys and I, along with Mike and Sara, headed to the Litchfield parade. The boys took home a bag of candy so big that Jude struggled to carry it back to the car. It was several galloons of loot, mostly candy, but also a beach ball, 5 frisbees and some pencils. The boys were beyond excited. I was excited too, since we got over a quart of Tootsie Rolls, which I love. At one point, while I was helping Asher pick up a large pile of candy someone tossed to him, Levi snuck across the street to do some scavengering there.  Mike saw some lady escort Levi back across the street to us since the next float was coming.  It was great that the boys had a ton of fun and none of them were turned into into pancakes at the parade.
Today was pretty low key. We went to church and then to Sam’s Club for pizza and quick shopping. Levi threw a temper tantrum since he wanted an Angry Birds book at Sam’s Club. So, when we got home, the boys and I walked to the library to check out books, including 2 Angry Birds books. We later had some neighbor kids over for an impromptu water gun/balloon fight.
4 Days of Fun and Getter Faster
The 4th of July weekend was great. I had 4 days off in a row, which was a huge treat. I feel like I’m been just running on fumes for awhile now and it was great to get a nice break. The boys and I painted the play set, including the new addition that Andy and his dad built. Jude was a good helper, but Levi and Asher, not so much. Asher instead painted the house (with the wrong color), painted the cement walkway and the grass. I also did some other random painting projects, a lot of cleaning and organizing. I didn’t get everything done on my list, but I made headway. On Saturday, the boys and I headed to my brother’s house. Every tuber in town was on the lake so I had to barefoot through rollers and it was a trick just to plant my feet and stay up. And, it was tough to not drown while barefooting with all the spray I was getting in my face. But, I toughed it out and am still paying the price. I love that sore muscle feeling. We attempted to get Jude up waterskiing, but not this time. I have a couple ideas for getting him up next weekend. I was proud of Levi for trying on the skis and thinking about trying to ski, but he changed his mind at the last minute. Asher was thrilled to get on the boat and was an eager tuber. He went tubing with me and was having fun. But, the fun was short lived. My brother was driving too fast so Asher and I intentionally bailed off the tube after his bouncing head made me nervous. I didn’t realize that little guy had an Angry Bird toy clutched in his hand the entire tube run.  Our last day of fun consisted of church, followed by pizza at Sam’s Club and then our first visit to Elm Creek Park. That park is just remarkable and we’re already thinking about when we’ll make out next visit.
Tonight Andy had to record a podcast so the boys and I planned an outing. Jude has been asking to train for a road race, so I found a 1/4 mile track at a high school and the boys and I went there. My energetic boys raced and raced. Jude ran over a mile and still had lots of energy. After lots of racing, we went to the play set nearby and we played some more. On the way home, Jude was hungry for a second supper so the McDonald’s came in handy. I was paying for his hamburger when Andy spied on me through “Find my iPhone”, noted that I was at McDonald’s and texted me and asked me to order him a caramel shake and not to drink any. I ordered him the shake and helped myself to plenty.
Lucky to be Alive
The Olsons almost were no more. It all started with a storm on Friday night. We watched the rain pour down and a pond form in our back yard and a new river run by the side of our house. Then Andy watched as a tree branch from our yard blew down and hit a power line and then it was lights out. The boys and I gathered up some flashlights and hung out in the basement. Andy went to work digging out the generator from the garage so we could get the power back on before Monday at noon, which is when the power company estimated it would be back on. Andy got the generator hooked up and we went to bed, with the windows open because we no longer had air conditioning. Gas fumes from the generator blew into the house. I became concerned about carbon monoxide. I raised the issue with Andy, and he blew me off. I again raised the concern about carbon monoxide and Andy again gave me a short tutorial about how a generator works and how that would be a legitimate concern if it was in our living room, but not if it was outside, as our was. I was slightly comforted, but remained unconvinced and opened the other windows to get some fresher air. We survived the night and Andy, Jude and Levi headed to a HopeKids movie Saturday morning. Asher and I stayed at home since Andy wanted someone at home to babysit the generator and ensure no one stole it. Meanwhile, Andy had unhooked the carbon monoxide detector because he thought it was beeping because of the power outage. But, it was beeping because of toxic levels of carbon monoxide. I battled a splitting headache, that I now know was the result of the carbon monoxide. The boys and I left the house mid-day Saturday for my parents’ house, to visit my mom since she just had knee surgery. I recall thinking during the drive that I was glad to be out of the house and I even thought that I wouldn’t be surprised if Andy died in his sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning. But, there’s only so much one can do to help the world’s most stubborn man. Thankfully, my nagging came in handy and Andy plugged the carbon monoxide detector in on Saturday night before heading to bed. It read at 150. 100-150 is toxic. Our entire house was full of carbon monoxide. Andy escaped and moved the generator further away from the house. He then went to work airing the house out. He got the levels down to 0 and then went to sleep in the house. If I had still been there, I would have definitely not slept in the house. I would have slept in the car in the driveway or at a hotel. Anyway, Andy apologized for not taking my concerns seriously. He even said that for the first time in 8 years, my nagging came in handy. Clearly God protected us all from tragic death and we are very thankful.
Tales from T-Ball
Jude has a full program this summer. He has karate and music on Mondays, t-ball on Tuesdays, karate on Wednesdays, t-ball on Thursdays, and karate on Fridays and Saturdays.
I’m so glad I signed Jude up for t-ball in the evenings so I don’t miss it. I jump off the bus and then the boys and I have to leave the house immediately to bike to the park where t-ball is held. Jude and his team are hilarious to watch. The coach told Jude’s team that when the other team hits the ball, they need to field the ball. Jude took that literally and he fields every ball, no matter how far it is from the position he was placed in. None of the kids can catch a ball, so outs are rare. And the kids frequently forget to run. I actually ironed Jude’s name on to the back of his t-shirt so that the crowd can help me yell, “Run, Jude, run!” Jude and I sat down recently and I diagramed the game for him so that he has greatly improved, but is still fun to watch.
Freedom, Focal Curls & More
After 11 tough years as a junior attorney at a big law firm, I busted out. I was recruited to join a smaller firm as a partner, doing the same thing I have always done, just a short walk from where I’ve always done it. It appears to be a really great move for me. There are so many great things about the new place, but one of my favorite things is the walkstations. I can go across the hall from my office into a room with workstations on treadmills that travel just up to 2 m.p.h. I can log into my computer from there and respond to emails, do legal research and review documents. I’ve been spending a couple hours a day on the treadmill. It’s a great way to turn my sedentary desk job into a very active job. Yesterday I logged over 20,000 steps (4 times the U.S. daily national average).
On an unrelated matter, Jude recently questioned why he had half girl hair and half boy hair.  You see, the new hair that grew from the half of his head that got radiated came in super curly.  His other half is straight. I just love the new curls, since I have curly hair. But, Andy thinks Jude looks crazy. He shot off an email to Jude’s radiation oncologist in Indiana. The doctor asked for pictures and then said that he’d only seen that 2 times out of hundreds of kids and never that prominent.    He said he may publish a paper on focal curling from radiation.
Levi’s Quote of the Day
“Asher is so nice. God made he way, way good.”
Silly String Scare
Today is Jude’s last day of anti-seizure meds. During the weaning process and after it, we’ll need to watch him like a hawk to ensure he doesn’t have a seizure. The other day, Jude was trying to say the word “silly string” but couldn’t think of the word and said, “um, um, um… .” Since him losing his words is the first sign he’s having a seizure, I was immediately concerned and sat him down and quizzed him about who i am, etc. It turns out he just forgot a word, which he later said even happens to Daddy sometimes. So, all was well. He has complained during the past couple of weeks that he doesn’t feel like himself. I can only assume that it’s a result of weaning off the meds. We are all getting to know the real Jude.