4th of July and Crazy Eyes

Greetings friends!!

We have started into the warmest part of summer, and are finally beginning to re-tame our yards. Last summer we had our decrepit and unsafe deck replaced, so it's way more pleasant (and did I mention safer?) to be out back. Sooooo...it is time to spruce the place up as best we can.

Thankfully the first owners had quite a bit of yard sort of "natural" and xeriscaping as opposed to manicured with intricate flower beds. Let's face it I know my weak points!! It would have been a hopeless, ugly mess. We have a few trees and shrubs that are getting out of hand, but it should look better soon.

My least favorite plants are two huge juniper trees (shrubs?) almost as tall as our house. I really don't care for their perfume. On sensitive days it can cause migraine. And they were growing into our patio. Sadly, you can't just trim them, as they stop growing greenery inside. So we are converting them from bushes to trees. It may look silly, but I think it will be ok. We have some lights to hang, and another gnome. So far so good. It actually makes the yard seem quite a bit larger. Hopefully this won't kill them. Actually, I don't care except for the privacy screen they provide. We still have branches to chip, but there is quite a bit more room for sitting in the shade!

Now it's a tree

The kids had a fun Fourth of July playing in the sprinkler. We had the usual burgers and hot dogs. Scott's folks came over. Quite fun!

We have been busy getting doctors appointments taken care of, and having a fun and relaxing summer. Not doing too much outside of home. Scott just finished a big test so he's taking a week of vacation to hang out and spend time with the boys (and me).

Spencer celebrated his Half-Birthday this month, and we had a nice trip to the doctor for him. He is doing great, and growing faster than ever. About 25 inches, and 16 lb 8 oz. Wow!

Serious face

Smiley face

We had some interesting medical appointments this month. Jack, Logan, and I visited the Optometrist in mid-June. He diagnosed Jack with Ocular Albinism. (Guess all those albino jokes weren't jokes after all!!). When I mentioned it to the pediatrician with Spencer, to see what he thought, he sent all three kids to a pediatric optometrist to confirm Jack and check Logan and Spencer. Well, as it turns out, they all have the Albinism. Despite what we read on our own, the doctor said there was a wide spectrum of presentation. Luckily, for Jack and Logan it does not seem to have affected their eye development in ways it could have. It is too soon to say what Spencer's vision will be like, but so far no signs of shaky eyes, or other development problems. How crazy is that!

Our final July achievement was our first fishing "trip". Within our neighborhood are two ponds where we heard there may be fish. We still don't know, by the way. We were probably only there for 20-30 minutes, but it was just right for the kids. They had fun!