So what's happened since the last time I blogged

We've had sporadic internet use since the last time I blogged so that and a lack of motivation on my part has led to about a month hiatus but I'm back. The main thing that has happened since I last wrote is that Kerwin now has his casts off. He had them removed this week and there does appear to be a good bit of benefit from the Botox. He is able to get quite a bit of dorsiflexion as my PT friends say. Now we hope to maintain that flexibility with stretches and the wearing of his braces. He is actually having to readjust his walking, yet again, and is still having a bit of trouble getting used to walking with the casts off. By the end of the six weeks, he was walking so well with the casts on that I thought that walking would be a breeze once they were gone. However, nothing with this(leg) process ever seems to make sense to me. Kerwin is now enjoying baths again (he's in the bath tub right now at my mom's house) and we are looking forward to swimming soon.

Kerwin has been doing hippotherapy (therapy on horseback)for the last few weeks and loves it. His favorite horse is name Shaker and he tells everyone that he gets to ride forward, backward, sideways, and standing up. He also gets to stand up and pet and groom the horse and then feed him some carrots at the end of the session. It is a great program and so peaceful in the therapy barn. It's also really great for him physically. He has to work very hard to sit up straight and stand on the horse. Last week we were really excited because his classroom teacher and her daughter came out to watch him. He has been asking about seeing her ever since school let out.

Kerwin went to two weeks of summer school/camp. He enjoyed it but came back tired, hungry, and grumpy everyday. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of glad it's over. Mike is staying home with Kerwin and doing some tutoring as a side job. I have been working some PRN this summer but I am also enjoying a much more relaxed schedule.

We are getting ready to go to the beach this weekend. We can hardly wait. I think Kerwin is going to love the beach. He enjoyed the sand so much at the Santa Monica Pier this spring. I think he'll enjoy this so much more because he will have buckets and shovels and can really build stuff with the sand. We will probably also go fishing off the pier, crabbing, golfing, and see the local sights. Hopefully, I'll have some great pictures to post after vacation!

Our friend Andy Olsen has been working on a story for the Lexington Herald Leader about Kerwin and our adoption process. It is supposed to run some time in July. I will try to let everybody know what day it will be running as soon as I find out.

A beautiful day for flying

The whole group before flying

Kerwin with headphones on

Mike actually flying the plane... AHHH!

Our house...If you've been there maybe you can find it

So yesterday I was a party for ARK Rehab, a company that I do some work for. One of the owners of the company is my friend Monica who was the one who invited me to go with her to Haiti on a short term missions trip several years ago. It was on that trip that I met Kerwin and after that trip that God called us to adopt him. So Monica will always be special to us. So anyway, yesterday we were at this picnic at the local minor league baseball team park and she asked us if we wanted to go up flying tomorrow in her dad's plane. We didn't have anything else going so we did. We had a wonderful time. Kerwin loved it and Mike even got to do the take off. He did not do the landing, thus I am here writing this blog. We got to see all of Lexington, downtown, the UK football stadium, the Legend's baseball stadium, and we even flew over our house. It was actually very easy for us to identify it since it was so clear and we were down so low. I could even see our white car parked in front of the house. I was the only one who got airsick and I spent the last half of the flight trying not to lose my lunch. I'll know better next time...Dramamine! But is was a beautiful day and a great memory. Thanks Monica and Louis!

Kerwin working around the house

We spent last weekend up in Northern Kentucky with Mike's family. Saturday, I helped trim up the doors at Mike's grandmother and great aunt's house. They had some new carpet put in the but the guys never came back to do the doors. So instead of hiring someone else to do it, Mike's dad and I cut them off ourselves. Well, Kerwin really wanted to help so we let him clean the dust off the doors after we sawed them and help carry them back inside. Then after dinner on Sunday, I went to work on a chair at their house. It had several layers of upholstery on it and the last one was looking kind of ratty. So I helped take of the ripped fabric and put the chair back together again. Well, Kerwin wanted to help with that too so I let him put all the screws back in. He loved it. He learned out to hold the screwdriver steady with one hand and turn it with the other. He was so proud of himself for helping.