Blogging Neglect :)

I have had great intentions of updating the blog but farming comes first :) As Steve is out raising and harvesting wonderful crops and I am at home raising a crop of our own, kids :) Steve's dad asked today, "how's it going?" "good," I said. He questioned me and I laughed. OK it's CHAOS!! But all good for the most part. We have our share of tantrums with Steve being gone. Girls wondering how far can they push mom before she breaks, but I've been trying to be creative this year. Stay one step ahead of them before the take me over. Overall we've had fun, and the weather has been great for farmers. Happy farmers happy families :) Every morning Brooke and Macy get up and say, "daddy bombine?"

Last week we got to go apple picking with friends. The kids had a riot and Ashley pulled out a tooth! The tooth fairy even came! I'm glad she remembered, sometimes she forgets the Koeman house and then has to make up a ridiculous story about where she was :)

This week Thursday is Leah's birthday. We had a party last week with the Baumann side for her and her cousin Avery. Oct 21, we get to eat cake for breakfast, YIPPEE!! Not sure if I should buy an ice cream cake or make one. We'll see what Leah chooses and what the day entails :)

We do try and get out to be farm girls once in a while. So we head out to the fields to play and ride with Steve. I wonder every year why my children INSIST on wearing flip flops or no shoes in the field. It's dirty and they LOVE it. All you can do is laugh.

Other than that things just carry on. Brooke goes to clinic weekly and gets blood drawn. This weekend she came down with a bad cold. She's been wheezing and coughing alot. She still acts fine, so we started up her nebs again and keep pushing in the feedings. The other night Leah, Megan and I were talking (imagine that, talking in a house FULL of girls :) The conversation lead to Brooke and how sick she had been. Megan said to Brooke, "Hey Brooke, thanks for staying alive." Brooke looked up at her and smiled and said, "you're welcome." She acted like she understood and maybe she did. I laughed and thought, this conversation is wrong on sooo many levels. I typically blog about Brooke, her progress, her declines, her achievement's. When you stop to think, the rest of girls are enduring just as much if not more. They are amazing sisters. They love unconditionally when it must be hard. They see all the places that everyone goes as family's and they don't complain. They don't even ask! They know Brooke can't go and they are ok with that.

So nothing much is new. We have the everyday funny's like beanie babies in the toilet, highlighter on the baby's head, golf balls down the register and the list could go on. But that's good. I thought a year ago I would never see the mischief, so I will welcome it with open arms. I got into an online group with all SCIDS patients, thanks to another SCID parent (thanks Aaron). It's good to see how other parents are coping. It made me realize, this isn't going away. This will be a life long battle. But it also made me realize it can be done. Brooke will go to school, because we want her too. We will be neurotic parents and we will protect her the best we can. That's what this deficiency does and it can be done. Brooke isn't "normal" but as a family and community we will embrace her, her illnes and her siblings and carry on. Thanks to God for His grace and mercy every day.