First Day of School!

Sorry this has taken FOREVER for me to update!  Life has been full at the Lantz house these days!  Emma is so excited to be in First Grade at Meehan Elementary and this year Lucy goes to preschool at Immanual Lutheren School.  We are blessed to have wonderful teachers for both of the girls!  We pray for this school year, that the Lord protects & guides the path of our daughters.

Another Parade :-)

We took Grandma & Grandpa Lantz to Elgin's 4th of July parade...let's just say it was way too HOT and LONG!  Overall, the kids did great...maybe better than us adults, sigh.  Emma was quite out of sorts, which is why she is not in any of the pics...oh well.  I won't bore you with the details of our parking/road closing debockle (did I spell that right?).  I think the lesson learned was that Belvidere's parade is much more kid friendly (short & sweet).

cousins: Lucy, Caed, Ben & Shea

Lucy's Last Day of Preschool

Lucy loved her first year of preschool at Creative Learners!  Mrs. Palmer & Mrs. Anderson are the most wonderful prechool teachers.  They always come down to the children's level and they are so calm & patient...sometimes as a mom it's hard to always keep your cool, so I recognize and appreciate these qualities in them that much more.  Lucy will be going to Immanuel Luthern school right across the street from us for preschool next year.  We are praying that she enjoys it there as much as she did at CLII.

Dancer or Drummer?

Lucy started her ballet class last week. She really enjoys it. It's so cute to watch the little 2 year olds run wild. The poor teacher has her work cut out for her. The kids are not really interested in group activities. I think they each have their heart set on being soloists.

Well, if the ballerina thing doesn't work out...

Hair Style Saga Continues

Because of Emma's excitement of her hair yesterday...the girls both wanted special hair today. Lucy started out great, but that did not last (you may notice her puffy cheeks in her picture, this is a huge piece of bribery bubblegum). Lucy is sporting the faux french braids today. Emma has a headband chain...awwwe...aren't they cute?

Good To Go!

We took a drive up to the Children's Hospital in Milwaukee today for Lucy's (2 months since the brace has been removed) follow up appointment. The x-rays showed her bone right where it's supposed to be. Now, as she grows the gap between the leg bone and her socket will lessen and promote healthy joint development. Praise God for His protection of Lucy and her recovery! Lucy was so cute during her appointment, Dr. Thometz wanted to see her walk down the hallway and half way down she started running, full speed...little show off! Then, in the car on the way home Lucy passed gas and tried to blame it on the cows. Such a nut, that's our Lucy.

Scrapbook Therapy

I recently worked on the girls' scrapbooks...something I haven't done much of since Scrap Inn opened and I am really excited with how these pages of Lucy's surgery turned out! These pictures are from her first surgery in May 07 and they remind me of how far we have come and how blessed we are to have a little girl with such an amazing attitude and personality. We have so much to be thankful for!

Our American Girl Experience

Yesterday, was a BIG day for Emma (and Lucy). Grandma Witz and I took the girls downtown Chicago for an American Girl experience (Emma's birthday present)! It was a full day of fun and adventure. We started by picking up Grandma & getting on the train at Big Timber in Elgin. We took the train all the way to Union Station in Chicago. Then, we hopped on the free trolley that took us down Michigan Ave to the American Girl Store. We had 11am lunch reservations at the AG Cafe. It was quite the girlie girl place...from the pink daisy light fixtures, to the polka dotted pony tail holder napkin ring souveniers. Not a single detail was missed. The entire cafe was hot pink, black & white. They gave Emma a high chair for her baby that hooked to our table, and they let Lucy pick out a doll to borrow for the lunch. Then, they brought out wine goblets with pink lemonade for the girls and little saucers & tea cups for the dolls. The first course, was sticky buns. The second course was a fruit kabab sculpture surrounded by veggies, dips and baguettes. Oh, I almost forgot, there was a little box on the table filled with conversation starters on little strips of paper. This was high amusement for 2 little girls...not the conversations, but rather the little strips of paper. After loading up with fruit, veggies and bread, the girls barely touched the main entree. Then they brought us each a plate with 3 cute little desserts: a chocolate mousse flower pot (which Lucy thoroughly enjoyed), heart shaped cakes and daisy shaped sugar cookies (that we saved for the train ride home...yummy!). The food was very good and the restraunt was so cute. Emma & Lucy were very good girls. After lunch however, Lucy let everyone know that she needed a nap by crying hysterically in the store. Emma picked out a backpack carrier for her baby and started crying when she realized that it didn't come with a new doll (like the one in the display). We made our decisions quickly and got out of there. The store was so crowded and a bit confusing for first timers. Once we were outside, the girls were good again. Trolley, train, drop off Grandma & back to Belvidere. Whew, I was exhausted! We will definantly do it again...maybe in a year or two. (One thing I was surprised about, was the amount of older girls (like ages 12-15) that were having lunch with their dolls.) Anyway, It was a special day, I hope Emma remembers it.

the progress continues...

After a couple weeks of praying, wondering and probably way too much worrying it seems as though Lucy is really starting to make some progress. WooHoo! We had a bit of a "scare" last week when Lucy fell out of bed...satin pj bottoms onto wooden floor, she fell hard. And it seemed like we took 2 steps back with her road to recovery. Sean & I thought that maybe she hurt her foot and I even took her for an xray today and have been on the phone with all the doctors (I'm sure they think I'm a basket case paranoid mom)...but as it turns out, her limping is to be expected with the pelvic osteotomy and her foot is fine with the exception of a couple mosquitos bites that she has scratched to a bloody pulp. She will eventually, in time, walk "normal". She walked across our kitchen with out holding onto anything a little bit ago. And here she walking while holding her helpful big sister's hand. She gets so excited when I see her walking. It's so cute. Her progress is truly a blessing. We are so thankful!! Yay God!

Gummi Peach Ring Fungus

We just got back from our road trip out East. We had a great time! It was 14 hours in the car each way. To help pass the time, I had many snacks & activities planned for the kids. However, I had not planned for the snacks to become the activities...see Lucy stretching a gummi peach ring around her foot! Yum ;-) (FYI...She did attempt to eat the pictured gummi peach ring, but we stepped in with some tough love parenting "Lucy don't eat that it's disgusting.") More on our vacation after we catch up on some sleep!

She's Got LEGS!

Well...I'm so excited to announce that Lucy got her brace off today! Our doctor said the x-rays looked great (the bones have fused together nicely) and he doesn't want to see her back until the end of August for a check up. Woo! Awesome, praise God! But, one thing that Sean & I had not really thought about while she was in the brace, but noticed the minute the brace came off was that she GREW! Not just an inch or two folks but literally like a foot. She is so tall...longs legs, long torso...the girl is huge. I'm pretty sure she's taller than Emma! Anyway, Lucy played with her feet and she kicked the back of Grandma's seat ("Lucy, NO!") the whole drive home from the Children's Hospital...and I don't think she has stopped smiling! Such a cutie, she's so happy! Thanks so much to each of you who prayed for Lucy, it is by the grace of God and in His perfect timing that she is healing and that she has handled this entire surgery and recovery with such a great attitude. We are so thankful. A special thank you goes out to Auntie Kelly who surprised us when we got back from the doctor with a homemade cake (with Lucy's name spelled out in mini marshmallows)! Lucy will surely be back on her feet soon. Right now, she needs to rebuild those leg muscles and get used to the feel of the new hip socket. She is not able to stand, crawl or bear weight on her legs. But, she's busy sitting up, scooting and exploring her new freedom. It will take time. But something tells me that this determined little lady will not be down for long. Oh, I almost forgot to mention...the first thing Lucy said after her brace was removed was "pants". Apparently she was tired of wearing dresses everyday. LOL Can you blame her? And...um...in the middle of her celebretory bubble bath, she tried to eat her toes. The End.

Six Weeks Since Surgery

Today marks 6 weeks since Lucy had her Pelvic Osteotomy surgery. The doctor had told us 4-6 weeks in the brace/wheelchair. Our appointment is on Wednesday. Please pray for Lucy's recovery. Although she has been such a little trooper...she's starting to get antsy. In fact, she scooted herself right out of her wheelchair today, I caught her just in time (barely). My heart was beating so hard, she gave me quite a scare. Anyway, I really hope she gets the brace off on Wednesday,...besides the fact that she could use a good bath too!

Lucy Loo sings for you!