Spook-Tacular October!

The Mikels family has had a fantastic October so far!!! On October 3rd, we left for the beach for the week and had the best time a family could possibly have! We got to stay in a nice, big house (with an elevator...mind you!) and just had some really great family time. Many days, we get lost in the craziness of life, doctors appointments, school, etc... It was so nice to go away and just be able to enjoy each other!

If you have never been to the Outer Banks...leave NOW! It is a magical place! Our kids enjoyed waking us up to enjoy the sunsets together over breakfast. The beach was an everyday occurrence and Noelle really enjoyed napping on the beach. While it wasn't warm enough to go in the water everyday...it was still so enjoyable. Not cold yet not hot! Absolutely perfect! Andon enjoyed sandcastles and collecting sea shells. Noelle enjoyed watching the kite. Noelle refused to play in the sand until the last day. She must have known we were leaving because she not only played in the sand...but then completely immersed herself in sand while playing in it! It was so much fun to watch. Ross really enjoyed the surf and sound fishing and actually caught a lot! One of my favorite parts was being able to watch one of my high school girlfriends walk down the isle (in front of the sound sunset!) to one of my guy high school friends. It was like a mini reunion and was so much fun! We can't wait to go back to the beach sometime soon...hopefully!

In other Noey news, her eye doctor appointment went GREAT! Her eyes are looking fantastic and she doesn't have to follow up for another year! SCORE!

I took her for another opinion with a different Neurologist. As soon as he found out we were there for a second opinion, he shut down. He examined her and basically told me that he didn't need to see her anymore and that he agreed with the neurologist at Children's. Whatever. I'm taking her to see a different Neurologist at Children's in January. I want to be comfortable with my choices for her care...and I'm not comfortable with a doctor that doesn't even lay a hand on her during a neuro consult. He's a wack job and I'm not going back there. We'll see what happens with this new doc at Children's. I've received several opinions from different people and everyone agrees that something is off with her neurologically. Its not major...but something is just off. I'm going with my gut...

Her chest cat scan came back as expected. Dr. Fields said "her lungs just suck!" Well, nothing new there! We talked a lot at the last appointment about what life is going to be like for a while. Unfortunately, the lungs do the most amount of growing between birth and 2 years old. Now, that she is over 2 years....they will still grow but at a slower more steady rate until she is 18. So, we are probably looking at a long term oxygen solution, if not forever. I guess it doesn't really matter that much...we are so used to it by now. It would just be nice to one day be tube free. It's a great dream and something to pray about...

Andon had his first field trip of the school year to Cox Farms (the local mega pumpkin patch). I was able to volunteer...finally! I have to admit, after all the field trips I went on as a summer camp counselor and then as an administrator...this was WAY more fun! I love going on field trips with no responsibility other than my own kid!! We had a blast. It was a perfect weather day and we had some great kids and teachers with us. We brought home some pumpkins and tons of great memories!

So, I don't usually do news about me...but I'm pretty excited about this news. I have made the decision to go back to school to get my nursing degree. I'm sure most of my extended family thinks I'm crazy...but I'm really excited about it. Plus, I think it will give me some forced "away and me" time. I have a lot to learn...but I have a ton to gain. So, why not?! I'm going to start off very slow and just do one class a semester for a while. I have to get a few pre-requisites before I can apply for a nursing program. So, that'll take me a little while. Plus, financial aid is harder to come by when you are getting a second Bachelors....so I'm going to have to go slow and (somehow) pay out of pocket. If anyone knows about any great scholarships...please let me know!

Halloween is coming!! Andon has decided to be Superman and Noelle will be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (Because there is no place like home...)

Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of October and I'm going to try to update more often so the posts are not so long!

xoxo,

Stacie :)