Trip to Key West

Ok, so yes we did just get back from the Superbowl... and now we just got back from Key West. Another great HatWorld/LIDS trip. Eric is still suffering from too much fun and sun. Here are the highlights.

Caught up with great friends, Glenn and Lee Ann.

Spent the day on a water sports boat. Went water skiing, para sailing, banana boat riding, etc.

Found the Garden of Eden.

Toured Hemingway's house and saw the 6 toed cats.

And had a wonderful time together!

Superbowl

Eric and I were so fortunate to be able to go to the Superbowl this year. We had a fantastic, first class trip, great fun with friends and a Packer Victory! Doesn't get much better than that.

Aaron Rogers "Fathead" on the side of the stadium.

Met up with my cousin Tania.

E and J outside the stadium. Beautiful day, after 6 inches of snow earlier in the week.

Packer celebration after the game.

YEAH!

Merry Christmas: January style

Merry Christmas from the Johnson's. OK, so I am a little late. But hey, better late than never, right? So in true Julie form, I got a new camera for Christmas and didn't take any pictures of Christmas. No present opening, no tree, no childhood whoops of glee. Nothing. I'm hoping my parents will share theirs. So for now I only have this lovely picture of Gran with the boys.


We did have a great winter holiday. Lots of cake. We titled this picture "Captain Gavin" as he looks surprisingly similar to the Captain Morgan Rum pirate.

All milestones must be documented, and here we are sitting down to our first preschool "homework" assignment. The boys colored, cut and glued 4 dinosaurs from biggest to smallest.

A big milestone for me. I turned 37 on the 20th of January and got to spend it with my 3 favorite boys. Gavin refrained from licking my cake this year, which was a big plus. It turns out that he and I are the only angel food cake lovers in the family so we polished off the cake ourselves. And yes, that big glass of wine is mine!

On the health front... I left off in Dec. with the question of Cole's big lymph nodes. Well, it appears that they have been caused in part by a lovely case of ring worm on his scalp. So hopefully that is it and we've been working on clearing that up.

Cole has been doing a great job at the Jackson Center since returning to class in early Jan. I think he has finally resigned himself to the fact that I'm going to keep taking him there, so he might as well have a little fun along the way. He has been really cooperative and happy. And it turns out that bad weather is definitely in our favor. Cole was the only one in class both Wed. and Thurs. this week due to sickness and snowy weather. That means one on one with Lara and Edit. I guess my Wisconsin driving training has come in handy... nothing keeps me home. Some call me a devoted mother, but it really boils down to NOTHING will keep me in the house all day with these two yahoos.

Congratulation to the Green Bay Packers! Off to the Superbowl.

(And no, Eric cannot get you tickets to the Superbowl ; - )

Love to all!

Cole the superhero

We started out on Monday with fresh snow on the ground and a two hour school delay. The boys did not make it to school as Cole had a very important appointment at 1:00. He received his power wheelchair. It is really cool. So high tech. And so far he likes it. He will only be using it at home until he learns how to drive. So far backward is the easiest direction. He has come close to running both Gavin and Shiloh over, but between you and me they were asking for it.

Then on Tuesday morning Cole saw the ENT to check on the big lymph node on the left side of his throat. It was suppose to be just a routine check, but the doctor didn't like that it was still there. So off Cole goes to get blood work and a chest x-ray to just make sure it is not something else. We have yet to get the results. I'll keep you posted. But in true Cole form, it is off to the Jackson Center for 3 hours of therapy starting at 12:30. He had one of his best days ever!

Wednesday finds us back at preschool and the handicapped parking space is not plowed out. They have dumped all the snow from the sidewalk directly onto the ramp. Seriously. It is 2 degrees and I have two 3 year olds to haul through the parking lot, dodging the car rider line, because those parents aren't waiting for anyone, plus pull Cole's chair and backpacks. Hump!

Thursday finds us back at St. Vincent for a scheduled surgery appointment for Cole to get botox. He has to go under general anesthesia for the doctor to be able to pinpoint the correct muscles. All went well. Dr. Kayes did Cole's arms only. Bicep, pronator? (to rotate his arms out), and thumbs.

What will Friday bring???? Off to Nashville for a work Christmas party. Not a dull moment here.

Wordless Wednesday

November's come and gone.

It is an incredibly busy time of year for us all. Every time something cool has happened I've meant to blog, but something else pops up and it never gets done. This is what we did in November.

Cole received an early Christmas present from Grandma and Papa Trapp. They got him an iPad. My dad had read an article in the Wall Street Journal about special needs kids using the iPad with great success. As you can see by the smile on Cole's face, this has been a HUGE hit.

All day long I hear Cole say "Computer". It is his favorite thing besides watching Thomas and Friends. It is also one of the only activities that Cole and Gavin can do together independently. Now I hear Gavin say "I want to play with Cole's computer. Lets play together." This is how they play.

Cole's been working hard on his walking and standing. We are borrowing this walker from the Jackson Center.

In early November, Eric went to Europe on business and my mom was lucky enough to spend the week with us. We had a ball and spent one of the days at the Children's Museum with our old friends and neighbors from Plover, WI. Ellen Smith and Jennie Smith Pyrz and her kids.

Here we are on the favorite "Bobtruck".

The Jackson Center hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for families, supporters and board members. There was a guest appearance from Santa. If you recall Gavin was not a fan of Santa last year, and things have not changed. This is the best picture we were able to get. Happy Holidays!

Happy Halloween!

Buzz and Woody took to the streets this Halloween in search of the perfect candy. Woody had to retire early due to a temper tantrum that would only be cured by watching Thomas the Train. Buzz and Mommy continued on, braved the cold and brought home enough candy for both boys.

Happy Halloween.