Finally...

We were finally able to water seal our deck tonight! We have been trying to do it for several weeks now, but we haven't been able to since it rains every day! It took a few hours, but we got it done! Ben was a huge help and was pretty excited that he was able to do a grown up job!

Visit...

Today the boys and I rode with Nana and Gramps to go see Great Grandma. We got to listen to some live Dixieland Jazz music while visiting with Great Grandma at her apartment!

Ball Game...

Ben had to sit this game out tonight (low platelets), so we enjoyed watching Conner play. Conner got a hit and even hit a foul ball that hit a car so he was pretty happy! Mama and Papa joined us so Ben got to sit with the 4 of us and got to have endless snacks!

Shark Tank...

Today I took Conner and Ben to the library for an interactive shark tank show! They loved all the information and at the end they both got to touch a shark!

Doughnuts...

It felt like a big doughnut kind of morning...

Mystery...

On Friday, Ben had to get his platelet count checked (as we do at least every month now.) We got the bad news that his count had dropped down to 14000. (Normal range is 150000-400000) The doctor at the U of Iowa Hospital called us right away to let us know and see if there was anything else going on with Ben that could explain such a low count. It took us all by surprise because his last count was 137000! We all were hoping that somehow it was a mistake and that maybe the blood sample had clumped. We had a quiet weekend at home since Ben can't have much physical activity. We had to go back on Monday and repeat the testing. That one came back at 16000, so there was no mistake.... his platelet count had mysteriously dropped significantly. We were able to go to see Ben's hematologist at the U of I today to discuss. The doctor was frustrated just like the Hedlunds! (Ben is helping me write this post!) Ben will not be able to play baseball for at least this week. He will take a steroid course and we hope that will bump his count back up. He is still taking the medicine for his bone marrow as well. This was definitely disappointing news, but we are doing our best to stay optimistic. It is hard especially when there is no reason for his count to drop right now. This is hard on Ben because he doesn't understand what is happening and we have few answers to offer him! Conner is also very worried about his brother! We are taking every opportunity to enjoy the little things... extra movies, macaroni and cheese brats, board games on the deck in the sunshine, and Ben even called the girl he likes yesterday!

Swimming Lessons...

The boys started swimming lessons today! Both did great and tried really hard! 

Kites!

We ventured out for some kite flying today! The boys love their fancy kites and when we figured out how to fly them, there was constant giggling! We went over to Excelsior Middle School where the boys will go to school next year. The wind wasn't entirely cooperative with us, but it was fun to get out there! 

Happy Father's Day!

After a busy week on vacation, baseball games, errands, and laundry, we were ready for a relaxing day to celebrate Dad! We gave a Nick a few gifts and being the awesome man that he is, he made a wonderful meal for us complete with smoked ribs, potatoes, and fresh green beans. I had told him that I would make dessert and he requested cherry pie, so we enjoyed some cherry pie and homemade reeses peanut butter cups for dessert! It was a great day spent at home with these wonderful people of mine! Thank you to Nick for all that you do for us! You are the hardest working man I know and you always make sure that your family is taken care of. We appreciate and love you beyond words!!! Thank you to our own dads who have shown us what it means to be a loving and supportive parent! We love you so much!

Bye, Bye!

It was another great week at the lake! Thank you to Mama and Papa! We had a good (and quiet) trip home!

Last Full Day!

The boys started our last full day of vacation with fishing. Nick has taken the boys out every morning at 6am! They have been loving it! Nick, Ben, and Conner have been wanting to go golfing, so the four of us headed over to the nearest golf course and the guys played 9 holes. (I drove the cart!) It was really fun to see them play and have fun! We spent the afternoon fishing, taking family photos, cleaning fish to bring home for a future fish fry, and making smores. The boys ended the night exhausted, passed out in bed and literally on top of each other!

Fish Fry!

It was a chillier day today so, but the boys still got some fishing in! We also had our fish fry tonight and everyone loved it!