Many hairs cut...no ears...

Greetings!

Jonas and Elsa had a great post-Halloween sugar rush. They kindly shared much of their candy with Mari and Dan but still got to nibble on a piece or two. Next year's costumes have been purchased after a fun trip to the mall in Auburn. Elsa and Jonas played on the playground and had a blast.

In other big news...Jonas "You can call me Fabio no more" received his first hair cut. He is sporting a sharp new hairdo and is rather proud of it.

Elsa's eye continues to heal nicely and the doctor is ready to do the second eye. We will have that surgery in the next two weeks and have lots of time to recover over the Thanksgiving holiday. Elsa also ordered her first pair of glasses...Dora the explorer and they are pink! She is going to look great!

Jonas and Elsa did great today at church and even ventured into the daycare room for a minute or two to check out the toys.

With the sunny warm days fading fast...it was almost 60 and sunny today...we took advantage and went for a nice long walk.

Lots of pictures to take a look at...please enjoy!

Thanks for your continued prayers for healing and growing!

God Bless,

Mari & Elsa & Dan & Jonas

Happy Halloween!

Greetings!

Elsa and Jonas had a great week. Elsa's eye is looking better each day. The cloudiness and redness has gradually went away...although the number of eye-drops has not gone away.

We took the kids to the Proctor Street Halloween Fest last night. Thousands of kids and adults dressed to the nines in their Halloween best. The kids had a great time just looking at all the strange sights...Giant keys handing out candy...a street pirate giving out beads! We had a great time and ran into tons of people we haven't seen in ages. The kids were Tigers! Mari and Dan wore their Battle Ground Tigers Bowling Team sweatshirts. We felt like the belles of the ball...lots of smiles and comments, "Oh they're tiger twins." We think they were talking about the kids.

And with that...our little and big ghosts and ghouls must rest. We hope that everyone had a fun filled weekend and lots of candy stuck in your teeth!

God Bless,

Mari & Dan & Elsa & Jonas

How many eye drops can one person need in a day...a lot!

Greetings!
The big news in the Lysne household this week was Elsa's eye surgery. It was a long day at the hospital but everything went smoothly and we are now in recovery mode. We have taken Elsa in two times for follow-ups with the doctor and will see him many more times in the month ahead. He has made a couple of adjustments to the eye drops that Elsa takes and Elsa is tolerating the whole experience quite nicely.

Elsa came home with a big patch on her eye after the surgery. When Jonas saw her, he had a real look of concern on his face and pointed at her. He was a real trooper and gave her several good hugs this week. We took the eye patch off the next morning and began the eye drop ritual. We have five different drops that we give her ranging from every other hour to once a day. Quite a production!

We will update again next weekend with some pictures of our most recent adventures.

God Bless,
Mari & Dan & Elsa & Jonas

Getting Muddy! Pumpkin Patch Part Two

Greetings!

Elsa and Jonas had a busy week. We took them to their NICU follow-up this week. This is the appointment where we sit in a room and different specialists cycle in and out to check for different developmental skills. Elsa and Jonas did great. While they didn't pass all the tests, they came in four to six months behind on a couple, they were champs and tried their best. It was interesting that they were scored on all the tests based on their December 12th birthday and there was no factoring in their four months premature arrival. While we know that when they are school age four months difference won't matter for different skills, we felt that this early on that is still a big gap in time. The great news out of all of this is that they qualify for more services that we can try out to see how they help Elsa and Jonas. The kids rocked overall.

Elsa and Jonas reteamed with their good friend Joshua to visit a pumpkin patch this week. The three December 12th birthday babes went together last year and it is becoming a tradition. They picked pumpkins, rode in wheelbarrows, and ate new foods (white raspberries--who knew?). Great times!

Elsa's first surgery is nearly here and we are nervous and excited for her. We pray for steady hands and quick recovery.

God Bless,

Dan & Jonas & Elsa & Mari

Future Lutes!

Greetings!

Elsa and Jonas took in their first Pacific Lutheran University Homecoming football game this past weekend. They had a great time and each got "future Lutes" buttons to wear proudly the rest of the day. They clapped and were kind of interested in the game. They were more interested in the activity that was all around them...people, cheering, clapping, food...it was a great time for them. Mari and Dan signed the alumni board and included Jonas and Elsa with graduation dates to be determined.

As you might have guessed by the pictures, Elsa and Jonas returned to their favorite pumpkin patch this year. The pumpkins and our pumpkins keep getting bigger but ours are closing the gap. They had a great time and plan on returning at least one more time this year!

Elsa and Jonas both got flu shots this past week and were champs. Elsa cried for a second or two and Jonas barely batted an eye. They are tough!

We have our big follow-up appointment this upcoming week with a variety of nurses and specialists. They will check on developmental progress for Elsa and Jonas. It will be a long appointment but it will be good to get an update on how they are both doing.

Go Lutes!

God Bless,

Mari & Jonas & Elsa & Dan

Lots of little miracles

Greetings!

It was with a heavy heart that we read the news of Children's hospital in Seattle losing two young babies due to accidents over the past several months. We didn't spend any time at Children's NICU but we know that the nurses and doctors in this type of work put on a strong face at work but would be crushed if they made a mistake at work. We are praying for the families and the staff at Children's Hospital.

This recent news made us think back on how many tiny miracles that happened along the way for Elsa and Jonas. We could attempt to recant them but just hit older posts for the litany:). We are so thankful and full of JOY that miracles happen...sometimes not how we expect them...sometimes not as big and as pronounced as we would like them...but that they happen.

Our week was actually quite a fun and exciting week. Lots of play with friends and families. A birthday celebration for Uncle Ron. A lot of fun for all! Words are starting to come more frequently and both kids are really experimenting with sounds!

God Bless,

Mari & Jonas & Elsa & Dan

Nose running? Better chase after it.

Greetings!
A long week in the Lysne household. Three noses were running like faucets. Elsa, Jonas and Mari were sick most of the week. Dan somehow missed out on this cold or at least hasn't caught it yet. When they are sick, Jonas and Elsa have a hard time sleeping through the night so there were some long nights! Today everyone is starting to feel a little bit better and energy is returning to normal.

Dan was proctoring a test this past week and the last question for the last student of the week was a written passage about the movie Born Free and about the lion named Elsa. He thought it was a fitting end to the week and remembered fondly the conversation with the first Nicu nurse that he talked with at the hospital about the movie and Elsa.

Both kids are learning all sorts of new things. Jonas can now knock and Elsa will clap your hands together for you. There are lots of other new skills too...those just happen to be the ones that come to mind.

God Bless!

Mari & Dan & Elsa & Jonas