Update

We spent the day in Tucson yesterday because we finally got Connor in to Orthopedic's for his scoliosis consultation. It took weeks for us to get an appointment and when we did, they had to double book us, which means we were pretty much had to be treated like a walk in. It was such a loooonnnnnggggg wait.

The Dr. took a look at Connor's X-rays and told us that it wasn't severe right now. But because of the amount of progression Connor has already for his age, the Doctor said that he was pretty much sitting on the fence about whether or not to be concerned about it at this point. He said that Connor will still be growing for the next 4-5 years and scoliosis depends entirely on growth. It's a growth thing.

Connor's spine forms an S shape with a 35 degree curve on the top and a 24 degree curve on the bottom. The Doc said that they start to get concerned when the angles start to go over 3o degrees. At 45 degrees they start considering surgery and 50 degrees or more they will do surgery.

So, for now all they can do is monitor it. We have to go back every 6 months to determine the rate of progression. The Doc said the best thing to do to try and stop the progression was some kind of physical therapy. He said he could write a referral for it but, also said doing things like Yoga and Pilates would be just as good. Jon has an inversion table and the doc said that would be great for Connor too. Anything to increase his flexibility will help slow down progression and hopefully stop it altogether.

Fun at the Rodeo

Friday night we went to Fort Huachuca with some friends
to see the Cochise College Rodeo. The kids had gotten
coupons for it at school ans were soooooo excited to go.
We had been having wonderful weather all week, we
thought that we could handle this adventure. A cold
front came in earlier that day bringing with it cold and
gusty canyon winds, but we braved it. The kids had a
great time. Connor was especially fastinated by the
bucking bronco's. We ended up leaving before it was over,
because it just got too cold for the kids. So, we missed the
goat tying and the bull riding. We made up for it by stopping
off to get some hot chocolate to thaw our bodies out piece by
piece. I did take some pictures. Some of them are not
so great because of the glare from the lights but,
I did the best I could.
I hope you enjoy them.

Hayley's Birthday

We had a small family party for Hayley's 10th birthday this year. As you can probably tell from her pictures, she was very satisfied with all of the goodies she got this year. I let each child pick out what they want for their birthday dinner. Hayley chose to have shrimp and sushi for her birthday dinner. So, we decided to try grilling the shrimp. I think they turned out pretty well. Hayley also does not like birthday cake, so every year I bake a giant chocolate chip cookie and decorate it. She loves it and looks forward to it every year. Our Hayley is growing up. Kids sure don't stay little for very long. We are so happy to have Hayley in our family. We love you Hayley!

Jon's 40th Birthday

Jon's 40th birthday was on February 19th,
so we decided to have a birthday BBQ to celebrate
this milestone in his life. We had a great turn out
and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, especially
Jon. Oh, and yes people are wearing shorts in February.
It's Arizona!