Hairy Controversy!

Okay, so the last post with the pictures of Jude's hair spiked quite the controversy.  I already know how we feel, and several of you too; but just for curiosity's sake, I am conducting a poll.  The poll can be found over to the right and will not determine what we do, but for our entertainment, humor us!!

We had some wonderful weather the last few days - culminating yesterday with a 70 degree, sunny afternoon.  It was short lived, as we woke up to snow this morning.  The boys were so excited they were bundled up and outside playing before breakfast - and good thing because the snow was gone by lunch. 

Jude is expanding his vocabulary - this week he FINALLY started to call me mommy; and added "fishy", "icky", and "tickle".  It's such a fun stage!

Ty's new line to get out of something he doesn't want to do is "I can't Mommy!  I'm too strong!"  It doesn't matter if it's eating something he doesn't like or standing in the corner, he's too strong to do it.

And Drew has a new job.  He fashions faces on ritz crackers with peanut butter and chocolate chips.  He does this a long, long, LONG ways away; in Nineveh.  Mommy and Daddy can't go to his work, only Drew, Ty and Jude.  Interesting.

Lightning McQueen takes 3rd!

 A recent care package from Grandma arrived.  The boys really enjoyed the glow necklaces, and the excuse to run around the house in the dark.  In our house the stairs to the basement are between the living room and the kitchen, giving the boys a "race track" to run around from room to room.  When they are all going the same direction, it cuts down on crashes too.

Here you can see the damage to our trees and yard a little better now that the snow is gone.  It has since been cleaned up; but we still have piles along the curb.  We were told the city would come and pick them up, but the damage was spread wide across the city so who knows when they will get to us!

Jude is really a goof ball - and a trouble maker - but it is mostly out of his search for fun.  He's just a fun little guy.  He is also into making funny faces.  This was after tubby time one evening.  Drew was gone and Ty and Jude were running around the "race track" and burning energy before bed.


 Daddy caught him for a quick pic of his curls.  So many people say he needs a haircut and that he is starting to look like a girl.  With these curls, I just can't!  I will....but I think I will wait for Salem to de-throne him of the baby title before he starts looking like a big boy!!

 Below Drew's car is getting ready to head down the track at the AWANA derby.  At this church the Cubbies compete with the Sparks.  I was really proud of Pete for holding back and letting it be Drew's car and doing what Drew wanted instead of taking over and doing whatever he could to make it faster and better.  I guess it's a dad thing; but Pete did a great job.  Drew wanted a Lightning McQueen race car and Pete did a good job with the design.  I think they came pretty  close!!

Even better after Pete did so well at making it Drew's car, Drew placed third for speed!  I don't think either of us were expecting him to get an award at all, but he was so proud!  I don't think he understood exactly what was going on at first, but now his car and his trophy have to "watch him sleep". 

Ty was given permission by Drew to use his duck car from last year and they have been playing with the derby cars together.  Next year, once Ty can compete too, it will be quite interesting!!

 For the most part, Drew is completely understandable, in person, and we rarely have a hard time figuring out what he is trying to say.  Today, our landlord came over to clean out the gutters and take down the broken TV antenna from the roof.  The boys were upset they couldn't watch from the window, but I told them they could listen quietly (yeah right) and they might hear him walking around.  After awhile Drew came running up to me telling me he heard "sum-pee".  I guessed "something" but that was not it.  He was getting frustrated with me for not figuring it out; I guess I would have been too.  He hasn't had this problem in a long time!  I finally figured it out - "thumping."  After asking him to repeat it several times, it still sounded a little more unpleasant than thumping!

Also, I added the link to Salem's Caring Bridge site on the right of this page in case you missed it before!

Driving...

We had our second snowstorm this last week. Not as much snow, and thankfully, since the tree trimmers came, not as much damage. We had a few big limbs fall in our yard; but much easier to clean up this time. It didn't warm up as much yet this time either. The snow is lingering a little longer. The boys don't seem to mind; and have spent hours out playing in the melting snow.

Jude made it through another bug/ear infection. It's so nice to have my happy little boy back. I see smiles, he gets into trouble, he cuddles without whining, he gets into trouble, he plays with his brothers, he gets into trouble...Yep. He's back to his old self. Yesterday after Pete left for work, Drew, Ty and I were waving from the window. I turned around. Jude was gone. Jude was found on top of the table...for the first of many times. The other two found trouble - Jude spends his time looking for trouble. With the other two, if they could reach it, it was theirs. With Jude, if he can't reach it, he will find a way to reach it!! With the other two, if the potty was closed, we were fine. With Jude, it doesn't matter if it's closed or not! The potty is a great source of water for floods.

Ty has really become captivated by Salem's movements. He asks often if Salem is moving, and "checks" my belly to see if he can see him yet. He often comes over to give him hugs or rub my belly. We are still working on gentle hugs, but it's nice to see the bond forming before Salem is even here.

Drew also asks about Salem frequently - and worries if I am laying too much on my tummy, or if Salem needs more milk and broccoli. He even yelled at me to stop dancing with them because I was shaking Salem. I think Salem has some good older brothers!

I am not looking forward to changing the clocks. My boys get up early as it is. I don't want to be getting up even earlier. A 5:00 wake up call is a good way to start the morning off on the wrong foot!! Being light later is good; but with little kids I don't know that it's worth it. I vote for no time change!

The boys have become fascinated by the Duke boys. Thanks to daddy, they like to climb in and out of their cars without opening the doors, and when driving the little cars around they are more often jumping fences, water, bridges and other cars. An earlier conversation today:
D: Let's go Ty! We gotta get those Duke boys! Where's Roscoe P. Coltrane?
T: Over there! We have ta jump the water!
D: Ok, start going fast!
T: Ok!
D: Ok, jump Ty!
T: I did!
D: Get those Duke boys!
T: Ok.
D: Now we have to jump the fence into the neighbor's yard. We'll pick up Grandma there. At the airport.
T: No, not there! Over here. Over the bridge.
D: Ok, you go over the bridge and get Nana. I'll go over the fence and get Grandma. Then we'll crash through some trees.

I'm so glad I have YEARS before I have to think about them driving!!!

Family Times

So...Salem has kind of taken over the family blog, temporarily. We will have a Caring Bridge site to update you all on what is going on with Salem. Then this blog can go back to our whole family - as it gets updated, and it may not be as frequent!!

This morning was rather quiet and Salem was quite active. Drew and Ty were excited to be kicked by Salem and both stood next to me feeling the movements for over ten minutes. It was a special time and they have both mentioned it again throughout the day.

This week we experienced our first Colorado snowstorm. It was kind of a shock going from 80 degrees at the park one day, to a huge snowstorm with accumulations over a foot!! We still had most of the leaves on the trees and the heavy snow was too much for a lot of the branches. We had a lot of damage to the trees in our yard, breaking some of the wooden fence, ruining the antenna on top of the house - but thankfully all the damage was exterior. The boys have had a lot of fun playing in the snow and even helped Pete haul a lot of the fallen branches out to the curb. Because so many branches fell, there wasn't even room to build a snowman. :( Maybe next time! We are looking forward to the snow melting away and the warmer temps this weekend and next week! Jude has been sick and because of the cold and his ear infection he hasn't had a chance to play in the snow.

We were blessed with a gift that helped us purchase a bunk bed set for Ty and Jude's room. We only set up the bottom half for now, until Jude is ready for the bigger bed; but as you can see, Ty loves his new bed! Now we are able to get the crib and Salem's room ready for his arrival.

School is going well with Drew. There are days he is not too excited about it, but then there are days when he doesn't want to quit. He loves to write his name, and he is getting quite good at it!

I promised a picture of the colors in the mountains; this was taken with my cell phone so the quality is not as good. We were impressed - and yes, we know, there are no reds!!

Lastly, enjoy a pic of my little Drewby; all ready for Cubbies. He is doing well in Cubbies again this year and is enjoying it. He is good at memorizing his verses and get so excited when he earns a new patch or sticker.

I guess that is all for us now. Feel free to check out the Caring Bridge site for updates on Salem. There is a place to subscribe for updates so you won't have to continually check for news. The link is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/salemsandstrom

Salem’s Update:

This last Wednesday we had the family conference at Children’s hospital. This conference was held for us to ask questions and get all the information discussed earlier that morning as our case was presented to the team responsible for deciding whether or not Minda could deliver at Children’s. The answer we were given was YES! This really excites us; as long as Minda does not go into labor early and Salem remains stable, they will be together at Children’s hospital. Delivery is scheduled for December 13^th at 10:00 am. We do not have a time for the surgery to close his spine as there are still a lot of variables; but shortly after birth Salem will be going through a lot of tests, scans and procedures to check his overall health and stability. The appointment with the cardiologist went well. She felt quite confident in saying Salem does not have a heart problem at this point; however has ordered an echo following birth to be certain. He’s a growing little bugger and his developing rib bones casted shadows on some of the images making it hard to know for sure. Salem is also a mover and a groover!! He made sure both the technician and the Cardiologist had to work hard for each picture they got of his heart. He was punching and kicking at the probes as they pushed against him and did not want to stay still for anything! We feel this is a good sign! Starting this Monday we also begin the non-stress tests. The tests will be done twice a week, Monday and Thursday mornings. If Salem shows any signs of stress, we will be much more closely monitored and possibly have to deliver early. We are looking into options as to the best way to keep everyone informed. We also want to thank each of you for your prayers, cards and encouragement. God has blessed us immensely, first with Salem and also with each of you to stand behind us. We couldn’t have hoped for a better support group. Thank you for letting Him lead you to pray and encourage us. We thank God for you all!

Update on Salem:

Thank you all who have been praying for us and for Salem. So many of you have sent encouraging words and notes letting us know how God has brought us/him to your mind. Your prayers mean so much to all of us. On Tuesday of this week we had another round of appointments for Salem. Everything went really well. We have been scheduled for an echo of his heart in two weeks. It appears there may be some minor swelling on one side of his heart, limiting the blood flow to his body. Our Dr. feels this is a minor issue and the cardiologist will have no concerns after the test. Please pray with us that this would be true!! Because of everything else Salem is facing and with surgery planned for shortly after birth, they just want to make sure there are no surprises once he is born. Two weeks after that appointment we go back in for another growth check, just to make sure Salem is growing and progressing. We have made it to the 29 week mark! Praise God! Also, Minda is still healthy and has no problems with her hands! Our echo is scheduled for the 19^th of October; and we will keep you posted! Also on the 19^th, our case will be presented to the team of doctors and specialists and the decision will be made as to whether or not Minda can deliver at Children’s Hospital. We are really praying this will happen as well, so Minda can be near Salem. If Minda cannot deliver at Children’s, Salem will be transported to Children’s once he is stable. Please pray they can stay together!! Thanks again for all your prayers!!

Fall Colors

Before we moved to Colorado, some well meaning friends, acquaintances, and others made the comment to enjoy the trees before we go, and take the memories of fall colors with us. Getting here, living in a rather large town, I see plenty of trees. In our many trips to the mountains, there are LOTS of trees. Most of them are pine trees, but they are still trees. Long way to say it, but no, I am not missing trees...not yet. Yesterday we took an afternoon trip up into the mountains. After getting up into Rocky Mountain National Park, we came around a bend in the road and were met with an awesome sight. The dark green pine trees covering the mountainside were splashed with color. There were patches of the brightest yellow-orange I had ever seen, some lighter greens that were starting to turn, and these mixed with the darker green from the pine trees was brilliant. Pete commented that it wasn't the same as the colors back in the Midwest, missing the reds, but the yellow-orange here was much more intense than back there. I couldn't help but think of you packer fans; the Rocky Mountains, for the next couple weeks anyway, are on your side!! But in my own team's defense, when you see the bright blue sky dotted with white clouds, the sky is on our side! And a blue sky dotted with white clouds is a LOT more frequent than the Packer mountains! Go LIONS!!! (and sorry to those who are visually stimulated, the camera was forgotten. The only picture I got is on my cell phone...I'll see if I can pull it over later!)

Sharing Bugs

Why is it that sharing is something one always needs to do when you have something that someone else wants? Why do you have to share? I always feel that sharing is bad when we are sick. It's worse when I have it the same time as the kids. I have no energy to cater to their extra clingy-ness and feel terrible, knowing they probably feel the same as I do and just want to be close to mommy for comfort.

Also, if you want advice on a good investment - kleenex. With a family of five, and four of us needing it constantly, it seems like a sound investment to me.

We had a great time while my parents were out visiting. We showed them around our new area and shared many of our new adventures with them. The most exciting, in a weird way, is our encounter with the rattle snake. We were geocaching and came across this guy guarding a cache. My dad and I were the only ones trying to get to this one. Needless to say, after coming withing four inches of stepping on him, we did not attempt to get any closer to that cache!! We turned tail and headed for the van.

We also celebrated Ty's birthday a little early. The little guy is so stinking cute - and he knew it was all about him. When he gets excited his whole body shows it. It's hard to not to jump in with him. Now that they are getting older birthdays are much more fun!

Here in our neighborhood we have an ice cream truck that drives around with it's music calling to everyone. The boys get so excited when they hear it - Ty exclaims "It's beautiful music mommy!" I am so thankful that the idea that you can buy a tasty treat from this truck hasn't occurred to them and they just get excited hearing it!

Ok, so very random. My illness has affected my ability to blog...and I am posting it anyway for your enjoyment! Goodnight!

Bible "Stories"!

My parents were here visiting for a week and they left early this morning. This post is a cute kid story, but also to show my mom that they are not giving me the "worst possible time" adjusting and we are doing OK! I was folding laundry and Drew was asking me to read stories. Ty came over and asked Drew to read him a story. For the next half hour, I folded laundry and listened to Drew "read" to Ty - telling him his own interpretations of the Bible stories from the pictures. I have since left the room and this story telling has continued for another hour as I type this. One thing is sure - I am glad we have more than pictures to go on when reading the Bible! We had some very interesting stories!!!

Prayer Request from the Sandstrom Family:

Weebo the Fourth is on the way. Due date is December 20^th, 2011. For the first time we found out the gender, and Weebo is our fourth little boy. He has been diagnosed with Spina Bifida. His level of impairment, or lack of, will not be known until after his birth. He will be delivered via C-section and undergo surgery once he is stable to close up his spine. This little guy will be facing so much in the first few years of life; as will our family. We are calling on you all, our friends and family, to stand behind us in prayer. We wanted to give baby a name so people could pray more specifically and Pete chose the name meaning “complete or perfect peace”. We really feel that God has covered us with a blanket of peace regarding this whole situation; and in keeping with the other three boys, it is also a Bible name. It is the city of King Melchizedek in the Old Testament, Salem. Please pray with us for:

1. We know that God is capable of completely healing Salem.

2. Four our family through this transition. Minda will most likely need to be at the hospital for quite some time before and after Salem’s birth. The separation will be difficult and we will need help with child care as well as someone to stay with Minda before the birth, since she cannot be alone.

3. For wisdom for the doctors, surgeons, care providers and for us with decisions.

4. That all financial needs and obligations would be met.

5. For us and our extended family; since our move to Colorado, there are many miles between us.

Please praise with us that:

1. Aside from the spinal opening, Salem appears to be quite healthy and strong.

2. We have recently moved to Colorado, giving us access to some of the best care in the country for Spina Bifida. Salem already has a whole team of Doctors and Specialists involved in his prenatal care.

3. Pete’s new job schedule allows him a lot more time at home – four days a week instead of the traditional two.

4. Minda has been handling the pregnancy well; no complications to date.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer. We appreciate all of you!