Kayla and Colin's Blog: Summer 2018

Continuing on with summer of last year...I chaperoned a field trip with Kayla's class to the International Crane Foundation. It was a rainy day but we had a blast looking at all the crane species.

Kayla's mandala was chosen to be in an art show.

Colin & Lilla

Fun but cold hike at Horicon. Colin was loving the centipedes!

First camping trip of the year at Pike Lake

Last day of first and third grade!

You may have noticed Colin looking a little 'tired' in the last photo. That was our thought until he went in to his well check a day later and after another doctor appt at Children's Hospital, he was diagnosed with having Nephrotic Syndrome. This happens when the kidneys filter out proteins through urine instead of keeping them in. Symptoms include water retention leading to full body swelling. We don't have a photo of him at his worse but he gained 15 lbs of water by the time we were able to get it under control.

Colin's been such a trooper during all of this. When the carnival came to town, Daddy carried him to all his favorite rides so he could still have some fun. You'll notice how swollen his legs are in one of the photos!

Also going on during this time...the last photos at our Rock River Road house! On to new adventures!

Goodbye friendly gartersnake who would love to sun itself on our deck!

Hello new home and 19 acres of backyard. :)

Happy 4th of July!

Framily camping weekend at Mauthe Lake

After a couple of relapses, Colin underwent a kidney biopsy to determine exactly what was causing his nephrotic syndrome. The biopsy went very well although he had an all day stay at the hospital as he couldn't move around much. Results showed Minimal Change Disease which is the most common cause. Good news as most kids with this type will eventually outgrow it by the time they hit puberty. Only time will tell.

Last summer was Kayla's first try at softball. She loved it and we had a great team for our first year. She even found how much she enjoys playing catcher!