Father's Day & The Edison House

On Father's Day, we headed down to the Edison House in Ft. Myers with Grandma and Grandpa. It had been a long time since I had been there and had been talking about it for a long time. My grandfather was lived in Ft. Myers and I have always loved to visit.

The Edison House was running a special for dad's and we decided to take advantage of it. We took lots of pictures (too many to post) and enjoyed walking on the property. I remember being able to actually step into the homes, but due to new rules in place you have to enjoy the view from the entrance doors. It was still neat to see everything again. It was very hot though so we ended our tour about 2 hours after we started.

Here are a few photos that I pulled from at least 60 photos:

My dad being silly trying to get Emmalene to laugh at him.
Bruce enjoying a moment in the shade.

Emmalene and Madison under the shade tree.

A view of the entrance onto the estate.

Madison and Emmalene enjoying time with their dad on Father's Day.

Mini Ponytail

Madison pulled Emmalene's hair back into a mini ponytail. It didn't stay in long, but a couple of quick photos were taken to capture the moment.
Emmalene posed for a quick photo of her new hairstyle.

Rainy Afternoon

On this rainy afternoon, it seemed like a good time to rearrange Madison's bedroom since we were stuck inside. We decided on a layout that would give her more floor space during the summer. She's having friends come over more often while school is out and it just seems to work better.

After we finished, Madison was sitting in the corner, writing in her journal and just looking out the window at the rain. Emmalene went looking for her and crawled up in her lap. I snapped these photos when Madison called me in.

Just two sisters sharing a quiet moment together.

Madison was showing Emmalene a few of her "treasures".

Summer + Florida = HOT

It's hot! Really hot! It's hot in the morning, it's hot in the evening. So, we've had to get creative on finding times to be outside. This particular day, we went outside pretty early. We stayed close to the garge so we would be sheltered fom the sun. The kids played with chalk and I played a few games of hangman with Madison.

When Madison and I were in the middle of playing hangman, Emmalene decided to lay down on top of it. It made for a pretty cute photo.


Madison comes up with some really good ideas for hangman. She used song names that I've never heard of which makes me feel pretty old! She's even thrown in a few famous people that I didn't even know she knew. She's pretty tough to beat!

The lazy days of summer. We spend them playing in the pool, finding a cool spot in the shade, making something cold to drink, and just taking lots of photos of the girls growng up fast!

Wake up Madison!

Since it's summer, we've let Madison stay up a lot later. This particular morning, she decided to sleep on the couch after watching TV really late. Emmalene was up early and decided to help Madison get up too.

At first, Emmalene just looked at her and watched for movement. When Madison wasn't showing any signs of getting up. Emmalene decided to get involved.


First, she started with touching her hair, followed by her face, and then her nose. Before long, Madison was up and Emmalene had accomplished what she sat out for.


Emmalene's philosophy of being awake: If she's awake, everyone should else should be!

Pudding Face

Emmalene tried chocolate pudding one night and this is what was left...a sticky faced chocolate covered little girl! But it was yummy :)

6th Grade Graduation & Awards

The school that Madison attends has an end of the year graduation and awards ceremony. This year Madison was awarded for being on the B Honor Roll. This was quite an accomplishment and we are very proud of her!

Look out 7th grade, here she comes!

Last AR book of 6th grade

In 6th grade, Madison was required to read three AR books each nine week grading period in addition to her regular reading homework. After completing the book, she had to type a book report with at least 200 words, and double spaced with a title page. By the last quarter, she was completely burned out on AR reading.

I took this photo of her trying to get the last few pages read before the final typed report was due. She was tired and in her words "completely over reading".

Madison tried to find a comfortable spot to read. She tried her bedroom, my bedroom, the office, the living room, Emmalene's rocking chair, and finally ended up outside around the pool. Good news...the book got finished in time and she scored a 100!

Feeding Challenges & 1st Lollipop

Emmalene has been struggling with a feeding/swallowing issue from birth. As she has gotten older, that issue has rolled over into textured/table foods. After being monitored by her pediatrician for months, she was sent to All Children's Hospital in St. Pete for a swallowing study. The test was negative for blockages, thankfully, but did warrant further therapy.

We were then referred to a speech therapist for weekly sessions. Basically, the therapist taught us ways to "trick" her into eating textured foods and move into stage 3 baby food. After a couple of weeks, she was given more samples. There were many days that felt like we were not making progress and she she'd surprise us and eat something without gagging and well...I'll leave the other details out! Anyway, things are progressing very well.

At this time, Emmalene is doing great. She's completely off stage 3 baby food. Eating more of the "toddler" meals and lots more table foods. She has tried pickles, ice cream, sweet potato homemade fries, and lots more. Last week, she ate half of a chicken nugget! That was a huge moment since she dislikes meat (something her father finds completely foreign!). With every step, we cheer and make lots of noise with her accomplishments.

These photos show Emmalene trying a lollipop for the first time. With someone watching her (because of the possibility of biting the candy and it becoming a choking hazard), she climbed up on Daddy's lap and one taste got her hooked! This became one of her favorites.

As of today, we're no longer traveling to Lakeland for weekly sessions. We are now on biweekly telephone sessions with the possibility of being discharged next month.

I read an article recently that each of our children teach us something. I really took time to think about what my kids have taught me. Madison has taught me to live in the moment. To be aware of what stage she's in right now and enjoy every second because it goes by quickly. Emmalene has taught me how individual we are. There are no two people the same and we can't compare anyone to anyone else.

In the wise words of Veggie Tales, "We're special 'cause that's how God made us - it's true! There's no one exactly like me or like you!"

Studio Ballet Pictures

My brother took these studio portraits of Madison before her dance recital. Her friend, Jordan, also had photos taken and shared a few together. These are just a few of what was taken.

This costume is for jazz in a couple of dances.

This is Madison's ballet costume. Isn't it pretty!

This is my favorite picture!

Just gorgeous!

The girls had a good time getting to try on their costumes before the recital and put a little makeup on for the photos.