Easter 2014

We went up to Michigan on Good Friday and celebrated Easter on Saturday.  The kids opened Easter baskets and hunted for eggs.  Liam and Lilly got to test out the new car at Grandma & Grandpa Kusch's house.  In the afternoon we attended a Tiger's game.
For the first time since we've been married, we didn't attend our church on Easter Sunday.  Dave also didn't play the timpani, which he normally does.  We actually sat together as a family in the pew.  Our flight to Hawaii was right after church at the Detroit airport.

Lilly 'helped' me set the table by putting pretend eggs at everyone's seats.

Garage Floor

Over spring break we decided to have the floor of the garage painted.  Because we have a small house, we use the garage when we have parties.  Sunday night we cleared everything out.  On Monday the floor was prepped and on Tuesday it was finished.  Unfortunately, the floor was not dry until Friday night.  So, when the kids went to bed we moved everything back into the garage.  Thankfully, I went through each box during the week and added many new things to the Church rummage sale pile.  The garage was ready just in time for Liam's birthday party.

Before

After

Liam's 4th Birthday

It is so hard to believe that Liam is four years old!  He has grown and matured so much over the last year.  This year he started Preschool and became a big brother.  We are constantly amazed with how smart, creative, and imaginative he is.  He also has a big heart and shows compassion.  He is so curious and wants answers to many things.  He soaks in knowledge like a sponge.  We hope that continues for him.  He is so verbal and often has a hard time shutting off his brain at bedtime.  He is a great story teller.  He also loves to sing.
We know that Liam is meant to do great things.  He still says he'd like to be an astronaut when he grows up.  He loves learning about space and rockets.  His favorite color is green and he says his second favorite is blue.  He loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Octonauts, and Bubble Guppies.  Liam has begun telling jokes, which often aren't that funny, but are pretty clever for his age.  Liam loves to do art projects and play with play-dough.
The greatest thing to witness is the blossoming of his faith.  It is so great to hear him sing songs he learned in both Preschool and Sunday School.  He retells many of the bible stories he knows.  We know the Holy Spirit is at work within him.  He says his own prayers at bedtime, which is so sweet to hear.

Right after his third birthday, Liam decided he wanted a Buzz Lightyear party for his fourth birthday.  He talked about it all year.  He said he wanted a rocket cake with Buzz on top.  Well, although I didn't make a rocket cake, we did have a Buzz Lighteyar themed party.

The Decorations

planet cupcakes and rocket sugar cookies

Liam was so excited about all his gifts and wanted to play with each one for a little bit before opening another one.  He did a great job of thanking everyone for his presents.

Liam showing Uncle Brady his new Gup X (from Octonauts)

Liam's favorite planet is Saturn, so he got the Saturn cupcake.

The black frosting stained a bit, but tasted good.  Verona seemed to enjoy it!

Liam's Birthday

Liam had a great birthday.  He took some rocket cookies to Preschool as a snack.  We saved some of his presents for his actual birthday.  He asked for the Imaginext Batman toys.  Both Liam and Lilly were excited about them.

Liam's face says it all.

Liam got a little too close to the candle when he went to blow it out, but it didn't hurt for long.

Update on Liam's Heart

Liam had his annual cardiologist appointment today.  Because Liam's heart condition has been stable, we only need to visit the doctor once a year.  There are three areas of concern with Liam's heart -

Fused Left Ventricle Valve
A normal, healthy valve should have three parts.  Two of the parts in Liam's valve are fused together.  This means he only has two working parts in the valve.  This causes leakage in the heart, which causes the murmur sound.  The doctor ranked his leakage.  Liam's ranks at an eight, which is up from last year.  Last year his leakage ranked at a five.  Although there is a slight increase, it is only a concern if it ranks at forty or higher.  Overall, this has remained stable.  The doctor explained that the number can fluctuate slightly when Liam has a growth spurt. 
The murmur sound in Liam's heart is also ranked.  His ranks at a 2.5 out of 6, which means it is mild.

Narrowed Artery
The artery leading to Liam's heart is narrowed.  This could be of concern if the restriction is not allowing enough blood to flow to the heart.  As of right now, this is also remaining stable and is not a concern. 

Hole Between the Upper Two Chambers
All children are born with a hole between the chambers and it almost always heals itself right away.  Liam's has healed slowly.  It decreased in size since our last visit.  The doctor said it should be completely closed by the time Liam is six.  We're hoping it will be completely healed by our next visit.

Liam should be able to participate in all the activities of a normal four year old boy.  Our next cardio. visit will be next year after his 5th birthday.

Here are some of the pictures from our visit to the cardiologist -

Liam has the routine down.

Lilly kept him company.

waiting for the doctor to arrive with the results

Liam getting all his vitals checked