TreeHouse Life

Life in our new home is so different from our last home. Here we have so many trees that every window you look out of looks like we are perched in a tree (hence the blog name). Here we have a firepit made out of rocks we found on our own land. Here we have an apple tree. Here we have deer and rabbits that like to eat our apples and other such landscaping. Here we have wild turkeys that flock the yard in groups of 10 or 15. And here we have blackberries and raspberries! I don't grow a real garden (yet, or maybe never) but my children can go and pick enough blackberries to make a pie, jam, or blackberry shakes! And that is just what they did! The other night, Dean and the kids made blackberry shakes out of the freshly picked berries found right in our backyard. Too Fun!

Construction Update

The stone is coming! The stone is coming!!

Tonite, Dean is driving 2 hours to pick up the stone for our new fireplace. On Wednesday, Mr. Contractor is coming to begin putting the stone on our new fireplace and half walls. The carpet samples are abiding and the paint swatches are getting ready to be taped to the wall. I can hardly wait!

Chiropractors: Skeptic or Believer???

Dean and I come from a very medical family. My sister is a nurse, and now runs the NICU at the local hospital. Dean has 2 sisters who were oncology nurses, and a brother-in-law who is a podiatrist. We are firm believers in the medical advances that have been made and the great care that comes from medical doctors.

But we have always been curious about the natural care given by chiropractors (against my family's better wishes!) We even spent a time under chiropractic care when Elle was 1 1/2 and I was pregnant with Jack in hopes of curing Elle's ear infections and taking away my pregnancy back pain. Eventually, the cost was just too high and we had to quit our appointments. Many insurances don't view chiropractic care as "valid medical care" and they won't cover any of the cost.

Today, my eyes have been officially opened to the real validity of such care....so let me tell you a little story....

About 4 months ago, my neck went out. Badly. I couldn't even turn my head. Dean called some friends of ours from church who own a chiropractic business and I found myself being adjusted the next day. A few days later, Elle was complaining of yet another ear ache, and instead of bringing her to her pediatrician for more anti-biotics, I went to take her to see Dr. Baker, a pediatric chiropractor. Dr. Baker checked her ears, but more importantly, noticed one of Elle's shoulders was higher than the other. This lead us to the Xray room where we found out that my little 5 year old was already showing signs of scoliosis! Her little spine was already quite visibly curved. Holding back the tears with a huge lump in my throat, I vowed that we would do whatever it takes to cure her of this before she reached the age of back braces and surgery.

Twice a week, then once a week...we made our appointments for Elle's adjustments. Three months later, we took new Xrays of her back. The proof is in the pudding, people. HER SPINE IS STRAIGHT! I couldn't believe my eyes. All those little clicks on her back, which truthfully seemed like it was doing nothing, moved her spine back into place!! She will need adjustments her whole life to maintain this genetic disposition, but those adjustments will be once a month, or even once every 3 months. Surely beats back braces and surgery!!!

When I think of how bad this could have gotten had we not had her checked out, I am just so thankful to God that my neck went out that day or we never would have started our chiropractic journey once again. I wish I could post the before and after pics of her Xrays. You wouldn't believe your eyes either!!

(side note: Dean's Wausau insurance DOES cover some of this care. Thank you, God!)

Top Ten Things We Do With Our Cherished Visitors

Since moving to Wausau, we have discovered the many different facets to living in central Wisconsin. Although we love it here, we also dearly miss all of our friends and family from out of state. Therefore, we love visitors!! And when our friends visit, we like to share all of our favorite pieces of Wausau with them. Having just had another great summer weekend with beloved visitors, I have been contemplating all the actvities we have shared so far....in hopes of maybe enticing (sp?) more of our missed friends to come visit!!

Here is my list of the top 10 things we like to do when people spend a weekend at the TreeHouse:

10) Fun in the Tub. The hot tub, that is. And that's mostly a kid activity :o)

9) Watch the National Kayak Races! That's right, the nationals take place right here in our city.

8) Listen to a Concert in the Clouds. 4 times a summer, there are free concerts on the top of Rib Mountain. We haven't gone to one with guests yet, but it's only cuz we haven't had any on those weekends.

7) Listen to a Concert in the Park. Also a free concert, but located in historic downtown Wausau's central park square. Those of you who know and love Ravinia will find this very fun.

6) Sam's Pizza. A hometown favorite. We love taking visitors here. Parents eat while kids play!

5) Eat at our newest restaurant, The Red Eye Brewery. Urban atmosphere. Urban food. Very green and very delicious. Unlike any other restaurant in Wausau. Much like most restaurants in Chicago :o)

4) Go mountain biking. I've never done this but Dean has gone several times with Sam and various other guys. Everyone who goes just loves it.

3) Walk up to the top of Rib Mountain. This hike is great excersise, and quite scenic for the outdoorsy type. Dogs are welcome on this excursion! (as seen in above picture, taken just this weekend on our hike up the mountain!)

2) Visit the top of Rib Mountain (by car). A fun place to see the whole city from 1000 feet up. A fun place for kids to climb on the glacier rocks while the moms freak out that the kids are going to fall and crack their skull. (it's never happened, thank goodness!) For those who really love heights, you can climb 4 stories higher up the tower to really see central WI for miles and miles.

And our most favorite thing to do with our many guests........

1) Downhill skiing!!

(note on pic of Jack sleeping...the kid sleeps in the strangest places....I just had to share this pic taken by Cari this weekend....)

Where we were a year ago

...as Dean and I celebrated 12 years of marraige today, I found myself reading last year's blogs. Blogs about selling our home in McHenry and living in a 2 bedroom apartment with the unknown looming in front of us. To look back to last summer and to see where we are now is to see how truly we have been blessed. Our home sold just in time to get us into our new home a week before Sam and Elle started school. Within this year, we have had a blast redecorating our new pad (mostly just new paint with some other fun projects), the kids got completely settled into their new school and have made some wonderful friends, Dean and I have made some great friends as well, we have gotten highly involved in our new church, we obtained a new pet for the family, and we learned how to downhill ski! It just amazes me as each year passes how quickly the time flies and yet so much seems to happen in that year. Just goes to prove, never take life for granted, and always have faith that everything happens for a reason. We still can't believe we are actually living here!

To highlight the "should have been written but never were" blogs of summer thus far:

*Friends from IL visited. We had such a great time with them. I actually went through a day of withdrawl after they left.
*The kids attended "College for Kids" at the local university. Fun for them, lots of carpooling for me.
*Renovations continue as the wall is torn down, the fireplace is installed and we are awaiting the stone for the fireplace.
*The fourth of July found us in Tomahawk visitng our friends' family's house on the lake. Pontoon boating all day, sunburns all-around, and water-skiing for the kids (even Jack!!) The day ended with fireworks on the lake and sleeping children in the boat :o) What a perfect day!
*Elle has begun her birthday celebrations...can you believe she is almost 6!! I certainly can't. We had our family party with Caroline and Elle sharing their July birthday celebration (as pictured above).

Last summer we had no friends and didn't know what to do with ourselves all day long. This summer we are so busy I can't even get the laundry done. It's a great feeling to be settled. It's great to feel so at home. Life is good.

Another Major Milestone

OK...maybe this isn't a milestone for Elle as much as it is one for me!! I can't believe I let her get her curly locks cut off. OK...maybe her locks weren't that curly anymore, and maybe thost locks were full of old split ends, and maybe her hair looks cute and spunky and healthy now....but it is still cut off. Sigh.

Luckily, she's pretty darn cute anyway.