This is Six!

Happy Birthday Elias! It's hard to believe that you are growing up so fast. You are finishing up your first year in elementary school. You love to run and do it fast. You love to ride bikes, play soccer, build LEGOs, and all things Harry Potter. You have a sneaky sense of humor and are all around goofy. We love you big monkey. Have a great year of being Six!

Natural Born Juicers for after school treat

Hoosier Dreams care of Oma and Opa

Birthday Dinner

Art With a Heart

What I want to be when I grow up: Medical Illustrator

Learning to ride with no training wheels on Memorial Day!

The Annual Birthday Interview--

What is your name: Elias

How old are you: 6

Favorite Color: golden

Favorite Toy: plane

Favorite Fruit: watermelon

Favorite TV show: Harry Potter

Favorite thing to eat at lunch at school: chocolate bar

Favorite thing to wear: running shoes

Favorite Game: Sequence

Favorite Snack: pirate booty

Favorite Animal: stag

Favorite song: What Does the Fox Say?

Favorite Book: Harry Potter #2

Best Friend: Addison

Favorite Cereal: cinnamon toast crunch

Favorite thing to do outside: ride bikes

Favorite Drink: butterbear (vanilla cream soda with whipped cream)

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: dinosaur oatmeal

What do you want to eat for dinner tonight: chocolate pizza

What do you want to be when you grow up: medical illustrator

Stats:

Height: 47 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 45 lbs (50th percentile)

Personality: Brave, Independent, Creative!

Race Day! Our Trip to the Indy 500

Oma and Opa came to Indianapolis to visit us in the barrel. It's May and it's Indy, so when in Rome be a Roman right? Daddy got us all tickets to see the 99th running of the Indy 500. The cars were so fast and much fun was had by all!

Go Helio Go!

Montoya took the cup and drank the milk this year in a very exciting finish. All that fun and sun makes for some very tired boys.....

Big Steps for our Big Monkey!

On May 22nd, Elias was a brave boy! Since we have been working together to do his factor in his arm and hand through a butterfly needle, we decided to get rid of the port all together. Elias was sad at first and thought he would no longer have hemophilia by taking it out. For young hemophiliacs today, they associate their port with their condition since this is what they have ever known. We assured him that he will always have hemophilia and now that he is a big boy, he can get his factor like his uncle T.

Pre-labs and factor! So brave to have and IV placed!

Getting ready to head back

All done! Success and no problems with the procedure.

So hungry at the end!

Brave Boy getting his factor like all the big hemos!

The early days of summer....

As is typical in Indiana, we went from cool to hot overnight.

 Summer is here and so we are out and about...

We joined Emmett for a school picnic on the river.
The two E's since babies and for life.

Emmett and Mama rode bikes around downtown before getting Elias at school.

"Lady Liberty!!!!" This kid loves the monument!

Mom, look what I found!

The view from our bike ride.

Elias entered his first Mini Marathon, running 1.1 miles with his schoolmates.

Finished in 8 mins, 20 seconds!

Then he got a battle wound when trying to fight off some
bullies with his metal in the finish area. 

At school we got a little down and dirty and helped plant during Planting Day. The Kindergarteners planted sunflowers for next year's Kindergarten class. Mama and Grandma helped lead other students in weeding, mulching, and planting. 

Our green thumbs did not stop there....we also put in new raised beds in our barrel to grow veggies and herbs all summer long. 

We wished Mama a very happy Mother's Day. And got together with all the Flora Mothers.

Mama got some professional landscaping! The big old plum tree came
down to make way for a Japanese Maple.

It's Fußball season and we are back to the Indy Eleven pitch to cheer on our boys in blue. It's been a wet and not so victorious start, but at least we are having fun and rainbows appear!

Soccer dreams...

At the end of the month, Elias' Kindergarten class traveled to a local farm for a field trip to learn about where our food comes from. 

Spring is Here!

The grass is bright green, the flowers are sprung, Winter is now gone, time for Spring fun!

Depulso Winter!!!

And another tooth bites the dust

Elias had a very fun field trip to the Amazing Museum for Children. Much fun was had by all the kids and the adults all needed naps!

Knights of Doom

Just when it got warm enough, we headed to the neighborhood park!

And for trail walks...

March in Indiana is all about March Madness. Our Butler Bulldogs got to play in the tournament. 

"Butler will win Mommy"

Brackets: 2 for Butler and 1 for Wofford

Elias also got to have a weekend filled with Harry Potter. We went to see a HP Band and then a play. All dressed in robes of course!

For Spring Break, we traveled to St. Louis for a Hemophilia Conference with HFA. It was our first one and since it was so close, we were able to celebrate Hemophilia month with out hemophilia family. 

Doughnuts for the road...

The Arch

Making dreams with Baxter

Games with Biogen

When in Rome, be a Roman...factor up!

Art wall made by all the kids 

On the last day in St. Louis, we found an amazing museum call the City Museum. It was basically a museum of repurposed junk made into all things wonderful. 

Tubes everywhere....

Exhausted.

We have been working very hard on potty training. Emmett is probably 70% of the way there.

He wanted the roll to be a pirate....

We made a HUGE plunge to try out a new hemophilia medication. The advantage of this new drug is going from 4 pokes (infusions) a week to 2.

Celebrating 25th anniversary of Ryan White's passing with a new book release

We celebrated Daddy's birthday Final Four weekend. It was so much fun to see all the Indy did to host this event. 

Easter also came the same weekend, so you can't forget the eggs.

All dressed in Easter best

Unfortunately we were not able to go to worship on Easter Sunday. Elias' port has stopped working. Mama and Elias spent all day Easter at the Children's ER testing the port. He's has out grown it.

Big steps are ahead!

It's official! We have entered the world of organized sports. Elias has really wanted to join a soccer team. Mama is now a soccer mom. 

Spring allows us to get out of the barrel and smell the flowers....

Enjoy popsicles...

And ride bikes.

Emmett decided that the tricycle was not fast enough. He qucikly mastered a new skill last weekend despite having both elbows and knees covered in bandaids from falling. Thank goodness for factor!