Our Life: October 2004

Look Who's 6!

This month we celebrated Juju's sixth birthday - for a week. The action started with a fantastic day at Disneyland. The weather was perfection and we all had a ball. The only dissapointment was when, after we waited in a long line at the Indiana Jones ride, Juju was turned back for being a quarter inch too short. Oh well; it wasn't enough to dampen her almost perpetually sunny spirit and soon enough we were on to the next thrill. One of the highlights was seeing the Snow White play at the new theatre near Toon Town. It was awesome. We spent all day at the Park and ended with dinner at the Storybook Restuarant ("By Hammer and Hand Do All Things Stand!"). Both kids fell asleep on the way home.

The party continued all the next week with mini celebrations, time with friends, and special meals that culminated with Grandma J, Grandma B, and Mr. Jim all coming over to share the love.

Happy Birthday Juju. We couldn't love you more!

Blow em all out or no cake

A little more coffee please

Juju loves her brother

The Generations Connect

Thanks Grandma

The Seasons, They are a Changin

I love the rain, and the wind too, especially at night. I like to keep the window wide open and give the elements free reign. There's something priceless about the smell of fresh ions cleansing the air during a big storm. Well, last night I got my wish and then some. It was the first big rain of the season, which means summer is definitely over. So bear with me as I engage in a little nostalgia.

As seasons go, this past summer was not an easy one for us. Besides Arik’s eye travails, Cathy has been fighting a running battle with chronic pain caused from TMD - Temporo Mandibular Disorder (say that three times as fast as you can). Fortunately, we’ve finally found a Specialist who has been able to help her. But it’s meant weekly trips to San Diego and the recovery has been up and down. Work has been nonstop grind and there was too little time for rest.

Still, when I look back upon the summer some wonderful memories come to mind.

Like our time in Las Vegas with Grandpa and Grandma and their trusted horse – I mean dog – Trump.

With Grandpa and Grandma in Iraq...er Las Vegas

Hoover Dam was way cool; I mean hot, real hot.

And they have a new lake there, man made of course. But hey, it’s Vegas, and if you try a little you can imagine you’re in Italy (OK, a bit of a stretch).

Then there’s Camp Nelson and the family cabin near Sequoia National Park. Warm days, cool nights, clean, crisp air, blue sky, running water, deer, climbing, laughing, hiking, eating, ice cream bars, night fires, stories….it’s all there.

Juju learned to swim this summer and also made her Fullerton début as an actress (she played a Bumblebee) in what is sure to take London by storm: Beauty and the Beast Reloaded.

But sometimes, the best part of summer is just hanging out, and we got to do some of that too…

I know in a month or so I’ll miss those lazy, warm, days. Yes, it was a good summer. But it’s raining right now and I love it. I'm reminded all of God’s seasons can be blessed when we approach them with thanksgiving.

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us” Psalm 67:1

Welcome To Our Blog

Its the 21st century. Letters, and even email, don't cut it anymore for keeping in touch. Blogging is here and for good reason. It's absolutely the best way so far to reach out to the many people we care about. This blog is our humble attempt to catch the wave and ride it.

From week to week we' ll do our best to keep this site current about what's going on with us. We'll include a collection of news, pictures, musings, whatever we think might be of interest. Please feel free to comment or email us. Feedback is appreciated.

The Schneiders.

Thankful for good Results

Mr. Big Blue Eyes, our seven year old son Arik, completed his fourth surgery for Strabismus last week at UCLA Medical Center. We are very thankful for the positive result and hopeful that this is his last operation. Thank you to all who have prayed and stood with us during this time.

Strabismus is thought to be a neurological condition. It affects how the eyes track with one another. From infancy it was obvious that Arik had a problem. And when the non-invasive remedies all failed we were faced with surgery. The procedure involves detaching and re-attaching muscles that control specific eye movement to try and compensate for whatever the brain is having problems with. Like adjusting a clutch with too much play (or too little), a skilled surgeon can reposition muscles to loosen tension or take up slack as needed. The goal is to bring the eyes in perfect alignment.

But it's not an exact science. The best time to correct Strabismus is when the brain is still developing. The measurements that guide surgery, however, are dependent on the accuracy of a child’s responses to detailed questions while their looking at letters, moving lights, and 3D objects through various prisms and contraptions out of a sci-fi movie. Assuming these are correct, once in the operating room the surgeon uses something not too different than calipers to get the measurements right.

In Arik’s case his first surgery, done when he was toddler, went pretty well. There was a definite improvement, but more was needed. The second surgery was successful in getting further improvement in his horizontal alignment, but there was one little problem; Arik now had double vision! By the grace of God it didn’t seem to bother him too much, even playing T-ball and soccer. But it wasn’t something anyone wanted him to live with.

The third surgery, in July, was intended to reverse this obvious problem. It didn’t. Mom and Dad were heart broken. Even Arik’s surgeon, Dr. Rosenbaum, the chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology at UCLA, a man of great skill and not prone to showing much emotion, was obviously concerned. As for Arik, well, he showed everyone how to manage adversity - with optimism and resilience. What a trooper. Through it all he’s never complained or shown any wavering with tough decisions. This last surgery, when the anesthesiologist came in to give him a tranquilizer he refused it, assuring her that he wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t.

While his eyes are still not perfectly aligned there’s a big improvement. Arik sees double only sporadically during certain eye movements. According to Dr. Rosenbaum his eyes are within one degree of normalcy and well within the brain’s ability to adjust. We continue to pray and hope for the best. Arik’s next appointment is in December. In the meantime, we’re thankful for God’s grace and love through it all.