Tony has been busy this past week building the swingset he designed.
It is almost ready.
Rubber mulch is in place now.
Izzy loves Tinkerbell. We decided to do cupcakes for her birthday.
Of course they were pink. Strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting and lots of Tinkerbell.
Sarah was the photographer of the day, so I'll have to get some of her photos later.
Izzy and Abby had fun on the swingset. Tony is almost finished with it.
Gary has been having some health issues. He's been having some problems with his hands. They hurt, swell, and sometimes, he drops things. They ruled out carpel tunnel.
He was then referred to a rheumetologist and they ruled out rheumotoid arthritis. The next doctor was a neurologist who couldn't find any nerve damage. The neurologist was surprised because all of his symptoms sounded like they could be attributed to nerve damage or a pinched nerve.
His next stop was to a hand surgeon. He x-rayed Gary's neck and voila -- major arthritis in the cervical spine causing problems in the extremities and headaches. Gary has been having terrible headaches for years. The next step was an MRI. He had the MRI the morning I was flying back from Indiana. We went back last Friday to talk to Dr. Travis, the hand surgeon. He said we need to go "up the road" to have surgery done. The surgery Gary needs should be done by a specialist. Dr. Travis told us we had options: 1. Georgetown; 2. Reston, VA; 3. Baltimore; or Dr. Thomas Ducker in Annapolis. He told us we might want to try Dr. Ducker first.
Gary has a consultation with Dr. Ducker on August 11
I did some research on Dr. Ducker and I feel that this is the best place for us at this time. Dr. Ducker started Maryland Brain and Spine in 1984. His specialty is cervical spine disorders.
It is scary to think of someone operating on your husband's neck, but Dr. Travis seems to think this will solve a multitude of Gary's issues. Dr. Travis said that looking at the MRI relieved his two biggest fears. There was no fluid in the spine and no inflamation of the spinal cord.
We are optimistic that this will help and things seem to be falling in place to help us get through this. Gary's boss is arranging for Gary to telecommute during his recovery. Sarah, Tony, and Abby are here with us now. That means that Tony will take over the yard work and Sarah will be here in the day when I have to go back to school. Best of all there is the hope that Gary will not be in so much pain after this is all over.
We planted tomatoes, bell peppers and basil this year. 
We've been picking basil and cherry tomatoes for a few weeks now.
But the best part of growing a garden is . . .
. . . tomatoes right off the vine. Yummy!
Here is the latest addition to the yard.
Since Tony has some free time and likes to build, he designed a swing/play set for the yard.
He is hoping to have it finished before Saturday. Izzy is celebrating her fourth birthday on Saturday. She is in Boston with her mom and dad now. Clay had to go do some measuring at a hotel that wants them to bid on a job, and he was able to take Izzy and Liz with him.
We do live in the woods and we often see wildlife. The deer are especially bad this year though. It has been a strugggle with the garden and landscape. Friday evening I looked out back and spotted this deer. 
Sunday afternoon, around 2:30, I looked out and saw the deer just slowly walking across the backyard.
I guess he was trying to find something tasty. Tony took these great photos.
After two weeks in Indiana, I am back home. Izzy and Liz came with Gary to meet me at the airport. Izzy was so happy to see me. As soon as she spotted me, Gary had to restrain her to keep her from running into the secure area. She literally leaped into my arms and gave me a huge hug! I love being a grandma. I may be a bit biased, but I think my granddaughters are the cutest little girls.
Abby was ready to show me some of her newest tricks. I think she was thinking, "Are you watching me Grandma?" She eats green beans all by herself now. She doesn't like to be fed. She wants to do it by herself.
Taking a bite of a banana is her newest accomplishment.
