A Time For Wondering...

This post is unlike any other as I am not focusing in on the girls, rather my family as a whole. It seems our "FAMILY" as a unit have been given a terrible blow this week one we never thought we would have to hear or deal with again in our lifetime. My uncle Dan, my mom's brother, has been told he has pancreatic cancer. Not only does he have this awful silent killer, the tumor is at the head of the pancreas, which means surgery to remove it is out of the question. There is one thing they can do, it is called a "whipples procedure" where they reroute everything internally. This is a HUGE procedure, one you are never the same from and can have big complications.


With all that being said, we still do not have the full radiological report yet, to know if his cancer has metastasized to other organs or lymph nodes. It is the scariest place to be right know because ultimately we know the timeline, we know the horrific outcome. This is the same cancer my grandma passed away from six years ago. There is just a 10% chance that pancreatic cancer is hereditary - who would have ever thought in our family?


My mom's other brother Bob, last year was diagnosed with hepatitis-C. He contracted this in the late 70's when he received a blood transfusion while having knee surgery- this was before blood was screened. He lived all these years with no symptoms. He has been on many medications over the last year, however he is now going into liver failure.


I sit and think about my mom as she looks at the immediate family around her crumbling apart. I cannot imagine the pain she must feel to watch another family member suffer through cancer. First my brother, then her mom, and now her own brother. It is just more than I think she can bare to witness. I know deep inside she has those gut feelings if she will be next - if she is at risk for it as well. Who can blame her?!?


This is just the most awful time of the year to be given a diagnosis, especially if you know in the back of your head yours is one that is terminal.


I am asking all of my friends and loved ones to pray for us, especially my mom. This is like pouring salt into two very deep old wounds for her. I just don't know how she is going to get through all of this- AGAIN. My uncle, I don't think he really knows. He was not here in town for most of grandma's treatment and the extent of her illness. It was heartbreaking to watch her suffer the way she did. I just cannot bear to see another family go through that nasty chemo - again!

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

~~~HAPPY THANKSGIVING~~~

     WOW! I cannot believe it it Thanksgiving already. Where has the time gone? It seems like the months just slip away from us faster as the girls get older. Where is my "freeze machine" to keep them little forver? I know there will be times when I will say "Oh I cannot wait until they are older and we can..." But this is just a magical age, they love each other one minute and are screaming at each other the next. It is amazing the way they can change on a dime, best friends and then fighting in no time! Girls!

     They are very excitied about the upcoming holidays. It is an exciting time of year for us all. Family will be in town and we get a lot of quality time together. It  happens to be one of my favorite times, as all of my family comes home to visit. Although it can be nosiy and hectic, we always have a great time! It is not often that we all get together and just hang out. Now that the kids are older it is so much more relaxing. No more running around chasing babies, changing diapers- the kids play and we actually relax together. The kids can stay up late and not completely lose their minds. Also,they are getting to the point where they can crash on the floor too. It is amazing how much things change in just a few years.
     The girls and I were just talking about great-grandparents the other day. It is hard to believe we are spending another holiday without our grandparents. Brent and I cannot believe it has been so many years without them. Again, just another affirmation at how time slips away from us. This year will mark 6 years without my grandma, it just does not seem possible. There are times when I feel like I have not seen her in forever and then yet it feels like just yesterday. The girls have little memory of them, they have more memory of Brent's grandparents than of mine. It is strange how time grabs ahold of some things and not of others. I can still remember both of them on their last Christmas with us, just like yesterday. If only, we could freeze those days in a bottle.Time...moving so fast!
     Madelyne will be turning 9 in just a few weeks! That is just so hard to believe! Speaking of time moving fast...where does it go? I cannot believe I am a mother of a nine year old...that makes me feel OLD! Anna-banana will be turning seven in a few months as well, what is that? What happened to my baby? Well, she still is my baby, but no longer  a baby. She is growing up so fast- but is still a momma's girl for sure!
     The girls continue to do well in school. Madelyne continues to excel and love being in third grade. She is an excellent student who does well and does not have to work very hard at it. Anna is doing better, but has to work hard. She LOVES school and her teachers! She is finally getting the hang of reading and loves to make words and to write! The two of them play school together all of the time, can you guess who the teacher is???

     Last night the girls and I had a little fun in the kitchen! We made a gingerbread house (straight from a box) and then we baked and decorated cookies. It was noisy, messy and sticky (just the way we like it!) The girls had a great time getting creative with their cookies and the combinations of frosting and sprinkles! Of course our crazy cat had to get in on the action as well, while I was cleaning up I heard an odd noise. When I turned around, there was Oliver swiftly licking yellow frosting off of a BIG star cookie...CRAZY cat! We ended our night with a movie on the couch...Monsters vs Aliens.

    Today has been a wonderful morning so far, lazy on the couch watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade & enjoying yummy coffee cake! This is our first year home in a few years, and it feels nice to not be "on the go". Although we miss being with our extended family! :(  We plan on having dinner at Grandma & Grandpa's house later today...gobble, gobble, gobble!
                                                                                                                                                                      This Saturday the four of us will be participating in the Festival of Lights parade in honor of our friend Dax Locke.

We will be walking in the parade and helping out in honor of our sweet little buddy who is losing his battle to Acute Myloid Leukemia. Dax is suppose to be in the parade this weekend, but that all depends on how he is feeling. He has not been doing so well lately and he and his family are in our daily prayers.  Pray for Dax & his mommy and daddy today, each day is precious.

     Every day is a blessing. Hug your babies and love your family. Never take a single moment for granted, life can change in a single minute.

Happy Holidays...

Fantastic Fall...

After typing this wonderful post, going back in to edit and the hit of one wrong button "POOF" it is all gone. I just cannot type it all over, the words are not there. I will simply state the girls had a wonderful time outside today in a splendid pile of leaves their daddy made for them. I captured it on film (of course) since these days are running short and as the girls grow, who knows when they will decide they no longer want me to follow them all over with the camera. Enjoy...I did!

Where has time gone?

I cannot believe it is the middle of October already!  It seems like we just started school. I was hoping that I would have time to update this each week, like I did during the summer. However,now that the year is in full swing, time, well there is so little of it. It seems like I see myself coming and going and I see less and less of everyone else. Oh I long for the sweet days of summer! 
Don't get me wrong, I love being at work, love the kids. It's just things are so hectic and busy. I feel as if I am being pulled in every direction.

The kids had a great time at the Young Life "Hoe Down" held at Weaver Farm. They got to see a lot of big kids act REALLY silly! Madi is convinced she wants to be a cowgirl for Halloween now!

Speaking of Halloween, we have officially picked out Oliver's costume. I must say he is the cutest cat pumpkin - EVER!

He still thinks he is the "King of the Castle" and well, we think he is pretty special. Shh....don't tell him we said that out loud!
AnnaBanana got her haircut today! This was the first time she went without mommy. Yes, daddy took her and Miss Amanda did a great job! Anna took a photo of herself from last fall, she knew EXACTLY how SHE wanted it. I was all for it since her short hair is much easier to manage. I loved her pretty long hair, but she can manage the short style on her own (YEAH!!!!).

Our world continues to turn and we all get a little older. The girls are very excited for Uncle Chris to move back to the United States for GOOD in December!!!We look forward to a relaxing holiday season ahead and yet somehow we know it is going to be a cold and nasty winter. BRR!!! Can you say let's move???

Until next time....stay warm & healthy!!
One day at a time...

Back to Reality....

                                                                      August 25, 2009             

Well the school year has officially begun, and so has invasion of the GERMS!!!! Yes, we were hit and hit hard ALREADY! The girls started school the week of the 24th and this last week was their first FULL week of school...Anna missed 4 days of it and Madi missed three. HOW you ask? It seems as though my girls managed to contract Influenza A the first week of school. I am not quite sure how that is possibly, yet we were successful in achieving it!! LOL God was working in his mysterious and ironic way, because Brent happened to be laid off this week, so the girls were able to spend QUALITY time with Daddy! Although I had "working mother's guilt" as I listened to them hack and cough, wishing I was the one staying home to cool their fevers and snuggle on the couch with them, Daddy did GREAT!

Needless to say it has been a "hit the ground....SPRINTING" kind of start to the year. But heck, why not? The girls are LOVING their cute little uniforms. They look wonderful in them, and talk about easy mornings! The morning battle...no more! LOVE IT!

School is FANTASTIC! I have THE best job ever! Seriously, where else do you get to hang out with kids all day and have fun? I  have the BEST students ever! I have so much fun doing what I do, I feel that God knew what he was doing 7 years ago when he pushed me into that 6th grade classroom (which scared me half to death). I will admit, it has taken me several years to get to where I am today, but I would not change it for the world. I am in love with teaching English... I think that it is the most rewarding subject to teach. I LOVE getting my kids from "EWW writing" to "Are we doing poetry today?" or "I never knew that I could write like that!" It happens, and I love to be there to witness it. I especially love to see the macho, tough 8th grade boys, finally give in and realize what is inside of them!

Our little tyrant Oliver 

  has been an expensive boy this week! We had to take him into the vet for immunizations and Brent also noticed he had fleas. Fleas?!?! On an indoor cat? Yes, I said that as well. Well the vet's office said, he must have got them from outside. Sure, if he ever went out. (Yes, he has escaped a few times, but we are talking out the door and into the garage or under the car & then back in the house.) It is not like he was out for hours. Then they suggested that maybe they transferred from our dog, that would be logical- if we had a dog. Then they said well more than likely they came in off of your pants, you know after being outdoors. However, we have been wearing shorts- it is still summer. Then their only logic was that possibly from him sitting in a window sill (which is what he does all day). Doc said fleas can jump from bushes or shrubs 3 or 4 feet! WOW! So....there we were, with a flea covered cat, who also has worms from the fleas. Go ahead and say it, I did- EWWWW!!! Well they dipped him in a wonderful flea bath, which I can imagine he hated, and he looked like a drown black rat when I picked him up. Poor guy! This morning I went to check on him, he would not play, he howled when I held him a certain way. Something was terribly wrong. Took him back to the vet, his temp was 104 and they said he was having a reaction to his shots. He looks awful, I just want to cry. It is so sad, he just lays on the floor and does not move. I pray that the new shot to counter act the reaction works, he looks so sad.

We are off to take a friend to lunch today and looking forward to FAMILY time this weekend! Happy 3 Day weekend everyone!

 

Hmm...we must think that over! 

 OMG!!!

Where has summer gone??

It is hard to believe it is the middle of August already. I just cannot believe that we are heading back to school next week! Where does time go? It seems like we just got out of school.
Funny though, I think we are all ready. Ready to get back on a routine. Ready to get back to what is predictable and familiar. The girls miss their friends and I miss my students.

These last few weeks have been busy. I was at Wyldlife camp for five days, so Brent did the single parent thing for a while. Since I have been back, I have been working on my classroom and running around getting the the girls their needed supplies for school. You forget the expense, until you are doing it. I have tried to spread it out, doing some shopping in July. However, this year the girls are required to wear uniforms, so that is a whole new set of clothes itself. They are very excited about uniforms, which is GOOD! No more morning battles about what they DO NOT want to wear.

Madelyne had her first orthodontist visit this last week. We had noticed how her front teeth were protruding out quite a bit and she has a lisp. She is not a thumb sucker, so this was concerning. Our dentist referred us and we were hoping for some answers. We soon found out, Madi will not have to get braces (at least not yet). Instead she is getting an appliance put in the top of her mouth to stop her tongue from thrusting forward. Apparently she thrusts her tongue when she swallows, causing her to push on her teeth, top and bottom. Little did I know her bottom teeth are too far forward as well. This appliance will be cemented in for 6 months and will retrain her tongue to work correctly. This will amazingly allow her teeth to shift back into a normal position. She will then wear a retainer for some time to keep the teeth in place. WOW!

Our little ball of fur has turned into a little terror! He must be going through the equivalent of the "terrible twos" right now, because HOLY COW, he is one rotten little stinker! He uses all of us as his personal teething tool. He is being playful, but ouch!!!! He got me on the nose the other day and actually broke the skin, it is pretty nasty. We have tried EVERYTHING, now we simply have to put him in a "Time Out" in the basement. I know, sounds kind of funny to put your 14 week old kitten in time-out. But, we have to do it....those teeth are sharp!!! We know he is not being mean, just a natural instinct to play. But that is hard to explain to the kids. Our last cats played together, bit each other, this little guy has no-one- so it is different. WE are his target! LOL
The girls are growing up. I have seen Madi mature a lot this summer. It is hard to believe I am a mother of a third grader. No...I am not that old. I see such a bond between these two. They play very well together. Some days, they are at each other's throats....so normal. But other times, it swells my heart to see Madi go into Anna's room right before bed, and give her the sweetest hug and kiss goodnight. Some days the two of them will play ever so quietly for HOURS and other times, they can't get along for five minutes. SISTERS!
My favorite days are the non-stop giggle days, when they make each other laugh from the belly. It is silly, goofy, non-sense laughter, the kind that makes you want to say "Girls be quiet!", but something inside you is laughing right along with them.
I cannot wait to see how they develop and grow- WHO they become. They are alike, yet SO very different. Madelyne is so independent and strong willed. She loves to read and is artsy. Madelyne loves sports and will try almost anything! She is a free-spirit.
Anna is shy at first until she gets to know you, and yes she is a stubborn red-head! Anna is very sensitive- she gets her feelings hurt easily, however, she can be quick to speak and not think first. Anna is not into sports, she is self-proclaimed to "LOVE TO EAT"! (That we have to help her with sometimes.) Anna has a heart of gold, she will love on you if you need it and do anything for you- she is self-less.

Needless to say my girls are so very different, but alike in many ways. How could you not love them? Gee, can you tell I am going to miss being home with them all the time? That is the only part I miss about going back to work, the time I get to spend with my girls. But, we have Friday night movie night, which is AWESOME! We make popcorn and camp out on the floor. The kids & I just LOVE it!!!!
I imagine my next update will be when the girls start school, all decked out in uniforms, new shoes & backpacks! Until then....

Family Time...

It has been a while since I have updated this, as we have had a chance to spend some much needed time together as a family.
Brent has had some time off due to "rolling layoffs" and we have been keeping ourselves busy, or shall I say he has.

First, we spent a long weekend in Saint Louis. This is our "vacation" for the summer. It was a wonderful little trip. We got a great rate on a hotel- I highly recommend Priceline! We spent the day at the zoo, that was wonderful (except for the rain). LOL I think the kids enjoyed the Build-A Bear the most. (GO figure!) That evening we had dinner with Brent's brother and his wife. The kid's were so excited to see them, we had a very nice time.Daddy & Anna on the Merry-Go-Round

Saturday, we headed to The Magic House Children's Museum. It was PACKED, a bit of advise...Saturday is the worst day to go, especially the weekend before a BIG baseball event! However, the kids still had an amazing time! Brent and I were POOPED! Sunday, we had planned to stop by his brother's new house and then go to the Arch on our way out of town. However, a big thunderstorm hit and scratched our plans for the Arch (maybe next time kids!).
Honestly, they enjoyed staying in the hotel and swimming, two things we could have done in Peoria!!! KIDS!!! :-)

These two weeks Brent has been off he has been NON-STOP....I am SOOOOO ready to send him back to work!!! Brent's latest "project". Sanding the deck...ready to stain. Did I mention he spray painted the step in the garage? He wanted to make sure no one missed it. Guess what color??? Yeppers!!! RED!!! LOL Gotta love it!

He does not understand how much of a "vegetative state" I get into when summer hits, especially after July 4th because I know the end is near, really near. Well, since he has been off it is like...GO GO GO , come let's get things DONE DONE DONE. Where I am more, I want to read a book, gradually get the laundry done. Slowly clean the house, no rush, I have the week to work on it. My goodness, I will be back to the grind SOON enough!!!! MEN FOLK...they don't get it. Maybe it's just anyone that is NOT a teacher that does not get it, as soon as August 20th hits, your feet hit the playground and you begin running 110 MPH until June 1. You may see a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, but it is just your shadow. This is the FIRST summer, I think that I have REALLY learned to say the HECK with it, I am RELAXING and resting up for the next rodeo! YEEHAW!

Our newest addition is doing well. He is just as cute as can be. Although he has had a few setbacks, he is still very young and we have to keep that in mind. The girls love him to pieces...we all do.

I was able to see Chloe yesterday, OHHH she is so cute.
How I miss her! She looked SO big to me compared to Oliver. I could not tell if she knew me. But she seemed very happy and well adjusted. She is such a pretty kitty. It broke my heart to walk away, again, but she is with a WONDERFUL family. I cannot be anything but happy for her and them. The children in that family could use her right now. :-)

I met some of my St.Jude friends on Monday. God Bless their little hearts. My little buddy Dax just found out his cancer is back. He must now start all over, he is just two. He is from this area and is a precious little boy. His mother is a strong lady, please pray for them. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/daxlocke

After what our family went through, I am very passionate about St.Jude. If I can give back just a little then I have made a difference. If I can offer a kind word to a suffering family, then I have made a difference. I know some people say that it adds undue emotional burden, however, when Michael was sick, I did not to anything to help our own family. This is my way to "Pay it Forward", educate our youth and teach them to offer compassion to others- just because they care. (okay...off my soap box).

I hope everyone is having a good week. Brent and I are attending his 20th high school reunion this weekend...ouch hard to believe!!! Seems like yesterday we wend to his 10th. My how time flies! Mine is right around the corner....UGH!!!

God Bless...