good news

While a lot of other things in our life seem uncertain and upside down right now (health related for family members), we do have one GREAT thing to report. 

We had an ultrasound this week and baby is doing great! 

 

We feel so blessed!

Aleida's challenge | a challenge to you

I never knew Aleida Franklin but she left a legacy of love for her kids that I think any mom would be envious of.  I stumbled upon Aleida's story from a friend's blog and then another blog and another... you know how this blog world is connected! 

 

Aleida made it a goal for herself to take a picture of herself with her children at least once a month.  She said using excuses about how we look, as women, is ridiculous since our children will never care what we looked like, but only that we have physical evidence of the bond between mother and child.   

"Have you ever seen a photograph of your own mother and thought to yourself how fat she looked? Or how she wasn't wearing make-up? Or wasn't dressed in a glamorous outfit?"

 

Seriously.  Food for thought, huh?

 

On September 5th, 2008 Aleida blogged a photo of herself, smiling, that read "Live today like there is no tomorrow." Just a week later, on September 12th, Aleida was struck by another car on her way to work and passed away, leaving two small children and a grieving husband. She was 41 years old.  How precious the photos of her and her kiddos! 

Instead of always being behind the camera, I'm going to put the camera in front of me and my kids!  I am now trying to take photos of myself with my children....double chins, bed-head, messy house in the background and all.  My kids will never doubt how much their mama loves them and I hope they have hundreds of photos of us together to remind them. 

 

I invite Mothers (and Fathers) everywhere to take Aleida's Challenge. 

 

 

 

update on Ann

Ann had a bad week last week. She has been in severe pain the last couple of weeks and they've been doing a lot of switching with her pain meds.  She is on morphine now.  She had a CT scan and PET scan to see what's going on and it confirmed what the doctor's suspected - the chemo that had been working, is not working now.  The extreme pain she has been suffering from is because the cancerous spots on her hip are growing and there are now spots on her breast bone/sternum. 

Her current chemo schedule is suspended and she will start radiation on Monday.  Most people react fast to the radiation so that will hopefully work to eliminate or reduce the pain she is in.  The hospital she goes to is a University hospital and the oncology team is meeting to decide about a new chemo.  They say there are still lots of options. 

Thank you for your continued prayers for her!  Each prayer is needed and appreciated greatly! 


And a little 'throw back Thursday' photo...

The back of this photo said 1988 so it must have been the first day of school, fall of 1988.  That would have been Ann's senior year, Brian's freshman year, Karen was in 6th grade and I was in 2nd.  I bet my mom was glad to have us back in school and out of the house! 

I have so many {funny} things I could say about this photo.  But I think I will leave it as simply saying that I'm glad the 80s are over...

 

Tea Party

 

Hannah loves a good tea party.  She got a tea set from Gramma Connie and Grampa Steve for Christmas.  It came in this cute pink wicker basket - complete with gingham napkins, plates, saucer, cups, tea pot and tray. 

 

Brent, Lucas and I have consumed gallons of imaginary tea at our house since Christmas. 

eMbaRRassEd

I'm human. 

 

I'm willing to admit my mistakes.

 

Even the ones that eliminate me from the fictitious "Mom of the Year" award.

 

Every resident at our house has play tennis shoes and good tennis shoes.  The play ones are for messing in the yard, wearing to daycare and just "getting dirty" play.  The good ones are for being in public :) 

 

A few weeks ago Lucas and Hannah were at daycare in the morning before Lucas went to preschool in the afternoon.  On these days, Lucas wears his play shoes because daycare play can be messy (which I love, but don't want to ruin shoes.  Am I a little over the top about this?).  I sent his snow pants and boots that day, too, because the weather had been warm enough to play outside in the snow (not like the recent single digit degree days).  When I picked him up to shuttle him to preschool this was our conversation:

 

Mom: Did you play outside today?

Lucas: Yes, it was nice outside.

Mom: Did you wear your snow pants and boots or just regular clothes?

Lucas:  Just regular clothes.  My feet got cold, though.

Mom: I'm sorry your feet got cold.

Lucas: They were okay until my socks got wet.

Mom: How did your socks get wet?

Lucas:  I have a hole in my shoe.

Mom (dumbfounded):  You have a hole in your shoe?

Lucas: Yeah, sometimes I stick my finger in it.

Mom: You stick your finger in the hole in your shoe?

Lucas: Yeah.

 

We were driving in between daycare and preschool so I couldn't look at his shoes.  When we pulled up to preschool and I unbuckled his car seat and looked at his shoes.

 

I.ABOUT.FELL.OVER.FROM.EMBARRASSMENT.

 

 

 

This wasn't a pin hole.  It was HUGE.  No wonder the kid's socks and feet got wet and cold.  Geesh, mom!  I hated to even send Lucas into preschool with these falling-apart shoes, but we were already there and getting out of the van...  I told Lucas that if he gets holes in his shoes or clothes, if he gets too big for his shoes or clothes or something doesn't feel good to wear, he has to tell mom. 

 

I was quite embarrassed.

 

I was also quite humored by it because it was so nonchalant for him.  He didn't care that he had a fist size hole in his shoe. 

 

Needless to say, I very quickly bought him a new pair of play shoes, took a picture of the old shoes so I could share this funny story and them threw them in the trash. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. Lucas loves to get new shoes.  Are you aware of this equation?

 

New shoes = super fast shoes.

 

Lucas tests the quality of his shoes by how fast he can run (in the store, in the driveway, in the hallway).  I think this is a pretty normal boy thing.  Hannah cares about how colorful her shoes are... oh, and the quantity of pairs she has.  Also a pretty normal girl thing.

 

one more birthday celebration - H

We celebrated Claire and Hannah's birthday with my family a week ago.

 

Birthday girls.

Claire picked the birthday cake theme - horses and hearts. My sis made the cake.

Seven hearts for Claire and two hearts for Hannah.

 

Always fun to be together and celebrate.  The cousins always just disappear into the house and play so well together.  We had to go looking for them to open presents :)