Vandalism + Dad= STRESS

It has been a while, and in that time things have been rather hectic and stressful.

The boys are in the swing of school and doing well. There were a few adjustments to be made, but I think we are headed in the right direction. They are also dipping their hand in sports, with Jake doing a cross country club and Tyler doing flag football. I have to admit that being so busy during the week is not my favorite thing, but it will all end at the beginning of October, so it's really only a month-6 weeks of chaos!

The new house is almost done. We close on it 1 week from tomorrow. We were out there this weekend and discovered the inside vandalized with motor oil all over the walls and carpet. Come to find out, there were 6 houses total and we got lucky that our issues are not worse. They are working really hard to finish it up. We were supposed to have our final walk on Friday, but due to carpet getting installed, we now have it Monday morning. We are so close I can almost taste it.

Monday morning my dad went into the hospital. He is very, very ill again. They went in and put in another stent in his bile duct, but that procedure allowed the dr. to look and make a more accurate diagnosis. That diagnosis is that the cancer is spreading and growing fast. It has more than doubled in the last 7 weeks. He said he has a few weeks to maybe a couple of months, but it is over. The cancer has won. Dad will not make it. The question is how long will he be here. And of course, we don't have that answer. I have been able to realize that feeling you hear about, where family simply releases their loved one and tells them it's okay to go.  I am at the place where I am at peace with this. He is so sick and if he doesn't improve enough to have a few good days, then I pray this is quick for him.

This week has been rather stressful, as you can see. I woke up this morning with the start of a cold. Normally this would be a simple annoyance, but right now this is major, as I cannot go be with dad if I am sick. So I am headed out to buy Zicam.

While dad has fought for 19 months now, and his death is not a "surprise" necessarily, this has been a hard week for me and my brother Mark.  With death so close, it is sometimes overwhelming. I am just thankful that when he goes, I know where he is going- into the arms of Jesus. He will be whole. He will be happy. The sad thing is that he won't be here to be those things with us. 

I will keep you all posted. Thank you for your prayers. 

Everyone is Happy Today!!

Today was the BIG DAY!! School started for both boys. They were so excited! I was so excited! Everyone was happy. The only bummer is that it is raining, so that means no outside recess, but they will get over that! Everyone was ready. Summer was fun, but both boys said yesterday they couldn't wait to get back to school.

For 10 1/2 years I have been a stay-at-home mom. I would not trade that for the world. There are days I would trade, days I'd like to forget, but I would never change the past 10 1/2 years. Staying home was a choice Matt and I made even before we were married. I didn't even think I would do anything else but raise the kids. That doesn't mean it was always my first choice for me, personally, but having kids means you don't get to be selfish all of the time. It takes sacrifice, work, dedication...but let me just say, I am more than ready to have my days back! Tyler is in school full days this year, so for the first time in a long time, I have from 7:45-3:30 to myself. I am sure that time will get filled with lots of things, but right now sitting in this quiet house and knowing I need to clean it, but also knowing the boys won't be here until 3:30 sure feels good!!

Camping Pictures

Here are the pictures of our camping trip that were promised.  Matt decided to go overboard and put them in video format.

Quick disclaimer from Matt.

***These pictures are not in any special order and are simply a montage of our family vacation.  At 4-1/2 minutes long, it may be a bit more than you care to see unless you're close friends or family.  Additionally, iMovie needs to have more transition effects available and I got bored with the simple cross-dissolve, sorry.  I did get carried away a bit taking pictures of scenery, but am now considering opening up an account in iStock to post my pictures - just kidding... sort of.  Finally, no comments on John Denver.  The song was just too appropriate not to use and I kind of like it.***

Camping

We are back from our last summer trip.  We took the boys and went camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. We met up with my dad and step-mom. It was hot, but still a good time. Camping is not my #1 vacation, but it is good family time. We hiked, went to a few Ranger programs, played ladder golf, Blitz, Sorry....all in all, it was a good time.

It was also nice to spend some time with my dad. I realized this weekend that he is very good at acting like he is feeling okay over the phone, but in person it is a different story. It was hard, at times, to see him. He is sick and it doesn't seem like he is getting any better. We had some good chats with my step-mom, but dad wasn't much for talking. He had no energy. He was just a shell of the person I knew as my dad. That is very hard to take in. I have no idea how long he will be here with us. I am surprised he is still here now. But I feel like it will be sooner than later. So I was more than grateful for this past weekend. I might not have that again, like we did.

I will post some camping pictures in a little bit. Right now I have no idea where the camera is.