Today Might Just Be the Day...
What happens in the daily life of the family.. the drama of foster care, the adventures of parenting, & pictures to share with everyone!
My mom always made our costumes.. I always pictured myself doing the same. Then I had kids. How did she find time to sew with us under foot??
Well, now I have more time. For the second time ever, I made a costume for B. She tested it out at the zoo today…
What do you think??
We are mid-air on our journey home. I didn’t expect this to be a happy or easy day, tired kids and the stress of travel don’t make for the most peaceful days, even in the best of circumstances. But, I had no clue what a heart-breaking journey this would be…
Yesterday, as we were waiting in customs, B got a call from his sister. His father has passed away….
Only a few months ago, Grandpa was feeling healthy and looking strong. He was having some stomach issues, and they were playing with his diet, but it seemed there was nothing more going on… But, the stomach issues continued to grow. He spent about a week in the hospital a little over a month ago—his gall bladder was removed, they treated him for pneumonia and they put in a stint. He left, but never made it back to healthy.
A few weeks ago he was back in the hospital and they finally found the cause—cancer. Such a horrible disease. Thankfully, they live close to us and their daughter so we were all able to be together and laugh and cry and support him and Grandma..
He’s been doing chemo for the past few weeks. And he was doing o.k. Have I mentioned that cancer sucks?
As you know, my family was gathering in FL for our cruise… We saw Grandpa the morning we left. I wish we would have gotten all of the kids out for hugs, but had my crystal ball been working we would have skipped the whole trip.
I feel so incredibly sad for my husband. I wish he would have gotten more time with his father.
I have told he kids that it is o.k., but there is nothing o.k. He should have had more time. He was too young and we loved him too much. There is nothing o.k. or fair about his death.
I am a very lucky. I am married to a great guy. And it is his parents I have to thank–they raised him right and have him handsome genes. They also have loved me like a daughter. They fully supported us through our crazy journey of foster care (being Grandma and Grandpa to all who came and went no matter how long they were with us). They have loved me, accepted me and treated me like a daughter. And it is not time for me to let go of my Dad yet.
Once we heard the news we worked to get B home with his sister and mom… It was not an easy day. The kids are devastated. B had to be away from us to be with others who need him, too. My parents and family were trying to help as much as they can—but, this is a loss that can’t be fixed, at least not without some time and healing…
Hold close the ones that you love. Use each day and treasure them the best that you can. Life is far too short.
Love you so very much Dad.
One of the things I enjoy most about our school district is the calendar year. They have what they call “modified year-round” school. The kids still get a summer break, but it’s shorter than most & they get extra time off in the Fall and Spring. It is amazing for us in AZ, because the times you want to be out and about are not in the summer!
The other huge bonus is that extra times means that we can travel and enjoy without having to fit it all in a week…
This year, we are doing something more than normal, too! Rather than go through it all, I will try to blog as we go (key word= try).
Anyhow, we started our trip yesterday and it was a full day of travel. We literally were on the go the whole day… We left the house @ 6:45 in the morning and got the kids in bed @ 1:00 this morning—thankfully there is a time difference in there. It was a long day. But, we have good travelers and it gets easier each year.
Today, the kids slept in and we just ran out to the store to pick up food…
And then we hit the pool.
Right now we are waiting on the family… We are in FL, so we get to spend time with Nana, Papa & most of the cousins & they will get to see most of their Aunts & Uncles, too!
We will be quite the crew!
Sigh.
I am ready to send my crew to bed–the lot of them!!
Little d has an ear infection that made him sick this morning. Big D is being bossy and loud and obnoxious. V is pouting. And I had to carry a crying B all the way home from school.
Add to that some frustration with prescriptions and the fact that I only got a short run in today and I am ready for bed, too.
Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.
When I was a nanny, I often joked that the dull days were the good days. I guess not much has changed. The days that don’t involve drama or phone calls from school or trips to the ER are pretty good days!
Today was full of volunteering at school, errands, doctor’s appointment, laundry, dishes, play dates, tutoring, homework and getting out the Halloween decorations… All pretty dull.
I have to say I love my job today!
Well, I hear today is the end of Summer. It does not feel like we are even close to Fall here.
Yesterday, I walked to the park with the kids and dogs and a few extra kids (because, sometimes 4 just isn’t enough). We went around 6:30, after our picnic dinner in the yard, and even though the sun was setting, it was still toasty out. Mags sat at the top of the slide munching on ice…
We ended the day swimming in the dark! But, I will be honest– it has been so hot that our pool wasn’t even close to cool. We did some sparklers and enjoyed family time either way.
Now, today we are at the zoo. Most cities, the zoo will be filled with families seeing the animals. In Phoenix, we visit the water features!
We have, however, started the transition of the seasons… Last week was conferences! And we are nicely in school routines… We actually are starting to look ahead to our first break of the school year–less than a month before a huge trip for us.
I hope you got to enjoy your family this weekend—either in the cool or in the hot!
(one more to prove we did see *one* animal!)
School started last week & I totally thought that I would have all the time in the world for blogging. I envisioned a clean house, fresh baked cookies, lunch dates and tons of crafting. Hasn’t quite been reality. Maybe this week!
The kids are all doing well… They have old friends and new friends and have already had 3 nights with of homework.
And I think that they are really good looking kids 🙂
I think every year since I’ve lived in the Valley of the Sun, I’ve heard about Mighty Mud Mania and thought to myself how cool that day would be.. and once we had kids, I know for a fact that I’ve thought about taking them. This year we finally made it.
If you’re local, you should definitely plan to attend next year. There were obstacle courses, mud pits, spray zones, and water slides. There was also a huge sand castle area–where Daddy and the younger two spent most of their time. And they had a stage with Radio Disney out entertaining the kids.
The only bummer was that we had to leave early for Maggie’s first (badly needed) puppy training class.
And I *love* the photos!!
Before the mud...
Swinging over the first pit.
Getting a little more muddy through the tires...
And this is the next photo I have of D--but all you can see his his shoe!
Little d didn't avoid the mud either.
