A Special Thank You.

Like most working mom's, I juggle a lot.  Trying to find that balance can be tricky.  Especially this last year, with everything that Kevin has been going through, finding that balance has become harder.  The girl's have each wrestled with his cancer in their own way, which takes special care and attention.  Kevin himself has wrestled with it and has been continuously pounded by rounds of chemotherapy.  He has not been able to do many of the things that he has helped out with in the past.

So, how do I find balance?  Sometimes it is not in the things that I can do, it is in the seemingly small, but rather huge things that other people do. It is the surprise dinner's that Terrell provides for us or the extra dinner that she packages up for us to stick in our freezer.  It is the moments that she gifts Kevin and I with a few hours to sneak away and spend some time together.  It is the friends that gift me with their presence.  The moments that we craft in near silence (Bridget), just knowing that you are there but the silence is okay.  It is the lunches that I get to chat (Kristen), sometimes about important things, other times about nothing, and sometimes just a raging vent that helps me momentarily feel real again.   It is the support that I get in knowing that I can truly be myself (Rebecca) good, bad or ugly.  It is the friends that started out as Kevin's (Valerie) that have made a point to let me know that they are here for me too.  It is the neighbor (Steve) who brings his snow shovel alongside mine to help me finish the driveway.  Then there is my family, my mom and my sister,  I talk to them most every day.  They are my rocks.  It is the prayers, support and encouragement that I get from the bible and others. 

It is the person at Awana that bought Sidney her Extra Credit book.  Yes, I may not know who you are, and yes I could have afforded the ten dollars, but you have no idea how much your gesture meant.  The irony that this person knows me so well, that they had one of the secretaries make up some silly story, so that I would not realize it was a gift and be too prideful to accept it.

We have had so much going on this year, all the while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for our family.  This juggle is not unique to us.  It is part of every family.  I just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you whom I am lucky enough to have in my life.  You mean the world to me! 

The Awana Grand Prix.

Kendall was eligible to enter the Awana Grand Prix this year.  She purchased her block of pine wood and let the creativity begin.  Kevin gave her some guidance, but the work was left up to her.  She picked a profile.  Kevin cut the block, then Kendall was left to sand and paint. 

We have never done the pine car derby before, so did not know what to expect.  Kendall's car did great.  She made it to the final heat and most importantly had a blast.

 

There were some great cars.  They even had an adult division, so some of the adults could get their creativity legitimately out of their system.

 

Asher was being goofy as ever.  I threatened to start taking blackmail pictures now.

Sidney, Hannah and Kendall waiting for the races to begin.

The Dad's were equally excited.  Kevin said that he had been looking forward to it all day.

The kids anxiously awaiting the first round of cars to head down the track.

David was the starting line official.  He kept the race moving, and we were able to finish all of the races in just under two hours.  Kendall's car is heading down the red lane.

A Little Bit of Sassy and A Whole Lot of Sweet.

When the girls were younger, I would take them to get their pictures every six month as they were changing so much.  Now that they are in school, I have been getting pictures in the fall.  However, every once in awhile it is fun to take them in and let them call the shots.  Last weekend, we did just that.  I told them to pick out a couple of outfits.  I also told them to think of something that they do together that would be representative of them.  They spent the morning thinking about it.  Below is what they came up with.  They chose the backgrounds, the outfits and in many cases, they helped the photographer with ideas for the poses.

 

 

 

 

 

A Fishing Trip to Remember.

Last fall, while Kevin was spending the day in the chemo chair, one of the nurses told him about a retreat that was happening.  It was a fly fishing retreat for men with "life impacting illnesses".  Initially he declined, because he was supposed to host a volleyball tournament the same weekend.  However, after a bit of brainstorming, we found a way for him to go.  Much of the tournament was already set up.  Valerie stepped up and volunteered to coordinate and be there in Kevin's absence.  Terrell, I and the girls also went to help out.  He had a number of staff members that had already signed up to work the tournament, so he had nothing to worry about. 

 

In hindsight, I am so glad that we were able to pull it off.  I truly believe that it was a weekend that changed Kevin forever.  The impact was huge, some of which he has shared.  Other parts of it, he kept to himself and will always be something that remains in his heart. 

 

The organization that put the retreat on was called Idaho 2 Fly.  The retreat took place at Three Rivers Ranch in Warm River, Idaho.  It was a time for the men to escape the realities of what they are going through and share some of the things that they find difficult to share with others.

 

Kevin's smile says it all.

Kevin still keeps in contact with his guide and some of the other men that he met that weekend.  What a blessing!

 

Here is a picture of all of the guests that attended and the fishing guides.

The Interview (Part Deux).

As we were doing Kendall's birthday interview, Sidney informed me that she did not do one this year.  So, here goes...

The Interview
1. What is your favorite toy? Doll.

2. What is your favorite fruit?  Halo.

3. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Chicken Nuggets.

4. What is your favorite game? Twister.

5. What is your favorite song? Hey Mama and Cheerleader

6. What is your favorite book? Junie B. Jones

7. Who is your best friend? Elona

8. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go swimming.

9. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Monkey.

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Teacher.

11. I am very proud because… I have a family.

12. If I were President I would… I don't know what to say about this one.

13. I am afraid to ...touch fire.

14. Name one thing you do really well?  Sing.

15. What makes you feel sad?  Someone yelling at me.

16. What makes you feel happy?  My dog.

17. Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted. Where would you go?  Zoo.

18. If I could choose a different name, I would choose…Nicole.

19. What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?  Hang out.

20. What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?  Snuggle.

21. What is your favorite thing to do with Kendall?  Play school.

Wishes for the Birthday Girl!

Where has the time gone?  Kendall turned nine years old this month.  I love this sweet girl.

 

...and this sweet girl.  

 

Kendall celebrated twice this year.  We had a birthday party with family.  Grandma Karen was able to come down for that.  It was so great to have my mom here for a few days.

Sidney wrapped up some of her most favorite things to give to Kendall for her birthday.

Kendall also had a spa party to celebrate the day with a few of her friends.  The girls had arranged all of the nail polish by color.  See...my crazy organizational skills do not fall far from the tree.

Kendall, with Cortni and Rachel, getting their foot soak.  I do not know what it is about this age, but pictures are not complete without a few goofy signs.

Grandma Terrell came over to help. She did the girls manicures, while I did the pedicures.  Sidney and Hannah soaking their fingers.

Beautiful toes.

Fabulous fingers.

Check out this amazing cake.  Grandma Terrell outdid herself again!

 

The girls had such a blast relaxing, running around the house, playing outside and eating some of their favorite foods.

 

 Kendall took had several opportunities to make Birthday wishes this year.  She took it very seriously.

I hope all of her wishes and dreams come true!

The Interview
1. What is your favorite toy? Ipod.

2. What is your favorite fruit?  Pear.

3. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  I don't have a favorite.

4. What is your favorite game? Apples to Apples.

5. What is your favorite song? Wildest Dreams (T. Swifty)

6. What is your favorite book? Island by Gordon Korman

7. Who is your best friend? Hannah Nelson

8. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Cartwheels.

9. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My dog (Chili Bean).

10. What do you want to be when you grow up?  Popstar.

11. I am very proud because… of my grades.

12. If I were President I would… do nothing.  BTW...I am not the President.

13. I am afraid to ...ride wooden roller coasters.

14. Name one thing you do really well?  Math.

15. What makes you feel sad?  When people die.

16. What makes you feel happy?  Taylor Swift's music.

17. Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted. Where would you go?  Florida.

18. If I could choose a different name, I would choose…Ariana.

19. What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?  Play Basketball.

20. What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?  Exercise with weights.

21. What is your favorite thing to do with Sidney?  Play school.