Friday, June 30, 2017

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, it was that time of year again:)  I turned the big 4-5.  Sidney made me a lovely card, and Kendall made me some amazing coupons to use.  The girls and Kevin got me a Fitbit for my birthday.  I would have never imagined that I would like one, but it has been incredibly motivating!

I have a minor obsession with colorful round placemats.  I always get them in pairs to mix and match.  Terrell got me pairs of these lovely placemats to add to my collection.
 
The girls made me this awesome cake.  They called it the "milky way".  Just think, they thought they were going light on the sprinkles. 
 
The party was not complete without a family picture.  Notice the beautiful red roses.  I would suggest that I am a bit spoiled.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Summer Has Begun!

The girls are off to an action packed summer.  Last week they attended a 3-day dance camp that was put on by the Mountain View High School Dance Team.  The last day of camp the girls did a performance.  It was quite a fun experience.  The three hours of dance camp each day made for some good nights sleep.

One of Sidney's friends from Awana, Kylie, also attended the camp.  They were excited to see each other.

Vacation Bible School was last week.  The theme was Pirate Adventures.  The boys and girls raised money for clean water wells in Africa.  By the end of the week, the kids had raised enough money to install four wells.  The church board was so impressed by the efforts of the kids that they kicked in the money for a 5th well. 

 
Both of the girls are taking golf lessons through the First Tee of Idaho.  Last year, they participated in a compressed one week camp.  This year they are going two mornings a week for six weeks.  They are really enjoying it.  I took them to the driving range the other night for some practice.
 
 

They had plenty of practice hitting out of the bunker during their lesson last week.  Afterwards, they had to rake the sand.

Coach Pete is fantastic with the kids.  Their lesson was on responsibility.  He reminded the kids that they were responsible for carrying their own bag, not mom and dad.  WooHoo!

Monday, June 5, 2017

Capitol Classic 2017

One of my favorite events is the Capitol Classic run for kids.  I just love how well organized it is, and the girls always have a great time.  This year I decided to make it official and volunteer.  I enjoyed helping all of the little ones from their parents car to their place at the start line.  The more experienced kids ran toward their respective place.  The first timers approached with nervous excitement that was soon replaced with just plain excitement.

Sidney found one of her school friends before the race.

Here is my one shot of Kendall before the race began.  Miss Independent.  The only other picture I have of her before the end is one of her and a few girls running to the restroom before the race began.  She claims she would like to run with me next year.   We'll see if she holds to that.

The music was blasting before the race.  The kids were busy playing games, rocking out and dousing themselves with water.

Sidney is off!

Family selfie at the fair.

The lovely Miss Kendall.

This picture is awesome on so many levels.  Sidney is never very willing to pose with dressed up characters, yet she ran right up to this Stormtrooper to get a picture to send to Jackson.  Is that Stormtrooper not totally cool looking?  Good job, Mr. Stormtrooper!  That said, there was still no way she was going to pose with Chewbacca.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Hodge Podge,

Here are a few musings that I have lumped together.  The girls absolutely love our neighbor boys and their parents.  Shelly is always so good to the girls.  She took them all to the park last Sunday for a party, and they had a blast. 


My beautiful niece!  When a local clothing boutique sent out a model call, my sister secretly threw Hallie's name in the hat.  She and three other girls were chosen for a fitting and a photo shoot.  It was such an awesome experience for her.  As part of the shoot, they had their hair and makeup done as well.  I love her so much!



My cousin, Ronnie, made this hutch during his high school wood shop class.  He graduated circa 1984.  Somehow over the years, it ended up in my hands.  It is a beautiful piece, but needed some TLC.  Last weekend, I decided to sand it down and refinish it.  I love the way it turned out. 

Sweet Sidney.  She is such a girlie girl.  Yesterday evening, she did a Rockin' the Red Carpet show for Kendall and I.  It was seriously adorable.  She had introductions, outfit changes, and a "trunk show" afterward. 

The girls and I have a tradition of exchanging cards before each of my work trips.  A few weeks ago Kendall gave me this gem of a note.  I question her judgement a bit..."I love my mom because she is calm before I get in trouble"...I am sure that is not ENTIRELY true:)
 

The Bold Buccaneers.

Sidney enrolled in drama class again this year.  They had their end of year performance this week.  she did an amazing job.  It was impressive how far she had come between last year and this year.  I hope she sticks with it again next year.  It has been such a good activity for her.  Kendall and Kaden sat front and center and cheered their little sisters on.

It takes such courage to do these performances, and the kids are truly quite young (grades 1-5).  I love the effort they give.


Sidney and Lainey (Kaden's little sister) during their sword fighting scene.



Miss Kim was the drama coach this year.  She is in the tie-dyed shirt in the background.  She was so proud of the kids and their hard work.  Sidney received a second year award.  What a cutie!

Saturday, June 3, 2017

BBQ's with Family.

We had the pleasure of a few visits from faraway family.  My Aunt Debbie and Uncle Steve came into town with Tilston and McKennna.  The girls were so excited to meet McKenna.  She and Tilston were in a terrible car accident two years ago.  The girls have literally prayed for her every day for the past two years.  This was the first time that they actually met her.  My Uncle Steve has not changed a bit:)  He fit right in with the girls, throwing rabbit ears up in the picture.  I am not sure whether he or Kendall were the instigators. 


They loved Boise.  They currently live in Sutter Creek, CA.  They were so in love with the area that they may be buying a second home here.  We can only hope!  They picked up a beautiful bouquet of peonies for us at the farmer's market.

 Parrish and her new husband, Jeff, were also in town for a visit.  We had a nice BBQ.  Then, Parrish joined the girls for a trip to the pool.  It was the first pool day of the summer.  The girls were super excited and came home very tired.
 

This Lady.


My Sister, My Friend.
 
It doesn't really matter if we're together or apart,
you're never really far from me, you're always in my heart.
 
I love the way we both can laugh, until we almost cry,
yet hug each other tenderly, when real tears fill our eyes.
 
In some ways we're so different, yet our values are alike, so
I know you'll always have my back, whenever trouble strikes!
 
You know my darkest secrets, and you never judge my pain.
You validate my dreams, and let me know they're not in vain.
 
The face I often show the world, is who "they" need to see,
but you accept me for myself, as God would have me be.
 
If I could turn one wish to prayer, it would be that you could see,
how precious you are in my eyes, and how you'll always be.
 
For no matter where life leads us, from now until the end,
I pray you'll feel my love for you, my sister, my best friend.
 
by Barbara McAdam

Friday, June 2, 2017

A Night at the Movies - Gymnastics Performance.

The girls had their spring gymnastics performance.  It was pretty fun this year.  They chose "A Night at the Movies" for the theme.  Each class had two routines.  They did both a dance/floor routine and a gymnastics skills routine.  The pace was fast and a lot of fun to watch.
 
 Sidney's group did a routine to "Faith" from Sing.  They had pretend guitars and a whole lot of sassiness. 


 
Kendall's group did a routine to "Blind Pig" from Fantastic Beast's.  It had a Broadway feel to it.  The girls did awesome.


Hanging On.

Reader beware...this post may be raw.  The past six weeks have been incredibly difficult for Kevin and I.  We try to put on a happy face.  We try to focus on the positive.  We try to keep some semblance of normal for our daughters.  We try not to burden others with our woes.  However, we are human and sometimes it is just too much.  We are blessed in so many ways.  We are fortunate to have more time than we originally imagined.  But, we are still living through a very tough battle.

The new treatment is awesome in so many ways.  Yet, there are so many unknowns with it.  The chemotherapy was awful, but the side affects were predictable.  A majority of the past six weeks, Kevin has been unable to walk without high doses of pain medication.  Both of his knees and his ankles have been swollen, sometimes to the extent that he cannot even bend and straighten them.  They tested him for gout or infection, both came back negative.  They took x-rays.  They did additional scans to be sure the cancer had not taken on a new life of its own.  They have had him ice and elevate.  They have sent him to physical therapy.  Each of these resulting in little to no sign of improvement. In the end, he is back on prednisone.  They tried other medications, but each time they would taper him off, the pain and swelling would come back with a vengeance.  For now, we believe it may be some type of rheumatoid arthritis that has been onset by his treatments.  So...he has had to forego some treatments. 

For everything that Kevin has been through, he has never complained.  These past six weeks have taken their toll  He has hit a wall.  He hurts.  He is tired of hurting.  He is frustrated.  He cannot do the simple things in life.  He cannot tuck his daughters in bed at night.  Walking to the restroom or getting a glass of water have become monumental.  He wants to make a Little Free Library with the girls.  However, this one day project has taken weeks, because he just doesn't feel well.  He had to sit back and watch as his wife and daughters hauled furniture in and out of the house for the floors to be done.  He watches me do the daily tasks that he once called chores, wishing he could get up and help, but knowing that he cannot.

I try to be strong.  I try to hold it together.  I am tired of watching the man I love hurt so badly.  I am just plain tired.  We all have our Achilles heel.  My Achilles heel is the way in which I handle intensely stressful situations.  When I am hurting or overwhelmed, I get angry and hold people at a distance.  I know this about myself.  I have fought each and every day the past 2-1/2 years to overcome this demon.  Lately, I have not had the strength. 

I do not write these things for pity.  I write these things, because it is good to get them out.  We will carry on.  We will continue to cling to what is good and to fight for each new day.  We will continue to do the things that bring us together as a family.  We ask for your continued prayers as we walk this journey.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Ahh...a treat made of hickory!

Kevin and I have been blessed with a beautiful home.  When I say blessed, I truly mean it.  God provided an amazing opportunity to have the home of our dreams that we were able to afford.  He has also allowed us the opportunity to do some very fun things with our home. 
 
This spring we decided to add on to our hardwood floors in the living area.  It was carpeted when we first moved in.  The carpeting never did make sense in this area, since it is such a high traffic area.  We got several quotes and decided to go with A-MAX Hardwood Floors to do the job.  Here are a few of the before pictures:
 


Once they brought in the pile of wood for our new floors, the excitement began.

AFTER:
 


A-Max did a very fantastic job.  They were super professional and took pride in their work.  When they were done installing the new floors, they stepped back to critique their work.  Apparently, they did not put enough dark wood in the mix.  So, they spent several hours tearing out select boards and replacing them with darker ones.  We are now a "shoes off at the door" house.  This will be a tough one for me.