Updates and A Photo Dump

Paige has recovered beautifully thus far. She is home today, two days earlier than expected! Go Paige! She will be spending a few days with us this week recuperating (as much as one can recuperate with a bunch of kids running around!). For those of you not in the loop, she had to have her top right rib removed because she had circulation in her arms cut off by a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. She will have the same procedure done on her left side in two months. The surgery required her lung be deflated and five small incisions. It has been quite a journey for a 13 year old! Ongoing prayers for her recovery and upcoming procedure would be appreciated as we just adore that girl.

Kate went to the zoo with Jennifer and Shelby to trick-or-treat and as usual, had a great time.

He was trying to convince me he needed a no-bake cookie....evidence indicates he'd already had one!

 

Lauren is camping with her class this week. We hope she has a great time and is able to stay warm! She is struggling with her decision to try an alternative school. We are still impressed with the program and want her to continue learning in that environment. She made a really good friend in her studio who moved away rather suddenly and that set the stage for complaints about not liking it. We hope this week proves to be a bonding time full of fun so she once again realizes how blessed she really is to be there.

Mom and Dad came down for a visit this weekend since Dad couldn't make it two weeks ago. We took them to see Paige which took a few hours thanks to the bridge issue. Let me just pause here and say I would be on blood pressure medicine if I had to make that commute on a daily basis. But we all know God is working on me and my lack of patience. I didn't think to grab my camera at all this weekend but realized I have quite a few photos that need off the card which MAY explain the random shots among random statements.....it's been an interesting couple of weeks and my thoughts are a lot like this post. ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE.

My sister lost her beautiful dog, Kenya suddenly on Monday. She was a healthy 11 year old Rottweiler who laid down at Theresa's feet and passed away. So very sad for their home and quite a blow to Lauren who always tried to puppy nap her.

I have been struggling once again with the upcoming season. Why do I do this to myself? I really don't like it and would love nothing more than to turn the calendar from October to January but clearly, I can't. I have been praying for a lady who is friends with my friend Anne for several months now. Her son Levi was born with health issues detected in utero. Levi passed away this weekend after a six week fight for his life. Watching that heartbreaking situation unfold has weighed heavily on me. It just takes me back to the NICU where we loved Ryan and said goodbye. No mother should go through that pain. I just wish I could take away her grief. Anyway, I am sure that has triggered my feelings, scattered and unreasonable as they may be. So, I started a dialog with the older kids about their favorite Christmas traditions and what they don't consider important. Their answers surprised me. Baking with me was at the top of the list. Stockings and sibling gifts were next. They don't find the tree and decorating necessary? And they'd like to relax more as a family once Greg is finally off work at the end of December. All in all, I'd say their priorities are quite reasonable and it helps me gain some perspective on how thinly I should stretch myself during a time I typically crave solitude. I can't believe Ryan would be 8 this Christmas. There are times I get caught up in "life" and don't think much about it but then moments like this make it seem like yesterday.

A classmate of Erin's wrote this book and is working on another.....pretty impressive?

And this little stinker is as busy as they come right now! He and Ty make up quite the demolition crew! You never know what he'll be into next and I suspect he'll be walking all too soon as he's attempting it with concentrated effort now.

I'll leave you with some shots Kate found important. She likes finding things that look like "Fall".....