A Bit of Cyn

I’m writing now because I know I won’t do it later. I don’t have much time, however, as the two kids are my responsibility at the moment and are running crazy.

The year hasn’t been too bad. Some really good times, some really crappy times. I guess it’s been much like every other year I’ve had (since having kids). Things that stand out: Drew finally got tubes, Ron and I spent the night away from both kids, Sophia tantrums have increased in quantity and intensity, Sophia is so lovable and funny, but so, so frustrating as she pushes every.boundary.possible. Drew has started talking a bit (not much, but more), my family is not what I once thought it was (for the worse).

I’m sure there is much more, but that sums it up for now. Happy New Year, everybody!!! May it bring you all you want, and more. Peace to all.

I was just getting ready for bed and realized I hadn’t blogged yet today. The horror of it all! All of this for the potential at winning a pimp cup. The things we do…

On a serious note, one of my parents very good friends (some one I would consider an “uncle,” if you will) has been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. I think they said it was called small cell cancer. At first they thought chemo would help prolong his life for a year and a half or so. Tonight I found out that he has been moved to Hospice and at most has a few months. It’s hard for me to even imagine that. It’s hard for me to even think about him being so sick. He’s either 70 or 71, but from the looks of him you’d think he’s probably mid-60’s. He’s an active guy who would hike the cliffs of Kauai almost daily. (He and his wife live there.) So how does someone like that go from being so active to being so sick? And, it’s sad because I won’t have a chance to see him before he passes. As I said, he lives in Kauai which is an 8.5 hour plane trip from MN. It’s also quite expensive. And then there’s lodging once I get there. My parents used to own a condo on Kauai, but they don’t any more. I’m guessing my parents will fly out to visit in the not too far future. Perhaps I can send photos and a letter with them. It’s not the same, but at least I will have been able to say something.

If you guys could send positive thoughts and prayers to him and his family, I would very much appreciate it. Pray that he doesn’t suffer too much, that he has the strength to help his family with his passing. Pray that his family finds the strength in themselves and with each other to get through this. Pray that they may find peace and comfort among each other and their friends. I just can’t even imagine…

(It almost doesn’t seem right to add this to this post, but… It’s Dec. 30 at 10:55 pm CST.)

As some of you know, my Secret Santa sent me a “kit” to learn how to knit. Yesterday afternoon, I spent some time figuring out how to knit. I practiced some, and practiced some more. I had a couple holes, and my niece (who’s 11) told me they were because I lost some stitches. Oops. I also discovered I have a difficult time knitting loosely; I’m always pulling the yarn very tight.

Sophia saw me knitting and asked me what I was knitting. I told her I wasn’t sure, but perhaps a scarf. She decided she wanted me to make her one. Um, okay. I suck, but at 3.5 years old she may not notice. We went to Michael’s this evening and I let her pick out her own yarn. She picked out a dark purple. I’ve been working on it this evening, and only started over like 4 times. This time, I decided to say screw it! Any mistakes made will just be part of the “charm.” When it’s done, I’ll post pictures for all to laugh at (and/or offer suggestions for improving).

And now, back to the knitting…

(Dec. 29, 7:28 pm CST)

An update on my previous post. Mom was transfered to the hospital were the baby is. Baby had his surgery this morning and things went extremely well. They are now looking at an 8-14 day stay as opposed to a 14-21 day stay. The surgeon said that he immediately noticed a difference in his breathing when he did whatever it was he did. (:)) Mom and dad seem to be in much higher spirits, and are anxiously awaiting their homecoming as a family.

Ron and I will be visiting them tomorrow. We have a ton of stuff to deliver. Ron’s work “raised” $445 to buy stuff to help. We bought the following gift cards with that money: Brue*ggers Bagels, Star*bucks, J!mmy John’s, Tar*get, Super*America (gas), and Barnes*&Nobles. We have a bit of money left and I think we’re going to use it toward a grocery gift certificate.

Mutual friends came over today and we put together “snacks on the go” bags. Each bag contains: 2 water bottles, 2 protein bars, gorp (trail mix), and rice krispie treats. All stuff they can just grab, doesn’t need to be heated or refrigerated, and is somewhat healthy (minus the krispie treats–those are just treats). We’ll be bringing those to them tomorrow as well.

Anyway, I’m so glad things are going as well as they currently are. My thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them until he’s home and healthy. (And then he’ll still be in my thoughts and prayers, just not all the time! )

ETA: Uh, yeah. It’s Dec. 28 at 7:56 pm CST.

Our friends, Trea and Eric, had their first baby yesterday!! Congrats to them, and welcome baby Spencer!! However, Spencer is pretty sick. He is in the NICU. He has tracheoesophagial fistula. ’s a connection between his lungs and his stomach. The double whammy is that his esophagus doesn’t reach all the way to his stomach. So he’s able to breath, but he can’t eat… and he’s getting air built up in his stomach. He’s scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning. Thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated.

All of this reminds me of how lucky/fortunate Ron and I were to have two babies born healthy, without any major health concerns. I just can’t imagine how hard this has to be on them. To make it worse, mom is in one hospital while baby and dad are in another. Reminds me how precious life is.

I’m tired. Haven’t slept well the last couple nights. Drew started having a fever yesterday afternoon and it’s continued through this evening. (Not real high, but enough to signify that he is uncomfortable.) I’m not sure what the fever’s about, so…

We had our last Christmas celebration this evening. Ron’s sister, her two kids, her boyfriend, and Ron’s dad were all here with the family. We don’t all get along so great (very different ideas of what life should be and how it should be led) so it’s not always a great time. It went fine this time. I did my best to act excited about her being pregnant. (And found out that they’ll be getting engaged in the next week or so. I think the boyfriend wants to “seal the deal” so my SIL can’t kick him out again.)

Our kids were awful this evening. They cried almost the entire time. It was mentally exhausting. SIL said, “Is this what I have to look forward to with two kids?” (Her other kids is 13 and lives in KY with her dad.) Um, yep! Fun, huh? Thankfully they are now in bed!

Okay, I’m gonna veg in front of the TV and eat some brownies. So, see ya later. (It’s Dec. 26 at 8:56 pm.)

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas today. Our family had a pleasant day. We opened gifts here, and it was great to see how much fun the kids had. Drew had a hard time moving onto other gifts once he opened up one gift. It was pretty cute.

Then we went to my parents and did stockings. It was fun to see everyone opening their stockings. We played the white elephant game, then headed home for naps. We all got to nap, and it was great. (Though we’ll pay the price tonight when Sophia stays up until 10 pm.) We then went back to my parents, with FIL, for dinner, games, and more white elephants. It was fun!

We played spoons at my parents, and every time we all grabbed spoons (and the noise level increase greatly), Drew would just lose it. He was NOT happy with the screaming and loud laughing. Poor guy.

We’re now at home. Drew is down for the night and Sophia is watching Sp!rited Away. (I love that movie!) I’m going to do a little work, then head to bed myself. (Once we can get Sophia into bed.)

It was a nice Christmas, I must say. I hope you all feel the same way!

(Uh, yeah. It’s Dec. 25 at 8:30 pm CST!)

I’ve discovered this blogging thing is getting rather difficult with Christmas just around the corner. So today I’m blogging early, just to be sure I make it.

Ron’s dad arrived today, but we’re not sure how long he’s staying. When we ask, he doesn’t give a very definitive answer (”I’ll just be there for a few days.”). I’m sure he won’t stay longer than 5 days, but not knowing for sure kind of drives me batty; I’m a planner. He likes to be by himself, so he spends most of his time in our basement (where our guest bed is). It’s weird having him drive up here so he can sit in our basement, but whatever. He’s nice, is nice to the kids (though, he doesn’t interact a whole lot with them), and let’s us do our own thing. His biggest downfall is the cigarette smoking. He smokes outside (without being asked) but he smokes close to a pack and a half a day. So he smells like cigarette smoke. It’s in his hair, his skin, his clothing, everything. So when he comes in, the whole house smells like smoke. For those non-smokers, this can be quite irritating.

We did buy an air purifier, but I don’t think it’ll help a lot. So we just suffer through it, enjoy being outside, and away from the smoke smell. It makes me sneeze something terrible. When he leaves we wash all of the sheets and blankets he used to try and make it better. It’s just really hard for me to be exposed to the smell. But for my husbands sake, I do it. (I’m such the sacrificer. LOL!)

Tonight we’re going to my parents for dinner, and the kids and I will be going to church. I’m guessing Ron and his dad will be staying home. I’ll be going with my parents, so they’ll lend a hand with the kids. Ron and I will be wrapping gifts very late this evening as we don’t have any of them wrapped yet. Then we’ll play Santa and “deliver” the gifts. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, but I’m also nervous about it. It’s going to be a long day.

Tomorrow we’ll have our own Christmas here, with Ron’s dad. Then at 10 am we’ll head over to my parents to have Christmas with my whole family. It’s going to make for a long day! Ron will probably bring Drew home for his nap, while I stay with Sophia, playing games and such. We shall see.

Until tomorrow. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and Merry Christmas!!

My parents and a couple of my siblings came over yesterday to open gifts. We had a really nice time. The gifts didn’t take long to open, which was nice. Drew got a bunch of L!ttle People toys. Sophia got a bunch of princess stuff. Both kids were happy.

Then we all played the Wii and air hockey. Well, we also talked a lot. My dad loved the Wii which we all found kind of funny.

Ron and I exchanged giftd yesterday as well. I was shocked by what I got. He gave me pearl earrings with a matching necklace. It is beautiful!!!!

It’s late (Dec. 23 at 10:54 pm for those who care — need I say pimp cup?), so I’m off to bed. More tomorrow!