Scattered and all over the place.
I still haven't finished the beach posts.
Nor our trip to Idaho Falls.
But I did want to say thank you for the awfully nice comments and reassurances on the last post. So kind. It's always nice to be encouraged. I was a little nervous about posting my confession. :) So thank you, sweet friends. Isn't it nice to know we're not alone in this humbling walk?
It was nice to see the softness return to the eyes of this little guy. We had some rough days...but once Mom was well enough that I could get the kids a little activity, it really helped. Mom ended up running a fever, but thankfully is doing much better now after some antibiotics.
Our long time friend, Diane (who spoke at Dad's memorial service) came to see mom and I have to say, I was so touched by the lunch she brought us. She went through such effort to make a Gazpacho soup, rolls (still warm from the oven), crab salad on bibb lettuce, tomatoes from her garden, and warm raspberry bars. A lovely lunch that I knew took some effort to prepare. Such a thoughtful and appreciated gesture. It was nice getting caught up with her.
Later that day, another one of Mom's friends came by with her dog, Windy. Oh my. It was mayhem.
Windy was excited, the kids were excited.
Well, everyone except Matthew who initially hid on mom's bed. He's afraid of most Dogs.
Kaitlin was shrieking, Andrew was yelling, they were running, the dog was chasing...oh my goodness.
Finally Windy wore out a little bit and things settled down enough that Matthew came out and hid behind the sofa.
Then after petting Windy from behind the sofa for a bit, he climbed over, and pretty soon joined in on the fun.
Does this give you a little sense of the craziness?
After she left, the kids were sad and Andrew said, "I wish Windy was still here." Matthew even said he'd really like a dog like Windy some day, that she was really fun!
Just a sweet photo from the day. Katie was dying to pick a purple flower for Nana to help her feel better.
The community my mom lives in has a pool that you can go to if you live in the neighborhood. We hadn't bothered to get the band and gate code until this trip and I'm wondering why we didn't do this sooner!
We took the kids and they had a BALL.
We'll be going more often. They really needed to get the energy out. We went and had ice cream cones later and that night Andrew gave me a hug when I was helping him brush his teeth.
A little thing that meant a lot.
We were both happier.
This morning we had a very special brunch with my best childhood friends. Sue (pictured above) was like a second mom to me growing up. She has always called me her "#3 daughter" (she has 2 girls) and treated me like part of her family. She now lives in Arizona, and I get to see her once a year when she comes up to see friends in the pacific NW. She is seriously one in a million. I have never met anyone else like her, and no doubt, never will. She is so tiny with a huge personality, and she is funny and fun and has a heart for helping others ~ she is always finding people to help and serve wherever she goes. She's always blowing kisses and saying, "I love you, more!" She's truly one of my very favorite people in the world. Katie thought she looked like Snow White. :)
Kristi (who now lives in Seattle, pictured with her sweet daughter, Megan) and I were the best of friends growing up, and were always at one another's houses. She would go camping with my family and I would go water skiing with hers. We share a lot of great childhood memories.
Her sister Lisa (far left, who lives in AZ as well) was in town with her friend Barbara (center) for their 20th reunion~ we all gathered at Moms for a birthday brunch for Kristi and this was the first time in 10 years that we've all been together. It was really just too long. We all agreed, and hoped it wouldn't be that long before we could get together again. It was so wonderful having the chance to visit. But definitely felt like we needed 2 more days to be able to get enough talking done.
Sue brought these little outfits for the girls and changed them. :) They had a lot of fun playing together and were quite chummy by the time Megan was leaving. I wish they had the opportunity to play together more often. It was sweet seeing them together.
The kids and I returned home today. Dan was so sweet to have the house clean and vacuumed and fresh flowers on the table. He kept saying how glad he was to have us home and Matthew asked, "Daddy, do you think you might feel a little unglad because of the noise and the mess?"
Dan told him no, that he missed the noise, and the papers (from Matthew's origami) and Legos everywhere....(we'll give him a few days. He might change his mind). :)
Things aren't gong to slow down any time soon. We have Andrew's birthday on Monday, his party on Saturday and the following weekend we'll be leaving for Las Vegas with Dan's family followed by another short trip to Richland.
And then I'll collapse in a heap until school starts.
:)
But in the meantime, it's good to be home.
