Thoughts & Prayers

Heather's Grandmother is in surgery as I type this. They are all there waiting at the hospital. I can only imagine the thoughts and feelings they are all having. It has been about 2 weeks since her Grandmother went into the hospital and they have been waiting and preparing for surgery.

She is having brain surgery. They are taking three parts of her skull off, in order to remove a brain tumor that is the size of a lime on the front of her brain. There are risks, as with any surgery.

We know the surgery will go fine though, Estelle is a tough cookie and nothing is going to take her down. BUT please pray for the surgery to go well, for them to do all they have to do. Please also pray for a speedy recovery. She is tired of being in the hospital for all this time. I can't blame her either. They aren't sure how soon she will be able to come home after the surgery, it depends on how she is feeling and acting and what kind of therapy she will need. She may be in the hospital for a while longer and/or go to a nursing home for more therapy before returning home. Although the surgery is scary, some of the hardest parts is having her away from home for so long from everyone.

Please pray for Heather, her Grandmother, her Grandfather, her mom, her uncle, her brother and the rest of the family ~ for strength, health, healing and a super recovery.

~Heather I'm always thinking of you and Stelle, I love you and I'm always here for you. I know that Granny will be okay... I know it in my heart of hearts, have faith and believe that you will see her at home soon. xoxoxoxo

Thank you everyone.

Whirlwind Weekend!!

For sure!! We had one hell of a weekend!! ugh! I'm so tired but since I haven't posted here for a while I wanted to post about our weekend... also b/c I want to make sure I keep track of all this... I want to try to make a book for the kids about our summer adventures... like a real book with pictures and a story!! Maybe I will make a few about the different things we did... I'm not sure yet... it is just a raw idea still... but anyway... if I blog about it all then I will have some place to come reference when my mind bails out on me and leaves me to fend for myself.

So it all started with Thursday night I went over to my parents house again to visit with my mom and make sure she was feeling well... I was still concerned... and honestly still am. I have called her a few times every day just to check on her... she sounds okay, well actually she didn't sound good at all for a few days b/c she had NO voice... it is just coming back today... thank God... but she said she was feeling okay. I can tell by seeing her that she is a little bit sore... which I hate!! I want her to just be GREAT...but I know that is totally unrealistic... so anyway... I will deal with that since she is up and moving and feeling, I guess, the best that can be expected right now. She is even going into work tomorrow... driving herself... which means no pain meds... so I really hope she is okay. I told her I would drive her and pick her up... but she said she will be okay. I hope so. I can always go to get her if she doesn't feel well and would like to come home and doesn't feel like driving. :) So yeah... I'm still concerned and worried about how she is feeling... but I think that is normal. :)

Then Friday Bryan was home... so that was nice... we don't usually get any extra days with him being off... sometimes he will just work on the holiday just b/c things usually don't happen till later at night.. parties and stuff... but this one he actually stayed home. yay! He even cooked us all breakfast... eggs, sausage and toast!! Whatta good hubby and daddy!! :)

Then I went over to my parents house again to visit and see how my mom was doing... and just check in on everyone... my dad had gotten hit in the face last weekend while trying to fix a strut, he got hit pretty hard, it bruised up his face, and lip and cut him pretty good on his cheek bone... ugh... I was still worrying about him too...

Then I came home and Bryan took a nap... while the kids were napping too... so while that was going on... I got everything packed up for our first Fourth of July party this weekend!! I had to get the kids outfits ready for what they were going to wear there... the girls had new dresses that were sooo cute and Trevor had a new shirt... they all looked so cute in their red, white and blue... BUT I don't think I got any pictures!! DAMMIT!! I will have to dress them all in them again and get some... maybe this week... I can bribe them with candy... they are NOT too fond of pictures lately...ugh!! Oh well... anyway... so I got things ready... and then got the kids up and got them dressed then got Bryan up and we went to the grocery store first to pick up some soda for the party... which WOW the store was packed... it wasn't as bad as my last grocery store experience... which I still have to blog about... that one... well that one will have you peeing in your pants and totally agreeing w/ me about how horrible it is to grocery shop sometimes. lol
**(I promise to post about that grocery store trip this week!! It is good!!)**

Anyway... then we were off the the campground where all the local firemen camp... it is actually the fire departments campground... it is a good deal... $40 a month for a campsite with sewer, electric, cable, water, and I'm not sure what else... but it is fun to go and hang out... Bryan's mom has a camper that she leaves there all summer! Anyway.. the party was okay. Lauren and Brooke HATE fireworks!! They are scared to death of them... Lauren plugs her ears the ENTIRE time... and won't really look at them too much... and Brooke had a DEATH grip on me... which she tightened up every time a firework was set off... poor babies... I hope next year they enjoy them! But we'll see.

We went to the campsite after the fireworks and sat around the campfire for a little while then we packed up some very tired and cranky kiddos... they went from being GREAT to cranky pretty quickly... it was time to go. :)

Came home and threw all of them in bed... dirty feet and all. :)

Got up the next morning and started getting everything ready all over again for another Fourth of July party... this time it was at Bryan's Aunt's house... so I had to bring swimming stuff and extra clothes and the works so there was even more packing involved... and when I pack to go some where for an extended period of time... I pack like we are going on a weekend vacation. lol I have to bring extra clothes for all three kids... and then I need to bring warmer clothes for them for it gets chilly or if they are cold from swimming, and towels and extra clothes for Bryan and I and all this... so there is a LOT of clothes... but you know what... I'm ALWAYS prepared!! ALWAYS!!! :) lol Bryan keeps threatening to just put a dresser in the back of the truck... which seriously would make my life a LOT easier!! :) lol

So we made some zitti with sausage in it... which was YUMMY and off we went... our entire wardrobe change and all!! lol

WE had a great time and got to see some more fireworks... in which the girls didn't enjoy too much again...but I'm really hoping by next year they will be good with them... we'll see. I also want to go to Disney before then... which probably won't happen... but if it does then they will see the fireworks there so maybe they will like them. :) who knows... okay back to the whirlwind weekend...

We didn't leave there until about 11:30 or so at which point I decided that I was definitely going to take the kids and go with Bryan in the morning to a water park... he was going to be down hill mountain biking with Chris... so Heather and I decided to take the kiddos to the water park which is at the same place!! :) yay!! WE SURVIVED!! lol It wasn't too bad... Trevor and Nick were EXCELLENT... they played great together and had a blast... they even listened really well... Lauren was GOOD too! She had a lot of fun!! Brooke was beat... she was so tired and cranky and GLUED to me all day... she had fun at some points but she also cried quite a bit and wasn't too happy... but they all had such a long weekend... that maybe it wasn't the best idea but it worked... and we had a good time! :) All of us... the boys did good riding Bryan crashed once at the end of the day... his last run... but I think it was b/c he was tired out from doing it all day long... but I'm not sure. Thankfully he was okay... he had on all his protective gear... we just need to get him a chest and back protector! :)

And, we stopped for ice cream on the way home at the DQ so that was nice!! :) OH... duh and some where in there we went to Burger King for breakfast before getting to the park and then we went to this great pizza place for lunch and then went back to the park after... for about another hour or so... it was nice. :) I'm sooo tired though from the weekend... and I know I have a busy week ahead of me with cleaning and packing the camper and also catching up on laundry... we have a lot from the weekend and all... and also Lauren and Brooke have been having bed wetting accidents... which I think is b/c they are just so tired when they get into bed... they are sleeping so soundly that they just have no control of wetting... b/c they were doing really good with it... I think we just have to get back on our regular bedtime schedule or at least try, it is hard in the summer... but we are going to work on something... and then they should be okay... neither one of them wants to wear a diaper or pull up to bed... they look at is as punishment... so I don't want to do that... and I don't want to hype up the diaper and pull-up as being sooo cool and fun... so they will wear it... b/c I don't want them to want to wear it all the time again... Brooke was potty trained for a while and did NOT want to wear undies... she only wanted to wear pull-up. Thankfully we have gotten passed that. They have NOT worn one single pull-up or diaper since Father's Day!! :) yay!! yippee!! But, we might need to just at night time. If anyone has any btdt advice or just any suggestions or thoughts on this at all please feel free to comment about it... I'd love any and all input I can get.

Oh so anyway... I went off there about bed wetting and forgot what I was typing about originally. :) duH!! I know I have a lot of laundry and house cleaning this week and also getting the camper cleaned and packed and shopping for while we are away... I want to try to eat as many meals as we can at the campsite not the park... that gets way to expensive for 5 people... plus since my parents are going I'd like to treat them a few times too... they always try to pay for us... ALWAYS!! :) So anyway... I want to get some breakfast, lunch and dinner food planned out and some snacks too... they don't care what you bring into the park... so I'm going to start freezing some water and juices to take camping and into the park so they will be nice n cold to drink while we are strolling around. :)

Also, any thoughts and prayers for Jenn tonight, tomorrow during her surgery and the week to follow for a successful surgery without any surprises and also for a speedy recovery and feeling well, would be greatly appreciated! ~ you can read the post below and link her from there!!

God speed, Jenn!! I'm thinkin' of ya honey!! You're going to do great!! :) xoxoxo

Your thoughts...

Hi ya'll. It is almost 4th of July!! yay!!



I just wanted to wish everyone a great weekend... be safe and have a good time. But while we are all partying and celebrating please keep my mom in your thoughts for a quick and speedy recovery... you can read the posts below for more info and also please keep Jenn in your thoughts and prayers.

You can jump over to her blog... Enjoying the Ride for some info on her. She is going in for a breast reduction on Monday morning. She is nervous, to say the least... and really who wouldn't be? I know I sure as hell would be... especially since I'm only a C cup now... gosh!! lol Just kidding... well I'm not really kidding about any of it... but I would be very nervous as well for all the same reasons Jenn is. Since just going through a surgery with my mom, I totally feel for Jenn, and I'm concerned and nervous for her too. (although I know she will be just fine!)



Jenn is such a sweetie... so if you would please pray for her and her family as she has surgery on Monday that she will be okay through out the day and respond well to everything. All thoughts and well wishes can be left here I will forward them to Jenn or you can go right on over and leave her a comment or two... she doesn't bite, I promise!!



Thank you for all your support!!



xxoo

Thank you...

Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and prayers! They worked!! My dad just called me at 8:32 AM to say that my mom was done with surgery and that the Dr said it went very well. She is in recovery now, and they said that she will probably be there for 2 hrs. Whew!! Thank God!

You are all amazing with all your comments and support... I cannot tell you how much it means to me, thank you so much!!

Love, Jenn

xxoo

I remember

I remember how exactly how I felt while waiting in the HOT sun to go on Medusa... it was a long wait too, and to be honest with ya'll (and myself) I'm sooooooo, so, so, so very surprised that I didn't chicken out at the end... but for some reason the fact that Bryan said that he KNEW I wouldn't really do it, made me need to prove to him that I would. I wouldn't go with him though I needed to go with the girls!! You know... MY girls... the ones that stood there reassuring me that everything would be okay, and that I would NOT, in fact, die on the ride let alone hate it. They were the ones that were comforting and supportive but not at all pushy. They were also the ones that didn't mind, at all, as I teared up getting into the seat of my first coaster ride, and were the ones that let me hold their hands as tight as I needed to for the, um, entire ride. :) They were also the ones that got the first smile and big hug when we got off and I decided that I LOVED it. They were right. :) I was okay.

But, I remember how long that line felt, when we first got on it... then I remember how quick it seemed to go when it was our turn to step up the the gate and then get on the ride... ugh. I could have thrown up right then and there... I was so scared and nervous that my body was one big tight knot. I had a headache and some muscle soreness after the ride from being so tense. I just couldn't wait for it to all be over with.

Then the relief as it started, and I really was okay... but I was still anticipating something horrible to happen... some really bad feeling to come over me and make me hate this entire experience... make all my stress and worries come true.... then finally in less than 3 minutes I was put out of my misery... it was fun, a blast I would even say, I did great... I laughed and smiled and LOVED it all and would have done it again, except for that long ass line.

I'm sure this is the feelings, or similar to the ones that my mom is feeling.... she is scared. I can only imagine... I'm scared for her too. I just got home from her house a little while ago... I had her laughing some, so maybe she will think of some of the dumb/stupid/funny and ridiculous things I said while there, tonight when she can't sleep... and keep her mind slightly off of her surgery tomorrow, which they moved up to her being there at 7am... which is better. I highly doubt she will sleep tonight anyway... she doesn't sleep on a good night, let alone the night before her surgery.

My stomach isn't very happy today either... I guess I am more stressed then I was letting myself believe I was. I know in my heart that things will go just fine... my mom is a healthy person, she isn't on any medications at all. Her BP is good, her cholesterol is good, everything is fine with her... except this... and this will be fine after tomorrows surgery too. It is just getting from tonight till tomorrow in the recovery room.

I'm not sure how much I will sleep tonight and how I will be able to just sit around tomorrow waiting for a phone call to say that she is out of surgery and doing great. I'm going to be one big raw nerve... worse than waiting online for that damn roller coaster.

I'm off to fold some laundry and worry some more.

Thursday Thirteen!

Thirteen Things that SUCK!!!

1. Today is the first day of Spring.. yeah right!! It snowed/flurried all day long!!
2. it was cold and windy today.
3. our truck has a nail in the tire!
4. the tire will probably go flat when we drive it any where.
5. we need to/have to get 4 new tires for the truck.
6. our house is acting up.
7. our toilet, shower, and sinks are all backed up.
8. we think we need something done to our septic tank! YUCK!!
9. Zoe pooped in her cage, it was all over her, her blankets and her pillow! Yuckity Yuck Yuck!
10. I'm still stuffed up and not feeling 100%!
11. Bryan's grandfather made it through the heart surgery did GREAT... it was yesterday! They replaced 3 valves in his heart and closed him up, happy with the surgery. What they thought was a blood clot is nothing to be concerned about. Thank God!! He woke up this morning on his own and they took him off all the breathing stuff, he did fine.. and is breathing wonderfully on his own!! He has a superbug, one that is totally resistant to all and ANY antibiotics and/or medications. The CDC is there, they are "studying" him. They have no idea how long he will live, if he can beat this or not.
12. the "superbug" is in his bladder and urine.
13. if the "superbug" goes to his heart he will die immediately!!!

WTF???????????? makes it through surgery fine... then gets some shit that hardly anyone has ever had, they have no effing clue where it comes from and it is freakin' invincible to everything known to man... GREAT. I swear just when you see the damn silver lining you get struck with effing lightening and die anyway...

although i'm obnoxious, grumpy and sick of bad news, and just feel like saying EFF it! this isn't my life and I can't really feel that way for Bryan's grandfather... I want for him to get better and be able to come home... that is all the man wants is to be able to go home. he has been in the hospital for 9 effing weeks. he thinks he will die there, and by the looks of the shitty ass things, he might... how effing horrible and heartbreaking is that??? dammit.

so since tomorrow is Good Friday I'm really hoping and praying, practically begging that something GOOD will come from it and that Bryan's grandfather will have some miracle that will make him all better and HEALTHY! That the superbug will just die and go away.

Please keep Bryan and his grandfather in your thoughts and prayers. thank you.

(sorry for being so bitchy)

More help...

Bryan's grandfather, Drew, has been in the ICU at our local hospital for about 2 wks, he has been having a lot of medical problems, and they finally got him to go to the hospital. He wasn't a happy camper nor a very cooperative patient while there, but they did their best. He has been filling up with fluid, the first day he was in the hospital they were able to drain 6 liters from his body. He keeps filling up again though. He has congestive heart failure. They told him he had to have open heart surgery or he would die. Laying it all out like that gave him little to no chance of not doing it. He is going to Suffern, NJ today to have some tests done and to prepare him for the surgery. He is older and not in great health so the surgery, like any surgery poses risks for him. Although Bryan is pretty closed mouth about his feelings, I can just tell by his quietness and his sober mood that he is so worried about his grandfather, as we all are. I just worry even more about Bryan because he keeps it all in. That is so hard to do, to carry all the weight of your worries on your own. Please keep Bryan and his grandfather in your thoughts and prayers as he has this surgery, that he will be okay and make it through like a champ. Also that he will start to take better care of himself and take his meds, go to the doctor when he needs to and get some tests done that he has been refusing.

Thank you again, for all your support and thoughts!