Happy Halloween 2010!

Tonight/today sure was a load of fun.  Our neighbors had a rockin' Halloween/one-year-old birthday party for the newest member of their family.  Can I tell you again how much I love our neighborhood?

Then, it was off to the convent to see the Dominican Sisters to get the holiday started off right.  You see, they don't just hand out candy.  One must first answer a religious question to score the candy AND a rosary.  Sweet.

And, if you're counting kids in the above photo and wondering when we scored two more, those are our sweet next-door neighbors from P-town that followed us to the new place and now live across the street.  Crazy, right?

What was once this...

Is now THIS!

Luke made it to one house before declaring bedtime.  Mom and I held down the homefront, while Scott took the "bigs" out on the town.  They had a blast.  And we now have a GInormous mound of candy in our living room.  You too?

Have I got a deal for you.  Our dentist, Advanced Dental Care, is having an awesome $1 candy buy back program.  For every one pound of candy you bring in Nov 1-3, you get $1 and then they send the candy overseas to our troops.  WIN-WIN baby.  We will totally be doing that and I invite you to do the same if you live here in Austin.

Now for fun photos.  Happy Halloween.  BOO!

Harry Potter

Darth Vader



 My Sweet, Sassy Bee

The "Bigs"

Peacock

And, if you ask her what they say, Nana taught her the most hilarious "SQUAWK".

Nearly peed in my pants the first time I heard it.

Super Luke (warm weather costume, recycled from his bday)

Notice that beautiful head of his!

The infamous Dalmation Puppy

Costume compliments of seamstress Nana.  All the boys have worn this one.

I am cracking up looking at ALG.  I think Clare is squawking here.



Halloween - more than one holiday around here

When most people think Halloween, they may think trick or treating, costumes, fun parties and an overload of candy.  We think of that, too, but we also have more joy than I thought possible.  One year ago today, right about NOW, we were walking in the door of our house as a complete family of seven. 

TODAY IS LUKE'S NICU DISCHARGE ANNIVERSARY!

For those that have been in the NICU, you know our joy.  You get it.  Completely.  Yes, I teared up in Mass this morning more than once.  Oh people, you just don't know how far my heart has come these last 365 days.  A lifetime, I think.  It has been such a difficult past 44 days for me this year.  Harder than I really imagined it ever could be.  There are times when I feel incredibly guilty about feeling that joy and walking out those NICU doors when some of our friends didn't.  I mean, having Luke home with us has sent us over the moon with happiness, but it is tempered with reality.  I think his homecoming has made me more grateful about the little things. 

Because of Luke, there are many questions I no longer ask.  There are many more compliments and smiles I share instead.  Life is a precarious balance.  I think it's appropriate as we celebrate All Saints Day tomorrow and All Souls Day on Tuesday that I find myself grateful for life - in all its forms.  I am grateful God allowed us to walk this path with Luke.  It has changed who we are and given me a different set of glasses in which to view the world.

Today is about remembering...it is about some awesome joy.  Halloween will never be the same at our house.  And for that I say - PRAISE GOD!

QOTW: October 29, 2010 & a Luke Update!

I guess it's two-fer Friday.  First up, quotes.

"Mom, I saw a miracle today!"
Anna-Laura, after attending her first school Mass.  When I asked her what she meant, she replied...

"You know mom, when the priest turns the bread into Jesus!"
Oh my.  So sweet.

"Anna-Laura is the happiest child in the class." Mrs. M
"John Paul's handwriting is amazing." Mrs. T
"Will is a precious, precious boy.  I love having him in class." Mrs. H
From this morning's parent-teacher conferences.  There's so much more to share, but I'm claiming the parent-teacher confidentiality rule :)

"Turkpoise."
Clare, trying to pronounce the color of her Halloween costume.  I love 3yo linguistics.

"It [pumpkin] is so so so so so so so osum."
John Paul referring to his awesome "A&M pumpkin".  Why yes, yes it is.  And, I know he needs to work on the spelling, but how cute is osum?

Now for the Luke update.

It was a big week for Master Luke.  On Wednesday, we met Luke's new specialist (lucky #10), the pediatric orthopaedist.  We did some x-rays, she observed him jimmy crawl and pull himself to stand and then we chatted.  Best-case scenario and Luke are words rarely used in the same sentence.  So, when his x-rays came back "perfect", showing no fusion of the spine (common in tethered cord kids) or hip dislocation, I almost jumped for joy!  Dr. P wants us to continue his 2x week physical therapy and his 2x month occupational therapy.  She asked us to return in six months if he's not walking or if he's walking but is continuing to leave his feet pointed out, not in.  If both those are off the table, then we fire another specialist.  To which I replied, "It's been nice meeting you Dr. P.  Hope we see you at HEB and not Dell."  She laughed.  I meant it.  I'm taking The Donald approach.  You're Fired!

I do have a really awesome waiting room story to share on Monday.  Yet again, proof that there are some amazing moms in our midst everyday.  We just have to take the time to listen.

This mornings visit with Luke's orthotist (aka the Helmet doc) went almost as we had hoped.  The slightly disappointing news is that his head measurements haven't really gotten any better this past 2-3 weeks like we hoped they would.  But, to the untrained eye, the only time anyone will notice his slightly mishapen head is when he shaves it as a Fish in the Corps of Cadets at A&M :)  Hoorah.  After some visiting with his awesome orthotist, Bud, we decided to lose the head bling - forevah!  I almost teared up when telling the staff goodbye.  That's a post for another day next week.  Just as we were leaving, I looked on the chalkboard they have near the door and Will had written, "To Dr. Bud, thank you.  From, The Whitakers."

That pretty much sums it up.

This weekend will be awesome. I mean, how can it not be with all that good news?  Scott, Luke and I are heading to College Station for the annual Yell Leader Reunion (can I get a whoop?) and hoping to see many dear friends while we're there.  It's a quick trip, but aren't they all?  The other four are enjoying some aunt/uncle/neice/nana/papa love.  I should have some great stories and photos up next week for y'all to enjoy.

Sorry for being slacker blogger.  I got sick earlier in the week.  Kicked. My. Hiney.  Man, when momma's sick, that isn't good.  Make it a great weekend and BTHO Tech!

Technical difficulty

Arg.  So me and Blogger are not getting along this week.  It's posting random things when IT wants to, not me.  How rude.  Hopefully, this will get posted.

Hopefully, we can both have a timeout and get back on the same page in the next day or so.

Wonderful Sister News!

I just received  this email this morning and I wanted to pass along the really fantastic news!  In addition to this great news, set your DVRs for the week before Turkey Day.  The Sisters will be making another appearance on Oprah!


Kathryn,

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, has signed a purchase and sale agreement to buy the 3900 Harewood Road property in Washington, D.C., to be used as a House of Studies for the continuing education and formation of our Sisters. We are still in the inspection phase of this agreement.

We believe that the ultimate acquisition of this building, currently housing the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, represents an opportunity that is aligned with the visions of our community, Pope John Paul II and the Archdiocese of Detroit. It is a wonderful way to build upon the intention of the Center to bring the message of His Holiness to contemporary culture and promote vocations, and it provides yet another connection to his influence in our community and the incredibly generous donors to all these venerable institutions.

As we continue the due diligence of the facility, we do so in prayer and discernment as we seek God’s will in our Community and our lives.

Mother Mary Assumpta Long, O.P
Prioress General
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Your Funny Story

I promised a fun story about the pumpkin patch, so here goes.  I talked up the trip all morning.  The kids were out of school, the piles of laundry were ridiculously high and it was like 80 degrees outside.  No matter.  We went anyway.

Part One (from my perspective):

Kids piled out of the car.

We walked around for a minute, then found the perfect photo spot.

Snapped some pics and talked to a nice lady who took our photo.

Got the wagon.

Loaded up the perfect pumpkin.

Checked out and loaded back in the car.

I didn't even break a sweat.  Whew.


Part Two (from everyone else's perspective)

The lady parked next to us did a double take and I'm sure thought, "Holy smokes, did FIVE kids just get out of the car?"

The kids started running in all directions as soon as they saw the pumpkins.  It was like Halloween crack.  Mom, this one, look at this one, one yelled.  Another one cries because she doesn't like it.  Another totally tunes it out, while the other screams they've found the perfect pumpkin.  After I announce it's picture time, they all groan so loudly that the mom next to us giggles.

Photos get taken as a group, then as individuals.  I tick them off from youngest to oldest.  While Luke's photo is being taken, everyone is whining about when it's their turn.  When it's John Paul's turn, Will starts bellyaching that he's been holding Luke too long and can he please have a break?  The giggly mom asks if she can take our photo and then launches into 20 questions about Luke's helmet.  Why does he have it?  Is he a preemie?  How much did it cost?  Where did you get it?  Did it take long?  Where did you get it decorated?  Then, she air high fives me for bringing five kids to the pumpkin patch by myself.

We then decide to get the perfect pumpkin.  A huge fight breaks out over the wagon.  There's tears and shoving and a "Fine, here!"  After we get it sorted out, I choose the pumpkin and instruct Will to put it in the wagon.  More fights over who gets to steer the wagon back to the checkout counter.  More giggling from onlookers.

At the checkout, we realize Clare has shanghaied a little pumpkin and now they're all begging for one.  I give in.  Really, what's an extra $2 to save an entire car ride of crying?

We get the pumpkin to the car and hear, once again, a different lady say, "Wow, you have FIVE kids?"

I don't know about you, but I like part one better :)

Either way, though, it was a really great morning.  I love that everywhere we go is a party!!

Not a QOTW, but...

I figured since I said it Wednesday, I could say it again today :)  Today's blog post has been a topic of conversation at our house for quite some time.  This morning, I need to vent.

School fundraisers.

Can I get a collective sigh?  Hey, here's our reality.  Our children attend private school.  Tuition covers about 85% or so, of the operating costs and the remaining 15% is raised through various fundraisers.  I get it.  I married a fund raiser.  I understand that different people respond differently to the approach.  And, some family's capacities to give are greater, or less, than the average.

But, over the last two days I have gotten 25 - yes TWENTY-FIVE - emails about our upcoming event.  That's just crazy.  And, to top it off, this morning, one of those emails basically said that "if we cared about the faith formation of our children" we would donate to the cause.  Hello, ludicrous.  To tie giving to a lack of caring about my children's faith formation is just plain nuts.  Here's the thing.

We do give to the school, just not to this fundraiser.  Everyone has their passion and ours is the annual fund, probably due to Scott's career and our perspective.  I get that some fundraisers are billed as community builders.  I'm all for those.  But, when our revenue isn't much above our expenses, and the volunteer hours are in the thousands, that's when we need to rethink how we do things.  At least that's my two cents.

Change is inevitable, in everything.  When we made the change to move houses, schools and parishes last summer and add a new family member, we got a whole lotta the "c" word.  It's taking some time to adjust and I know that in time, we will feel part of our new community.  That's high on my prayer list.  To be more thankful and grateful and less critical.  Easy to type, hard to do.  There are many things I love, love, LOVE about our new changes.  And, those certainly outweigh the challenges I see.

My apologies for your usually quippy QOTW this week.  It'll be back next week.  This weekend we have a fun visitor - Granny - coming to town to watch the boys play flag football, a basketball evalatuion, flu shots (I'm sure those will be a blast!) and altar server training.  Yes, Will is old enough to be an altar server.  Wow.

I'll get your pumpkin patch photos up soon, along with the funny story.  Until then, make it a great weekend!

Not a Top Ten, but...

I do have smiling faces!  On Monday, the kids were out of school, so we ventured to the local pumpkin patch at one of our favorite churches in Round Rock.  I have a hee-larious story about that trek, but today you get smiles.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart

To the main man in my life...happy birthday!  Today, Scott celebrates his birthday.  What's not to love about that milestone?

Some folks get all hot and bothered about getting older.  I say, bring it on.  It's another year we get to love, to laugh, to make memories.  I am grateful Scott and I have had another year to do all three.  Truly, he is the most amazing husband.  Blogger doesn't have enough space on this post for me to tell you why!

What I love most about Scott is that he is who he is and never makes excuses for it.  In fact, I think those are the very things people most respect about him.  He is a man of faith, a man of principle and a man of his word.  He loves his children and tells them often.  He is not afraid to cry.  He makes me feel like the prettiest gal in the room.  He still takes time to do the little things that made me fall in love with him 17 years ago.

Last year, we had to celebrate his birthday in the NICU.  And it sucked.  In fact, one year ago today we restarted feeds with Luke, after nearly a month of being NPO.  We held our breath and Luke gave Scott the best present ever.  A diaper :)

Today, we get to celebrate as a whole family, one around our kitchen table.  Scott's only request was that I make him lasagna.  My lasagna, he emphasized.  Done.

I am blessed beyond words and ever thankful that God created Scott on this day, 38 years ago.  I love you sweetheart.  Happy birthday.

Crazy (But Fun) Day

Most importantly, HAPPY FEAST DAY OF ST. LUKE!  And, as providence would have it, our "St. Luke" is 13 months old today.

I've got one kid with croup, who we were up with half the night, in the car on our way to the ER when we abandoned ship and stuck her in the steamy shower.  Semi-better today.

I've got another kid who had a "fever of unknown origin" and a hacky cough.

I've got another one who has a love-hate-hate-love relationship with table food.

I've got a book mobile creation to supervise.

A "family pumpkin decorating project" for another one.

Both of those projects due tomorrow.

A pile of laundry.

A birthday to gear up for tomorrow - the hubster is turning {ahem}.

And a half empty can of Dr. Pepper.

I need more 23 flavors.

Posts will be light this week until we can all get more sleep!

Prayer Request

Hey folks, I'm writing today for my sweet cousin, Carolee.  She and I are related, although to figure it all out gives me a headache.  Just trust me :)  She and I met at A&M, after our family branch had lost touch with hers.  Truly providential.  We pledged sororities together, her a Zeta, me a Chi Omega.  I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home at her house in Houston.  We shared lots of laughs, oogling at Corps boys and a few tears.  She is an amazing person and I'm so thankful that Facebook brought us back together after losing touch again!

On Monday morning, she posted on my wall that she and her husband would be traveling to Austin and wanted to meet up.  I was thrilled and posted a response at 11:15am.  At noon, Patrick was in a terrible car accident in Houston and suffered severe brain trauma.  He now lies in ICU and the marathon for recovery has begun.  It is serious.  Very serious.  And they need some major prayers.

You can follow his journey HERE.  If you have a moment, offer up some prayers...for strength, for wisdom and for enduring the hardest cross they may ever carry.  Those are tough.

Top Ten: Chi! Chi! Chi! Le, Le, Le!

Raise your hands if you've been completely and totally transfixed by the mine rescue in Chile.  I'll admit, the TV was on all day - and I never leave it on that long.  I was teary with just about every rescue and in awe of the bits and pieces I heard about their ordeal.

The world needs some good news.

If I had a microphone, a comfy chair and all the time in the world, here's the first ten questions I'd ask...

TOP TEN:  QUESTIONS FOR THE MINERS

1.  What did you miss most?

2.  When the mine first collapsed, did you think you would survive?

3.  What's one thing you plan on changing now that you've been given a second chance, so to speak?

4.  Did you pray together as a group?  If so, how did you pray? (Admittedly, this one intrigues me the most.  With 94%, give or take, of Catholics in Chile, the chances are high that they were all Catholic.  Just wonderin'.)

5.  What's the one take-home message you want the world to learn from your experience?

6.  What's the one thing you fear/ed the most...during the collapse, during the 69 days, during the rescue and now that you're out of the mine?

7.  What kept you alive and sane during those 69 days underground?

8.  If you could talk to only person about your experience, who would it be?  Why?

9.  Certainly, the fame and riches are to come, but who's the one person you most want to meet as a result of your new found "celebrity status"?

10.  Do you plan on going back to mining?

Hey, a girl's gotta ask.  Not that CNN is banging down my door.  Or that a miner in Chile even knows my blog exists.  HA!  I am inspired and amazed at what just transpired on live TV.  We gathered the kids in the living room tonight so they could see the last miner surface.  It was pretty incredible and something I'm sure they'll remember for a long, long time.

The human spirit, when challenged, sometimes surprises.  God bless Chile!

Christmas Card Addendum!

If you read the blog about two weeks ago, you know about my new venture for Christmas cards.

I've decided to add an additional option for you.  If YOU would rather print your cards from your home computer (or have a local quick print place do it for you), I'm offering to simply send you the final PDF file and you can do with it what you wish for a reduced fee.  More work on your end, but I'm throwing it out there as an option.  The only three major differences are:

1.  The colors won't bleed to the edge.  I'll adjust the design slightly so it doesn't look all weird :)  And, I'll have less color on the card for options 1, 2 and 3 because if you're printing that on your home computer, you'll buy out the store in ink!
2.  Envelopes with your return address printed on them won't be included.  But, they're standard size and easy enough to buy at the local office supply big box store.
3.  The paper won't be as thick, glossy and heavy as professionally printed ones.  And, you'll be doing the folding.

So, if that floats your boat, give me a jingle, shoot me a text, email me, DM me or send me an FB message.  Sheez.  That's a lot of ways to get a hold of a gal, isn't it?!

Merry Christmas :)

QOTW: October 8, 2010

ME:  "Clare, get rollin' or we're going to be late."
C:  "Mom, we can't roll {giggles} that will hurt our feet.  We be walkin'."
ME:  "C, you're funny."
C: "NO.  You funny momma."

"I'm just yanking your chain."
Will, on how much homework he has and various other random things.  I think he just likes to say that.  It's hilarious.

"Oh, for the love of Pete."
ALG, muttering under her breath because Clare forgot something.  Scott's gonna have to start watching what he says. Ahem.

"Ba, ba, ba"
Lukie!  He's been doing a semi-wave, accompanied by the sound.  I'm counting that as a word.  BYE!

We have a fun weekend ahead.  Only one flag football game (I've got pictures coming next week from the season).  Last weekend JP's team cleaned house.  38-0.  He scored two TD's and guess where I was?  In the bathroom.  To quote a friend, that's just fan-freakin-tastic.  Hopefully, he can score one more for 'ol mom.  I do believe there might be some painting going on this weekend, some napping, some bike riding and some cookie baking.  Sounds like a good weekend to me.  Make it a great one!

Back in the 'hood

This morning was just lovely.  I was invited to speak about the "Luke experience" at the St. Theresa Spirituality Committee Meeting by my sweet friend, Judy.  Judy, if you're reading this, thank you.  I hope and pray your mom is recovering well...I certainly have no doubt she is now that you're in NY with her!

I saw some familiar faces and it *almost* felt like I was back in my old stomping grounds.  I had to catch myself from looking over my shoulder to see the kids in STCS uniforms.  Our new school has been wonderful to us, it's just that the STCS peeps walked with Scott and I during the scary pregnancy.  And they walk quite well, I might add.

As I reflect on the morning, I fear I was a little rambly (sp?), but suprisingly only had a few voice quivers.  One never thinks you're going to fall apart in front of an audience, but when you're talking about your son who nearly died more than once...  And, yet, there he sat happily playing with the toys and only getting a little fussy toward the end.  Thanks AMM for coming to his rescue.

It reminded me and affirmed once again that having our children in Catholic schools is the right thing for our family.  The emPHAsis on those last three words.  For our family.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I had a chance to hug some familiar necks and meet a few blog stalkers.  Love that.

I hope that sharing the journey and some of the more personal moments we had along the way allowed those women to see that we are all the same.  We all struggle.  We all love our kids.  We all have an awesome God.  We just have to take the time to reach out and support one another along the way.

Peace out.

Top Ten: The things I love to hate

Tonight, as we were in between dance drop off and pick up, I saw something I hate seeing.  A horrible car accident.  And, it reminded me to be thankful.  For all my blessings, even if they feel like crosses today.  Here is today's...

TOP TEN:  THE THINGS I HATE THAT REMIND ME OF WHAT I LOVE

1.  I hate car wrecks.  But they remind me of the precious cargo I have in my minivan every day.  Even if they are screaming at me because they're hungry.

2.  I hate natural disasters.  But they remind me of how small the petty things are in life and how we should focus on the big picture.

3.  I hate vegetables.  But I eat them reluctantly because my husband asks me too.  And that makes him happy.

4.  I hate carline.  But I am thankful that I love the school where my children attend.  Praise God that we live in a country where we get to decide where, and how, our children are educated.

5.  I hate campaign season and its empty promises.  But it reminds me that one person can "rock the vote" and we are fortunate enough to live in a country where opinions are encouraged - not jailed, stoned or executed.

6.  I hate an empty brownie pan.  But it reminds me that our house is full of abundance and happiness.

7.  I hate when I see a parent yelling at their child.  And it reminds me to look in the mirror.

8.  I hate limitations.  They just make me want to work harder.

9.  I hate being late.  But it reminds me to be gracious the next time someone's running late for an appointment with me.

10.  I hate when I forget stuff.  But it reminds me...shoot, I forgot.

Happy Hump Day.

Luke Update 10.5.10

Luke has had a busy two weeks since he celebrated one.  This kid wears me out.

If you're a numbers person, we've had:

5 therapy appointments
3 doctor visits
3 helmet fittings/adjustments
1 blood draw (but three pokes - yowza)

all since September 18.  That's just a pile of crazy.  But through it all, he still charms every person he meets.  That's for real.

So, on to the update.

THERAPY / PT & OT
Luke's been on a twice monthly schedule of occupational therapy (OT) through home-based ECI (state-funded program, your tax $$ hard at work!!) for the last couple of months.  We can definitely see progress, but the frequency is so...infrequent...that I knew we needed to maximize this time of sponge-like learning.  So, after a consult with the Dell Children's Developmental Clinic, we opted to have him evaluated by a private physical therapist for additional therapy.  Hey, we've already met every deductible and out-of-pocket expense for 2010 and I have TONS of free time on my hands.  Why not?  Seriously, though.  He is totally benefitting from the twice a week PT.  Just yesterday he pulled himself to stand from a sitting position.  And the mom with the sunglasses on her head said: "HOLY SMOKERS!"

He still has some kinks to work out and everyone is still perplexed as to why he's still dragging one of his legs.  I won't go into all the details, but I'm a little worried.  I guess I'll quiz our next specialist at the end of the month after we do x-rays and a full assessment of his hips and feet.

I will say, he's one fast dude, even with that "atypical crawl."

GENERAL WELL CHECK
I have to laugh at those last two words.  Luke doesn't really have "well checks."  I know those will come in time.  At his twelve-month pediatrician check up, things looked pretty good.  He's about 15.5 pounds so we were just shy of our 16-pound goal by a few ounces.  Considering we made that goal last November before the months and months and months of crazy, we were all pretty happy with his progress.  Our next goal is to get to 20 pounds by age 2.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Look as if Luke is going to be looking out the back window and riding backward in his car seat for quite some time.

CARDIOLOGIST
Well, he's basically just holding steady.  The hole in his heart is still there and it's not really getting smaller.  And, the echo showed that his PDA (the other hole) didn't actually close like we thought back in November.  That really pesky VSD is the reason for Luke's small stature.  He's taking in a ton of calories, but burning most of them off by working to regulate the hole in his heart.  Dr. J is giving him 6-12 months before we talk surgical options.  I'm trying very hard to 1) pray that damn hole/s away and 2) taking each step of progress for what it's worth.  There are various secondary complications that can come from living with a VSD.  Fortunately, the only one Luke is having is a slightly enlarged left side of his heart.  Once the VSD closes or we surgically close it, that left side should go back to its normal size.  Sorry for the medical information overload.

HEMATOLOGIST
All of Luke's blood work to confirm his blood allergy to cephalosporins came back...inconclusive.  Fantastic.  Dr. S told us, though, that based on his clinical response to that family of allergies, he pretty much has a severe allergy.  No need to try it again.  I mean, the test may have come back shady, but his reaction has been crystal clear.  No cephs for you, buddy.  All of his other bloodwork came back normal, for the most part, and there was no permanent damage done to any of his red cells.  Layman's terms?  Good news.  I'll take it.

ORTHO
Luke's time in the helmet may be coming to an end.  Excited! Sad :(  Anxious?  I've felt all three.  We go in for a head measurement next Friday and will make a decision to either keep him in it two more weeks or call it quits.  We were hoping the helmet might bring us luck against those Okie State Cowboys, dadgumit.  At least the sips and Raiders lost.  That's worth something.

And, that brings me to all the other stuff.  We're working on transitioning Luke from baby food to table food.  I've forgotten how hard that is on everyone.  Not just the oral aversion thing, but the "I can't believe my baby is not really a baby anymore" thing.  He's still nursing, but I know the months and days are ticking away.  I think I'm holding on to that because it's the one thing I know how to do - well.  It's such amazingly precious time and I don't know if I'll ever get to do it again.  Sigh.  That's just too much to wrap my heart and head around right now.

It's been a really hard past few weeks.  I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've stopped what I was doing and gone back to read the blog from a year ago.  So many anniversaries.  So many emotions.  So many milestones.  We've lived so much life since then.  I find myself crying at weird times.  I'm hoping that it's because I'm a little hormonal and a wee bit tired.  As Scott says, "This too shall pass."

Facebook is for cowards

Now before you get all up in my face, let me explain.

I love me some fb.  It's connected me to people that I thought I had lost long ago.  It makes me laugh and cry.  And, it's constant "news feed" kept me sane during all those hospital stays.

But, you know, we all have "that friend."  Mine happens to be from my 4-H and college days.  He's a nice enough guy and we shared some good memories along the way.  I don't remember him being uber-Christian, but then again, I've changed a little since my college days at A&M, too.  He recently posted something and I commented.  Actually, I commented wanting to see what he'd say.  In fairness, I was polite and kind.  Promise.  But, I think it's safe to write that he thinks I'm going to hell because I'm Catholic.

And I'm totally ok with that.  Not the hell part, but his believing that I'll go there, part.  Eh, whatever.

What got me, though, was that he dissed St. Francis of Assisi.  And he did it in a forum where I just don't have the energy to fight back.  Because, really.  One cannot have a conversation worthy of much stature on a social networking site.  Conversations like those must be had in person.  At least that's what I believe.

I realize some of you might be thinking, "Um, unfriend him, Kathryn!"  Nah, we're not there yet.  Maybe I will, maybe I won't.  For now, I just block his status updates and check in on him from time to time.  That seems to be working quite well.  And, I'm pretty certain he doesn't even know my blog exists :)

Rant of the day over.  As you were.

Luke update tomorrow!

QOTW: October 1, 2010

"My teacher didn't have to do anything to my paper.  All she had to do was write '100'!"
John Paul, telling me about his spelling test this week.  So cute.

"No ma'am, bub."
Clare, to Luke or to any other child younger than her, doing something that's not approved.

"GAH."
Scott and I after watching the Aggie game last night.  Dang it.

We're on tap for a fun weekend around here.  A little flag football on Friday night and Saturday morning and then a birthday party for a fellow NICU buddy of Luke's.  Make it a great weekend folks.