Third Time's The Charm?

Nadia had her 3rd set of ear tubes put in a few days ago and we're hoping that this will be the last set. The Dr. was optimistic that it would be, because there was very little fluid in her ears!

We had to be at the hospital at the crack of dawn which apparently isn't a very 'alert' time of the day for me. I forgot that I had already put up the garage door before loading Nadia into the car, so when I turned the car on to back out of the garage, I hit the door button and proceeded to back into our new garage door as it was coming back down. (Nothing but a few bent hinges but it sure wasn't the best way to start the morning!)

Nadia, however, was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed as the sun made its way up over the tops of the buildings.

She had a great time playing in the lobby before we got called back to the pre-surgery area.

She is a very easy patient and all the nurses enjoyed taking care of her.

Then it was time to just wait and wait and wait... 

so we sang songs...

...got a little silly (actually, this is Nadia's new thing--undressing herself.  She got very frustrated when she couldn't get the gown over her head because I had it tied in the back)...

...smiled her cheesy smile for the camera...

...played peek-a-boo...

(Yes, those are the one-size fits all surgery socks that made wonderful hand puppets for my girl!)

...got used to the anesthesia mask...

...and then it was finally time to go back for her surgery.  She parade-waved through the entire pre-surgery area as she was being wheeled away, which was both heart-warming and hilarious. (When they brought me back to recovery, however, I could hear her screaming before I even got to her area.  I commented to the nurse, "And now you get to see the other side of her." he he he)

 Once we got back home, however,  it was if she never spent 3hrs. at the hospital as she immediately went for her favorite toy--the piano keyboard.

Yep.  That's one happy girl. 

GI-E-I-O

(To the tune of  "Old MacDonald Had a Farm")
There was a girl who lost some weight
GI-E-I-O
And she always had a belly-ache
GI-E-I-O

With a fiber supplement here
and a case of strawberries there
sometimes it worked
sometimes it didn't
We called the GI doctor,Oh

The girl went to the doc today
GI-E-I-O
And the doctor had a lot to say
GI-E-I-O

No celiac here
No gluten intolerance there
Gues she needs
To change her feeds
With some added help, Oh

The girl did great with the exam today
Woo-hoo-howdy-O
If you know my(big) girl you're shouting too!
Woo-hoo-howdy-O

Add some miralax here
and some probiotics there
Take her poop
To get the scoop
Bring her back in a month, Oh

We're hoping this will do the trick
GI-E-I-O
Of the belly aches we all are sick
GI-E-I-O

The End

"Riding the Waves"



We are still at the beach so you might think this post title means more beach pictures of the kids in the ocean. OK, there might be a few, but only to serve as illustrations for the following journal entry my good friend, Shelley, shared with me this week.

You see, Shelley and I are not only friends, sisters in Christ, and workout partners. We also now have a bond that can only come with shared grief.  Shelley's father died this past March... almost a year to the day that my father died.

As with all people who have lost someone dear to them, we each have our own grief path to walk, unique to our own circumstances. However, the thoughts Shelley has put on paper this week, I believe, give a wonderful word picture to how God relates to us in our times of sorrow.  My prayer is that whoever ends up reading this entry will be blessed in whatever way this ends up speaking to you.

Riding the Waves

My grief hits me in waves. Like being in the ocean, you are bouncing around jumping

up with the swells, then a big wave comes and knocks you over. Or you step in an

unexpected hole and go under. The salt water stings your eyes, so you can’t open

them. You stand up, hair in your face, you are trying to open your eyes, get the water

out of them, but another wave comes and hits you in the back of the head.

Is it possible to ride these waves of grief and have fun? I love to look out at the ocean

and see the waves, even see the rough surf when a storm is coming. But, can I ride

them and enjoy them,? Feel the adrenaline?

Kind of like when we would rent the blue rafts at the beach with the white rubber on the

ends. Dad would take us out in his plaid bathing suit and help us ride. He would hold

the raft, and then, when the wave was good, he would let us go. Sometimes we would

stay on and ride all the way to the shore, then drag the raft back in for more.

Sometimes, the wave would flip us. How I hated that feeling of being caught under the

raft. It seemed like forever. It was dark, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t open my eyes

because it would sting. How will I get out from under the raft to catch my breath.

But, I didn’t drown. I would somehow make it out from under the raft. Sometimes I

would decide, I’ve had enough, and I would go play in the sand for awhile. Then later, I

would go back and ride the waves.

Maybe that is how grief is. It is easy to watch the waves, even appreciate them from

afar. But sometimes we have to get in them.

Sometimes, the grief can be predictable, we can see it coming and manage it.

Sometimes, it catches us off guard, knocking us over, and then as we manage our hair

and eyes, another wave hits us before we are ready. But can’t we use the grief to give

us a “great ride”? Can we allow God to put us on the blue and white canvas raft, steady

us for a good wave and let us go? Sure, the wave might knock us over, we panic under

the raft, but we don’t drown. However, we will never experience the thrill of riding the

wave if we don’t go in the ocean and get on the raft.

Sometimes, yes, we need to take a break and play in the sand, but I believe God still

stands in the water, in his plaid bathing suit, beckoning us to come back and enjoy the

ride.

--Written by Shelley Frye

Fun at the Beach

Can you tell we're having a great time at the beach?

 If we're not playing soccer tennis,

or catching neat little fish in the surf,

or digging in (and unfortunately still eating) the sand,

or playing in the ocean,

or relaxing with a good book,

or playing Yahtzee,

then you'll find us just...

being...

silly!

And isn't that what vacations are all about?  We say YES!!!

Beach Beauties!

We're taking our annual vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC after skipping a year last year. Today was another scorcher here in the South (Jodi--stay in Minnesota!) so we opted for a pool morning and then went to the beach after dinner.

I love going to the beach at this time of day because it's cooler, less crowded, and the lighting is much better for pictures!  As you can see, little one picked up right where we left off last year and is loving the ocean and (unfortunately) the sand.  

I'm sparing you the sand eating photos and instead you just get to see cuteness and beauty in this post!

Josi was content to dig in the sand while her little sister whooped it up in the surf.

I think at this point she was wishing she had her suit.

Another beautiful Josephine (middle name, though).

Yup!  We're pretty excited to be at the beach for this week!

More to come...

Lovin' the Stuff of Summer 2012

If you've been on my blog and read any of my previous summer posts, you're probably surprised by the title of this one.  I tend to whine talk about how much I don't like the heat of summer and usually have my "How many days until Fall?" countdown going by now.

However, this summer I've decided to trade my "Fall is the Most Fabulous" mantra for a bit of "Summer Lovin'" attitude as I channel my "All things Summer" friend, Adeye, in order to do this right. So, here are a few things I'm lovin' about summer so far...

1) Watching Michael play formal baseball for the first time and having the time of his life.

It doesn't hurt when the first team you're on wins the Championship Game by a score of 10-0! Way to go REDS!!!

And it only gets sweeter for me watching my husband coach his youngest son as he's done for the eldest in years past.  What a guy!

2) Having my eldest help the youngest acclimate to her first time in the pool this season.

She started off a bit tentative this year but was quickly back in her mermaid mode which included screaming, "That's not fair!" when I made her come out after a few HOURS!

3) Seeing the relationship between these 2 cousins grow stronger and funnier.  I absolutely love hanging around these 2 because they are hilarious together and I always end up wishing I had some popcorn and milk duds to go with the 'show'. ha ha ha (that's for you Jessica).

Helping Nonna make dough-balls.  See, I told you they were funny!

Nonna thinks so too!  And she even put up with them for 2 weeks before I got there!  What a woman!!!

4) Finding the beauty in this doll-baby!  Isn't she gorgeous? (And goofy too--the best combination out there in my opinion!)

It's not often I can get Josi to pose for some pictures so I was thrilled that she was in the mood for a fun photo shoot before church up in PA.

5) Spending some time with my Mom as she celebrated her 75th birthday, and...

...seeing her smile more often after a very difficult year.

6) Having time to cool off in the pool when the temperatures get hot.

7) Hanging out with cousins...

And just some good old horsing around!

8) But mostly I'm enjoying and appreciating the slower pace that is a big part of loving Summer!

So how about you?  What are you loving about Summer? 

Oh, and in case you were wondering...there are only 82 days until Fall!!!  WOO HOO!!! (Sorry Adeye--I just un-channeled you for a minute there)

I have spent the last 1.5hrs. trying to figure out why the comment prompt is missing on this blog post.  I haven't changed any settings and I went back and checked and all comment settings are correct.  If any of you have any advice on how to fix this, please e-mail me at kpfarf@nc.rr.com

Thanks! (Because I know at least 20 people have tried to comment. Har-dee-har-har-har!)