SiLLy...

Madison is known for coming up with very intelligent and clever things to say. She is NEVER a dull moment. Today she started to tell me something, and as I listed, she paused, and said, "I got nothin'". She forgot what she was going to say. :)

MeMoRiEs...

the main reason I do this blog is so I don't forget the happenings in our life. each precious moment, precious spirit, loved one, laughter, sadness....I want to remember it all-even the sad moments. It is the tough times where we grow the most. It is also where we all seem to come together the most. We have had family members suffer a great deal over the last year or so. Mainly speaking, my mom. She has had three knee surgeries, and a back surgery all in the last two years. Seeing her struggle so much has been heart wrenching. With the physical pain comes emotional pain. How can a person live with chronic pain and not suffer emotionally? We cling to one another to help each other cope, help uplift those who are in need. Family is such a great and wonderful blessing. We are working to get my parents moved to the town we live in. Right now they are 30 miles away, which seems like an eternity of a drive when we need to get there quickly. I cant wait for their house to sell, to get them here quickly. I have never lived in the same town with them, as an adult!

I know I have mentioned several times about the loss of Carlisle. People are probably sick and tired of hearing me complain about how much I miss him. My husband, myself, our children are of the rare kind. We have not actually lost a person close to us. We are very blessed to still have everyone here, with the exception of my twin sister, Spring, who died just after we were born. So when we love our pets as a member of the family, who contributes love, affection, and joyful moments, then suddenly they are gone, the loss is felt. Bethanie and I have had the toughest time letting him go. So I found a memory stone. I think this will be a great way for us to remember him, the love and joy he brought to our home. We miss him terribly. We will wait a few more weeks before we can get a new cat for our family. Our veterinarian will help us make sure that it is a healthy cat, and one that is happy and fits into our family. Carlisle can never be replaced. Having him in our life helped us realize the joy an indoor (only) cat can bring. I see we will likely always have a cat, after him.

cArLiSLe...

On Monday, September 26th, we let our sweet Carlisle go home to Heavenly Father. He had been suffering from Feline Leukemia.

He was so strong and brave. But he wasn't able to fight the virus off. Over the weekend, he just got worse, so, as life lessons go, we took him to the vet that morning, and made the difficult decision to let him sleep. I held him as he went to sleep, and went home to start mending a family full of broken hearts. It amazes me how resilient children are. We all spent the day at home (Jeff was working) as I kept the girls out of school for the day to help them deal with their emotions. They rebounded well, still get sad from time to time, but I found my reaction has been the strongest. I cry out of the blue, and miss him terribly. We will get another cat, that is for sure. We have to wait at least a month for the virus to die so the new family member doesn't get Feline Leukemia. I miss you Carlisle! Very broken hearted.

SwEeT LiTtLe MaDiSoN...

She is now 4 (almost 5). We all know she has never been small. Even her personality has always been big and bold. Let it be known, she is only in the 35th % of kids her age, meaning she is on the small side. But that doesn't mean a thing! She is such a sweet girl, but oh so entertaining! She is all personality! I had to write this on the blog because I didn't want to ever forget her sweet cuteness. Our conversation today went like this on the way home from a late dance class:

Madison: Mommy, I'm hungry
Me: Supper is soon
Madison: What are we having?
Me: Grilled Cheese sandwiches and soup
Madison: What about Boy Cheese sandwiches?

:)

cOoLeR wEaThEr...

I am in LOVE with fall! This fall has started off really nice and crisp. We have trees turning colors and falling. Over the weekend we spent time decorating our house, which is something we all really love. The kids have settled nicely into school routines. We have also started carpooling too, which really helps me not feel like all I do is run and get/drop off kids all the time!

A week ago I had my gall bladder surgery. It was strange because all the tests came back showing it was functioning and OK. Even when the surgeon removed it, he said it looked good, but the pathology reports showed that it was inflamed and had deposits on it. That seemed to account for SOME of the pain I was having. But not all of it. I was disappointed to be done with surgery and still have some of the pain I had before. During surgery, the surgeon noticed I had some issue with a swollen liver with fatty deposits on it. It is called Fatty Liver. That is likely what i am having as far as pain. So now to learn how to detoxify the liver and get it healthy.

The girls are working hard on their dance fundraiser. Their portion goes toward their spring recital costumes.

This weekend we are looking forward to Fall Fest. It is the first time the North Central Kansas Autism Foundation gets to debut to the public. We are doing a bake sale, selling stocking hats as well as passing out informationals. Oh, don't forget the lemonade stand! :) So busy stuff coming up! ! !

AuTuMn...

Oh the weather has been GLORIOUS the last couple of days. We are talking 50 degrees at night and low 70's during the day! Totally do-able! The air has been really dry so it is leaving some kids with nose bleeds and some with sinus infections. Gotta love it! (:

So the kids have had a great first two weeks of school. Bethanie is really liking 4th grade. She is doing two dance classes this year and still has so much energy to burn! I swear I cant keep up with her. She is like the cutest ever Energizer Bunny. Madison is loving Pre-K. I just cant believe she is growing up so much. She is super smart. She can already count to 100 (just needs to be reminded on 30, 4o, 50) but she is also singing and just amazing! Matthew has chugged away at his school. I am proud to say he is already 20% done with some of his work for the school year! This means he will bump up a grade in some of his courses as early as December. (: Yep...Climbing a grade level that quick! Amazing what he can do when he sits and focuses. I think it helps that he is at the puberty age (LOL!) and has less of a drive to do things (playing with toys) all the time. What else is there but to do work???

I have had to have a few medical tests run. I seem to be having some severe gall bladder issues but the tests are showing inconclusive. So we are treating me for ulcers for a week, and if it doesn't help, out comes the gall bladder next week some time. YAY.

Carlisle is healthy for the most part. Seems like he gets his infection about every 2-3 weeks. We just give him some steroid/antibiotic injections and he gets well fairly quickly. I don't know how long he will be able to go on like this. ):

Anyway, nothing else too exciting going on.