Boo!

Spooky Ghost Pumpkins. Snackie helped draw the faces on and we cut them out, but he left the "gutting" part to Little O.

We did the real deal this year (no trunk-or-treat) trick or treating in a friends neighborhood. Snackie loved it! Running from house to house to ring the bell. He did great at the "spooky" houses too, our tough little Ninja Turtle. Little O was a cute - independant little Tinkerbell. What a big girl happily returning to us with her loot!

The kiddos loved daddies Ghost Stories. And Mama had some fun too, yes...that's a "bun in the oven" costume. Every kid asked what I was...and then gave me the strangest looks when I responded! Bryce was supposed to wear the apron and the chefs hat...but he had big plans to just "be himself." ;)

Dinosaur Valley State Park

In an attempt to take advantage of this marvelous weather here in Texas...and to squeeze some good times in before the baby arrives, we took a little adventure last weekend down to Dinosaur Valley State Park - about two hours drive from us.  And it was fabulous (with the exception of CrazyO crying/whining the entire drive down)! There are fossilized dino footprints in the river rock, and great hiking trails. We hiked about 4miles - at least half of it going up - and were sooooo proud of little Snackie, he never complained once about being tired, and never begged to be carried! We guess now that he's four he really IS a big boy! A very pregnant me actually only complained...once...I think. About climbing some crazy steep steps...whooo these legs don't like carrying this extra weight (and there seems to be a lot more of it this time)!

We saw some neat views (being from the East we're always searching for Hill Country here in Texas), swung from some vines (like Diego), Forded some rivers, encountered tons of super crazy huge spiders (about half dollar size) who I believe catch and eat birds rather than insects!! ;)  And then encountered THE BIGGEST SPIDER we've ever seen (forget the dinosaurs guys, this was unbelievable). At least the size of Snackies hand, this thing was terrifyingly huge - and in no way cuddly looking like a Tarantula, and if it were on your person you could die instantly at the sight of it (or at least I could)!  Brycie made some "oh so funny" jokes about mama rolling down the mountain, "what goes bum-belly-bum-belly-bum-belly...splat?" Yes...that should be an indicator to all of you of just HOW DARN FAT I currently am.  And ate, on the way home, at a fabulous new discovery for us - Spring Creek Barbeque. We don't crave meat too often, but when Bryce wants meat, he wants good smoked meat, and he's still talking about this place! I liked the all you can eat sides and endless supply of hot fresh rolls...otherwise known as "extra-large thighs and tooshie!" Check out the slideshow to see all of us monkeys, to see the scary spider, and of course - to get an idea of how big my bum really is.

Just a splash

Not to tease you all...but here I am posting again! I can't guarantee I'll be consistent, but I'll at least try to do better!!

This autumn in Texas has actually been...almost autumn like! The temps have been cool (though fluctuating - 90's one day and 60's the next) and we've been having quite a bit of rain...but we'll take it if it means cooler temps!! And the kiddos obviously don't mind the rain too much - these cuties had tons of fun splashing around in a nearby puddle. Actually, the point of rain gear eludes me...they were soaked to the bone within minutes!!

Superman's kryptonite

Superman & big brother (on a good day) driving around the hospital

Recently our family had our worlds turned upside down. At the end of May my 2 year old nephew "Superman" was diagnosed with cancer. After many tests and surgery it was determined that he has a rare form of cancer called Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney - a cancer affecting only 20 people per year, and I think my brothers own words voice perfectly what went through all of our minds when we heard this diagnosis,

"When I think about it, it seems almost preposterous that my son would be one of those few. Like most people, I've seen people from a distance that get very sick, or lose loved ones tragically, or have children stricken with cancer or other severe maladies, and I've rarely if ever seriously considered the possibility that it could hit so close to home. But on the other hand, I have always had the thought "why not me?" or "why not us?". In other words, I've always known that nobody is immune to great trials, and I guess now I know it more than ever. There is one thing I have learned from seeing other people face similar trials, and that is that there is always a bigger divine purpose, a greater life lesson to be learned."

This trial, for my brother & his wife and family, is huge. Juggling the lives of 6 children is challenging enough, and added to that now is a two year old going through chemo. We all know the difficulties of dealing with a young child who simply has a fever or common cold, now imagine the ordeal of trying to get medicines/catheters/needles/food/drink etc. into a child who is suffering with every pain and trial imaginable. And yet each day my brother and his wife share with us what they are going through, and each day it is one of the two of them who is reminding us to have faith and trust in Heavenly Fathers plan for us. Their strength and faith is almost incomprehensible at a time like this...and yet it is certainly not misplaced.

There are a few words which the wife of my other brother shared with everyone, which I never want to forget, and so I will share them here,

"When my dad had his stroke he went through surgery the first night. If it had been successful it would have made the recovery much quicker. I remember thinking that the surgery was the answer. It wasn't successful and my mom taught me a great lesson of faith. She related a story from Judges 7 where the Lord told Gideon, as he was about to go to battle, to reduce his army from 10,000 to 300 men so that they could see that it was the Lord who would save them. I learned that sometimes things have to look pretty bad so that we can see the miracles from the Lord. We aren't saved by man but by the Lord. No matter how bad it looks or what the medical research says, "Superman" can be healed completely. My mom was reminding me that we only listened to the doctors with one ear because we know that the Lord's power is great. It didn't really matter what limitations they were putting on the recovery because with faith and the Lord's power there are no limitations."

Isn't it easy to let ourselves rely too heavily on man and forget where true power and true healing comes from. Right now Superman is struggling with the early phases of chemo, and with adjusting to a life that is entirely unfamiliar to him. The miracles at this time are small and simple, "Superman drank 4 oz. of juice today" or "Superman took most of his medicine without a struggle." But we are certainly praying for the big ones as well, like that Superman won't lose his hearing due to the form of chemo he is going through, and of course that the cancer will leave his body entirely and that the small lesions they've found on his brain and spine will not also prove to be cancerous. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people praying daily for Superman (one of the bounteous blessings of belonging to a church such as ours) which makes it easier to have faith that the will of the Lord will come to pass. Please, if you feel so inclined, add your prayers to ours in behalf of Superman. And there is a website I can direct you to, which my brother and his wife update daily, if you know them or us and would like more information/updates.

Below I am including an MR image of one of the tumors...it is unbelievable.

This is a "cross section" image of Superman's abdomen. The lower circle surrounded by the white horseshoe is his spine. The large smooth grayish mass to the left is the tumor(s). The cluster of multi colored shapes to the right are his organs. Unbelievable.

A day for daddy

A day in the life of the "Best Dad in the world"

Wake to Snackie, cuddle cuddle

Get The O', cuddle cuddle

Tend the garden
Make some breakfast

Wrestle Snackie

Get squeals from O

Empty the dishwasher

Say some prayers

Get some work done (here or there)

Lego break with the Snackie

Dancing time with Little O

Make some lunch, or some dinner

Hone the skill of a pizza maker

Clear the table
Tend the garden

Family swim time

Make a smoothie

Read to Snackie

Cuddle and love time

Tuck the kids in

Kiss goodnight

Get some work done

Read a book (don't watch a movie)

Play a game...kill the bad guys

Brush the teeth

Watch some 'Conie'

Check the doors

Check the kiddos

Plan canoe trips

Plan some zoo trips

Hug the mama

Say Goodnight

We love you Dadda! And we're so grateful and proud of you for all you do, and all that you've accomplished these last few years. Thanks for all the fun and adventures. The Best is yet to come!

Long overdue Ladies night pics!

Can you believe this is from way back in March? I'd say we're overdue for some more crazy times ladies!

My Super Jetter Man

Secretly and affectionately also known as Super "cheddar" man. And what a little man my Snackie is! He's the reason why in this house we eat things known as, "monster soup" (minestrone), "cat pee juice" (orange juice), and "invisibility sticks" (carrots). He's an adventurer, a musician (it's quite amusing to hear a 3 year old singing "knocking on heavens door"), a comedian (every punch line includes "road hog!")...and a lover not a fighter (well...he can hold his own I suppose!). He's in love with life, and everything about it...even the flies ...they're "nice" and they're his "pets." He's our sweetie, and our cutie, and our reminder of all that is, and should be good in the world...and golly, we love him!

Little O's BIG day

It's hard to believe my little St. Patty's day baby is a year old already, but it's true. And since we can't turn back the clock, we decided it was time to celebrate!

It was a great party with great friends, a gorgeous professional grade cake (thanks Kara), good food (thanks Bryce), and plenty of smiling Irish eyes. Check out the pics, and the little video of an adorable Little O, and a little bit of The Snack as well.

(side note: Bryce's 30th B-day was the day after Little O's, so we surprised him with a candle on the cake too) :)

North of the Border

Did you know there are mountains in Texas? Neither did I. But Bryce knew it, and all he could talk about doing for Spring break (and his birthday) was going to Big Bend National Park. So we decided that as long as we're living in Texas, we better make the most of it, and see what beauties exist. But of course we didn't decide this until 4pm the night before we'd have to leave in order to make the 10 hours (each way) of driving worth our while! So we scrambled. Our camping gear was a little out of date for this growing family, so we had to purchase a larger tent, and some miscellaneous other gear, but we pulled it all together (this, by the way, is a great way to see if your emergency kits are up to par...ours were not) and were on the road before 7am the next morning. And we had a fabulous time! Big Bend is an oasis of beauty in our forlorn Texas landscape, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. As you can see in the pictures, our campsite was in the middle of the desert, they call this, "primitive camping" I call it, "where's the toilet!!??" Everywhere...and anywhere is the answer, so I enjoyed a couple of days urinating with the rattlesnakes and scorpions (fortunately we did NOT actually encounter any of these!). Baby O was thoroughly intrigued by cactuses, and determined that desert rocks and sand are some sort of delicious treat, so needless to say she never left our side. Snackie on the other hand could hardly be contained, he is truly an adventure man, rarely did he go anywhere without his backpack on....always begging Bryce to hike this hill or that one.

Our first day in the park we visited the hot springs, and splashed in the Rio Grande. Bryce took a little swim across to the Mexican side...only to find out later that this is strictly forbidden so technically he is now here illegally! The next day we hiked around the more mountainous side and saw some beautiful views. There was one hike we really would have liked to have gone on, but the sign at the start read "Mountain lion warning" and gave instructions to hike in large groups, try to appear big and scary, and keep children close. It doesn't take much more convincing than that to send us in another direction! So we headed out to Santa Elena Canyon, and hiked some switch backs (yikes....I'm slightly paranoid of ledges...especially with children!) into a beautiful sandy shaded area of the canyon with large boulders to climb and rest on. We unfortunately witnessed a teenage boy jump about 20 feet and land with a broken leg...and more unfortunately witnessed the inefficient rescue operation where several Rangers hiked all the way into the canyon carrying large heavy equipment to wheel the boy out on. I asked one of the men why they didn't boat up the river, and he responded "this is what we get paid to do." What ever happened to working smarter, not harder?

We saw our share of wildlife as well. The first night a mouse was scampering around our campsite, Bryce tossed a rock in it's direction, and it leapt 3feet in the air! Ever seen that before? Neither had we. We found out later they are appropriately named "Kangaroo Rats." From the safety of our car we saw a few Havalinas (wild pigs) a Coyote, some Deer, and on the last day we made friends with a couple of lizards (and sadly brought one home with us wrapped up with our tent...it now rests in peace on the door jam above our back porch).

We had a wonderful time camping as a family. Bryce took great care of us, making fire, food, shelter, and fun. He made sure we stayed warm enough at night, and cool enough in the day. He even was the one to get up and cuddle with Baby O when she would awaken, and drag Snackie back into his sleeping bag when he'd slither across the tent floor at night. We're looking forward to many more camping trips as a family, we probably won't be driving another 10hours to Big Bend again any time soon, but if you're up for it....do it - in our opinion, it's well worth it!

Good morning little walker!

It's hard to believe our Baby O is walking! But it's official...she chooses walking over crawling, so I guess we can call her "Toddler O."

Instant Pudding...

I was lost to the world for a while there. We moved to a new apartment, and it took like a month to get our internet turned on...unbelievable!! Add to that that we were over on our cell minutes, so it was like living on the moon! How did people live without instantly being able to connect to each other? We live in an instant world...that's for sure.

But Hey...I'm back...pistachio anyone?