Oh, it Hurts!

Eric commented that I haven't been posting much, to which I replied, "it's torture."  :)  The sun is sucking my will to live, just kidding.  I have no real excuse, except a bunch of half-hearted ones that make one pretty decent one.  Nothing of note to post.  So, that's when you dig deep and find the thoughtful things hidden in the everyday.

Eric's grandma Marks passed away a couple weeks ago.  Her name is Vivian and she had a lot of spunk.  Eric's dad had been coming up every week from Columbus to spend 3 days with her out on her farm in Lyons, OH.  It was great to see Roger each week.  I know everyone's sad to not have her here, but she was wanting to go.  It's hard to be left behind.
The funeral was nice, from what I heard in the basement.  Avery was having a loud, happy time and so we went downstairs in the church and found some toys.  I need to memorize the family tree so when I get to leave my body behind, I'll know who these great people are. ( I have no plans for this anytime soon.)

2) We are loving summer here!  Swimming, the Y, gardening, not having to have Zach in school, and making plans.  Ohio is beautiful right now.  My lilies and hydrangeas are blooming.  I've said it before, but I'm so lucky to have inherited this yard!  We ate our first summer dinner out on the screened in porch the other night.  The mosquitoes are dying down, mostly, and evenings are nice outside.   We have a huge pile of sticks we need to burn, and that means roasting marshmallows and making smores!

3) Zachery says, "Hi everyone!  It's Zachery."

4) Tomorrow we are driving to Pennsylvania!  I'm extremely happy about this.  (I'm sad to miss the Maumee fireworks on the river, but..)  We're going to my brother's place to spend the holiday with his family.  Thanks for inviting us!  I just so wanted to get out of town and (have Eric around a lot more :) ).  Joce and Steve are always having a good time over there.  The highlight will the their annual Fourth of July parade, hosted by them!  How cool is that?  Pics later.  Tchau.

My buddies and Me

We recently trekked out to get a nice picture of us to give Eric for Father's Day.  It's so hard to get little kids to look and smile and keep their hands down. :)  It's a labor of love.  Here are some highlights:

"Zach, how old are you?"  - 5

She got a lot of good pictures of Zach.  I love this one!

However, Avery wasn't too happy and we got a lot of this.  Out of 250 pictures, I think she smiled 3 times. :)

This is funny, the epitome of being a mother of younger children.  We're all thinking different things.

Thank you Leisy!  Avery has the "Not another picture" look. :)

Eric is a great dad and the kids know it.  We're all so glad when Daddy comes home! 

Blowing

Yesterday, as our family was heading into someone's back yard, we saw a guy by the sidewalk smoking.  Zachery said, and not to us, but loudly to the man, "What are you blowing on?", then, "how do you blow that?".  Then to us, "Hey Mommy, Daddy, what is he doing?".  It was funny, except the man was apologizing.  We just laughed and I apologized to the man.  I told Zach, "That's smoking.  Um, don't do it."

Heart Ladies

I haven't been in the blogging mood, again, but feeling the need to do it.  Is that the same thing?

Eric's mom had a triple bypass heart surgery last week.  Unexpected, but she is a real trooper and making good progress, in a long recovery.

This was taken the day before her surgery.  Our heart ladies!

Zach-man is a busy, busy 5 year old.  He is coming up with all these plans lately.  The other day he told his teacher that he was going swimming that day and then to the beach the next.  When his teacher told me, I looked at him and he had this big, hopeful smile on his face. :)  Once a week he plans on camping.  His last day of school is tomorrow, so I'm planning on taking him swimming a lot, to beat this muggy heat.

The mosquitoes are swarming in the evening.  The weather is perfect by then and the vile bugs come at me for my blood.  I grabbed Avery, called to Zach and ran inside.  I hate mosquitoes more than spiders.  what is the plant  that is supposed to ward them off?

Summer time, summer time, sum-sum summer time!

Where You Can

My dear mother says she reads our blog, but hasn't figured out how to post a comment yet.  Help her someone is Colorado Springs!  I need some validation from my mom here. :)  (They had a raccoon family in their chimney this week.)

I've started taking some pics again and here's a little about what has been going on.

Mother's Day - Eric and I have great mothers and we love them very much.  I wish I could see my mother more often.  For Mother's Day, Zach wanted to put candles and sprinkles on the cake.  He even made up a Mother's Day song, to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin". :)

This is my mom and Avery's primary nurse, Awesome Amanda.

We've had a lot of rain lately.  When that happens, our yard forms a pond...

but this time, we had ducks!

I let Avery play with our camera at the store, and she gave it to me and said, "cheese".

                                               

                                                I was looking at all our pictures in the camera and these two are my favorite memories of Avery's hospital stay.
                                            She was SO excited to see this dog.  Bless that dog. :)

                                   Zach and Avery got so excited seeing each other.  It'd been about 2 weeks since they'd seen each other.  Very sweet.

Avery is recovering well.  She is saying more words and is proud of that. :)  Avery loves to eat salty foods.  She will lick the chips then drop it on the floor.  Progress is slow. :)  She doesn't seem to mind.  Her feeding pump and low-fat formula are not working well together.  It drives me nuts.  The only downside.  We are blessed beyond. 

Zachery is 5 and growing like a weed this spring.  Sometimes I look at him and think I don't know him, but then I can predict his every move. :)  I just want him to know how much he means to me.

You never know what life will bring.  Take the good where you can.

Water and a List

Isn't water great?  Chilled, it really hits the spot.  When you're thirsty, it's all you want.  Sometimes I'll get busy and won't stop to get some water, in my own house!  Big, chilled waterbottle, I love you.

I haven't felt much like blogging lately.  I have felt like making lists though, so here is a list of things we've done or whatever's on my mind:  (lucky you)

1. Eric won on all his points in an appeal!!  Way to go!
2. Eric took Zachery on a Fathers and Sons overnight campout, in the rain. I hope they're having fun.
3. Book club, always a good time!
4. Our yard is so green from all the rain.  I love it, but it needs mowing now.
5.  Enjoyed the company of friends in our back yard.
6. I feel the need to make goals.  I've been focusing on getting Avery through to her last surgery for a long time now.  Now it's done.
7. Goal for Avery: eat
8. Eaten too much
9. Watched and loved, "The Blind Side"
10. Read and mostly enjoyed, "The Glass Castle".  I can't even say that I recommend it.  Some of it is disturbing.
11. Am loving "Lost" and wondering what is going on really. :)
12.  Sad that "Ugly Betty" got cancelled.
13. Watched an inspiring video 
14. Am realizing my goal of reading a chapter a day from the Book of Mormon- hoping to be done by the time school gets out.
15. I have had 2 nights without getting up once, since little Avery came home, and they were both grand.
16. I love being a Mom and want to help them be better people than I am.
17. Avery's color looks good.  I love her laugh.
18. Zachery is becoming "really good" at many things, so he puts it. :)  The computer "whoaller coaster" game is one of them.
19. I thought of a new goal: Plant a garden.  I know many of you have yours already, so you can share some ideas with me on what grows well in Ohio.
20. We've lived here 7 1/2 years.  Holy cow.                                                                     

We can be....

Yoo Halloo! (from the Phantom Tollbooth)
Little A and I have been home for almost 2 weeks and Avery is doing well!  Her heart is functioning great.  She is pink and her feet have been warm. :)  Someone asked me if she is done with her feeding/g-tube, and she is not.  Avery is still working on eating.  She likes to play with her food, asks for food and loves to taste/lick food.  However, she doesn't swallow much of it.  When she eats all her food, then she can get her g-tube removed.  Until that blessed day, we now tube most of her food.  :) Maybe one day she can hook herself up to eat. :)

I'm happy to be getting back into life as I know it.  I love my yard and came home just in time to see it all blooming.  I am up late at night and sometimes up a lot during the night, but that will change as time goes on.  I'm just happy to have a family, warts and all (none of us have warts).