Halloween

Audrie was to be Queen Elsa and she was at daycare.  But for trick or treating she opted to just wear a tutu.  Connor was Scooby Doo without the head piece.  Jazzlynn liked the headpiece, but she went as an elephant.  They had a good time trick or treating.  Got lots of treats.
I sent their treats with them north to Nana Nita's.

And We Party

Audrie opted for a very quiet family only party.  We had cake which Mommy baked and decorated.  We had presents.  The playdoh went over big and the two littles played for a long time together without fighting. It was small and it was nice.

Happy Birthday Audrie

Five years ago today the best little baby girl joined our family.  She is beautiful, smart, funny, strong-willed and stubborn.  She has a mischievious streak and she loves her siblings.  And then sometimes she doesn't.  She has the most amazing red hair and the temper to go with it.  She is wonderful in all ways and one of the loves of my life.  Happy birthday sweet sweet girl.

Sibling Picture

We got the sibling picture taken today.  All three of the littles did really well.  Surprising all the way around.  The bigger two both listened to instruction and mostly followed it.  I wasn't too sure how Jazzlynn was going to do being as how it was her first time being photographed.  She did fine.  And we got a cute picture.

Cassie is Here

I managed to keep it a surprise.  Audrie was so excited to see Mommy.  The flights were on time.  Everything went smoothly.  Jazzlynn is a little babydoll and looks so much like her daddy.  The littles' first comment is she is so little.  And she is compared to them now and how they were at her age.  She is also so quiet.  Even when she cries it is a little noise.  So cute.  Audrie wants to hold her all the time.
Now on to our busy week.  Three picture appointments, a birthday party, Halloween, shopping and then they go north with Nita for the weekend.

Oy

I spent a good deal of Saturday working on getting the house clean.  Ready for Cassie and Jazzlynn's visit.  Well you can't hardly tell now.  The neighbor kids destroyed the littles' bedroom.  The littles did a number on the living room.  I went grocery shopping and can't find space for everything which means it is all on the counters.  Oy.  It is what it is.  Hopefully a quick pick up tomorrow afternoon will make it look presentable.

Grocery Store Blues

So Audrie opted not to stay at Papa's.  Probably a good choice since she was amped up when we got there and Papa has no patience now.
My plan was to drop her and then the little man and I would hit the grocery store.  There is no easy to eat food in our house.  Well obviously that changed and all of us went to the store.  Now lately they have been mostly better behaved.  So we had this chat about it on the way.  And while it didn't completely go in one ear and out the other there were still some struggles.
Just enough struggles that I couldn't think of all the things I wanted to get while we were there.  Argh. Which is more stressful for me than them.  They behaved just enough to not have to leave.  I am at the point of if you don't behave we leave.
Anyway we have milk, bread and yogurt.  We don't have sugar or corn dogs for us or replacement for the neighbor.  Connor has decided he likes them and is eating up the neighbor's.  Another trip tomorrow I guess.  Hopefully something works out differently.

Two Miles Away

So we checked in on Dave to see how he was doing.  Still quiet, contemplative.  The diuretics seem to be keeping his belly soft and that means no drain.  Soft isn't so uncomfortable.  His ankles go up and down.  Still waiting on that specialist appt.  The nurse did call and asked him to monitor his salt intake, etc  and bring it with to the appt.
Said he felt a little better and wanted one of the kids to spend the night tomorrow night.  That would have to be Audrie because she is more self sufficient.  She doesn't need help in the bathroom and can get her own snacks.  So we will try it.  Worse case scenario I am just two miles away and come get her if it doesn't go well.

Daddy

The littles had such a good visit with Daddy this time.  Does my heart good while it is breaking it.  I always always always maintain that they have a relationship with their parents no matter what their parents are.  When they are older they can make different choices than I make.  But for now I allow access whenever the parents want it and are relatively clean.  I can't say 100 percent clean because I can't tell the difference unless they are way high.
Anyway they did have a good time.  He played with them a lot.  The most interaction I have seen ever.  Maybe this whole thing with his dad has shook him up a bit and made him realize some things are important.

Swimming

It was the last day of Audrie's third set of swimming lessons. She is getting so strong.  She can cross the short side of the pool floating on her back and her belly just using her feet.  She can dive and get rings off the bottom of the pool.  Connor thought it was pretty cool to check out the rest of the pool area.  Watching Sissy swimming is boring.

Phone Call

Ever since Brenda told me that Uncle Glen isn't doing well I have thought about calling.  And of course I think about it in the car, at work, 9 pm our time.  And so it doesn't happen.  Well Nila called me today.  We talked for quite a few minutes.  Yes Uncle Glen isn't doing so well.  He has been fighting this cancer for three years.  My only comment to that is he must be oh so tired.  And he is.  Sleeping about 20 hours a day.  He is on hospice now which is great.  They are great nurses and will do whatever they can to keep him comfortable.  Nila sounded good considering that she too has been in this fight for three years.  Sending waves of light and love through the universe to them.
I only have two connections of that generation left of my dad.  His brothers.  So when the day comes that Glen dies I will only have one.   Must be time for a planned trip to Illinois.

Spectacular Sunday

We attended the Harvest Festival at Brenda's church again this year.  They changed it up a bit.  Audrie got a pony ride while Connor finished his nap in the car.  Once he was awake he joined her in the bounce house.  She had already been in there for almost an hour.  Then they did the pumpkin shoot and played some games for candy.  They love going to this festival.
After that we had family dinner at Grammy's house.  Pat made  his chicken dish.  It was delicious.  We took a piece to Dave after we were done.  Put candles in our pumpkins and checked them out.
It was a very nice end to our Daddy visit.  He returns back to Wenatchee tomorrow morning and we go back to routine.
Thanks again for the invite Brenda and thanks Pat for cooking.  My turn next time and it will be lasagna.

A Sign

Jeannie and I were talking about kids and grandkids.  She was so happy that her child raising days were long behind her.  Too much crap nowadays.  My thing has always been that I would homeschool if I could just to keep the littles out of the school system.  And there isn't anything wrong with the school system....it's all the other kids.  But I still haven't come up with a way for that to work when I have to work.  I flippantly said well I could always find a man to marry who could support me so I could homeschool (that is not an option).  Jeannie reminded me that I have a sign on my back.  I looked at her.  She said a sign that says alcoholics welcome.  I agreed.  We talked about that.  She is a pretty smart woman.

No Wonder

I'm tired of hospitals.  Dave has spent 17 days out of the last 25 in the hospital.  That is quite a few visits and pick ups for us.  Splitting the pick ups with Doug who also got the drop offs.  Wonder what the next couple of weeks hold in store.  Specialist appt. is still three weeks out.

Playing Catch Up

 I managed to fit in Jeannie's mowing today.  I think I have only ever done it all in one day one time before.  Makes for a sore bottom.  Included her upper field as it may be the last mowing of the season.  At least the biggest job is done.  Now on to Betty's.
Dave had a Dr appt. which of course landed him in the hospital.  This time they drained the fluid again and that made a much less cranky man.  He may or may not be released tomorrow.  Always playing that one by ear.
Have to get Mike's ticket home.  He called Wenatchee and asked for an extension on  his trip here.  So he is here for the weekend.  Hope he spends it with those that matter.  I'm using him to watch the littles while I play catch up.  Good for him and good for them.  Although I think they are starting to get on each others' nerves.
I have errands scheduled for Dave.  The hospital is trying to get his specialist appt. moved up.  I am wondering if he isn't keeping his illness on the low down until he has some definitive answers.  Or maybe it is just his fear.  If you say it out loud it makes it more real.

Ups and Downs

It has been a month of ups and downs. Trying not to let the downs totally overshadow the ups.  That is why we still went yurting at Ft. Stevens.  Life goes on no matter what and it was a planned trip for the making of the memories.  It was a break from the routine and the sadness.  I have two little kids who don't know or understand all the things that are happening, but they know something is different.  And naturally what do little people do when they don't understand.  Whine, act out.  We survive it all.
So to recap......Dave is ill.  Really ill.  Cirrhosis of the liver.  He sees the specialist in about three weeks and until then we don't have any definitive answers.  But we know he keeps filling up with fluid and that can't be good.  He is again for the fourth time at the hospital.
Audrie is in her third set of swimming lessons.  Theresa, her teacher, says she is doing so well and becoming so powerful.  Lucked out that I had a bunch of days off this month and got her to her lessons since Papa is sick.  He usually does it while I am working.
My friend, Karen, has her own battle.  Kidney cancer.  Came last year and has now spread this year.  Just makes me sad.  She is such an upbeat person and I have known her for so long.
Mike came down and worked some for Dave.  Doug has stepped up to the plate.  It is really good to see his boys doing these things that they can do.  Doug made a delicious quiche today for Dave.  We all do what we can.
We had our beach trip to create memories for the littles.  And while it is sad that it isn't quite the memories I planned, it is still good memories for them.
Today is infant loss awareness day.  So for Carey and Treva we remember the babies they lost.
Today Autumn Justine joined the world weighing in at 6 lb 14 oz and 19 inches long.  Makes me a great aunt again.
And today is Adrianna's birthday.  Happy 7th little girl.
It is just up and down and up and down.  That is life and it is what it is.

Trip Number Four

Dave is headed back to the hospital.  He filled right back up with fluid.  He had four liters taken off Sunday.  They released him on Monday even though he told them he was filling back up.  This time he is going back to Sunnyside.

Yurts, Sand and the Ocean

It was a trip about creating memories.  The original plan was for Papa to go, but he became too ill and was in the hospital again. So it was the littles, Grammy, Daddy, Phoebe and me.  We had a great time.  We played on the beach and the kids got wet.  Audrie fell in and Daddy rescued her.  We saw deer and they didn't move when we drove right past them.  I think Mike could have almost touched the mama as we went by.  We had dinner one night in Seaside.  Best halibut fish sandwiches.
It rained our last night there.  Really cool to listen to it in a yurt.  There is a clear dome on yurts so you can see the sky when it's not raining.  That night there were three raccoons on our porch.  They were not malnourished in the least.  But they didn't find anything to eat at our camp.
Every one said they had a great time.  Many times.  Mom asked a lot.  And we only lost her once.  She used the restroom and went out a different way which put her in a different loop than we were in.  We found her pretty quick and no one was panicked yet.  Just gives us a taste of times to come.  Glad we went and created the memories.

Not Just Rain

When it rains it pours.  Not only is Dave really sick, but so is my friend Karen.  She lost a kidney last year to kidney cancer.  It came back in the spring of this year.  And while they kept telling her they got it, she just knew something wasn't right.  She finally convinced them to look and they found it had metastasized to her liver and her lymph nodes.  She has a good attitude.  Plans on spending her time with her family and getting all her ducks in a row.  Looking for the silver lining because what else can you do at that point.

Bump, Bump, Bumpy Road

Hold on, it is about to become a bumpy ride.  My life is never boring and never seems to be without some upheaval.  Dave has been sick for a month.  Has spent 11 of the last 15 days in the hospital.  I have heard many things, but when it was all added together and then I did my own research...it made sense.  Dave has cirrhosis.  His abdomen was full of fluid and they drained it on his second trip to the hospital.  It was back within a few days.  We went to his dr. appt. yesterday and that is when the doctor told him about the cirrhosis and how sick he is.  He sees a specialist Nov. 7.  He is returning to the hospital this morning and was told to expect to be there for two weeks this time.  I think they are going to try and get the ascites under control if possible.  It was a grim day yesterday.  Grim day today and probably the next several days.......His doctor said she has had patients this sick live a couple of months and a few live to two years.  Time will tell.

Mowing

So Dave had given me back Jeannie's yard.  And I took it.  Then Mom needed her yard done and I had heard that Josh was on hiatus from his landscaping jobs.  So Mom's yard is back to being mine.  Then Dave pops up with I get to do Betty's as long as she is okay with it.  And to top it off now I'm mowing Dave's while he is recuperating from all that ails him.  Damn.  Mowing, mowing, mowing.  Think I'm happy the season is almost over.

New Position

So part of my new position at work is going to be working more on the shipping end.  So that is how I spent my day.  Textbook dept. has inventory on Thursday and we wanted as much shipped out as we could so they wouldn't have to count it.  It has been a good six months since I did a shipment from start to finish.  There are steps that have to be done in the right order and remembering what that is was a bit of a challenge.  I was proud of myself for working through it and figuring it out without having to ask.  I'm sure eventually it will become second nature but until then I have to use my brain.

Feeling Better

The doctor at the hospital decided to drain off some of the fluid in Dave' abdomen.  Dave said they took almost a gallon out and that he felt much better.  Thinks he will get to come home today.  Then we wait and see what comes next.

Gabe's Birthday Party

We were invited to another third birthday party.  This time it was Gabe's party.  Grayson was also there.  The party was at Felida Park.  The littles had a blast playing on the playground and swinging on the swings. We saw Maddie who is the daughter of one of our neighbors.  She played with Audrie for awhile and Audrie loved that.  It was a beautiful afternoon.

Oy Back to the Hospital

Dave is back in the hospital.  His scrotum swelled up.  That got him a trip to the office and then to the hospital.  At least this time he is at Legacy.  They did an ultrasound and took more fluid out of his abdomen.  Seems his white count is still up and they wanted to retest that fluid.  Yesterday they said overnight.  Who knows what they are saying this morning.  Dave requested some candy so I don't think he is getting out this morning.

Back In Time

I've been searching for pictures to scan.  Started off with a few for Marcia, my dad's cousin, up north.  When I posted them on facebook my niece Nicole was just happy.  So I told her I would scan some for her.  So I have been looking for interesting ones and ones that pertain to her specifically.  I think it is amazing that you never know what pictures other people have that pertain to you.  I have to get back in to Mom's to find some really good ones.  Dad had more of her than me.
The pictures make us nostalgic.  Miss Dad and Grandma and Grandpa.  Dad has been gone for 25 years already.  Where did that time go?  I have enjoyed spending time looking for the pictures to make Nicole smile.  And those pictures make the rest of us smile also.

LMFAO

And I know I shouldn't be.  Tells me that I haven't let it all go yet.  I had a phone call this week.  I wasn't quick enough on the uptake to figure it out.  Lady wants to verify Tanya's address.  Yup she has it right.  Then she asks for a good phone number.  Yup I have one of those and I shared.  About this time I have figured it out.  I did make a comment about the lady calling my land line number when I'm sure Tanya didn't have it. Although it is in the phone book.  Lady tells me I'm listed as a relative for Tanya.  Hahahahahahahaha.  Collection Agency.  I know that lady wasn't from Chase who has Tanya's mortgage.  I already know she is at least one month behind there.  So I guess there is at least something else she got behind on.
For the life of me I don't get that.  I live on about $1500 a month for my family of three.  And yes I know I get help from Dave in a little milk, a little fruit on occasion, and extras for the kids.  But my bills are paid out of that $1500 including property taxes and ins. on the rental house.  Tanya brings in over $3000 a month and can't pay all her bills.  I know she didn't get a money gene but damn......