At least it was a mild illness...or something.

Wednesday night was the ONLY night w/ a fever. Not sure if the unseasonably warm weather that caused weeds to start growing & pollen to go through the roof or if he caught a little virus, what ever the reason, we survived yet another fever w/ Ian.

We are hoping that his body has finally learned how to fight viruses & such w/o freaking out. It is good to know we have made it through all this & are still in one piece. Albeit, sleep deprived & cranky but alive & well.

I promise a longer post, eventually. Until then, how about some more cute pics?

Grrrr...& the fever broke the straw on the camel's back.

Yeah, so besides having to deal w/ all the intense emotions of my mother's surgery & Mamama going back to Argentina, Ian has to go get a fever. Really? Seriously? Tonight is going to be a long night. Every 3 hrs w/ Tylenol/Advil rotation since he has a history of seizures.

I was hoping we would get through January. At least through January. Last January is when everything happened to Ian & call me silly but I've had enough w/ January & illnesses. I had my share in 2009 & now here we are dealing w/ a fever & unknown issue in 2010.

I'm trying to be a good sport. Really, I am. I know we will get through it & put another notch on our belt. So, rather than continuing the pity party, I am going to share some really cute pics! Oh, if you have a prayer or 2 to spare, it would be appreciated!




Pssst...these are all on my new camera. Love the new camera!

The good & the bad...

The good news, my mom's tumor is BENIGN!

The bad news, my grandmother went back to Argentina.

You know, not having grown up w/ her close to me has really made me appreciate just how great of a woman she is. Strong & most definitely the matriarch of our family. She has TWENTY great-grandchildren & 22 grandchildren, 1 has passed away leaving us at 21. There is 1 more on the way so she will actually have as many great-grandchildren as actual grandkids. Can you believe that?

While she was here, we all put in custom orders for knitted scarves & beanies. These are the kids in their newly acquired winter duds. hopefully they will last for a long time to come.

Mom's surgery update :)

She did fantastic! The surgery lasted only 3 hours instead of the expected 4 which is always a good thing. They were able to completely remove the tumor & based on the frozen pathology report, it is said to be benign. Can I get an AMEN?!? Of course, it isn't w/ 100% certainty but this has put everyone at ease for the moment. My mom didn't seem to have any problems recovering & honestly, the swelling is minimal. She also has complete movement in her face which means there was NO NERVE DAMAGE! The drs were amazing & we thank them very, very much.

Our family appreciates all the prayers. A very special thank you to my inlaws, Bill & Donna, for cooking an amazing meal for my father & 2 grandmothers. YAY!

Chillin' like Bob Dylan

On a cold, winter day, this is what my kids like to do. Don't let the closed eyes fool you. They did that for effect. I'm just excited that my kids are finally getting to the point where they can sit still for a little bit. This particular day, they stayed under the covers & watched tv for about 30 minutes. WOW!






Tomorrow I will post how my mom does through the surgery. It is being done to remove a rather large tumor from behind her ear. We don't know if it is malignant. Won't know for 3 days after the surgery as it has to go to pathology to get tested. There is a 20% it is. Let's hope that the 80% prevails. Please say a prayer for her.

Not avoiding...just not enough time.

I think the title says it all. I'm not avoiding the blog, I just am struggling w/ time. My mom is having surgery for a tumor located behind her ear on Wednesday. My grandmother is still here & then there is the normal day to day tasks as well as taking care of the kids. I just don't have enough time!

I promise, tomorrow. I will post more about all the above situations.

90 & still going strong!

Mamama...amazing. Really, I couldn't sum it up better. She is my dad's mom. She is the matriarch in every sense of the word, having outlived her husband, going on 18 years. EIGHTEEN YEARS. She will turn 91 in April & can fly down the stairs better than most people half her age. So much so that everyone that has seen her go up & down our stairs, sits in disbelief & ponders how a 90 year old woman can be so agile.

Her time w/ us is precious. Absolutely the most sought after time when she is here from Argentina. Yes, people. She flew from Argentina. By herself. Did I already say she is amazing? Cuz...she is. Dad drops her off for a full day of play. Tomorrow we get to spend the day again. She can pick up my kids w/ no problems. She can comfort them, pick their fork up off the ground & knit beautiful hats & scarves for us all. Those are in high demand around these here parts!

The kids love her but Ian has taken to her the most. He adores her, staying close to her the whole time.




This is just the beginning of photos w/ Mamama. I am going to get more tomorrow, I promise!