MOMENTOUS DAY!!!

This is from our daughter about our dear Mighty Max!!!

We’re going home in the morning! Seven weeks since our initial admit with Max vomiting blood, the discovery of a blood infection, a clot, and an open heart surgery. We’ve spent 161 days in the hospital this year and only 75 at home. That’s about 2/3 of a year inpatient, not including the multitude of doctor’s appointments since that first anatomy scan a little over a year ago, with many more to go. Here’s Max with his two surgeons, Dr. Burkhart and Dr. Nakamura. We cannot thank them enough, or the whole team for that matter (you know who you all are

). We will miss everyone terribly (but not being inpatient, that’s for sure)! We are praying for a long home stay, a cozy holiday season, much music making, sibling bonding, snuggles, and a healthy Fall/Winter. Thank you EVERYONE for all your prayers, donations, fiery emails to the car dealership, meals, messages, and love. There’s no way we would’ve survived without this outpouring of support. And eternal thanks to my incredibly hospitable cousins, Jack and Dee, for housing us for months on end. And thank you once again and especially to the Pediatric Cardiovascular Program at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. Thank you for saving our son’s life. You all do incredible, invaluable work and we are so grateful.

FINALLY he is coming home after a very long time but doing so very well.

He is such a happy little man, even after all he has gone through this past 8 months.  He will officially be 9 months old in a week.  BUT he will be home to celebrate and to celebrate this dumpling's 4th birthday.  

So very much to be thankful for.  She is celebrating and so is Snicklefritz the day before hers.  The week before is her Auntie Biff's.  I try to  have a family gathering in September mainly for my mother-in-law's birthday but since she has left us I continue to do it.  We have so many birthdays in the month of September and the first two days of October, it just makes sense to keep the tradition up and honor her. Not even sure when I will be able to do it as they have their own little parties to plan.  We will squeeze in there somewhere.

Fall Weekend

It is supposed to be the first weekend of fall and you could see it in the trees a bit as we drove to the cabin on Friday.  I was going to the cabin by myself this weekend as The Hubby had a dance last night but we, I, decided that I would come back on Saturday with him as he decided to go Friday evening.  Yes, our plans often hinge on a whim, a lot of the time.  We left town about lunchtime Friday and on the drive stopped half way there to have lunch at the I Don't Care Bar & Grill!  The drive was nice as we made our way.

As usual I took a lot of snaps of the drive from the truck window.  Hopefully something will make me want to paint it.

Last weekend I got this little gem and this weekend since it was another of the painting weekends I wanted to paint it.

I only had a couple of people show up to paint with me but that was okay, at least I wasn't by myself.  I am going to do it one more time and we'll see if any more come and if not, then I'm done I think.

I've got some more tweeking to do on this but it will be nice.  I left it at the cabin not thinking that I would like to work on it this week but really I might not have time anyway.  

This  week is invoicing week so painting at the studio may not be in the cards anyway.  Plus I'm going to watch little Min (with the help of Auntie Biff) while her parents head to OKC for a pediatric heart specialist appointment for the day.  Lots to get the head around there.  Plus on Saturday is Birthday-palooza Weekend!  Friday would have been my mother-in-law's birthday, this past Saturday was Biff's and last week was the sister-in-laws and this Saturday and Sunday are Snicklfritz's and Min's birthday's!  YIKES!!!!!!!  So Saturday Min's small kiddo birthday is in the morning, nap for her then everyone will come to our house for Olive Garden dinner about 4:30 then Biff, Snicklefritz and her Dad will head to their house for a slumber party to celebrate Snicklefritz's 10th birthday!  Goodness I am going to be worn out as will everyone else.  Not counting the all day Friday watching Min and their parents doctors appointment and we never know what that holds.  

Friday this week too my sis started chemo to fight her inoperable cancer.  So hate this for her and what she is going through.  It's not going to be a good outcome and have to understand that she has limited time left with us.  Heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking.