One Year Ago...

One year ago this week, we discovered Jon had a benign brain tumor in his right frontal lobe.  He was working out at the gym late Tuesday night, July 21, 2009, and the gym owner called to inform me that Jon had experienced a seizure and that paramedics were on their way to take him to the hospital!

I didn't know what to do.  The munchkins were sound asleep, since it was close to 11:00 PM, so it's not like I could just leave and head to the hospital.  I remember thinking I should pray but had no idea what to pray for or how to pray specifically for Jon.... all I remember doing is walking around in a circle and literally saying the word 'PRAY' over and over and over, as the tears started to flow.  I had no idea what had caused the seizure, if he was OK, etc.

Moments later, the paramedics called and told me that my husband was OK.  He kept reassuring me that he was OK, probably due to the fact that I was clearly crying and very concerned.  Then, he asked for Jon's full name, address, and birthdate. The paramedic said they'd be taking Jon to the ER at the local hospital and for me to meet him there, but to drive slowly.

I got off the phone and wasn't sure who to call, since it was so late.  So, instead of calling someone and interrupting their sleep,  I logged onto Facebook and saw that our pastor was online, thankfully.  Jon had just been to an elder meeting with our pastor earlier in the evening.  I informed him over IM that Jon was going to the hospital because he had a seizure, and that I'd like to go, but needed someone to be here with the munchkins.  He gladly came over as soon as he could... remember, it is now close to midnight on a Tuesday!

When I met up with Jon at the ER, he seemed a little out of it.  He had bitten his tongue, a sure sign of a seizure, and kept saying that his back was sore (probably from the seizure.)  The doctors did a CT scan at some point and told us that there was an abnormality on the scan and needed to do further testing to find out exactly what the 'abnormality' was.  Once again, the tears started to flow.  I thought, 'What exactly does that mean?'  Jon was the one to reassure me this time.  He said everything is OK and told me not to worry about it because we don't even know what it is!  I was the one that was supposed to be there for Jon, yet he was the one comforting me at that point. 

Jon spent the night at the hospital and I went back home to sleep at around 2 AM. 

The next morning, the other tests that the doctors and nurses did, concluded that the abnormality was indeed a brain tumor and that it needed to be removed.  Jon ended up staying at the hospital for the next few days before his surgery that was scheduled for Friday afternoon, July 24, 2009.  

The night before Jon's surgery, I think I had an anxiety attack.  (He was at the hospital and I was at home 'sleeping.')  Around 3 AM, all these thoughts of him not making it through surgery flooded my mind.  I thought, 'if this is Jon's last night here, I want to be with him and I want him to know how much I love him!'  

I remember calling my friend Lauren, crying, saying,  'I think I need to be with Jon at the hospital....  I don't know what to do!'  She said I should go to the hospital and be with him, so I did.  He was asleep, of course, but at least I was there with him.  Lauren ended up coming to the hospital a few hours later to bring me breakfast and just to sit with me.  I was, and still am, so thankful for her and her thoughtfulness.   

Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night! 

Friday morning, Jon's sister and his mom were able to fly out to be here for his surgery and stayed for about a week.  I was so thankful that they were able to be here for him.  They were both a huge help to us.  

Jon's surgery lasted for about 5 hrs.  During Jon's surgery, we had several people from church stop by to sit with us while we waited.  Our friend InShil also brought dinner to us at the hospital.  We were so well cared for by so many people!  God was so good and showed His love for us in very real and practical ways during this entire ordeal.  I had such great peace, that can only come from Him, during Jon's surgery.  I know several people were praying and fasting for us.  I cannot explain how real and present God was during this time.  

Our friends from our small group at church were absolutely amazing!  They took care of our munchkins the entire time Jon and I were at the hospital and also for several days after he came home to recover.  This was a huge blessing to us since both my family and Jon's family are out of state.  (I made it a point to meet up with the munchkins each day for at least an hour so I could see them and so that they were, hopefully, reassured that everything was OK.)  Our friends in our small group, in so many ways, are like our family. The Pulls, the Holmes, and the Glenns, you are all amazing!  Thank you for taking care of our family and meeting our needs in the midst of chaos!  We can never repay or fully express how grateful we are for each you!  'Thank you' is just not enough!

 Several people from church came to visit us at the hospital, brought meals to us at the hospital and to our home, came over to mow our grass for a few months as Jon recovered, cleaned out our gutters..., the list goes on and on.    

God took care of our family physically, emotionally, and spiritually during a time of uncertainty.  He showed His amazing love for us through his people at our church and through our families and friends.  He met our family's needs, comforted me when I was filled with anxiety and worry, and gave us His peace that surpasses all understanding.  He is truly my Rock and Foundation.  When our circumstance was uncertain, He remained faithful, good, and in control.  He lavished His love on us in very real and practical ways.

I look back on this time with great joy.  I was able to see God work, in so many ways, on my behalf.  I am humbled and awed that the God of the Universe loves and cares for me so deeply.  Truly Amazing love!

Jon with our munchkins after his surgery.

Jon and his Mom

Our munchkins with Aunt Tracey at the hospital.

Our friends, Joe and Trisha, brought us Chipotle at the hospital.  Yum!!!

Jon and me with our friend, InShil

Our munchkins watching Daddy get his BP taken.

Here we all are last month.  

After two more surgeries, (I'll talk about those in another post) Jon is doing great and feeling well!  By God's grace, we have had another year of life together as a family.  Thankful does not seem to adequately express how we feel. 

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad

So, my Mom and Dad officially celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 21st!  However, this past weekend, we were all 'home' in Indiana to throw them a party.  We had a fun time with our entire family celebrating their 40 years together.

My whole family

 My parents and all my siblings with their families.

My parents with all ten of their grandchildren.

My sister, Debbie, and her family  

Emily, Brady, Debbie, Gabe, Hannah and Adelynn.

Our Family

 Ava, Jon, Andrew, and me.

My sister, Laura, and her family

Jason, Isabelle, Laura, Ian and Aiden.

My brother, Dave, and his family

 Liam, Tiffany, and Dave.

My Mom and Dad re-enacting the moment they cut their wedding cake.  This cake was home made by my sister-in-law, Tiffany.  It was delicious!

My Dad feeding my Mom...

Then, it was my Mom's turn to feed cake to my Dad.

Along with the cake, we also had a chocolate fountain for dessert at the party.  Here, Jon is helping Aiden rescue a banana that fell into the fountain.  The grandkids absolutely LOVED (an understatement) the chocolate fountain!

My parents addressing their guests at the party, which was held downstairs in their basement.

There were about 30 guests in all that came to celebrate.

As the festivities continued, I realized my munchkins had disappeared on me.  This always alarms me, just a little, at my mom and dad's house because they live in a subdivision that has 'lakes' in it.  My parents' backyard has access to a lake without any gates or fences.  

So, in this moment, my mind goes to the worst case scenario:  My kids have probably walked upstairs, out into the backyard, and wandered into the lake without anyone noticing them.  AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

  Well, to my relief, I found them playing quietly with each other in a room right off the main area in the basement where the party was being held.  Whew!  I think I need to keep a better eye on them next time we throw a party for my parents!  :-)

Along with having a party for my parents on Saturday, we all, my siblings and their spouses, took them out for dinner to a local Italian restaurant, the night before the party.  We gave them a '40th Anniversary' picture book that we all put together online several weeks before the party.  We had pictures of each of them growing up, when they were newly married, and as their family grew.  The book ended with recent pictures of us and our own families.  They REALLY appreciated their book and we were so happy to give it to them.  After we gave them their gift, we each went around the table at the restaurant and shared what we appreciated about them as our parents over the years.  It was truly a special time of family bonding.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  

Thank you for being a great example of two people committed to their marriage for the past 40 years!  We all love you so much!

Happy Father's Day!

This past Sunday, June 20th, we celebrated Father's Day!  

Jon is a wonderful Daddy to our munchkins and we love him so much!

Here he is raking leaves in the Fall with our munchkins' 'help.'  

This was taken on Christmas Day, right after Jon assembled the new train set for Buddy.  I just love this photo of the three of them.  Aren't they so cute?

Our Sweetheart and her Daddy on her 4th birthday.  

Buddy with his Daddy on his 3rd birthday.

And here they all are on Father's Day 2010.  

We went to church in the morning followed by lunch at Ledo's Pizza.  Then, after the munchkins' naps we headed to a local shopping center that has a pond and a boardwalk, to visit the ducks, geese, and other birds.  It is where these last two photos were taken.  After we had our fill of walking around and watching all the animals, we went to get some ice cream.  It was a very hot day and ice cream seemed to be the best way to cool down.  

We love this man so much!  Thank you for being such a great Daddy to our kids honey!  Happy Father's Day from your wife and two munchkins.

Amazing Butterflies

This past Wednesday my munchkins and I went with our MOPS (Mothers Of PreschoolerS) group from church to Brookside Gardens to visit the Butterfly exhibit they had in their conservatory.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera with me when our whole group was together.  I was only able to get a few shots of the butterflies with my cell phone.

We saw several different types of beautiful butterflies.  The kids had a great time looking at the butterflies and pointing out all the beautiful colors on them.  

My kids love the white butterflies they see outside when we take our morning walks.  You can imagine how excited they were to see butterflies with different colors on them than the plain white ones we usually see.

Some of the butterflies landed on a few of us, but most just flew by us or stayed on a flower so we could get some fantastic pictures of them.

My personal favorite is the monarch butterfly.  This is what I think of when I think of a butterfly.  The other butterflies were so beautiful and colorful, but I guess I'm just

 partial to this one.

After the munchkins had taken in all the wonder and amazement of the butterflies, we ventured outside  and saw a few water fountains.  I thought this was a perfect opportunity for another timeless photo, right?  

We had a great time enjoying the butterflies and the fountains at Brookside Gardens.

Let's Go For A Walk

For the past few years, once the weather turns nice, the munchkins and I have taken about an hour long walk in the mornings.  It's a great way to get my exercise, for us to get some much needed fresh air, and to enjoy God's creation.  The kiddos do great job staying in their double stroller looking around, asking lots of questions, and sometimes even singing a few songs.

This particular morning, Ava wanted to bring one of her stuffed animals, Bunny.  I told her as long as you hold onto Bunny, you can take her with you. 

(You will see that Bunny makes an appearance in each one of these pictures.)  

Still hanging on to Bunny...  

Our walking route is through a neighborhood.  Once we get to a place where we can see construction trucks building a new local road, we turn around and go home.  The walk round trip is about 2.5 miles. 

Well, this morning when we were almost home (and I was tired and sweaty) Ava discovered that Bunny had fallen out of the stroller at some point during our walk!  

Bunny was lost!  

So, as soon as we arrived home from our walk, we all climbed into the car and I decided to drive our walking route to search for Bunny.  We were about half way through our route when we found Bunny just laying on the sidewalk right where Ava had dropped her!  Whew!!!!  Ava was so excited to be reunited with Bunny! 

Lesson learned: Next time we go on our walk, we won't be taking any special friends with us.

Ava's Last Day of Preschool

Ava had her last day of preschool last Thursday.   The parents were all invited to join the preschoolers for their last day.  

We enjoyed listening to the kids sing a song with stick puppets, Mrs. Hayes reading a special book, and then eating a delicious fruit salad that the preschoolers made for us.  Before we left, Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Maul told us to take our child's pieces of art, which were hanging up all around the room, home with us. We had a wonderful time.

Ava really enjoyed going to preschool this year and meeting some new friends along with having a friend she already knew, Jillian.  Ava loved having Jillian there with her.  Jillian was a wonderful friend to her.

Mrs. Maul with Ava.

Mrs. Hayes with Ava.

We are so proud of our little girl for finishing her first year of preschool!  Way to go Sweetheart!  Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Next year buddy and Ava will both be in preschool.  They are growing up so fast!

Buddy's 3rd Birthday!

Yesterday Buddy turned 3 and we celebrated by having a party for him. We had 3 families from our small group at church come over for a cook out. Each family have become dear friends of ours. They have become our family here, especially since our families don't live close.  We had hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and of course birthday cake and ice cream. Since Buddy's birthday is always so close to Memorial Day, I think we will start a new tradition by having a cook out for his birthday each year!

So, over the last several weeks, whenever we asked Buddy what he wanted for his birthday, he'd always say, "I want a Gill cake!" (For those of you who may not know who Gill is, he's the idol fish on Finding Nemo who had a broken fin. Nemo met him in the aquarium.) Well, we dropped the ball on that one. I did try to find a Gill toy (to put on top of whatever cake we decided on) and asked two different grocery stores if they could make a Gill cake, but we were unsuccessful on both fronts. We ended up getting him a cake that had Dory and Nemo on it. I told Buddy, "I'm so sorry we couldn't find a Gill cake for you!" He replied, "It's all right Mommy," along with a great big hug to reassure me that it really was okay!

Buddy is such a sweet little boy. Happy Birthday Buddy! You are a special gift from God and we love you very much!