Rob's gone...day two

Two exes on the calendar.

Two colorful, construction-paper chain links clipped away.

Only 33 more until we see him again.

The kids and I are doing okay.

Lily asked on the way home from the airport, "Is Daddy going to church with us tomorrow?" "No, honey, Daddy will be in Navy school." "What?!" she exclaimed incredulously. She asked if we could go back to the airport tomorrow and pick him up. She keeps asking for confirmation that we are going to go see him on Seth's birthday, which we are. Over and over she asks. I gently reassure her over and over.

Seth said, "I miss my daddy. He's my favorite kind of daddy." I'm with ya, buddy. Then after church this morning, my mom picked him up from his class. Rob usually does this. Seth asked her, "Where's my dad?" She told him, "He's in Navy school." He didn't say anything, but just looked straight ahead, suddenly remembering.

Caleb said, as we watched Rob's red and gray plane fly off into the blue, "This is the worst day of my life." He posted to his blog: "Today my dad left to Rhode Island for Navy training. I feel a little down, but I'm glad he's going into the Navy, because the Lord Jesus told us to go." Rob's obedience is having a tremendous impact on our children.

Gabriel posted to his blog today. His post is titled "When Dad Left" and it reads simply this: "Dad left. It was hard. I was sad." He's mostly quiet and introspective about his thoughts, but on the page he expressed himself clearly and effectively, nearly breaking my heart.



We miss him. I still sleep on my side of the bed and reach over for him in the fogginess of early morning. Then I suddenly remember, too. 33 more days.

When Rob got to the Newport naval station, he checked in, got his orders signed, and was then told that he is on leave until Monday night because of the holiday weekend. His lucky roommate only lives an hour from the base, so he checked in, and then he went home to spend the weekend with his wife and child. I am happy for the leave time, because at least Rob can call me when he wants to. Here are a couple tidbits from his new experience: the food is not good, he is surrounded by water and noisy seagulls, the dark of evening comes a lot earlier in RI than MI, and he can't seem to find a coffee maker anywhere on base. God have mercy! He's got another whole day of nothing...and then he's going to be thrown into the deep end.



I'm doing better. I'm down to needing pain meds only a couple of times a day. For me the worst part is how easily wiped out I get. I hate the blah feeling of exhaustion with nothing to show for it. I have a post-op doctor's visit this Friday. I can then talk to my surgeon in length about my surgery and the cyst.

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. We're still prayer needy...

Wanna see? ***Warning: Graphic Medical Photo

I'm still recovering. Feeling a little better sometimes, a little worse others.

You know, healing pains.

Did I tell you that I sent my camera into the operating room with one of my nurses? She took some pictures of the mega-cyst they removed from my midsection.

I was curious. Maybe you are, too?

Can you believe this thing?

I was seriously wondering why my pants kept getting tighter. I think I figured it out.

What do you think?

Home

Hi. I'm home. Very glad to be home.

My mom drove up from MO to stay with me for as long as I need her. I'm so thankful. Boy, do we need her.

Rob and the kids are taking great and gentle care of me.

I'm laying in bed right now with my sister-in-law's laptop propped up on a pillow. Ah, I feel connected after three days of hospital isolation.

All is going well. Wow, I'm really sore. But God is so faithful.

I'm off to rest...

P.S. Thanks to all my faithful pray-ers out there!

Today's the day

Okay, so I'm showered. I have several books stuffed into my purse. I have toothpaste. I'm not able to enjoy a cup of coffee because of the pre-surgery fast, but I can at least smell it. I'm doing some last-minute laundry. I think I'm ready.

I'm ready for it to be over.

My sister is coming over today to watch the kids while Rob takes me to the hospital.

My mom is coming over Wednesday before I even get home to stay for as long as we need her.

I'm holding tightly like a little child to my Father's big, warm hand. He's very near.

I'm feeling a little blue that I'm going to the hospital and I don't get to come home with a baby. (What am I, nuts?! Maybe a little...)

On the Calendar

I have a surgery date: Tuesday, the 19th at 2:00 p.m. I'm really nervous about it now, more nervous than I ever was giving birth. That was natural. This is not.

I am, however, thankful for the gift of medicine and technology that God has given to talented individuals. I'm thankful for insurance coverage. I'm thankful that my family is stepping up to help in whatever way they can. I'm thankful for Rob's support and kinds words of encouragement that keep me light-hearted.

God is very good.

I'm really feeling sad about Rob leaving...in 17 days.

The Good, the Bad, the really Ugly

The Good: The OB surgeon is AWESOME. I love her. I just accepted whatever referral my family doctor gave me, 'cuz we're in a bit of a time crunch here. And if I were given a hundred smiling, scalpel-wielding OB's, she is the one I would have picked. Also, she is going to do whatever she can do to get my surgery done before Rob leaves. Thank-you, God!

The Bad: Okay, I'm going to be cut open from above my navel, around my navel, and then down below my navel. Rob's getting ready to leave for Naval training, but I'm the one who stuck with navel warfare. (Get it? Navel? Naval? Oh, never mind.) Anyway, it's a huge surgery. Three days in the hospital. Three weeks of no driving, little or no stairs--good thing I live in a ranch house--no laundry, no standing and cooking for any significant length of time, significant pain, and lots of bedrest. Six weeks of no lifting or vacuuming. Help.

The Ugly: 17 cm X 13 cm X 9 cm. Yeah, that's how big this growth is. No wonder my pants are tight despite aggressive dieting! (Okay, aggressive is relative.)

I'm expecting a phone call this afternoon or tomorrow telling me when my surgery is going to be. I'm collecting reading material now. And getting caught up on laundry. And planning some serious freezer-meal cooking.

Another appointment

1. Blood tests for cancer: normal.
2. Swab test: normal.
3. Ultra-sound: looks like a cyst.
4. CT Scan: still looks like a cyst, but with the addition of some solid parts that look a little ominous. Yet, see number one and number two above, so don't be too worried.

Next step: Another appointment on Wednesday with a surgeon/specialist.

Still praying to get this taken care of before Rob leaves for Rhode Island.

In 19 days.

Keep posted...

My Weekend: In Photos And Captions

My baby is 9/Nine/Nueve/Neuf...growing too fast!

















Celebrating Caleb's birthday at the playground with friends.











"Oh, no! Rain clouds up ahead!" This time she was right!















Jeremy and Caleb: best buds.


























Wonderful commissioning service for Rob at church, with Lt. Carmichael.




Just gotta slide.


















Movie-star smile.














My Lily. Forever.















Skater....with blankie.

Horse Show!

I'm so proud of my little cowboys. They did so well! Suzie, too. There were some beautiful animals there at the fair, but I gotta tell, Suzie was still the most spectacular looking to me. She is just a gem. The day after the fair we drove her out to my brother's, who is graciously boarding her for us until we get settled in TX and can get her down there.

Caleb was asked: What are you most excited about moving to Texas?
His response: Getting Suzie back.

Ditto, buddy.



Caleb doing showmanship.







Gabe so adorably waiting for his turn.








Gabe doing showmanship.







Caleb showing in the "lead line" class and blowing his mama a kiss as he passed by in the show ring. Please don't let him outgrow that, Lord!






Cute!








Two cute!

Dx?

A quick update on me:

I've had blood drawn, and I underwent an ultrasound and just yesterday a CT scan. They think it's a cyst, but I'm still waiting for the CT scan results to come back to confirm that's all it is. I have a consultation with my doctor on Friday, probably just to refer me to a specialist.

Now, you know as much as me! They don't like to give you too much information. Maybe they're afraid you'll explode.

Boom.

And I feel fine.

Dog Show at the Fair

Gabe did really, really well. Disney...she decided she was not a performing monkey and chose obstinance over obedience. Too bad it was an obedience class...



A rare moment of Disney sitting. I assure you she was looking for an escape route.








The end of Gabe's show. Disney couldn't get out of the ring fast enough.









Getting ready for "long sit and long lay," which Disney didn't tolerate for very "long" at all. Gabe did great, though!!!







"Are we done yet??? Please???" (As soon as they kids lined up with their dogs--after waiting over four hours to show--the announcer for the older kids began speaking and they had to stand still for another five minutes before they could even do the "long sit and long lay" which are two minutes apiece. That's a long time for a little kid and an anxious puppy!)








Gabe and Disney showing off their "Everyone-Wins-In-Pee-Wee" blue ribbon.

On Dusty Trails

Okay, so Friday my doctor found an "abdominal mass" the size of a softball parked in my midsection.

Blah.

At least I have something to blame for my tight pants. Honestly, I've been trying to shed a few pounds for the last month, and nothing fits looser like I had hoped.

Double Blah. All that sacrifice for nothing!

I actually knew something weird was going on, hence the doctor's appointment. I'm waiting for blood tests to come back Monday or Tuesday and then I have more tests Thursday and possibly Friday.

I appreciate prayers.

This news came minutes before we got THE phone call telling us that we're going to be moving to Texas. (You did get that last post, right?)

We're thrilled. TX was our first choice.

Bring on the Tex-Mex.

I'll keep you all updated on our many happenings! God's timing is always perfect, and we are resting quite comfortably in His very capable hands.

Yee Haw

Berry Delicious

Have I shared with you Caleb's obsession with berries? It doesn't matter what kind, as long as he can gather and eat them himself whenever he wants to. I imagine that his dream life right now would be to live in a tent surrounded by berry bushes. Of course, the tent would have to house a television serving cartoon network and a computer offering high speed internet and some drawing paper. A pool out front would be nice, too. Yeah, it's a simple life.

We have a couple of mulberry trees and quite a few blackberry bushes around our property. The birds and Caleb never leave me enough to preserve, but the joy and pleasure Caleb receives from gathering his own sun-warmed, God-provided snack far outweigh the delight a single berry pie would bring.

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food" (Genesis 1:29.)



I looked out the door one day and saw Caleb's bike parked in front of a mulberry tree. Where could he be? If you look very closely, you can see his profile amidst the tree leaves...



Yep, there he is. And he'll stay in this tree for hours at a time...




The purple aftermath...

My new theme song--I Love this!!!!!!

I recently joined a yahoo group for military families who homeschool. It's a great wealth of information. One of the ladies had this video embedded in her blog. I snatched it up to share with you:

Lieutenant Fasnacht

It's official!


THE letter:



Taking the oath of office:


The children behaving so well and witnessing their dad step into a new role as an officer in the United States Navy:



Anchors aweigh! Open sea ahead!

Next dock: Rob will be leaving in September for Officer Development School and then Chaplaincy Training. That's only two months away!

A Seth story for ya'll: the final paperwork and swearing-in took about 45 minutes, and the above picture of the children behaving like angels lasted all of 10 minutes (which is still pretty good), but it didn't take long for Seth to turn his engines to full throttle. As we were leaving, I sighed with relief that the recruiter's office was still intact. I said good-bye and thank-you and turned my attention back to my children, who suddenly numbered only three. Then Lily piped up, "Mommy, Sethie has a revolver." (I didn't even know she knew that word.) And sure enough Seth had slipped into a neighboring office and was playing with an antique revolver--was it real? I couldn't tell--that was sitting on someone's bookshelf.

Can anyone please tell me why I have so many gray hairs????

On my gift list for next Father's Day...

Last Hurdle

Yikes! Have I really let two weeks go silently by since I last posted here? Oh. Sorry!

This is a BIG week for our family. Right now, as I type, Rob is in Washington DC, either waiting for his turn to interview with the Navy Chaplain board or actually in the middle of the interview. My heart just quivered nervously as I typed that. It's the last hurdle left in Rob's Navy trail. He left Monday morning at about 2:45...yes, that's anti meridian...to catch his six o'clock flight to our nation's capitol. (Oops, I almost spelled that capital.) My devotions this morning were from Acts 11. The title of the selection in my book 5-Minute New Testament is "June 17/Day 168, Acts 11:1-30 When God acts, He breaks down the boundaries and overcomes the objections." That is exactly what I've been praying for from the moment Rob pulled out of the driveway in the dark of early morning. Today's Word confirmed that I am praying in the right direction and encouraged me to keep praying against any potholes and obstacles that may hinder Rob and us in traversing this new path.

The house felt so empty when Rob left. I couldn't fall asleep until after six in the morning, praying that he'd made his flight okay, listening to the hollow echoes in the house, feeling the cold spot on his side of the bed. I chatted with God for about an hour, and then I finally got up and watched a mind-numbing movie. He called me around 9:30 when he'd landed and was waiting for his luggage. (Unless you want to take no toiletries on board, you must check all your bags.) Sadly, the fresh blueberry muffins I stowed away for his breakfast were trapped deep in the belly of the airplane.

The kids have all expressed "I miss Daddy" in some form or another. Lily was the saddest: "I miss my dad," complete with trembling lower lip and tears dropping spontaneously onto her cheeks. Of course, I had just announced naptime, and Rob usually doesn't make her take a nap, but we had a long evening ahead of us, and I needed her not to be grumpy. He'll be back tonight at ten or so, in enough time to at least catch the last quarter of the Celtics-Lakers game tonight. It's going to be hard, hard, hard when he leaves for 13 weeks.

Tomorrow, I have to attend a CPR class from 10-4 at a local elderly assistance home with whom I have been recently been employed. Oh, yeah. I got a job. It's only part-time, but it will help whittle some of the more pressing bills away until Rob leaves for training. I'm looking forward to it actually, except for the part where I leave my husband and kids during the day or night. I'm a 2nd & 3rd shifter. There are many blessings in regards to this. We can't both work, so Rob will stop looking for work at this point. He will get to spend a lot of extra time with the kids, which will be precious to him and them as he prepares to be separated from them for several months. Another blessing: the home I work for is only 6 miles away. That is very, very close, considering we live in the boonies, and places of employment are often 30-40 miles away. The pay is okay for a part-time job, and I feel a great sense of peace about it. I prayed about it a lot before I even applied to any jobs, and when I felt the go-ahead from God, I applied to about ten various positions across Michiana. I only heard back from one company, who was nice enough to send a "no, thank-you" letter. Then I was offered this job, which was actually my first choice. Rob's not thrilled, but I think he's getting used to the idea. It just wasn't what we had planned. At this point, when is it ever???

Tomorrow night we leave for a camping/music festival trip. Doesn't that sound fun? Friends of ours are running one of the stages as well as a coffee bar for the Pro-Life Music festival click here. We're going to be helping them out and camping alongside them. I'm really looking forward to being away with my family. I do have to come back...twice, actually. Once to take Lily to a cleft clinic appointment that we couldn't reschedule and then again to work on Saturday with the dad for whom I supervise his parental visit. At least I'll be able to feed the dog and horse and don't have to worry about finding help in that area. Bright side. Oh, and it's supposed to be a gorgeous week. Last year, a couple of the campers at the festival were indirectly struck by lightning. One of them was okay, but the other sustained serious burns. Horrible.

On a brighter note, Rob taught Lily to ride her bike sans training wheels this weekend. She learned in one day! We weren't terribly surprised, because she has better balance than any of our other children. My heart was bursting with pride for her and also a motherly ache for all those children who will never have a mom or dad teach them something as joyful as learning to ride a bike. 143. million. orphans. I'll leave you with some pictures of Lily's cuteness.


She started out on Gabe's bike, to see if she was remotely ready for us to remove her training wheels. She was ready!




In a few short minutes, she was off by herself, albeit a little wobbly, but able to quickly recover and balance! Go Lily!




A glowing Lily, so proud of herself, ready for a refreshing popsicle.

Stubby and Squatty: Little Heroes

What happens when you leave your firefighters in the drier too long.

Yellow

I've taken Jeny's yellow challenge. I'm not nearly as good at creating still-life shots as Jeny is. This is more photojournalistic. This is what my day today looks like.




This is the children's new pet, whom Caleb named Chrys--short for chrysalis, hinting towards his future state of being--and the magnifying glass they use for observation.




A rare, unplucked dandelion from my yard. What's so rare about it? Like I said, it's unplucked. The children lovingly bring me handfuls all day, until there are no more left in the yard.




A gorgeous quilted hanging my grandmother made for me. She made one for each of her granddaughters in different colors. She couldn't have chose a better palate for mine. I LOVE it.



Laundry: what I'm doing today, and almost every day. I love to hang it out to dry on sunny days.




Childhood is calling...





Snack of choice




This treasure belonged to my great-grandfather, who loved clocks and collected them. After he passed away several years ago, my great-grandmother held an auction, and my parents bought each of their children one of his clocks. It is a beautiful heirloom.





A little corner of Lily's room.