Where do I start?

Life has been crazy here! Since my last post we've had my Mother in law go into a hospice care center, my Mom had a double mastectomy and my BIL and SIL along with 4 kids came home from South East Asia. It's been a whirlwind and I'm still trying to catch my breath!

My Mom is doing great since her surgery on Thursday. She is full of jokes which helps her and the rest of us cope with the whole thing. I'm so proud of her! As she woke up from surgery she told my Dad and I, "I did my best you guys!" Then a little while later when my sister, Aunt, Dad and I were there she said, "I'm going to be a survivor!" It was so special and brought all of us to tears. It's been neat watching my Dad take care of her. He holds her hands during walks and tends to her every need. What a love the two of them still share after 28 years of marriage!

My Mother in law has declined so much in the last week. She is getting very confused about what's going on around her. She can't really keep track of time. It's so hard to watch. On Sunday night we took the 7 grand kids down to basically say their goodbyes. We honestly thought we might wake up the next morning to a call that she had passed in the night. For some reason she continues to hang on. It's only a matter of time though. We just know she's in so much pain and pray that she will be released from it soon. God knows and we just keep reminding ourselves of it!

My house has been filled with laughter, tears and lots of people over the last week! We have had a total of 11 people... 4 adults and 7 kids ages 3-7. It's been so much fun and we've really enjoyed having them here. It's been such good bonding time for all of us. We sure miss seeing them after 6 months apart. Tonight will probably be their first night in their rental home and we're going to be so sad not to have them right down the hall from us!

I have some very special shout outs to make...

Julie & Karina - Thanks for the yummy dinner you brought last night and tonight... what a blessing to have such wonderful friends in our lives!

Shalee - Thank you for the wonderful prayer you sent my way for my Mom's journal! She was so touched when she opened the book and saw over 25 prayers from women around the world!