Today I took the boys to my hairstylist to get their haircuts. They did amazingly well. I was armed with a lot of ammunition. I had twizzlers, lollipops, Hershey Kisses, a DVD player, juice, gummi bears, and yogurt. We put Wiggles on the DVD player and they actually sat still. I was so pleased with their little haircuts.
As I was walking to the salon I had a sinking feeling. What the heck am I doing? Why am I doing this alone? I should have waited until Mark could come with me. On a stress caliber it was at the top of the list where flying alone with the boys stands as number one.
All that to say...it went really well. Jamie, my stylist did such a good job!!!! I will post pictures really soon.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Anniversary getaway
Mark and I just celebrated our seventh anniversary. Mark planned a wonderful overnight getaway. There are two genuine blessings I experienced through this. Number one, I have an incredibly thoughtful husband who planned the whole entire getaway around things that I love.
Second blessing, we have amazing, awesome friends who are willing to stay with our kids while we do something like this. Thank you, Godshalls and Smiths!!! You guys are awesome.
So around 3 in the afternoon Mark and I left and headed to the mall. We never get to shop in peace and Mark knows that I do enjoy when he shops with me. So we spent a little time at the Gap and found some good stuff. We then headed to check into our hotel. It was kind of funny doing an overnight in our own town, but also really fun. We stayed at this funky, chic downtown hotel called 21c. www.21cmuseumhotel.com It as an art gallery, posh little bar and restaurant and a hotel.
So we walked into the lobby of the hotel and there was some strange art. I looked over to the right and there is this little sitting area with a plasma TV. It all a part of this art display but really funky. There was this totally naked woman standing in her living room with her hands on hips talking about women empowerment. The stranger thing was that there was a young girl about 8 watching the video. I thought it was so weird. Mark thought it was art. :)
We then headed to dinner at Seviche on Bardstown. We sat outside (my favorite) and had the best meal since we have moved down here. The sea bass was the most delicious buttery yet crispy thing ever. We then went to see Julie and Julia. Not something Mark would have chosen but he insisted. It was the perfect evening.
At 10 AM I shot out of bed. The hotel had curtains that seriously blocked the sun. I thought it was 7 AM. I dialed up Rachel to check on the kids. I felt so bad that we had slept in. I thought we would be home by then. She was so glad that I had not called before then. She was hoping that I would sleep in. So awesome! Rachel, if you read this, you are wonderful!
We then ate a yummy breakfast outside at the North End Cafe. We arrived home and the boys were so happy to see us. I was happy to see them but I had enjoyed my time immensely. Thank you, Mark! You are a wonderful husband....much more than I deserve.
Second blessing, we have amazing, awesome friends who are willing to stay with our kids while we do something like this. Thank you, Godshalls and Smiths!!! You guys are awesome.
So around 3 in the afternoon Mark and I left and headed to the mall. We never get to shop in peace and Mark knows that I do enjoy when he shops with me. So we spent a little time at the Gap and found some good stuff. We then headed to check into our hotel. It was kind of funny doing an overnight in our own town, but also really fun. We stayed at this funky, chic downtown hotel called 21c. www.21cmuseumhotel.com It as an art gallery, posh little bar and restaurant and a hotel.
So we walked into the lobby of the hotel and there was some strange art. I looked over to the right and there is this little sitting area with a plasma TV. It all a part of this art display but really funky. There was this totally naked woman standing in her living room with her hands on hips talking about women empowerment. The stranger thing was that there was a young girl about 8 watching the video. I thought it was so weird. Mark thought it was art. :)
We then headed to dinner at Seviche on Bardstown. We sat outside (my favorite) and had the best meal since we have moved down here. The sea bass was the most delicious buttery yet crispy thing ever. We then went to see Julie and Julia. Not something Mark would have chosen but he insisted. It was the perfect evening.
At 10 AM I shot out of bed. The hotel had curtains that seriously blocked the sun. I thought it was 7 AM. I dialed up Rachel to check on the kids. I felt so bad that we had slept in. I thought we would be home by then. She was so glad that I had not called before then. She was hoping that I would sleep in. So awesome! Rachel, if you read this, you are wonderful!
We then ate a yummy breakfast outside at the North End Cafe. We arrived home and the boys were so happy to see us. I was happy to see them but I had enjoyed my time immensely. Thank you, Mark! You are a wonderful husband....much more than I deserve.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The boys
The boys were just recently moved into the same room. It is about time. We moved Basil's crib into Oliver's room. The first few nights were a little rough. They kind of had to duel it out by crying. They quickly got used to it.
I went out with some friends to Cheesecake Factory the other night. Mark was home to put the boys down. Basil was put down first. He screamed for a half an hour. Mark brought him downstairs and waited until Oliver was ready for bed. He took them both upstairs and Basil was as happy as a clam. Now they can't sleep a part from each other...
Today after Oliver had been in his bed doing "rest time" for about an hour, I heard little footsteps. I went up to see what was going on... Oliver had put his Thomas backpack on was holding his pillow and blanket. He was ready to come downstairs. It was precious.
I went out with some friends to Cheesecake Factory the other night. Mark was home to put the boys down. Basil was put down first. He screamed for a half an hour. Mark brought him downstairs and waited until Oliver was ready for bed. He took them both upstairs and Basil was as happy as a clam. Now they can't sleep a part from each other...
Today after Oliver had been in his bed doing "rest time" for about an hour, I heard little footsteps. I went up to see what was going on... Oliver had put his Thomas backpack on was holding his pillow and blanket. He was ready to come downstairs. It was precious.
Monday, August 3, 2009
it's been too long
It has been far too long since I have written on here. Sorry readers. If there are still some out there.
It would be impossible to recall the last few months. I can say that they have been some of the most stressful months of our married life. LOTS of family issues and things going on. Through all this though God has shown himself sovereign, loving and compassionate. Some bad things have happened but we are trusting that the Lord hold all things in his hands and is in control.
Our marriage has been tested through these tough times, but it has proved to be a good thing. It has been hard for me to see Mark stressed, broken and overwhelmed. It has been hard to see him emotional and for me to be the stable one. That rarely happens. However, it has made us look at our marriage and really desire for it to grow. We don't want to be stagnant and complacent in our relationship. We want to "fall towards each other (even when it is hard) and not away from each other."
On a lighter note, we are super excited to start this school year. It is our last year here in Louisville and we are really looking forward to it. Community groups start up soon and we are so excited for that. I am going to try and take a Counseling: Marriage and Family class with Mark at Southern. Basil and Oliver are getting older and bigger and more fun!
I do desire to be like Proverbs 31 woman. Regardless of the circumstances I want to"smile at the times to come."
It would be impossible to recall the last few months. I can say that they have been some of the most stressful months of our married life. LOTS of family issues and things going on. Through all this though God has shown himself sovereign, loving and compassionate. Some bad things have happened but we are trusting that the Lord hold all things in his hands and is in control.
Our marriage has been tested through these tough times, but it has proved to be a good thing. It has been hard for me to see Mark stressed, broken and overwhelmed. It has been hard to see him emotional and for me to be the stable one. That rarely happens. However, it has made us look at our marriage and really desire for it to grow. We don't want to be stagnant and complacent in our relationship. We want to "fall towards each other (even when it is hard) and not away from each other."
On a lighter note, we are super excited to start this school year. It is our last year here in Louisville and we are really looking forward to it. Community groups start up soon and we are so excited for that. I am going to try and take a Counseling: Marriage and Family class with Mark at Southern. Basil and Oliver are getting older and bigger and more fun!
I do desire to be like Proverbs 31 woman. Regardless of the circumstances I want to"smile at the times to come."
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Finally home
Today we finally arrived home after one of the most stessful weeks of my entire life. We basically were living in a state of crisis for a whole entire week.
Long story short...Mark's mom, Catalina, is alive and recovering! Praise God! There was a time period of about three or four days when she basically was hanging between life and death. She was in a coma but is slowly waking up.
For those who don't know...they removed the brain tumor and found it to be benign. Awesome. However, the recovery from the surgery was awful. She started swelling really bad and less than 24 hours they had to go back into surgery and remove half of her skull to allow for the swelling. At this point they didn't know if there was major brain damage or if she would ever wake up.
She is slowly, slowly waking up. she still cannot open both eyes and cannot speak. Her whole left side is paralyzed. However some good things are happening every day....
Some highlights....
--she squeezes our hand and shakes it as a response.
--she waves
---she gives a thumbs up
---she can point to things when they hurt
---she knows who we are and knows our kids
---she knows she had surgery
---she can write sentences in Ukrainian, Spanish and English
The doctors say that the recovery process can take a year. So we have a lot of waiting to do. Meanwhile, we are so thankful that she is alive.
And I am also thankful to be home...
Long story short...Mark's mom, Catalina, is alive and recovering! Praise God! There was a time period of about three or four days when she basically was hanging between life and death. She was in a coma but is slowly waking up.
For those who don't know...they removed the brain tumor and found it to be benign. Awesome. However, the recovery from the surgery was awful. She started swelling really bad and less than 24 hours they had to go back into surgery and remove half of her skull to allow for the swelling. At this point they didn't know if there was major brain damage or if she would ever wake up.
She is slowly, slowly waking up. she still cannot open both eyes and cannot speak. Her whole left side is paralyzed. However some good things are happening every day....
Some highlights....
--she squeezes our hand and shakes it as a response.
--she waves
---she gives a thumbs up
---she can point to things when they hurt
---she knows who we are and knows our kids
---she knows she had surgery
---she can write sentences in Ukrainian, Spanish and English
The doctors say that the recovery process can take a year. So we have a lot of waiting to do. Meanwhile, we are so thankful that she is alive.
And I am also thankful to be home...
Friday, May 15, 2009
hanging out
Today we spent Mark's mom's birthday all hanging out at the house. Mark's brother Jon and his wife Kelly came to visit. They have a daughter Sophia and a son Solomon. Sophia is three and Solomon is Basil's age. Sophia and Oliver had a blast, except Oliver kept calling her "ava". We know a few Avas and I think that all little girls are Ava to Oliver.
We had a wonderful day despite the news of Bunia's (Mark's mom, Ukrainian for Grandmother) brain tumor. It kind of feels strange enjoying ourselves and going about life, but I guess this is just what we do. We won't know anything anyway until the surgery.
I think it was therapeutic for the grandkids to be around.
Being a daughter in law in this situation is somewhat strange for me. There are many questions that I have and many scenarios that I want to discuss. If it was my mom I would feel comfortable just talking about it. I want to be sensitive to my mother-in-law and not force those conversations. I remember when my mom was sick we talked endlessly about every scenario and about all of my questions. I think it was my mom's personality to know as much as she possibly could.
Today was her 61st birthday and I think she had a good day. I hope she did.
Tomorrow we are going to my dad's. I am so excited to see my sister. It has been a long time. I miss her.
We had a wonderful day despite the news of Bunia's (Mark's mom, Ukrainian for Grandmother) brain tumor. It kind of feels strange enjoying ourselves and going about life, but I guess this is just what we do. We won't know anything anyway until the surgery.
I think it was therapeutic for the grandkids to be around.
Being a daughter in law in this situation is somewhat strange for me. There are many questions that I have and many scenarios that I want to discuss. If it was my mom I would feel comfortable just talking about it. I want to be sensitive to my mother-in-law and not force those conversations. I remember when my mom was sick we talked endlessly about every scenario and about all of my questions. I think it was my mom's personality to know as much as she possibly could.
Today was her 61st birthday and I think she had a good day. I hope she did.
Tomorrow we are going to my dad's. I am so excited to see my sister. It has been a long time. I miss her.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Mark's mom
Today Mark, the boys and I flew home to PA. Yesterday Mark's mom was feeling really sick all day. Mark's sister took her to the ER last night. They did some tests and discovered a brain tumor the size of golf ball. We were all very shocked. They ran more tests and the tests were encouraging. There are no more tumors or abnormal growths anywhere.
She is scheduled for brain surgery on Monday morning. They are going to remove the whole tumor. They will not know if it is cancerous or not until they remove it. We are hopeful and trusting in the Lord. We are praying for many more years with her.
Tomorrow is her birthday. We are so glad to be her to celebrate with her. It brings her a lot of joy to be around the kids. Mark's brother, his wife and the kids are also coming into town for this weekend.
This definitely sparked many emotions and brought back many memories from my mom's sickness. However, we are hopeful and prayerful for complete recovery.
She is scheduled for brain surgery on Monday morning. They are going to remove the whole tumor. They will not know if it is cancerous or not until they remove it. We are hopeful and trusting in the Lord. We are praying for many more years with her.
Tomorrow is her birthday. We are so glad to be her to celebrate with her. It brings her a lot of joy to be around the kids. Mark's brother, his wife and the kids are also coming into town for this weekend.
This definitely sparked many emotions and brought back many memories from my mom's sickness. However, we are hopeful and prayerful for complete recovery.
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