September/October Pictures

My laptop is still in the “hospital”.  It’s been 2 months.  Not sure if I’ll ever see it again.  I finally figured out how to download pictures on this one, which is only for school purposes.  Shhhh….don’t tell Ricky!  Enjoy these photos from our blessed couple of months!

Riley’s First Day of School

Cheese!

Riley’s birthday party at Pump it Up!

4 years old!

Fun with Luke!

He loved the boxing!

Gymnastics get together!  Picnic time.

 

Hanging out with Daddy!

Bonfire…

Lily and Lana

Riley and Monty

Batman birthday wings

Batmobile from Grandpa and Nana

Finally Riley is old enough to play sports!  He was so excited to carry his soccer  bag to the field.

Ready to play

Riley and his mini pumpkin and non matching camo.  Some things are so not worth the fight =)

My handsome hubby!  I love this picture of him!!

Daddy, Lily, and Riley

Trip to Barn N Bunk…Love the old wagon

Riley loving the apple slingshot

Lily had to get in on the action too!

The perfect pumpkins

Roller girl

Kayla and Lily at Kayla’s birthday party…on Halloween!  Girls Rock =)

My sweet candy corn princess

Power Ranger Riley.  We won’t mention that this is not the costume he had me buy.  We won’t mention that this was the garage sale find that someone gave him this summer.  We won’t mention the huge fit he through on Halloween AGAIN this year.  Click here and scroll down to see the debacle from last year.   We won’t mention the huge hole in the butt either.  Ahem… on to the picture!

 My precious Halloween cuties!

Riley showing off his Power Ranger moves

Lily, Riley, and Power Ranger Luke from next door

Daddy, Lily, and Riley

Our neighbor, Jennifer, and her four girls.  How amazing is this Michael Jackson tribute?  Seriously, she was kind of creepy it looked so real =)

All of us at Trunk or Treat at church.

Loved this cute trunk.  Every trunk had a memory verse.  Lily enjoyed reading them all as we went through.

This one was amazing…

Here’s the Jesus pumpkin up close.  WOW

Loving the chocolate!

Yummy!

 

If you made it this far, that is the end of my two month photo montage.  In other news…

RICKY’S LAST ROUND OF CHEMO STARTS MONDAY!  Yes, I had to yell it!  We are so excited.  He can’t wait to have these 12 treatments behind him.  Please pray for him this week that the side effects are minimal.  Please pray for me as well, the guilt of me working and going back to school always hits hard on chemo week and the week after.  I feel bad having him do so much when he feels yucky!

Where Have We Been and What Have We Been Doing?

Ok, I know it’s been forever.  Life has been crazy, but in a great way.  So much is going on that it is probably easier for me to update by family member…

Ricky… He is on Day 3 of Round 10 of chemo!  Do you know what that means?!?  2 left to go after this week.  He has not felt too great this round, but he is getting through it.  Today he has been queasy and tired, yet he insisted on mowing the lawn.  He will not let cancer and chemo run his life! 

Lily… Lily started first grade and LOVES going to school all day!  Her reading has really taken off and she is a wonderful student.  She is also still in gymnastics 3 days a week and we have added another practice on Tuesday mornings.  She was invited to be part of the TOP (Talent opportunity program) program and she goes from 6-9 AM before school.  This was her first week and she had a blast.  She climbed the rope halfway to the top with her legs in a pike position using only her arms…AMAZING! (I don’t even think I would make it up the rope with knots LOL) She is so proud of her accomplishments!  Gymnastics has taught her discipline and the value of hard work!

Riley… My little man turns 4 today!  Where has the time gone?  He started preschool last week and is going Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  He loves school but wants me to be his teacher.  Go figure!  However, he loves Ms. Pam and is doing great.  He can finally do organized sports and is thrilled to be starting soccer next week.  He will get to play basketball this winter and baseball in the spring.  He is so excited that he gets to play sports and not just watch sissy!

Me… Hmmmm….where to start!  I started teaching a PreK class at The Potter’s House on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  My class is wonderful and I am enjoying every moment with them.  Since it is a Christian preschool, I get to have prayer time and bible study time daily.  It is such a wonderful program and I feel so blessed to be a part of it! 

 I also am going back to school for my Master’s in Educational Leadership.  I am taking 6 credit hours and one of the classes, Politics in Education, just rocked my world.  My word… I don’t know if I’ll make it through the semester!  Lots of papers and high expectations.  I sat through the class and thought, “What in the world am I doing?”  After much deliberation, I am sticking it out and praying that I will make it through!

It has been such a change to go from both of us being home to me being gone so much!  Ricky has stepped in and helped out immensely.  It has been a tough transition and one that has made for a very tired mommy.  I’m sure that once we get into a routine, it will all slow down.  I am thankful that Ricky is at a point where he can help out again and I have the opportunity to go back to work and school. 

Thanks for sticking with us even when I don’t update as often as I used to!  We are still grateful for every single prayer!  Please say a prayer for Ricky to make it through this round especially with all of the added responsibilities at home!

Love to you all,

Tracey

One Year Ago…

One year ago…

   I woke up like any other normal day.  I headed out to talk with The Potter’s House about an upcoming  job opportunity and accepted the position.  The new job was going to offer the insurance my family needed since we had just returned home from Taiwan.  I headed back home happy and upbeat…things were good!

One year ago…

   Ricky met me at the door excited about the next step in our lives.  He had started teaching pitching lessons and enjoyed it tremendously.  The first boy he taught had called that morning to schedule an appointment for the next day.  He headed down to the Reds stadium to see all of his friends.  The Astros were in town and Roy was pitching.  He said he would be back in time for me to go the grocery store.

One year ago…

   Ricky returned home and I headed off to the grocery store with my older sister.  We spent a couple of hours getting groceries for both houses.  I dropped her off at home and was then greeted at our  door by Ricky.  He helped me carry in the groceries and put them away.  We snuggled up on the couch to watch  some cartoons.

One year ago…

   The kids were tired but I told them they could finish the show they were watching.  It was 8:20.  Ricky got up and sat down at the table to read his bible.  At 8:30 I turned off the tv and went to kiss Ricky on the cheek.  I peeked over his shoulder to see him reading Genesis and writing the ages of people in the bible.  Weird I thought, but I turned around and took the kids up for a bath.

One year ago…

   I got out jammies and took elastics out of Lily’s hair.  I started running the bathwater and plopped the kids in the tub.  As I leaned back Lily to wash her hair in the running water, I heard “Say his name.”  It took me a second, but I immediately shut off the water and ran to the corner of the stairs.  I shouted down “RICKY” and all I heard was a silent gasp for air.  I yelled to the kids to stay in the tub and leaped over all the stairs in one jump. (Okay, not really, but it felt like it)

One year ago…

   I made it around the corner to see the baseball game on tv and Ricky tensed up in a sitting position on the couch.  His body was jerking and his eyes were rolled back in his head.  His right arm was firmly grasped on his left.  I called 911.

One year ago…

   I thought Ricky was going to die on my living room floor.

One year ago…

   I got him on the floor and on his side.  His breathing was labored and his chest and face were speckled with broken blood vessels.  His body was still tense and his eyes were rolled back in his head.  He started foaming at the mouth.

One year ago…

   My naked kids ran down the stairs to find their daddy laying on the floor with their mommy praying over him.  I was trying to clean all of the dip out of his mouth (he has since quit dipping).  They ran to his left side and held his hand.  He was still seizing, but Lily still thinks to this day that he was intentionally holding her hand.

One year ago…

   I thought Ricky was having a heart attack, not a seizure.  Foolish, I know.  But I was so shaken up!  The 911 operator kept asking me if he was breathing.  He was, but barely.

One year ago…

   The kids and I prayed over Ricky’s jerking non responsive body.  Not knowing if Daddy would ever be with us again.

One year ago…

   Ricky’s body became motionless and he rolled onto his back.  His eyes came forward and there was a complete blank stare.  Everything stopped, even his breathing.

One year ago…

   The 911 operator told me to perform CPR on my husband with my kids at his side.  After two sets of rescue breaths, he was breathing again.  However, it was more labored than before.  But praise God that he was breathing.

One year ago…

   911 told me to go open  the door and get ready for the ambulance.

One year ago…

   The EMT’s told me, “You’ve done your job, now let us do ours.  Please do NOT come back into this room.  You can see him in the ambulance.”  I honestly didn’t know if I would see him again.  I took my naked children out on the back deck to look for help.

One year ago…

   We are in the ambulance headed to the hospital.  Ricky is still unresponsive.  I am praying out loud in the front and wondering why people arent’ moving faster or getting out of our way.  Don’t they know what is going on inside this ambulance roaring down the by pass?  I keep asking if he is responsive, and nothing.

One year ago…

   I asked for the millionth time if he is responsive.  I look back to see him lifting off his oxygen mask.  I ask him if he can hear me and he raises his arm. I praise God that my husband is alive and can respond.

One year ago…

    The doctor at the ER performed a CT scan on Ricky.  He told us that Ricky had an old fracture and he needed to be put on anti seizure medicine.  He tried to send us home.

One year ago…

   I thought that doctor was a nutcase.  I was not taking him home.  He needed a night in the hospital after all that had transpired.  We argued.  I won.  Ricky spent the night.

One year ago…

   I spent the night in a chair in his room.  It was cold.  I was alone.  I had peace knowing that it was just a fracture.  I quick fix with just some medicine.  He was going to be just fine.

One year ago…

   They wheeled him off for his MRI.  I called everyone I could think of to let them  know the good news.  Just a fracture with an easy fix.  They were doing an MRI just to confirm the fracture.

One year ago…

   My world stopped.  The MRI results showed a large tumor.  He needed brain surgery to remove it.  It appeared to be benign, but we would have to wait for pathology results.

One year ago…

   It hit me that we had no insurance. 

One year ago…

   Our amazing friends set up an account to cover all medical expenses and household through Helping Hands Ministries.  Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) also agreed to help us out financially.  Other friends set up an online auction.  Major League Baseball came together and donated so many awesome items for the auction.  God provided for our family in our time in need.  He is good.

One year ago…

   We scheduled a craniotomy for August 22.  Never thought I would be saying that =)

 

I could spend forever writing about the entire year, but I welcome you to look through the archives.  I’ll save that for another post!

 

Today…

   I thought would be a hard day for me.  It is the day that changed our world forever.  It is not a hard day though.  It is a day of celebration.

Today…

   We celebrate that Ricky does not appear to have any remaining tumor in his brain.  The MRI’s continue to be clean and show no regrowth.

Today…

   We celebrate 8 rounds of chemo down with round 9 to start on Monday.  The side effects have been minimal compared to others.

Today…

   We celebrate that although Ricky is fatigued and must nap everyday, he is able to do most activities with our family.  We have been able to go on vacation and go to Kings Island.  We took a mini trip to Louisville for his first bull pen in a year. 

Today…

  I have realized that it is okay to mourn the loss of our old life.  I miss many of the things that we used to be able to do but can’t now that cancer is a factor in our household.  There are days when I wake up praying it has all been a bad dream.  But, it’s not.  And I move on. 

Today…

   We celebrate the new normal in house.  Ricky is able to help out more, which gives me some time by myself.  I can go to the grocery store or run an errand while the kids stay with him.  He is able to get out and go visit his dad or go on a visit with some friends from church.  There were days like this one when it was hard for me to even think about life in a year.  However, we have slowly become our new normal.

Today…

  We celebrate God’s goodness.  He continues to amaze me with all that He has done for our family.  There are have been so many God things that have happened over the past year. 

Today…

   My faith is stronger than it has ever been.  I wrote this last year and it holds true today.  Our future is still unknown.  Ricky’s cancer is still an uncertainty.  We never know what tomorrow will bring.  But I do have faith that whatever happens, it will be in will with the one and only God.  I have faith that He will not put more on me than I can handle. 

Today…

   I am going to spend the day with my family and celebrate today!  We never know what tomorrow may bring, so celebrate today!

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything

James 1:2-4

Weekend In Louisville

We had an opportunity to go down to Louisville for the weekend and we thought it would be  a great little getaway.  So we packed up and headed down on Friday night.  We started off the evening going for a walk around downtown.  We saw all kinds of neat artwork, sculptures, and fountains.  Here are the kids with a lion in front of Ruth Chris Steakhouse.  Riley’s eyes are closed because of the sun and Lily is roaring.  They are a mess =)

There were so many neat fountains around the area.  Riley tried to dive head first into this one.  Notice the tight grip Ricky has on him!

We ended up at Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner!

After dinner we had to walk a couple blocks back to the hotel.  I saw this and thought it was just a neat picture.

We found some interesting sculptures around the city.  The kids (and Ricky) wanted to touch and climb on them all.

I just loved this picture…

After a little rest at the hotel…

we headed out for a horse drawn carriage ride through the city.

Our horse Jessie

What Lily and Riley thought of Jessie…

The next day I took the kids swimming while Ricky napped.  The pool was on top of the roof and it was a beautiful view of the river.  The water was cold, but that didn’t stop them!

They smile the entire time they are swimming.  Especially Riley…

Spiky hair that Riley can’t stand!  He let Lily put it in a mohawk once and then smoothed it all down.

After swimming and a little rest, we were headed off to the Louisville Bats game.  We were headed out at 2 even though the game didn’t start until 6.  Ricky was excited to see everyone and throw BP.  What better way to get to the field than take a trolley ride through the city.  Right?  Don’t you agree?  Let’s just say that the Lord had a lesson in store for me =)

We missed the first trolley that runs every 12-15 minutes right by the hotel.  I forgot my phone in the room and had to run back up and get it.  So Ricky wanted to just walk the 6 blocks.  Nope!  We were taking the trolley and that was final.  It was going to be fun and I was determined.  So, 15 minutes later we get on the trolley.  All was well, fun was being had by all!  Until…

We get to the Louisville Slugger Museum Stop, which was about 6 blocks from where we started and now 12 blocks from the field.  Our lovely and kind trolley driver ( snicker, snicker) informs us that he is going on a 30 minute break.  Come on!  I just want to take a nice family trolley ride to the field.

Ricky is silent.  He gets off the trolley with our transfer tickets and goes to the shade to wait for the next trolley.  I smile and decide that it is a great opportunity to take our picture with the huge bat.  Make lemonade out of lemons, right?

I even convinced Ricky to come and take a picture.  Still silent though…

So, we take pictures and then stand at the trolley stop.  Then we watch the trolley drive right by us.  Yes, that’s right, it passes us.  We are now about 30 minutes into our trolley trip, 5 of which was actually spent on the trolley.  Ricky looks at me and walks back into the shade.  Not a word.  Silent. 

I take the kids to the bat again.  Walk around a bit.  Now it’s getting hot.  The kids are whining.  Ricky is still staring at me silently from his shady spot.  I just want the darn trolley to stop so we can get on and have our fun family trolley ride to the ball park.  Is that too much to ask?

After another 15 minutes in the hot sun with two whiny kids and a silent, staring husband…the trolley arrives.  It actually stops this time!  We all climb on and hand the new trolley driver our tickets. 

Now we are on our way.  We turn the corner to head back down towards Market Street and the 12 blocks to the field.  Until the new trolley driver pulls over.  She said she needs to take a 5 minute break to stretch her legs.  WHAT?!?!  You’ve got to be kidding me?  Where is the hidden camera?  Ricky looks back at me with his all knowing stare and turns back around.  Still no words… 

Soooo…over an hour after our journey began, we made it to Louisville Slugger Field.  What lesson did the Lord teach me?  That sometimes, and only sometimes, Ricky is right!  I said it! 

We were only there a few minutes when the Gortner’s arrived.  Bill, Becky, Christian, and Anna drove down for the game!  The kids loved running around the stadium since it was empty!  I loved watching Ricky get out there and throw for the first time since his seizure.  He threw a bull pen and it went great!  He had such a good time!

Lily and Riley now think of the Gortners as family!  Lily and Riley were all over them!  Every time I looked down from our seats one of them was climbing a Gortner =) 

Lily and Anna

We got to go down into the clubhouse to visit.  This was on the wall when we walked in!  I thought it was pretty neat!

Then we found the stash of costumes.  Here is Christian the Tomato and Lily Bat!

Anna, Riley, and Lily chillin in the big mitt

Christian and Riley.  Riley would not leave him alone! 

Lily and the Gortner clan.

Sweet Anna!  We LOVE her =)

Riley with Buddy Bat.  He stalked him all night.  Christian finally ran him down there to meet him!

First, Riley spied Christian’s ice cream. 

Riley then stared down the ice cream hoping it would leap from the cone to his mouth.  Christian tried so hard not to look into those puppy dog eyes.

Pleasssseee…..ice cream….come to me!!!  Notice the smirk on Christian’s face in this pic. 

I then took him up to get him his own ice cream.  Unfortunately, they were out of mint chocolate chip.  He did settle for chocolate though =)

July 2009

July was a month filled with lazy summer days at the pool and cool nights playing until dark.  The weather was mild so the pools were cold, but that didn’t stop the kids.  Here are some cute pictures of Riley being Riley.  He cracks me up!

He has become good buddies with the little boy next door.  They run up and down the sidewalk playing superheroes!

They enjoyed playing street hockey with the nieghbors.

Is it fair that I make my kids play street hockey from the grass?  Maybe not, but they didn’t care! 

Ricky was invited to play in a Celebrity Softball Game and thought it would be fun!  The proceeds went to a local park for special needs children.  They are trying to get the ground rubberized.  The park was built by Joe Nuxhall and the  game was the night of what would have been his 81st birthday.  Here is Ricky playing 2nd base.

The kids enjoyed the food.  Imagine that =)

The kids with Daddy after the game.  The game only lasted a few innings because there was  a huge storm heading our way!  Yes, Lily has cupcake all over her face and Riley has a mouth full of gatorade!  They are all about the snacks…what can I say?

Riley being silly!

July was a great month and I will post pictures from our weekend in Louisville in a separate post.  August, however, will be one full of changes for our family…

I have been praying about a job opportunity and whether now is the time to return to work.  I have been offered a Pre K class at The Potter’s House starting  on August 31.  It will be three mornings a week and Riley will attend preschool while I am teaching.  That will leave my Tuesdays and Thursdays open for doctors appointments andvolunteering in Lily’s classroom.  They are also so sweet to allow me off every two months to travel with Ricky to MD Anderson.  So….I am taking the job!!  I am excited and nervous!

I also will be going back to school this fall as well.  I’m not exactly sure what classes and where yet.  I am still waiting on a call from Miami University.  I need to take six credit hours this school year to renew my teaching certificate in June of 2010. Going back to school has me more nervous than teaching!  However, Ricky is on board 100% and is excited to support me!  It’s going to be a HUGE change in our household, but one that I know will be a good one!  We have prayed extensively about these two decisions all summer!  I’m just seeing where the Lord is leading me to take classes. 

As far as medical updates, Ricky starts round 9 of chemo on Monday the 1oth.  Then we leave on August 16th for the next MD Anderson appointment.  The MRI is scheduled for Friday the 14th and his appointment is on Tuesday the 18th.  Please continue to pray for clean scans with no regrowth. 

Ricky is looking great and feeling pretty good!   We feel so blessed to be able to share our journey with all of you!  We truly appreciate every single prayer!

Houston Trip 2009

Our trip to Houston was amazing!  I tried a new way of posting my pictures since there are so many and it wouldn’t let me order them the way I wanted.  So, they are kind of mixed in together in no certain order.

Our trip started at the Ranch and it was beautiful.  Our week included horseback riding, spotlighting at night for animals, lots of swimming, fishing, a trip to the Jersey Farm to milk cows, a visit to the neighbors “zoo” where there were lemurs, and a tour of Blue Bell Ice Cream Creamery. The pictures of Riley at the jersey farm cracked me up.  He had his nose covered almost the entire time.  Way to stinky for him =)  However, he couldn’t wait to see a horse poop and was thrilled that he got his wish.  All boy…that’s all I can say about him.

Ricky did some welding with Josh and had a great time.  Josh had a couple of projects and Ricky spent the afternoon helping him out.  He then worked on welding a cross for his mom made out of railroad spikes.  They are amazing!  Speaking of Josh, he was amazing with the kids.  They loved riding the horse with  him and getting thrown into the pool.  He took Lily and I spotlighting and we saw a ton of animals.   Lily has what I would call a tiny crush on Josh and enjoyed every second with him =) 

Nana Baker was amazing and just loved all over the kids.  They were spoiled with ice cream after every meal and cuddle up rest time every afternoon.  Teresa and Lily hit it off and you can see them working together in the kitchen.  Ricky did have a couple of sick days while we were there, but he had the bunkhouse to rest in while we were at the main house. 

After a week at the Ranch, we headed to Tyler Texas to visit the Brink Family.  Rebecca and Andy have four children and one on the way.  They have two boys who are totally into jousting and sword fighting.  Riley now has a new love of sword fighting and came home with The Armor of God helmet and sword set.  They also have two girls that Lily just adored.  The three of them were like peas in a pod all weekend.  Ricky was sick on Saturday and slept most of the day, but he couldn’t wait to go do the prison ministry on Sunday morning.  He said it was amazing!!  He got to share his testimony with over 100 prisoners and said that it was something that he will never forget.

Then we headed to Houston for a week with Roy and Nicole and their two little girls.  Once again, we had a great time and the kids enjoyed a lot of swimming and indoor play.   The kids set up a lemonade stand and enjoyed selling lemonade to…us!  They live in a cul de sac and there weren’t a whole lot cars!

It was HOT in Houston!!  They had record temperatures that week.  We got to go watch Roy pitch one night and that was a lot of fun.  The roof was closed at the stadium so the temperature was perfect.  We got to go out to dinner and enjoy catching up!  I also got to see my friend Cara’s sweet new baby girl, Abigail.   She is so precious.

Ricky is doing great although he is a little tired.  He is leaving to go fishing with his dad on Friday, so he is trying to get in plenty of rest.  His dad goes on a fishing trip every summer and Ricky has never been able to go. Ricky always said that when he was done with baseball he was going to go.   His dad usually goes to Canada and does the whole backpack and carry your own food and canoe, but this year they are going to stay in a cabin in Mississippi.  I am much happier with that than I was with Canada =)

The top picture is what happens to your garden when you leave for two weeks!!!  We were stunned to come home and find a jungle out there.  Mental note,  next year plant less =)

Enjoy the pictures and thanks for checking in!

Great News!

Okay, so sorry it has taken me so long to update!  The MRI was clean and showed no regrowth.  We continue to praise God for such great news!  We go back in August for his next check up!  I am so thankful that round 7 of chemo is almost over.

He is currently on Day 4 of chemo, and unfortunately today was not so great.  We went on a tour of Blue Bell Creameries to see how they make ice cream and boy was he miserable.  When we got back he took one of his strong anti nausea pills and slept for 4 and a half hours.  He did feel better when he woke up, so that was good!

The ranch has continued to be such a blessing.  We have enjoyed the company of the Bakers and Teresa so much.  They are all truly family to us!  The kids just love them to pieces and will be so sad when we head out tomorrow!  We are so thankful for their kindness!

Tomorrow we are headed to Tyler, Texas to visit with Pastor Andy and his family.  Ricky is going to visit the prison on Sunday morning with Andy to share his testimony and then we get to hear Andy preach at his church.  Please pray for Ricky to feel well as we travel this weekend.  There is nothing worse than driving on these country roads and feeling sick to your stomach.

Andy and his wife have four children with one on the way, so I know the kids will enjoy having so many friends to play with this weekend.  Then we are headed to Houston Sunday night to stay there for the week!  We are staying with Nicole and Roy and their two little girls and Lily is so excited!  Ricky can’t wait to visit with Roy and go see everyone at the field.  He hasn’t been to the field in Houston in a couple of years, so this will mean so much to him.

Okay, I better jump off here before they come and find me.  I am hidden on the only computer in the ranch in the back of Mrs. Baker’s closet!

Tying Up Loose Ends

So, we leave tomorrow for our trip to Houston.  Bloodwork and MRI were done today.  Bloodwork looked good and we won’t know about the MRI until Tuesday.  Oh, it kills me to wait that long!!  Ricky has had a stomach bug the past couple of days that they were a little worried about, but he feels much better today.  The upset stomach fatigued him even more than he has been, so he is upstairs snugged up with Riley taking a nap.

Chemo starts again on Monday.  This is the first time that he has traveled while doing chemo, but it is the only time that we could go.  Not to mention that his appointment is scheduled for Tuesday, so it just seemed to all work out.  We are taking the kids and staying for two whole weeks!  Please pray that his treatment goes well with no sickness so we can enjoy our time there!

In other news, Lily started her new gymnastics class this week.  It was all conditioning and in her own words, “It was AWESOME!”  It is amazing to me that a 6 year old can be that excited about conditioning for 9 hours a week, which is what she will do this summer, but she is.  They won’t start routines until the fall.  She also is officially on summer break and started it out by sleeping in until 9:30 this morning!  Woohoo!

Riley forgot to read the memo about sleeping in now that summer is here =)  He is excited about going away and can’t wait to hang out with the boys. I have no idea who the boys are that he keeps talking about, but hopefully he’ll find some to hang out with in Houston!  We are trying to decide what sport to let him try in the fall.  I am looking for a fall t ball team, but have yet to find one.  I am most likely going to put him in some type of karate, because the boy loves to do some karate!

I have been doing well.  I have to admit that I haven’t even begun to pack and we fly out tomorrow.  I have to leave in 15 minutes for a three hour sit at gymnastics and I am blogging instead of packing!  I work better under pressure =)

Enjoy some pictures from the past couple of weeks!

Lily at field day!

So much fun!

A tea party in Lily’s room.  I know, Riley’s in his underwear.  Hey, at least he wasn’t naked =)  It’s hard to keep clothes on him!

A night at the drive in with friends.

I will update on Tuesday, hopefully, with the results.  We are staying at the ranch, so I don’t know if I’ll have computer access or not!  Check back on Tuesday night!

I Love Summer!

I love summer!  I love the warmth of sunshine on my face.  Sitting on our deck and watching the kids play.  Hearing their screams when they hear the ice cream man.  Watching the ice cream melt down their chins as they try and eat it before it melts.  Grilling out.  Eating watermelon.  Catching fireflies.  Kings Island.  Swimming. Late summer nights.  Sun kissed faces.  All of it!  I love it all!  Here are some pictures from our first taste of summer this year.  There will be plenty more to come…

Lily is quite the little fish.  She loves the water and has been a swimmer since she was 2.  However, this year, she can really have fun.  She can finally touch!  She is so excited.

Swimming with her cousins.

Riley hanging out on the noodle.

Getting the courage to let go.  He can swim and finally touch in the shallow end!  Woo hoo!   Mommy gets to sit on the edge this year and just dip my feet in.  Love it!

Swimming to Justin

Getting braver

Super Riley!!  Jumping in and swimming to the steps.

He loves goggles. 

Snack time with Luke!

End of the soccer season party with Lana.

Yummy ice cream from the cone.

Everyone on the team got a medal.  Coach told her she was small but mighty.  She would face any girl, no matter the size.  Then one of her teammates said, “And she was always falling down!”  HA  So funny and so true.  I think she fell at least 10 tens in the last game.  Coach said, “But she always got right back up!”  Too cute!

Here is movie night in our cul de sac.  Our neighbors have a movie screen they attach to their house and they put on a kids movie every Friday night at dusk.  It is so much fun and the kids love it!

Finally, here is a picture of Ricky and I from date night.  It doesn’t happen often enough, but it was so nice to have a nice evening out with him.  We had a really good time!

Summertime Fun

Enjoy these photos from the past week!  We have been enjoying this warm weather!

Here are the kids helping Ricky plant our first vegetable garden.

Don’t laugh at Riley’s pink shovel!

The finished product…

Cold sprinkler water

Lily, Ella, and Riley taking a pool break.

Maddy taking a nap in the sun!

Sprinkler fun!  Lily cracks me up!

Ella and Lily decorating cookies!  Yummy!

Riley loving some cookies!

Ricky with his fishing hat, shorts, knee high socks, and paint roller!  That is so hot =)

The kids heard the music from the ice cream man and went nuts! 

Lily was the birthday girl at school today!  She got to wear a crown and be the helper.

Enjoying her birthday treat!  We made butterfly cookies for the girls and caterpillar cookies for the boys.

She got to share every day this week.  Today she shared her gymnastics trophy.

Of course, I can’t have a post with pictures without one of  Lily upside down.  Except in these, she was upside down in the baby pool!  She is crazy!

In other news, Ricky’s round 6 of chemo has gone very well!  He has kept himself busy with outside projects.  He has done the vegetable garden, planted flowers, and has been working on building a wooden roof for the kids swing set.  The tarp was ripped in the wind storm so that is well needed.  His last night is tonight and do you know what that means?!?…. WE ARE HALFWAY DONE!!  Woo hoo!!