update

I talked to Grandma on Wednesday...apparently 48 hrs after chemo is when it hits her. I will start calling her on Tuesdays when she feels better. She was okay...very tired...but sounded better than last week. Grandpa was taken to the hospital for evaluation and to change his meds. He got very beligerent and aggressive yesterday so my uncle took him. His doctor was on call when they got to the hospital, but grandpa didn't recognize her at all. Thankfully, he didn't hurt grandma. He'll be there for about a week. My great aunt's cancer is Stage 1...so that is good. I'm not sure what the course of treatment is, but I'm glad she caught it early.

As I was telling some people on Sunday...this is very hard for those of us the family who are caregivers. We want to help...I haven't been able to because of several reasons. I wanted at the very least to be able to do something for my mom to lift some of her burden (do something physically, that is...I am praying, of course). Well, this weekend she and dad are going to NC to see a friend play at an inn there. We are keeping their "child" Kris. At least I can do that for her so she can go and relax and recharge just a little bit. He is staying outside for now, though. He and Brennan love to wrestle so they don't get to come in until the house is a little more "Kris-proof" and they have worn themselves out sufficiently. Here is what Kris is doing now.



I'll try to get some more pics to put up later...after the camera batteries are charged.

Have a great day!

add one more to the mix

Either God thinks we are stronger than we think we are (duh)...or he's going to do something huge that satan just doesn't like...
Just got a call from my mom...grandma's sister's (my great aunt) biopsy came back cancer. That brings the grand total of breast cancer diagnosis in my family to 7 (I think). Needless to say I have scheduled an appointment with my GYN to talk about a baseline mammogram at 30. I'd say that's a strong family history...wouldn't you?

oh, and grandma is doing better today. she's more alert and her fever is coming down.

update on Grandma

Mom came home yesterday after spending 10 days with Grandma as she started her chemo treatments. My uncle is "on duty" right now. Mom is tired but glad she got a full night's sleep last night.
I called grandma yesterday just to check up on her and my uncle answered the phone. He told me that she was not having a good day. She was very tired...would fall asleep walking to the bathroom...and not eating much. I called back today and talked to her for a little bit, then I talked to my uncle some more.

Wow, how a week can change things. When I talked to grandma last week, we carried on a good conversation. She sounded weak, but was cohearent and understandable. When I talked to her today, it's like she didn't have much of a clue as to what I was talking about. My uncle said that's about how she's been this week. We will know after next week if chemo is helping or not. Then the plans start to get us out there to visit...somehow. I am trusting God will provide what we need to get out there to see her and spend some good quality time talking and remembering and letting her enjoy her great-grandkids as much as she is able.
We still don't know the primary source of the cancer (liver is rarely the primary source) and a couple more things have come up in the family in this "realm" of possible cancer or cancer-related type things (is that vague enough?)

Specific prayers:
Mom's energy and strength and health
God's will to be done in Grandma's illness (if he doesn't want healing, then we don't either)
Grandpa's health - the days he doesn't know what's going on will be especially hard
calm and peace and understanding in our family...if God uses this to bring family members to Him, then I am all for that (as hard as it is to admit, sometimes)

thank you for reading

Kyler funny about adoption

going into church talking about two girls adopted from China, J and A.


Me: J is Pastor Pat's daughter that they adopted from China, like A's parents adopted her from China
Kyler: and like we adopted Aaliyah from your belly at the baby doctor's


I wonder how the child's mind thinks sometimes! :)

So what happened...

I hear that a lot at work from former students. "Mrs. King! How are you, etc... What happened that you have to work at WalMart? Did they fire you?"

I never go into all the details with them (they are just teenagers who think they know my whole life:) ) just tell them that I stay home with my kids now during the day and work in the evenings. Here is the ugly truth:


I LOVE my job. I really do. I hear lots of people say, "ugh, walmart?!" and things similar, but my job is great. I get to smile at someone who hasn't seen a smile all day, maybe all week. I get to help people get out as soon as possible (no one likes to wait in line at walmart). I get to be God's light to someone who just wants to know why I'm so happy, even when I'm having a bad day. I truly believe God has put me at this job for a purpose. Everyday I walk in I ask God to let me shine on someone that day.

So when you see me behind the register at WalMart...just know that I'm there because I want to be...because God put me there for HIS purpose...because it allows me to be home with my kids and still keep my sanity!

Godology - God Part 1

I know I've kept you waiting...you're probably in suspense to find out what out last Godology lecture was about. :)

THEOLOGY PROPER - THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
I know, I know...big words.

According to Pat, we will be spending a few weeks on this topic. I'm excited. I love learning and to learn about something new is just icing on the cake. **sidenote: by "new" I mean stuff I was just expected to know, but never really learned, just acted like I did**

There are several false views of God in our world; many of which I had heard of, but was never really sure what their views were.

Atheism is the denial of God. Not knowing God and denying him...complete denial that God even exists. There are two types of Atheism, 1) absolute - absolute denial of God (with a moral twist: if there is no God, I can do whatever I want with no eternal consequences) 2)practical - denies God's existence with their actions, not verbally.
Agnosticism - not complete denial, there could be a god or there may not, just not enough proof.
Polytheism - belief in many gods (think Hinduism, Greek and Roman mythology)
Pantheism - belief that god is in everything and everything is god
Deism - acknowledges that there is a god that was the creator, but that's where it ends, denys scripture or anything supernatural, does NOT believe that the creator is also the sustainer

Many people in the world believe that "everything is relative." No absolute truth. This is agnosticism, aka: situational ethics, post-modernism

God CANNOT be proven scientifically...but neither can Lincoln's assassination or any other historical event. In order to be proven scientifically, it has to be re-created. We can't re-create history. We can, however, give reasonable evidence as to why we believe God exists. God has left his "tracks" all over this world for us to see (like deer tracks, you see them, but not the deer...you just know it was there).

There are 4 Major Arguments for the existence of God (General Revelation)
1. Cosmological - only God could have created a universe this great, too many things just right to have been left up to chance or a "big bang"
2. Teleological - everything in this world is ideal for our existence, the order and design of this universe is perfect for humans, the way all our organs and joints work together...only God
3. Ontological - our intuition and reason proves God's existence, even those who have never heard the name of God or Jesus have a need to worship something and explain how we came to exist.
4. Moral - everyone has a general idea of right and wrong and that there must be some form of justice...only God could have established that in ALL humans.

I'm excited to see where we go next in knowing who God is and how we know he truly is God.

Talked to Grandma yesterday...

Her words, "I'm doing better today than the last couple of days."

Some lesser-known side effects of chemo hit her kinda fast and hard, but had been dealt with when I talked to her.

I don't know what to say when I talk to her. I want to be optimistic (more for my sake than anything) but I don't know what the prognosis is and I don't think the doctors have given one yet. They have to wait for the chemo to start working (or not work) before they can make an educated guess. I want to be there...but I can't. I want to hold on to her...but I can't. I want to hear all of her stories that she has to tell...but I can't.
The truth is...I don't know her as well as I want to. I know and I understand why we moved. I know that mom and dad did the best they could to get us out there about once a year. But I'm still jealous. Jealous of my cousins who were closer and got to spend more time with them. Jealous that they have memories that I don't. Jealous that they get to see her now...and I don't know if I ever will again. Why didn't I know this in April???? Why couldn't I have known???
I look at the quilts that she gave me. Ones that she finished because Great-grandma couldn't. I remember sitting on her kitchen counter eating vanilla wafers and peanut butter and looking through the cabinets for Grandpa's peppermint Extra gum. I even remember what the jar that he kept it in looked like.
I wanted my children to know their great-grandparents as long as I did. I have real memories of them. I didn't want to have to tell my children that their great-grandparents died when they were young. They are really the only ones they have. (My husband's grandfather has only met Kyler once and that was last May. I've only met him once and that was the day before we got married!)
I'm sorry if this is all over the place. Words are coming out faster than I can type. I'm going to go for now. I'm sure there will be more sooner rather then later.

What do you think?

I am trying another background. I thought this was a good representation of our family, but also a reminder that we feel called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in South America. Does it make sense without the explaination?

Kyler funny

When I came home from work Tues. night, my husband tells me a funny from Kyler.

(my best recollection of the conversation)
K - I need to poop
R - okay, just let me know when you're done.
K - okay
a few moments later
R - you okay?
K - yes
R - you need a book?
K - no
few moments pass
K - daddy, can you bring me a magazine?

Ha, Ha! I thought it was hilarious! Then...yesterday, we had this conversation.

K - mommy, hurry up, I have to pee
Me - then go in your bathroom
K - but I want to use yours
Me - okay, I'm done, go
couple of minutes later, I hear him yell something to me and I don't understand so I go to check on him

This is what I found in my bathroom:

Help for Haiti

Ike hit Haiti very hard and there is a lot of devastation. To read about some of the damage and how you can help you can go here or here.

And here we go

Part of growing up is seeing those around you growing older, too. I've never (in my adult life) though of my grandparents as old and never really contemplated what life would be like without them. Even though I've basically grown up 12 hours away from them, they've always been there...until Sept. 2000. This is when I lost my first grandparent (dad's dad). It wasn't too hard, though. He was unhappy and was ready to die. No, he hadn't been sick for a long time and he wasn't in pain, just unhappy and ready. Kind of hard to cry over that.
I've realized that most people have their "favorite" grandparents and then "the other ones." I've realized that I just relate better to one set than the other. Mom's parents are very down-to-earth farmer-types (okay, they were farmers). There is a very large extended family and everyone is fairly close regardless of how far, physically, they are.
Dad's parents were quite a bit different. There always seemed to be an elephant in the room. Their house was very neat and orderly...complete with doilies on the chairs and end tables.
I've been fairly protected from death (by God's grace) in my life. The only deaths I've had in my life that really affected me were my two dogs and my great-grandma (in 1999). Now, in the last 6 months, it had come a lot closer. No one has passed, yet, but I know it will happen. Last month my dad's mom was in the hospital with E. coli. When you're 83 and already diagnosed with a lot of other things, this is NOT good. She pulled through, though, and is doing good.



Grandpa (mom's dad) has Alzheimer's and it's progressing.


Then, last week, Grandma (mom's mom) was diagnosed with liver cancer.

It's very large and spread to the lungs and the spleen. The problem is, liver is secondary and they don't know where the primary source is ( or was). She starts chemo today...they can't do radiation on the liver...we have no idea how it will respond. I have a lot of thoughts that have been running through my head about this, but this post is already getting very long. I'll save them for tomorrow (or maybe just later today). Keep grandma in your prayers (and my mom and her brother and sister, too). This is going to be hard on a lot of us.

First soccer game.

Kyler had his first soccer game on Sat. We were all excited...cold, but excited. I mis-judged the temperature and we were a bit chilly on that cloudy, dreary, brezzy morning. It's been a looooong time since I've been to the soccer fields and it all came back to me VERY quickly. Dress warm, bring a blanket, be prepared for pretty much anything.
Anyway...his team doesn't actually play any games until the last two weeks. This is just a chance to get them acquainted with the ball, basic skills, and rules of the game. In a couple of years, he'll be playing "magnet ball" for real...just don't tell him! Here are some pictures of our big day:

All buckled in and ready to go!


Excited to watch brother play!


First ones to the field...


...so let's warm up a little.


playing with mommy (no, I didn't play as a kid)


he came over to us to say hi to Grandma and Grandpa and we told him to go back (he wasn't happy)


coach Kayla (one of my former students) showing him how to push the ball with his laces


Grandma, Grandpa and Aaliyah watching all the fun


at least he can follow the coaches instructions!


chasing the coaches with the balls


His favorite game...Shark in the Water.

hubby bragging

My husband is not a flower-giver by any stretch of the imagination. I have received flowers from him on 3 occasion (twice while we were dating and once on Valentine's Day 2006). Well...yesterday he came home with these




My first response was, THANK YOU!!! Then I started thinking..."Honey? What did you do?" His response was, "nothing." He brought me flowers for no reason! MAJOR brownie points. :)

New hairstyles

still haven't gotten a pic of the single ponytail on top, but here's an attempt at a "real" ponytail.




The good thing is that I can change her hairstyle everyday...the bad thing is that I have to do something to her hair everyday. If not, this is what I find in the crib after nap #1...




And one more from yesterday...



Everybody now..."Stop, in the name of love. Before you break my heart..."

Have a nice day!

I need a makeover...

my blog does, that is. Well, I personally need a makeover, too, but that is for a different time. I am trying to find just the right background (that I don't have to pay for) so bare with me as things change over the next few days...or weeks...or months. I'm a bit indecisive at times. :)