Am I really going to blog?: May 2012

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Splash into summer......

For the first time in a very long time, our school ended before Memorial Day. I am determined to make this a great summer for all of us so we spent a good part of the holiday in the pool! Sami had a a great time and didn't even aruge when I slathered sun tan lotion on her multiple times throughout the day.

She started out a little skittish and used her float when jumping in with some of the cousins:

We are making some big plans for the rest of the summer& hope to include the zoo, baseball games, picnics, 5Ks & the beach!

Until next time,
Lori

Sunday, May 27, 2012

End of the school year!

Thursday was the last day of second grade for Samantha. She had such a great year. She learned so much, but equally important, she LOVED her teacher. Mrs. Kibble is so wonderful! We were so lucky that she agreed to come out of retirement for this one year. Samantha was thrilled to have had the opporunity to have one of the same teachers that her brother had.

Sami & Mrs. Kibble:

Cameron & Mrs. Kibble - last day of kindergarten in June 2005

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Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Samantha has some special things to take to the cemetary. Not sure what else to say about that.

Until next time,
Lori

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Seriously..... This is a job??

Professional Hula Hooper??? Really?

Anyway, Sami & I went to a demonstration tonight at the public library. It was pretty entertaining. Stuff I could never do! Like this:

Sami had a great time trying her hand at some of the tricks:

Me & my girl on Mother's Day - one of the most bittersweet holidays for me.

Next time, I will update re: the lost roll of film! We've got too much homework to finish up tonight for me to do a long post!

Lori

I HOPE....

I hope you never have to hear the words, 'Your child has cancer.'

I hope you never have to hear, 'The prognosis is not good.'

I hope you never have to prepare to undergo radiation or chemotherapy, have a port surgically inserted into their chest, be connected to IV poles. Look at you with fear in their eyes and say, 'Don't worry Mommy, everything will be okay.'

I hope you never have to hold your child as they vomit green bile.

I hope you never have to feed them ice chips for lunch.

I hope you never have to watch the 'cure' you pray for slowly take away their identity, as they lose their hair, become skeletal, swell up from steroids, develop severe acne, become barely or unable to walk or move, and look at you with hope in their eyes and say,'It's going to be okay, Mommy.'

I hope that you never have to stay in the hospital for weeks, months, or years at a time, where there is no privacy, sleeping on a slab, with your face to the wall, where you cry in muffled silence.

I hope you never have to see a mother, alone, huddled, in a dark hospital corridor...crying quietly, after just being told, 'There is nothing more we can do.'

I hope you never have to watch a family wander aimlessly, minutes after their child's body has been removed.

I hope you never have to use every bit of energy you have left, with all of this going on around you to remain positive, and the feelings of guilt, sorrow, hope and fear, overwhelm you.

I hope you never have to see a child's head bolted to the table as they receive radiation.

I hope you never have to take your child home (grateful but so afraid) in a wheelchair because the chemo and radiation has damaged their muscles, 35 pounds lighter, pale, bald, and scarred. And they look at you with faith in their eyes and say, 'It's going to be okay Mommy.'

I hope you never have to face the few friends that have stuck beside you and hear them say, 'Thank God that is over with,'...because you know it never will be. Your life becomes a whirl of doctors, blood tests and MRI's and you try to get your life back to 'normal'. While living in mind-numbing fear that any one of those tests could result in hearing the dreaded words...'The cancer has returned' or 'The tumor is growing.' And your friends become even fewer.

I hope you never have to experience any of these things... Because...only then...Will you understand...

(author unknown)