Heaven

Daffodil went to Heaven today. She suffered from a liver shunt, as well as Mange, a very rare tick disease that I cannot even pronounce and Rocky Mountain fever. She was at the vet for 8 days getting test after test because she had the vet very puzzled. At one point, he had it narrowed down to three of the four illnesses, but after she did not respond the way he anticipated to the meds, he ran more tests. It appears that she has had a liver shunt since birth and should really not have survived more than a year. She lived almost 5. When she acquired the Mange, she had to have 2 strong meds to combat it. One of which her liver could not tolerate, and all went down hill from there. We brought her home on Sat with a slight hope that with a homemade diet and several meds, vitamins and homeopathic tonic, would bring her strength back. We knew it would be a long shot but worth a try. At that point, she was too weak for surgery. So, after 5 days of various meds at all different times of day, home made meals consisting of rice, cottage cheese, egg white and honey, and LOTS of mess because she no longer had control of her potty, we had to make the decision. It was just so sad. Scott, of course, has been out of town for three days so we are making decisions via phone. I decided that I needed to do it because sitting here watching her like this with the kids was no better. So the children said goodbye and this brings me to the point of this blog post. Daffy was Isabelle's dog so I knew we needed to have a private conversation about what was going to happen. She had an idea that Daffodil may need to go to Heaven so it was not a surprise. I gently explained to her that we have tried to make Daffy better and she had clearly seen that in the past few days. I went on to explain the obvious and she began to cry. She said this "Mama, I remember when Daffy could fit into my hands and she used to play with me. But you know, Mom, when Daffy gets to Heaven, she will be young again and play like she did when she was a puppy. That is what the bible says. She will play with Andre and the kitties and she will be happy." I will not forget those words. They got me through today and they will continue to do so. Her faith astounds me. Our conversation allowed to me think about death in another way. It is so easy to focus on the hurt and sorrow. Isabelle went with me to the vet today. She did not actually witness the procedure, but we said goodbye to Daffy. As I sat and cried, she reassured me that Daffy was ok. That Heaven was ok. Thank you, Isabelle, for having the strength and the courage to go with me. Thank you, Scott, for being with Daffy while she went to see Andre and the kitties. I love you Daffy. Have fun up there.

Oliver

Oliver is the second August birthday. He is FOUR!! Oh Ollie I still remember the night you were born. I barely made it to the hospital! None of the staff was ready and I stood in the hallway ready to deliver you with no room and out walked "Mr John" (Mohrhardt) from another room. I still remember the look on his face when he saw me in a condition that he will probably never forget. (I am pretty sure of that) You came into this world in a hurry and you have not stopped since. As soon as you were delivered, Mr. John and Ms. Kristy came in and saw you before anyone else. They took pictures and it was a big party shortly after midnight. You were such a peanut and oh so dark and cute. Your sisters and brothers were VERY excited to hear that you were a boy and Preston was glad he was not the only boy anymore. Here you are, four years later and still a little peanut. But your personality is so BIG! The things you say and the sensitivity you show touches everyone's heart. The things I love about you:

1. The way you randomly tell me that you love me.
2. The way you tell me to sing you "Edelweiss" when you wake up scared in the night. (Scott sings him Edelweiss and the MSU Shadows song every night before bed)
3. The empathy you show everyone and your willingness to say "sorry"
4. Your toes. I love your toes.

Of course there is more to love but I could go on and on. You are a gift and a true blessing, Oliver. We love you!

Preston

I am going back to August since I need to focus on each child for their birthdays. It feels bittersweet that Preston is SIX and he's now a first grader. I remember the night he was born and how Scott had to drive through the night just to make it in time for the birth. He made it within only about an hour. Preston was 4 weeks early and the first born boy. Never did I anticipate he would be the oldest of THREE boys. How lucky are we? Sometimes I forget that Preston gets lost in the shuffle. Being a middle child, he does not often get one on one attention that the others do. I feel sad about that. He tends to act out and be overly sensitive and it has come to our attention most recently that he needs individual mom and dad time. I joined a "Mother's In Christ" group (which is really for another blog post) and we had a child therapist speak to us the other day. He was one of nine children who went to a Catholic school and he stressed that each child is so very different and what works with one will NOT work with the other. Of course there are many other women there who have more children than we do and it was interesting to gain other perspectives on the birth order, discipline, etc.

Getting back to Preston. The things I love most about him:

1. His bright blue eyes that force you to melt even when he might be in a bit of trouble.
2. His sensitive nature toward others (not necessarily his siblings :))
3. The way he still likes me to hold him even though he is a big 6 year old
4. The way he looks so adorable in his soccer and hockey gear.
5. The smile he gets on his face when I pull up in car line and he sees me.
6. The reaction he has when his daddy is out of town calls him on the phone

I thank God every day for you, P Dog! Cannot wait until our date night to your fav restuarant!!!

Cottage

Next Summer I am going to take a three month hiatus from blogging. It hung over my head all summer that I had SOOO much to write and keep up. Now, school has started and I still have posts from July I want to put on here!! The summer proved to be a time for total fun and i decided that it was more for the kids to make memories and have fun than for myself. Therefore, I am now playing catch up in my house, kitchen, car, bedrooms and the list goes on. Anyway, here are some pics of our dear friends', the Vanvliets, cottage they had rented. It was loads of fun with boating, tubing and pizza to conclude the day. Enjoy!