Memorial Day

As I've grown older, I've come to know and understand what Memorial Day is for.

It's not just about a day off work, hanging at the pool & cooking out.

I want to honor the soldiers who serve and continue to serve this country.

And I want my kids to grow up knowing from an early age what Memorial Day is for.

My grandfather served in WWII....was gone away from his wife and two small boys for years.

I have all the letters he and my grandmother wrote back and forth to each other.

They are so beautifully written....it saddens me that people don't write letters like this anymore.

I wanted to share my favorite letter of his on this Memorial Day:

Wednesday a.m.

May 1, 1946

My darling -

This is the letter that I've waited a year to write you - precious, I'm coming home! Home! I can't believe it!

My order came down last Friday, April 26th and I left Fukuoka on Saturday - I'm now in Yokohoma at the Fourth Replacement Depot - I've been all processed - and I will probably sail tomorrow or the next day on the "Stetson Victory" - it is in the harbor now taking on supplies.

I hope that you receive my cable gram that I sent you yesterday. I wanted to write you earlier - but my coming home was so sudden and I had so much to do.

This will really be a "sentimental journey" for me - and I owe everything to you darling - for it was you who initiated the request for my coming home.

Precious, I think I will land in Seattle around the 15th of May - so stay close to the phone - for I'll call you as soon as I land. I'll be discharged at Ft. McPherson - within 48 hours after my arrival there - isn't it wonderful!

I have many things to tell you sweet - but I won't clutter up this letter with them. It is still like a dream to me - somehow I can't grasp it - but soon I'll be in your arms and then we can really dream.

Tell Lawrence and Lyle that daddy is coming home - to stay. I've missed my little boys so much - but when I do get home - I'll try to be as good a father as you are a mother to them.

I'll close for now darling - and I guess this will be my last letter from Japan - for I'll probably go aboard ship today.

Stay just as sweet as you are - and I'll call you the minute I arrive in America - I adore you.

your own,

Pinson

Is that not the most amazing letter? Everytime I read it, it brings tears to my eyes. We actually had this letter read at his funeral. Preceded in death by his wife and two sons, it was only fitting that he was "coming home!" to be with them in eternity.

On this Memorial Day, please remember the people that have sacrificed so much that you may have freedom.

Happy Memorial Day!

things I don't understand

When you are best friends with someone since birth,

the closeness that you have can not be understood by others.

they don't understand why you are at the hospital for every birth...

they don't understand why you drive out of town for a grandparents funeral

they don't understand that with one phone call in the middle of the night - you are there.



I've really stopped trying to explain how close we are to people.

It frustrates me when they don't "get it"

that I prefer these 3 best friends to some of my siblings!

That they are the family I CHOOSE....



So as I sit here making a meal to take to her husband tonight

fighting back tears and wondering if he's even going to be able to eat....

I'm praying this word over and over again "benign. benign. benign."

The amount of things that I need to pray for seem overwhelming

and because I know God knows my heart - I just repeat "benign."



There is nothing right about a 2 year old being in surgery.

there is nothing right about visiting my friend at the hospital

when there isn't a baby being born.

I knew we would face continued trials in our future as we have in our past-

deaths, sickness, maybe even cancer....just not this way, Lord.



benign. benign. benign.

TGIF

Thank goodness it's Friday! This week has been crazy! Today was Numero Uno's last day of Pre-K! I have an offical Kindergartener! He started the morning off with some munchkins and a sweet note from daddy.

So Summer is officially here and I wanted to share a fun website that I've found! It's great for everyone in Atlanta and the surrounding areas looking for things to do during the summer. It's called Field Trips with Sue and while I don't know who Sue is, I can't wait to click on it each morning and see what adventure she posts next!

Today she provides us with a list of free Summer outdoor movies from Atlantic Station to Riverside Park in Roswell and even East Cobb Park to High Museum downtown and more!!! Tons of areas and tons of things to do and see this Summer!

I also have a great List of Summer activites for Atlanta - Let me know if you are interested and I'll email it to you!

Here's to Happy Summer Adventures!

Creed

Creed is one of our precious little friends

who was born 11 weeks early weighing only 2lbs.

His mom, Stephanie is such an amazing woman, hilarious and STRONG!

Here is Creed's story in Stephanie's words:

During his stay he was diagnosed with an adrenal gland problem, with no real idea of what it was. He finally joined us at home after 91 days and stayed home for about 90 days before heading next door to Scottish Rite 1001 Johnson Ferry Road. He was taken there because after weeks of battling feeding issues, mommy was defeated and didn't know what else to do. We were told then, that he had adnoviral pneumonia. During his stay there, we worked very hard on getting him to eat, but he was one strong willed little boy and refused. We came home with a NG tube (a tube that goes from his nose to his tummy) and that's how we feed him for the next 4 weeks. (That stay was 21 days) After having to replace the tube several times a day, we asked for a tube to be placed in his tummy instead. Two weeks later, yep, back in the hospital again with salmonella and sepsis. That trip was 6 days. Home for two days, then back again for dehydration, just 2 days in the hospital this time!!

Three months after that, Creed was scheduled for surgery, which was the first of three. While being put to sleep we had the tube in his tummy changed to a button...a more long term device used to feed him. A month went by and we found ourselves back in the hospital, this time with respiratory distress. One of the scariest moments we experienced...almost had to be placed back on the vent. Three days this time.

4 months later, we're back...this time stomach virus/hypoglycemic. 4 day stay...Oddly enough he was scheduled for his 2nd of 3 surgeries the very next day. So we went home, spent the night, and came back the next morning for an overnight stay.

We almost made it two months before our next illness, which was Kingella, an infection in his subtalar joint, and anemia. That was a 15 day stay!! 5 weeks later.... back in with Adenitis/Cellulitis in his arm/oral thrush. Just three days this time. So we started on our next healthy stretch and did pretty good for about 3 months. Nothing really big this time, just fever/vomiting... an overnight sleepover. This started another little cluster of visits. He got pneumonia a month later and stayed for 5 days. Home 2 weeks and then back again...with pneumonia, and yep...5 days again. Pneumonia was his illness of choice for awhile, then he changed to kidney infections.

After being home for 7 months, Creed went back in for 10 days. E coli/kidney infection/anemia. Home for almost a month then back again with his second kidney infection, 2 day stay. 9 months home...woo hoo!!! While we were having our little hospital break, Creek went to the Marcus Institute everyday for 8 weeks for 8 hours. He went in totally tube fed and after 8 weeks came home eating all by mouth. No more tube!!!! He had a surgery to close the site where the button one and has never looked back.

Then grrrrrr.....another kidney infection got 'em. This time for 13 days. A surgery was scheduled then for a procedure called de-flux. This would stop the reflux in his kidney's causing the infections. All was well after that for 8 months and he got a virus that caused fever/vomiting. Just three days to rebound from that. We all got really excited about this next run of healthiness.

He made it 11 months without going to the hospital. We all thought that maybe we were finally finished with all this craziness. Not so much....back to visit, our friend pneumonia/shock/sepsis, 6 days this time. Home for a month and back again, E. coli, hypotention/sepsis/low potassium, 6 days there again.

2 weeks at home and the ol' fever/vomiting bug returned and kept us there 11 days. This is when one of Creed's doctors said enough...(please know that during each of these stays test after test were being ran to try and figure out why he continued to get sick) and would not let us go home until we got to the bottom of this. He requested a bone marrow biopsy.

After all the blood test ran over the years he felt like whatever was causing this had to be in the bone marrow. So during that 10 day stay, Creed had a bone marrow biopsy and after we came home, we found out he had monosomy7/myelodysplasia. FINALLY!!!!

5 years later we know why all this has happened. We met with the bone marrow transplant team at Egleston and were told that a bone marrow transplant is the only cure for this disease. While in the process of getting all the i's dotted and t's crossed, Creed was sick again. Pneumonia again and 2 days later he was home. He spent 2.5 months at home before his most recent visit in May for fever/vomiting. That was just a 3 day stay and the last as of this posting.

Creed's little life has been a hard one to watch. As we continued to see him go in and out of the hospital and watch his tiny body fight so hard. His spirit and courage is something I could only wish for. He is my hero and I'm glad to be the chosen one he calls mommy.
As we start our next journey, with high hopes for the future, we thank you all for walking beside us and for praying as we go.

I can't imagine how tiring, frustrating and saddening

this would be to see your child so sick

and constantly in and out of the hospital.

I'm hoping this blog post will help Stephanie in one small way.

"Creed Bands" are here!

There are 2 sizes - adult and child -

and quite the bargain at $2.00 each!

The money raised will be used for parking, gas, meals and other expenses related to Creed's bone marrow transplant. And this is a great reminder to pray for Creed! If you would like to purchase one, please let me know!

Field Day!

Today was a first for me....

I went to Field Day as a PARENT!!!!

And let me tell you something....

Field Day has changed!

Gone are the days of

sack races and the 50 yard dash!

Gone are the days of sleepless nights

worrying if you're going to beat Andria K.

(well that's what I did)

(I forgot baby girls stroller so this is what I kept seeing!!!)

The first "event" I witnessed was

basically two lines of kids

and the object was to get different items

to the end of the line as quickly as possible.

My boy was the last one

at the end of the line

The one that took the item

and put it in the hula hoop.

He was killing it!

Going as fast as he could

His line was told to squat down

because they finished FIRST!

So here is where I get on my soapbox...

just for a quick second.

Who in the world ever came up with

this "there is no losers, we're all winners" crap?

One of Numero Uno's classmates

asks "Did we win?"

and I'm ready to run over there

and high five him and say "YES!!"

(please notice two things: how tall my kid is and the Star Wars shirts! They LOVE it!)

oh no....we don't do that anymore.

The teacher announces

"you all worked so hard-

you are all winners"

WHAT?

I had to "tease" the teacher

so I ask her "Where are the blue ribbons?"

her: "no, we don't do that...

you'd see alot of kids crying if we did that"

To which I replied "isn't that one of life's biggest lessons?"

Better learned early in life?

I just don't get it.

Yes, I was disappointed when Andria beat me

but it made me work harder for the next year!

Life isn't always FAIR

There are Winners and Losers

There are things you have to WORK for

and I don't think it's a bad thing

to instill a little work ethic in your kids!

Alright...I'm stepping back down off my box.

But trust me I could go on and on.

He did have a great time though

and he knows the truth of who really won that relay!

A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals. Larry Bird

Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble. John Madden

Summer has officially started....for some!

From a mother's perspective, I think the end of the school year is the CRAZIEST time!!

If you are a mother with kids in school (especially preschool and elementary) then you know what I'm talking about! I can't imagine how crazy it will be when all three are in elementary school at the same time! It's exhausting just thinking about it!

Little man is officially out for summer! His last day was yesterday and while I didn't think I'd cry, I ended up boo-hooing like a baby! He has had the most precious teachers this year that have been so loving and patient and have instilled in him scripture that I know he will carry with him forever!

To celebrate the end of the year, we went to East Cobb Park to hear Jay Memory play! If you are in the area, it is great! He plays great music from 4-7 every wednesday through the summer and the kids LOVE IT!

When the day was done and they had gotten all of their energy out - we headed to the car and saw THIS!!!!!

Do you remember the excitement of seeing (and hearing) that ice cream truck in the summer??? Is there anything better through the eyes of a child?

These three were PUMPED!!!!! Everyone got an ice cream goody.....

and went home dirty, tired and happy!

Here's to more summer days ahead!!!!