Happy 5th Birthday JAX!

It is one of those nights.

I do not experience them that often but when I do it really sucks because I am tired and I really want to sleep! Believe it or not, this will be therapy and let me explain.

I sometimes experience sleepless nights because I have WAY TOO much on my mind. There are things I have wanted to do and need to do that I have yet to do because life consumes me at times and I continue to keep pushing the really important things aside to deal with the monotonous day to day things.

I have been meaning to update this blog for sooooooo long and I keep saying "tomorrow" and tomorrow comes and then the next day and the next and it still does not get done. So, I become increasingly overwhelmed with things that I should not be overwhelmed with. And so on and so forth.......................boring.

So, I will be able to cross this off of that To Do List that resinates in my head! YEAH for me! One less thing. I guess all I can do is a little each day to get caught up. My next task is a little more time consuming.............thank you letters.

When I tell you that Gary and I have hundreds of thank yous to write I am giving you a conserative estimate! Let's be real......I should not include Gary in the writing of these letters. We all know that I will write them (his writing is barely legible and he is a classic peck typist), read them to Gary and then I will seal them, address them, stamp them and mail them! I get flustered just thinking about it. I think he could put the stamps on them! :)

On the other hand, I can barely stand the thought of having to have forged through this alone with no one to thank. We are so incredibly blessed and fortunate! I do not think any of you know how blessed we feel.
If you were at church this morning you got to witness a "very rare" event. Gary got up in front of our church to thank everyone and pour out some incredible emotions! He has come SUCH A LONG WAY! Never in a million years would I have thought he would get up in front of hundreds of people ON A MICROPHONE and share his most private thoughts and feelings! He did such a great job and we love him, admire him and respect him so very much! He told everyone that he was actually thankful for having had the opportunity to experience cancer! He feels like his life has been changed and touched in so many ways. He owes everything to the Glory of God and I think he is truly amazing!
So, back to me.

I am thinking about how I want to thank everyone. Many people have told me to write a general letter and send it out to everyone and then write a small "blip" at the bottom to each person. A "small blip"????? I ask! Are you kidding? Have you read this blog? There is absolutely nothing short-winded about my writing or my thoughts! I have to articulate things - my feelings, the way they come across and how they are taken! I am an over-thinking, analytical being who can't possibly be expected to write a "small or short blip"!

My point being is that I will begin to write this week. Please do not think we have forgotten about you. We think about you everyday. We think about how you have touched our lives in so many ways and continue to do so even now. We covet your prayers and think about how we hope to someday touch your life like you have touched ours!

I bet you want an update on Gary's general well-being???
He is coming along with his healing. If I were to take a stab at what percentage he was functioning at I guess I would say 70% at this point. He has more overall good hours in his day. He looks great even though he walks a little funny sometimes!
We are in the process of re-writing his resume right now and that is one more thing I HAVE TO CROSS OFF MY LIST TOO! Many people are waiting for it and I need to get it done! Thanks Tom for being so patient!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray that he gets a wonderful job offer. He is so deserving of that and he is getting prepped and ready for that perfect job!

We are looking forward to the Holidays and Gary's next check up is on December 13th. I have thought about changing it to the first of the year but I am unsure if we are going to do that. We will pray on it and make sure we make the right decision.

THE BOYS
What can I say about our boys?
All three of our boys are doing extremely well in school and have had rave reviews by their teachers! They just finished baseball tonight until the spring and we are now in the official "sport hiatus"! A break for a while will be nice. Nate's and Zach's coaches were awesome as always and we are so thankful for the time they took to invest in our boys! Yeah coaches!

JAX IS 5 TODAY!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR LITTLE MAN!
NATE WILL BE 7 on the 28th!
GARY JUST TURNED %2 on Nov.9th!
I will be 29 on Dec.11th!
Poor Zach - no birthday until February!

All three boys have taken their turns throwing up near me all week. Please let me assure you that I DO NOT DO VOMIT! EVER!!!
Jax puked and as he was crying I had him walk himself into the shower - fully clothed - to rinse the disgusting chunks of vomit off of himself and his clothes. I got him to the shower just in time. Gary was coming home from Bible study and he took over - HE'S DA MAN! I love my kids but I DO NOT DO VOMIT! Poor Jax.........and Nate...........and Zach..........and Gary. They had to fend for themselves for a few days while I was down for the count.
Thankfully, we are all on the mend and feeling much better.

Jax managed to use his wit and charm to get cashflow from several people tonight to play video games at Jake's birthday party. He is seriously resourceful and cute!

Nate managed to tell his brothers the other night this very thing.............."We all know that there is no such thing as the tooth fairy! It's Mom! Right, Mom?"
It absolutely is not me and has not been me. I can honestly say that.

Zach is growing into quite a young man. He is always ready to help me with whatever or accompany me on tedious errands and he even will pick up dog poop if I ask him! I am working on cleaning the toilet seat but we don't want to push growth in too many areas at once! :)

Okay.....I am still tired and need to get sleep. I am going to bed now. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more.......

Love and Hugs and Smiles,
Lisa