hola

You may have noticed by the last post that my nephew turns one today. It seems like only yesterday he was a soft little bundle. I haven't seen him since February for reasons difficult to explain... for reasons I don't fully understand myself. As we celebrate this milestone, my heart is a little sad for moments missed :-(

As I was out running errands last night, I caught the tail end of THIS SERMON about protecting marriage entitled, The Wise Family Protects Their Marriage (the download is free when you become a registered user... also free). He spoke of a couple facing extreme difficulties. The husband had ALS, a progressive, fatal disease and both he and his wife attested to the fact that if allowed, God could use life's difficulties to deepen marital love instead of dividing it. It was a powerful sermon centered around this verse:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I don't know about you, but I want that kind of marriage and will do whatever I need, to foster love that endures. On that note, I can't wait to listen to Parts 1 and 2!

Spent the day lying low with Ren while the hubby and Meeley were out and about. I'd have to say that being holed up with Ren has it's advantages (or disadvantages, depending upon how you look at it). First of all, I found some super cute shoes.

These $150 beauties:

Um, yeah... that's the sale price.

And these:

For a mere $90 (though I did find them later for $65). Ren's recovery could wind up being costly.

I am also extremely found of THIS STORE and THIS BLOG. And lastly, these designer shoes:

If they weren't $150 and discontinued, would be right up my alley. (Perhaps I'd best be leaving the Internet.)

Adios.

Number One

You are one,

Let’s have some fun.

Teddies or blocks,

Where are your socks?

Milk tastes so sweet,
With honey and heat.
Today we will play,
With Sunshine and day.

We wish you the best,
As you grow healthy, no less.
Has it been a year?
We love you our dear.

By Martin Dejnicki

a definite thumbs-up

What a difference a day - and not taking an antibiotic on an empty stomach - can make. Here are a few shots from yesterday with the hurting tummy:

And here's where we are at today:

My hubby and the tweenager have been going stir crazy, especially yesterday while I was on-call because they couldn't leave the house. Along with washing the motorcycle, they decided to disembowel an old VCR.

Meeley said it was the most fun he'd EVER had. (The poor child.)

Oh, and there's one more thing I almost forgot to share:

Ren's idea... to summon "room service." I think he's going to have a rough time upon reentry into real life.

hate this

Yesterday he was pretty perky, today he is not. He vomited this morning, a few hours after taking his antibiotic and has been sleeping ever since. (He just stirred long enough to take a small sip of water.)

Can't wait for this to be over. I'm sure he feels the same.

i am i'd be a little jealous, too

Meeley feels slighted and can't quite grasp the "fairness" of his younger brother being able to eat ice cream for dinner, having unlimited game time, and being let off the hook with daily chores. His head gets it but his heart doesn't. So the hubby and Meeley will be having a special guy day this week. Common Sense Media gave Star Trek a "suitable for 12-year olds" rating so they'll be heading off to Meeley's first unedited PG-13 movie. (At this point, he's only seen filtered PG-13 movies.)

A milestone. In my book, at least.

I'm on-call today for NILMDTS and as usual, am praying that no one is in need of my services. Too, I'm looking forward to a night in my bed. (We plan to move Ren from the living room recliner to his bed tonight.) Let's just say, it's been Sleepless in Rosemount this weekend. The sofa is no way to sleep.

Pippy stopped by last night with a Dairy Queen frozen cake. His card made mention of calling Ren "Ice Cream Man" instead of "Apple Dude" - if you've been reading this blog for some time, I'm sure you've picked up on my son's apple issues. Ren got a kick out of that one. Too, Auntie Stacey packed him up a juicy red one along with a really cool game when she stopped by on Friday. (Sadly though, he's limited to applesauce for the next couple of weeks.)

Think I'd been go brew some coffee now that the boy is up. It's only 7:00 am and my head is already starting to throb. Not a good sign. Sleep deprivation is dangerous after forty.

It looks to be a beautiful day, I hope you enjoy it!

morning is always better

Can't wait until this is all behind us. I overheard Ren telling his big brother this morning, "If you ever have surgery, it's not the surgery you need to worry about - it's the recovery."

So true.

The family is up and running - Meeley and the hubby are at a tennis tournament, Ren and I are hanging out here at home. A few snapshots from this morning:

A neighbor's hairdryer died this morning and we had a chance to visit when she returned mine. Turns out she is very familar with our new clinic (her kids are now young adults) and gave me the names of her two favorite doctors (along with the names of those to avoid). I am SO GLAD for her hairdryer troubles (I told her that, too) otherwise we likely wouldn't have had today's conversation.

Ren's cheeks are looking a lot like THIS and THIS today. I'll have to see if I can capture them in all their rosy glory. (Just did. I'll try to post them later.)

Have a great day!

the little bugger

Has been having a rough night. We're trying to find the right balance with the pain meds - too much and he feels sick, too little and he hurts. It's been wearing off before the four hours are up so I'm giving him the next dose closer to every 3-1/2 hours. (I'm staying up for the next one and will set my alarm for the following dose. Can you say one long night? (Actually, it could be several long nights according to THIS POST.)

I just need to keep in mind that each day is another day closer to a full recovery.

He's having trouble sleeping. Gotta go...

he is doing SO well

The treatment Ren received at St. Paul Children's Hospital went beyond our expectations. They answered all of his questions (and ours) along with making it seem more like an adventure than surgery. We were with him until he was under (blankie was with him the entire time) and there were no pokes or needles while he was awake. As parents, we were kept in the loop the entire time by a special screen, knowing exactly where he was at all times and approximately when we'd be able to see him.

And when we were finally able to see him, he slept. (Even with the swelling, his breathing sounded a zillion times better!)

He was up after an hour or so and feeling more like himself (though his voice sounds a little different).

He was even sent home with a pair of Spiderman slippers! It's been a wonderfully smooth afternoon - he's been drinking lots of water, eating freeze pops, and even had a little bowl of mashed potatoes. Thank you so much for your prayers!

tomorrow is RMO day

We've jokingly been referring to it as Rip-M-Out Day. Yes, poor taste, but right up the kids' alley. Blankie will be joining us to offer moral support. The only thing Ren is really concerned about is feeling nauseated and/or vomiting because of the anesthesia. We would appreciate your prayers in this area and for a smooth recovery.

Meeley is with Grandma Pat and Grandpa Don tonight. After dropping him off, we went in search of movies and soft treats for the weekend. The Sick Spot is ready and his Nintendo DS is charging. Though I may not have a chance to post tomorrow, you can keep on eye on my Tweets for updates.

Kind of a sad news day. Gonna go catch up with some Ben & Jerry's ice cream and my hubby. Talk to you later.

"I'd imagine myself a hobo before a professional swimmer." - Meeley on talk of swimming lessons

He has a way of expressing himself; when Meeley doesn't like something, you certainly know it :-)

The hubby has been selling up a storm on Craig's List, enough even to purchase two new guitars - this Gretsch being one of them. It has caught the interest of our soon-to-be third grader; in addition to playing drums, he now wants to learn how to play guitar. Can you blame him?

Speaking of Craig's List, my sister Stacey will be selling a ton of plus-size clothing at great prices. Here's a sampling of one of her collections:

It includes a pair of pajamas, a cream-colored blouse, two dressy tops along with a black skirt and black twill pants, a short-sleeved denim top, and a striped blouse - all for $50. There are roughly nine collections, all with a similar number of pieces. If you're interested in sizes or checking out any of the other collections before they are posted to Craig's List, let me know!

the weeds & bees deal

Spent some time at Grandma's pool yesterday and snapped this shot as she was floating around with her noodles, scooping debris out of the pool. The kids were being a pain so I sent them on a mission on Grandma's behalf, to pluck every weed and bee out of the water.

That lasted about five minutes.

Really, it was more like an hour but it felt like only five minutes. (The hubby has been away on mancation since Saturday - his word, not mine - and I am sorely in need of a break.) I paid them five cents per weed/bug and was out $4.30 when all was said and done. Not bad for a little quiet time.

The hubby returns today and I couldn't be more excited to share the job of cutting the grass see him. Ren also has his pre-op appointment.

Yes, exciting times in the Vega household.

I just realized that my 2nd blogiversary is right around the corner (July 5-11) which means I'd better start wrangling up some prizes. (Likely to include a thing or two from THIS LIST.) Be sure to mark your calendars and pop in throughout the week for a ton of prize drawings.

BTW, my garden is still alive - in fact, I even have two hot peppers already! Speaking of gardens, while snapping some shots around my parents' place I stumbled into their vegetable garden. Check out this sweet plant cage:

My dad made it! Isn't that the coolest thing? I hope we see one in the BINGO pile next Christmas. (Along with the beef jerky.) Contrary to popular belief, he's more than just a computer wiz. Check out some of his mad gardening skills:

Now I've managed to somehow mess up my Blogger screen. Guess that means it's time to end this post. Enjoy the day and stay cool!