Saturday is a special day...

The good thing is that I think I've almost caught up in pictures after this.  The bad thing is that I was really behind.  The good thing is that you'll be getting a conscise, pocket-sized version of our life, sparing you any of the painstaking details.  The bad thing is that there will be no painstaking details to read 10 years from now when I, perhaps, want to read the painstaking details.  Let's go.

Sweetie and Daddy at the Easter egg hunt at the Brawner's house.  It was awesome--huge egg hunt, bouncy house, delicious food.

Don't know if you can tell, but the girls have matching shirts.  I know, I know.  Cheesy mama. :)

My, what handsome boys!

Easter morning

Girlie's "Go Fish" musical at the end of school.  She was the cutest square-dancing seahorse you've ever seen.

Fans of the square dancing seahorse

Giddy up!

My tulips looked like peonies--they were amazing!

Royal wedding party thrown by my friend, Megan.  Oh, yes, those are tiaras we're all wearing.  I wore my pearls for the rest of the day.  The wedding was just dreamy.

Kiddos took swimming lessons.  At least one of them can almost swim now.  Work in progress.

My Mother's Day wish was for us to wear our matchy-matchy Easter clothes again so I could finally get a picture. You would have thought I asked everyone to eat staples.  Hey, the heart wants what it wants.

Okay, now, can I just tell you what I am SOOOOO excited about?  This Saturday, an American Girl store is opening up at the local mall.  Girlie and are going to the grand opening for a girlie date, and ...shhhhh....I am going to let her pick out a doll!!  Oh my goodness I'm just bursting with excitement!  She is going to be so thrilled!!  She never really asks for things, so it is really fun to surprise her!  Yes, there was a bit of a debate between the finance dad and the I-loved-them-when-I-was-little mama, but the "good memories" argument won out in the end. (I remember fondly going to the mall with my mom to pick out a cornsilk Cabbage Patch doll.  She was blonde and blue eyed.  Her name was Estra Zara.  I thought I would be happy forever.)  Oh, goodness!  We've been poring over the latest catalog, and I've gathered a bunch of American Girl dress patterns that I'm going to make for our new doll.  Okay, it started because we were at the mall and saw the store getting set up.  So we found out the details of the opening--crafts, dolls, etc.  Girlie was so excited and wanted to bring Alexis, her favorite doll--a Target version of American Girl dolls.  Well...Alexis is missing a leg, eyelashes, the skin-colored paint is missing from one eyelid, and her hair is completely matted.  She is... 'well loved'.  We didn't know if it would be a good idea to bring her.  So we came up with this idea instead, and I can't WAIT for Saturday!!!!!!!

(You can totally tell this doll is for her and not at all for me, right?) 

Playing a little catch up

So, I meant to post these last month, but we got, uh, a little busy. We did, in fact, celebrate Girlie's 8th birthday.  My goodness we love this girl!!!

 

The day started with heart shaped pancakes in bed (our bed, of course.  Wouldn't want to get crumbs in hers now, would we? :) ).

She's a self-proclaimed carnivore, so we had her favorite--ribs--for dinner.

She requested cupcakes instead of a cake, so I made some with two kinds of frosting and some pink sugar, just to make sure there was enough sweet.

She liked them.

She had the choice of a party with friends, or doing something special as a family.  She picked horseback riding with her family, so we went to Ensign Ranch where we spent the day doing fun things like canoeing...

I had to set poor Sweetie down to help row, and she got cold and wet.  And told us all about it.

...and horseback riding.  She declared it 'awesome.'

My little cow poke family.

Her horse's name was Tia.  I led her around the field, and I have to say it was a little exciting/scary being that close to such a large and powerful animal.  Especially when you need it to stop stepping on your foot.

Buddy loved it too.

Sweetie watched it all from the comfort of her carseat.

I think Sammy was a little disappointed that it wasn't more 'dangerous.'

It started sprinkling so we took shelter on some hay bales in a big shed.

Most of the time, if I want to have pictures of me with the kids, I have to take them myself.  Otherwise I run the risk of being completely undocumented in my children's lives.

Wow, where did all these kids come from?

We stopped at XXX Burgers on the way home.  A kitschy, greasy diner that served up great big root beers and overpriced food.  We had to try it once.

Eight wonderful years with this girl!!!

Pics of the longest Daddy-daughter date ever

We joked in the hospital that Girlie and J had been wanting to plan a date, but this (a 3 day hospital stay) wasn't what they had in mind.  Here are some pics from their 90-hour 'date'.

This was right when she first woke up.  (A side note:  J and I happened to be wearing the EXACT SAME THING--same color green top, same color jeans, and he first noticed it when we were listening to the doctor and standing-with-arms-crossed in the exact same way--and he was very embarrassed.  I thought it showed solidarity.)  :)

She kept forgetting not to rip her IV out, so they put this 'pillow' on her hand.

They call it an EEG.  We call it a Noodle Hat.

Playing with paper dolls from Grandpa and Grandma.

She's telling you to watch out for the big whale behind her.  She's holding her favorite doll, Alexis,  who is in a pink sleeping bag (she needed some place to sleep at the hospital too).

A highlight of the date--petting the therapy dog.

I climbed in bed with her and we read "A Little Princess."

Finally time to go home.

An update:  She's doing great.  About a week after she got home, she developed a fever, which was terrifying, because it could trigger another seizure.  Even though we have a video monitor on her, I ended up climbing in bed with her. She's on twice daily medication, which she takes without complaint.

She's totally back to herself, aside from doing things she loves (bike, swings, climbing, etc).  We meet with her neurologist on Monday for another follow up.  We still have no idea why she had it.  They, apparently know nothing, really, about the brain.  So we will wait.  And see.  And have the best summer ever together in the meantime.

On a lighter note

In the midst of our medical "storm", which went on to include--besides the seizure-- 5 separate fevers, hacking coughs, croup, pneumonia, a damaged ear canal, and no sleep for Mom, we had a bright spot.  We celebrated my baby girl's first birthday.  I am absolutely c-r-a-z-y about this tiny one, and it's amazing to me that she can still be a complete novelty after a year in our family.  I cannot get enough of her and many times a day she makes my heart almost burst with love for this darling, joyful little baby.

the setting

the tissue paper fluff balls

the cake

the birthday girl

the gifts

the first candle

the carrot-cake-made-with-applesauce-and-no-frosting cupcake (yeah, i'm just a really fun mom)

Besides the sweetest little jabbering-all-day voice that you have EVER heard, she also melts my heart with her 'scrunchy smile'.  I can hardly stand it, it's so cute, and I'm sure that she could use it to get a puppy or American Girl doll someday.  I would say she liked my play table gift.

And some more.

Okay, one more.

Okay, last time.

Okay, seriously.  It's going to be very hard not to spoil this one.

I'm exhausted on so many levels from this past week.  I can barely keep my eyes open, but I continue to sit in bed beside sleeping J and play the silly bubble breaker game on my phone.  I don't know why, until I figure out that I'm afraid to go to sleep.  The video monitor perched on my night stand is breathing a slow, comforting sound and I can see my girl is fast asleep, hopefully dreaming sweet things.  It's a calming sound, and one I'm afraid to not hear.

Through this ordeal, I've never thought "Why me?"  I understand that things just happen, and it's to our growth or detriment how we handle them.  I have, however, thought "Why her?"  If there's anyone I know that can learn to be like Christ without the mountains of trials that the rest of us require, it would be her.  She's so sweet and good, and it seems utterly unfair for her to pass through this.  The most unfair place in the world?  A children's hospital.  While I love the fact that hurt and sick kids get to have a hospital with starfish on the walls, the fact that kids don't get a 'free pass' through childhood breaks my heart.  On my best day I could walk through a children's hospital and see babies lying so still, and cribs in the ICU and bawl my eyes out.  They haven't even made any life choices that would land them in a place like that, yet they must begin their existence with adversity.  The toddler in the neighboring ICU bed was barely spoken to by parents that briefly visited.  It made me want to scoop her up and love on her.  Kids are so brave, but I wish they didn't have to be.  Of all the injustices in the world, this must be the worst. 

I can see the stress in me.  It plays out in funny ways, but I know it's there.  I couldn't just let Father's Day pass despite our week, so I ran to the mall last night to pick up a few of J's favorite things.  Part of me just wanted to shop.  Shop and shop and shop.  Of course that's a little normal :), but I wanted to shop and buy pretty things, and pretend my life was normal and calm.  A little escape from reality.  My whole body is tense, maybe from feeling like I will be holding my breath for the rest of my life.  We don't know what will happen in the future with Girlie.  All the whys and what happens nexts are answered with a frustrating "We just don't know."

We all went to church today.  We were met with hug after hug after 'we've been think of you and praying for you' after teary squeeze.  Each one melted a little ache away.  We've felt so loved and supported from all our friends and neighbors.  It means so much to receive heartfelt emails and messages. 

Girlie seems to be doing very well.  She doesn't remember any of the actual seizure, which is a huge blessing.  She's as lovely as ever.  J and I don't have much of a defense where she's concerned.  The girl could ask for a puppy and we'd oblige.  I am not kidding.  And I am not a pet person.  She could ask for a stinkin' pony and I'd probably move us out to the country and buy five.  Please don't tell her that, though.  I don't feel like packing. 

Despite everything, though, I somehow feel as if I can't be anything but happy for life now.  Miracles happen.  She's here, and we're all together at home.  It doesn't get better than that.  We've got summer ahead of us, school is almost out.  She'll be attending tomorrow until a doctor's appointment in the afternoon.  Holding my breath about her being out of my sight, but I know she's missing her friends and teacher.  Forward we go.
I feel better just getting stuff out there.  Thanks for all the comments.  They really mean so much.  I consider each a personal hug and value all our friends that we have scattered around the country.  It's funny how sharing burdens with those you love makes them that much lighter.