Grampa's New Nails.

Take a quick peek at Grampa's new

hip surgery.  Just hours ago Grampa

had four nails put into his left hip to

repair the fracture.  Grampa is the oldest

patient that the doctor has EVER 

operated on.  He did great!!  He is amazing.

We are so excited that he is done.done.done.

Today he had surgery to repair the hip,

tomorrow we will be up and walking with

the walker, and Saturday we will be heading

home!!  We are super excited that the

docs and nurses have arranged for Grampa

to rehabilitate at home!!  All of the doctors

and nurses will be coming to our 

brand new house to help Grampa with his

recovery.  . . . just another blessing!!!

Wacky Wednesday!

Wacky, wacky Wednesday for sure as

this was our view for 22 hours at 

St. Martin hospital.  Grampa took a

little spill and fractured his left hip.

Thank the good Lord that it was a

line fracture and did not involve the

hip popping out of the socket.  Grampa

is a trooper for sure, has a great

support system, and God on his side.

We will find out in the morning if he

needs surgery.  Our family is certainly

praying that he can be rehabilitated right

in the comfort of our own home, in his 

own comfy bed and chair.  We were

blessed to have awesome firefighters and

ambulance drivers come to our home

in the wee hours of the morning to give

us a ride to the hospital.  Once again, we

KNOW that God is in control, knows exactly

what is going on, and is going to provide a

wonderful solution.  One thing for sure,

there has NEVER been a dull moment

in our lives over the past year or so.  We

continue to pray for healing, hope, and

comfort as well as peace as we bring our

Grampa home to get back to his normal

daily activities.  We are truly one lucky

bunch to have each other and are grateful

that we serve a loving and merciful God.

Terrific Tuesday.

Terrific Tuesday blessings include:

*more boxes unpacked

*50+ homeschool quilts and counting

*boys played golf

*warm weather . . . getting really warm!

*family, family, family

*family coming to visit in July!!

*uplifting emails and texts from friends

*cilantro on my sandwich at dinner

*laundry

*chores around our beautiful new home

*supportive boys

*awesome husband who NEVER complains

*hope

. . . cannot believe how fast the hours, days, and weeks

pass.  Luke is already busily counting the day until

he becomes a teenager. (How can that be?!?)

Tuesdays are Farmer's Market around here . . . I am

excited to go next Tuesday!!  Lots of yummy

fruits and vegetables!!! 

Lights, Camera, Action.

Happy Memorial Day!

Today we celebrated Memorial Day with some

of our favoritist people!!  Grandy and Bobby

came over for a BBQ!  We had fun 

initiating our brand new umbrella and lights.

The boys and I had a ton of fun playing

cards until the wee hours in the gorgeous

weather out on our brand new table!!!

Our brand new backyard is gorgeous!!

We have already had a ton of fun outdoors.

The house faces the perfect direction and

it is never hot in our backyard.  Reggie

and Tucker love playing in the grass.  The

boys don't mind mowing it either . . . It 

takes only a fraction of the time that it

did to mow our old yard.  Our Dad outdid

himself, as usual, BBQing the ribs and

chicken.  He has a magic touch with all 

of that.  We have really been enjoying 

watermelons lately and our Dad chose the

perfect one for today's events.

Hoping that you had a wonderful time

celebrating with your friends and family!!!

A very special thank you for all who

have and do serve our country!!!

Friends: One of My Greatest Blessings!

Yep, s'mores were part of our day today as we 

were lucky enough to have Diane and Frank come

over for dinner and to play cards.  We love 

them dearly and it was so much fun to have 

them over.  The boys were awesome and stayed

to play cards with us!  Our outdoor furniture fits

our brand new backyard perfectly!!  The

weather was absolutely be-a-utfiul and so was

the company.

Great things about good friends:

*you can tell them everything

*they will pray for you

*they will tell you when you have

something in your teeth

*they compliment you when you

look really great and will let you know

when you don't

*they take your mind off of your

trials

*their heart hurts just as bad or

worse when you experience a storm

*laughter

*laughter

*laughter

We are so grateful for our friends and family!

Today was another wonderful day!!

Game On.

Nights are a wee bit difficult lately . . . The boys

and I used to have these crazy Monopoly 

marathons several years ago.  Well, as of

late, it is game.on.  We have had these huge

Monopoly tournaments.  They are not for

sissies!!!  These games get rough and tough!

We are totally competitive.  Seriously, we

have a TON of fun playing!!  Sam is the

reinging Monopoly champ!!  Luke and I

had to double-team just to take him down!!!

Luke was "practicing" all day long on his

IPAD for the big tourney tonight.  I am so

blessed to have guys that will hang out with

me in the wee hours of the night when sleeping

is difficult.

Ready.Set.Roll.

In the Storm.

I can honestly say that in my entire life, I have never 

experienced such a trial or storm.  I feel as though, as

hard as I try, I feel pounded from every direction.

Yet, I know that my God is in control.  We received

the test results from Mike's latest PET/CT scan.

The news was heartbreaking as we found out

that the cancer is spreading much faster ever

imaginable.  As I type, I still cannot believe it.

I hear the words, yet they do not register.  We

are ever so confident that our God can choose

to do a miracle and His plan will be glorified.  Our

family trusts in Him completely.  We know that

He does not make mistakes.  We are blessed

beyond measure and choose to hold our heads

high and accept this trial as we have accepted

every single blessing from the Lord.  We are so

very grateful for our family and friends and do

so believe in the power of prayer.

Huge Project . . .

 We worked, worked, worked, on these garages

for fourteen straight hours today.  Actually, the

guys hit the links early and then reported for

duty as soon as their round was over . . . 

 It all pretty much boils down to a bazillion boxes

of kindergarten stuff and books, books, books!!

Will I ever teach kindergarten again . . . It is my

passion and I dream about those cute kiddos every

single night, but goodness.  I live in fear of 

giving it all away due the fact that I may teach

my sweet four and five year olds again one day!!!

If you are interested in starting an entire

pre-school or kindergarten, I could seriously

hook you up.

We were encouraged when we saw a little

pathway . . . By the end of the day, my sweet

ride was parked in one of the garages!!  She is

soaking up the air conditioning as we speak!!

Oh, Thank Heaven!

So today was the annual 'Free Slurpee Day" that

7-11 has once a year!!  The boys and I were only

too excited to locate the 7-11 stores in our area.

As a matter of fact, we were thinking of visiting

all 42 7-11 stores in the Las Vegas area in order

to receive 42 free slurpees . . . You must know by

now that we can be a little bit on the OCD side!

It was really fun locating several in our area.

Sam and I loved the Coke version, while Luke

had to mix every flavor together at all of our 

stops.  Mike was our driver!  He even remembered

the free day when he was in high school. 

Obviously, it does not take much to please this

crowd . . .

Mike Upate . . . tomorrow our doctor from

Reno will be touching base with me in order

to compare the new PET/CT scan results with

the PET/CT scan from March.  Prayers are more

than appreciated!  We are so grateful for our family

and friends and know how blessed we are to

have their support.  We are blessed.beyond.measure.

Lovin' LV.

I must say that our family has readjusted to Las Vegas

wonderfully.  We have had marvelous experiences

EVERYWHERE that we have gone.  The people are

friendly!  The weather is great!  God has truly

been working miracles every.single.step.of.the.way.

*We have a wonderful oncologist.

*We have a wonderful endocrinologist.

*Today we met our wonderful dentist.

*All of our family lives here.

*Our friends have been so supportive

and truly amazing.

*Our new neighbors are so nice!

*We love our new church.

*Luke loves his Boy Scout troop.

*Sam and Luke have made friends in

the youth group.

*Golf starts next week.

We are so thankful that the move has been such

a success.  We are so praying for positive results

tomorrow morning for Mike's latest PET/CT

scan!!  I cannot wait to report wonderful news!!!

Botanical Gardens Family Field Trip.

 Tonight we took a little break in the moving

action and headed over to the Botanical Gardens

in the Bellagio Hotel.

 All of the flowers were so amazingly 

beautiful!!!

 All of the boys brought their cameras and

we were clicking pics left and right.

 The gardens are a free exhibit and open to the

public 24 hours every single day.  They change

the gardens according to the season.

 There were awesome waterfalls . . . 

and a bazillion flowers.  The boys really did 

have a fun time and appeased me as we walked

through the gardens.  We had a TON of fun

laughing and joking . . . great family times for

sure!!!  After we looked at the gardens I was

lucky enough to convince the guys to watch

the water show out in front of the hotel.

Taking time to "smell the roses" (pun intended)

was what this crew really needed today.

Family fun.Priceless.

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?!?

 Summertime is here!  It seems like we celebrate all

things summer around our home.  We love the fresh

fruits and vegetables that are in season and abundant

during the summer months.  Watermelon is one of

our very favorite summertime treats . . . we do not

know "the secret" to picking out the perfect one!  

We are always super excited when it is juicy and

sweet . . .

 We love to grill during the summer months!!  Today

we were excited to kick of the BBQ season with

turkey burgers, chicken fillets, and salmon.  Mike

can have freshwater fish and he was excited to try

the salmon!!

Luke and I look forward to our very favorite summertime

treat . . . s'mores.  We could easily skip all of the

above and head straight to the coals to make one of

these yummy puppies!!!

We love our summertime family Sundays and today

was no exception.  Spending this time together prepares

us for the busy week ahead.  We have spent much time

in prayer for our Dad's test results Wednesday morning.

We are so praying, praying, praying for positive

results.

Big Day for the Dogs.

Reggie always sleeps in Sam's room and he was out
of town for the night . . .

Today was a big day for the Reggie and Tucker.  Mike
and the boys have always begged for the dogs to have
dog beds . . . In order to accomplish my mission to
make everyone comfortable and cozy in our new
home . . .

Everyone got their wish.  We knew that Tucker
would love his new digs . . . 

The Old PET/CT Scan.

It has been three months since Mike's last PET/CT

scan.  We spent much of our afternoon here as

Mike had another PET/CT scan today.  Today's 

scan will be compared to the scan in March.  We

are praying with all of our might that the scan

will show a disappearance of all of the tumors,

a reduction in them, or a slowing in their growth.

Hanging out at the cancer center certainly puts

EVERYTHING in perspective.  We know that 

the Lord is in control and we are confident in 

His plan.  It seems that we have just gotten over

the huge shock in the last PET/CT scan in March.

We are praying for strength and wisdom as we

go to listen to the results of today's scan on

Wednesday.  Mike is truly an amazing man and

has demonstrated such peace and strength.  We

are so very grateful for his awesome example.

In other news:

* . . . more moving in!

*. . . quick run to the vet.

*. . . fun family night at the flicks using

my gift certificate from Mother's Day!

*. . . found all of my cookbooks!!!

Breathe.

As part of my fantabulous Mother's Day, I was able

to spend a large part of my day right here at 

Square.  Ohlala, I had a wonderful girly filled day

with a manicure, spa pedicure, and haircut.  How

lucky can a girl be??  I left the house in my usual

hurry and returned home ready to unpack boxes,

write a dissertation, and prepare a yummy dinner.

Before leaving for the spa, we decided just where

to put more storage space in the garages and

found my coveted cookbook box.  Some of the

cookbooks and recipes in the box date back

to the 1930s and 40s.  I knew that this box was

out in the abyss somewhere and was only too

excited when we actually put our hands on the

box.  The cookbooks are now safely tucked

into the newly crafted cookbook shelves in

our kitchen.  Now for some spare time to look

at them . . . 

Mike Update.

Mike had his first appointment with our new

oncologist today.  We were apprehensive about

a new doctor after we have come so far with

our docs over the past seven months.  When we

knew that we were going to move back to

Las Vegas, I prayed so very hard for a 

wonderful oncologist and support team.  Our

docs in Reno did their very best to locate

the specialists that would be right for our

Dad.  God triumphed again when with a

PERFECT match!!  We are so grateful and

excited!!!

*Mike's blood pressure continues to be

very high.

*We are having a PET/CT scan on Friday.

*The results of the PET/CT will be

compared to the same test that we had

in March.

*We will receive the results on Wednesday.

*Our doctor has arranged an appointment

with an endocrinologist who will take on

the task of trying to reduce Mike's blood

pressure.

*Our new neighbors, that we just met

tonight, knew of this awesome oncologist.

We continue to be grateful and see God's

handiwork throughout this trial.  Mike is

such trooper and would never admit that

he did not feel well or was tired.  We are

grateful that he is ours!!  

Other good news:  The boys are getting

hooked up and settling in nicely.  

Bookshelves, hooks, dressers . . . We

are all about organization over here!!!

Terrific Tuesday.

White cheddar popcorn and cherry limeaid?!?

You betcha.  That snack and "Cupcake

Champions", what a better way to end a

really great day!!  We are continuing to

get settled in the new digs!!  Holy cow!!

Who knew that kindergarten stuff and 

books could take up almost an entire garage?

I am excited that the boys are getting settled

and cozy in their new rooms.  We are

discovering where we need to add

furniture and other items.  I am also trying

to conquer the bazillions of spices and

sprinkles!!

Great things about today:

*Zach is getting everything lined up at

UNLV

*Luke went to Scouts

*Sam attended a golf tourney

*Tim played a gig

*Mike's blood pressure was great

*I got cozy in my office chair

We are truly blessed beyond measure and

are so grateful that the Lord has orchestrated

this move!!  (We are praying that He and the

angels wave a magic wand over that darn

garage tonight while we are sleeping!!)

Monday Musings.

 Each and every day progress is being made at

our brand new digs . . . Goals for tomorrow include

a huge galvanized tub for all of these shoes.  Seven

people have lots of shoes.  My peeps and I traveled

to two Home Depots today to purchase a galvanized

tub for our scuffs, but each of them had dings and

gouges . . . Tomorrow the hunt will continue for

the tubs!!!

 Yep, Funky 1 and Funky 2 are in place on the

front porch.  They are QUITE the conversation

piece.  Everyone who comes to visit comments 

on them.

 A brand spankin' new farm lamp will be installed

in our laundry room tomorrow.  Three farm lamps

will also be hung outside the front of the garages

tomorrow.  Our back porch will also be granted a

galvanized farm lamp.

My precious cowboy quilt made as a home school

project several years ago will be hung in the dining

room tomorrow.  We held it up there and determined

exactly where it would go.

Moving from bigger to smaller is most definitely

a process.  My goodness.  We sure do love our

new home, but storage is at a premium.  We are all

working together day by day to get things done.  It

is difficult to accomplish as much as we used to.  Mike

gets tired much more easily and as we are very 

conscious of this, we do not push him to overdo.

This is a lesson in patience for me . . . I knew that

the Lord would try and teach me about that sooner

or later . . . 

The boys are becoming settled and determining what

activities they will become involved in.  Sam and Luke

will be hitting the links.  They both joined The First

Tee golf program today and will begin clinics and

tournaments beginning in June.  Luke will be joining

a Boy Scout Troop at the new church that we

have attended right around the corner from our

new home.  Tim and Zach are busy hitting the streets

looking for jobs.  Tim landed one teaching guitar

to students at a music store.  Zach is working diligently

to become enrolled in UNLV in order to complete

both of his degrees.  I am praising the Lord for our

great boys and thankful that they have chosen to

hang in there with me as we navigate these waters.

Happy, Happy Mother's Day.

 We had a great time celebrating Mother's

Day at one of our very favorite haunts

in Las Vegas . . . The Islands.  The guys

just cannot get enough of their burgers

and fries.  We had fun celebrating Mom's

Day after attending a new church for the

first time!!

 We are a movie-lovin' bunch, movie tickets

are ALWAYS a crowd pleaser . . . We were

wanting to go to the movies the very next

second, but all that was new and exciting at the

theaters was a vampire flick and Mike just

could not even force himself to go to that!!!

 Mama-Mia, how did that boy grow up so fast.

Even though it was a very tough decision for Tim,

I am so glad that he decided to stay home with

us this year.  He was supposed to leave for the

Mediterranean Sea on the ship headed for 

Greece and Turkey, but made a bold decision

to stay at home with us this year until we 

know for certain what is going on with 

our family.  What a wonderful son!!!

 It just wouldn't be a celebration without my

main squeeze.  

 .  . . three of my most favoritist!!!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom.  We have had

so many wonderful memories together.  I am excited

that we are all here together and so look forward

to many, many more days just.like.today.

Happy Mother's Day.

New House Fun.

 After staying up most of the night getting

cozy in the new digs, we did put up a

couple of pics and decorations today!!

I had a ton of fun making this painting

of house rules on canvas.

Mike is the total expert on hanging letters . . . 

It must have been his 30+ years working at

a sign company.  I love our Scrabble wall and

am excited to hang our new family pics super

soon.  Our family photog will be taking them

very soon.

A Few New Favorites.

 I do not know how that God does it, but He

ALWAYS comes through!!  Our awesome

boys helped pull our new home together

today in just one day!!  It was so fun to sneak

in and see everyone sleeping in their

crisp clean sheets with smiles on their

faces.  We even watched a movie on the

big screen . . . 

 During the wee hours, I ran around

and was able to pull some of my

loose ends together in the kitchen also.

 I am love, love, loving the vision for

our new home and it is definitely starting

to feel cozy and OURS!!

We are still fighting super high blood pressure with

our Dad.  He insisted on doing a few things around

the new digs today, but we were all really strict with

him and had him bond with his brand new recliner!!!

Tomorrow's goals include working on my SMR

parts 3-5 for my dissertation and tackling the good

old master bedroom, bathroom, and closet.  My

boys said that they would put their expert skills

to work and help me organize our bedroom perfectly.

Only two more loads of laundry for me and I

am off to slumberland with the rest of my 

amazing brood!!

Here to Stay in the 702.

 Holy Cow!!!  All SEVEN of us are here at our

brand new digs.  Sneak peaks . . . 

 Awesome quilt hanging on banister!!!

 Boys do not travel without their Legos.

 Prize golf trophy in position.

 Awesome workspaces for my boys.

 Luke's cute feet were so tired, he could not

stand on them one more second . . . I was not

too far behind him.

Pretty new windows and casings . . .

We are so praising the Lord that we are here as

a FAMILY!!!  As many of us are anal overachievers,

it is going to take a wee bit of convincing that we 

do not have to have everything in place this very

moment.  We are so excited to be here!!  There is 

so much do to . . . overwhelming for certain, but

we are glad that it is summertime and we have all

of the time in the world to be cozy and get all settled in.

We had a few adventures over the past few days

including skyrocketing blood pressure, a small tumor

removed on Mike's arm, a car battery that was dead

when we came out of Subway in Tonopah . . 

But thanks to the good Lord, we are here in our

new home!!!