Life Happens

So, the last few weeks were a crazy, unplanned, blur. I'm trying to think of where it all started....

I guess let's go back 7 years. My Uncle Scott had a liver transplant, which saved his life. Things went really well and he had been doing great, with occasional visits to the hospital. Then, a few weeks ago, he got an infection and things started to get worse. (I should also mention that with an organ transplant a 'good' length of time with a new organ is 10 years or so. And, any kind of infection can be very bad news. Even a small one) His numbers (please don't ask me what they were or what they meant) kept getting worse and things weren't getting better. He was losing weight and getting worse instead of better.

On the 4th of July, my mom got a very, very sad phone call. Scott had been given one to two days left to live. His liver and kidneys had stopped functioning and it was just a matter of time before his other organs shut down. At this point, another transplant wasn't even an option. Scott passed away on the evening of the 5th of July, surrounded by his family. Unfortunately, my mom wasn't able to make it in time, though she flew out that morning, hoping to say good bye.

The 5th was a frantic day of packing and planning for me; Jakiah and I flew out the morning of the 6th and, after receiving the sad news that Scott had passed, Nelson and Kalaya followed on the 7th. I wanted to get there as soon as I could to help in any way. My cousin Victoria, Scott's daughter is the closest thing I have to a sister and she asked me to come out.

This was one of those times when nothing else mattered but family. Forget the cost of last minute airfare, the stress of travelling with 2 young children, not sure where we'd be staying or how we'd get around. We knew God would just make sure everything worked out. I'm so glad we went.

The visitation, funeral and burial were beautiful. It was wonderful to see family members and friends who loved Scott. It is so hard to see those he left behind; he was only 49. His parents are both still living and already lost their other son (my Uncle Tom) 13 years ago. His 4 children are 29. 27, 13 and 11. His grandchildren are 3 and twin 3 month olds. His wife of 19 years has a heavy load to carry on her own. My heart goes out to them so, so much. I can't even imagine.

Please consider becoming an organ donor if you haven't already done so. It can prolong the life of someone who might not otherwise have a chance. I'm so grateful for the extra 7 years we all got with Uncle Scott.

Holding one of his grandsons only a couple of months ago; so grateful he got to meet them!

4th of July

Yes, I realize this is a couple of weeks late, but a lot has happened since then, which I will blog about later.

So, we had a very fun 4th!! We started out by driving down to Salem on the 3rd, to visit with Nelson's family. We spent time with the kids' grandparents, uncle, auntie and cousin, whom they love and it was just a quiet, calm afternoon of playing and family time.

We went to Independence (near our college) to visit with 2 families of friends that we went to college with, the Comptons and the Lockwoods. There were 2 toddlers and 2 babies, so lots of busy fun and toys! We had a yummy BBQ and did some simple fireworks with/for the kids. Kalaya loved doing the sparklers (with CLOSE supervision) and throwing down the popping ones. (what are those called??) She liked watching 'Mr. David' light and throw some of the slightly more elaborate fireworks. (I have some great sparkler pictures in my phone, but can't get them to upload! grrrr...)

We spent the night with the Comptons and then get up for the 4th of July parade! This must have been very surreal to my husband; he watched this parade for 20+ years, from the time he was my kids' age! It was a simple, small town parade, but Kalaya watched the whole thing and loved waving to all the 'floats' and people. Highlights included Smoky the Bear, a 'pizza man' (Papa Murphy mascot), horses, fire trucks and 'the ANTS mommy!!' (a float depicting a picnic with giant ants on it)

We then drove back to Portland to have another afternoon BBQ with my parents, including burgers, salmon and watermelon. We took a walk together to the park and then finished off with some more of the simple fireworks. We had planned to go watch a local, large fireworks show, but, got some very sad news, which ended the evening abruptly. We had a really nice rest of the 4th, blessed to have been surrounded by friends and family!

Narcolepsy??

So....for those of you who don't know, Kalaya was quite the challenge when it came to sleep in her first year of life. She had to be completely and totally nursed dead asleep and it was next to impossible to transfer her to any where else. So, I either nursed her laying down on our bed totally asleep and sloooooowly rolled away or I held her while she slept. And, for the first few weeks of her life, she would ONLY sleep on me. She also could only be put to sleep by me for her first year. I didn't mind it, but that's how it was.

Around a year, she started sleeping all night and a few months after that, started being able to let Nelson put her to sleep and was able to go to bed or nap without nursing. (most of the time; unless she was sick) Around 2 years old or so, she stopped taking naps, because any length of nap at any time of day would have her up until 11. She usually sleeps a hard, solid 12 hours from about 8 to 8. It's fantastic!

I don't know if it's a growth spurt or what, but we're finding her asleep and she's voluntarily putting herself down for naps. We'll notice she's tired, suggest quiet time and she goes to her room and lays down with her 'friends' (stuffed animals) and passes out.

Then, this week, I've found this:

(mid dress-up)

and this:

(mid jump??? probably not : )

Seriously, this kid is growing or something!!!