I cant believe we are almost in September.
Big month for me as I will be the big 3-0, yikes!
This summer has gone by so quickly for us this year, I know so much of it is due to the huge loss in our family with the death of my dad and life just feeling so different. I have struggled a lot with my emotions and with being able to set them aside and still invest time in my family and the girls. The fact is, I cant just push them aside. They don’t just go away. I cant just pretend they are not there. I just have to learn to live my life with the emotions of grief and loss and grow to adapt. This month it felt really good to get the collage of photos up on the wall as a daily reminder of my dad. I was beginning to fear that my memories of him were going to fade and that the girls wouldn’t remember him. Every night they kiss their favorite photo and tell him goodnight and O will sometimes say “I’ll see you in my dreams Grampy.” Reality is I will never let my girls forget my dad and the best way I can do that is to make his memory a priority in my life and they will see that and treasure it too.
Olivia is a colorful three year old to say the least. She challenges us every day with her strong, yet sweet, spirit and endless energy. She knows all the days of the week, months of the year, alphabet, colors, numbers, etc. We are working now on copying letters and numbers and fine tuning her motor skills for writing. She loves doing arts and crafts and is really into play dough right now. Her favorite show is Doc McStuffins and she loves playing “doctor” with us. She also enjoys dressing up and playing with her dollhouse and barbies and says that her daddy plays better than me, go figure!
Gianna is growing into the funniest little toddler and often surprises us. She was so laid back as an infant and while she still is pretty calm mannered she is getting a voice in this house and letting it be known. She is always so full of smiles and is very affectionate. She loves to run from you if she knows you need to do something, she climbs on EVERYTHING and has taken her share of tumbles. Half of our furniture now lives in the garage until she figures out that falling hurts.
Both girls are in a home daycare two days a week and really enjoy the interaction they get with other kids and a new environment. Miss Erica always texts us pictures and messages throughout the day with how the girls are doing or funny things that happened. We are really blessed to have someone who loves our girls the way she does and in a safe and nourishing home.
I am working in the ICU and enjoying a challenging and ever-changing environment. Our hospital began a new collaboration with a well known cancer treatment center and there is a huge influx of oncology patients which is new to me and exciting to learn. I am contemplating going back to school in the next couple of years for my Masters, most likely to be an acute care nurse practitioner but that could all change. I am going to my first womens retreat next month with our Church and am really excited to connect with other Christian women, it should be a great time.
Mike is busy as always with business and has done so well this year. He is now purchasing his fourth photobooth and anticipates a VERY busy fall wedding season. He is committed to a mens weekly bible study and is meeting with two amazing men who have taken him under their wing of sorts to disciple and mentor him in a biblical way.
The next biggest thing for us is getting baptized on September 15th. We are really excited to take that next step in our walk with God and look forward to all he has in store for us!
This has been our entire summer:
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