Little Boy Joy - Day 23

BEFORE


AFTER

More of a Momma and Daddy joy than an Alex joy. His hair cut was long overdue. We were so glad to see those long locks gone. Smiles all around.

Little Boy Joy - Day 22

The retro rocket rides again! Thrills and squeals around the 'hood.

Little Boy Joy - Day 21

Some kids have a blanket they rub while sucking their thumb; Roo has his ear.

Little Boy Joy - Day 20

Racing cars - any kind of cars - on the slide ranks right up there with rocks and water.

Little Boy Joy - Day 19

Petit fours. When I was growing up, my Granny would buy them from Kern's bakery and have them at her house as an occasional treat. It's one of my favorite memories with her. At the beach, she showed up to dinner one night ready to introduce Alex to this little slice of heaven, too. Look at his eyes - he is a boy after my own heart.

Little Boy Joy - Day 18

Winding down on the beach trip photos. A few more of my favorites.

Roo with PaPa (my grandpa, his great-grandpa)

Roo with Granny (my granny, his great-granny)

Alex showing Uncle Zack the monster truck

Family photo with kids who really had no interest in having their picture taken

Playing on the sand dunes

The boys with Pops and Nana - once again, the boys were not interested in the picture-taking

Alex and Daddy exploring the beach

Crabbing with Noni and Pop Pop

The catch.

Pops and Roo takin' it easy in the "little blue pond."

Nana and Roo enjoying a little dip in the pool, too.

That almost wraps up the beach photos. I've got a couple more stashed away, but I'll save those for another day of joy.

Little Boy Joy - Day 17

He's got three words in his vocabulary now.
Ma-ma. Da-da. Aa (for Alex).
And he loves to use his pointer finger to point at Alex while saying his name.

**UPDATE**

Yes! Noni reminded me that we did hear Roo say "Fat Pat," which is the name of Noni's gas-guzzling car. LOL! How could I have forgotten this?! We were rolling with laughter!

Little Boy Joy - Day 16

Rocks and water. After all this time, they're still two of this sweet boy's favorite past times.

Little Boy Joy - Day 15

Last weekend our local art museum, The Taubman, had a Kidstruction Exhibit. Kiddos of all ages could come and build with Legos and Melissa & Doug building bricks.

Here's a picture of Alex, his friend Ellie, and her dad, Mr. Eugene. Mr. Eugene made a letter with the Legos, and Alex was singing the Leap Frog Letter Factory song, "Every letter makes a sound, and F says 'f.'" Meanwhile, Ellie was busy building her own masterpiece.

The boys had so much fun building...and tearing down!

And there was even a little coloring contest that Alex participated in.

The exhibit was well-done, and the boys had great time. While we were there, I saw a sign for a children's theater performance at the museum this summer. I can't wait to check it out!

Surgery Update

Breathing a little easier. Just got the call that Mom is out of surgery and that everything went really well!

Three things were scheduled to happen in surgery:
(1) remove the lesion on her leg
(2) remove the lymph node that "serviced" the part of her leg that had the melanoma
(3) remove a cancerous spot on her ear

The spots on her leg and ear were removed, and they were able to achieve clear margin. The lymph node was also removed and the initial take on it is that it appears to be benign. They will do further testing to make sure there are no malignancies, and we will get the official results next week.

Many, many thanks for your prayers. Please continue praying that the lymph node results do indeed come back clear and that the results from any other testing the oncologist wants to do from this point forward come back clear as well.

Our God is good no matter the outcome, but I am so grateful for a good-news report. Praising our good and mighty God for these blessings today!

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1

Surgery Day

Dear Noni,

We are saying prayers for you today that the surgery goes well and that the doctor gets every single bit of cancer. Also praying for a speedy recovery and good news on the lymph node tests. Wishing like crazy we were there with you, but we aren't letting distance keep us from being your biggest cheerleaders. We love you bigger than the sky - to the moon and back!

Love,
The Little Men (and Momma and Daddy)

Little Boy Joy - Day 14

My heart nearly bursts with joy to watch this daddy with his boys. Oh, how he loves them. Oh, how I love him, too.

Little Boy Joy - Day 13

The giraffe whisperer.

Little Boy Joy - Day 12

Cruisin'.

Roary and Roo - 10 months

Looks like he's so cooperative, doesn't it?


Yeah. But here's what it's like more often than not if I try to get him to sit still for a photo these days.

Ah, my sweet Roo-bear. =)

Keeping our floors clear of small choking hazards (Alex's toys) is nearly a full-time job. There is NOTHING that doesn't end up in his mouth.

Much like his older brother, Roo loves to play with balls. You can often find him crawling on the floor or pulling up on things, carrying a ball in his hand.

And climbing the stairs. He is a pro. One day he just took off and never looked back.

Roo's new wheels - the Whisper Ride Buggy. And can I just tell you that this little thing is so quiet when I'm pushing him down the sidewalk. I LOVE it! You can actually carry on a conversation with someone next to you and hear what they're saying. Much better than the Cozy Coupe.

Hard to believe that in about a month and a half this little guy will be celebrating his first birthday. Time flies.

A "c" word vs. THE "C" word

I'm taking a break from the Little Boy Joys for a couple of days. My head has been swirling and processing some recent family events, and I need a little time to let it all soak in. I have always tried to be a person of sincere transparency - what you see is what you get. And posting about joys right now felt more like a mask, a facade of life being great, when in reality, life has thrown me for a bit of a loop.

This week I got a call from Mom saying she had seen yet another doctor about a spot on her leg. A spot that has been there for years. A spot that five different physicians have dismissed without any concern whatsoever, even as recently as late February of this year. This time the doctor shared Mom's concern, all of our concern. The doctor biopsied the spot that day, and the results showed that it is Melanoma - Stage IB.

I have had a much easier time using the word "Melanoma" than the "c" word. Cancer. It took me almost two full days to even register "cancer" in my brain. And saying it out loud for the first time was like a punch in the gut - literally knocked the wind out of me.

I know all about the grieving cycle - Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, Hope. I can't remember a time in my life when I've been able to identify the "denial" as clearly as I can in my inability to say "cancer." It's like if I don't say it, that's not what it is. Grief does strange things to your brain, doesn't it? I believe it's all in an effort to help protect you until you can process through things.

So I've been processing. Bits and pieces at a time. It's been an emotional roller coaster this week, but I have been greatly comforted that Mom and I are able to laugh and cry together. We've had our serious moments, but we've been able to find lighthearted moments as well. And I think that has been good for both of our souls. Just like God's word says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine." (Proverbs 17:22)

As for the prognosis, we have every reason to believe that this cancer can be beaten. And though the doctors are optimistic, at the end of the day, I'm resting more in this truth than their words: a "c" word like cancer is no match for THE "C" word of Christ. There is power in just speaking His name. And I am so grateful that God's word promises:

"The moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." (Romans 8:26-28, MSG)

Amen.

An Easter Lesson

"I don't love you Mommy. Just Daddy and Roo-bear."

Those were Alex's words to me Easter morning.

My initial thoughts: What?! After everything I do for you?! After giving birth to you?! After the special prizes and treats I give to you?! What do you mean you don't love me?

My self-righteousness kicked in, but I did manage to hold my tongue and check my heart. I know that his little two-year-old self didn't really mean what he was saying, but a part of me was left feeling somewhat, well, rejected.

I don't know about you, but I am of the opinion that rejection is one of the heaviest emotions a heart can bear. The thought that you are dismissed, not cared about, not accepted for who you are. It can weigh you down to say the least.

This start to my Easter morning brought to mind that not only did Jesus bear insufferable physical pain, He also suffered the emotional pain of rejection as well. The Son of God - who came only to love, serve and give the gift of eternal life to ALL - was yelled at, spit upon, mocked, falsely accused, and chosen by the crowd to be executed over a murderer. Now that is rejection. Can you imagine how He must have felt? How sad and heavy his heart must have been when all He tried to do was love them? Not to mention that He was betrayed and denied by His very own friends.

His response? He was not self-righteous, even though he could have been because He was without sin. Instead, He begged of His Father, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they have done."

There's a lesson to be learned here. God has been slowly revealing to me that He is unimpressed with my self-righteousness. And that like Jesus, I need to be willing to extend grace and forgiveness, even to those who reject me. It's a tough lesson. But one I am grateful He is going through the pains of teaching me.

Little Boy Joy - Day 11

He is my busy explorer - always checking out the new and undiscovered things.

Little Boy Joy - Day 10

The Little Man jumping waves in "the big pond," as he called it. A little apprehensive about getting in the water at first, he quickly warmed up to everything about the beach - the water, the sand, the seashells. We divided our time between "the big pond" and "the little blue pond," (the swimming pool). He was a fan of both.

 The look of pure joy on his face the first time he saw the gulf - absolutely priceless.

Rocks and shells and shells and rocks. He could have spent all day throwing them into the water.

Walking in the bay and collecting shells with Daddy.

Little Boy Joy - Day 9

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."   1 Thessalonians 3:12

Little Boy (Easter) Joy - Day 8

We had two Easter celebrations this year. Our church hosted a community egg hunt complete with crafts and snacks. We met Charlotte Ann and Emma Grace there, and Alex invited his neighbor-friend Sully. The kids had a blast.

Sully wasn't too sure about things at first, but he warmed up after a few minutes. Free candy can do that sometimes. =)

 Alex and Charlotte Ann are such sweet friends.

Roo was a trooper. He hung out in the stroller most of the time and was his usual chipper self, although I know he was probably thinking about how he was ready to hang with the "big" kids. =)

Our second celebration was with our friends Tim and Lauren (Charlotte Ann and Emma Grace's mom and dad).

They invited us over for a fabulous lunch and egg hunt. Tim and Lauren were also gracious enough to invite our friends Kevin and Kendra and their little girl, Savannah, to join us since they don't have family in the area either.

I wish I had been better with the camera and getting more pics, but let me just say that we were doing good to get out the door Easter morning. We had a rough go since our boys had been sick with stuffy noses and coughs in the night. Thank goodness we attended church Saturday night! Although, poor Jerry had to sit in service by himself while I stayed outside with a puny-feeling Roo. This makes the second year in a row we've had sick kids! Alex had the croup last year. =(

The kids (Alex, Charlotte, Savannah, and another Alex - Tim and Lauren's neighbors' son) raked it in on the Easter egg front. Their baskets were overflowing! Lots of laughs and good times. Emma and Roo took their afternoon naps, so they missed out on the egg-hunt action. But no doubt they'll be ready next year!

Even more than I love the fun that comes with Easter, I love that we have a Savior who loves us dearly and who gave His life for us so that we may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). So grateful for that, the most precious Gift any of us will ever know.