JOY!

Does this boy look happy that he can 'do' a Starfish???

That look of joy is something that our whole family had today! We witnessed my beautiful niece sharing her faith story and being baptized at our church's lakeside morning service!

The joy made me feel like I would burst! It was a beautiful Sunday!

Crazy 8's

First of all, before I get into my crazy 8's, won't you all join me in a little 'happy dance'? It's 10:30pm, and Nate just fell asleep. That's the earliest in a long time. Not sure how long this stretch of sleep will last, but for now I'm just glad, and it feels like I have extra minutes now to do a little blogging!

Well, it appears I'm joining Nate in the teething department! Every tooth that emerges through a baby's gums is cause for celebration....not quite the same sentiment when you're talking about adults and wisdom teeth!

The date has been set for 2 of my wisdom teeth to come out...won't this be fun! I'm going straight to the top and will give an oral surgeon the pleasure of removing these teeth! Having worked in the dental world for 12 years, in this case, has it's advantages and disadvantages....on the positive side, I know exactly what they are going to be doing. On the down side, I know EXACTLY what they are going to be doing!

Oh well! I'll be in good hands!

Although I am now lamenting the fact that my dear Mississauga family is coming to visit that week in July, and I fear I may not be much fun. But according to Don, after he gets me topped up with T3's, I'll be the 'funnest girl around'!

Now - just a side note - and for your factoid folder.....The term '8's' are used in the dental field to refer to wisdom teeth. They are the 8th tooth in each of your mouths' 4 quadrants. Specifically numbered 18, 28, 38 and 48.

Aren't you glad you know that?

Cheers to all teething babies and adults alike!

Well, since I'm on a roll here, and Nate is still asleep, here are a few pics from a pretty fantastic Father's Day on Sunday! We fed the men just what they wanted....meat and potatoes!!! And Kali shared a special surprise that she had made for her dad - a cake decorated just for him!

The dad's had some fun with the gifts my Dad brought back from a recent Nascar holiday.

And Dad liked his gift too.... a must-have for any RV'er!

And Nate, well, he ate some cake!

Thought I'd share 2 prayer requests too....my brother's job description is changing just slightly for the next 10 days as a result of the G20 Summit in Toronto. Please pray for safety for him and all the other OPP involved in security and patrol. Also keep Kathy and the kids in your prayers as they are home alone for the next 10 days.

And remember my friend, Christine and her family, and specifically their little boy Tim. Tim had the 'Double Switch' surgery in Michigan last week. He's a cute little 3 year old who was born with the same heart issue as Nate. He's doing well, but as we know, sometimes surgery is the easy part. Recovery can be a rough road for these little guys. Even though Christine and I have never met, she has been such a great friend, through our emails, my questions, and sharing all of our emotions.

Don's Blog post!

Here are a couple of Don's pics of his amazing weekend in Chicago.

(Hockey stick tree???)

Michael Jordan is dressed for the occasion.

It's all about who you know! The guys were very lucky to be able to sit in on both the Flyers and Blackhawks morning skates.

Went to a White Sox game to pass time in the afternoon.

And then the real reason for the trip!

The Flyers didn't win the game, but that almost didn't matter. Don had such an incredible time. And apparently the Chicago fans (okay, the drunk girls) sitting close to Don thought of him as quite the novelty....wanting their pictures taken with this crazy Canadian that was cheering for the Flyers! It seems that as soon as the Chicago fans found out he wasn't actually from Philadelphia, but from Canada, they were able to have a good time together!

Getting there...

After several pretty difficult weeks, days and nights, it seems that Nate has decided that it's okay to be happy sometimes! His days are happier, his nights are still late (we're talking midnight), but for the most part they are more calm! What a welcome change!

But if you want to see someone who is 'over the moon' happy, you need only look at my dear husband. You know, I thought I had made him the happiest man on earth when I married him....apparently it is possible to be happier....thanks to his boss! He's going to Chicago this weekend with his boss and 3 other guys. I don't think I have to tell you where he'll be! (But if I do, it's Game 5 - watching his Flyers take on the Blackhawks!)

Although he'd better heed a warning a friend gave him...it may be dangerous wearing his jersey in Chi Town - this ain't Winkler!!!.

Game On!

Don loves his job and really enjoys the people he works with! It always makes work more fun when you share common interests and enjoy some of the same activities.

When the Flyers (Don's team) made their way to the semi finals against the Canadiens (his boss' team), a friendly wager was expected!

As you can see, Don won!

Enjoy the finals!!

Sleep....(in my dreams)

A few days ago, I was going to do a little update about how Nate was doing, the most notable thing being the hard time sleeping at night since being home from Edmonton. Then, Friday night, turned into a pretty horrible night. I might have slept...but I can't be sure. Nate was up and restless through out the whole night. A runny nose and fever began the next morning, and Saturday night was even worse (and I really didn't think it could get worse!). Sunday and Monday, still feverish, a nose that is completely plugged, sleep at night ranges from 5-20 minutes at a time, still only eating a few bites of food each day. Ugh! The last 2 nights have been getting better, thank God (although yesterday took 2 van rides and a lot of crying and unhappiness from 8pm, when we first tried getting him to sleep, to 11:30pm, when he finally fell asleep); still not eating well and overall pretty irritable! This sure makes his regular nights look amazingly restful!

Pre-surgery, I'll admit Nate wasn't a great sleeper, but he was getting better. A marked difference since coming home from Edmonton: either Don or I spend most of each night with him (good thing he graduated to a queen sized bed!); Falling asleep isn't easy, and now instead of a few sips of water once or twice through out the night, he's going through 2 or 3 sippy cups of milk (a habit that was formed in Edmonton, I'm sure, when we were trying desperately to get calories in him at any time).

So, not a very happy place to be for now! I'm sure many can relate to sleepless nights and being pushed to the limits of your own endurance! So thankful for a sunny day today, and hopefully some time spent outside.