Cover Up

Troy was supposed to have his staples out today, but it didn't work out.

Luckily, we went out last night and bought Troy a new hat ... since his baseball cap wasn't totally appropriate for work.

I think he pulls it off.

Typecasting?

We had cub pack meeting last night and I have to say it was wonderful!

We had picnic and the scouts put on skits for us.

Josh was a squirrel. I think there may have been some typecasting going on here.

Don't Look

Troy had the bandages removed today.

Other than a headache ... he is doing really well.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. We feel so blessed to have so many people in our corner!

And...we did manage to find the silver lining in all of this.

Troy's bald spot is considerably smaller -- apparently one of the treatments for baldness is actually the removal of excess skin.

And...his forehead is a little tighter (so he looks like he got a little facelift). Unfortunately, his hairline does appear to have receded some.

Oh well.

Gotta take the good with the bad, right? : )

Plus...he is still totally hot.

Troy really is doing very well.

In case you are interested..I have a photo.

But...don't look if you are squeamish.

















Really. It's gross.













Don't say I didn't warn you!

He really is a superman. I'm so glad he's okay!

Poor Baby

My poor baby.

The surgery went really well. Troy was nervous on the way to the hospital ... i don't think he slept well last night. I'm not sure i've ever seen him nervous before.

But...once he got checked in and prepped, he was a rock.

And I turned back into a worried mess.

The surgery was about 45 minutes and they removed about a half dollar size section from the top of his head. We go back tomorrow for them to take the bandages off. He's got 14 staples. 

They will send the section they removed to a lab at Boston University for processing. We will know in about two weeks if he is cancer free. We have (as does the doctor) -- very high hopes.

Let's have a party when we know for sure.

(He's a good sport, isn't he?)

The Big C

Do you ever think about how much your family means to you?

About how much the people you love mean to you and what your life would be life without them?

I think it's pretty easy to take those people for granted and sometimes things happen that make you take stock of your life and realize that our time here on earth is precious...and relatively short.

And that we really need to cherish the people that mean to most to us.

Troy was recently diagnosed with melanoma.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer.

It's been a scary time for us...and not knowing or having answers has been really tough.

But through it all, Troy has been a rock. Solid, Sure. Confident.

I, on the other hand, have been a wreck.

Troy likes to say that he has no need to worry because I do enough worrying for both of us.

Which, as loathe as I am to admit, is actually true.

Fortunately, Troy is at stage 1. We caught the cancer very early and Troy has surgery scheduled for Wednesday morning. If everything goes as planned, this should be all the treatment Troy needs.

I think that any time you have trials you have to be grateful for the good that comes from it.

One thing I hope that will come out of this is that we will each take the opportunity to check ourselves and our loved ones for the early signs of skin cancer.

I actually found the growth on Troy while cutting his hair and I urged him to see a doctor.

If you know Troy, getting him to go the doctor was no easy task.

But...he has also come away with the knowledge that he must always wear sunscreen and/or a hat.

I am hoping that each of you will take similar precautions.

Additionally, I have really had the chance to reaffirm to Troy how very much I love him and how much he means to me.

Life would not be the same without Troy in it. (Although I could definitely do without any more "dead husband" jokes from my dear sweet "still living" husband.)

We will keep you posted with how things are going.

Cause He's the Dad

We had an excellent father's day -- well, at least I did, so I am hoping Troy did too.

The kids made cards and Josh included some coupons in his. Troy's favorite coupon was the one which promised that Josh would give him a whole hour alone. lol! 

Joe's card showed his vision of his super dad ... and for some reason, I was falling off a tall building when Troy swooped in to save me.

Should I be worried that Joe sees me needing to be rescued or that I am falling off a building?

The kids got Troy this great Super Dad card -- and we doctored up the photo on the card to show our own favorite Super Dad.

What more perfect card could you find for Troy than one that has him wearing socks, sandals, and a cape. Classic Troy.

I also made Troy a little gift and made him this little frame with an "I LOVE YOU MORE THAN COKE ZERO" sign.

BTW, It's true.

I know.

Shocking.

We also found Husker Du...one of Troy's favorite kids game.

I love you Troy.

Thanks for being such a great Dad!!!

1, 2, 3, 4

My sweet Katie is 4.

Can you believe it?

The last four years have just flown by.

And I have loved every moment.

This girl is silly and funny and happy and just a joy to have.

I am so grateful that she is part of our family.

Happy birthday Katie dear.

Funky Fresh

Emma has been wanting to get a new haircut for quite some time...but schedules just haven't been accomodating.

Fortunately, with summer here...Emma was able to take a chance...and go with the really funky hair cut she has always desired.

I just love it! 

The Last

My goodness. 

Where did the year go?

The kids had a great school year and I am so proud of all of them.

It has been a year of growth and change. I was thinking that the kids really have changed this year...but I was surprised to see just how much with these side by sides of the first day and the last day of school. 

These kids are amazing. I am such a lucky mom! 

Girding My Loins

Seriously.

I kinda feel like that.

I went grocery shopping today to prepare for three months of having the kids home 24/7.

I don't know about your kids...but my kids seem like they want to eat every 20 minutes when they are home.

And they are all at that age where they can easily eat me out of house and home.

Even with all the shopping I did...I still feel woefully unprepared.

Happy Endings, New Beginnings

Mikayla graduated from 8th grade.

It was a very nice ceremony and I am just so proud of her!

She graduated on the Principal's Honor Roll, straight A's all through middle school.

She received the Gold Presidential Academic Fitness Award.

And she was chosen as the top French student.

I cannot believe how quickly middle school flew by. I am sure high school will move equally fast. I am definitely not ready for this. But I am grateful that she is!

Spring Concert

The kids had their spring concert last night.

Other than Joe getting hurt at school and having to go to the ER to treat a hairline fracture -- which was par for the course for us -- it went really well.

Joe managed to play with his temporary cast -- and Mikayla even conducted the 6th grade orchestra. It was very cool.

This is the 6th grade orchestra.



This is the 8th grade orchestra.

Move Over Bethooven

Mikayla had a piano recital on Friday.

She was marvelous.

We just love Mikayla's piano teacher, Diane. I am so grateful for good teachers!

Here's a video of Mikayla two songs -- she has made such wonderful progress.

Dance Like No One Is Watching

Katie had her end of year dance recital. OMGOSH.

Soooo cute.

and a couple of the dances: