Everything Happens at Once

It has been kind of crazy around here, lately.

For example:  we hurried and took down the Christmas tree this weekend, before we went out to breakfast for Endeavor's birthday.  To be fair, all the ornaments have been off of it since February.  And most of the lights have been off since March.  Now that it's April, we've been able to get the whole tree down and packed away to the basement.  Thank goodness it wasn't a real tree!

Can you believe that?  I can't, and I'm the one living it!

Also, I suddenly have an eleven year old daughter.  How did that happen?  She's going to middle school next year.  She gets my jokes.  She gives me fashion advice.  She helps me move furniture.  I adore her and I have so much fun with her, but where did my cute little preschooler go?

Not to lessen the seriousness of some of the other things happening in our lives, but Azul died.  Our beta fish.  Azul (say it "ah-zool", Spanish for blue) never quite got the attention he deserved after Hunter the Dog arrived.  He was fed infrequently, I'm afraid.  His small bowl wasn't always clean.  Truth be told, Azul was horribly neglected.  The children in our house were guilt-stricken when we found him floating belly-up.  None of us was exactly sure when we'd last seen him alive.  (I assure you, the children and dog receive much better care than the poor fish.)  We held a respectful moment of silence and I shared a brief eulogy, thanking Azul for his role in preparing our family for the responsibility of caring for a larger, more complex pet.  Then we gave him the royal flush.  It has taken a full week for Endeavor to be coaxed into using the burial commode, and Superkid has yet to use it.  ("It's the toilet where Azul died," she reminds us.)  Justone hasn't had any issues that way.  He's far less dramatic than his sisters.  

In our extended family, we've had some big events.  The Bionic Man's youngest sister, Cassandra, got married a couple of weeks ago.  (If you want to see some of the beautiful photographs Cassie's big sis, Kris, took on Cassie and Royce's wedding day, visit Kris's blog.)  Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues and the cost of flights, our whole family couldn't go--just the Bionic Man.  He was having a hard time believing his baby sister was old enough to get married (she's seventeen years younger than he is), so I guess it is good that he had a chance to witness the wedding.

Not long after he returned from Cassie's wedding, we got word that one of the Bionic Man's grandmas wasn't doing well.  Grandma Kitchen passed away last week.  I adored Grandma Kitchen.  We've lived far from home and our relatives during most of our married years, but I thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity I ever had to spend time in Grandma and Grandpa Kitchen's home.  Grandma Kitchen is one of the reasons I decided to marry the Bionic Man.  After I met her, I wanted to be one of her grandchildren!  One of the sweetest memories I have of Grandma Kitchen took place after our little Lily died.  Because we buried Lily in Utah, near our families, we spent some time visiting there after her death.  It was not the easiest time for me.  The day that we stopped to see Grandma and Grandpa Kitchen, Grandma took me into her front room and showed me the pictures of her own little boy who died before his first birthday, Larry.  She shared some of her memories with me about Larry, and wanted to know all about Lily.  After we heard that Grandma had died, I couldn't help but think of the joyful reunion she must be having with Larry, and be sure that she'd be looking around for Lily, too.  Death certainly is not the end of life, just the end of a body's time here on the earth.

Today, I'm waiting to hear from my family in Utah after my father comes out of surgery.  He's had some challenging health issues during the last few weeks, and hopefully this surgery will help alleviate some of those issues.  I have appreciated his good humor and bright outlook during his difficulties.  I have also appreciated that my siblings who live near our parents have been able to be so supportive of them.  It stinks to live so far away when I'd like to be available to help, too.  I'm a pro at late-night hospital vigils, already.  Wish I could be there to help with my nieces and nephews while some of my siblings get some practice in vigilance.  Or to drive my mom places.

I'm homesick.  I miss my families, and I miss my mountains.  Also, I wish someone I know would have a baby, because I miss having a baby to hold.  And there is a very good chance that I'm suffering from P.M.S., right now......so maybe it is time to stop writing?