JOB

This is the post I have been waiting all year to type....CHRIS HAS A JOB!!!!!! It is almost surreal. Can the year-long nightmare that we have been living really be coming to a close? It's hard for me to say this but I think all of the prayers and stress and worry we've been through has been worth the peace and excitement we are feeling right now!!

So here is how it happened......several weeks ago, Chris applied for a banking position at Bank of America in Kansas City, Missouri. (Keep in mind, he doesn't love banking. Some days he doesn't even like it. However, times have been tough and we are no longer picky when it comes to the job market.) Anyway, BOA called him immediately and started the interview process. They weren't thrilled that he lived so far away and were quick to state that they do not relocate. We told them that was fine, we needed a job more than a moving company anyway. Over the next couple of weeks, he interviewed via the phone and flew out to Kansas City for an interview. He thought the people all seemed very nice but tried not to get his hopes up. Heaven knows we've done that a couple of times......

This morning, the kids and I were making pancakes when Chris came into the kitchen and said, "Well, you can quit your job!" I just stared at him. I asked him if he was serious and what the heck was going on. He had a paper in hand with all the details, so we all sat down at the table, had a prayer and then he told us everything over breakfast. Kansas City, move as soon as we want, great salary and benefits, lots of vacation time, not much commuter traffic, well priced housing market. Oh, and did I mention they threw in a nice relocation package?! We were all immediately excited; the kids didn't whimper even a moment about leaving their friends and school. The feeling in our house at that moment was so amazing. We were all filled with such a feeling of relief and a calmness that I knew instantly that this is what we have been waiting for. We are supposed to be moving to Kansas City and now is the right time. I was initially worried about Chris and how he felt about getting back into banking, but he is full of confidence and relief and excitement, too. This is going to be good for us. All of us. And we could not feel more blessed!

SUMMER

I love summer. I love how much more relaxed life is when the weather is warm. "Bathing" in the swimming pool, eating ice cream for dinner,  and the happy faces on my kids when they get to stay up past their bedtimes make it a great time of year. I think they like summer, too. We've had so much fun playing at Grandma's house. Below are photos to prove it.....

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Okay, this might not be one of the great things about summer...Livi would tell you so. She flipped one morning when she "felt something" in her hair and it turned out to be a well-attached tick. The joy of living amongst the trees, right? Chris and I tag-teamed this one.....

TROLLEY TRIP

Grandma Joan has been wanting to go on the city trolley tour for a year and finally her dream came true. Nick and Livi were her chaperones and they had a great time! The old fashioned trolley is only $1.25 and stops at all the fun places in Rapid City-The Journey Museum, Storybook Island, and dinosaur mountain, to name a few. Riders are free to get on and off at whatever stops they wish. Today's ride had kind of had a prehistoric feel to it...They loved the dinosaurs at the museum, had ice cream at dinosaur mountain, and each came home with a "Dig your Own Dinosaur" excavating kit. Thanks, mom, for making such fun memories with the kids!

KIDNEY

Okay, here's a long, faith-promoting story for you....

Back in August of 2008, after being laid off from G.E., Chris applied to the FBI. He did all kinds of interviews,  exams and physicals and passed everything with flying colors. According to the lady in charge of his case, he was "in." All he was waiting on was the date he could go to the FBI Academy for training. Now, at the time, I didn't tell him that I was having uneasy feeling about it all. I just figured it was stress and put it in the Lord's hands, knowing he would lead us to what was best for our family.

Fast forward to now (July 2009), and we were still waiting for his date for the academy. The FBI was giving Chris the total run-around, claiming they had misplaced his file and all kinds of crazy things. I felt bad for him because he was still unemployed and getting very frustrated with the whole process. Then one day they called and said that, upon additional review of his medical records, he needed to be seen by a urologist. (INFO: In January of 2008, he had blood in his urine for a few weeks. Too much lifting at the gym? Kidney infection? Not sure what caused it, but after some antibiotics, he was fine a month later.) So now he has to see a specialist to have his kidneys rechecked. He goes in for the appointment, the doctor tells him he would like to do a cat-scan and an MRI to check things out. Now is probably a good time to mention that the health insurance for him and I (through my job) doesn't become effective for a few more weeks, but we can't afford to wait that long. So he goes in for the scans on a Thursday afternoon. The Radiologist sees some "shadowing" and orders a kidney scope for the following Monday. According to Chris, he has all the signs of kidney cancer...

I can't even explain the fear and hopelessness we experienced over that weekend. It was suffocating and awful in every sense of the word. How could this possibly be happening, on top of everything else?? Surely there was a blessing, somewhere in all of this mess.

I went with Chris to the surgery on Monday afternoon. He was pretty calm, considering the procedure he was having done. Not fun for any guy, let alone one who had repeatedly told his nurse wife in the past, "If I ever have to have a cathedar, it is your responsibility to shoot me first. I AM SERIOUS." I think it helped that one of Chris' closest friends, an anesthesiologist, has passed a good word onto the coworker who was taking his case. The guy was very nice and promised "You won't feel or remember a thing. I promise."

Time didn't exactly fly by, but soon enough the surgeon was in the waiting room giving me the news we had been praying for. "I could find nothing wrong with his kidneys," he said, "every looked good." If I hadn't been so thankful, I would have just started bawling right there. It was wonderful news. Chris was going to be fine!

These are the cute cards the kids made for Chris before his surgery:

"Don't be scared"

"Everything is going to be allright. We love you."

Chris recovered for a few hours and we were on our way home, thankful, relieved and exhausted. Now he had exactly two and a half days to recover before he flew out to interview with some bank in Kansas City, Missouri. He wasn't exactly excited about it, but it was an interview.....

SPEECH

Ben has been doing speech therapy for the last six months or so at the request of our pediatrician. (He asked at Ben's 2yr. check-up in February if he was saying at least 100 words. I replied that if grunting counts as a word, he is up to about four. Or maybe six on a real talkative day....that got us immediately referred....) I can't say that I am honestly worried about him never talking: his two older siblings do it for him! Between them and a little sign language, we've got the communication thing all figured out! Nevertheless, I went with the recommendation that he receive therapy and it has actually been alot of fun. For both of us. He has a great time with Ms. Kari, playing games and working on sounds and vocabulary and I enjoy getting new ideas and games from her. Once we were even on TV for it, and a camera crew came to one of Ben's therapy sessions to see him in action! So far, I can't see a ton of improvements. Some days he does really well, other days not so much. I guess only time will tell!

UPDATE: In the few months right after we moved and therapy with Kari stopped, Ben's speech and vocabulary exploded! It was all of a sudden.... One day he started talking in sentences! It was so exciting. I knew he had it in him....he was just saving everything he learned from Kari so he could use it all at once!