Summer......where has it gone?

We've had a lot of fun this Summer! But it seems like it's gone too fast! We've had birthday's (Bailee's 5th and Maddox's 2nd!), mini-vacations (to Hiko twice and Kanab), visitors (Grandma B, Grammy and Grampy), and friend's moving closer. We've worked hard and played harder. We've built, dug, created, moved, piled, cut, nailed, planted, enjoyed. And Bailee starts Kindergarten in 27 days! Agghhh!

I have a lot of posts I want to write, but today I just want to get something off my chest.

Maddox is doing amazing! He is growing, and learning and breathing and eating. I couldn't ask for more! Or could I? His next surgery, the fontan, is ever on my mind. I watch him closely and wonder how much longer. I know I should focus on all of the good things, and I truly am grateful that he is so well, but I want to put the fontan behind us. I dread the days in the hospital, of being so near to him and not being able to hold him, of not being able to explain to him what or why. So many things. And I really am grateful for so many things. But I get thinking about this, and then wondering, and it's a really huge deal. This is a huge surgery and really scary and really necessary. Then I get feeling guilty because so many other people have such harder roads than we do.

And I get frustrated when people complain about stuff that I feel is trivial but maybe it's a big deal for them. And maybe I shouldn't be so judgmental about it. I know we aren't given trials we can't handle, and I just need to be grateful that God has given me the strength to go through this with Maddox. And I guess I need to pray for more patience with other people's complaints about their trials. I don't feel like I've complained about this. It is what it is. But I guess sometimes I just wish people were a little more sensitive in their venting. And again, I need to not let it bother me. Signing off. Maddox is awake from his nap and I need to go look at him and be reminded of how God is really so good.

Studio J, Free for All

 

This month Close To My Heart is giving everyone a FREE, no strings attached, JPEG file of the layout of your choice. If you haven’t checked out Studio J yet, go now! It is so fast and easy to use. You can use their quick mix kits and add your pictures and journaling and be done. Or, you can change things up a bit; add more embellishments, change the colors of the B&T paper, layer Stickease, and much more. So go to my website, http://tracibulkley.myctmh.com and click on the Studio J link. Let me know what you think!

This is the layout that I chose to receive a free JPEG of!

Bailee's Dance Recital

Bailee had her dance recital last Friday. It was the cutest thing ever! Her cute friend Katelyn was in her class, and they had so much fun this year. We were bummed they weren't next to each other during the dancing. I am still trying to figure out how to get my video from the disk to the computer to online. So someday, I hope to be able to share some cute video. The girls did 5 dances! I was impressed with them and with their amazing teacher. They had so much fun, and the recital was definitely the highlight of the year. Bailee was certain that everyone would think she was an adult because she was wearing adult makeup. She was so cute about it. And the costumes were so cute, she loved wearing them. Both girls were so super excited for the recital to be over though, so they can wear their costumes whenever they want. They wasted no time; Saturday morning they were both outside playing in full costume. Funny girls.

A month of Firsts.....

Maddox is having a month of firsts, and I need to take some pictures.

First Steps by himself, and walking all over!
First fat lip.... he fell and hit his lip on the front porch. Ouch.... but I didn't get a picture.
First skinned nose.... he JUMPED off the front porch. Landed on his forehead. And skid on his nose across the sidewalk. Lovely.
First black eye.... He tripped at the neighbors house last night and hit his eye on the corner of a chair. It is a lovely blue this morning.

Hey, we still have 11 days left in this month. We could see some more Firsts. :)

And a month later.....

We're just hanging in there. The weather has been insane, and it's making me crazy! I just want sunshine and heat! Oh, and to send the kids outside to play. I love warm days, like today, when most of the kids in the neighborhood are playing out in the circle. So fun. Can't wait for Summer!!

Maddox is doing ok. We had to increase a med because his oxygen levels were low, it seems to be helping. Though we do have him on O2 again when he sleeps. He seems to have more energy during the day if he sleeps with it at night. I was kind of worried last month, and thinking we'd be headed to surgery sooner than later. But I think the medicine adjustment and the O2 at night will be good for now. We go back next week. I'm so thankful he has been pretty healthy this winter. Crossing my fingers it stays that way! He is walking like CRAZY! It's so cute! He started walking by himself on March 25th. He can also open the front door, and he likes to escape. Of course he heads straight for the street. I'm so grateful for our quiet little neighborhood! The boy needs a leash! He absolutely loves the swing, and fell asleep in it this afternoon. As soon as he woke up from his nap, that's where he wanted to go again.

Bailee is good. She is looking forward to school starting in a few months. It actually took quite a bit of talking to convince her that she wants to go to school. She kept telling everyone that she's not going to Kindergarten, she's being home schooled.  Uh, not. I am really looking forward to the kids being in school! Bai's been planning her birthday party FOREVER! It's still 2 1/2 months away! But it'll be fun! Her new thing is to make rules about EVERYTHING! If it needs to be done, she thinks it needs to be a rule. I should write them down as she makes them up to remind her of the rules when she's a teenager. Then I can use the excuse that I didn't make them, I just enforce them. :)

So there's an update. :)