Back to bloggin....

Well I just checked and, by george(wonder which George, hopefully not George Michael he is weird), it has been more than a month since I have posted a blog. Now the surprising thing is that it just seems like yesterday that I typed that we were having a little girl and then boom here we are a month later. Hardly seems possible. For those of you who don't know or might be checking this blog out as a link from the other members of my family the wife, kids and I just returned from our trip to Ohio. We made the trip because as most of the regulars know my dad has terminal cancer. He is doing treatments to buy him more time and about 2 weeks ago finished his radiation treatment and started his chemo last Thursday. Kristena and I decided that we wanted our kids who are young to know him when he was better than he will be later. So everyday we were there we went over to visit. My dad is a real trooper. He did not ever complain when we were there even though I know we has exhausted and felt horrible. (my wife says I am a baby and cry everytime I stub my toe). The biggest change from a month ago was his face was swollen, he had lost a lot of his hair and he has to use a cane to steady himself. He really has no energy and words come slowly at times and the worst part of that is that he can think normally and then he really struggles to say it. For those of you have met my dad you'll know that talking has never been a problem so this I would say is the most painful side effect of the cancer. The kids handled it very well. Every day Kaitlyn made him a card or picked him something out of the yard. Tyler took him a car because those are his most prized possessions. He always says anytime someone gets hurt "I give them one of my cars and they feel better". I don't know if he ever left one there but his heart was in the right place.(actually he always made sure he had his cars when he left but he did let my dad touch them once)

One of the benefits is that my entire family lives in the same town in Ohio. So when we go to see my dad we get to see everyone. Well I say everyone lives in the same town but for at least the second time my mom has move back to Columbus. ( she usually moves within the same selection of towns) She made the trek all but one day from Columbus to our little town. I would like to believe that she made it for Kristena and I but nope it was to see our kids. We stayed with my grandparents which was very nice because it is better than a hotel. The crazy old guy that runs this hotel charges for water and makes you leave a quarter everytime you flush the toilet but we love him, kids stay free and if you buy the meal plan they even let you eat there. (just kidding grandpa it was only a nickel to flush the toilet and Kristena had a coupon buy one night get the second night free). As my mom had just moved Kristena decided mostly because I told her about my mom's shopping habits(who knew you could buy all of that at United Dairy Farmers) to take her a few items from her stockpile as a house warming gift. When she told me about the idea I thought great idea we will throw in some toilet paper maybe a bottle of shampoo and call it a day. Oh no this box weighed about as much as our van. We were lucky the mountains we had to cross on the way there were small or we would have had to pray for a strong tailwind to get the van over them with the load we were hauling. For the record Marsha we included a 12 pack of toilet paper so you can stop and use the bathroom after your next trip to the Cracker barrel.(watch out for the guy selling the Rolex's on the corner on the way into her neighborhood, I don't think they are real!He offered me a bag of dimes or was it a dime bag)

The real highlight for the kids was the opportunity to play with their cousins Sam and Josh. After Tyler and I made our last trip all Tyler talked about was going back to ma and pa's house to play with Josh and Sam. Kaitlyn and Samuel have always been buds. They remind me a lot of Kelley and I when were kids. Kelley always bossed me around and told me what to do but I would have done anything she said because I thought she was greatest thing since individually wrapped twinkies or those little quarts of ben and jerry's ice cream... man I love me some Ben and Jerry's. (actually I don't remember her ever bossing me around but I remember Jason convincing me to ride our bikes places where Marsha told us not to. And us driving way to fast back from the State Fair one year). Kaitlyn and Sam played like they spend everyday together. I don't remember the two of them ever fighting. Kaitlyn cried a little on the way home because she missed everyone. Her real highlight was Grandma's piano. She learned where middle "C" is and now she wants to take piano lessons. So does Tyler. I just keep telling them to just keep telling great grandma that you really wish you could take piano lessons but mommy and daddy can't afford a piano and they promise to practice real hard and maybe even cry a little maybe grandma will get you one. (just kidding grandma unless you already have one picked out. I baby grand would look best in our living room) Tyler and Josh are so close in age that the think to do the same types of things. Those things are usually the last thing we told them not to do. For example if you told them not to shut the back door to the back porch then two seconds later the door would be shut. Tyler was ready to go back to Ohio as soon as we said we were back in Florida. He still tells everyone who will listen that " we are going back on our trip to Ohio to see ma and pa".

Kristena was not quite as thrilled to go. Not because she does not like my family or because she is pregnant and idea of spending about 15-19 hours in a car sounds about as thrilling as a blueberry and coke enema. No it is just that this time of year in Ohio the chance of seeing the sun is about as likely as seeing a pig with wings delivering pizza's.(don't ask it is late and the pictures are little weird). So as we crossed the Florida border on our way to Ohio we pulled along side the road and had a good cry and said good-bye to the sun. And true to form it rained and was dreary pretty much our entire trip. The sun peaked out one day just long enough to tease us. Then on our way home as the sun began to show itself she and I had to stop and just hold each other as we felt the ice wash from our veins and the sun warmed us. Tears of unspeakable joy. I don't think I have cried like that since Tyler was born or we ran out of pop tarts. Now that is all to say Florida really is the sunshine state. 80 and sunny today feels like fall outside!(don't be haters the snow really is pretty it is just hard to have a good cook out with a foot of snow on the ground)

Well the rest of the weekend was great. I have the best brother and sister in the whole world. Tom is great with the kids and allowed Kaitlyn to use him as jungle gym. Kim is great. My mom always says that we share a brain. That maybe be true because lately I feel like she must gotten custody of it. She always make me laugh. We always take the joke way to far or just to the point where she, Tom, Kristena and I are the only ones laughing. I think we are trying to get my mom to laugh so hard she wets herself. I think we got close to that on our first night there. One time we were all watching Bill Cosby on the tonight show when we lived in a trailer somewhere in the middle of no where. My mom got laughing so hard she literally wet herself. Ever since then I have been trying to replicate that moment. With her age and the fact that her ability to "hold it" is getting weaker I think I have a pretty chance.

We went to Kim's church on Sunday, well it is not really her church. She does not have her own religion were we all go and worship her. She might like that but I wonder what the hymns would be. "How Great She Is", "Because She Lives", "Victory in Kimmy". I wonder if the scientoligists sing hymns. Do they sing something about "There is a crystal where the aliens all come to take us home" I don't know. Maybe before I make fun I should check it out. Maybe Ron and his followers know something I don't. Nay, I think you have to be able to jump from a standing position onto a couch and that would require me to strap rockets to my ankles. Actually their would probably have to be a countdown like when they launch the space shuttle. Now what was I talking about.... Oh that's right my siblings are very cool if you get the chance you should get to know them.

Well I think that is about it. Work for me is busy but good. My responsibilities keep getting expanded which is better than them shrinking. Kristena and baby Lauren(for those of you who don't know we have decided on Lauren) are doing well. This baby gets blamed for a lot of things. Everytime Kristena wants something and I seem reluctant she tells me"But the baby wants.." I am such a great husband that I jump and get it for her. Now if she says the baby wants a new diamond ring then we may need to explain to Lauren the difference between needs and wants before she even gets here. Well I am mispeling eveyting az eyes getin tird. So I better get to bed. I will not make promises about when I will get around to posting again but I will try and do it more often. Until then enjoy a picture or two of the kids. Love to y'all. Sunny and 75 tomorrow. Burr might need a jacket!