It's the Glue

While having lunch we were listening to Ben Folds (edited by Layne) and enjoying the rain. The day is overcast and yet it's fun to see the colorful flowers and blossoms that are beginning to emerge in the yard. Jonny asked about Family Home Evening and decided to rotate the assignments and inform us of our assignments. (I love it when children think of a great idea themselves and then just do it. I also love that our kids look forward to FHE and that it's a regular part of our schedule.)
It's moments like this when I'm glad we homeschool...especially since we were actually productive this morning. I'm grateful we have the opportunity to spend time together as a family.
It's times like this when I have thoughts pop into my head about everyone homeschooling. I'm not saying it has to be for everyone. I'm just saying, I think every family would love a few moments of making memories in an everyday kind of way. It wasn't a big event - but, it was time with the family. It's the everyday stuff that memories are made of...the glue that holds the memories of the big events together.

Fast Forward A Couple of Years

I've been thinking about starting another blog with a couple of different topics so everything is all together. Yet, I'm not sure I want some of the details about the kids to be part of that. So, for now, I'll do a bit of updating here.
Obviously, much has happened since I last wrote. The two biggest things would be that we are in our second year of homeschooling and that Layne has Stage IV cancer. Both details have put a different twist on our lives.
We still live in the same place and are doing some of the same things. We still get to associate with some fabulous people around here and occasionally get to see a family member or two whenever they happen to be traveling through the area.

To Be or Not To Be

I just found this draft...originally written 5/27/12

This seems to be our phrase these days. It's been a challenge to not know if a loved one has cancer or not. We were told weeks ago that Layne has colon cancer and that he needed to have a procedure as soon as possible. That has since been corrected. 'They' don't know if he has cancer or not. There is a mass that has pre-cancer cells, but there's not enough evidence either way to know if there are cells that have developed to the cancer stage. We won't know until his surgery at the end of this week. We have gone for weeks now...thinking he has cancer and then not knowing if he does or not. The not knowing is hard. And yet, knowing doesn't seem like such a wonderful option either, unless we know it is not cancer.

The hard part about not knowing is not being sure of what to think or how to plan. For the most part, I try not to think about it; to keep busy with other things. Although, I haven't found a way to move quickly past the 'what if' thoughts that pop into my head occasionally. A couple of my first thoughts were about how I would miss him and how would I support our family and raise 4 kids by myself. I have also had times when I have noticed and appreciated the little things about Layne and having a companion that I love.

Layne is more anxious than usual. It's hard for him to not know and especially to deal with the unknown of how it will be to have part of him taken out and how his body will heal and function once that happens. He is one to worry. So, it's been a bit rough. He has done his best to joke about things occasionally.

Mom, don't you have a meeting this morning?

Jonny asked me this morning if I had a meeting. I typically do, so he was really just wondering why I was home. I get to be the YW President in our ward and have a morning meeting three of the four Sundays each month. (Besides, the usual 3 hour block.) I don't have any extra meetings on the 5th Sunday.

Layne's calling is Elders Quorum President, so he has two of the same meetings I do on Sunday mornings. Today, he had a meeting at 9, was home for a few minutes and left for another meeting that started at 11. He was home long enough for us to get out the door for the regular Sunday meetings we go to and now has three individuals/groups of people he's meeting with lined up. Megan was just asking about where Daddy was and why we weren't eating yet. I told her he had more meetings. She responded with, "Tell all those people to stop meeting with him!". It made me laugh. We're not used to Dad being gone all day on Sundays while we're home. It's odd for me because I'm used to having the meetings while Layne is home. I'm sure he's glad that there's not another 5th Sunday coming up in awhile! All of his meetings were administrative...he still get to do the ministering part.

The cool thing is...he's the one that got dinner taken care of...it's simmering in the crock pot right now. Yep...he's a keeper.

Does she know something???

Rachel has told me a couple of times in the past week or so that we need to have another girl in our family. I'm not sure where she's getting her info. Do you think she knows some thing the rest of us don't?