HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY DAD!

This weekend we headed back to Scott City for a surprise 60^th Birthday Party for my Dad.  It was a great turn out and he loved it.  We actually managed to keep it a secret at least up to the day of the party (Saturday).  For a small town like Scott City, that’s pretty good, not to mention my family, Steph and Cody had to “hide out” all day Saturday but it was just a good excuse to head to Garden City shopping.  Anyway, Dad had a great time talking with people and although he is not a big fan of crowds I think he felt very honored.  I love my Dad.  We have always been very close and he has a heart of gold.  He has a complete inability to say “No” to anyone or anything that needs help which I think has became a family trait.  I am blessed with wonderful parents and love anytime we are able to bring them a little joy.  I truly am blessed to have been born to such wonderful parents.  My Dad wants for nothing so to be able to help organize a little gathering that he seemed to really enjoy made us all feel very good.  So Happy Birthday Dad!  I love you so much!   Thank you for teaching me to work harder, love stronger and help more than is ever expected of someone.  You are a father and a friend and very much loved!

Before we left for our fun weekend we survived a very long week.  Early in the week I received an email from a friend who had read some of my posts about how Raelynn was having a hard time leaving me.  She suggested I send her to school with a picture of me and tell her that when she misses me she can hug the picture.  It worked like a charm!  I cannot even tell you how great it was to leave each other with no tears from either of us.  I was beyond excited. 

Ok, break from the story, we are actually on the road and Hanna Montana just came on the radio and Terry is jamming out…..HILARIOUS!  It is amazing what kids will do for ‘ya!  Just as funny is that Raelynn just asked, “Dad, are you rockin’ out?”  “Keep on rockin’ out Dude!”

Anyway, so thank you Sarah for the best suggestion ever given to me! So with this phase passed us (I hope) we are on to enjoying the good parts even more.  This past week Raelynn brought home a picture that looked like a large house and said "I Bravery" at the top.  When I pulled it out of her backpack I asked her what it was.  She said it is a picture of when I showed great bravery.  I still wasn’t sure what I was looking at until she continued….”it’s a picture of when you and Dad and Cooper were at the hospital and I had to be brave while you were there with Coop because he needed you more than I did.”  Wow, it is amazing how powerful the picture became to me.  “You were wonderfully brave then and you have been amazingly brave since and you will be extraordinarily brave in the future and you know why?” I asked her.  “Because you have strength and bravery and strength go hand in hand and you know where your strength comes from?”  I expected her to say no but instead, she pointed to her heart and with a smile said, “God put it right here!”  The funny thing is that wasn’t what I was going to say but that was so much better of an answer than I could have ever come up with.  I love when my lessons are turned back on me and it is me that learns and they that teach.

 

Wednesday night was the most exciting night of the whole week.  Cooper’s Cause Foundation Board of Directors met and selected the 2010 Recipients of Grant Funding.  This year 4 families were selected and funded $16,000!  I cannot express to you the amazing feeling this gives me.  I still remember this one day sitting on the couch at home and me telling Terry we should start a way to help raise money for other families like everyone did for us.  It seemed so small and insignificant then.  I had no idea what I was saying or dedicating our family too.  However, if I knew then what I know now I would have worked even faster to get things going.  I am unable to express how it feels to call a family and tell them you are sending them a check for the amount of money they needed to buy a piece of equipment that their precious child needs but the insurance company doesn’t see as a necessity.  It is truly far more empowering then you can ever imagine.  Many of the families say they don’t know how to thank us but what they don’t realize is that I know how it feels to be given funds that help ease so much burden and stress and to be able to give someone else that peace of mind is more than thanks enough.  The truth is I should thank them because I love doing what we are doing! I am also so thankful for everyone who supports our cause because it is them that make this all possible.  I feel like we are living a dream and everyone who supports us in so many ways are making that possible.  THANK YOU!

As I mentioned before we are headed back to Lawrence from Scott City as I make this update.  The trip home has been a pretty fun one surprisingly.  Raelynn has been reading some books out loud and it is amazing to hear how well she is reading and she feels so accomplished.  We also got the kids Valentine Cards done for school and daycare and then there was the whole potty incident.  Well we were in between Scott City and Hays and let me tell you there is nothing between Scott City and Hays.  From the back seat we hear, “I have to go potty!”  It was Coop which meant we didn’t have much time to find a place.  I ask him to hold on and we would stop as soon as we could.  A few minutes pass and then we hear a tearful, “I have to go potty!”  I look at Terry and we pull over to the side of the road…..what other choice did we have?!  I jump out and grab Cooper out of his car seat.  Up until now I have made it a point to keep Coop from realizing that boys can stand up to go potty.  So now, as we stand at the side of the road, pants down and I am telling him he has to hold on to his peepee and make it shoot out in front of him.  He looks at me for a minute and I tell him he has to hold it.  So he does and begins to potty with a giggle.  I am cracking up and tell him not to potty on himself.  At one point I tell him to point it up.  Well I forget that he takes things literally so he shoots it straight up!  Thank goodness we had some wipes in the truck and thank goodness he quickly realized maybe not that far up!  Anyway, funny stuff but we were soon back on the road and all was well! 

We are almost home, yea!  So I better wrap it up and start gathering trash and toys from the back seat.  Then on to unpacking, dinner, baths and laundry.  Love weekends away but as Raelynn says, just wish we had a magic wand to unload the truck, put everything away, clean the house and do the laundry!