Goodbye, Potter

We lost our beloved Potter Girl yesterday afternoon.  She became very sick and the vet discovered a tumor growing on her organs.  He recommended we spend one more day with her on some pain relief and then end her suffering.  Our hearts are so sore, but we hope she is at peace today.

Jason wrote a letter about the last two days to the boys to have waiting in their e-mail accounts for when they're older.  I thought I'd share it:

" This afternoon, we had the awful task of bringing Potter to be put down.

It all happened so suddenly.  On Thursday night and Friday she was

doing some things that were not normal for her (like asking to be let

out and then staying outside).  On Saturday she wouldn't eat and

appeared to be uncomfortable.  Mom and I (with Jude) went to the vet

while Aunt Jacki and Uncle Jeff watched Jack and James.

The vet did some tests and confirmed Mom's intuition - Potter was

dying. She had an aggressive tumor in her abdomen and his

recommendation was to put her down and end her suffering.  There were

no other good options.

Thankfully we were able to make arrangements for the following day

(today) in order to spend time with her and say goodbye.  We also

wanted you guys to be able to see her again.  She was given some

medication which seemed to really ease the pain.  She even got her

appetite back - but only for her favorite treats, which we were very

grateful to be able to provide her (bread, cake, peanut butter,

sausage, popcorn).  We were even able to go on a short walk and Potter

took a short swim - her favorite activity.  Afterwards, you guys sat

with her for awhile in the big field next to our house.  It was in

that field, just a week or so ago, that she got the opportunity to

play ball with a few other labs (although much younger and much

faster).  It reminded Mom and I how how often we brought young Potter

out to play catch or frisbee and how fast she used to be!  Jack and

James - you were both impressed with our stories of how athletic she

once was and remorseful that those days were over.

Yesterday, when Mom and I returned from the vet, we sat down Jack and

James to deliver the bad news.  I hope I always remember James' two

responses. The first, immediately after we explained the situation,

was: "Well, she'll feel better in heaven. She won't have any boo boos.

And then in a little while we'll all be there and we can be together

as a family again... It's gonna be crowded!"

And then after we all spent some time with Potter and told stories

about how we got her and things she had done (both good and bad), you

said: "dying is more sad than I thought."

James, you continued to make really great, meaningful comments

throughout today as well, such as: "When she rises up to heaven, her

boo boos will feel better and better. (pause)  But we'll still have

pain from being sad."  You have also prayed for Potter and "all the

animals and people that are dying."

Jack, you've asked us over and over again for more stories about

Potter.  It has been really fun and helpful for both Mom and I to

retell a dozen years worth of memories about her.  One of your

favorites is how she would position herself between you guys (when you

were each babies) and any stranger that came into the house.  She was

so protective of her boys!

Jude, you are obviously too young to know what is going on right now.

You simply continued to play with (on, over, and around) Potter today

as you normally do.  You probably won't remember much about her but

you truly enjoyed her company and she certainly enjoyed the food you'd

throw off your high chair tray!  In fact, at dinner tonight, the

pieces of PB&J sandwich underneath you were one of the first signs

that Potter is no longer with us.  But as James just told me, as I

walked him back to his room, "Potter has a great view of the sky

tonight!"

Yes, she does.  A great view for a great friend that we will all miss dearly.

I love you guys,

Dad  "

Playing Catch Up...A LOT Of Catch Up

Catching up on my blog.  I need to be much better about posting.  It's just been so busy.  That's my excuse.  And it's a good excuse too!  We have been living life.  Often at a pace that I don't particularly care for.  But, all-in-all, it's been a fun ride.

Our weekends and weekdays in September and half of October were filled with both boys' soccer games and final tournament.  Jason coached both of their teams.  I'm so proud of Jack's team for winning the championship game! Somewhere in between games, we took a trip to a place in GA called Callaway Gardens.  We brought our bikes and had a glorious time riding all of the trails from attraction to attraction. We celebrated Jude's birthday in the beginning of October.  It was followed a couple of days later with a trip to the beach as a 60th birthday gift to Jason's mom.  It had been a while since the whole family has been able to get together.  We had such a great time!  Then we traveled into Covington a couple of weekends later to visit and to go to a Cowboy Mouth concert.  The boys had fall field trips sprinkled here and there in October.  The last weekend in October we went CAMPING in GA!  Tent camping!  With no electricity!  Primitive!!!  I was so proud of the boys...and us for braving such an adventure!  Then there was Halloween and fall parties at the schools.  Shortly thereafter was the election and then we even made time for a family stomach virus.  Jason and I avoided it, but all three boys were sick for 4 days straight!  Whew!  That'll make you thankful for health in the midst of all of that!  Then Thanksgiving Feast school parties and Thanksgiving week followed!  No traveling for us during the Thanksgiving break, but we did host Jason's parents, sister, her husband and baby.  We enjoyed spending time with family and had enough food to feed an army!  Including THREE of Jason's fried turkeys.  Which are so very delicious!  It was Jason's birthday on Thanksgiving Day.  I made a carrot cake for him (it's so intense, I only do it once every few years).  He also got a "daddy bow" for his birthday.  Jack got a bow for his birthday...and daddy has been wanting a "daddy bow" ever since.  On top of all of this fun...we've had lots of homework and school projects.

Now, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and am really trying to play catch up.  The house has gotten a bit out of control (I love an organized house...and it's far from it these days).  I got a phone call from Jack's teacher this morning.  She asked if I could please bring him the correct uniform shirt, he is wearing the wrong one and is feeling quite embarrassed.  He had mistakingly put on his Friday shirt and today is Thursday.  I did not even notice this as he left to catch the bus this morning.  When he came to the office to get his shirt from me, he looked like he was about to break into tears.  This just tears at my heart.  I know it's good for him to experience these things...but my heart still goes out to him.  On top of it, yesterday he said his teacher was going to record a zero in the gradebook if he didn't find a journal entry from Nov 9.  This was the 1st day back from the stomach virus earlier this month.  The morning they return to school after being sick, they are required to arrive 1 hour early to complete make-up work.  He suspects he missed out of the journal entry because he was so busy with multiple days of make-up work.  Then, to top it off, I saw his "election scrapbook" project displayed on a table in the hallway yesterday.  His was missing a page with a graph.  I helped him with his scrapbook and also missed the part where it said this was required.  It was completely his responsibility...but still, I missed it too!

Needless to say, our family needs a bit of a breather.  Christmas break cannot get here soon enough.  We are really excited about Christmas this year.  I can say...I am DONE with Christmas shopping for all three boys!  This really is such an accomplishment given how busy we've been!    

Jude Oliver...The First Months

I purchased a Groupon deal from Shutterfly...$10 for an 8x8 photobook.  It had to be used by the end of November.  Sooo...I quickly whipped this book up for Jude yesterday.  I wanted him to have a photo book of his first few months of life.  He changed so much from just a bean in my belly to a big ole almost walking and sort of talking little man!  It just blows my mind how quick children grow up.  I honestly feel like my life is in slow motion and my kids' lives are at x3 speed.  I guess that means they'll catch up with us in age eventually?!

Anyway, if I posted a link to my Shutterfly photobook on my blog, Shutterfly offered a $10 credit for my next project.  And since I use them ALL of the time, I couldn't pass this one up.  Plus with the $10 credit, it's kind of like this book was FREE!  Oh how I love Shutterfly!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

In The World And In Heaven

My grandfather on my dad's side passed away when Jack was a baby. Jack was the last of his great grandchildren he knew. He and my grandmother are the parents of NINE children! He is the grandfather of 20+ grandchildren!

After he passed away, we noticed *his* number would present itself in the least expected moments. It kind of has become a symbol for his presence in our everyday life. That special number is 44. It was his favorite number. All of the family shares stories of when that number shows up in our daily lives. Sometimes it's minor, like the table number given at a restaurant. Other times it's bigger...like the Saints winning SuperBowl XLIV for the first time in history!!!

For me, it gives a sense of comfort. It reminds me of the man I remember as a child. He had a smile like no other! He was a practical joker. Jack may have inherited a touch of that trait. He had an infectious laugh. And he loved to serve in the community. As a plumber, he was even known to service people's homes and not bill them if he knew they couldn't afford it. There have been times I doubt myself in whatever it is I'm doing, and if that number appears, it's a green light and a reminder that everything is working out just as it should.

The other day I was standing at the gas pump and something made me think of PawPaw. I thought to myself...wouldn't that be something if the meter stopped on $44 dollars. As I stood staring, it passed over $44 and stopped on $51.44! I just had to smile!

Yesterday we had a major plumbing issue at our house. Actually, it was a minor plumbing issue but required our water to the house be shutoff until it could be fixed. With three boys, no water is a major plumbing issue. We were unable to get in touch with our landlord and didn't want to wait on a plumber. It was actually a crazy day. We were gone from the house most of the day. Soccer kept us at the fields from 5-7:30 because the boys' practice back-to-back and Jason coaches BOTH teams. I knew I wanted to get my dad, who is also a plumber, to help me over the phone once we got the boys fed, bathed (which required turning on the water briefly), and in bed. Finally, by 8:30-ish last night, I was able to talk to my dad. My dad is the BEST plumber in the WORLD! I honestly would rather him talk me through a repair on the phone, than have someone else "fix" it and have the problem (or another problem) a few months down the road. He successfully diagnosed the issue, guided me to Home Depot, and made the repair over the phone. While at Home Depot, I was uncertain on the exact part, but settled on something that looked like it would work, even though it didn't match up exactly. After describing the differences to my dad, he agreed. And it worked like a charm.

Fast forward to today...

Jude and I had lunch with a friend before getting James from school. As we were leaving, we stopped in the parking lot before departing. While talking, Jude reached in my purse and grabbed an old receipt and dropped it on the ground. My friend picked it up and handed it to me. I noticed the total was $2.44! When I got back to the car, I took another look at the receipt and it was the Home Depot receipt from last night! If I had noticed that last night, I would have had even more confirmation that I was buying the correct part! And now I know I had TWO of the very best plumbers in the WORLD and in HEAVEN helping me last night! And THAT, I truly believe and am grateful for. Thank you Dad and PawPaw!

Jack's Birthday

Happy Birthday to my EIGHT year old!  Eight years...really?  It seems like yesterday we were learning how to be parents for the first time.  I remember meeting Jack.  It was unusual because I had to be put under completely after they removed him during the c-section.  I heard him cry, but either the anesthetics were wearing off and I was starting to feel a lot of pain, so they just put me to sleep.  I didn't wake up until I was in the recovery room.  In the meantime, they had been dolling Jack up for me.  This is a picture of him after they cleaned and styled his hair!  

I remember them handing him to me in the recovery room.  I was in love AT FIRST SIGHT!  He was perfect!  He was looking at me and seemed to know I was his mommy!  He even started rooting right away.  This picture says it all.  I was so enamored by him! 

I love this picture.  Jason looks so proud!  He and I were in awe and still are!

This was Jack's announcement sign in our front yard when we got home.  We loved our squadron and the support of all those great people!

And today, eight years later, we've got this guy!  He has given us such unbelievable joy over the last several years!  I can't wait to see what his next eight years have in store for him!  

We love you Jack Michael Trew!  Thank you for being you!

Friendly James

James, James, James...

This kid is so outgoing!  I seriously am told daily by strangers how friendly he is.  He LOVES talking to people.  He loves to find WHOEVER will listen to him so he can talk their ears off.  If you have eaten at Panera in Montgomery while James was there, you've likely met him.  We leave places like Panera or the farmer's market and we'll hear people shout out something similar to, "bye James...good luck in Kindergarten, I hope your bobo gets better."  I can give him money to go to the counter and purchase something, and he does it without ANY fear.  That terrified me as a child, especially James' age and Jack is only just now beginning to be okay with it.  If we're at a place with a bar type of setup, James has no problems (and actually enjoys) bellying right up to the bar all by himself to order a glass of ice water...although, the last time he did that, he ordered a Shirley Temple.  James doesn't just like to talk to strangers...he talks at home non-stop too.  Sometimes I yearn for peace in the house because James talks all day long.  Don't get me wrong, I love that he's so vocal.  There was a time in James' life when he was not vocal before he learned how to talk and he was the most frustrated person I knew!  He would bite friends and throw a temper tantrum like nobody's business!  Knowing now how much he likes to talk and express himself, I guess he was just overly frustrated by his inability to talk.

With all that comes out of his mouth, we get some pretty good laughs.  It's even more hilarious as his vocabulary starts to become more grown up.  For instance, yesterday we got the kids in the car.  They didn't know where we were going because Jason and I had not decided where we were going first.  James said, "Dad, where are we going?"  Jason, "we don't know."  James, "What?  Uhhh...this is YOUR situation.  You're driving.  You don't know WHERE we're going?"  Later in the day we were leaving the splash park so we could get home to cook.  James is our SLOWPOKE in the family.  Mostly because he wants to stop and talk to EVERYBODY!  So, I nagged him to speed up a bit as we were walking to our bikes.  He actually did a little jog over to where I was, surprisingly.  So I said, "James, thanks for putting a little fire in your rear."  He looked at me puzzled, and then said, "Mom, THAT'S inappropriate." 

I get such a kick out of his little personality.  He's still our little firecracker and full of spunk!  I have a feeling James will always have tons of friends throughout life.  He's so outgoing without a shy bone in his body.  I admire those traits and wish I had a little bit more of that in myself.

His teachers love him, strangers love him, and we love him.  A lot!   

      

Good School Year

I am so impressed with Jack's new school so far.  We couldn't be more thrilled about him being exactly where he should be.  This school is perfect for him!  And I wish so dearly we could stay here forever so that our kids could have this opportunity to remain in such a wonderful school environment.  These students, once accepted into Forest Avenue, will go on to the magnet middle school and the magnet high school as long as they maintain a 3.0 gpa and their good conduct.  The magnet high school is called Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP).  It's ranked as the #8 magnet high school in the United States!  We feel so blessed to have access this academic magnet school for the time being.  

This morning Jack left for the bus, forgetting to bring his lunch.  So, Jason ran it by his school on his way to work.  When he walked in, Mrs. Hill (the principal), was greeting students as they walked in.  She noticed Jason and said, "did Jack forget his lunch?"  It kind of blows me away that she would recognize a student's parent and know who his child is this soon.  There are 762 children attending Forest Avenue this year.  

Jack has come home SO VERY excited to talk about his day.  We have been telling him for a few months now how the teachers have high expectations from the students and that it will be a challenge.  I think we, including Jack, are so happy to see the teachers DO expect a lot from the kids, but still create a very fun and exciting environment for them.  

On his first day of school, Jack came home and HAD to tell James about his day.  He HAD to tell James that he doesn't just have two teachers...he has THREE teachers.  And one of his teachers teaches SPANISH!  This was so exciting for Jack to share with James because James has this deep passion for learning Spanish.  Or, actually he thinks he already knows Spanish.  They learn a little in preschool...so anytime he hears others speaking a foreign language, whether it's Spanish or not, he proceeds to tell them he speaks Spanish and will then spout out some of the words he knows.  People find this hilarious, thankfully!

This is going to be a good school year!