Washington

On Monday night, I got word that my grandma was not doing well and that she may only have a few days left to live. So, I found some plane tickets back to Washington that night and bought them. All I have to say is some airlines that I thought were my favorite (ahem, Frontier) have very poor customer service when it comes to booking bereavement flights. While others, (not naming names, but United) who were my least favorite airline thanks to some poor seating arrangements and rude flight attendants when I was flying with Jayden, totally redeemed themselves. So, I spent all day Tuesday doing laundry, packing, writing lists, shopping, packing, oh, did I say packing? I was having a bit of anxiety about flying with both kids alone. Jayden on the other hand wasn’t leaving without everything he owned. So, I opened up another suitcase that I wasn’t packing and let him put every book he could find in there, zip it up, drag it to the front door and tell me it was time to leave for the airport. He was a bit excited. Wednesday morning, I got up at 4, finished packing the last of our stuff, got the kids up, dressed, and headed off to the airport. On the way to the airport Royal kept asking me what I was doing. I kept saying, “I’m praying. This could be a disaster of an experience for me”, really expecting things to turn bad at some point and leave me fried. Turns out, God DOES answer prayers. :) The airports, security, changing planes, departures, arrivals, flight attendants, not to mention the kids, were all perfect. It was so nice. You’d think I would’ve learned my lesson and start to pray about everything, all the time, no matter how small, because I didn’t think to ask God to help us all get some sleep once we got to my parents house and I think I got about 3 hours last night between Jayden and Willow waking up. Oi, I’m pretty darn tired.

My grandma is still with us and is now out at my parents house, so me and the kids have all been able to see her. Jayden keeps asking why she’s so tired and why is her body so worn out and why this and why that. He is so cute, he’s totally got his dad’s soft spot for little old ladies. He wants to make her a bowl of hot soup to make her feel better. And after today, we talked about how pretty soon great grandma is going to go live with God in Heaven and that God is going to give her a new body that isn’t old and worn out. He sat and thought about it for awhile, then said, “I think great grandma is going to have a red one” I said, “Her new body is going to be red?” And he said, “Yes. Well, no, I think yellow with blue dots. Well, no, I think it will have cars on it. No, I know! It is going to have a black train on it. Yes, great grandma is going to love a new body with trains on it”

Despite the sadness that goes with losing yet another member of our family, it is so nice to be here. I love Washington. And we have been taking full advantage of the freakish heat here (even if it does feel a lot like Wichita) and the lake!

Here’s to show that big bugs live here in Washington too. I think they are starting to follow me around. I found this spider on my towel when I was pulling it out of the bin. I quickly dropped it and found a new one.



Joanna and Willow. Willow is slowly warming up people. Jordan still makes her cry just by looking at her.





My dad enjoying some delicious cupcakes my mom made. I think I ate 3. Well actually I know I did.



My mom



Here’s how the lake looked last night.



Sister Jo - she makes me laugh a lot



Pancakes for breakfast this morning and what looks like could be coffee is really just milk.



Evidence that Jayden has been helping the puppies escape their enclosure.



Willow





Going swimming!



Jordan’s going in!