On the lake

Kathy and Addie on the dock

On the motor boat!

Driving the boat with Grandpa.
Too bad I didn't get a picture of Kathy that day on the boat. She hadn't ever been on a motor boat and it was fun to watch her with the wind in her hair and just laughing and having so much fun.

Loving just being on the lake together with my boy in the paddleboat

I even got brave and tried out my dad's paddleboard near the end of the trip.

And while I'm bragging, I'll mention that my mom and I swam out from the dock to the trampoline on our last day there. Both my mom and I NEVER go actually INTO the lake, being that it's pretty cold and we just prefer to watch everyone else in the water and stay dry. But that last day Dylan had done a lot of swimming and I had promised him that I would go with him if he practiced his swimming earlier in the day. I drug my mom with me. Misery (fear) loves company. Dylan swam out with us and we were all very, very brave!

Oregon

This year because of Ryan's work, he was unable to come with us to Oregon. We missed him very much, wishing he could be a part of our adventures and there to enjoy relaxing on the dock as we love to do together. We took lots of pictures, however, and here are just a few.

The front garden at my parent's lake house.

On the airplane on the way from LA to Oregon...

Our friend Kathy came with us for the first half of the trip and it was really neat to share such a special place with her. And can I just say that flying with two kids is WAY easier with another adult? I really missed her on the way back to LA...

Newport Aquarium
In the glass walled tunnel where we sat and watched the sharks swim right over our heads.

Grandpa clowning around in the aquarium giftshop (where Dylan got a 'REAL sharktooth!')

Heceta Head Lighthouse
The view at the bottom of the hike up to see the lighthouse. It was just so beautiful.

Hiking up the hill with Addie happily in tow.

One of the few pictures Kathy let herself into. It was such fun to share the trip with her!

Gorgeous view when we got up to the top.

On our way back down the hill from seeing the lighthouse.

Family Bowling

This past weekend, my mom was here for a visit and we all went Bowling.
Kathy came.
It was great fun.

In the Buff

Kathy posted something over on her blog with some pretty cute pictures of the kids on there. Go check it out here. I think the second to last picture is probably my favorite one. It just cracks me up!

And while Kathy has lost her hair, she certainly has not lost her great sense of humor and wit. I think the way she has handled Dylan's curiosity has been neat to watch.

In fact, something interesting is that the one time (on Easter Sunday) that he saw her with her wig on, he didn't even notice a difference between hair and no hair to comment on it. It's a testimony that he sees Kathy as KATHY and not her hair or what she wears or whatever.

Prayerful Thoughts

This picture was taken back in June, at Dylan's birthday party, the day before I went into labor with Addie. It's one of my favorite pictures because this was a really special day for our family and I loved that Kathy was a part of it with us. Our family was on the cusp of so much change and she was there for us. She always has been.

Tomorrow this dear friend of ours starts chemo treatment. The past couple weeks I haven't written here because I didn't know how to put into words what has been going on. She's such a special part of our lives. When I got the call that she was in the ER, in pain, I panicked. I couldn't fix it for her. And when she had surgery the next morning, I worried and agonized over the pending pathology reports till I felt sick. But I knew that my role was to be her friend, love her and pray for her. And then when the results finally came back, we learned that the cancer hadn't spread any further. And while I know she has a lot ahead of her, I want to remind myself daily that my role in this is to be her friend. To encourage her. To love her. To pray for her. And to trust.
And that is what I plan to do.