Saying Good-bye

Tico - August 2011

We have had almost a year of lots of kitty problems. Last March, I was worried that Pickles was on her way to the next world. It took several months, but we finally got her diabetes under control and she was back to being healthy.

In November, Tico's healthy started declining rapidly. After several vet visits, it came down to the fact that he had some sort of infection, but the vet couldn't tell exactly what it was for several reasons: 1. Tico was very anxious at the vet's office; his heart was always racing, and it was hard to keep him calm so the doc couldn't investigate too much; 2. the only other way to see what it might be was with a scan or x-ray. The x-ray wasn't really an option because Tico would need to be sedated, but his heart had a murmur, and the vet didn't think his 15-year old heart would do well with sedation. So we came home with antibiotics and hoped for the best.

June 2011

The first round of antibiotics didn't do much, so the vet extended the prescription. He got slightly better. A couple weeks later, our poor kitty had a nasty cold, and I called for the other type of antibiotic as we started preparing our hearts for a good bye. During that time, Tico went about 5 days without eating anything, but he did continue to drink water, walk, and use the litter box. Amazingly, those meds cleared him up and he seemed to be on the mend.

In December, Tico was back to having some sort of cold again, so I started giving him the second type of antibiotic... again. With the cold and its drainage issues, our kitty's balance was really messed up. Though he still had the oomph to jump up onto our tall bed, he couldn't walk far without spinning his head and falling over (sort of like a child who has spent two minutes spinning in circles.) We think it was related to the drainage issues, but it was really sad.

By January, he was back to his somewhat normal self, but a bit hyper at times, and with a huge growth on the side of his neck. He was still mostly blind, so we kept him downstairs and chose not to board him when we went away for a weekend. The cyst or tumor or whatever-it-was got bigger and bigger and bigger until one day it was just gone. Soon after that, Tico seemed drained of all energy and was having problems finding the litter box, so we mostly confined him to the tiled bathroom and made sure there were always plenty of old towels handy.

As February started, Tico wanted to be held, but we could tell he didn't feel well. He was back to controlling his bladder, but we weren't ready to give him free-reign of the house. Then he kept tripping on his back foot as it seemed to be turned strangely. The next day, he was dragging that leg, then the day after that, he dragged both back legs.

But somehow, he still figured out how to get up on our bed, so I was a bit hopeful that he would be okay. Within a few days, he couldn't move himself except by dragging himself with his claws on the towels. He couldn't support his own weight at all, and my heart broke as he whimpered every time he needed to use the restroom or get a drink. It was very much like when I was a new mom listening for my babies to cry. All night and all day, I listened for Tico's cry and got up to try to help. The last few days, he couldn't hold his head up to drink, but I found a way to use a syringe to get him to drink. All along, my heart was crushed as I knew our moments together were numbered. And all along, Tico just wanted to be held. I found a way to sort of sleep holding him wrapped in a crib pad and towel, and during the day, I wrapped him against me with a dish towel if I needed to do things other than just sit and cuddle him. He purred.

Our Tico has spent more than fifteen years LOVING to be held with his back lined up in the crook of my arm. If we had a blanket to swaddle him in, he loved that even more. It is no wonder he is my kids' favorite cat as he loves the attention even if it is from a clumsy toddler, an excitable little boy, or a little girl wanting to wrap him like a baby doll.

Yesterday morning, I had no where to be and nothing on my must-do list... so I sat and read a book and held Tico, softly rubbing his chin and listening to his voiceless purr. If I stopped rocking the chair, he silently meowed as his voice was gone, and I rocked some more. I picked up Will and Jon and came home and gave Tico some water. Then I went to get Maddie and Ben. When I got home again, I checked on him and found he had crawled out of his towels and was calling for help... silently. I picked him up and calmed him down. I gave him some more water and he picked his head up seeming to feel much better after that drink. Then my sweet, silky-bellied tabby stopped breathing while he laid in my arms. I knew the time was coming and I really had tried to harden my heart so it wouldn't hurt so much, but I wasn't ready for it. In his green towel, I took him to the living room and called the kids as he took a few more random breaths.

I felt a little bit silly to be so torn up about a cat, but when Tico died, it tore my heart out. When Maddie and Jon started crying... then wailing... it hurt even more. We buried him in the garden and, together, the six of us shared stories about him that made us smile.

May 2014 - in Ben's tent

As a kitten, Tico climbed into our bed, snuggled between Allen and me, then sometime in the night got under the covers. When we woke up, little Tico was sleeping on his back with his head on a pillow, and with the covers up to his chin, but with his paws peeking out. Tico loved to snuggle, especially in the winter. He was very patient with toddlers who used him as a step stool as they climbed the couch, with little boys who were a bit rough with him, with a little girl (or her mama) who liked to cuddle him like a baby.

Saturday Morning Outings

Last weekend was the first weekend Allen was on turn-around, and I spent Saturday at a conference (with childcare) away from home so he could sleep. Today, I had to be a bit creative to get us out of the house. Allen insists he can sleep when we are home, but it is stressful to me because I feel like I am constantly shushing the kids, Ramses (cat), and Shadow (dog). With us out of the house, I don't feel like we have to be as quiet.

I had a few things in mind when we began the day, but a few things added themselves in as we went. We started out at Target picking out Valentines for school, though we found a few heart-shaped window clings that we picked out for later.

Next, Will noticed in this morning's paper that Mike Huckabee would be at Lifeway for an hour and he really wanted to go meet him. It turned out that we got there just in time. He signed a book for us, then signed one more and was out the door. Will was really excited! I thought it was a neat opportunity to encourage Will's enthusiasm for politics.

Our next planned stop was actually Lifeway, anyway. We wandered around the store for a few minutes until the Compassion International exhibit opened, then we went through tours of Uganda and Bolivia. Like a similar exhibit last year, we got to see the countries through the eyes of children in the Compassion program.

We went to our church and did a prayer walk. This is the first weekend a new youth center at church is open, and there were prayer stations. I hosted the prayer walk for a couple hours yesterday and had done most of the stations while I was working it, but this time I took the kids through it. The first station was about praying about God and his power. The second station was to pray over the classrooms, teachers, and youth, and to write a letter of encouragement to one of the teachers or students who would be using the building on a regular basis. Maddie and Jon both wrote letters to a teacher and student we know. The third station was for praying for the church to be a light to the community and to write a prayer, scripture, or note on a fabric wall. Most of the kids did that, but theirs was the first of the kid-writing on the wall. The fourth station was a place to tie a colorful fabric strip for each prayer over five different areas (friends, family, church, world, and something else I can't remember). The kids each tied several strips and took awhile praying there. The fifth, and final, station was a place to pray for unity within the church and community and to add our thumbprints (leaves) and name to a painting of a tree. All of us did that, too. It was a neat way to share the building and the praying with the kids.

Finally, we stopped by a gas station for Icees -- a sweet treat after a great day. I think that is when Will piped up, "I like turn-around... I feel like you are spoiling us though." As soon as we got home, we got all the heart-clings and decorated Allen's car windshield. We even turned a few hearts into Ws and made it say, "We LOVE U." I am not a fan of spelling YOU with just the U, but we were working with two packages of hearts and two sets of the word LOVE (with the O being a heart). One of the hearts tore and we cut it into the pieces of W and U. It was cute and the kids all thought it was a hilarious prank and couldn't wait to see Dad get mad about it. I knew better... he didn't get mad... not even when one of the red hearts stained his steering wheel pink :P

We had lunch at home and it wasn't long after that that Allen woke up and played games with the kids for the afternoon.

Boys' Backpack Trip

This weekend, the Trail Life group went backpacking at Sabine National Forest. While they were gone, Maddie and I hung out at home and did some art projects, watched some girly movies, and had our own slumber party. We were afraid to make real plans because the last several times we did, one of the boys had to stay home sick and that meant Maddie and I had to cancel our plans. Without plans we had no disappointment... but all were healthy!

The boys' trip was a real backpacking trip -- they carried everything in on their backs about 4 miles each way. Here are some of the pictures Allen took of all the fun they had!

Turning the Pages: 2014

This year's list of books I've read seemed long in August, but then I went several months without reading much at all. I love reading on my Kindle since that means I can read at night without bothering Allen with the lamp; lots of the books I read were on Kindle. In spring I read several books with Ben, Maddie, and Jon while we home schooled, and there were many Will asked me to read with him. I still love to read but some seasons I'm more interested than others.

Books I read with my kids are highlighted orange
Non-fiction books are written in blue

January
1. The Profiler's Daughter (P.M. Steffen) - Kindle
2. Irreparable Harm (Melissa F. Miller) - Kindle
3. George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans (Janet and Geoff Benge)
4. Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and Whole-Foods Lifestyle (Diane Sanfilippo) - Kindle
5. Theodore Boone: The Abduction (John Grisham) - with Will

February
6. Private Games (James Patterson and Mark Sullivan)
7. Strawberry Girl (Lois Lewanski)- with Ben, Maddie, and Jon
8. Little Pear (Eleanor Frances Lattimore) - with Ben, Maddie, and Jon
9. Spiritual Leadership (J. Oswald Sanders)

March
10. Secret Adversary (Agatha Christie) - Kindle
11. Listening to Crickets: A Story About Rachel Carson (Candice F. Ransom)
12. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum) - audio book with family


April
13. Flesh (Hugh Haltar) - Kindle
14. Detectives in Togas (Henry Winterfield) - with Ben, Maddie, and Jon
15. Private Games (James Patterson and Mark Sullivan)
16. Jack and Jill (James Patterson)
17. The Gauguin Connection (Esther Ryan) - Kindle
18. Pursuit of God (A.W. Tozer)
19. An Invisible Thread (Laura Schroff)

May
20. Rich in Love: When God Rescues Messy People (Irene Garcia) - Kindle
21. Louisiana Longshot (Jana DeLeon) - Kindle
22. Taboo (Casey Hill) - Kindle

23. Inferno (Casey Hill) - Kindle
24. The Adventures of Robin Hood (Roger Green) - with Ben, Maddie, and Jon
25. Hidden (Casey Hill) - Kindle

June
26. Deadly Stillwater (Roger Stelljes) - Kindle
27. First Case (Roger Stelljes) - Kindle
28. S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life (Erik Rees)

29. St. Paul Conspiracy (Roger Stelljes) - Kindle
30. Electing to Murder (Roger Stelljes) - Kindle
31. Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids (Kara E. Powell and Chap Clark)
32. Our Best Tomorrow: Students Teaching Capitalism in America (Lauren Hudson and Robert D. Hudson)
33. Fatally Bound (Roger Stelljes) - Kindle
34. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning (Lemony Snicket) - with Will
35. The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

July
36. A Touch of Deceit (Gary Ponzo) - Kindle
37. Russian Hill (Ty Hutchinson) - Kindle
38. Look for Me (Traci Hohenstein) - Kindle
39. The Last Horseman (Frank Zafiro) - Kindle
40. The Diplomat (Ethan Jones) - Kindle
41. The Recruiter (Dani Amore) - Kindle
42. Mark Taylor: Genesis (M.P. McDonald) - Kindle
43. In the Shadow of El Paso (Frank Zafiro) - Kindle
44. Don't Close Your Eyes (Lawrence Kelter) - Kindle
45. The Girl with the Pearl Earring (Traci Chevalier)

August
46. The Practice of the Presence of God (Brother Lawrence) - Kindle
47. Quicksilver (Toni Dwiggins) - Kindle
48. Least Wanted (Debbi Mack) - Kindle
49. PBL In the Elementary Grades (Sara Hallermann, John Larmer, John Mergendoller) - Kindle
50. Teach Like a Pirate (David Burgess) - Kindle
51. Absence of Light (Zoe Sharp) - Kindle
52. Deadly Aim (Patricia H. Rushford) - Kindle


September
53. Saving Grace (Pamela Fagan Hutchins) - Kindle
54. Back on Murder (J. Mark Bertrand) - Kindle
55. A Reason to Live (Matthew Iden) - Kindle
56. Murder On the Mind (L.L.Bartlett) - Kindle
57. Creating Art at the Speed of Life (Pam Carriker)
58. The One You Love (Paul Pilkington) - Kindle

October
59. Chop Chop (L.N.Cronk) - Kindle
60. Day Day (L.N. Cronk)  - Kindle
61. Nora Roberts Land (Ava Mills) - Kindle
62. Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Chris Graberntein) - with Will

November
63. Letters of a Woman Homesteader (Elinore Pruitt Stewart) - Kindle
64. Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most (Brooke McGlothlin and Cliff Graham) - Kindle

December
65. Black Coffee (Agatha Christie)
66. Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie)
67. Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
68. I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (Nujood Ali)
69. Hearts of Fire: Eight Women in the Underground Church and Their Stories of Costly Faith (The Voice of the Martyrs)
70. Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity (Jen Hatmaker)

Christmas Morning -- a bit TOO early

What a happy and busy day Christmas was! The kids were told not to get up until 6:30am, but we first started hearing them at 4:00am. That time, we sent Maddie and Jon back to bed. I got up at 4:30 because I hadn't gotten back to sleep, and Will was trying to sneak down -- we scared each other. I got the casserole out of the fridge and went back to bed. At 5:15am, I went up to tell Ben and Jon to get back in their beds and quit playing in Maddie's room. Around 6:15, I finally fell asleep... but not for long.

Randy and Shelley arrived around 8:00, just as the casserole and monkey bread were coming out of the oven. We enjoyed breakfast, clean up the kitchen, then started opening gifts. In our home, we MIGHT be a bit TOO structured, but it works for us. With very few exceptions (usually only when we know the kids are opening the same thing) we open gifts one person opening one gift at a time. When the torn paper is put in the trash, we move to the next person and gift. Usually Allen passes gifts out while I snap photos and keep the list of who gets what from whom. Very. Orderly. :)

With all that order, we were opening gifts all morning.

As we've done before, the six of us drew names for gifting.Will gave Ben a Calvin and Hobbes book and an "adopt-an-alien" kit; and Ben gave Will a laser maze game. Will picked a great book for Ben -- once he began reading, he didn't stop!

Maddie gave Allen a hatchet.

Allen gave Jon a take-apart puzzle and a book of word searches and other games.

Jon gave me a mixed-media art kit with some tablets.

I gave Maddie a tent and camp set for her dolls.

The kids (and adults)  got a LOT of gifts that made them really happy -- some they asked for, some were surprises. All of them got lots of great books, handmade scarves, and Western boots. The boys all got Nerf guns, fishing poles, and fishing gear; Maddie got doll accessories (loft with desk, pet dog, chair, and more), a sewing kit, and several craft kits. Allen got me some nice wooden kitchen chairs that took him most of the afternoon to assemble, but he got to use the new cordless drill I got for him. It really was a fun day, but by mid-afternoon, I was exhausted. We ended the day a bit early after a couple rounds of Twister.