Feeling the loss of an amazing woman

This is Jason's cousin Michelle Langston Bancroft. She is an amazing woman. She passes away this morning after a very long and courageous fight with cancer. It seems like that ugly disease inflicts it's worst on the people least deserving of such a trial. Michelle was one of the most Christlike people I knew, and anybody who knew her would agree. She was always willing to go out of her way to help people and share what she had with others. She welcomed me into her family with an open heart and wonderful friendship.

When Jason and I got married it was overwhelming meeting all of his family and trying to remember everyone, and also trying to fit in but I remember always feeling comfortable around Michelle and her husband Justin. From the very beginning they treated me like family and through the last 6+ years we have become more than just family. We have become great friends.

Michelle's absence from this world will be deeply felt by anyone who had contact with her, and especially by her family. My heart goes out to her fabulous husband Justin, who stood by her every step and loved her, it was always obvious how much he cared about and loved her, and to her 3 beautiful children who had one of the best mothers ever.

Michelle, I love you. We only knew each other for a few years but it felt like more to me. Thank you for being there for me and being a good friend. Thank you for all the fun times we had at dinner, boating, playing the Wii, and just talking for so long that the kids were up way past their bed times! I feel you loss so deeply. The world just isn't right without you in it. You are already missed. I am so happy for you to be free from your pain here on earth, and I know you are having so much joy being with your sweet children who were waiting for you. We will do our best to take care of your family here on earth until you are united again.
You have left a place in our hearts that will never be filled, but you have left such and example of love and faith.

We love you and your family.

When I was a kid one thing I remember doing that I loved was wearing my dad's T-shirt to bed. I loved wearing something that smelled like him and was big enough to tuck my whole body in. I remember dancing around the house in the over sized shirts pretending they were dresses or costumes of some kind. The possibilities were endless!
My boys have recently discovered the joy that can be found in a "daddy shirt." Ridgedon loves them so much he wants to wear one all the time. He begged to wear one to school and the store and even to the pool! I will get them dressed and send them to school and as soon as they come home Ridge wants me to change his clothes!
It is so much fun for me to relive the precious memories I had of wearing daddy shirts and seeing the simple joy that kids have for the simplest things. These boys love their daddy and want to be like him so much. It makes them unbelievably happy to wear something of his.
Thanks mom for allowing me experiences that give me wonderful memories. I hope I am a fraction of the mom you were.

Time flies

Birthday List

Last night we were all driving home from the SO Closing social and I thought I would ask Dyson what he wanted for his birthday. His big day is coming up at the end of the month and I wanted to get an idea of what he would want since he will actually have his birthday before we leave Grenada.

His response was he wanted a Pirate. I'm not sure where he got that idea but it was amusing none the less. We talked about the pirate idea for a bit and then the topic of his birthday was dropped. A little bit later, out of the blue Dyson pipped up from the back seat of the car that if I couldn't find him a pirate he would gladly take a 4 wheel. I wasn't sure what he meant so I asked him to clarify and he responded with "Mom, you remember when we went with Dave and Cassandra and we rode on the 4 wheel and we went really fast? That's what I'm talking about. Only I want one that is smaller and doesn't go so fast. OK?" I about died! He was so matter a fact about it and was completely serious. I had a hard time not laughing out loud, but I didn't want to make him feel bad so I held it in. After another pause in the conversation Dyson then added "If you can't find me a pirate or a 4 wheel you can get me something else. That would be OK too."
I thanked him for the great birthday ideas and was silently saying "thank you" to a higher power for the "something else" option.

As much as I would like to get my children at least one gift that they want for their birthday, I'm pretty sure the 4 wheel will have to wait for another year. And my guess is that he will be getting "Something Else"

Gotta love kids!

Changes

I have started several blog posts but I haven't finished or published any of them. So here is another attempt at starting, finishing, and posting something new on this blog. I find that my discretionary time has been drastically cut. Rori has discovered the ability to move around and my job as her mother just got more labor intensive. It used to be that I could lay her down on our piece of carpet and she would play happily while I did the dishes or folded laundry or made dinner, but now if I lay her down I have to make sure that everything on the floor is OK for her to have. She gets into everything and all things must go directly into her mouth. This is true for all things but especially paper. Rori loves to eat paper. I would have to say that her favorite paper is my sudoku book. If she sees it she goes as fast as she can to get to it before any interference. She also enjoys getting her little hands on the kids scriptures. I've tried to explain to her that chewing up the pages is not what the leaders of the church mean when they council us to "feast upon the word" So far this explanation has fallen on deaf ears. So I spend the majority of my time chasing after my adorable little girl, and trying to get her to eat the proper kind of fiber.

Jason only has a couple more weeks of the term and then his studies will be focused on preparing for the USMLE Step 1. We have all been sick for the last few days with a rotten cold, and we are hoping that it doesn't cause too many problems for Jason and his end of term studying. We are excited about leaving the island life and hope that it has brought a few positive changes to us and the way we live and see life. I don't really see how anyone could have such a drastic change to their living situation and not come out the other side a little different than when they started, but I hope our changes have been for the better.
As we close this chapter of our lives and look back on the friends we've made and the experiences we've had it is truely humbling. The journey has been long and filled with every imaginable emotion. I love it, I hate it, I want to be done, I don't want to go. There were days the only thing stopping me from getting on a plane and going back home is that fact that I had no money and I really didn't want to be stuck on an airplane with 3 small children by myself. I have learned so much being here, and I know I take many lessons with me. I hope I have done some good in this part of God's world, and helped a few of his children.

Leaving Grenada is just one of many changes to come into our lives. Not only are we spending the next several months as vagabonds bumming a bed from whomever we can until we settle somewhere in NJ, but Dyson will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. I can't believe that he is old enough to go to school. I remember so well the day he was born and I have many sweet memories of his life growing up. He is so smart and I know he will do wonderfully in school. He begs me all the time to let him go to school. I am so proud of him for learning how to read and that boy can do just about any physical thing you ask him too. He can do a cartwheel, a headstand and a back bend. Plus he loves to run and is getting quite good at soccer. He loves to be outside running around which is a good thing since he has more energy than the energizer bunny! He keeps me busy and entertains his younger sibblings.

Ridge is so different from when we first came down here. When we arrieved he was 7 months. He had no teeth, couldn't walk or even crawl, couldn't talk, and didn't eat much other than milk. Now he is almost 3, has a whole mouthful of teeth, runs most of the time (usually chasing his brother) talks all the time, but he still doesn't eat much. (the child is living on pb and j, mac n cheese, and apples!) He goes to preschool with Dyson and loves it. He likes to be included with the big kids and does a pretty good job of keeping up. He is still my little snuggle bug though, and I hope he stays that way. He is the sweetest kid...when he wants to be. Lately he has developed an attitude and we have been working on getting his sweetness back. I'm not sure how well it's going but hopefully he will get it soon.

As you can see our house is pretty busy but it's full of all the normal "life" stuff. Growing, changing, learning. We are doing our best to savor every new moment as a family before the moment passes. I know this post is pretty personal and I'm sorry if it's a little much, but there you have it. We are all doing good and ready for the next big change.

Picture Perfect

For our 6 year anniversary Jason and I had our pictures taken by my good friend Sara. We met here in Grenada and she takes the most amazing pictures!!! You can check out her photo blog at www.saraweirphoto.blogspot.com.
We haven't had our portraits taken since right after we were married and we had so much fun having them taken. Here are a few of the beautiful pictures.
It's so nice to have good friends that are gifted. Plus it's nice to have your picture taken by a friend because it's easier to be yourself and it makes the session lots of fun.



I want to thank Sara Weir Photography for the beautiful portraits. They are a great addition to our memories of our life together as well as our journey in Grenada.

DROC

Dyson is really getting the hang of reading. It has just "clicked" the last week or two and he is having an absolute blast. With this new found skill he is also learning how to spell words and the other day he wrote the letters D R O and C on his magnadoodle and wanted Jason to read the word. Jason sounded it out for him and then asked Dyson what it meant. (since Dyson is always making up new words and telling us they are Italian) Dyson looked at his dad and said Da Rock, you know like "The Rock" but "Da Rock"

We've been here too long. It's time to leave!