Dani is okay now

It's been a long, scary week. Saturday, we laid Burt's ashes to rest at Bethel Cemetary in Chesapeake City. It was a short ceremony, just family, as it was a very cold and windy day.

Dani was too sick to go. She woke me up at 5:30 am because she was vomiting. I gave her some anti-nausea medicine and told her to stay in bed. As the day wore on she wasn't any better so we called the doctor. He gave us a prescription for something else but it didn't help. Around 7 pm she was having pain in the abdomen so we called the doctor again. He suggested we take her to the ER, as it seemed like she might have appendicitis.

If you've ever been to the ER on a Saturday night, you know that it's a madhouse. Thankfully, they took us in quickly. Of course, some of the nurses remembered us from just one month ago, when we had been there for the last time with Burt. When they had trouble getting the IV started I just lost it. Too many recent memories of going through that with Burt. Dani cried and said she wished her Daddy was there. I know she misses him terribly.

Before long they realized she was bleeding internally and they ordered some tests. At 2:30 am they decided to admit her. I had already gone home as I was exhausted and couldn't think straight. BJ stayed with her until she was settled in a room. They ran test after test until they got the bleeding under control. She was finally able to come home today, under strict orders to rest and eat a bland diet for a week. She is happy to be home for Christmas and to be back in her own bed.

With this behind us, I am hoping that we have finally hit rock bottom, that the only way we can go from here is up. I am so grateful for all the support and love my family has received during these trying times. Bless you all!

We said goodbye

We said goodbye to Burt on Monday, December 13th. Over 260 family and friends were there to pay their respects and to see him for one last time. I could not believe the number of people who knew him and loved him, that had something to say about how he lived his life, about how he touched their lives. Of course, I knew that my husband was a good man, but to see it confirmed in the eyes and the words of others was comforting. For that I am grateful.

His friend Don joked about how they could watch a hockey game with their eyes closed. I can’t remember how many times I would go downstairs and find them both asleep while the game went on. They always insisted they were not sleeping.

His friend John told us of being with Burt the day he found out the cancer was back, how angry and upset he was, until Dani came home and he changed back into “Daddy”, not letting her see his pain. His family always came first.

Dani talked about the family rule Burt set, that the first time you come to our house you are a guest. The second time you are family. She said by looking around the crowded room you should know that he considered most of the people there to be family.

Robert said it was hard to say goodbye to his Dad because he was also his best friend. He spoke of how hard it was to work with him sometimes, but only because his Dad set the bar so high.

I find it hard to believe he's gone. We will meet again someday. Until then, I will miss him every day and every hour.

Je t'aime, mon ami. Reposer en paix.

Burt passed away in his sleep, Wednesday, December 8, 2010 with his family by his side. He courageously fought against pancreatic cancer for 19 months. He will be missed by his loving family and his many friends and colleagues who knew him as Bubba and Frenchie.

----------------------------------------------------

Visitation will be from 4 - 6 p.m. on Monday, December 13th at

Hicks Home for Funerals

103 W. Stockton Street

Elkton, MD 21921

with a service at 6 p.m. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Chesapeake City, PO Box 299, Chesapeake City, MD 21915.

Une nuit difficile

It's so hard to watch someone you love slip away.

Thursday, Dec. 2nd

It's been a week since Thanksgiving. Burt had two great days of energy, Friday and Saturday. He did a lot of talking with all of us and rearranged things (like the top shelf in the pantry, the silverware drawer....LOL). It seemed like he was getting better! On Sunday we could not wake him up for any long period of time. People were coming to the house all day and he slept through it all. He got up around 4 p.m. when Linda and Terry came over and sat on the couch with them and went right back to sleep. We let him sleep because we thought he must have over-done it the last two days. He finally woke up around 8 p.m. and asked where everyone was. He could hear them talking while he was sleeping and thought he was awake. He did call everyone and apologized for not staying awake. What a day!

Since Sunday he's been sleeping most of the time, only waking up to go to the bathroom or to eat a little bit. He's lost interest in watching TV and hasn't watched a hockey game since Saturday. He's having trouble going up and down the stairs and getting up from the bed. Sometimes he talks to us and sometimes he's confused. It takes him longer and longer to answer a question. Yet we are grateful, for every moment.

It was a good Thanksgiving...

It was a rainy, drizzly day, but it turned out to be a great day. With lots of help from our kids we managed to get everything done that needed to be done for dinner. Friends and family stopped by all day to see Burt and let us know they were thinking of us. They sent food.....oh my, we had so much food!

Burt was not doing too well in the morning, he was nauseous and could not keep his food down. We called hospice and they had us take a medication out of the Comfort Pak and give it to him and thankfully it really helped. I am glad, because for some reason, it was really important to me that he be able to join us at the table for Thanksgiving, even if it was just for a little while. I know he's not smiling in the photo, I think we caught him in a burp......lol....

I have to say we truly have a lot to be thankful for. On Friday, when we got the news that there was no further treatment for his cancer, Anna was really crying and upset, more so than I expected. When she had calmed down a little bit she told us we were going to be grandparents! The look on Burt's face was priceless, he was so surprised, and so was I. But we are sad too, because we realize this precious child will not have a chance to get to know his/her grandpa. It doesn't seem fair.

Burt and I have spent a lot of time just talking in the last few days, about where we've been and our life together, the people we've known. It's been an amazing life! He's been my best friend, my rock, for the last 29 years. I so admire his courage as he faces the hand that life has dealt him. There are moments when he doesn't seem sick anymore, like today, when he was up and rearranging the top shelf of the pantry. He even sent me out to do some Christmas shopping for him. I can fool myself into believing that everything is okay. Then reality comes back and I realize that he's really fighting for every second he has left. I am amazed at the amount of pain the human body can withstand. I watch him as he sleeps and I count the seconds until I see his chest rise again as he takes another breath. He's okay, for now.

Monday

Today Burt is home, we meet with hospice to discuss his care. They were not able to drain his abdomen Saturday, he kept waking up even though he was sedated. Since he was sedated we were not able to bring him home until he came out of it. At midnight he was still sleeping so we left thinking he would sleep through the night..... At 3 am the hospital called, he was awake and he wanted to come home. BJ and Dani went up to get him and bring him home.

I have to thank everyone for the sweet comments and the caring prayers you are sending our way. It just warms my heart to know that we have such good friends and family thinking of our little family. I will do my best to keep you all updated.

Friday

It's not good news. The CT scan showed that the cancer has spread throughout in the liver and there's fluid in his abdomen and lungs. Dr. P has been his primary care physician for almost 20 years and it was really hard for her to tell us the results. She said that we have two options. Dr. K (the oncologist) may know of other treatment for this late stage and we could continue the chemo or we could use hospice. We decided to wait for Dr. K's assessment of the situation before we made a decision.

Dr. K finally came in around 3 and told us what the CT scan showed and that the chemo was now doing more harm to Burt than good, so it's time to stop. There is no treatment for the cancer when it's gone this far. He said the fluid gathering in his abdomen can be drained, and once it's drained he will feel better and be able to breath better. So the decision was made to have the fluid drained tomorrow morning and then he will be able to come home. We will go with hospice as they can control the pain with pain meds, and someone will be there to help with whatever it is we need. I am thankful for this, I don't think I could handle it without help.

I am so sad that it's come to this, I think Burt still feels he can fight this. Hope springs eternal in our family. I have to thank all our family and friends who have stood by us during this trying time. We can feel the love in your hearts and the concern you have for each one of us. We couldn't have made it this far without you all.

The Thursday before Thanksgiving 2010

Okay........(taking a deep breath)...........here we go again. After Burt's chemo treatment yesterday he was vomiting so we called the oncology nurse and she said to bring him to the ER. His treatment that morning consisted of an anti-nauseau agent and extra fluid to help with the low blood pressure in addition to the Gemzar (port chemo). The swelling in his foot was noted and the oncologist took him off the Tarceza (oral chemo) in hopes that that would help with the lack of appetite and queasiness.

When we arrived at the ER, they took x-rays and an ultrasound and found he has pneumonia and 2 blood clots in the right leg (causing the foot swelling). He was admitted and put on Heparin to try to dissolve the clots and an antibiotic for the viral pneumonia infection. I had no idea he had pneumonia, he hadn't been coughing but had been running a slight fever off and on for a few days. Just shows you how much I know about being a nurse!

Today he ate better for breakfast and lunch and did keep the food down. But when his dinner came he didn't want it. Dr. K came in around 8 p.m. and mentioned he's concerned about his bilirubin levels, they are elevated. The bilirubin comes from the liver and we know that the cancer has spread to his liver and lymph nodes. They are going to do a CT scan tonight to see if there's a blockage in the bile duct or if the liver itself is causing the problem. If it's a blockage of the bile duct they can put in a stent to keep it open. He didn't say what they'd do if it was the liver itself.

The swelling in his foot/leg has gone down some but if the clot doesn't dissolve they will put in a "screen" in his groin artery to block the clot from moving to the lungs, heart, or brain if it breaks loose. He may have to go back on the Coumadin, which Burt didn't like as we've had problems with that medicine in the past few months.

The antibiotic seems to be helping with the pneumonia, this afternoon they took down the warning sign on the door and we don't have to put on the gown/mask when we go in to visit. But then again, they're not sure it's pneumonia or something else on the chest xray.

I will try to keep the blog updated as best I can. We are thankful for all the prayers and good wishes for Burt. God bless us all.

It's cold outside!

We've had a few mornings now when we get up there's frost on everything. Summer is over for sure! I've been busy scrapping with new papers I got from ScrapAttack, the Glitz Scarlett line and the Sassafras Lass Mix & Mend!

Here's Anna on her first day of kindergarten, waiting for the bus. How sweet the kids look!

And here's a layout of Dani and her Daddy, she was a stinker then and she's a stinker now! I love the colors of this Mix & Mend paper line, mellow and bright!

Burt didn't have any chemo treatments this week. He seems to be sleeping more. Just taking it one day at a time.

Any Given Sunday.....

Any given Sunday, here's what you'll see in my house......our family is die-hard Dallas fans and unfortunately this year......yuck! With Romo out for 6-8 weeks it doesn't look like Dallas is going to the playoffs this year. Not that they were doing any good before he got hurt......

I was chosen as Star of the Day at ScrapAttackScrapbooking.com with this spirited layout of my co-workers at UD! The photo was taken to show school spirit for Homecoming, which is this coming Saturday November 6th. Since the picture was 8x10 it was a challenge to scrap but fun too!

The other layout is one I did of the Mud Run the kids did earlier this month. It was held in Middletown and was a 5K through all sorts of muddy obstacles. Dani said she even had mud in her ears when she was done! It was for a good cause, to raise money for cancer research. The kids named their team after Burt (Bubba's Bruisers) and managed to raise $160.00!

Speaking of Burt, he is doing about the same. The chemo wears him out, he has to sleep it off for a few days and since it leaves a metallic taste in his mouth he doesn't feel like eating. This coming week he is off chemo so hopefully he'll feel better soon. He had a CA 19-9 test done and the numbers are still high. Normal is under 37, his was 5184. I know, I know, that's astronomically high, but considering his number six weeks ago was 5304......at least they're moving in the right direction.......down. We are just taking it day by day, rejoicing in the good days and trying to make the bad days pass quickly. Thanks for keeping him in your prayers.

Sketch 125 from Creative Scrappers!

Creative Scrappers posted this fun sketch for this week and ScrapAttack is one of their sponsors! I loved the sketch and couldn't wait to try it!

I used some old Scenic Route papers that I had in my stash, thought they'd be perfect for this photo. It's a picture of Robert and Anna Renee from 1987. I think we were getting ready to go to church. They loved the Dr. Seuss book so I used that for the title.....

Chemo today

Burt had chemo (Gemzar) today and also started on the pill form of chemo called Tarceva. After he was done we came home and he slept for 7 hours! I guess it really tires you out. I finally woke him up because I was worried his sugar might drop too low if he didn't eat something.

We will see this weekend how he tolerates it, hopefully it will be okay. He has another round next week and then he's off for a week.


I did get a chance to scrap a little bit this week, I'm so far behind on my monthly challenges at ScrapAttack I'll never catch up! I won Star of the Day with this layout of Burt and his brothers

Rainy days

Saturday Brian and April hosted their "annual" pig roast, and Burt felt well enough to go and stay for a few hours. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, just right for playing outdoor games and relaxing under the trees.


We celebrated Burt's 63rd birthday Sunday, lots of family and friends stopping by to see how he's doing. And to top off a good day, the Cowboys finally won a game! BJ and Dani did the Mud Run in Middletown to raise money for cancer research. I didn't go so I didn't get any pictures but hope someone else took some! You can see them in online photos here.... they're the team in blue shirts....

http://photosbytnt.com/Events/2010/The-Mud-Pit/13952381_TrTbk#1025446355_mn42r

http://photosbytnt.com/Events/2010/The-Mud-Pit/13952381_TrTbk#1025450358_4B32J

http://photosbytnt.com/Events/2010/Finish-Line-Team-Photos/13947454_5WUUU#1024623300_oytz5

Another visit to the oncologist yesterday, he told Burt he needs to eat more and gain some weight. Kinda hard to do when you don't have any appetite. We find out tomorrow if the blood transfusions brought his red blood cell count up. If they did, he can take chemo again, a reduced dose of Gemzar. He will also be taking Tarceva (by mouth). Since he hasn't taken Tarceva before I don't know what the side effects from that might be.

He did feel well enough today to give the dog a bath! LOL Poor Alleyah, she hates baths but I gotta say she smells a lot better!

Transfusion done

Burt received two bags of blood today over a five hour period. That should bring his red blood cell counts up again. He is starting to feel the back pain again. We go to his primary care doctor tomorrow so we'll see if the pain meds are still working or if we need to do something else.

No chemo today

No chemo treatment today. We got to the office and they said his blood counts were too low (from last week's chemo). He has been getting weaker and now I know why. Tomorrow we go to the hospital for a blood transfusion. Hopefully that will get his red blood cell count back up. Whether he can have another chemo treatment is not known at this point.

At least we seem to have the pain under control. Some days he will eat and others he has no appetite. I am blessed to have such good friends who bring over food so I don't have to cook...LOL

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Chemo starts tomorrow

Time to bring back the big guns. His first chemo treatment is tomorrow morning. He will be taking Gemzar again, since he tolerated it well last year I'm hoping it will be the same this year. Supposed to have another chemo treatment at the same time, a pill called Traceva, but I haven't heard anything else about it. I don't know it they're going to give it to him there while he gets the Gemzar or what.

We are starting to manage the pain better with the pain meds but we need to be vigilant and not miss a dose. I find myself giving him a lot of back rubs, they seem to help a little with the back pain. Nights are hardest. When he can't sleep he tries to not wake me up, but I get up anyway. I don't know how many times I check on him during the night, just to make sure he's still breathing! His appetite is a little better, hopefully he hasn't lost any more weight.

Gotta go, he's calling...

Back to the hospital

Burt is having the port put back in today. In about an hour we will leave to go to the hospital. Having it done outpatient so he will be back home later today. Still having trouble getting the pain under control with the meds. We are up a lot during the night trying to make him comfortable but no position seems to work for long. Chemo starts again on Tuesday.

We have so many friends and family that stop by to see how he's doing, it really takes his mind off the pain for a while. Bless you all, our extended family and friends, I don't know how I'd make it without you!

Living with cancer, again

After having his 3 month CT scan done last Tuesday morning, Dr. K called and said Burt had fluid in his abdomen and that we needed to get it aspirated. The ultrasound/aspiration was done Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday morning we went to his regular appointment with the family practitioner. It was then that we found out that his cancer was back and that it had metastasized. The back pain that we thought was arthritis was not arthritis. I should have known. The pain had been steadily getting worse over the past few weeks and he was losing weight again.

We are stunned. There's simply no other way to put it. The last two CT scans showed no sign of cancer and all of a sudden it's in his liver, his pancreas (what's left of it) and in the lymph nodes.

How does someone go from being in remission for six months with NO SIGN of the cancer to this??

After seeing the oncologist this morning, his options are limited. He has chosen to go back on chemo indefinitely in hopes of stopping the cancers from growing. There is no cure for this terrible disease.

The biggest problem right now is pain management. His pain is constant and unrelenting. If we can get the pain under control he might be able to eat and drink more to regain his strength. He is suffering and I hate that. I hate that the cancer is back. I hate what it's doing to my family and the people who love him.

I live in the house of sadness. Again.

Star of the Day at ScrapAttack!!

I was named Star of the Day at SAS with this layout! It's one of Anna's senior year pictures. The challenge was to use fabric on your layout. I had just bought some fabric to cover the bar stools in my kitchen and had some left over. I cut the big flower out using a chipboard template. Then I covered a small piece of chipboard with fabric and cut out the title.

Have had this picture of BJ jumping in the pool forever, don't want to throw it out because it's a perfect example of how hard it is to take pictures of him jumping off the diving board! He jumps so high I always seem to cut his head off!

It's hot hot hot here today but no one is in the pool.....go figure!

Crop at ScrapAttack this weekend!

I've been scrapping the weekend away! SAS is having an online crop to celebrate their fifth birthday and I just had to join in on the fun! Here's a layout of Burt's nephew Nico, who celebrated his 5th birthday while we were visiting this past June. I used Sassafras Lass papers from their Cherry Delicious line!

Here's a layout using old photos of Toby, our pit bull terrier. She just adored Aunt Gladys and was her usual calm self whenever she was around! These are the Max & Whiskers papers from the Basic Grey line.Brad decided to make his own special recipe for our burgers on Memorial Day this year. Of course I had to take pictures and scrap them! I used up the last of my Pink Paislee Starlight papers on this!! :-(

If you know my nephew Eric, then you know he's one crazy guy! The day of Nico's birthday party he went all out as a PIRATE for the kids......including beheading his Mom!Talk about old......these pictures are almost 27 years old! It's been that long since BJ celebrated his first birthday.....in 1983! We were at the Coastal Carolina Fair in Charleston, SC when his birthday rolled around. Luckily Mommom and Poppop were there to help us celebrate! These are Starlight papers too.

Okay, I still have four more challenges to do for the crop and I have until tomorrow night to finish them and get them uploaded. Here's hoping I get them done!

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Anna Renee today! My baby girl is now 26!!!

I HATE DIABETES!!!

As most of you know, my DH is a type 1 diabetic now after his bout with pancreatic cancer last year. If you know someone who has this you know how deeply it can affect your life and the lives of those around you. How much of a daily struggle it is to keep everything on an even keel.

Yesterday morning started out normally when the alarm clock went off at 6:15. DH woke me up, I got up and went downstairs to start the coffee. I heard him moving around upstairs so I turned on the news and sat down to eat my cereal. BJ left for work and Dani got into the shower. I went back upstairs to get dressed and saw that he was back in bed. I didn't think anything of it and got dressed for work.

After 10 minutes I thought he should really be getting up by now so he'll have time to eat and get ready for work. When I tried to wake him he would not wake up. I pulled back the sheet and the bed was just drenched with sweat! He had "bottomed out," meaning his blood glucose was too low and he was unconscious. This has happened before so I knew I needed to get some glucose into him quickly.

Usually I can wake him up and make him drink some juice or eat a glucose tablet, which will bring the blood sugar back up in about 15 minutes. But yesterday for some reason we could not wake him up or get his blood sugar back up. We had to call 911. I kept wondering why it was taking so long for him to come out of it this time. What was so different this time from the other times that he bottomed out??

When the paramedics got here it took a while before they got him stabilized enough to transport him to the hospital. His blood pressure was low also. At the hospital, within an hour they had him back to normal. Thank God!

I feel like we dodged a real bullet yesterday. What if I'd just gone to work without checking on him? I feel like I need to be more vigilant with what's going on with Burt. I need to watch him like a hawk to make sure he's okay.

I hope this never happens again. It's WAY too scary.....

Scrap Attack Sketch Contest at PageMaps Blog!!

Seriously! Isn't this a great prize? Scrap Attack Scrapbooking is sponsoring a sketch contest at the PageMaps blog and is giving away some great Echo Park "Life is Good" papers!


Lauri always gives great prizes and I just love PageMaps sketches! So what better to do than try to do the sketch? I used Adorn-It papers for this layout and I just love how colorful it is!


This is Dani at 5 months, trying to sit up all by herself. These papers I used for this layout are from one of SAS's monthly kits!

July is almost over already!

Here's a layout I did of Noemie and Nico with their Great Uncle Ray (Burt's younger brother)


This is my grandfather. He sent this postcard of himself to my grandmother in February of 1919 when he was in the Army.



Here's Burt & I in Gatineau at the Museum of Civilization where Eric works.


Jess & Chris were married in May and Amber and Tara were just beautiful flower girls!


Mom and several members of our church received their 50 year membership pins!

I can't believe how fast the summer has flown by! I have been busy working and scrapping, swimming and taking care of the family.....

Before we know it it will be football season again! Woo hoo!

And in two weeks ScrapAttackScrapbooking is having a 5th birthday crop! Come join us!

My heart aches for my cousin.....

My heart aches for my cousin and his family.........to lose a child at age 24 cannot be easy and it was so sudden. May you rest in peace, Larry.

We just spent 8 days in Gatineau visiting family! This photo was taken when we visited the Canadien Museum of Civilization where our nephew Eric works. You can see the Ottawa River behind us and the Parliament building on the right.


Burt got to spend time with his brother Reynald and brother-in-law Maurice. Nothing like a good cup of coffee to take the chill off those cool Canadian nights!



Noemie and Nico are growing so fast! Nico celebrated his 5th birthday while we were there.

We got good news from the oncologist just before we left, Burt is now cancer-free! Such good news, we are truly BLESSED. I know that not everyone who gets a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer has that good an outcome. It makes me appreciate everything even more.

I been scrappin'

Have been having fun scrapping lately. Need to get myself in gear and get some layouts done because soon it's going to be so nice outside I won't want to stay in and scrap!

This Thursday will be one year from the day Burt had his surgery for cancer. I can't believe the year has gone by already. I am looking forward to many more years together!

See my layout on Sketches {by Tamara}!!

I was so excited to be one of Tamara's Facebook fans and be chosen to do a sketch for her blog for National Scrapbook Day! She asked me to do a layout with my journaling in alphabet order. You can see it here

Meanwhile, over at ScrapAttack Scrapbooking I did manage to do seven layouts over the weekend for their NSD crop! Here's two of them......

It was one year ago today....

that Burt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It's been a long, tough year in which we found ourselves woefully unprepared for what was coming. If there's anyone out there reading this I have to tell you that there's hope. Things will be different but it is possible to beat this disease.

I had to scrap these photos, when Burt got sick we were looking forward to Anna's wedding in August and it seemed like the wedding was going to be postponed. As you can see, Burt pulled through and was able to dance with her 10 weeks after his surgery.




You can see from my layout below that Burt is still thin but his spirits are good. We are taking each and every day as it comes. We are blessed. God is good.

it's National Scrapbook Day!

I'm over at ScrapAttack Scrapbooking and having a ball at their online crop! They have 10 challenges for us to do, we have until midnight Sunday to complete them all! Come join us at scrapattackscrapbooking.com!

So...... I gave blood Tuesday.....

and decided to get tested for diabetes. Found out today that my blood sugar levels are very good so that's one worry off my chest. After seeing up close how diabetes affects your life I am soooo glad I do not have it. I see Burt struggling with it everyday, giving himself insulin shots, trying to eat the right foods and worrying about the number of carbs he's eating.....

PageMaps blog sketch

Here's a new sketch from PageMaps that's so fun to make! I entered my layout in their blog contest for new Couture Cardstock! I haven't seen the new cardstock yet so can't wait to get some!

Here's the sketch....

and here's my layout....I used one of the challenges at ScrapAttack! www.scrapattackscrapbooking.com

That's BJ when he was around 4, 4 and a half, in Florida with Aunt Gladie. She was teaching him how to fish.....

And then here's a few other layouts I've been busy scrapping. Thanks for looking!

February is almost over!

Looking for something fun to do? Please join us for a scrappy trip around the world!

ScrapAttack Scrapbooking is having Scrap Around the World Tour.......You will get to travel the world without ever leaving your scrappy space! We’ve put together 7 awesome challenges with the inspiration coming from all over the world. The first challenge will be posted on March 5th and a new one will be released each Friday at 9 pm EST.

Visit http://www.scrapattackscrapbooking.com for the full details! Tell 'em Sherrie sent you!

Final treatment!

Tomorrow is Burt's LAST chemo treatment! What a relief! We thought this day would never get here! Thankfully it's not supposed to start snowing until sometime after lunch. We just got through one snowstorm with 22 inches Fri/Sat, now they're calling for another 12-20 inches......BJ had to use the front end loader to clear our driveway.

One of the county plows got stuck, twice, in front of our house because the drifts were so high. They had to call someone to pull them out....

So what do you do when the weather won't let you go outside? You scrap of course!!

Here's one of my favorite pics of Anna on her wedding day....

Of course, who could forget how cute Kari was when she was a pup?

And these were taken the last time I went to Canada to visit family, July 2007.

Oh, and before I forget, WELCOME Kailey Bryn! 7 pounds 9 ounces, 20 inches long! Congratulations Brian and April!