February chat & Happy Birthday tomorrow Dad!

I read on Joelle's blog that we have already had 5 snow days from school this year - wow! I can remember years with my kids where there were 0 days off for snow. Michigan's weather - always changing!

Sickness hit at our house during January. I so rarely get sick - but this flu/cold bug hit me and wouldn't let go for almost 3 weeks. Finally got my voice back! But don't ask me to sing!

Little Karsten had that bug, got better and was hit again with another virus that gave him some nice ulcers in his mouth and nice high fevers. Couldn't eat or drink without pain. After 2 doctor visits he may be finishing with this! Poor little guy! We want him well soon - he will celebrate his 2nd birthday in mid-March.

Megan, Sydney and Kaitlyn managed to avoid the virus' - so far!! Megan is doing well with her potty-training. At first we would tell her that we are so proud of her - then she began going on her own and would come out of the bathroom and announce that she is so proud! Sydney knows all her colors and loves to choose her own clothes for the day right down to matching bows for her pony tails. Kaitlyn is now on another medicine for her acid-reflux - it seems to be helping! Hooray! She is very alert and enjoys cooing and laughing with everyone - but especially with Sydney.

Both Russ and I have lost cousins recently. My cousin, Sally, passed away due to lung cancer that had spread. From the time she was diagnosed until she died was only about 2 months. The day of her funeral would have been her 48th birthday - and she wanted a party. At the graveside her family arranged for a balloon send off. Today we got news that Russ' cousin, Bob - Billy as we knew him, was found this morning. He recently lost a leg to some poor circulation.

I got a note from my sister that she is having some medical problems. Sure would appreciate all prayers for her. (This has been edited after my sister says I gave way too much info on her!! - Sorry Dee!)

Russ' mom continues to have radiation treatments for breast cancer. She is being a trooper - will have 7 weeks of 5 days a week treatments. She has finished her 2nd or 3rd week now. The doctor expects her to begin to feel the effects of the treatments soon. She will celebrate her 79th birthday in March.

My Aunt Retha (mom's only living sister) recently had triple by-pass heart surgery. She is doing well. But she wants to be doing even better. Wanting to be better is half the battle in my book!

Tomorrow would have been my Dad's 80th birthday. He said just before he died that he had 78 great years but the 79th had not been much fun. Funny how we had never heard of pulmonary fibrosis before he was diagnosed and now we hear it quite often. So glad to know that he is in a much better place. Karen is trying to find her way without Dad - they had only 6 years together but she often says that she did more in those 6 years than she had all her life. Karen is enjoying a couple of nights playing bingo and is back in church. Her neighbor, Margie, has been going with Karen to these events - Margie lost her husband to a pulmonary disease just about 7 months before Dad. Karen continues to try to overcome the effects of childhood polio and scoliosis and now diabetes too.

One thing we have learned over the past year - enjoy life now, we don't know when we will be enjoying eternity. If you don't know where you will spend eternity - the time to make those reservations is now!

Enjoy life,

Karla & Russ