Life Lately

I don't usually write my internal thoughts and feelings but for some reason they are flowing freely tonight so I am just gonna keep it going. Maybe it will help me sort it all out.
Where do I begin? My emotions are all over the place. Poor Taylor has to put up with me and he never knows which Stephanie he is gonna get. There are a lot of good things going on in our lives right now but I find it hard to enjoy them because my mind is elsewhere. Here is a glimpse of our lives lately......

#1 Cody started preschool. I wish I had a picture to share but I don't remember which file I stored it in. When I find it, I'll post it.

#2 Cooper and Natalie's baseball seasons started. They are both doing great! The only complaint I have heard so far came from Natalie: "Mom, I don't like baseball because the hat messes up my hair" A true girl! I had no idea it would be so hard to juggle 2 different kids sports schedules. At times I have to be in 2 places at 1 time....that's where having a husband comes in real handy!

#3 Our fridge decided to stop cooling our food. Doesn't sound like a huge deal...well, it was a massive deal! How do I feed a family of 6 with no refrigerator?! I'll tell you, ice chests. I had 3 of them in my kitchen for 2 days until we could diagnose the problem with our fridge. The guy quoted $776 to fix it. NO WAY! I bought the dang thing for like $800 6 years ago. My handy hubby stepped in and fixed it for close to $200. Thanks honey!

#4 Tay and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary this month. Yes, 9 years! Can you believe it!? He was in Austin, Texas for work the day of our anniversary, but he made it up to me. I got flowers and chocolate covered strawberries delivered to my door! I love my Taylor! I can't even imagine my life without him.

#5 On Thursday night (Sept. 24th) Eli hit his head on the corner of our computer desk. Sliced it right down the middle of his forehead. Blood everywhere. Of course, I am home alone with the kids. I called Taylor, he was at the grocery store preparing for a hunting trip he was leaving on that night. He called our cop buddy Dave who came racing over. (Thank heavens for friends) I rushed Eli into the Urgent Care and they stitched him up. He is expected to make a full recovery but will forever have a scar on his forehead. Oh, BOYS, they have made me see things I never thought I would see!

#6 Taylor's mom is struggling to stay alive. Her LONG battle with cancer is nearing an end and I can't seem to accept it. I have known this day was eventually going to come but I still find myself extremely ill-prepared. Her health has been deteriorating rather quickly for a couple months. A couple Sundays ago we got a call during church from Taylor's dad saying that Cathy was done fighting and that she was ready to die. We prayed all that day that she would hang on until we were able to get to AZ to see her. The earliest we could get there was Thursday. It was the longest week of my life knowing she was ready to die and the Lord could take her at any time. Thursday finally came and we hit the road. Our visit with her was so neat. I'm so glad that my kids got to see her and say the things they wanted to say to her. She is such an amazing woman. When the time comes that she does pass away I will be losing one of my best friends and a phenomenal grandma. She has helped me through times that I never thought I would make it through.
Currently, her nurse comes about 3 times a week to check on her. The last report I heard was that she probably has a few weeks left of her life. Just doesn't seem fair.
I am so grateful for my testimony of the Resurrection. I know that we will be with Cathy again. That knowledge has helped me through this extremely difficult time and has allowed me to give answers to my children when they have questions. It is comforting to know that we can all be together as a family again.