I know its been a while since the last post, but I'm back :) And what a news filled week, so much to write about - Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson - wow!

But I'm not going to write about any of that. Instead I'm going to write about something much more important - my kids :) Yesterday was the last day of school for Joey and now he's excited about having 2 months off. His report card was awesome!!! He got 5 A's, one C and the rest were all B's. VERY PROUD OF HIM!!!! So he earned $5 for the A's and got a Ben 10 game for the Wii because we were so impressed with him this year. Way to go Joe!!!

Chris has started speech therapy again. The want him to have a few more one on one sessions before he starts JK in September, where he won't get any one on one time (at least I don't think so!). He's coming along quite well - we're working on letter sounds this time instead of 2 syllable words and he's enjoying it. This weeks letters were S & F.... he has no problem with S, but F is quite hard for him. If you ask him to say FISH, he says "FFFFF - Pish"! Yep, only my boy :)

Jason has finished school as well now. He's not working this summer, going to stay home to watch the boys and spend time with his dad. It will be hard, and I'm still trying to get used to the idea of one income..... but I (we) really think that this is something that he has to do. He's planning on taking the boys & his dad to the trailer for a week. What will I do with myself!?! All that free time and no one saying "mommy, mommy, mommy"!

As for Al, what can I say. He goes daily for radiation treatments right now, so he'll be done with those on Thursday. We're still waiting for the pathology reports and a few other test results to come back. Tuesday is the big day, the day that we've all got our fingers crossed that we receive nothing but good news. Please keep your fingers crossed for us as well - we can use all the luck and love that we can get right now!

Oh, one more thing..... I told Joey that we would be buzzing his hair for the summer so that he could stay cool.... he told me that he didn't want his hair buzzed. He decided that he wanted a blue mohawk. So he has one :) You can see before, during & after shots in the summer 09 album, as well as pics of Chris with his head buzzed! I'll be updating the album all summer, so keep checking it!

Al is home from the hospital! It amazes (and scares) me that less than 48 hours after brain surgery someone can leave hospital. Al seems to be doing well - left with a headache that he takes tylenol for! Unbelievable!!!

The kids got to see him yesterday. We were planning on taking them to the hospital but then we found out that he was coming home. So, last night around 6pm I walked over with the kids to see how he was doing. As we were walking, I was explaining to the boys that grandpa would look different (they had already seen a pic), and they had to be gentle with him and speak quietly. Then someone across the street waved to us... and there was grandpa talking to the people across the street! I couldn't believe it - he was up & about, talking to people and being himself! Chris looked and said "who is that?".... he looked pretty beat up and swollen, but its a small price to pay in the long run.

Today, Al seems to be even better! A lot of the swelling is gone, the bruising is still there, and its a hell of scar that he's going to have. But for the most part, Al is still Al. He still wants to be up & around and doing everything that he's used to doing, but he knows that he has to take it easy for a while. No work for at least 3 months, and lots of resting in the meantime. I bet he's even ok to go to the trailer next weekend!

Here's a before & after pic...

Its still going to be crazy for the next little while. We're still waiting for more test results to come back. We're still searching the internet for more information trying to understand this. This year has been tough, and this is just another obstacle to get around...... and we will.

Its been a tough week. But the sun is shining and we can only hope for the best now.

We found out on Wednesday that my father-in-law had a tumour on his brain. Such a scary time when the doctors are trying to decide what to do - first its inoperable, then they can operate... then its a phone call to go the hospital right away for surgery. Dr. Wells removed the tumour last night. Now its just waiting to see how he is, how this has affected him, and how he will be affected in the future.

I'll keep you posted :)

Well, time for an announcement..... I have a new man in my life. He is cute, and overly furry. His name is Fred. He's just an adorable little kitty! (What were you thinking?!?)

Anyways, Fred is an older cat. He's around 10-12 years old, and I rescued him from being put to sleep. His owner was moving to a place where he couldn't take his cats, and he could only find a home for his other cat. There were no shelters or humane societies that could take Fred. His only option was to make an appt to have him euthanized. I couldn't bear that happening, so he moved in tonight. Fred is perfect for me... he's older, loves to stretch out and lay around, and LOVES to be loved :) The kids seem to be ok with him so far. Chris is so gentle.... he keeps on petting him and saying "Fred my meow"! So cute ;)

Pictures to come soon!