Broken Hearts

Our hearts are breaking tonight after hearing the news that beautiful Madey Slaughter has passed on after her valiant battle against cancer. 

When we heard the news we were actually in the process of working with Jennifer at The Vintage Pearl to order keepsakes for each member of the Slaughter family. With tears streaming down our faces, we completed the order for necklaces, bracelets and other items with the assurance from Jennifer that at least one of the necklaces would ship tomorrow so the family could still give it to Madey if they choose to do so.

I am so impressed with the generous friends of Hillary and Madey Slaughter who all donated for this cause, and I am humbled and grateful for the angels at The Vintage Pearl who generously donated the rest so that we can offer this family gifts of remembrance in this great time of sorrow.

Please keep the Slaughter family in your thoughts and prayers.

How was YOUR day?

Today is my sweet Emily's 17th birthday! That's right, a mere 13 months after having twins, Emily entered our lives and forever changed us for the better.  She's awesome, that girl!  Of the oldest three girls, Madi is our logical thinker, Carley is the artist, and Emily is our entertainer who loves any stage.  There's definitely no shortage of things to do/see/pay fees for around here. ;)

So, how DID I spend my time on this auspicious day?

I woke up early (or so I thought) to make breakfast for the birthday girl. It's kind of a tradition around here to make breakfast on birthdays. But Carley had beat me to it.. eggs were sizzling, toast was... toasting so I just threw some hashbrowns in a skillet so I could participate. Em came into the kitchen and I gave her a gift of clothing (her favorite) as I continued to make breakfast with Carley. But my favorite part of the birthday breakfast was when Hubby stumbled sleepily down the stairs and then did a sort of zombie shuffle toward Emily in order to give her a birthday hug...  (Arms straight out, knees locked as he walked.. no joke!) We all had a good laugh and then it was time for the girlies to leave for school.

The rest of the day went something like this:

Me- 2 hour appointment
Hubby- Physical Therapy for his shoulder
Me- search for something special to make for dinner
Hubby- Starving, needs lunch immediately. (whines a little more than neccessary)
Me- reassure Hubster that there's food for his lunch while waiting for my BFF from kindergarten to pick up the gazillion pretzels I made for her daughter's wedding which is the following day.
Hubby- scarf some foodage, gets ready for work, clean battery cables (I have no clue.. I don't even ask anymore)
Me- Oh crap, I need to get the birthday cake!
Hubby- kissy kissy, now off to work!
Me- Uh, what the heck to make for a special dinner?
Linzie- Won first place in the art show!
Me- CONGRATS, Linz!  Uh, the art show is today?  As in 2 hours from now??
Linz- Yeah, can you come?
Me- Of course!
Me- Still have to get pretzels to bff, still need dinner idea, still need cake! (Starting to panic)
Carley- Whatcha doin after school today, Mom?
Me- I kinda want to go to the art show.
Carley- What the crap? No one told me the art show was today!
Me- Yeah, Linz took first!
Carley- WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?!!
Me- I just did.  ;)
Carley- Em is having a bad day, Mom. She's sad.
Me- Uh.. we need to fix that.
Emily- *sob* Had a bad day, Mom.  Hopes = dashed.  Mood= squashed.
Me- No worries, Em.  We'll fix you right up!
Me- Email to bff- tried to call, have the wrong number (not such a good bff if I don't have the right number!) Art show/birthday emergency plz call me when you can.
Carley- Didja talk to Em?
Me- Yeah.. we need to fix this. Call Matt (Em's boyfriend... looooooong story there) make arrangements for Matt+balloons+milkshake to surprise Em while she is at play rehersal.
Carley- Done. But mom?  I have no money. Meet me at art show with cash?
Me- Be right there!
Me- arrive at art show only to discover that they JUST closed the silly thing! ARGH! Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING me?!!
Linz- Sorry mom.  We can try again tomorrow?
Me- Absolutely! Sorry for being late, Linz. (sad faces all around)
Carley- I will get Matt and milkshake, you get balloons. Meet at the high school parking lot?
Me- Good plan but I need to get pizza too!
Carley- We can do that later, after the school.
Me- uh.. okay. (my puppet strings are short.. lol)
BFF- Hey, can I pick up those pretzels now?
Me- *sigh*  explaining "Operation Save The Birthday" to BFF, hoping she'll understand.
BFF- no worries! Totally understood. We'll hook up after the wedding rehersal.
Me-  sent Madi and Linz in the store to get balloons while I ordered pizzas.
Abby- Hi Mom! Are you guys done yet?
Me- Uh.. no.  But we're working on it. Meet you at the school.
Me- Balloons purchased, pizzas ordered, rush to school for Em's BIG surprise.
Me, Carley, Abby, Linzie, Madi, and Matt- patiently wait at school with balloons and milkshake as we watch Emily's rehersal.
Emily- Ohmigosh, Ohmigosh!  Yay! *sharing milkshake with every friend in the vicinity* community spoon= ick! (Birthday saved) Can friends come for pizza too?
Me- Absolutely!
Me- *thinking* crap! Still need to pick up pizza and cake. Now need ice cream, drinks, chips and other party essentials.

Kids pile into my car, kids pile into Carley's car. Balloons also in my car, community milkshake goes with Emily in Carley's car. (Boyfriend also goes with Emily.. no surprise there)

Hubby- (text message) What's up?
Me- IF YOU ONLY KNEW!

Kids dropped off, Madi and I hop back in the car for pizza, cake, ice cream, chips, dips, and drinks! (two carts went in opposite directions at the store.. we rocked it!)

Home again to the happy chaos of LOUD teenagers playing video games. Pizzas in the oven, pizzas in the kiddos. Kiddos happy, Birthday Girl happy = Mom happy.

Kitchen= disaster but worth it!

Carley- drives home 1st carload of friends.

BFF- picked up the gazillion pretzels for wedding. BFF happy = Me relieved!

Carley- drives home 2nd carload of friends.

Hugs and Goodnights all around.

Kiddos- T. I. R. E. D!

Me- T. I. R. E. D!

Another successful Flash Mob party...the first of 2011.  (But knowing us, this is only the beginning!)

Insomnia? There's An App For That!

Ever since December 25th, there's been a lot of app-ing going on around here.  For those who may not get my meaning immediately, what I mean to say is that there are approximately five iPods in this house that have the capability to amuse for hours with silly games otherwise known as - "Apps."

My loving family has been sucked into the underworld of apps!

Easily my favorite to play is Fruit Ninja.  First of all, anything with a Ninja in it automatically gets my vote. Secondly, that game totally rocks! I could spend hours swiping fruit out of existence (and late at night I do!) as I strive for the high scoring combos! They say Ninjas don't like fruit... if that's true then I will have to take a vow of fruit silence because I think my skill clearly indicates that I was born for this job!


 My girlies like this Pocket God app that allows them to have complete dominion over little native dudes that are in complete awe of rainbows.  "Ooooh, what does it mean???" I tinkered with it a bit before heading back to my Ninja fruit-stalking duties. There's only so much fun to be had by dropping those little natives into the ocean anyway.

Carley rules at this little game called "Cut the Rope" where the premise is to use physics (psychics?) to cleverly cut the dangling candy so that you collect stars AND feed the adorable froggy that just sits there making hungry baby noises and opening his mouth when the candy is near. Admittedly, this game IS fun but what I don't want to admit is that Carley is WAY smarter than me when the upper levels started getting complicated. My little froggy dude would starve if it weren't for the clever abilities of Carley!

Yesterday I was having a bit of an off day... I have an earache that is killing me and making me not want to do much other than plop my head on a heating pad and hope I don't cook my brains while soothing the ache in my ear with electricity.  There's not a lot a person can do with their ear aimed at the ground.... so I checked out the Apps!  I ninja-ed for a while and even achieved my new high score but then I wanted something new and Apple has been a sneaky fiend lately by offering so many Apps for only .99 so I could try a few new things.  And that's when I discovered "The Moron Test."

Try to control your jokes. ;)

I have seen this particular game hovering in the top ten for quite a while now but since I KNOW I'm not a moron, I figured it wasn't a game for me.  Last night, I apparently thought it was time to give this moron thing a try.

OH. MY. GOODNESS!

This game is completely, totally, hopelessly addicting! And FRUSTRATING!  With instructions telling me NOT to push the red button that has "continue" written on it in all caps, sneaky directions involving hopelessly cute animals, and wicked fast lightening rounds, I was determined to prove that I was not, in fact, a moron.  (I have much work to do!)
 

At one point, as I was still working on the Moron Test in the early hours of the morning, Hubby rolled over and said, "You have a problem." To which I replied, "I knnnnnow!" But he thought I was being a Fruit Ninja when I was really trying to assert my intelligence in the world of Apps.

A little game that keeps me playing long after the rest of the family is asleep and my eyes are burning with fatigue?  Maybe I AM a moron afterall!

Seventeen In Five Days

Once you came to me to mend your pain, quiet your fears, and shower you with all the love in my heart. It's hard for me now to watch quietly on the edges of you life as you make choices of your own.  I want to prevent any pain from ever reaching you, even though I know that is not possible. I want to give you all the confidence in the world because you truly are beautiful, smart and talented.  And I want to wrap my arms around you, kiss your little nose, and remind you that your mom loves you so very much.

Emily, December 2010

No matter how old you are, or where life takes you, you will always be my little girl.

Emily Nicole in the First Grade and in the Tenth Grade

Dear Cancer, I Truly Despise You

January brought me one of the brightest lights of my life.  On January 10th, seventeen years ago, my beautiful Emily Nicole was born.  I am holding on tight to those feelings of joy and accomplishment, even as a family who is dear to us is preparing for their final Earthly goodbye to their beloved daughter, only one year younger than my Emily. I wish I could find a way to reconcile these feelings in my heart.

Ache doesn't come close. Agony seems so paltry. Where is the fairness in this???

I am calling on all of you in the blogger-verse to please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. And every other second of every day... keep your family close.  NEVER miss an opportunity to show your love and affection. Kiss them, love them, tell them goodnight... None of us know how long this Earthly journey will last so make the most of every single breath. 

Madeline Slaughter's story

Happy New Year! Our Year In Review

~ Memory is not so brilliant as hope, but it is more beautiful,

and a thousand times more true. ~ 

I was not sad to bid farewell to 2009- it had been a terrible time for my family; a time of loss, unimaginable pain and seemingly endless sorrow. One year ago, we stood on the threshold of 2010 and welcomed it with open arms and I am happy to say that we were not disappointed, in spite of the gut-wrenching loss that we faced right out of the gate.

In January, my sweet Emily turned 16, Hubby and I celebrated 7 years of being married as best friends, and I was heading into my third month of working for OHSU. But the biggest impact was saying our final goodbye to Grandpa Robinson. (I'm crying at the computer just thinking about it.) Although we knew we have two of the best Guardian Angels there ever were, we selfishly wished for more time with our dear grandparents.

February went a little easier on us with the only major event being TWO teenage daughters attending the Sweetheart's Dance.  There were dresses to buy and plans to make. We brandished curling irons and hairspray with determination as we helped the girls primp for their big night. I remember falling into the couch in a tired sort of shock once they were gone... wondering if that really just happened. I still feel bad that I called Emily's date by Madi's date's name.  Oops! It would have been the perfect time to grab a movie and veg for a few hours, except that was also the month that Hollywood Video ditched us and believe me when I say that I still long for the days when we could go browse for videos or games on Saturday afternoons.  Netflix just isn't the same. 

Our spring fever ramped up in March and April until we nearly couldn't stand it anymore. We fenced in our garden and took the girls on a chilly camping trip to Moab. Grilling, camping and gardening are some of our all time favorite activities and last spring we were happy to be out in the sunshine! I'm already looking forward to spring, 2011!

When May arrived, so did the truck packed with brightly colored flowers for the sitting garden. My sweet family prepped and planted the sitting garden with me for Mother's Day. Working outside with my family and grilling afterward is my idea of Heaven. Bring it on! 

In June Bill turned 40, we grilled a LOT, and we took the girls to The Big Island with great hopes for a wonderful vacation. We did have fun there, but we also had tremendously bad luck. Six of us got food poisoning, Bill was transported to the hospital via ambulance when he dove into the shallow end of a pool, and I lost my memory card with ALL of my pictures on it.  SUPER SAD FACE! If you ever go to Hawaii, do yourself a ginormous favor and do not put a lava rock pebble in your pocket. We are so superstitious now when it comes to the Volcano gods. (We put the rocks back before we left.)

July brought a chilly camping trip to Bear Lake  with Tyler's family along for the fun (Have I mentioned how much we love the outdoors?), Mom and Dad's birthdays and more grilling of course! We also managed to help a stranger in need at the parking lot of the grocery store on a particularly hot afternoon. Our summer was in full swing and we were lovin' it! 

Every summer has to come to an end, and August is a tough one for us because it means that Ashley goes back to Georgia and school will soon start up again. Last August was particularly difficult because it marked one year without Grandma. Ouch.  I needed something uplifting to hold onto, so I decided to throw a back to school party for all the special little ones in my life who were preparing for another school year. We had a blast and as a side note, I highly recommend bubbles for any occasion!  

September closed the book on parenting little girls because Abby and Linzie were officially teenagers. I love being Mom to this tribe of girls! Every day they teach me something new and I am rarely disappointed in any of them. No longer children, they are inching toward adulthood and my life is constantly changing! 

One of the highlights of my year... and possibly my life... was the trip I took with Mom to Massachusetts in October. I loved spending time with my beautiful Great Aunt Dottie and soaking up the atmosphere back there. I truly felt like I was home! If I could pack up my family and move there then I would in a heartbeat! Now there isn't a day that goes by without thoughts of Dottie and Massachusetts. I am so thankful that Mom included me on her trip and I sincerely hope I can go back there soon. 

November and December brought shoulder surgery for Hubby and unexpected financial hardship to my family, but we're a strong family and it will take more than than one evil woman to bring us down. We banded together as usual and dished out extra kindness at every opportunity.  Have I told you how amazing my family is?  My girls know the true value of life and the financial burdens did not dampen their spirits in any way.  Each time I found myself struggling with feelings of guilt over the finances, my girls would put their arms around me and lovingly reassure me that everything was going to be fine. I am so blessed.  There was no shortage of love, laughter, playful banter and Christmas projects around our home this year and my girls never failed to spread their happiness and pure joy.  How awesome is that!  Carley and Madi also turned eighteen on the 18th.  Sweet!  I adore these girls with all my heart! 

This New Year's Eve we had a lovely dinner at Mom and Dad's and managed to snag two extra girlies to bring home with us. We danced and sang all the way home with Ella and Brecklyn squeezed in among our five  and the laughter was so pure and wonderful! (Madi was at work and we missed her terribly!) Later, we laughed ourselves sick over a fun game of Pictionary Man. Our cheeks and sides hurt from laughing so hard over the images drawn and the outrageous guesses that were blurted out. Man oh man was it fun!   But the best part... the happiest magical moment... was when all those little girlies went out on the front porch, at the stroke of midnight, and shouted "Happy Birthday Brecklyn!" as the rest of the street shouted "Happy New Year!"  Did I mention how awesome these kids are?  ;) 

2010, I am thankful for the tears which opened our hearts and our minds... even through insurmountable sorrow, because through our pain we are reminded that life is wondrous and beautifully fragile. I am grateful for the trials which make us stronger and help us to appreciate all of the blessings in our lives. As we say goodbye to another year, I promise to remember the lessons learned, the lives lived and lost, and respect the promise of each new day.   Happy New Year!

‎"Perhaps strength doesn't reside in having never been broken, but in the courage required to grow strong in the broken places." 

♥