Where the highlights are few and far between.

Do you know what shuts down the plans of a nice spring weekend like nobody's business?

Strep throat. 

Before early Friday morning when Joshua became victim #1, I had envisioned lots of good things for the weekend.  We had just made it through a tough week while Jason was in Las Vegas for his conference. I had a real hard time with the whole thing because he was so busy and then the three hour time zone difference was a real bugger. He would have a few minutes to talk so we would Face Time for the kids but it left me totally lonely and tired and stressed and missing him by the time he walked in the door on Friday night. 

But instead of anything fun, we spent Friday running to dr appointments because I have seen enough strep throat to call that one when I see it, and also that the wait it out approach would take us to nowhere but misery.  Saturday morning confirmed the result of Friday's swab and I got to get out of the house just long enough to run to...wait for it...CVS to pick up amoxicillin.  It was a thrilling Saturday morning. Nothing like strolling the Arts Festival in Lewisburg as I had hoped.  Or taking the kids to a birthday party they were invited to. Or playing with Cooper and Kinley like we wanted to. 

Saturday evening, just when Joshua was starting to get back to himself after  a few more doses of medicine, Lauren made an ominous annoucement that it hurt when she swallowed. I tried a pre-emptove strike with a dose of Motrin, but her screaming fever led me to a night vigil with her from midnight on. God bless her heart-- she was just miserable. She rested and whimpered as long as I was rubbing her arm. Which was fine except, exhaustion. 

We got up this morning and decided to try out the Careworks Urgent Care in Danville because, well just see above for the part about waiting leading to misery. Mara, Lauren and I headed there and within about an hour and a half were seen, strep tested and verified by a PA. Because two trips to CVS for the same blasted bottle of amoxicillin would just have been more excitement than one Mama should be allowed in the span of 24 hours, we sent Jason to collect the pink medicine while I assumed the position of couch snuggler. I eventually managed to get her to the chair because her fever  was starting to make me think I was in one of those hot yoga classes where you would never in a million years catch me.

The only good news is that I finished two whole books this weekend. If that doesn't tell you how much time I spent sitting with the germ machines, I don't know what will. 

I did manage to cook a yummy dinner of spaghetti and salad and garlic bread, and some homemade apple crisp to use up some apples thst were starting to think about checking out on me.  This effort was negated by a house fire call that had Jason gone from 5:30-9:00. But hopefully it tasted good to the kids.

We now lie in wait for the third and final chip to fall. I feel like once you have two siblings in the same household with positive strep tests, CVS should throw in the third bottle of amoxicillin as a door prize. 

Mara's Morning

I love my morning time with Mara after the rat race that is getting the big kids out the door to school. We aren't in a huge hurry, and we just go about our morning chores together, talking and singing (and usually giggling) along the way. I adore this girl- hard headed and stubborn as she may be. 

So here is a peek into our morning today.  

She picked her Pop Tart for her breakfast. She also picked the Sofia plate to eat it from after inspecting each of the other 37 plates in the cupboard, all of which would have worked just fine. But did I mention she is particular?

Then she worked on a bit of makeup.  She loves to do her makeup when I do mine. And I sadly thought, after snapping this picture, that in the blink of an eye I will be helping her do her makeup for the prom. Goodness...my heart. 

And then, while I made our supper, she worked in her Play-Doh kitchen to make meatballs. She advised me that they take a long time to make and I will have to be patient. 

Next year, she will begin preschool and our mornings together will be a little more structured. So for now, I'm soaking this up. 

Well...this day isn't working out as planned.

Puking wake up call #2 came at 3:00 this morning when Mara's bug caught up with Lauren. Over the course of the next 45 minutes we went through the eqivalent of an entire laundry basket of clothes between the two of us, as well as blankets, towels and the like.  

To say I am tiring of this is...well...truth. 

We were supposed to be in Lewistown this morning, enjoying a special two days with our favorite people there. The kids are all disappointed, although not half as much as I am. I really, really needed some time at home. We are still hopeful that maybe tomorrow we can make a trip for the day, but we need a miraculous turnaround in our sweet girl before that is a possibility.

Easter Parties!

I love so much the openness of having parent volunteers at the kids' holiday parties at school. They have become some of my favorite days- mostly because they are also among the kids' favorites. I know the days are likely numbered that Joshua will think it is cool to have me there with him, and so I relish these holiday celebrations while they last. The only challenge I seem to have with the parties is how to fairly divide myself between both classrooms when the parties happen simultaneously. And life will really get interesting once we add a third classroom to the mix. But for yesterday's festivities I only had to divide in half, and it worked out just fine. 

I started in K4 and did a lot of jobs with the other parents like counting and hiding Easter eggs and cleaning fruit. We also prepped the resurrection buns that the kids were going to make. Some great conversations took place with the ofher parents in the class-- always a blessing to get to know the other children's families-- particularly since the same kids tend to be together in the same class from preschool through to graduation at Meadowbrook. 

After all of that, I headed to 2nd grade just in time for their egg hunt. This is where things started to get a little interesting. After finding all of his eggs, Joshua had one that was taped pretty heavily, and so he decided, in his infinite 8 year old wisdom that has no appreciation for things that can get you sent to the ER, to use his scissors to try to break the tape. He failed miserably at that, but did an outstanding A+ job of slicing his finger open. He came to me calmly and mentioned that he thought he cut his hand. When I saw the blood pouring from it, I said, "Yep, you sure did!" and promptly carted him to the nurse's office. After about a half hour of firm pressure and no less than 87 gauze pads, we got the bleeding stopped.  They didn't think we needed stitches, which sounded fantastic to both me and Josh since that's where I think we both figured we were heading.  He was wrapped up like he had cut off a finger and we went back to the party. Good grief. 

After I returned to K4, Lauren was enjoying her resurrection bun (the marshmallow they had wrapped inside their roll had disappeared...just like the empty tomb) and then we got ready to play some games. The kids absolutely love playing the games and I love hearing their giggles. 

School was dismissed at 11:30, so Josh headed home but Lauren opted to stay with me because of her ballet class at 4:45 and really, how many back and forth trips between Lewisburg, Milton and Turbotville can one Suburban really make in one day. So we got her some lunch (and as a sidenote, this girl must be in the midst of some kind of growth spurt because of all the eating!  She had a full party plate, a 6" Subway sub, chips, chocolate milk and then asked to stop for a donut before ballet. I like food...a lot...but all I could think of was that she was going to regret that donut choice in the middle of the spinning and jumping at Downtown Dance.). While I attempted to work, she was cracking me up by using a sticker pad that has all kinds of funny face elements on her own face instead of the pages in the tablet. She is so fun to be with. Definitely the easiest of our three to bring with me to the office. 

And THAT was our Wednesday. 

All of the glamour.

Nothing says, "Wow, motherhood is so glamorous" like a 10:30 pm wakeup call that is the unmistakable sound of everything that has gone into the stomach of your three year old over the course of the past 24 hours as it hits the floor (and the walls and the bathroom door)...and every piece of bedding in the room. And so most of Monday night and Tuesday were spent on puke duty with one very pitiful Mara. Most of the time she wanted to be held, and frankly that was the best method to keep from having to clean the entire house...because apparently when you are three, the concept of hitting the yuck bucket isn't a natural one if left to your own devices. So I didn't go far. She did sleep for a while in the afternoon which allowed me some time to prep dirt pudding cups for Joshua's Easter party at school for Wednesday.  But a glamorous day, it was certainly not. 

 

 

Easter celebrations are in full swing here, and the kids are really having a great time. We colored eggs the other night, and most of them have already been eaten. I swear Lauren is going to turn into a hard boiled egg one of these days. Or have very high cholesterol at the rate she devours eggs of all varieties. 

And this past Saturday, we headed to our church's egg hunt dressed more for a snowball fight than for an Easter egg hunt. We had a nice dusting of snow that morning and it was so cold. But the kids didn't seem to mind much. 

It is always a good day when we can cross paths with some of our favorite people on the whole planet. Mine may have already consumed 17 Tootsie Rolls judging by Mara's smile because apparently I have no control over them getting into their eggs and stuffing their faces full of sugar. 

Lots more fun and hopefully lots more pictures coming after our trip to Nana and Pap's house tomorrow and fun with Grandma and Grandpa on Sunday after church. 

Noticing

Today started out badly no matter how you define it. I had "stayed up" later  than usual last night-- and by that I mean I fell asleep on the couch downstairs around 10 instead of 9. So getting up was painful. And since I had agreed to help at the book fair at school this morning my get ready routine had to be at warp speed. And I think we will all agree that those two things alone are a recipe for disaster. In all of my rushing, which included backpacks, coats, emptying the dishwasher, drying my hair, getting my makeup done, finishing packing Joshua's lunch, preparing a cupcake for him for a snack today while the rest of his class had cupcakes that were brought from someone else's home, feeding and dressing three kids, and starting two crockpots of roast beef with noodles (one for our supper and one for a family who is grieving a devastating loss), I neglected breakfast for myself. It was 7:25-- we needed to be out the door at 7:35 at the absolute latest.  But I scrambled myself some egg beaters, grabbed a banana and made a cup of coffee to go. I was thrilled that the kids were in the car and ready to go at 7:34 and I made my final sweep through the house to kiss Mara's sweet little head one more time for the day and grab my breakfast to gobble down on the way. I took one step onto the garage steps and immediately fell to the ground, after bouncing down both of the stairs on my left hip, tossing my coffee, scrambled eggs, shoes and my dignity into the air.  I did what anyone in my position would have done. I cried. Sobbed really. Like a good, ugly, cathartic cry that cleans your soul from the inside out. 

Upon seeing the scrambled eggs flying like confetti both Joshua and Lauren came running. And this is when I started taking notice to things today. 

Josh and Lauren took my hands and helped me up, asking no less than a thousand times if I was OK.

We made it to school on time...albeit barely...but Joshua told me he would use me as his prayer request this morning in school. And he did, too, because when each of his classmates saw me at the book fair they asked if I was alright and told me they had prayed for me. They're 8. 

On the way down the steps to take Lauren into her class, we watched a little boy-- the most difficult one in her class-- the one most people are more annoyed with than patient-- trip down the steps and begin to cry. We were able to check on him and tell him that I had just done the same thing at home, and both had a good giggle over it.

I got to sit this morning and talk with another mom, also volunteering at the book fair, who has recently lost her grandmother-- and is deep in sadness over that loss. I wish I wasn't so familiar with it, but I thank God that I was there in that moment for her. And I have prayed for her all day today. 

When I returned home with a list a mile long tonight, Lauren declared that she wanted to make a special surprise for me. When I was finally allowed to look, I came into the kitchen to find that she had set the "table" for us, all of her own doing.  I don't know why she picked the island and not one of two actual tables to eat on, but it didn't matter to me one bit. She even moved the felt and pipe cleaner flowers that I have sitting on another counter so we would have a centerpiece. 

After supper, we got showerd and I was putting laundry away while the kids were washing. Lauren has assumed the position of helper for Mara, so I put them in our shower while Joshua used the kids' bathroom. It wasn't long before I heard this little exchnge take place. 

Lauren:  Mara,we need to hurry up in here, OK?

Mara:  Why?  Because you want to tuddle?

Lauren:  Yes, I want to make sure we have time to cuddle with Mommy before bedtime. 

Mara: (always the classy one of the bunch)  Hey sissy, I just tooted twietwy.

And then they giggled. They had no idea I was listening. 

And so that is just what we did to end this day. All four of us piled on the couch for some snuggles and prayers and then I put them all to bed. 

I don't think I will have an ounce of trouble filling my grateful journal's five spots for tonight. Because when I focus on noticing...really looking...God's hand is at work in every circumstance. Even tossed scrambled eggs at 7:34 am. 

GREAT Weekend!

After a very tough week last week which included the loss of our dog, Watson, who Jason discovered had passed in his bed in our room on Thursday afternoon, we all needed a much happier weekend.  Luckily, it seemed to work out that way. 

Friday night we spent in the kitchen making a very special supreme pizza lasagna (Pioneer Woman recipe...my absolute fave) to share with aunt Libby and Uncle Zig and the girls on Saturday. We also baked a cake for dessert and had a few good laughs. Before I knew it, it was bedtime and I finished my cooking in peace and quiet after everyone else went to bed. I must say, cooking in a quiet kitchen was a real treat, and not one I am used to. 

Saturday and Sunday were firefighter training days for Jason, so the kids and I had a lot of one on three time. But we were busy beavers on Saturday morning spiffing the place up for the Wrays' arrival. And by spiffing up, what i am really saying is that we scrubbed the footprints off of our floors and cleaned toothpaste globs out of the sink. Because...gross me out. We put away about seven baskets of laundry that had piled up in the bedroom throughout the week and everyone was pleased to not have to go rummaging on a treasure hunt to find two socks that matched any more. I mean, these people I love are soooo picky. 

In the afternoon, the Upward Green Wave concluded their season with a nice win. This group has been fun to watch, and their coaches were outstanding. I am sorry to say that this week's practice included a parents vs kids scrimmage that I had to participate in because of Jason's fire training class.  I think he may owe me big for that one. It may require jewelry. Josh was so excited about Lib and Zig and the girls being there to see him play. And Mara and Lauren were thrilled to have Brooke and Hayden there to play and giggle with during the game. 

They came back to our house for playing and dinner, and I just have to day that it is times like that when I wish my sister lived in the same town. I wish it a lot, but I definitely felt that way with this visit. While they were here, Mara somehow got it in her mind that she was going home with them.  As they were packing up, she grabbed her coat and waa ready to go. Inwish Inwas exaggerating but a full 30 minute tantrum ensued when I told her no. 

This morning we made it out to sunday school and church, and then headed to a birthday party at the Sunset Skating Rink in Shamokin Dam. None of the kids had ever skated before, and I am fairly certain it has been close to 20 years since I have.  Nothing flashes you back to the early 90's like an afternoon at the skating rink-- and today was certainly no exception.  The kids took to it better than I had anticipated, although the fact that the girls were in the Fisher Price skates that only roll forward certainly didn't hurt.  Joshua struggled a bit-- with arms and legs flailing all over the place for the first hour or so that we were there.  I felt a bit like I was watching the falling montage on America's Funniest Home Videos because the number of times that he fell down in close succession had me a little concerned that I might pee my pants.  I was quite pleased that I managed to skate for three hours without a single fall, and that both of the girls remained mostly vertical during our skate.  Lauren skated on her own most of the time, and Mara insisted on holding my hand the whole time.  I loved having the afternoon to spend with them.

We have all ended the weekend in our sweats, on the couch, cuddled together under a blanket.  Dinner was leftover lasagna from last night--- the gift that just keeps on giving.  Sounds like heaven to me.

How to spend a snowy Sunday.

When I heard that we were expecting a snow storm on Sunday, I had my mind set on a day at home. As the forecasts seemed to be zeroing in on the fact that we would, in fact, get some snow, I had a whole bunch of things on my mental to-do list.  When the alarm went off on Sunday morning at our usual get-up-for-church time of 5:09 (The clock is set 9 minutes fast to allow me to snooze once before getting up...which is pretty ridiculous since I KNOW this and factor it into my thinking.  This is the cause of many conversations between me and Jason.  He doesn't get it-- and hates like heck that he can never tell what time it is on our bedroom clock.  But I digress.) I could already see the flakes flying and decided that we wouldn't be trying to go to church.

 

After my shower, I donned my Sunday afternoon/evening uniform-- sweats and a tshirt-- and headed downstairs to get to work on that list.  Coffee first, of course.  If it is snowing, you can bet that the top priority on my list is absolutely, always cooking.  And generally, baking.  Apparently in my mind, if you're eating on a snowy day, there are no calories in your food.  I blame my mother for this-- because every single time it snowed when I was little, I have a distinct memory of her making rice pudding and it smelling delicious in the oven.  Oddly enough, I have never once made rice pudding.  But I bet my Mom made some lately.  I started gathering ingredients and realized that I had not nearly enough raisins for the cookies I was planning to make for Joshua's Expo at school next week.  And so I had to venture out...a whole mile to the itty bitty grocery store in Turbotville...for more raisins.  Upon going out, I realized two things.  First, it was not even 8:00 and I had gotten so much done at the house that it felt like 11.  Why is it, then, that when I get up at the exact same time every other Sunday morning, it is nearly impossible for us to get out of the house for church on time?  I do not understand this.  Secondly, while driving home from the store, I realized that the roads weren't bad at all, and if I hustled (and inspired some pep into the steps of the kids) we could still get dressed and make it to church in time for the 10:30 service.

 

(Looking back at that paragraph, I realize that I am narrating this story as though it is a "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" book.  Perhaps I have read that book too many times.)

 

And so we went to church.  It was wonderful...albeit sparsely attended due to the weather.  It was also a bit surreal as we were singing Christmas carols and learning about the birth of Jesus.  As we have worked through The Story curriculum, we have finally made it out of the Old Testament.  That learning has been really good for me, and extremely eye opening.  There were just a lot of things that I wasn't aware of-- stories that I knew, but didn't know the chronology of it.  Or stories I just plain didn't know.  So to say that this whole thing has been a very worthwhile use of time is an understatement.  But the fact that, on March 1st, we were studying the Christmas story and singing Christmas music was a little odd at first.  But I will say, it was quite nice to be able to listen and soak in the sermon without the stress of it being Christmas Eve, or the exhaustion of it being the Sunday before or Sunday after Christmas. 

 

The kids had all sorts of ideas about what to do when we got home.  I was all for it-- because remember, the list.

 

They began their escapades with some play in the snow time.  Playing in the snow this year has taken on a real joy in that Joshua is big enough to keep an eye on the girls, and Mara is big enough to be able to be watched by Joshua and by me through periodic peeks through the windows.  She is following rules relatively well, and seems to love being outside with the kids.  Let's be honest-- we've all been cooped up so much this winter that any outside time is good at this point.

 

 

 

There was even a point at which Jason and I found ourselves inside for a period of over a half hour without any interruptions from the kids.  I seriously did not know what to do.  Jason was reading and had the TV off.  I was in the kitchen finishing up the cookies.  And it was so strange that I felt confused.

 

Don't worry-- the quiet didn't last for long.  When the kids came in, I warmed up their bellies with some fresh right out of the oven raisin cookies, and then got everyone warmed up.  The kids then went into some major pretending and turned the dining room into a meeting of some sort.  See all the people in attendance?  After Josh and Lauren were done with their presentation, Mara got right to work giving all of these people a piece of her mind.  With a microphone.

 

 

The big kids were having some sort of a restaurant in the foyer.  They were playing so nicely together that I really had little concern for the fact that they were making a complete mess of the house.  They cleaned it all up before supper, so I had no complaints.  If there is no fighting, I'm a happy Mommy.

 

 

I made not one, but two batches of Grandma Mary's raisin cookies for Joshua to hand out at the Expo next week.  His class did a cookbook as their project, and this is the recipe that he picked.  I have to tell you- the house smelled so good that it was as if my Gram was here baking with me.  The smell alone transported me back to Edgewood Place, right into her kitchen.  And I know she was smiling as the kids were gobbling up the cookies at the speed of light.  Which is why I needed two batches!

It was a super Sunday.  We accomplished a ton.  Had lots of laughs.  And no one wanted it to be Monday...sign of a great day.

Baking and Basketball

I have assumed my nightly position in the rocker with my soon-to-be-too-big-to-fit-in-my-lap toddler (I can still refer to her as a toddler, right?  Or have we passed that point?).  And so it seems a fine time to update based on whatever random sampling of photos I might have in my iphone from the weekend. This is a perfect time to do it because I need a good reason to stop looking at Pinterest. If I had to keep count of the calories I have pinned in the past 24 hours, I believe we would be approaching the amount of the national deficit. And it would be one thing if I didn't actually formulate plans in my mind to make the recipes i have pinned--- but I have every intention of baking/making/AND eating every last one of them. And that, my friends, is why i will likely always have a weight problem. It is all Pinterest's fault. And has not a single thing to do with some faulty will power on my part. No siree. 

We had a great weekend this past week.  Jason and I got to go out for our Valentine's Day date on Friday evening to the Turkey Hill Brewery in Bloomsburg. It ended up being a triple date plus one adorable three month old...which was awesome. I had a chance to put my baby holding, baby swaying and bottom patting skills to good use and snuggled sweet baby Lincoln to sleep while his mama and daddy got to eat a hot meal, and after everyone else had had their turn. After swaying, walking and bottom patting all three of ours, it was like riding a bike. And I adored having a little one snuggled in my arms for just a little while. After a nice supper, we returned home to the house being a complete wreck, and three children who we assumed at least two of which would be asleep, but found none dreaming away in sweet slumber. Instead, Mara was in a meltdown and the others were overtired and over sugared and let's just suffice it to say the effect of our night out was essentially undone before we hung up out coats. Reality is cruel sometimes. 

Saturday morning was a baking morning-- which turned into a baking day. One of the firefighters in Jason's department lost a baby several months ago, and the house decided to do a spaghetti dinner for the charity Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep in the family's honor. And Jason volunteered me to make some desserts for them to serve.  I had decided on carrot cake cupcakes and individual pineapple upside down cakes, so I got to work early Saturday morning.  The picture below was just some of them. By all accounts they were a hit, so I was glad to have helped a little bit. 

 I feel like I should mention that I am uncomfortable with the snowman on the table in this picture. I am not completely certain about appropriate decor for the end of February. I am so entirely over snow and snowmen that I feel as though that's not the right option, but yet the white ground outside makes me feel like it isn't quite time for bunnies and chicks. If anyone knows the rules on this I would love to hear them. 

At some point during the afternoon the girls got onto a hair salon kick and set up their own hair washing stations a la salon in the dining room. I was actually pretty impressed with their creativity. Mara did my hair for no less than 3 hours on Saturday and Sunday. And I believe it looked just as good as when I do it. Which is precisely why the dear ladies at Advanced Skincare will never be out of work. God bless them and their knowledge of what to do with hair that is exceptionally gray for a 36 year old, and that is on the head of the biggest chicken on the planet Earth when it comes to making decisions or having ideas on what to do with my mop. 

Somewhere among all of this we went to Joshua's basketball game and even managed to catch some of Cooper's. Joshua had a pretty decent game, even though his team lost. But I am still loving watching his progress as the season goes on. (I must be truthful and tell you that this picture was from the week prior because all I managed to get this past weekend was a blur that could be any child, male or female, in a reddish blackish basketball uniform.)

Sunday was church and then THON watching as previously reported. And then we spent some time cleaning the playroom and doing laundry (you knew a post wouldn't go by without me mentioning laundry). I had planned for meatloaf and homemade macaroni and cheese for supper (aka my death row last meal request if ever I find myself in need of one), but Jason suggested that we take the kids out to Red Robin instead. And since I am not one to turn down a meal that someone else is going to cook and clean up for me, off we went. Turned into a nice night for us. 

So...now that Mara is asleep, and I have shared every mundane detail of the weekend, I am sure that you are also drifting off just out of the bore of it all. Sweet dreams. 

FTK!

There are a few weekends every year that are special remembrances of my time at Penn State.  And I have loved nothing more than sharing those special times with the kids.  Joshua really loves PSU football (any sports, really) and I can only hope that the girls will develop the same love of it as we do.  But another very special weekend to me every year is THON, or Dance Marathon. 

When I was a sophomore in college, a very dear friend of mine from high school who also happened to be at PSU (we remained friends, and even sang together in University Choir) was selected as a dancer in THON.  I remember distinctly how I felt when I went to the White Building (a tiny little gym in the middle of campus) to cheer him on.  I ended up standing at the fence with him for hours on end.  And then couldn't do anything other than be there with him to watch him finish out the 48 hour marathon on his feet.  And I was hooked.  THON had touched my heart, and I only dreamed to be a part of it someday.

 

THON, at that time, was a 48 hour dance marathon where 2 dancers per organization on campus were selected to represent their groups on the floor of the event where they would collect money to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity that provides emotional and financial support to families whose children are fighting all forms of pediatric cancer.  And somehow, those 48 hours of struggle and exhaustion give us just the tiniest little bit of perspective to help understand what those moms and dad and sweet kiddos are going through as they fight the battle for their lives.  You stand up at 7 pm on Friday evening, and don't sit down again until 7 pm on Sunday evening. 

 

I was lucky enough to be selected as a dancer for University Choir in the fall of my junior year.  So on a very special weekend in February of 1999, I packed my duffle bags and headed for Rec Hall (the brand new location for THON after the event had grown so large that the White Building couldn't hold it.)  Several special friends were also dancing with me-- for other organizations-- but we were determined to be there for each other.  This whole event was a real stretch for me.  Never had I pulled an "all nighter".  Never had I exerted myself physically to this extent.  Never had I pushed myself emotionally to this degree.  My parents were not happy that I was about to embark on this journey, and shared their concerns with me--- frankly, all of which were things that I was terrified about as well, not that I would tell them that.  But I knew that the opportunity to be a part of something like this was going to be the chance of a lifetime.  And I wasn't going to miss it.

Each organization is paired up with a Four Diamonds family, and ours was the Warfields.  A group of us from U Choir had travelled to their home in Harrisburg and spent an evening with them one night- we shared dinner, learned of their son, Logan's, story with a cancerous tumor behind his eye, and all of the experiences they had with his treatment.  He was currently in remission, and THON weekend was his favorite weekend of the year.  More than Christmas.  And if that doesn't tell you something about how much THON means, I don't know what does.  The families are on the floor with their dancers as much as they want to be, and we always had a great time when Logan and his little brother, Dylan, were on the floor with us.  Logan loved piggy back rides.  And Dylan was always carrying a squirt gun, and wasn't a bit hesitant to use it.

Friends and family took lots of turns coming to support us and keep us energized.  The stands at Rec Hall were constantly full--- especially building toward the end of the weekend when the emotional Family Hour took place and leading up to the conclusion of the event.  We had a harder and harder time as the weekend drew on--- hallucinating, needing foot massages, getting delirious, etc.  At one point, I was crying more than I was doing anything else.  But we pressed on.

When the weekend was over, and we got a chance to sit down, I have never felt relief like that in my life.  As the totals were revealed, we learned that our collective efforts--- and by that I mean the entire Penn State campus--- had raised over $5 million dollars to help fight pediatric cancer and support the families who were dealing with this horrendous disease.  I had never been so proud to be a part of something in my entire life.  And I still am.

 

And so, on Sunday afternoon, the kids and I watched the live Web Cast from the Bryce Jordan Center (because THON has once again outgrown its home) and we watched the last several hours of the magic as it happened with those 700+ dancers who had been on their feet since Friday afternoon.  We cried as Family Hour took place, and parents talked about the impact that THON had on their kids, their courage to fight, their victories over cancer, and for some, the gaining of their angel wings.  I sobbed as they played "Angels Among Us" and it had the same effect as it did on me when I stood with Doug as he danced in 1998.  We watched as the Nittany Lion (who, by the way, completed this year's THON IN FULL COSTUME) fell to the floor when the countdown was over.  And we cried as we watched the total be revealed--- $13,000,000 for the kids...or FTK, in THON speak. 

And again, I've never been prouder to share with my children what I had a chance to be such a small little part of during my time at Penn State.  And I secretly hope that they will also want to be a part of something so special one day...no matter where their college careers take them.  And you can bet I'll be there the whole time supporting them.