It's AUGUST...what a relief!

What a PERFECT greeting to start this first Monday of August!  I, for one, am SOOOO relieved July is over.  But not for the typical reason of kids heading back to school, because I actually LOVE having all my babies home and our laid back schedule.  I have not missed attending PTA  meetings, squeezing in homework around all other extra activities,  getting up at the crack of dawn to make breakfasts and lunches...nope!  I just haven't missed all of that at all!  To tell you the truth, I feel like our summer just started!  I've been a TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE blogger and have steered clear of the computer as much as possible.  June was full of many special events, all of which, I do hope to have pictures posted soon, and lots and lots and LOTS of swim team!! So we were still "having" to be places at certain times & certain days.  It was a great and fun experience, but I was so happy when July 1st came.  It was my birthday, and our summer could officially begin!  Family activities were planned all involving relaxation, so it was all gonna be good!  My birthday was wonderful...4th of July was awesome...the 5th we headed out for a Holland family reunion of sorts, and then news from home about one of our Kindergarten teachers came...she had suffered a stroke at the very young age of 43.  She had not been our teacher, but I knew her from being our PTA teacher rep, hallway conversations, and the fact that our school is luckily still pretty small.  Lisa was also the mother of two boys, the youngest of which, was just going to be in 4th grade.  After the initial reports of things looking ok, 6 days later she was gone!  Her funeral was very beautiful & personal and our school came together like no other tying every tree and pole standing with a red ribbon...her favorite color.  It was a moving, awesome sight!  Our school had been marked by her heartprints forever!

Another part of why our June was so crazy was due to the fact that I was experiencing lots of first trimester yuckiness!  Yep...we were expecting baby #4 and man, was my body showing it!  I probably looked like I was already 4 -5 months along, just at 10 weeks!  The kids were so excited debating about whether it would be a boy or girl and all their various name suggestions.  By the second week of July, I was finally starting to get some energy back and feeling good, convincing myself I most definitely could handle being the mother of 4.  But, there were other plans in store for us and our baby.  Going in for my first "official" appointment and sharing the fact that I had been experiencing some spotting/bleeding the day or so before, we found out that I had miscarried.  The baby was only measuring 7 weeks when it should have been 12, and there was no heartbeat.  All my fears that had been swimming through my head the hours before had been confirmed.  I shared with friends, I feel blessed, if that is strange or weird to say, that this is the first time, after having 3 beautiful babies, that we have had to go through this.  I knew of many who had, and after sharing with my friends, learned of so, so, so many more who had also gone through this experience.  What I wasn't expecting that day at the doctor's office, was to find out that I would have to have a D&C that Friday.  Again, didn't know even what that was, where I would go, how long it took, but here we were.  Wes and I both were googling info about it online just to comfort ourselves.  I've never had to "be under" for any kind of procedure before, so I was very VERY nervous about all that.  But all went well, Wes was and has been there for me, and I think we have been there for each other, every step of the way.  We've been tested in lots and lots of ways the last couple of years, losing Wes' dad in 2007, work/job stresses, but they've been issues we had to deal with, for the most part, on our own.  This was something we were going through together, from the moment I had to make that painful phone call to tell him we'd lost the baby, and him dropping everything at work in order to come home to be with me.  This has made us even stronger and for that, if something good must come of it, we are grateful.

Then if July couldn't bring any more heartache, we learned of a family that we know in Cuero, who just lost their son in a 4 wheeler accident.  He would have been a senior at our old high school and was a returning player for the football team.  Some of our extended family on Wes' side, is related to them, and have had to deal with this all firsthand since Cole was with them when the accident occurred.  Local and nearby towns have come to cover the sadness shared by so many.  It certainly has put our sadness in a whole new perspective, while at the same time, given us the drive to go forward with our lives, enjoying our 3 incredible children, whom we love to the moon & back and get to enjoy here on this Earth.  

So, CHEERS to August!  And for the happy, joyous memories we hope for it to bring...especially starting tomorrow when we'll be enjoying some R & R at the local lazy river for a little hiatus!

I hope to catch up on all my blog buddies and see how you are doing these next few days, but for now, know that I consider myself a citizen of blogland once again!!  Thank you for not giving up on me!

IT'S A BRAND NEW DAY!!!