Life and death

Lately, Josh has had a lot of questions about heaven and hell and death. After one of our long talks the other day he asked if I would take him to the cemetery. He had actually never seen Aaron's grave before and it had been a while since I had been too. So I thought we'd go. Even after all this time I still get teary eyed when I think about Aaron and the short life he had. We never know how long we have. But we do have the hope that one day we will see our loved ones again and that we will see an end to diseases like Ryan's. With our hope in The Lord we can turn something so sad into something hopeful. 

Vacation!

We just returned from a week long family vacation. Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't join us on this trip. There isn't a whole lot he can do in Disneyland these days and he can't enjoy the beach either. The last time we attempted to take the entire family to Disneyland, it didn't turn out very well. We tried to get Ryan onto the one or two rides we felt he could go on. One of them being Pirates of the Carribean. And even that ride caused him pain and discomfort. For those that have never been on that ride. It's basically a boat ride with one or two small drops. But, we soon realized that just sitting up in the boat was painful for Ryan. It's sad that the progression of this disease takes away so much of what he is able to participate in. At this point, the only way Ryan is comfortable is when he is sitting in his power chair (specifically designed for him) or laying in his bed. Most positions make it even impossible for him to swallow anymore.

We began our trip with a stop to the Redwoods. The kids enjoyed seeing Paul Bunyan, walking through the Trees of Mystery (where I went as a kid) and a beautiful tram ride up to the tops of the trees! Beautiful! We also enjoyed some play time at the beach there. After we arrived in southern CA.....  we spent two full days at the beach. So different from the Oregon coast! Warm enough, even in October, for swimming in the ocean. Steve and Jorie enjoyed swimming in the ocean while Josh and I just waded in the shallow parts! We also spent two full days in Disneyland. It was a lot of fun and we made a lot of memories. There is always a little bit of sadness that Ryan can't always join us for our family trips. But, I also know that Jorie and Josh need to experience family vacations too. I will attach some of my favorite pictures from our trip!

Enjoying the views at the top of Trees of Mystery Tram ride!

Josh enjoying the beach

I love this one of Steve catching a wave!

Enjoying a peanut butter milkshake at Ruby's on the pier!

Rainforest Café. We ate here twice! Fun place for kids!

Autopia at Disneyland!

Jorie

So I realized it is Jorie's turn to be pictured on the blog. So here are a few recent pictures of her! Growing up so fast!!

Josh's tooth!

Someone lost their first tooth yesterday. He was so excited!! When he woke up this morning he checked under his pillow right away and discovered some money from the TF!! He wants to take his family out to McDonalds today with his money. So sweet. :-)

Ryan's senior portraits

Ryan had his senior photos take a couple weeks ago in a park near our home. It was right as the weather was beginning to change so he was rather cold in these photos. He wasn't thrilled about getting his pictures taken but did it for us. ;-) Here are 3 of our favorites! 

Pics!

Update!

Its been a LONG time! Actually, I wasn't even sure if anyone still reads my blog. And then my Aunt emailed me saying she missed it! So, I'm going to give an update and hopefully share some pictures. The summer was a wee bit stressful. My kids are all spaced so far apart in age that its hard to find things that they have in common. Also, summers can be really long for Ryan. :(  But, we made it through! Lots of time spent with cousins, swimming lessons, a trip to Silver Creek Falls, sleepovers and lots of time spent outside!

Ryan started his senior year this year and is doing well! We had his senior pictures taken last week and I can't wait to see them and hopefully share them online! He is counting down the days until he is free from school work and plans to take a year off before considering college. He attended his first college football game of the season a couple of weeks ago. Something he looks forward to all year long!

Jorie is in fifth grade this year at the same school she has attended since preschool years. This is her 7th year at this school! We feel so blessed that we have been able to send Jorie and Joshua to a private, christian school. She loves her time there and has made many close friends over the years. Many of them have already moved on to public school. But, Jorie has ONE year left before she makes that adjustment! Hopefully, it goes smoothly! She keeps busy with fall soccer and right after that, volleyball. She is even hoping to give basketball a try this winter!

Joshua started kindergarten this year. This is his 3rd year at this school. He seems to be doing well and I think we made the right decision in holding him back a year. He is making new friends and working hard on his work. Although, his favorite time is still recess! But, what boy his age wouldn't say that? I try hard not to ever take his extreme busy-ness for granted because Ryan couldn't do most of what he is able to do. But, Josh IS VERY BUSY and VERY ACTIVE! I suppose a typical boy with maybe just a tad more energy than a typical boy his age? At least that is how it seems! He stays busy with friends, cousin Elliott, cars, riding his bike, play time with daddy and video games which we try to limit as much as possible!

And Steve and I? We are just BUSY! All the normal parent stuff and work for Steve has been crazy lately! I am praying he can find more time at home now that he has changed things around a bit at work. We were hardly seeing him at all! This is my favorite time of year. I love FALL. Always have. So, I'm enjoying the change in weather. The cooler days and nights. I also enjoy baking and decorating for fall! Yay!