Races...

Nick took the boys to the races tonight at Independence and met Papa and Great Papa!

Shopping...

The boys had some birthday money to spend, so we took a family trip to Target this morning. It was nice to get out of the house! We got some school supplies while we were out and the boys picked out some Nintendo Switch games and they each chose a new hat! Ben was up for spending his money on anything today, but Conner was much more unsure! It took him quite a while to decide on his new Cubs hat. Ben immediately chose the Bears hat!

Fishing...

Nick took the boys fishing on this gorgeous day and they were able to meet Papa at George Wyth. The boys got to switch boats so they each had time to fish with Dad and Papa. Ben and Conner both look so happy and relaxed out there! The last picture is of Ben in Papa's boat and I couldn't help but think about how grown up he looks!!! They all had a wonderful time even though it sounds like Papa was the only one who caught any fish!

Camping in the Backyard!

The boys needed something out of the ordinary today, so Nick offered to put up the tent and have a backyard campout! The boys helped with the tent and waited until after dinner to start their outdoor adventure. They made smores and looked at constellations. They took their Middle School books out to the tent to do a little light reading before bed. By 10:30, our two 12 year olds were asleep and Nick was fading fast. I spent the night inside, hoping they would all be okay outside and, of course, they were. A great night for these 3!!!

Life...

Today, Ben had another appointment in Iowa City for his low platelet count. Unfortunately the count is at 37000 today, so the doctor proposed we adjust the dosage of his bone marrow med and see if that does anything to help the count. He will have to have more blood work done in two weeks to see if the higher dosage is going to make any difference. Not the news we wanted to hear today. Nick had to take Ben to the appointment by himself since I am still stuck in bed or on the couch. I was able to be on the phone when the doctor gave us the bad news. It was hard to hear, but not as devastating as having Ben call me after that to tell me how frustrated and upset he was and to ask if I was crying... I know that all moms think this, but my kids are absolutely amazing... They both have had to deal with way too much in their short 12 years. Ben just keeps getting mentally stronger and he and Conner are both learning some pretty important life lessons right now!

In other news, Nana and Gramps had to leave us tonight to go back home. They stayed extra days to help out since my surgery didn't exactly go as smoothly as we had hoped. I definitely have a lot more pain and I grossly underestimated the emotional toll it would take. I am able to walk around and do more as the sharp pain fades into a swollen soreness that I anticipate will be with me for a while. We are so grateful to Nana and Gramps for spending these 5 days with us so that Nick could be with me and our kids could have some attention! Nick and I and the boys needed you, and you went above and beyond, so thank you!!! Also, thank you to Mama, Papa, Peg, Brian, and Nana and Gramps for the meals for our family. We appreciate the kind words, thoughts, and prayers offered up for us by everyone. These are trying times (as they say) and we feel blessed to have so much support around us! Nick is one extraordinary man. He has been very understanding and patient. He is juggling at least 30 different things and he is making all of us laugh and feel more optimistic through all of it. The nights are hard, as I cannot sleep, and I find myself feeling hopeless, but as I keep telling Ben, we will handle all of this. It might seem too hard, but every sleepless night is followed by a morning that we get back up, we dust ourselves off, and we try again...

Ben... Amy's Son...

I absolutely love this video Nana took of Ben today! I was sorry I missed this in person so I am very thankful Nana captured the moment!

Ice Cream!

My parents came the day before my surgery to help out around the house, especially with our two wild boys! Nana and Gramps took Conner and Ben to their trombone lesson today and stopped to get ice cream!

Surgery...

Today I have surgery. Yep. I won't go into details. I'm pretty sure all of you who read this already know! I am nervous, anxious, unsure, not ready for this emotional rollercoaster, and just plain mad. The next few weeks will be hard as I recover and I know that the boys will be dealing with a lot of feelings about this, too. Nick will have a lot on his plate. I know he can handle it, I'm just upset that he has to. But... here we are. We can't just skip over it, we have to go through it. This will be yet another story for us to tell one day...

Adults...

Conner and Ben love their new "adult" bike helmets! They are ready to go outside and take them for a spin!

Happy 12th Birthday!

Today we officially have two 12 year olds! It is amazing how fast this year has gone. After the baseball game, the boys opened more presents and then dug into some of their new legos and books! Another great day spent with my 3 guys... We are so proud of our two amazing, resilient, comedic, intelligent, and thoughtful boys! 

Last Baseball Game!

The boys had their very last baseball game today. They had a playoff game yesterday (after their birthday party) and they won that one so they had another playoff game today. It was a great game, but the Reds lost in the last inning on the last play. Conner and Ben have both improved a lot throughout the season and it has been really fun to watch them. They really enjoyed baseball this year! They were thrilled with their medals after the game!

Birthday Party!

Today is the big birthday party!!! The boys were so excited! Conner and Ben had such a great time with all of our family and loved all of their presents! It was a wonderful day!

Early Birthday...

The big birthday weekend is here and a few early birthday presents never hurt anybody! We decided that Conner and Ben could open a few gifts tonight! They were pretty excited because they got PHONES!!!

Science Center!

We weren't sure what we would have time for today, but since we got done at the zoo early in the afternoon, the boys begged to go to the Science Center! They had so much fun here! It was very busy today because it was 95 degrees outside and most of the Science Center is indoors, but we were still able to catch most everything. The boys got to see dinosaurs, play games, see a volcano erupt, fly their own plane on a flight simulator, and so much more! We got back to the hotel in time for dinner and the boys swam a little more before we all went to bed to get rested for our 5 hour journey back home tomorrow! I am so glad that we were able to fit this little trip in! Lots of smiles, giggles, and fun times!!!