Good Knews, Old Skool, Kabloons, and a Klean House

It's Saturday, and some folks must have been praying that we'd get some much needed rest. Usually, we have to pull the kids out of bed on school mornings and then they get up on their own (at 6 AM) on Saturday. But today, we got to sleep in. McGrooter did get up at 6, but went back to bed. And Aggie was already in our bed with us at that point (not sure when she got "in the middle"), but she was asleep and that's all that mattered. By 8:30 I was headed out the door with Aggie for a run through Starbucks (for some tasty new Ubora) and Chick-fil-A. On the way, Adventures in Odyssey came on. I wasn't sure she'd be into it (I've loved it since I listened regularly, as an adult, with the Noce family in Hawaii). Well Aggie was completely silent during the entire program (something that's rare for her). I think I may try to remember to turn the radio on that station when it's broadcast in the future. I've always told Leslie that I never wanted the kids to see Adventures in Odyssey videos because I thought it would ruin their imaginative ability to enjoy just listening to the program. So I guess they're old enough now to enjoy the audio, so maybe we can make that a part of our "routine."

Okay, so the good news (sorry for all the Ks...it's that silly alliteration thing). Mike's tumor is not the result of PKD, it is benign, and they think they can drain it and avoid surgery. Oh, and it's smaller than they first estimated. It's about the size of a baseball. So we were really relieved to find that out yesterday and to know that he's not facing cancer or PKD and the subsequent treatments. He'll go on Tuesday for a test to see what they need to do next, but everything seems optimistic at this point.

I took the Munchkin to her pre-school orientation yesterday morning. She went right into her class and seemed just fine there. But then this morning she asked when we were going to Aunt Kristin's. I think she'll miss her time there, especially petting Ponch and Cheyanne!

Last night we had a very yummy dinner at Grandad and Mimi's. It was a really relaxing time just to hang out there. Mike, McGrooter and I went to the garden up at Poppie's and picked some tomatoes and some beans. While there, the Munchkin enjoyed the simplicity of a balloon (which she calls a kabloon...don't ask me why) and an air vent. The air would blow the balloon up and she would giggle. No fancy toys, no lights or cool noises. Just a balloon and an air vent. Kind of cool!

On our way home, we went old school. Leslie stayed at her folks to rest a bit and I took the kids to get ready for bed. I threw in an old CD, Kirk Franklin's "Stomp." It's kind of like James Brown meets Billy Graham. Okay, maybe that's a little bit off but Kirk does exclaim phrases like "glory, glory," "oh yeah, we having church," and "Holy Ghost party" in very James Brown-esque style. The kids began bouncing and swaying immediately, demonstrating they have just enough of their mama's soul. They wanted me to play it again after it was over.

When we walked in the house, they were delighted, and exclaimed with excitement, as they found their bedrooms perfectly clean and their beds neatly made. Our friend, Cindy, had come over and cleaned the house. I knew this would be a huge blessing to Leslie as it means so much to her. But even I was overwhelmed at how nice it felt to walk into such a clean place. When Leslie did get home, she was really moved, noticing how neatly the steps had been vacuumed, how the hearth had been dusted, and how quickly a daddy and three little critters had trashed the bathroom getting ready for bed! Thanks so much Cindy! You'll never know how much that meant to us.

Leslie rested all day yesterday, except when she went to radiation. She is still not able to eat normally. She "pays" for anything she does eat. But the combination of various medications have helped some. Still, I hate walking in the bedroom and finding her lying there with a grimace on her face.

I got an email from Friends of Fred Thompson, stating he will announce his run for president on September 6!

And finally, thanks to a reminder from reading my friend's blog, here is a video I've been meaning to share with all of you who haven't seen or heard the audio from this.