Summer Bucket List

I am over the guilt of not having our typical "Summer Bucket List", where the kids would tell me things they didn't WANT to miss in the summer.  Typically it included items like the following:

1. Waterpark visit in Cedar Rapids
2. Adventureland
3. Visit Chuck E Cheese
4. Science Center
5. Farmer's Market
6. Slip n Slide
7. Bike ride to the park
8.  Take a friend to the cabin
9. Go to the Drive In theater
10.  I-Cubs game
11. Golf with Mom
12. Date night with Mom
13.  Paint at pottery store
14.  Mini Golfing at WDM Grand
15. Have a sleepover
16.  Thursday nights boys are in charge of dinners
17.  Teach boys to cook
18.  Visit the pool 2-3 times a week
19.  Walk every day
20.  I-Cubs Anthem Buddies
21. Baseball tournaments and hotels
22. Trips to the Library

and so on....

This summer the list has consisted of the following

1. Survive
2. Love Mom (Grandma) well
3. Survive
4.  Eat food daily from somewhere
5.  Survive
6.  Love each other well

Pretty much that sums it up.  And no the guilt has NOT been easy for me to get over.  I may have had more than one teary breakdown over the fact that summer has NOT been what I desired it to be or dreamed it to be.  But the bottom line is God has known this summer was coming and has known the details.  And I have been praying to be able to Let Go and TRUST HIS plan more than my beautifully written up "BUCKET LIST"...it's all Pinterests fault.

Sorry for the absence in blogging...still way behind on it and now there is less than a month left before school starts.  How did that happen?  Tommy asked if we could go buy school supplies this week.  YIKES...total first born.  Likes his list checked off.   Mom was in the hospital for 10 days, more on that another day.  I was with her for the first 4 days.  Then we were off to a business trip to Wisconsin for 4 days as a family...then we came home, repacked and the boys went to the cabin with Mike and Cara for 3 days.  Scott and I were home.  I did a LOT of laundry and a LOT of cleaning and a LOT of photo stuff.   Now we are all back home, under the same roof for a week....

It's good to have breaks, but it's so good to have everyone home.  The cookies just came out of the oven....who needs a Summer Bucket List after all?

Fourth of July

We headed up to the cabin the morning of the 4th of July.  With the High School baseball season still going we couldn't leave until after the boys game on Thursday (July 3rd) night.  We stayed in Edina and headed the rest of the way to the cabin on Friday morning.  This is a HUGE tradition in our family, the fourth of July.  I am not sure how it all started, perhaps my VERY patriotic Dad?  But it is a BIG deal in our house.  Such a BIG deal that when we found out Mom needed chemo we did our best to schedule the chemo so that the week of the 4th of July would be a great feeling week for Mom.

 Even though we knew Tommy couldn't be up there for even 24 hours, or Scott since they drove together...it was still WORTH every mile to be there.  My entire family was there, and that does NOT happen very often AT all.  And my Aunt Sandy, Uncle Dean, Annette and grandkids came as always at 3 for dinner and the firework show my Dad is so well known for.  Annette makes her jello flag salad.  Drew makes the flag cake...it's a LOT of tradition for our family.

The cousins ALL get along so well.  I was talking to a girlfriend of mine today who just met one of her cousins for the first time this past weekend, and it's really the only cousin she is in touch with...it made me really realize how blessed we are.  I grew up spending time with ALL of my cousins...and our kids, who only have Terwilliger cousins...none on the Shisler side....spend time with all of their cousins and they get along SO well.  Rarely is there a dispute and IF there is it is never between the cousins it's typically between siblings.  (Not that THAT happened at ALL on the 4th...but just saying...ahem)

We had a really fun surprise up our sleeve too.  Scott and I had gone to the Des Moines Ovarian Cancer walk in June.  Scott spotted tees with this logo on them...sign language for "I love you" and heart in the middle and "Mary Lou" written in the heart.  And an M and an L in the fingers.  PERFECT for Mom.  Scott was bold enough to talk to that family there and get their contact info.  THEY were kind enough to share the logo with us and allow us to make tees to surprise Mom.  Every single one of us had a tee.  I told Mom to close her eyes and that we would ALL be right back.  And by ALL I mean ALL 22 of us left her alone in a chair by the beach while we quick ran up and changed.  My Mom RARELY cries...I mean RARELY.  And when she opened her eyes she was stunned.  I think to say she felt loved was an understatement.  Seeing the entire crew in I love YOU Mary Lou tees was overwhelming for her...and of course we then took about 200 photos to capture the moment.

We celebrated Tommy's birthday friday too...that's another post.  We enjoyed family. There was a LOT of fishing, a lot of chatting.  We laughed at Dad and his firework skills, lit sparklers, chuckled that Tommy is still afraid of them, we loved on Mom a LOT which felt so good.  Scott and Tommy headed back to Edina later that evening.  The other boys and I stayed until Monday morning.  Most of the family left on Sunday morning.  We did a lot of frog catching, mini golf, hammock napping, swimming, soccer, whiffle ball and you name it the rest of the weekend.  And the tooth fairy even came to visit Alice after the loss of her other front tooth!  It is NEVER dull at the cabin.

Feeling so very blessed to have been given this family of mine...of ours...I struggled to narrow down the photos from the weekend.  Believe it or not, this is narrowed down.  Enjoy.  Not all in order...maybe that only bothers me.  :)