Coming back home and getting back into the swing of our daily routines is never easy, especially after Christmas. Thankfully Kyndall had a few days before she had to actually return to school, which was definitely nice.
First order of business after arriving back home was to get Taco the turtle all set up in his new space. He was temporarily housed in the bathroom, until Kyndall's craft room was completed.
First day back to school after a two week break deserves a treat after pick up!
Silly as it may sound, one of my New Year's resolutions was to try and make my bed everyday. I can't say I've completely succeeded in this, but on the days I do it makes me feel very accomplished!
School spirit day meant Kyndall was able to wear the new earrings that Grammy and G-Daddy gave her for Christmas. They have cougar paw prints on them in her school colors, and most importantly they're her first pair of dangly earrings. She looked very grown up in them!
Our poor Cam had to have NINETEEN teeth extracted and he was a pitiful sight when we were finally able to pick him up at the end of the day. He was completely high on the anesthesia and looked like he'd been through heck and back! But, we were happy to have him back with us and we gave him lots of TLC over the weekend.
He also had a small bump removed from the top of his head which is why he had stitches on his scalp. Poor boy!!
It was pretty obvious that Huckabee was very worried about him and he stayed right next to him the whole night. Sweet brothers!
Here's a video showing just how loopy he was...
Being the nerdy dental hygienist, I asked if I could see the teeth that were extracted. Poor Cam!!
Ironically, on the very same day my Mom had extensive shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck all day knowing that two people I love were both in surgery! I'm thinking Cam and Mom got the same drugs because Mom also looks a little loopy here too!
Kyndall's best friend Ryann spent a weekend with us and we absolutely loved having her. She and Kyndall are so much alike and they get along so well. She fits in perfectly with our family! I hope they're friends forever.
Kyndall has continued her new sewing hobby and she looks forward to Thursday night sewing classes all week. She decided she wanted to make a stuffed animal and it's no surprise that she chose a turtle!
It took her a couple of classes to complete him, but she finally did and she was so proud!
Kyndall is all about saving the environment these days and she's always telling me we need to produce less trash, so I bought her these reusable rubber straws and she was over the moon happy about it. I don't know where this deep passion for saving the planet comes from but I think it's pretty sweet.
When Christmas decor comes down, Valentine's Day decor goes up! I put these pictures out each year from Kyndall's very first Valentine's Day. I still remember how hard it was to get these pictures. As soon as I got her all dressed up she spit up ALL over her outfit, then she wouldn't quit fussing and I remember being SO frustrated. Back then those felt like such stressful times but gosh how I miss them now!
This year our PTO (myself included) decided to forego "Muffins with Mom" and "Donuts with Dad" and we changed it to a "K.I.S.S." breakfast (kids invite someone special). We did this in hopes of being more inclusive to those kiddos who might not have a Mom or Dad in their life. It was a hit and we had a great turn out!
That same day I surprised Kyndall by picking up her friend Ashlyn and bringing her to my Friday lunch date. Ashlyn doesn't have school on Fridays so it was perfect! Kyndall really misses having her friend at Crosby with her and we're so busy that we hardly ever see her, despite living across the street.
Some weeks are just harder than others. In the middle of running around at another PTO function I received the devastating news that one of my dearest, closest, most treasured friends had just met Jesus face to face. Unfortunately the same bond that brought us together as friends is the same thing that has now separated us. Like myself, Lisa suffered from the rare liver disease called PSC. She endured not one but two liver transplants but in the end the disease still stole her from us despite her brave and valiant fight.
I began making plans to travel to Memphis in order to attend her funeral over the weekend but little things kept throwing kinks in my plans. I was frustrated and emotionally drained trying to make it all work. On Saturday morning we awoke to find that Kyndall's beloved Christmas gift, Taco the turtle had passed away overnight. She was still asleep when I found him and the thought of having to break the news to her was almost more than my heart could take. If you know Kyndall then you know that her love for animals knows no bounds and as silly as it may sound, this tiny turtle was the light of her life. She absolutely could not wait to go in and see him each morning before school and he was the first thing she ran to when she got home in the afternoons. She really loved that little guy. Needless to say, she did not take the news well and Saturday was another emotionally draining day. But God knew that I would need to be here for Kyndall which is probably why despite my best efforts to get to Memphis, it did not happen. Nothing is harder than seeing your children hurt, but how grateful I am that I was able to be here to comfort her in her time of grief.
The only picture I have of me with Lisa is this one from the summer of 2018 when I drove to Memphis to visit her after her second liver transplant.
We had a little funeral for Taco and Kyndall even decorated the casket with special things that she thought he would like.
We tried to keep busy over the weekend in order to take her mind off of things. We made a trip to the mall to shop for a dress for the upcoming Daddy Daughter Dance at school. She still had moments of tears throughout the day and as you can see she's holding tight to one of her stuffed turtles.
She found this pillow at Target and used her own money to buy it because it reminds her of Taco the turtle.
Her friends were all so sweet to her
We all went out for froze yogurt after church on Sunday night and I finally saw her laugh and act happy which made my heart happy.
We have the most thoughtful friends in our lives. On Monday I found these two bouquets of flowers on our porch along with two very thoughtful cards from one of our neighbors.
Everyone deals with grief in their own way and I believe that Kyndall's way of processing her grief is to use her creative outlets. She made this replica of Taco out of a lid and some duck tape and she has taken it to school with her to sit on her desk every single day since his passing. I assume it brings her comfort in some way and if that's what she needs then I'm ok with it.
The sight of Taco's empty tank was just so sad that we decided to replace him with something. We went with a pet that's a little easier to take care of. Meet Bob the Beta.
I am so grateful for modern technology because it allowed me to watch Lisa's funeral live all the way from Memphis. If I couldn't be there in person, this was the next best thing. The words that were said about her were beautiful and inspiring. She was certainly a well loved lady.
I took some pictures of Kyndall's newly finished craft room. This space is all we imagined and more! It has become out nightly hang out spot as a family and it's the perfect space for play dates too!
View from the loft...
The dogs love sitting upstairs and watching all that goes on in the neighborhood....
Our personal guard dogs, keeping us safe...
Here's a video tour of the new room...
The crew who built our room gave us this Bible with our name on it and inside it was signed by each of the guys. We thought this was really special! I failed to get a picture of it but they also write scripture verses on the beams as they were building the room. It was so nice to have trustworthy, Christian people working in our home.
Kyndall is a pack rat and she keeps EVERYTHING. Every now and then I have to sneak into her room and do a big clean out without her knowing. As I was rummaging through one of her drawers I came across this sweet note from my friend Lisa just a few days after she died. Lisa had sent Kyndall a little gift when she was baptized and for once I was actually thankful for her pack rat ways.
Kyndall's fortune cookie was spot on!
Friday afternoons are spent here...
Kyndall's friend Ryann was turning 9 and she wanted to celebrate her birthday by having a day with Kyndall. They started out at the American Girl Doll Store....
...Then to lunch (dolls included)...
....Then to Urban Air to burn off some energy.
After a full day of birthday celebrations with Ryann and her Mom, we met up with Matthew for dinner.
Kyndall had her six month check up and cleaning at the dentist and all was well. Naturally we had to "celebrate" with some sugary junk afterwards! I'm the worst dental hygienist Mom ever.
January seemed like the longest month ever, but we finally made it to the end!
