What Are YOU Doing Here???

Saturday was turning out to be another typical busy day.

After spending the better part of the day at the local arena where Jared had to play two house league games back to back, we headed home. I tidied the kitchen and prepared some quesadillas for supper. The Midget A Rep team was playing in Deseronto that night, and although Jake or Jared do not play on that team, we knew it would be a good game and wanted to go and support the boys' friends. So off we went.

After an exciting game we returned home to put our feet up and watch the rest of the Maple Leafs' game on the tube. (YES!!!! 5-0 shut out for the Leafs'. Welcome Mr. Giguere!)

The phone rang. It was Blake.

Everything was OK with him. I had told him earlier in the week that I had received a survey in the mail requesting Blake to answer some questions regarding his stay at Kingston General Hospital back in October. Rather than mail the survey to him, I asked him to give me a call on the weekend when he had a few minutes, and he could just give me his answers, I'd mark the box for him, and then get the survey returned.

We were somewhere around question #6 when someone knocked on the door. I said, "Hold on, Blake, there's someone at the door". I walked to the door and, lo and behold, there's our "adopted son" Billy. He stood there looking at me with this really goofy smile on his face. I exclaimed, "BILLY!!!! HEY!!!! How're ya doin'?? Come in!!! Hey, I'm on the phone with Blake...." and I handed the phone to Billy so he could talk to his buddy Blake.

Billy takes the phone and says, "Hey Blake, how are ya?"

Blake says, "Fine, Billy, how are you?......"

You might be asking yourself right now how "I" knew what BLAKE said while BILLY was the one with his ear to the phone.......

I knew what Blake said BECAUSE..... the little pooper was WALKING THROUGH MY DOOR WHILE HE WAS TALKING INTO HIS OWN PHONE!!!!

My jaw dropped.

Blake and Billy are BOTH laughing their heads off.... Blake is keeled right over just splittin' a gut!

I am standing there in shock, not quite sure what is happening, and if perhaps I have absent-mindedly slept the whole month of February away and woke up on March 1st, the date that Blake is supposed to be home for Reading Week.

My next thought, once I realized that I was conscious and DID have the correct date in my head, was that perhaps Blake was sick and Billy had driven to New Brunswick to bring Blake home for a treatment without telling me.

But when I realized that Blake was standing in front of me laughing, and had good colour, and wasn't all sickly-like, I knew something else was up.

I blurted out, "WHAT are you DOING HERE????"

Amidst his and Billy's tears from laughing so hard, Blake managed to say that one of his professors had to come to the area for a funeral and had contacted Blake to see if he'd like to ride with them and spend the weekend at home.

WHEW! Blake is not sick, I am NOT losing my mind, I do not have to kill Billy for keeping secrets!

So we continued to laugh and tee-hee about the whole thing for a while longer. I was still in shock that one of my baby birds had returned home to the nest unexpectedly.

Blake and Billy had already stopped at my parents' house to surprise them as well. And from the look on BILLY's face at my door, I think HE's the one who enjoyed this little scenario more than ANY of us. hahahaha. I wish I'd captured it on camera. It was priceless.

So Billy sent Aunt Danielle an email saying that he had a surprise for her, and that Mom (me) would be bringing it to church the next morning.

Dani was, of course, shocked when she saw Blake. About fifteen minutes into the service, our Worship Leader was at the pulpit giving the announcements and then shouted out "BLAKE!!!! HEY EVERYBODY.... BLAKE'S HERE!!!!" hahaha. Guess he must've been concentrating on God or something because he hadn't even noticed everyone else at the back making a fuss over Blake.

Then this afternoon, I had to take Jared to a hockey fundraiser, so Danielle took Blake over to Wannett's to surprise HER. He certainly has an excited family this weekend. Then again, it IS "all about Blake!!!!". hahahhaa

Tonight we are getting together for Super Bowl supper, even though I haven't got a clue about football at ALL, other than knowing they wear helmets and carry, throw, and kick an odd-shaped pig-skinned ball.

I don't really have football on my mind.... it's HOCKEY.... because right now I'm typing this post in the cold arena while Jared is on the ice at his hockey practice. We'll head back to Wannett's to eat and then come back here for Jake's evening game. I have no internet connection here because I don't know the community centre's wireless password; so I will have to post this later when I get a connection.

(Sorry, Jon, that I "stole" the computer from the house. I thought you'd still be working at the garage. I have a feeling you're going through withdrawal, not bein' able to check your Facebook.......)

It was a really nice surprise to have Blake home. Thank you, Dr. Elliott, for thinking of Blake and bringing him home for a few days. The world is a better place today because Momma Bird got a visit from one of her flock.

Folks, I really must go and get my gloves back on.... it's FREEZING in here. And something is wrong with the 'k' button on this keyboard.... it is not working properly and it's driving me CRAZY. I wonder if Jonny might have some popcorn stuck under the 'k' key!!!! (Jon, I said please don't eat or drink near the computer! No computer = No Facebook = Sad Jonny)

Anyways, I just wanted to share my happy news with you. Blake will head back to New Brunswick early Monday afternoon from Kingston. Please pray for travelling mercies as they will travel right through the afternoon and evening until the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

Thanks, Blake, for the surprise! You got me good! (Dad thinks you're just homesick, hahahha).

Thanks again, Dr. Elliott, for providing an expected ride home for Blake.

And thanks to you too, Billy, for your part in this scheme. You're a good kid. I just wish I could've got a pic of the look on your face when I opened the door. Priceless.

Well, Aren't WE a Crazy Bunch....

Just thought I'd post a few random photos taken over the summer and autumn that included members of this crazy family.




Let's start off with Jake.


Looks normal enough...... a little dirty....


Wait!


Is that cow manure on your face, Jake?

And what exactly is that on the back of your head? A pony tail?

No, I believe it is NOT a pony tail but, in fact, a COW tail.....

You're nuts, Jake.

Here's a picture of Jared with our "adopted sons" Matthew and Christopher.

The boys were having fun going through the costume box and found these vests. Next thing I know, the boys' beginner fiddles were pulled out and Jared was trying to teach them a song whilst conducting the "orchestra" with a file that is actually used for sharpening the chainsaw!

Here they are from the backside..... they look like a couple of Dutch maidens.

I had to include this photo of Jon's baby. She was born in 1996. Jon loves his baby even more than ME! After taking a bit of a break, he is excited to see her get back on the road.

So Jake and two soccer buddies decide they need to get mullet hair cuts as they approached the season finals. Unfortunately, the mullets were not good luck, as they lost that game which knocked them out of the finals. At least he didn't wear the cow's tail to the game!

This is Jake on the left with his friends Joel (center) and Brandon (right), showing the side view of their new hairdo's.

Here's a photo of me with my two sisters. Left to right is Wannett, Danielle, and me, Michelle. We were asked to sing a song at the first fundraiser that was held in Waupoos.

I must include a photo of my nephews Bruce, Fraser, and Jackson....

..... as well as my nieces, Beulah and Hilda..... I mean, Celia and Abby.

I just HAVE to include this photo. This is Blake when we were at Kingston General Hospital waiting to have the gastroscopy done. We were waiting in the hallway for them to finish up with some other patients. I was standing at the end of the gurney, so as to stay out of the way of other gurneys that were being shuffled around. I felt something touching my hip, and it was Blake's toe brushing back and forth.

I thought he was trying to get my attention, so I went up to him and leaned over him and said, "Did you want something honey?" Blake takes a breath and, with his eyes still closed, says, "Iiiiiiii Love Youuuuuu....." I think my heart burst right at that moment and fell out onto the floor. It was so nice to hear him actually being nice to me! (Not feeling well had changed his attitude into quite a grouch, so it was wonderful to hear him actually be kind!) And THAT's why I will treasure this photo!

When Blake was first hospitalized in Picton, before we knew the extent of damage to his intestines, Blake was given a form of morphine to alleviate some pain. Jake decided he could give Blake some "happy medicine" straight from the earth of Prince Edward County..... he took some "grass" (it was actually grass that had been cut from the lawn... so don't panic or report us or anything!) and he rolled it in some paper. Blake was excited that he had his very own "doobie". Jake assured Blake it was for medicinal purposes only; however, we were not allowed to smoke in the building. hahahhahaaa

This photo is of my sister Danielle and my Mom. It was taken moments before the ambulance transferred Blake from Picton Hospital to Kingston on Oct 2nd. (Thanks, Todd & Chris, for the safe travelling you provided for m' boy.) Dani is giving Blake a wet willy before his ambulance ride.

(PS) - Happy Birthday Mom! (today, Nov 22nd).... 68 years young!

Our adopted son, Billy, wanted to ensure his best friend arrived safely in Kingston, so I told him I would ride with him in his car so he knew where to park and how to get to the right spot in the hospital. He gave us a hard time in getting his picture taken, so I had to use my Mommy Muscles.

When we were at Picton Hospital for the first stay, Blake received a bib from the Ladies Hospital Auxiliary. They are helpful volunteers who come around to assist those who need help being fed or opening up some of their containers and drinks, etc. They supply bibs, so I made Blake wear it in case he made a mess on his beautifully professionally designed hospital gown. He got silly when I went to take his picture with Jackson and he started drooling on the bib. You can't really notice it, but trust me... it's there! He's such a kook!

Before Wannett headed off to the Toronto airport to head to Kenya, Africa, she popped by for one last visit with Blake. I told her I had to get her picture in case her plane went down. I know. That's morbid. But that's honestly what I thought. I think you look really good in this photo, Wannett; so if your plane had have gone down, you would have entered Heaven's gates looking absolutely divine. Here's Wannett with her youngest daughter Beulah Celia.

Next up is a photo with me and our "adopted son" Justin. Justin lived with us in March and April of 2009 and worked with Jon on a construction site. Hey, Dooley, you clean up reeeeeeeeeal gooooooood. I miss Justin. He's about due for a visit, I'd say.

And THIS is Mikey-the-nice-guy. Mikey has been Jon's friend for about 20 years. They truck together, hang out together, eat together, and literally sleep together. They called me one night from their hotel room at a construction site in Petawawa... the beds were taken by other co-workers, so they shared a cot.... they "spooned". Jon says Mikey has a hairy back. hahahahha

Mikey is HONESTLY as crazy as they come. He is 100 percent nuts! crazy! looney! NOTHING is too crazy for this man. He lived here with us this past summer from Monday to Friday while he worked on the construction site and then headed home on the weekends. One weeknight my aunt and uncle were here for a visit. All of a sudden we realize that Mikey is burning our picnic table. And it's not only burning, but HE is on top of it WHILE it's burning.

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He managed to coax Matt, Jared, and Jake to join in on the "fun". [sigh]

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"OK!!!! I AM INSISTING THAT YOU ALL GET OFF THAT PICNIC TABLE RIGHT THIS INSTANT BEFORE YOUR GOOSE IS LITERALLY COOKED!!!!!"

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You'll notice I haven't put any crazy photos of ME in here... that's because I don't do crazy things...... [a-hem]......or is it just that no one has the camera handy when I DO!??? This photo is of me when we took Blake to the Emerg back on Sept. 13th, before he was first diagnosed with Crohn's. I spent the night in his terribly uncomfortable wheelchair, wrapped in a hospital sheet. My Mom said that "I" looked more like the patient!

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I had to include pictures of Mick and Duke, too. Here's Micky just after Jake and Jared took the cow clippers to him. They decided to give him a Mohawk cut with a lion's mane. Pooooor Mickyyyyyy.

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They decided to give Duke the "checker board" look...... nahhhhh, I'm kidding. It's just the shadow of the lattice on the overhang of the back deck.

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Now most of you know that Blake lost over 1/3 of his body weight with this disease. He went from 165 lbs. to 102 lbs. He was just skin on bones and looked like he'd just walked out of a concentration camp. When we were in the sitting room one evening with Jon and Jake and Jared, we were commenting on the size of his legs. Jared and Jake put their forearms next to Blake's calves. Check this out:

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Can you BELIEVE THAT???? Their forearms are larger than Blake's legs!!!!!! What a shock.

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And for the last photo...........

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JON! IT SURE LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE IN A BIRTHING CHAIR!!!! WHEN ARE YOU DUE???

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ARE YOU SURE YOU NEED THAT MUFFIN?????

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Hope you enjoyed this little photo gallery.

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There's lots more hospital photos that I want to share with you, but I thought you'd have fun checking out some of these crazy shots.

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Yes, I believe we ARE a crazy bunch.

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Happy Birthday Jonny & America

Happy Birthday to my hubby, Jonny! Grand ol' #43!





And Happy Birthday to my American family & friends! [Most especially to my girlfriend Tammie in Eugene, Oregon; and also to my brother-in-law, Dane, & sister-in-law, Valerie, and their children Raymond & Katelyn (also Ray's wife Kelly) in Riverside, California!] Happy Holiday, gang!

Today is just a relaxing day for us.... finally!.... and then this afternoon we'll be relaxing at a friend's BBQ. He's having an impromptu band, and Blake will be joining them on his fiddle.

We're hoping the rain holds off, but our friend is prepared with tents to protect the band and instruments as well as the spectators. It's more on the chilly side here today, being comfortable with wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. This has NOT been the case the last couple of weeks, as we've been donning muscle shirts and shorts to keep cool.

This morning I went outside with jeans and a t-shirt to hang up an American Flag by our mailbox, and it was COLD out there! The sun was shining, but Mr. Wind is putting on a good show today. The clouds are heavy, but hopefully will just pass on through.

I know I've been promising posts on Jared's graduation and also some pics of the jobsite I was working at; however, the two double-A batteries are practically dead in my camera and I forgot to buy more. I can't download to the computer with dead batteries. So, please be patient. They're coming. Most of my followers are away at the church family camp anyways, but hopefully I'll be ready for when you return!

OK, off to finish up some laundry, do some light sweeping, and then hopefully relax. Two of the four boys are still sleeping. "Adopted son" Billy came over last night and the boys hooked up a second TV and X-Box game so they could all be on the same team (or something like that.... I really have no idea how that thing works!). They said they were pulling an all-nighter; however, I think they were all in bed by 2:30am. That's a good thing because maybe I won't have to put up with any grumpy boys today! :O) [Update as of July 4th @ 2:23pm: Apparently Blake & Billy didn't get to bed until about 4am! THAT's why they slept in for so long! Crazy kids.]

Enjoy your weekend, folks. And again, Happy Birthday Jonny & America!