The birth of the guilt quilt...

the work begins

"camping" at Lake Hauser

the fish

playing in Grammie Jo's yard

chilling with Papa Bob

theres a hole theres a hole...

new window for the back!

no more hole! now to spruce it up!

whose walk in who?

Mamma Jo and her sisters Shirley and Jeanie.

Holy smokes! I chose 40+ pictures to show our camping, 4th of July and home improvements and got 7.Now you get the novel instead of the slide show. I should be studying for the National Exam I have to take on Friday but I have missed updating you all on Littles and Dom. We have been so busy in the last month I really don't know how we put it all in such a short period. June started with a visit from Lala. Laid back, some friends over to see her a massage here, some laughs there, then a phone call that a routine surgery for my Dad Bruce didn't go well and he was in the I.C.U. WHAT?! Let us back track a moment.
A couple days before Lala and Papa Mark were to arrive I was on the phone with the Oracle (Lala). I sometimes have to tell Mother to take back whatever it is she says if I don't agree with it as most of it comes true sooner or later. The talk was fine, nothing out of the ordinary. I told her that Daddy Bruce was getting back surgery done, in and out in about an hour and Uncle Earl is there to drive him home. "You know Summer, you and Dana need to realize that you are getting to the age that your parents are going to need you". Pause. No lightning, no thunder, I saw no creepy man writing in a book with a golden feather. Two days later we finally got a hold of my Uncle 7 hours after Dad was to be out of the surgery. They had punctured his lung. I think in the same conversation with Mother she shared a new wonderful saying I have claimed as my own, "guilt quilt". I think she said "we can weave a mean one". (Referring to some guilt trip I must have been laying on Dana). Long story short, the next day we loaded the kids in Mamma Jo's navigator and the four Dana Goodans took off for Seattle. Autumn is a seasoned traveler, by air. Dominic...Dominic is a boy. We made lots of stops, had little walks in towns we had never heard of and made it to Seattle at 3a.m. After 3 booked hotels we settled on a suite at the Ramada. It sounds very high roller but believe you me it was not. It was however a place with a pool to wear out the kiddos, air conditioned, two rooms ( I have no idea why we got one bed and never thought to get two). While I was at the hospital Dana took on our two under two (Autumn turned two 11 or 13 days after we got home). I would come to rescue him and take them downtown or drive around my old stomping grounds. The first 3 days were scary and ran together. Dad got better, we saw some sights, and loaded up the kids one week later to head home. These two little gems had been awesome! I don't know how they knew to just go with the flow, check out the beach, watch strangers shove us in the crowded streets of Pike Place and collapse at night exhausted. We knew once Dad was out of I.C.U and Autumn taught herself "I need to go home" it was time. The babies both got to see Dad before we made the long trek home. With a small car sick occurrence outside the Gorge in George (it smelled like potato soup...with bacon...your welcome) and Autumn stripped down and in the far back with Daddy since her car seat was covered we made it all the way to Kellogg where we had a beautiful room and wonderful help and amazing sleep with TWO BEDS!!!!
The kids still had smiles on there face but you could tell they were exhausted when we stopped in GreatFalls to see Lala and Papa. Dominic had not seen Mother with hardly any hair and was slow to warm up to her but Autumn knew and reached for Lala right away. HOME! BEAT! And ever so grateful to see the little town of Lewistown. We looked forward to a life of nothing. No more travels for a while no more anythings. Oh crap. Autumn is turning two and what kind of parents don't throw a party for a two year old that is going to remember this day for the rest of her life;). We rushed out invites, picked out a shed for us in the winter play house for her in the summer and picked up God Mother Marisa at the airport. The week of our visitor flew! What a help getting the digs ready for guests. The cake Mamma Jo made was INCREDIBLE! And who showed up? LALA! Sporting a wig... hard to really get my mind wrapped around that thing, and she rode with my baby sister and her oldest Julianna. It was a perfect little party for our perfect baby girl, even though the house didn't show for another week or so. We also were able to spend some time with a sweet friend that is stationed in Germany. It was great to see him and to chat up about the "ol days" when our parents hung out and forced us to be nice to each other!
www.divinesecretsoflala.blogspot.com . It was an incredibly emotional day. Now however we have learned that the cancer is not gone and chemo and radiation will follow as first mentioned. This entire time that all this is going on our babes are rolling with the punches. Dominic is a beefy 17lbs 25 inches and sailing smoothly in the middle of the charts. Unlike his sister who was off the charts with her dome. Autumn was able to see Lala after her surgery since she road to GFalls to take God Mother to the airport. She was familiar with hospitals as she had just spent some time in one in WA. visiting her Papa Bruce.  She wanted to hug and hold Lala but understood, as much as a two year old can that "the medicine is helping her, just a kiss for now". Do you see where all this is going? A big fat guilt quilt on Lala's lap please and thank you. One of the nights in this journey Dana was saying grace before our meal. He said "Please be with Summers Dad Bruce as he is recovering from all this, and Please be with Lala as she battles this cancer and heals from her surgery and also Lord be with Summers Dad Mark that he will be okay through all this..." the whole time Autumn is repeating him. Enter my wicked giggle with a snort and sway of I think I done just lost ma mind. ALL THREE OF MY PARENTS?! Way to go Oracle. Next time maybe mention that it can happen one at a time with some years in between or hey maybe never! It was ironic and it was funny to me.
We went camping with some friends after all this. I was close to saying we couldn't go, I even think I did say we weren't going once. It was a trip that we needed. Great food, good chats with wonderful people and time with just Dana and our kids. Autumn spent most of the weekend in or next to the water and Dominic on a slow roaster as he was hot all the time. Our tent was huge and the fact that we were just a few yards from a real house made our first family camping trip quite easy. We even spent some time with Dana's childhood friend Jason who road his Harley up from Colorado with his brother Todd who came from South Dakota. Oh my God did we need that trip. For a few short days all was perfect. Everyone was okay in my mind. Nothing was wrong with anyone in our families and it had all been a bad dream. As my bestie says (I've always wanted to say I have a bestie and now I know I do) "Breathe Mom, breath". Our house is under construction, it is going to look amazing!!! The crew helps me out during the day if I have to run inside for a bottle. "Please play life guard and hand him his bink I will be right back". "Um...okay?" They don't mind that we are underfoot inside and out and they are doing a really great job! Now I have spent too much time on here and should study but most likely I will go to bed soon as Tuesdays are my long days and quite frankly I don't feel like studying. I know I can pass this. I just have to take my time and as wonderful perfect beautiful Autumn says only the way she can "Breathe Mom, breathe".