Catching up

I didn't realize it had been so long since I had posted to my blog. Life has kept us very busy the last 6+ months! 

We got moved into the house in mid-August 2014. We are SO GRATEFUL to get out of that little rental house we were in. Talked about cramped!! And buggy!! That was one of the worst experiences we have been through. But --- it made us appreciate the space of this house that much more. We are so spread out here! It feels like we need walkie-talkies sometimes just to find each other. This house has basically the same square footage as our previous house, but having it all on one level makes such a difference. I LOVE it! I have prayed for God's blessing on this house and the property so I really believe this house will be here for a long time. Praise God for all He has done to get us to this point! People have been so kind and generous. It just amazes me how many folks that we didn't even know came forward to offer us some kind of help since the fire. I don't care what is said - people are basically kind if given a chance to be.

In February Rachel and Ereck told us they were expecting a little one to be delivered in October. Well, little Gabriel Kale Larkins made his debut on October 21, 2014! We were all so excited to welcome him to the family!

Nicole and I were able to fly out to Arizona on October 24 and meet our Nephew/Grandson in person. She stayed for 4 days, but I got TEN whole days of being a fulltime Gramma to the little dear! I got to hold, cuddle, and play to my heart's delight. It was the highlight of my year. Plus spending all that time helping Rachel and Ereck felt pretty good, too. I didn't realize how much I had missed her until I actually saw her again. Leaving was such a bummer. We facetime all the time, but it's just not the same as being in the same room. And the hugs aren't there. They are coming home in May for a MONTH and I plan on hogging as much time with them as I can get!

Gabriel has grown so much since I was out there! He's a regular little chunky monkey now. It's so funny when we facetime - Rachel says he gets real excited when he hears the phone ring. Like he knows someone is calling him. And I know he recognizes me when we talk. I'm just wondering how he is going to react when he finds out I have more than a face - haha!!

Spring has finally arrived, and with it, Spring sports. Kymberly is in T-Ball and Malachi has signed up for Soccer. T-Ball Opening Day was today and Kymberly had her first game. Since it is T-Ball there really aren't any winners, it's primarily about learning how to play. I LOVE to watch the little kids out there. They are SO CUTE in their little baseball uniforms. Kymberly was no exception. Her shirt was a little too big, as was her ball glove, but she played her heart out. I'll have to add pictures of that later. They are still on my phone, because, duh!, I forgot to take my camera. Figures, huh?

PAIN!! I am so tired of ALWAYS being in PAIN! I hurt when I go to bed and PAIN wakes me up in the middle of the night. It keeps me from sleeping. It keeps me from doing so many things. I can see why so many people who suffer from chronic pain choose to commit suicide. Quality of life sucks!
There are some days when PAIN doesn't rule me, but they are few and far between. For the most part, PAIN is in control.
It's so hard not to complain when I am hurting. And since the pain is pretty much there all the time I feel like I complain all the time. I am so grateful for my family and for them putting up with me-especially for Frank. I don't think I could ask for a more caring, compassionate person to share my life with than what God has provided to me in Frank. It makes the pain tolerable.