In a Monkey Pit

I posted a picture of this on my Facebook page this week, so I also wanted to share the video :)

Thankful Thursday: Grandpa & Energy

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for an awesome baby daddy. Ronnie stepped up and played Mr. Mom from Friday morning until Monday Morning, and Mckenna didn't miss a beat. Ok, she was a bit fussy because she missed her momma...but so was Ronnie...haha I kid. He is such a great daddy and I never sweat leaving them alone together...she's probably better off.

I'm thankful for an awesome grandpa! Josh and I went to see my grandpa this weekend in the hospital in PA, and we had a blast. My grandpa is a funny, witty man, and always enjoyable to be around.

I'm thankful for my relationship with my big brother. Josh and I weren't always as close as we are now, but I've always love and respected him. This weekend we got to hang out just the two of us a lot, and it was really nice. We always have so much fun with Ronnie and Chrissy as well, but we rarely spend time just the two of us. It was kind of like the old days, and it was kinda fun!!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for energy. It's amazing how the body adapts. It seems the more active I am, the more energy I have throughout the day. Now, it may also be because I'm in bed at 9:30pm...but I get up at 5:45am :)

I'm thankful for our view into Mckenna's world. We have a camera set up in her room that from time to time we'll just flip on to see how cute she looks sleeping. She also melts our hearts when she first wakes up and just babbles in her crib for a while. In fact, I'm checking in on her right now!

I'm thankful for bringing back the family bike ride. The bike ride was sidelined for a bit when our bikes broke down, but now we're back on track riding again. We have a lovely bike ride every morning before 7am to take in how great an Arizona morning summer can feel. It also provides some good mucus clearance first thing in the morning.  

So, what are you thankful for today?

Ever Question Having a Family?

Another great question by a reader....

I saw that you have a child, did your CF ever make you question having a family? My boyfriend and I have open discussions about how we feel about marriage and kids, etc. but i recently opened my mouth asking how he feels due to the fact that he has CF-which was probably not the smartest move on my part. his outlook on the future has changed ever since we talked about that.

First thing we did after getting married was get my wife tested to see wether or not she was a carrier of the CF gene. Thankfully she was not, so we were able to pursue a family using IVF.

Did I ever question having a child? Not really. I was created to be a Daddy. Can something go terribly wrong with me and end up having a negative impact on my daughter? Sure. But I can promise you and anyone else I know that I will continue to work my butt off each and everyday to ensure that doesn't happen. Starting a family put my health into focus even more than it already was.

I can totally understand your BF reaction. I'm guessing that he felt "less of a man" after that conversation. As men, we want our partners to be 100% confident in our ability to take care of the family. I'm sure you also made him feel mortal in a time he may have felt immortal. I'm glad you guys are having the conversation though as it is a very important one to have.

I'll leave you with this...When my now wife and I were dating we were taking about the future and marriage. She captured my heart when she said, "I just want you to know that I'd be strong enough to be a young widow. I know we both will make sure that doesn't happen, but if it does, I can handle it."

I know that's a little deep, but sometimes the best of relationships are formed out of conversations like that :)

This Weekend: News and Notes

Just a collection of the happenings from this past weekend, the last of such in August 2012....

You probably noticed that there was no Mandi Monday yesterday. Mandi was knee deep in travel and didn't get in until yesterday from her trip to Lancaster, PA. Her grandpa was admitted to the hospital for a pretty gnarly case of pneumonia. The admit was sudden, and grandpa was unprepared. With no family close by, he was alone with his thoughts and a hospital gown. That of course didn't sit well with the family, so Mandi and her brother Josh were able to fly out there on Friday and keep grandpa company. It definitely lifted his spirits and we're so thankful that he is on the up and up!

With Mandi gone, that left me alone on daddy duty this weekend. Fortunately, I did have some helping hands as my step-dad and little brother came up from Tucson. We all had a blast just relaxing together and I was so happy that Mark (step-dad) got to spend some quality time with Mckenna.

We also did some major gardening this weekend. By we, I mean mostly Andrew, Grant and Mark of course. While I was busy with Mckenna, treatments, making meals and working out, they were busy tending to the garden. They turned all of the raised beds and fixed-up some of the square-foot garden portion. After making a run to Lowes on Saturday, we all got up nice and early to "beat the heat" Sunday morning and finish before church.

This fall we're going for - spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, bush beans, radishes, carrots, summer squash, tomatoes, green onion and kohlrabi. We'll see how it all turns out :)

Our pastor delivered an excellent message on Sunday. He challenged the men of our church to take it upon ourselves and raise a Christ-centered home. It sounds easy enough, but not so much when you start to look where you're priorities lay. The bottom line is that our family becomes centered around what we spend the most time with, or what takes priority over all else - wether that's work, money, sports, working out, school, etc. I felt really convicted and was so thankful to be reminded about the importance of always working my life around Christ; not Christ around my life.

Welp, I thin that just about does it. Hope you liked the update!!