In Memory Of Aunt Sandra

On September 9 around 5:45 p.m., my Aunt Sandra took her last breath, and went to be with God.She was 72 years old. She had been on such a rough journey over this past year. She had been fighting cancer, as well as many infections that continued to attack her body. She was always hopeful that things could turn around until close to the end.

Sandra was my Dad's only sister. She never married, but took our family as her own. She lived one block away from parents. She was always at the Sunday lunches, holidays, birthday parties, you name it. She was a wonderful Aunt. She had a voice that was so sweet and unique. She loved to go out to eat with family or friends. I will always cherish the memories I have of spending Christmas Eve with her. She loved to sing Christmas Carols. I always found it funny that she served us Dr. Pepper in coffee mugs.

Aunt Sandra was the best historian that I have ever known. Their are many heirlooms in her house that will be cherished by family for a lifetime. She did a wonderful job of keeping up with old pictures of family members and friends. She was so proud of Grapevine, and did many things to serve Grapevine in any way she could.

"Aunt San" we will miss you!

All of my nieces and nephews drew pictures for Aunt Sandra that were placed in her coffin.

My Dad did an amazing job of doing the Eulogy for Aunt Sandra's funeral. He truly is the most gifted public speaker I have ever known. He honored my sister in a way no one else could. He brought us all to tears.

My nephew Will was so sweet to put his arm around his cousin Tate,as he cried in the funeral.

My parents

My Aunt was buried next to her parents, as well as her brother that died at birth.

A sister picture 

Although we are sad to see you go Aunt Sandra, we are happy you are no longer in pain. We hope you are drinking a Dr. Pepper and relaxing as you cherish your time with your parents and dog Skipper in heaven!

A Week I Don't Want to Relive

 I wanted to apologize for not updating everyone sooner.  It was such a crazy week! We got to take Ryleigh  home last Thursday. We ended up being in the hospital 6 days and 5 nights. The day before we admitted Ryleigh into the hospital, my Aunt Sandra died. So, I was quite emotional, and being pregnant didn't help.

Ryleigh has been pretty healthy, other than ear infections. This was quite a shock. It's a reminder to me that Ryleigh was a preemie, and regardless of the way things seem, her body still is not as strong as any other 19 month old running around. She basically got the Rhino Virus (which is a cold) and it turned into Bronchiolitis. Only 5  percent of kids have to be hospitalized for this, and most are preemies. Bronchiolitis is common in babies younger than 6 months old, or in babies that have a weakened immune system or early preemies.  

Unless you have ever experienced having your child in the hospital, it really is hard to describe how difficult it is. It's hard for a 19 month to understand why they can't roam the room, or pull out their IV, or take off their oxygen mask. The nights were rough too. Someone was always coming in to give medicine, or take a blood pressure check, temperature check, etc.. More than anything, I just didn't want to believe that we really were back in the hospital with Ryleigh. Every night they turned back on the oxygen, I would cry. One more night of oxygen, meant another full day in the hospital, and another night of staying there. It honestly felt like a month. I truly think Ryleigh handeled it better than me! She still managed to smile and blow kisses to the nurses and doctors, even after they did something to her she didn't like. She is such a trooper. I was so proud of her!

Don't get me wrong, we had excellent care! I was impressed with every doctor, nurse, etc. that took care of Ryleigh. They were so encouraging, not to mention I felt confident they knew what they were doing. I have to say, Rod definitely helped me survive it. He was so sweet to sleep with Ryleigh at night, so I could sleep on the couch bed and have more room. Thank you Rod! I love you!

My heart goes out to all the parents out there who have children with terminal diseases, or illnesses that keep them in the hospital frequently. I feel blessed that Ryleigh seems to be back to normal again! Praise God for that!

Aubrey got to stay at Aunt Tami's and Uncle Zack's house until the last night we were in the hospital. We were ready for her to be back home!  I missed her terribly, but I don't think she missed us much! Tami created a nice little bed for her to sleep in while she was there. She got to sleep in Kate's room, which of course was a bonus! She did all kinds of fun things with Aubrey! She took her to McDonalds, the Library, the Park, the Grocery Store, you name it! In fact when I came to pick her up from preschool last week, I was so excited! I was going to get to take her home! However, she said, "Are we going to go Kate's house?"

Here are some pictures from the hospital

This picture was taken in the ER before being admitted. Ryleigh had to have multiple breathing treatments.

Lots of tears from Ryleigh! This was right after we were given a room in the hosptial. This was just moments before she was hooked up to oxygen. The poor thing didn't get to go to sleep till midnight.

Rod and I with Ryleigh the next day.

Ryleigh had to learn to play with toys on the bed.

Sleepy, sleepy girl.

Is this girl sick? She sure does have a good attitude.

Brent and Erika hooked us up with some serious treats and gift cards! We love you guys! You know food changes my mood!

We truly appreciate all of our friends and family members that came up to visit. You helped the time go by faster! Many of our friends helped out by either bringing snacks, a toy for Ryleigh, a magazine for me, etc. We love all of you!

Thank you Ben and Liz for stopping your date to come and see us at the ER! I love that you guys took part in singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and other childhood tunes to keep Ryleigh happy during her breathing treatments. You guys are awesome!

Aubrey's face is pricless here!

Aubrey came up to see her sister. She was not sure what to think about Ryleigh at first. I love all of their facial expressions in this picture.

Thank you Tam for bringing us dinner, and taking care of sweet Aubrey.

Ryleigh was so happy when the nurse brought a little mat that she could play on. (She had to stay right by the bed.) She was being silly here.

We would eat our dinner on the mat too!

Aubrey's week went quite better!

Hanging out with Kate and Carly and watching tv

Aubrey and Kate reading books on Aubrey's bed.

At the Library

At McDonalds

Playing in the backyard at the Pruetts

I love this picture!Aubrey and Kate were riding in the car cart at Tom Thumb! Carly has a look of, "Why can't I ride?"

This was the awesome bed that Tami created for Aubrey! She used two couch cushions, and kept them together with a toddler sheet! Aubrey did great sleeping there.

Tami, you have and Zack have always been so quick to help out with Aubrey whenever things come up with Ryleigh. Thank you for taking such good care of Aubrey for the week. We love you guys!

Now things are back to normal!

Please Pray for Ryleigh

Hey friends,
Please pray for our sweet Ryleigh. She has gotten a horrible respiratory infection in her lungs that has really affected her breathing. We have been at the hospital since Saturday. She has had to go back to being on oxygen, breathing treatments, and lots of medicine. I have really taken this hard. I never thought Ryleigh would be in this situation. She has been so healthy. Pray we can go home soon, and Ryleigh heals. We all long for home, and I know Ryleigh longs for freedom from her bed, her iv, and oxygen. We know for sure we will be here again tonight. She has to make it a night without oxygen before we can go home. Last night's attempt failed.

We Have Some Big News!

We have some news! We are adding to our family! I am proud to say, I am 12 weeks pregnant!  As of now, the Lord has blessed us with a healthy pregnancy, with no complications! Rod and I were both surprised! I really did not think I was pregnant when I took the test! We are so excited though!

Aubrey keeps holding up her shirt and saying, "Look Mommy, it's growing." She thinks because Mommy's tummy is growing, hers should be too.

It has been fun sharing the news with our family and friends! We are adding to the many grandkids in th Tate Family!

Today was also a BIG day for Aubrey! She had her first day of school! She did really well, but I was sad. She said, "Mommy, I want you to stay." No tears though! She came home very excited, and I think she loved it!

This picture was actually taken at Meet the Teacher last week. Aubrey wasn't so sure about it, until all the other kids had left, and it was just her and her two teachers. She is a big fan of Mrs. Julie!

Ryleigh is ready for school too!

Here are some pictures from today! I have to say, it felt strange to be without Aubrey. I am used to her being around, and I really missed her! I think Ryleigh missed her too, but I think she also enjoyed having the freedom to play with whatever toy she wanted. I enjoyed having some one on one time with Ryleigh. It reminded me of what it was like to have one again. 

    I was eager to see Aubrey when it came time to pick her up. I know this is the start of school for her, and the years are just going to speed up. Rod and I both felt some sadness that this was another step towards her growing up. I did have that knot in your throat feeling as I was driving her to school. Then, on the way home, I had a few tears. However, I know this is the best thing for Aubrey. I can't wait to see how much she learns and changes this year.

A funny comment she made on the way home was, "Aubrey is 3, Julie (Mrs. Julie) is 4."

Aubrey jumped right in to playing with the play-doh when we first got there this morning.  On the way home, she told me all about her schedule. She said she got to sing songs, play on the playground, eat lunch, take a nap, eat a snack... sounds about right.

We are so proud of you Aubrey! You are my favorite 3 year old in the whole world!

 This is so small in comparison to the other two things; but Aubrey and Kate got to go to the movies for the first time last week! We went and saw Winnie the Pooh at the movies. Aubrey got a little silly in the chair, but overall they did great! I think over the course of an hour Aubrey and Kate had chips and queso, popcorn, Reeses, Sprite, a sucker, and Smores snack mix. It was worth it though! It was memorable and so fun!

 

Also, I have to say, Happy Birthday Mom! I have been so blessed to have you for a mother! I love you!