Spring Fever

Jonah outside today enjoying some sun--first time in ages the sun has been out. I took him for a walk around the block in his stroller--part of my therapy. Notice he's wearing a Cub's jacket though. We keep looking for a Cardinal's one as it's dangerous territory here to be wearing Cub's clothing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, #54, TO PATRICIA LOU, BETTER KNOWN AS TRISH!!!

Good Stuff

Family,

Sorry I haven't update the blog in a long time. This has been the busiest time of my life by far. I won't bore everyone with the details, but I am now the Senior Pastor at our church. It has been great but very busy. The church is doing really well and I love leading it.

The boys are doing great. They are growing every day and becoming funnier with each moment. I love being a dad.

Mary is doing great...and not so good. She is great in that she is pregnant! Not so good in that she suffers with all day sickness. Hopefully that will pass soon.

Here's some stuff to catch you up on my family:

Lincoln...being his happy little self

Linc's first haircut

Don't know why they did this, but they love being brothers.

We've actually had to enforce a new rule at our house...NO WEAPONS AT THE TABLE!

Lincoln has this face he makes all the time where he is trying not to smile. This is it.

You can't teach this kinda cool. He did it on his own.

Lincoln wants to do what his brothers are doing. It is too hard to stand next to them so he gets on the table.

Brothers

Round 2 of 6. All of my boys have had two sets of tubes in their ears. This is Lincoln's second set.

After surgery

Cole's first day of baseball practice.

Lincoln was not feeling good this week. He was really tired. I was getting ready as the boys were watching a video and when I came out, this is what I found. Lincoln was out. Cole is such a good big brother.

Lincoln saying his words. He's talking a lot now.

Watch Lincoln run by and do a sucker punch on Cole. Lincoln is a perfect little brother...

As you know, staring contests are big in our house. Just listen to Titus talk. I love it. Also, this is a magic trick that Mary and I do where she just appears. See if you see what I mean.

Claire's Music Program

Claire had her annual spring music program tonight -- including a solo (in Spanish even!)

She wore a new dress, sweater and shoes and has been excited for days. I got all of my running around done by the time Claire was out of school, so I decided to surprise her by going to get her nails done. The look on her face when I told her where we were headed was priceless. I hope to see that as much as possible for the rest of my life.

She was raving about the 'jacuzzi for my feet' and massage chair all night!

Her feet were really ticklish!

It was pretty fun taking her for her first nail experience.
I hope this is just the first of many days like this that we have!

The woman who was painting Claire's nails, Annie, put flowers and sparkles
and polka dots on her nails for free because she had a special event.

And for the grand finale, I got one of Claire's two lines that she sang during her solo --
camera ran out of memory. :( It's better than nothing though, I guess!

Recovering

So, I am in Naperville. Mom and Dad are staying with me this week and taking excellent care of me. It hasn't been easy. For them. : ) This apartment is small and claustrophobic. We plan excursions each day to get out and break the day up. Tonight, Scott came by and we went out to a restaurant--my first since release. I don't know about them but I had a great time. I don't have a ton of energy but hung on enough to enjoy the conversation and great food.

Now the plan is to go to my doctor Friday and have my staples removed. And to get a good report so I can go to my real home in Edwardsville. Saturday! I am so homesick. I think it's been a month at least since being home. Seems longer than that given this all began in January.

My surgery seems to have gone superbly and all my blood work and vitals prove it. That's the important part and is progressing well. The only nagging issues are a nasty scar, weak muscles, low stamina, fatigue, and difficulty walking. But even day by day I see improvement in each so I am confident I will make a full recovery in time for the family reunion. I hope to see all of you there.

Anyway, this is my recovery pose. And BTW, it's the camera color that's off, not me. : )

Stephen

you asked here they are!! More to come.

Jonah getting the GG treatment

He really does go to sleep for her like no one else. Funny. They've both helped me through this surgery like meds without side-effects.

Who's here to see who?

GG in heaven babysitting Jonah!!!

Jonah's Second Video...

Got a little bored at the hotel room last night and Jonah was fussing, I found a way to entertain him!!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150170903311145&comments

7:30 Monday morning liver resection

Well, in my continuing saga, I will undergo a liver resection this coming Monday morning in Chicago at NWMH. The surgery will last about 4-5 hours followed by recovery. Followed by 3-4 days in the hospital. As long as there are no complications. : ) That's where 'the Stephen' comes in...I don't seem to do anything the predicted way.

I will hole up at the Naperville apartment for 3-4 days after hospital release just to be close and I get an all clear to go home. Once cleared I will go home to Edwardsville for 3-4 weeks of recuperation. Complete downtime. Lots of sleep, Jonah, and hopefully some sun!

I am aiming to ride my Harley to the family reunion. That's my goal! : )

Please pray for me and Karen. And Kristen and Nathan. It's a stressful time for us all.

HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY TO GABRIEL SCOTT THOMPSON!!!!!

The youngest grandson is no longer a teenager!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KAREN!!!!!!!

Sorry about the picture not being clear but Karen's smile is clear. She is a trooper. Happy 50th birthday to you Karen.

I Get it Now

I get it now, why Jonah is one of the most photographed babies in the world. It's like he hypnotizes you and you just keep snapping your camera and staring.