Here is a quick update on the life of the Clary – Slyter family of chaos!

Toby is almost a legitimate local pastorish guy.  He might be already, but there are so many levels of pastoring, through the church, I guess.  Blows.  My.  Mind.  Who woulda thought Toby a pastor?  Probably Jesus, but He does have a strategic advantage in the guessing game.  This means that Toby will continue to do what he has done in our church, with a special focus on youth ministry.  I am still scratching my head at this whole “pastor’s wife” thing.  I am definitely going to need more accessories.

In the meantime, Toby is actively working his day job for HP.  Lots of data entry lately and lots and lots of meetings.  It makes me gag.  I am so thankful he has his tolerance for computer life and brains for understanding computers.

In the background of his day he is helping me, watching over Tripp, and doing housework.  He does have a brief break right now, but he also has some college classes that he throws in the mix, when he needs to spice things up.

Toby’s evening gigs involve two nights of jiu jitsu training, a night of youth group, and one night of Bible study.

The guy is a machine.

And, he makes me delicious sandwiches.  He is also the best foot masseur.  Quincy is second in this division.  That Q!

Quincy is 12 going on 17.  She is bursting with teenagerness and it is a fun and weird change for all of us!  She is enjoying volleyball right now and was recently selected as Student of the Month for her grade at school.  I was glowing just as much as Tate!  Her little sister was so proud and bursting at the seams for Q to tell everyone!

Tate is a flurry of cartwheels and squeals and smiles.  She adores her animals and the tenderness of her heart toward all things growing makes me smile.  She has an inexplicable connection to nature.  With the exception of her little brother.  She does not tolerate Tripp as well!

Tripp is four going on four.  Oh, that boy.  There is so much cuteness trapped in his body that he just melts your heart while he is naughty!  I can’t even begin to describe his imagination.  Vivid.  With lots of sounds.  He is such a unique design.  Loves his “magaw.”

That’s what the kids call my mom, their “Magaw.”  For some reason when we said, “grandma” Tripp said “Magaw” and it totally stuck.  If he ever switches it, and after all these years starts saying “Grandma,” I think my heart would break in two.  Magaw.

Mom is doing okay.  There is a lot of new pain in her abdomen.  Standing isn’t so bad.  But it is difficult for her to lay down in any position.  This makes sleeping difficult.  Which makes the pain and her days a little more daunting.  She is relieved and excited to be having her surgery at UCSD the 4th!

That’s right, she is totally approved and scheduled to have all the tumors removed and the heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) on May 4th.  This is a big deal!

Mother’s Day will really never meaningful like this one.

Because of the Mother’s Day holiday at the flower shop, I will be pulling double duty that week as daughter and florist.  The details on this are still somewhat sketchy, but surely it’s going to work out, right?

The flower shop is hanging in there.  It is a weird season and I don’t know what the Lord has in mind.  I made the announcement to sell the store in January.  After that, things changed fast and quick.  Boise cancer treatment turned into far away cancer treatment and my mind couldn’t focus on two big things at once.  Toby calls me an unmotivated seller.  His heart wants me to keep the shop.  My heart wants me to keep the shop.  My body and mind are not so sure.  The days have gotten longer.  There is a lot of profit right now going directly into bills and more bills and taxes and more taxes.  There is debt-free life at the end of the tunnel and it’s a matter of getting there to see what we can see and to then make decisions about what’s next.

The only thing I can keep focused on right now, is keeping things as I know them.  Letting the shop get through the season, as I know it will, and getting my mom through her journey in San Diego.  A journey it will be.

We fly down at the end of the month for a brief pre-op visit with a couple of different doctors.  The following week we will go back for the surgery.  We expect mom to be in ICU for a few days followed by a few weeks in the hospital.  She will then be able to check out, but has to stay in the San Diego area for a few more weeks.  We will expect her to be there for 25 days or so.

The biggest battle she will have is getting her intestines to wake up again following the procedure.  This could take weeks.  The trauma of the chemotherapy is daunting.  More than likely, mom will not lose much hair (they said this before and she did lose quite a bit), she will suffer from nausea and the standard chemo side-effects for a few weeks to months.  She will also be recovering from a pretty invasive surgery to remove the rest of the tumors in her abdomen.  She is at the point where the pain is gradually getting more intense, that she is thankful to be helped soon.  Lord, I couldn’t imagine what the pain would be like if the cancer progressed.  My poor mama.  Lord, show her mercy.

Thank you so much for keeping all of us in your prayers as we go through the weeks and months ahead.  We are moving a few beds around so that mom will have a room at our home after we initially get back.  My sister, D’Ann, works so hard for UPS and her schedule is often slated for evenings.   When mom is up to being on her own, we’ll kick her back to her house.  Until she finishes taking care of her “personal business.”

Ha!  We watched “God’s Not Dead” on Amazon  as a family *with mom* the other night, which made it extra special.  Root beer floats and popcorn.  Dean Cain’s character cracked us up.  Looking forward to seeing the sequel in the theater soon.  May little memories and little moments multiply into big blessings in your lives this week, as they have in ours.