Thursday to Sunday July 4th to July 7th, Laughter And Tears

Thursday we woke up on the Lake and headed out to play in the water before it got too crowded!  Lindsey and Ingram were dying to drive Bob so Daddy let them drive around a bit before we stopped at the Cliffs. They both love the Cliffs and each jumped a few times before we headed back to the house to meet G-Mommy, G-Daddy, and Grandmother who came to visit for the day from Jackson.  After getting Grandmother (who just happens to be the coolest 91 year old around) into the boat, we headed to Cafe St. Claire and fed the ducks, turtles, and fish while we waited for our lunch. The kids also played on their Slip N' Slide, also known as our tube tied to the boat, and the regular slide at the dock for an hour before our next venture on the water. This time, we left Grandmother and Ingram at the house for naps (and yes even Grandmother fell asleep for a little bit) while we took G- Daddy and G-Mommy out on the water for some fun! G-Daddy, who hadn't been on the water in close to 20 years, got up on Craig's wake board on the first try; he even went across the wake several times before he finished his run!  G-Mommy also got in the water to try and ski, but her luck wasn't as good as G-Daddy's; she said she would be ready to ski next summer!  After dinner, they headed back to Jackson and we headed over to watch the State Park fireworks with the Smith's and the Scott's right at the Tennessee Dam.  The kids were so excited and couldn't wait for the fireworks to start so they did some on their own.  

Friday morning Daddy had to leave the house at 4:30am to make it back to Memphis to work and we stayed at the Lake and had fun on our own!  We even went out on the boat to get a treat at the store which is a huge thing since Daddy normally drives and parks the boat. The kids played on the dock and used their two slides while they got in and out of the water.  We made it back to the dock before a storm rolled in not just once, but twice! During the first storm, the rain was blowing in sideways in the porch and Lindsey helped move the furniture and ping pong table so we could sweep out the rain so the porch wouldn't flood!  We did this all while Daddy was still gone and there was no damage to the house and Bob was still attached to the dock after the storms which was huge!!  Ingram thought it was funny that he was the man of the house, but we made him stay inside while we took care of everything.  Daddy made it home in time for dinner with the Scott family; the kids fished off the dock and Ingram caught his first fish too thanks to Mrs. Sarah!  She was the one who was brave enough to put the crickets on the hook instead of Daddy (chicken!!!); he's never going to live that down!!  Lindsey also fished with Dayton, Wade, and Brokke and they all caught something except for Lindsey; her's was the one that got away. We also did fireworks off the dock with the kids and they absolutely loved it! 

Saturday was another beautiful day on the lake and we started it out with breakfast on the water at Cafe St. Claire!  Well some of us ate breakfast while one little guy just looked out his window and didn't want to eat.  By the time he got hungry and started to eat, the poor little guy threw up everything he had eaten plus more.   When that happened, this Mommy lost it inside and all I could was pay the check and leave for the house.  These are the moments when Cancer really stinks cause it's right in your face; you're always thinking the worst possible thing and it's times like this that are really hard as parents.  We continued to go about our day, not talking about what we were both thinking, and played with with the kids and Aunt Amye, Uncle Len, Carley, and Brett on the water for the rest of the day. Ingram didn't eat much else, but when he finally ate some dinner, I was so relieved that it stayed down; granted it wasn't much, but he ate and that was enough for me.   We ended up going to the Grand Harbor Fireworks in the boat and it was the most fun thing ever...once we got used to the idea of being on the water after dark with a thousand other boats.  The fireworks were great and we all had a fun time until it was time to leave for the house. Everyone left at the same time and when you're the little boat, it's a little scary!   By the time we got to our dock, we thought it was over, but that's when it started to get even crazier.   It might as well have been a storm landing because the boat and the dock were rocking more than the storms the other night, but we got all four adults and all 5 kids in safely.  We all felt like we were still moving even though we were on solid ground for hours, really even days!

Sunday we had to leave for home, but that didn't stop one last early morning tubing session with the kids on the smoothest water I've ever seen!  We tubed and played and then once we were back, the kids played on the dock more and scared away all the fish that our neighbors were trying to catch...again!  We went to see Tony and Michelle Rowland and the kids had a fun time zooming on their zip line over and over again.  After we packed up the Bosworth's house and loaded our car, we headed out for one last boat ride with the Rowland family and raced over to one of the coves with a rope swing. I couldn't believe it, but Tony went, then his daughter Darby Ann, then Lindsey, then Ingram, then Daddy!  Ingram just can't get enough of the action and went a couple more times before they all headed back over to the boat.   None of them had any sense of fear at all and Ingram was so excited that he swung off the rope into the water.  I may be in big trouble when he gets older and the "dares" get a little bigger.

Well, we've cried a little (okay a lot) and I can definitely say that I've had moments this week where I've thought that Ingram's tumor is back...BUT GOD has used our friends and family to encourage us and pray for us and love on us while we wait for Ingram's appointment.  He's continued to throw up, but has complained about nothing else other than his belly hurting either right before he throws up or when he thinks he's about to throw up. The fact that he hasn't had any headaches makes us feel a little better about the whole thing because if we try hard enough, we can attribute the vomiting to several different things like the heat, certain foods and drinks, drinking too fast, and more.  That doesn't mean we aren't nervous, because we are, but it just helps lessen the nervousness a bit.

Please continue to keep Ingram and our family in your prayers as we make it minute by minute, day by day until his set of scans on July 24th.  You know what, please pray for all families with children battling cancer in your prayers no matter what part of the battle they are in; it's a tough time in the life of a family no matter how strong they appear to be.  From our experience, knowing that your child and your whole family is being genuinely prayed for by others makes a world of difference and is sometimes all it takes to get through a really bad day.

Who's Driving The Boat??

Peanut Is!!
Watch Out Everybody!

Crazy Kids...Yes That Includes Daddy!

Look Who's In The Boat!!
Grandmother, G-Daddy, And G-Mommy!
 

G-Daddy Riding The Wake!

It's Too Dark Out Here??
No Problem, Ingram Can Light Up The Sky!!

Missing Madison In This One!
  
Indoor Ping Pong While The Screened Porch Dries Out!


Ingram's First Fish!!
Two Things Are Wrong In This Picture Too...
1.  Ingram's Using A Pink And Purple Fishing Pole!
2.  Brokke Scott Is Wearing A Florida Gator Sweatshirt! (They're Die Hard Tennessee Fans!)

Proof That Daddy Will Not Touch The Crickets!!
Mrs. Sarah Is Baiting Lindsey's Hook!


Daddy And Ingy Tubing!

The Championship Match!
Daddy And Ingram Verses Uncle Len And Brett!

Question:  What Happens When You Slide Down On A Freshly Waxed Slide?

Answer:  You Flip Sideways!

Snuggled Up With My Little Man Watching The Grand Harbor Fireworks!

 
Loving The Cool Breeze From The Front Of The Boat Early Sunday Morning!

Again! Again! Again!
Flying Down The Zipline With Mr. Tony, Darby Ann, And Lindsey!

Lindsey And The Rope Swing

Ingram With A Smaller Leap Off The Rope Swing!

Watch Out Boys!!!
She's Not Afraid To Use This!

Can We Say My Heart Has Melted??

3 comments:

  1. Why can't you take him in sooner for scans? I'd be out of my mind with worry and I'd be sitting in the ER waiting for them to squeeze us into the scan schedule. Hope you are coping and that Ingram continues to be headache free.

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  2. I LOVE the picture of you snuggled with Ingram watching fireworks!!!! Nothing in the world better than mommy/son smuggles!!!! I saw a quote on Pinterest today and thought of you Ashley..."you will find it is necessary to let some things go, simply because they are too heavy." I don't know how you do it.....I find myself focused on this scripture for you "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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  3. P.s. Matt and I are focused on prayer for your family.....enjoy your amazing family and we will pray for peace in your heart only God can provide!

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