Day 120, 121, 122: Yes Day, Potato Day, and Very Sad News

Monday (120) we decided would be "Yes Day." We started this tradition when Taiya graduated from kindergarten. For the original Yes Day, we took a day off and I had to say yes to all her requests. We did have a budget, but we went toy shopping and she could pick whatever she wanted. We went to the park, got slushies, and did fun, simple stuff like that. This year of course had to be different. We picked an arbitrary day since the end of the school year was a little fuzzy. The kids have been saving up coins in the "Yes Day Jar." This year, I let them each pick out toys within the budget, and we ordered them for curbside pick-up so they could have the thrill of buying something and getting to play with it the same day. It wasn't the same as other Yes Days, but we made the best of it. I also made brownies (from a mix! gasp!) to have for dessert to make the day more Yes Day-ish.

Taiya's doll has a new pet, Carrie the Ferret. Also, just to illustrate how humid it is here, 
I left these eggs on the counter while I made brownies, and this is how much condensation
there was. And check out those tiny pullet eggs! 

Can we use cookie cutters to make fun brownie shapes?
On Yes Day, yes!

Tuesday (121), Jeremy dug up my new raised bed potatoes and it was a disappointing harvest. But, it was a first try with the straw method. I'll try again next year. 

The sum total of my raised bed potato harvest. 

Wednesday (122), I got the news that my friend Megan's younger sister Kelsie, who has been battling colon cancer for three years, has run out of treatment options and they have given her a weeks-to-months timeline. I can barely even write about it, it is so heartbreaking. You may remember I just wrote about Megan's grandfather passing away a couple weeks ago. And now this. 

Children are the ultimate foil when it comes to life's serious trials. I read the news on my computer and started crying. The kids were in the room, and I explained to them that my friend was very sick and I was worried about her. William popped up off the floor where he was playing and said, "Mama, think about cake!" as his way to cheer me up. I started laugh-crying. Then Taiya said, "Think about gardening! Think about Daisy!" The two of them kept going, telling me to think about things they know make me happy. They gave me hugs, and did everything they could to help. I told them that it's okay to be sad and to cry when something sad is happening. It's part of life. "Think about birthdays!" was essentially their reply. Anything to keep Mama from crying.

The kids and Jeremy went to the pool and I told them I would meet them in a little while. I just needed alone time to process the news about Kelsie. It wasn't a complete surprise because I have been keeping up with her cancer journey, but I kept hoping the next treatment would be the one that worked. Reading it there in plain words, "end of life care," was too much. I cried without worrying about scaring the kids. I just let it out in a big wave of tears until I reached that place you get to after you've had a long cry, that place of quieter sadness. Then I just had to keep on with the day. That's the other thing about kids - they force you to keep going with daily activities whether you want to or not. I picked myself up and got ready to join them at the pool. 

Now I think I will repeat, for my own sake and anyone else who needs this reminder, the quote my friend Laura sent me a couple months ago.  

Every day,

Think as you wake up,

I am fortunate to have woken up,

I am alive, 

I have a precious human life,

and I am not going to waste it.

-Dalai Lama