November Happenings

November was consumed with some pet upset - Valley's abscess.  There were many tears and prayers and fretting over how this would play out and when we would have to put her down to keep her out of pain.  We were determined, however brokenhearted we were, to not drop hundreds of dollar at a vet, no matter how much of our favorite bunny she is.  We feared it was in her jaw/mouth and internal, but it ended up rupturing externally and we only had one very, very scary moment with her as we first tended to that rupture.  She passed out from the pain, but for a second there we thought she had died in Josh's arms as he held her down to let Anna clean out the giant open wound.  Yall, the pus.  Oh my word, the junk that came out of this abscess. You can't unsee that. Forgive the gross pics.  They were a riveting experience and just must be documented.

The open gaping hole, after cleaning with iodine, which Josh and the kids did for a full week.

Then the gaping hole dried up and shrivelled as a giant flap, which Anna carefully cut off after it was clearly dead and ready to go.

It is such a gift from the Lord that Valley survived this.  We thank the Lord every. single. day.  She really is our favorite! 

All better!

Playing hooky one Friday.

Ladybug swarms that beat anything we have ever seen of this. Our shop vac was working every hour to clean these bad boys up for days.

School days...

Another day, another spectacular sunset.  Josh and I can't help ourselves.

Josh was stunned to discover he was credited his first ever Senior Discount.  SO funny!

Lasa's budding list making as she gets better at reading and writing.  This one on the Holy Spirit has my heart.

Lasa also began cheerleading this month and she is straight up GAGA for it all.

Saturday morning hockey with buds.

Setting up for our first Christmas in this house.  Special!

 

We will call it the Great Mow-vember each year.  Josh mowed (almost) all of our fields for the winter.  He has determined now that he will do this twice a year from now on instead of waiting this long.

 

Lasa, shooting it straight.

Annual Redeemer Church Thanksgiving was a delight.  We brought home some of the leftovers and they covered our meat and potato bases for our Thanksgiving meal at home that week.  Nice!

 

Another scarf I finished.  I am working on a poncho now ... unless I end up just calling it a blanket.

 

Dropped the Noah off for his belated birthday trip to Disney World with my parents shortly after Thanksgiving.  Jack joined the group for this adventure.  The more the merrier!

 

When I told Anna again how much she resembles Josh, she whipped up this rendering for me.  Hysterical.

 

Last year I was soooooo late getting Christmas shopping done.  This year, I was so early.  Glad for it.  Everything is purchased and wrapped and ready to go.  Not gonna have any December wild goose chases this year!

 

Familiar sight - one of the kiddos coming to pick me up from my walks up and down the driveway.

 

Had a biopsy on a spot on my nose that was acting suspiciously like the spot I had to deal with last year.  Biopsy revealed that it is indeed another basal cell carcinoma.  Sigh.  They have me scheduled for another Moh's surgery in January ... unless I can get them to squeeze me in before year's end instead.  Fingers crossed!

And we wrapped up the last few days of November with pics from FL rolling in from Noah's trip.  I will put all those in a post of their own once they get back home.