October in July?

We've been quite busy here at the Schusted household. After the fourth of July, it was time to prepare for our annual Cooney Family Vacation up north. We rent a huge cabin at a lake near Grand Rapids. It takes a lot to plan meals for 13 people, do the shopping, wash clothes, pack for our family and prepare to be gone for a week. 

Connor and I left with everyone on Saturday the 11th. Pat stayed behind with Cole and they came up on Tuesday with my brother Sean. A week is just too long for Cole to be at the cabin. The first 2-1/2 days brought beautiful weather. We spent a lot of time outside; boating, swimming, playing yard games, etc. When Pat arrived on Tuesday afternoon, the weather had taken a bad turn. It rained that whole day and the high temp was in the low fifties. 

Cole was so excited to be at the cabin. Despite the cold weather, he was content being inside and checking things out. We had a shrimp boil that night and the kids thought it was cool to eat the food off newspaper on the table, using our hands. He went to bed quite well and loved being on the top bunk. 

On Wednesday morning, Cole woke up at 5am. He was so excited and had lots on his cabin agenda. The huge bummer was the weather. It wasn't raining, but it was still 50 degrees with 25+ MPH winds and clouds...YUCK. Cole doesn't understand that you can't swim when it's 50 outside. So after breakfast, Pat and I walked down to the beach with him, inflatable boat in tow. There were people literally walking around the grounds in parkas and here we are at the beach! We tried to redirect Cole and give him other things to do, but like I said, when he goes to the cabin there are certain things he must do. Crummy weather isn't going to stop him. 

This weather went on all week. It was so hard on Cole (and Pat & I). Cole didn't get to go on boat rides. He didn't get to tube or play outside much. It was so hard to keep him entertained and calm. Cole was mad, frustrated, bored and full of anxiety about what we were going to do. Last year the weather was a little more cooperative and I recall it being so easy to watch Cole. We all sat outside and watched the kids play. We went to the beach and on boat rides. This year it just wasn't possible. Instead, Pat and I had to constantly take turns being within 5 feet of Cole because he became so mad and aggressive. He slammed doors and even threw his scooter while at the play area with other kids. Thank God it didn't hit anyone. 

I felt really bad for Pat. I at least got two nice weather days; days filled with relaxation. He did not. Even the chartered fishing trip we got for all the guys as a gift was not a success. The weather that day was 51 degrees, rain and mist, with strong winds. They couldn't fish Lake Winnebigosh. The guys froze and only caught a handful of fish. It wasn't what we were expecting. 

We got creative doing things with Cole. We took him into town to see Craftsman tractors at the Sears store. Cole was so excited. He walked in and said, "Ta da... Merry Christmas!". We also went to the local YMCA and attended open swim (for the 1 hour it was open!). On our last night there, we found a fun pizza place that had lots of fun games for everyone to play. We really did make the best of it, but it was a huge challenge for Pat and I. We vowed that if the weather forecast is like this next year, we won't bring Cole up. It was too hard. 

We left the cabin a day early. We worked our way home on Friday afternoon and followed my parents and brothers. We stopped in Aitkin at the DQ. It became apparent that my dad was very sick. He was unusually winded the past few days of our vacation and more notably so while packing up to leave. By the time we got to Aitkin, he could barely walk from the truck into the DQ. We were all very concerned. It was decided to take him right to the Mercy hospital when we got into town. 

The doctors determined that my Dad had pneumonia. He was admitted to the hospital, given antibiotics and fluids. They talked to him about a nutrition plan and urged him to stop smoking. The doctors were very thorough, giving him a CAT scan, ultrasounds and many other tests. Luckily everything came back good except the pneumonia. Slowly Dad started to feel better. He also made the decision to stop smoking. We have all been hoping for this for years. My Dad has smoked since he was 15 years old, going on 50 years! It is obviously the years of smoking have taken their toll and it's time to stop. We are so thankful Dad came to this decision and we fully support his decision. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he takes on this highly difficult task.

This week, we are so glad to be back in routine. Cole needs it. He functions so much better when curve balls aren't thrown at him. He needs MAC, swim lessons, time with his PCAs and time at home. 

We had a really rough weekend with him after we got home from the cabin. It was another three days of no plans and no PCAs. Even though we tried to do lots of fun things with him, we eventually our bag of tricks was empty. Cole reacted and it was one of those weekends when he broke the inside door of our truck, he resumed to being VERY physically aggressive with us and it was a "just get through this hour" type of weekend. We couldn't go to our nephews championship baseball game and we couldn't visit my dad when he got out of the hospital (we tried but Cole wouldn't stay). These weekends are incredibly hard, especially when you look around the neighborhood and see families walking their dogs, kids making up dance routines in the front yard and having play dates. There are so many things we can't do. On weekends like the one we just had, seeing those reminders really hits home.

Cherish the little things in life. Even if it's riding down the road with your kids staying in their car seats or pushing your child on a swing. Appreciate the flexibility you have, the fact that you can reason, discipline and explain things to your children. Listen to their voice as the tell you about the bird nest they saw under the deck. Watch them as they form friendships. Take pride in seeing them learn from their mistakes. Appreciate going with the flow and not having to worry about the ramifications. Take it all in and cherish it with all your might.