You wake up then it hits you ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY! That’s my b-day morning . Then I got a early birthday present: Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf with Harry Potter motion activated wand!

Then Dad and I went to Waffle House for breakfast. Then Dad dropped me off at TRYPS theater camp.  At the end of the day I had a Harry Potter play I was Ron Weasley. After that I opened presents and had cake (which happened to be a potion book) and that was a cool birthday !
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We lost a special member of our family today. My Aunt Jan – my mom’s sister – died after an heroic battle with stage 4 ovarian cancer that lasted more than ten years. She fought it with a strength and a positive attitude that amazed me at every corner. Cameron has prayed for her almost every night since he was little. One of the last things he’s asked is for Aunt Jan to feel better. She may have left us – but I’m happy to say that she is finally feeling better. We were so lucky to have her and love her for the many years cancer tried to get in the way. Cameron had many opportunities to play, laugh and love Aunt Jan. I know that’s because of her strength and amazing attitude through all of this. We’re also so lucky to have my Uncle Chuck supporting her and loving her at every turn. I love them both SO much and I’m so glad Aunt Jan isn’t hurting anymore.

Cameron lost his Mama Dot last week… And he’s taking it pretty well, but this has been pretty hard for him. He’s so lucky to have had a great-grandma until he was almost seven years old! I had always wished I had known my great-grandparents. He’s one of the lucky few. Cameron had a chance to meet my Grandma James. She was so awesome. We lost her when Cam was only three. He was there for the funeral, but he doesn’t remember the experience. So this was a tough one.

Cam experienced a visitation and a funeral that included a burial service. He watched as drivers pulls to the side of the road in respect as the procession drove to the cemetery. It’s a lot for a young guy to ingest. And he’s doing pretty well. We took a really long walk after we got home from Kentucky today to help him get all of the energy out. He’s upset. He’s sad. He misses Mama Dot. It’s totally understandable. But he and I also talked about how lucky he was to really know her and spend so much time with her. Plus, it was so nice to have the kids around during this sad time. There’s something about little kids that make you want to smile… Which is why I’m trying not to feel guilty about a little laughter outburst he and I had during the end of the funeral service. He clearly needed a little joke… So I taught him:

Why is six afraid of seven?
Because seven “ate” nine!!!!

Too funny for us at the moment. And it helped him relax a bit while everyone else thought we were a bit off. But, we’ll do what we need to do to get through sad times.

We’ll miss you Mama Dot! Cameron misses you very very much!