Happy New Years

Spent the evening with our Bible Study Group tonight. Was a little busy but everyone seemed to have a good time

Eva of course, spent half the evening without pants. I'm sure it's quite a liberating feeling. She didn't seem to mind

Old Friends

Had a few friends over tonight and had a great visit. Mark Woof and his wife Janet and their 2 children Hailey and Hannah were visiting from Hartford, John & His wife Sharon visiting from Kingston, and Steve Osmond. Was good to reconnect and visit again. Also thanking God for the good news today that Delaney is officially in Remission. A good day of chemo and blood tests.

More Christmas 2008

Christmas Eve Jammies

Keeping up with the Jones

My Girls in their matching sweaters... notice Faith's boots. Too Cute

Eva was so disappointed this morning that Santa didn't bring her a bike because her's is broken. Isaac kindly reminded that she didn't get it because she never asked santa for it. Luckily. Papa and Gramma Jones came through in the clutch

My wife asked me what I wanted for christmas and I said a sidney crosby jersey and she rolled her eyes at me... I honestly was totally surprised when I opened up my present, a group effort, from Trevor & Kenia, Mom and Dad Jones and Tanya. I love my new jersey.

Christmas Morning

Faithy's First Christmas

Shiny and Tiny, the new pets... i give them 25 days and then... Flusheruni

The Hockey Game with the score... that isaac wanted. only like 400 pieces. Yeah, fun for the whole family to assemble on boxing day

"D-D-D-Darby Diamond Castle"

Christmas 2008 Part 1

Tanya's Tree

The Kids' "Tacky" Tree

Stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Christmas Eve

So I've managed to get my blog updated a little bit before christmas. I will be honest and tell you that I would be fine if Christmas passed me by this year and didn't come at all. But in the midst of our trials and journey, God showed has shown himself and brought new meaning to Christmas Joy. We've had so many down days that I marvel and take solace in the good days and the many blessings that God Brings us.
On Monday, I was in the hospital with mom and one of her bronchial tubes appeared to be leaking and the chest tube that was in her side was hooked to an apperatus that monitored the discharge and it showed that there was a leak. The remedy according to the doctor was to send her to kingston and perform a surgery to fix it to allow them to take the tube out. As mom is not a candidate at all for surgery, this was not an option and things appeared very upsetting and very bleak. Dad was away and it was just mom and I together in the room. Mom asked if we would pray and I did and asked God in his wisdom and mercy to allow the leak to heal on its own and asked for peace. Yesterday, I was in for a visit again and Mom appeared to be more upbeat, still very very weak but in good spirits. As we were talking, i happened to look over at the apperatus and noticed the "leak meter" wasn't bubbling. I asked mom to breathe heavy to see if it would bubble. It did not bubble. I remained cautiously optimistic but hopeful. Last night, I received a call that her doctor was in and had seen enough to say that she planned to clamp off the chest tube and monitor the lung to see if it stayed inflated on it's own. Again, good news and a step in the right direction. This morning, i checked in with mom and this was the news... "i don't know what I did, but the chest tube fell out last night in the night" Again, I am cautious but as of 11:00am her lung is functioning on its own and she has no chest tube. Why is it that when we pray to the Lord and ask for his healing touch, we act surprised when he responds.

Last night in the midst of this, our family along with 2 others venutred out in the snow storm to Roslin and went to the home of our little friend Delaney. There with Candle flashlights in hand and words to O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent night, We stood outside their door in the snowy night and sang. There was something so special to see this family who we've been praying for so much, come to the door and for our children to see Delaney and to see her smile. Then as we were singing, Delaney went over and got on her winter boots, put on her coat and hat and mits and came out and actually sang a song with us. It was sooo special.

I often joke and muse about something being a christmas miracle but in this journey that we've been on this holiday season, yesterday i've witnessed two christmas miracles.
My Mom is still very very weak and needs our continued prayers and Delaney has a long journey ahead but for today, this christmas eve, I am brought to tears in thankfulness for God's many blessings and for the joys he brought me yesterday. To God be given all the glory...

And with a heart full of thanks i truly wish to say... "MERRY CHRISTMAS" everyone

Below is update from my brother on my mother: Gives a background on her health concerns.
Update on Mom - Saturday Dec 20 (by Paul Mackay)
Yesterday was mom’s 70th birthday … we celebrated in a small way, as the official family party is after Christmas when all the kids and grand kids can be there…
Mom went out for supper at Kelsey’s … and came home feeling good, at least that is what we assumed from what she said.
Around midnight, she complained of a large pain in her right shoulder… something she’d never felt before…. She took some Muscle Relaxants and went right to sleep….
But awoke around 3:15 or so…. She told dad that she was going to increase the oxygen … as she was having a hard time breathing.
( Mom has been on oxygen pretty much full time since May…. Her official diagnosis is
[ and please pardon the spelling ] Bronchiactis and COPD ….. scar tissue lines the lungs, making her lungs very weak and with a severe cough that often brings up blood…)
When the increase in oxygent didn’t work, she told dad that he had better call the ambulance as she was having a very difficult time breathing.
At 3:45 the ambulance arrived and gave her more oxygen with Ventolin … which didn’t seem to help. They took her to the Belleville General ER just before 4 am…..
They took her right in, though they made dad and I wait in the waiting room… it was hard for dad to just sit there, as you can imagine.
Shortly after they took her in, they did an X Ray and discovered the right lung had collapsed. They froze her right side, and inserted a tube into her lung….. Once the tube was in, the oxygen level went right back to normal….
This was at about 6 AM ….. and mom began to rest comfortably, able to breathe again.
Dad and I came home around 6:30 and by 7:55, dad went back to the hospital and stayed pretty much all day. He is home resting now. Bruce and his family and Carol and her family have been in several times today and we are going to all take shifts tonight staying in ER with mom so that she is not alone.
The prognosis at this point is this : the tube is inserted and is allowing the lung to function properly. They are going to admit mom as soon as a room is available …. They will monitor the tube for a couple of days, and then clamp it off…. And watch her again for a couple of days to see if the lung will function without the tube. They HOPE that she will be home in 4 or 5 days… we hope it will be before Christmas!
Mom is comfortable now, and has her twinkle and sense of humour still intact!!
We are a little anxious as to how well her lung will bounce back…. Without the tube, and are really hoping she can be home for Christmas.
Thank you for the many many who emailed and called and have been praying. I have very much felt comforted today and I know this is because of your prayers!
Thank you!

Christmas Letter 2008

With the best of intentions…
I decided I would start early this year and get a jump on my lights and put them up before the cold and the snow. I decided to throw out the old lights and buy completely new ones. As I started up the roof last Saturday in -7 degree temperature up the icy incline to the peak, I discovered 3 of my 7 lines of lights, the new ones just purchased, didn’t work. Oh the Joy. After slipping on the roof and eventually making my way back to the Canadian Tire in an oh so festive mood, my house was finally lit. Last Christmas due to the ice and snow, our roof lay void of Christmas lights but this year was going to be different. So Last evening as I sat on my couch, relaxed with my Hot Chocolate, reminiscing of the accomplishments of the day, I felt a plethora of emotions as my once proud Christmas lights rained down and plummeted to the ground due to the weight of the freezing rain. I’ve never wanted to be one of those people and perhaps you are one..the ones who leave their lights up year round. Perhaps they know more than I as I’ve heard the life expectancy of those that leave their lights up is 86 compared to 43 for those who take them down. They must know more than I.
With The Best of intentions, my mother sat Tanya and I down on New Years day and said her hope and prayer for us was for 2008 to be less busy than 2007. It was then we informed her of our pending status for the year and after her jaw dropped, she eventually came to grips with the news. And on August 25, 2008, it came to pass that a child was born in the city of Belleville. She shall bring forth Great Joy and sleep deprivation to her parents, and she shall be called Faith Ann Elizabeth!

So I began writing this letter in November. But here sits December, still much to be done. So as I muse, reminisce and reflect on the past year, I’ll attempt to give an update on our little family.

ISAAC – 5 – now in SK, he is a very sensitive boy who loves to play sports and draw out the ire of his sister Eva. We’ve enjoyed watching our little guy grow up into the little man that he now is with his quick perceptive wit. He recently played timbits hockey in which his team was pummeled. After the game, he was in tears. As I began to console him, I reminded him that it wasn’t about winning, it was about having fun to which he turned, looked at me and in tearing eyed manor stated, “does it look like I’m having fun”. And in true Isaac fashion, if he learns to read this letter in the next year and discovers I’ve disclosed this story, he’ll tell me “that’s so embarrassing” and run to his room.
EVA – 3 – has lived up to her name of Eva the Diva. We’ve been potty training our little drama queen all year and we think she’s perhaps turned a corner. She continues to keep us on our toes and is the first to pitch in and help out but she has her moments. During some recent family photo’s, all was going well until the photographer asked her to put her dress down because everyone didn’t want to see her underwear. This sour look came over her face, arms folded and then responded, “I want everyone to see my underwear” Forever captured in our memoirs, is the picture above which captures the essence of our little girl.

FAITH – 3 months – God must have known our condition when he blessed us with Faith. She is so relaxed and easy going and not wanting any spotlight. She sleeps, smiles with those big eyes, eats and cries very little. I’m sure teething will bring on a new time for her but for now, we are soaking in this little joy who we’ve pre-destined to look after us and care for us in our elderly age. We ran out of pj’s for her recently, so we put her in some baby boy jammies. During prayer time the next night, Eva was thanking Jesus for Mommy, Daddy, Isaac, Faith and the Boy Baby. I began to laugh and said, we don’t have a boy baby… to which she shrugged her shoulders and kept going. Easy Come Easy Go.
TANYA – age omitted – continued to work this year at Bioniche 2 days a week up until August. As her past pregnancies were not kind to anyone involved, we were pleasantly surprised how well she felt this time. Tanya manages to keep our house in order and tries to retain her sanity as she keeps our 3 in line.

BRUCE – 27 – ok, maybe a little more. Looking back on the year, I continue to be involved at our church with home groups and other committee’s, coaching soccer and hockey, running the business and acting as Chapel Leader with the Bulls. After 5 years on UCB, I’ve given up my radio show which has freed up Sunday nights but I continue to record shows for CJLX 91.3 from our basement.

With The Best of Intentions, I managed to get a handle on our Christmas shopping and got most of it done. I managed to convince the kids of their desire for presents already purchased. All was going well until on a recent trip to see Santa Claus, the oversized elf convinced the boy he wanted a remote control monster truck, something that wasn’t even remotely on the boy’s wish list. Thank you Santa… I guess my shopping isn’t done after all.

With The Best of Intentions, we hope to have a fun stress free Christmas season but we know it probably won’t turn out that way. We will start Christmas day in Belleville, then head off to Newcastle for a few days and then back here for my family Christmas. We try to cram so much stuff into Christmas and if something doesn’t go right, we allow it to rob the joy of the season that Christmas should bring. So as my lights lay strewn across the front of the house, I trust this letter finds you well and wish you a joyous Christmas reflecting on the birth of Christ.
With The Best of Intentions… Have a Merry Christmas. Bruce, Tanya, Isaac, Eva & Faith Mackay

(If a picture says a thousand words, on the reverse is a 72,000 word essay highlighting our year in 2008.)

Christmas Party

Last thursday, I woke up and wasn't feeling well so I stayed home from work and slept the day away. That night was the Mackay Insurance Christmas party so I decided I better show up. Got there and the entire staff had surgical masks on... made me laugh

Christmas party won't soon forget

Faith was so good at the party. Honestly, didn't make one peep. What a blessing she has been to us this year

Christmas Musings

With the activities of the past few weeks, i've been neglectful in updating my blog. Here are some pics from the last week.

Happy Birthday Mom

Here are some pic's from Mom's party tonight. Went to Kelsey's to celebrate her birthday in the middle of the snow blizzard. There are two things in life, my mother never told: her age and how she voted. Well aparently, i outed her age today and for that apologize. Since I'm already in her bad books today, I might as well tell you she voted for Daryl Kramp the conservative in the last election. Sorry Mom:)

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's **th Birthday. We just wanted to tell you how much you mean to us mom/gramma and how much we love you. Looking forward to a fun evening tonight. Happy Birthday!!!!