Happy Birthday Cody!

It's so hard to believe that my baby is five! There was a point in our lives that Will and I thought we would only have Baylee, but after talking to a wonderful friend and with each other, we decided to have another child. We were so blessed when Cody came into our lives. His labor was quick, only five hours. We had planned a natural birth, and we were prepared, but I was nervous. Baylee was born with pain medicine and an epidural. Well, I didn't have to worry. he came so quickly that there wasn't really time to think about it.

Will was there this time, after missing Baylee's birth. He was flying from Las Vegas back to Florida and she came before he could get back. Baylee was there too, and my Dad. I am so happy for that. Soon after he was born my mom arrived. She had made it quickly up from Melbourne, Florida and took care of Baylee while Will spent the night with Cody and me. He came into this world calmly, and spent the next 2 years or so close by my side--in a sling. he was calm a lot, and upset a lot too. My mom called him Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hide. It's so funny that she said that when he was a tiny newborn and he is still that way. When he's happy, his smile shines through, but when he is not, everyone knows it.

He is a character. When he talks, you can't help but look at him, because his face is so animated. He loves to be funny and make us all laugh. He is wise beyond his years and has a memory that amazes me. He loves math and thinking games, which is a lot like me, and he also loves cars, building, organizing and Star Trek ships, just like Will. He is very articulate, so much more than Will or me, and he gets frustrated when you don't understand what he is trying to say. He is a wonderful helper to me and would be happy if he had someone to play games with him all day.

I just love him so much and am so happy that we have been given this gift!

Happy Birthday Cody!

Snow on Cody's Birthday

On Monday, Cody's 5th birthday, we woke up to snow. We have actually had quite a bit of this type of snow this year. It'll snow overnight and then lasts a few hours and melts. I have to admit, it was beautiful, but we are all getting pretty used to it and this time, didn't even go out to play in it. Here is a video of me talking about it very quietly. You may have to turn up your volume. And you'll have to go down and pause the music. Stay tuned for birthday pictures.

Our Trip Home to Florida

After days, actually weeks of constant rain and cold weather, it was sooooooooooo absolutely wonderful to go home to Florida for Christmas. We dropped Sadie off at Fido's Farm and headed for the airport. Our first flight was delayed and by the time we got to Denver, it was already time for our second flight to leave. We were all prepared to run as fast as we could to try and make it, when the flight attendant announced that those going to Orlando would be on the same plane that we were already on. Whew! That was a relief! It was a long day of flying, but it was so nice to get home to my mom's house and just relax. Of course here we were three hours ahead of Washington and it was going to take us a while to adjust to the time change. Cody seemed way off and for the first three or four nights, we didn't go to sleep until 1:00 in the morning or so, but then we seemed to wake up with the sun. We were all a bit cranky, but it was so warm and sunny that everything seemed better. and of course it was all good with so much family to visit with. Mom's pool is heated, so even though it wasn't quite warm enough for me, the kids loved it! More about our trip to come soon.

Sadie home and well

After another day of fluids, Sadie is home and well. She was so exhausted that she just slept on the couch while we all played The Game of Life. So sweet.

We need pet insurance

Things with Sadie have been better lately, and I have relaxed a little bit about her. She still gets into trouble a lot, but usually she just chews up empty toilet paper rolls that she finds in the recycleables, or a sock, which I usually catch her with right away.

This morning, Baylee and I were working on the computer and I didn't think about it, but Baylee had shut the door so that Sadie couldn't come in. I had asked her to get Sadie away from me, because they were making a lot of noise and I couldn't concentrate on typing. I usually don't ever close the computer room door unless she is in there with me, because I can't keep an eye on her if I do.




After a while, Baylee went out and noticed that Sadie had gotten into my purse, which was placed on the back of the counter. She had found my bottle of Ibuprofen and chewed it apart, and eaten all the pills except one. I frantically searched poison control hoping that maybe it wouldn't be a big deal, but I knew better than that, because I had heard a lot about people and children overdosing.




I called our wonderful veterinarian's office and they asked me to give her hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. I did, but nothing. Ten minutes or so later I tried again, and still nothing. I called back and they said to try one more time and really shake her and after she vomited to bring her in. The third time didn't work either, so we the kids and I just brought her in. I couldn't get ahold of Will at this point, and I am just not good at handling situations like this. What can I do, though, but just do what I need to do. So we dropped her off and they said that they would keep her all day and maybe overnight, giving her charcoal and fluids.




The kids and I went to Costco on the way home and they called while we were there. Sadie is going to be fine. She vomited a lot of food and some cloth (which was no surprise to me--weekly occurrence) and the doseage that she got was within limits, so they would flush her out some and release her this afternoon. Will called too. He had been in a meeting and was very concerned, but I told him she was going to be okay. My heart is still pounding, three hours since we found her with the Ibuprofen bottle. Breathe, breathe, breathe. I am just terrible at handling stressful situations. Or maybe I am good at handling them, but deep down I am falling apart. Anyway, we are certainly going to have many memories of this dog, and I think I am going to look into pet insurance. It may just be worth it.





We picked her up tonight from the vet's office and they want us to bring her back tomorrow for another half day of fluids. she still has the IV port in, so she has to wear this cone around her head. I should feel realy bad for her, well actually I do, but she looks so funny that i just couldn't stop laughing when I saw her. Poor baby.

My 39th Birthday!

When I was young, I just loved having my birthday around Christmastime. It was already a magical, happy time of year. As I remember it, we usually got our Christmas Tree right around my birthday. With a mom and a dad, and five siblings, my birthday seemed like a great celebration even if it was just family. On my birthday, I got to choose what I wanted for dinner. I remember choosing spaghetti one year, and steak another. I wonder now how much that one cost. I didn't have to do dishes that night and we'd have cake (made by my mom) and ice cream. It was fantastic. I think sometimes I even had a friend over to help celebrate. It was simple, but just wonderful to me. I really, really enjoyed it and felt very special on my birthday.

Once I met Will, his parents made it even more fun by taking Will and I out to dinner to celebrate both of our birthdays together. One year, they sent us on a day cruise out of Port Canaveral and another year we went to Bush Gardens in Tampa and then The Kapoc Tree for dinner. It was so much fun!

As I have gotten older, things are a little bit different. December 15th is such a difficult time to have a birthday now. In the same week, we have Will's birthday, gymnastics party, school party (and the last week of school before Christmas) and then my birthday. There is so much to plan and do. I am usually so exhausted by my birthday that I just want to do nothing all day.

And to add to the mayhem, this year we were traveling home just a few days after my birthday and there was a lot of planning an packing to do. (It was so worth it, though. See posts to come).

This year my birthday fell on a Saturday, a day that I knew would be a good day to try and help our friends with the clean-up from the flood. I didn't feel much like celebrating when they had so much to do, so I spent a couple of hours helping out, then came home and Will had taken the kids to the mall. So I curled up on the couch with a blanket and watched a movie until they came home. It was a nice break.

We had been eating Will's cake for three days now, so I really didn't want any more sweets. And Will had been sick with a cold since his birthday, so he didn't really want to cook much (and honestly I didn't want him to either). We skipped cake and had presents and a couple of days later, made my birthday pie. It's a raw pie with almonds, pecans, walnuts, dates, sea salt and honey for the crust and frozen strawberries and bananas inside, with strawberries and bananas on top. It was so delicious!! I think I want that every year.

Amy sent me these wonderfully warm slippers (they have reheatable inserts that keep your feet so comfy) and Alabama shirt and I curled up on the couch again, watched "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" with Cody and fell asleep.

It was a great birthday, but I really want to start celebrating in October. I say that every year in December, but always forget about it in October.

Will turns 40!!

Will as a baby

Well, it's so hard to believe, but Will had his 40th birthday on December 12, 2007. I am so proud of him. He is such a wonderful husband and father. We met 22 years ago and it didn't take me long to fall madly in love with him. He is very caring and loving, and shows me all the time. He has always known what his dreams were and has worked so hard to fulfill them, while keeping his family close by his side. He's cautious about people and it sometimes takes him a while to warm up to them, but if he likes you then you know that means a lot.

It was difficult deciding what the kids and I could do to show him how much we cared for him, but after much thought, we figured it out. We arranged with the Starbucks that he goes to every morning to give him a gift card from us when he walked in. They were so thoughtful and wrote "Happy Birthday Will" on his iced tea cup and I think they even sang to him.

Later that morning we came to his work with a birthday cake to share with his coworkers. We all sang "Happy Birthday" to him and to a couple of other people who had December birthdays and they all took him out to lunch.

After school and gymnastics Baylee made his cake for him. It was a Cracker Barrel Coca-Cola cake and it was delicious!!! She did an amazing job. Cody wrapped presents and everything was all set when will came home from work.

It still feels like we are 16 an 17 sometimes, and I just don't know where the time has gone. I am so fortunate to have him in my life and I thank God for that everyday.

Will now

The flood

Over the first few of days in December, we had snow and then a wind and rain storm. Baylee's State meet was right in the middle of it and it was the toughest driving I have ever had to do. Will had battle assembly and the family Christmas party that I had planned and we had to miss it, because we couldn't skip out on STATE! Baylee didn't make it last year and this was a big deal! She almost didn't make it this year, but the rules were changed at the last minute, and her scores qualified. There was so much rain on the highway that all of the cars in front of me were throwing back a lot of spray and it was very difficult to see. Sometimes the wind was blowing so hard that it blew the spray from the opposite side of the highway onto me. It was crazy, but we just had to keep going, two hours south to Vancouver.

The meet went well. Poor Baylee lost her balance on the bars and didn't do so well on her routine, but did well on the other events. Cody was very bored and it took all my energy to keep him entertained. Then he fell asleep at the awards ceremony.

Afterward we went to dinner and Trader Joes with our friends Marissa and Laura. It was a good break before the drive home.

Driving home was the most difficult. Things were the same as on the way down, except now it was dark out. The spray made it almost impossible to see whether or not I was in the lane sometimes and I just prayed that we were. I couldn't take my eyes off the road. Cody kept asking for a drink, or to change the movie (thank God for movies in the car), and I just couldn't move. Thankfully Baylee was helping him. The big trucks were the hardest to be behind. When I would try to pass, I could barely see anything. We made it home okay, though, after lots of concentration.

We didn't have gymnastics on Monday to give everybody a break. In the meantime, parts of Washington to the south of us were starting to flood and we were thinking about Dahlia, Baylee's teammate and her family. They lived in Chehalis, and parts of it (including I-5, the highway we had come home on) were under water. On Wednesday, Dahlia wasn't at the gym and Coach Rachelle called and found out that their house was flooded. Dahlia's parents Dustin and Brianna had gotten the kids out wading through water on their street and carrying them to higher ground and Brianna's mom had them. Dustin and Brianna stayed behind to save as much as they could and turn off power, etc. They also had animals to get to safety.

They ended up in their house on the second floor for three days. They had food,electricity and their two dogs, so they waited for the water to recede, saving the emergency crews for the many other people who were trapped and more in need of assistance. I really admire them for this. I don't think I could have gone that long.

At this point I called to check on them and see what all of us at the gym could do. Brianna was very humble and didn't want to ask for much, but I just had to find a way to help them. The highway was opened back up after a few days and on Monday, she brought her three kids here and I took the girls to the gym, kept the two boys for a few hours, picked the girls back up and headed for their house. Brianna didn't want any of the kids inside, because of all the sludge and toxic fumes, but she gave me "the tour". It was all so hard to believe. By now, all of the water had receded, but their floors were covered with mud. You could see how far the water had come up (about 3 feet) and they had already pulled out drywall and carpet. It almost looked like a home that was under construction, just not quite completed. That seems so silly to think, because that's not at all what it was, but that was my first impression.

Their deck had come away from the house and had been floating. They had animals. There were horses that were put in the arena and were okay, but there were other horses, two miniature ones that they lost. They also lost five or six goats. They had to do things that I never would have thought of had I not been close to them this week. My heart just broke for them and the things they had to face.

On top of all that they had to deal with at their own house, they were managing 8 or so rental houses on their street owned by Dustin's mom. All but one were flooded and almost all of the families had moved out. Now Dustin and Brianna had to deal with clearing out all of those houses.

At the gym, we scrambled to try and provide them with some clothing, food and necessities. They didn't have a place to live at first and were at friends' houses, them in a small, temporary house that belonged to Brianna's mother. Brianna, reluctantly let me know of the needs of the kids, but never let on that she and Dustin had been wearing the same clothing for several days, washing them at night. I found out that they had insurance to cover the damage, but what I really learned about that week is that there is so much work to do and insurance doesn't do it for you. I was so amazed at how people from the gym pulled together (especially our wonderful homeschool team-which Dahlia is a part of) and did whatever they could to help out. I had been praying that my kids could see that Christmas was not really about Santa and presents, but really about Jesus and how much he gave for us and that we should give too, and they learned that that week.

One thing that made me so sad for Brianna was that she showed me a highway behind their house going to another town that was flooded. She showed me all the lights from cars returning after volunteering all day in that town. And she said "but none of them are stopping here". I could tell at that point how extremely overwhelmed and exhausted she must be and I thought that I must help clean up a little bit, but it was such a tough week, with Will's birthday, our last day of "school" (Olympia Regional Learning Academy-where Baylee takes some classes) and our party, and my birthday on top of getting ready to go to Florida the next week. Still, how could I be thinking about celebrating while they were consumed with so much work. It wasn't much, but i drove down to spend a couple of hours helping clean up on my birthday. Baylee's coach Rachelle came too.

What a miracle we found when 30 to 40 members of the church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints had appeared earlier in the day and were helping out already. It was raining (of course) and they were in all of the rental houses pulling out lost belongings and hauling them to the side of the road, pulling up carpet, tearing down drywall and cleaning up the mess. They were all wearing masks because the fumes were toxic, and I was just amazed at their generosity. This was December 15th and I am sure that they all had other things to do, but they had traveled over an hour from Kent to come and help out. What amazing people! I think that they took a huge amount of weight off of Brianna's and Dustin's shoulders that day. There was still plenty to be done, but at least the majority of cleanup was complete. Rachelle and I cleared some of the wet hay out of their barn and it was still smoldering. I just can't wrap my brain around all of the work that they are still going to be faced with.

Overall, although I am sad that this happened to our friends, my faith in people was restored this week and it just felt good to help out, even a little at such a special time of year. I haven't talked to them since the 17th of December and am anxious to see them tomorrow and find out how things have been. Here are some pictures of the flooding. Before this, I saw pictures, but really could never relate, but now I know.