Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!  I wanted to take a moment to tell you all about the mothers in my life...

First, my mom Paula.  She's an amazing woman who is always there for us, no matter what it is we need.  She's kind of crazy like me, and that's why we work so well together.  She has taught me how to be a better mom with everything she has done for me in the past and the present.  When I need advice about something, she's the first person I call.  She never judges me (or at least makes me feel judged).  And when I don't need advice or just want to vent, she understands and lets me figure things out on my own or just get it off my chest.   

My Gramma C is another mother in my life who has always been there for me.  She has always made sure to have time for her grandkids, whether we were 4, 14 or 24.  When I was finishing college and had baby Alayna to find daytime care for, she was the first to volunteer her time to me.  It was such a blessing to know that our little girl was being cared for by someone we loved and who loved her as well (and her fee of "bring me to breakfast every so often" was perfect for a college student and her hubby who worked barely above minimum wage at the time!)

My Gramma L is no longer here on earth, but I know she helped shape me in my own journey as a mother.   When I was younger, we spent a lot of time at her house and she was always patient with us when we helped make cookies or dinner.  On New Year's Eve, she'd let us cut up page after page of newspaper into tiny pieces and throw them as confetti, telling us a mess can easily be cleaned up after having some fun.  She was also a tiny woman with a huge giggle who could surprise you with things like a homemade meal from seemingly nowhere, or her abilities to shoot a woodchuck in one shot from quite a distance--through the open bathroom window.  My only regret is that she passed away when Alayna was only 8 months old, so none of my girls got to know her.

My mother-in-law Lynn is not the typical "monster-in-law."  She is my husband's mother, but she's also like a second mother to me.  She and I get along great and though we have differences in some ways, we never let that come between us.  I feel just as comfortable spending a day with her as I do my own mom.  She is always there when we need her, for a recipe or advice or help with the girls.  She lets me be me in all my quirkiness and just laughs when my crazy ideas come flowing out.  I am so thankful for all she did to raise her son, who is the perfect man for me.

I have a huge network of aunts and friends who are amazing moms.  They have all taught me something about motherhood--from craft ideas to tips for medicine taking to discipline plans and everything in between.  Each person brings something new, important and different to the table.

My life is infinitely better for all the moms in it.  I love and thank you all!

American Cancer Society Walk

This morning, our family participated in the American Cancer Society Walk/Run in our community.  We woke up early, donned our matching shirts, grabbed the dogs and drove to the school.  We have done so for the past few years, but this year it was closer to my heart.

I have been blessed with incredibly healthy people in my life.  At almost 30, I haven't had a lot of personal connections to cancer.  There has been the other parent I kinda-sorta know, the friend of a friend, or the person I know of but don't know personally.  Not many people I love had been touched by it, and I am ever so thankful for that.  But in the past 2 years, that has changed.  Andy's cousin's little girl was diagnosed with Leukemia in June of 2009 at almost 3 years old.  We are very close with them, and that was so hard to watch what they all went though.  Karli is now doing well and being a typical 4-year-old, but she still has a long way to go.  My mom's dear cousin Anna Mae battled breast cancer recently.  She's also doing well and living life to it's fullest, staying healthy and active.  And this winter, my Grampa was diagnosed with bladder cancer.  After surgery, he's doing remarkably well and everyone has commented on how great he looks, how much energy he has, etc.  We're so hopeful for everyone's recovery and that they all continue to feel and do well.

There is so much that we can do to help those with cancer.  We can pray, bring meals, do laundry, transport to appointments, and other things that directly affect the person or family of those who are battling this horrible disease.  But we can also do things like participate in walks, runs, fundraisers...things to bring attention and money to the cause, to help find a cure, pinpoint a cause or develop new screening tests.  There is so much that can still be done to help everyone affected by cancer!  Please, consider donating your time or money to the effort to stop cancer and celebrate more birthdays.

Call me Gramma

With three daughters, this post is something that surprises me greatly and will probably surprise many of you, as well.  I am just now becoming a Gramma.  Alayna and Lilly never really had a desire for children when they were younger, but Mikayla already has 3--their names are Toni and Brianna (they are twins but about 20 yrs apart and one with blue, one with green eyes) and their baby brother Chip.  Yes, Mikayla is the only one of our girls to really get into playing with dolls.

It probably started about a year ago at my parents' house.  The girls were there overnight and Mikayla needed a toy to snuggle.  Mom brought out my old Cabbage Patch Doll, Toni Roni Macaroni, and it was love.  Since that day, Toni has gone along on several day trips, outings, overnights and playdates, and she's even received birthday and Christmas presents.  Then this fall, Mikayla found a Cabbage Patch Doll that Alayna had received as a toddler that was identical to Toni, but with blue eyes and about 20 yrs newer.  She was buried on the top shelf of Alayna's closet and forgotten (I told you, she and Lilly never got into dolls for more than occasional play)  Well, Brianna soon became Toni's twin sister and together, they went everywhere.  Even more recently, Mikayla has become attached to another Cabbage Patch Doll, this one an itty bitty baby, whom she calls Chip after the little boy/cup in Beauty and the Beast.

The imaginative play she enacts with these dolls is adorable!  I must watch them every now and then so that she can go to work, or on a date with her husband.  Sometimes they just want Gramma, too, and cry for me even when Mommy Mikayla is right there.  And the other day, Mikayla came to me just exhausted and sad because the girls were throwing up all over their clothes and blankets, and she had to tell me she just couldn't make it to my wedding with Daddy.  Then I heard them "puking" while Mikayla shushed and rocked them, telling them they were okay but asking them to please stop puking so she could wash laundry.  She's a pretty good Momma.

Brianna, Mikayla, Chip and Toni

(Mikayla said her husband was at work, so he couldn't get in the picture)

It's a big day in history

Today is a very big day in history.  Late last night, it was announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed by US forces conducting a raid on his compound in Pakistan.  President Obama broke into coverage with a live announcement, though for many people, the news didn't become apparent until this morning.  I know I was shocked when I woke up and turned on the tv to watch the weather, but instead heard bin Laden was dead.

My feelings about this news?  Shock, relief, disbelief, fear and sadness.  That's right, no joy.  Don't get me wrong, I am relieved that bin Laden no longer is a threat to the American people, or any others in the world, who felt and believed differently than him.  I am relieved that he is no longer spreading evil across this world.  I am glad that none of the American troops were killed during the firefight that broke out. But I am also realistic.  Bin Laden had many, many followers and while he was the head of al Qaeda, he wasn't the only person in the regime.  There are others who are also powerful and may now seek revenge for his death.  I am scared that his death may cause more unrest and turmoil.  And there's part of me that is also doubtful--for years we've heard that he's been sighted or captured or found, only to be told later that it was a look alike, or we were moments too late, or it was planted evidence or information to mislead us.  I have a hard time believing that he's really gone, and I probably will feel this way until they get the DNA testing back to prove that it was, in fact, bin Laden who was killed.

Part of me also feels sad.  As evil and horrible of a person as bin Laden was, I still feel some sadness at his passing.  He was human.  He was some one's son, husband, brother, father.  I cannot rejoice at the death of any human, no matter how evil his actions.  He still has people who love and mourn him now that he's gone.  He was still someone who his parents dreamed would be a good person, make the right choices, have a good life.  As a mother, I cannot imagine how I would feel if people were rejoicing the death of my child, no matter what she did.

2-Wheelin' Around

Poor Lilly has been trying to learn to ride her bike without training wheels since late last summer.  She was starting to get the hang of it, then broke her arm and was unable to ride for 7 weeks.  When her cast was removed in October, she again tried to ride with two-wheels.  She would do okay, but wouldn't pedal hard enough to keep going.  So we moved her to the grass, where she couldn't just coast.  It worked, but she couldn't go more than about 30' by herself and we still had to push her off to start.  Well, we had snow the first weekend in November and it didn't leave (as I type, we are getting snow...on April 28...)  But we have had a few good days here and there this spring.  Lilly was doing quite well again and then...her stitches.  Since she was still learning, and learning means wipe-outs, I wasn't about to let her ride with the stitches in. 

Finally, on Monday, it was nice, there wasn't snow on the ground or rain in the sky, and we had no plans for the evening.  Lilly put on her helmet, walked her bike to the grass and said, "I'm ready Mom!"  I pushed her off once and that was it.  She rode the entire length of the front yard, made a turn (her first successfully) at the end and rode back to me.  Then she pushed herself off and did it again.  After a few times, she asked if she could go in the driveway.  She's a pro!  It just clicked and she's doing so great now! 

We are so proud of her!

Hoppy Easter!

We hope you had a great Easter celebrating that Jesus rose from the dead!  We had a wonderful day.  It started with our egg and basket search, then church service, then we hosted Easter dinner for my mom's side of the family.  We ended the day with a nice afternoon walk and family movie night viewing of "Tangled."

Let's go camping!

This spring, we were able to pay off several bills and what's better to do when you pay something off than buy something new?!  I know, not the best strategy, but it's what we did.  Thankfully, our new payment is going to be less than what we were paying for the others combined.  So we're still ahead, and with a new toy, too.

We bought a camper.  We've been wanting one for awhile and finally took the plunge.  I love to tent camp, but Andy's not a fan of it.  And during horse camp and the fair, we stay at the fairgrounds and have had to borrow a camper from family for those 2 weeks.  So it's something that has been on our minds for years.  This spring, when we paid off those bills, we started to look at campers.  Since it wasn't something we needed, we were willing to wait until we found just what we wanted.  Andy insisted on it being a 5th wheel, I insisted it have bunks for the kids so we didn't have to mess around with converting tables and couches several times a day.  We found our ideal camper, in our price range, on about day 2.  Seriously.  We hemmed and hawed, looked at a bunch more on-line, and kept going back to this particular model.  It was ours a week later.

The whole time, we didn't tell the girls anything.  My parents had taken them overnight for a visit with family friends, so that day Andy and I went to see the camper in person and put down our deposit.  When he pulled in the driveway with it a few days later, the girls were so excited. "Is that a camper?  Whose is it? Is it OURS?  Do we have a CAMPER?!"  It was a school night, so they were disappointed we couldn't sleep in it right away.  But that weekend (after the play on Saturday night) we stayed in the camper for the first time.  So far, we love it.

(I don't know why this won't rotate)

Let's Play Cinderella

What I didn't mention in my post about Lilly's foot was our guilt that night.  Not the guilt over Lilly getting hurt (though we felt badly) but the guilt over poor Alayna.  See, she was in a school play that night and it was her first time ever performing something like that.  And we missed it.  Thankfully, Alayna is old enough that she understood Lilly needed us more at that time.  And super thankfully, there was another performance the next night!

The play was "Cinderella", though it was adapted and set in the 1950's.  It was really cute--Cinderella was going to a sock-hop instead of a ball and she sang in a lip-sync contest instead of dancing with the prince.  Alayna was one of the Chicks, a group of girls that followed the cool guys around and were friends with Cinderella.  She did a great job and we were so glad that we caught the Saturday night show!

You Put Your Right Foot In...

Our weather has been crazy, going back and forth between snow and 60 for the last few weeks.  But a little over two weeks ago, it was a nice 60 degree day and Lilly was playing barefoot outside at her friend's house.  They were running around and decided to play with rocks.  Somehow, in the middle of their rock play, a boulder fell onto Lilly's foot just right...and split it open.  We were just getting ready to head into town when we got the phone call:

"Candy, this is ____.  Lilly was playing outside and somehow a rock fell on her foot and split it open.  We didn't think it was that bad, but after we cleaned it up, we thought we'd better call.  I think she needs stitches.  I am SO sorry!"

After assuring her it happens and we weren't upset, we got in the truck and drove over to check it out.  It took us about 2 seconds to agree with their assessment and we gathered her things to bring her to the hospital.  Her friend wanted to come along to the hospital, so we loaded everyone and started the drive. 

To keep Lilly's mind off her foot, we made the 40 min drive as fun as possible.  We sang songs, told silly stories, talked about school and found ABCs on road signs.  When we got to the hospital, they gave us a big exam room so everyone could be with Miss Lilly.  We all guessed how many stitches she'd need and Daddy won with a guess of 5--she needed 6!  His prize was to carry Lilly from the hospital and pay for our supper at McDonalds!  haha

On the way home, Lilly wanted to continue her sleep-over and we told her that was fine.  However, once we were closer to home she decided she wanted to come home with us.  We dropped her friend off, again assured our friends that all was fine and went home. 

Lilly was such a trooper the whole time!  She was great about letting us take care of her foot and always made sure to be extra careful with it.  She had her stitches in for 12 days and had them removed this past Wednesday.  The doc said all looked well.

He has risen...and so have we!

OKay, so I'm not in any way likening myself to Jesus--just wanted to get that out there right off.  But yesterday was Easter, which celebrates the fact that Jesus died and was raised from the dead 3 days later.  Well, this blog is kinda being raised from the dead.  I hope.  I've been so horrible with blogging and I really miss it, but things have been so crazy.  But I'm going to make a point of blogging more because I enjoy and I know my readers enjoy it, too.  So let's hope I keep things going this time.

I'm not going to do a huge update post, but a few individual posts over the next few days.  So be on the look-out, if you are still out there!