Top 3

Top 3 things I want to remember about my top 3 right now!

Max

1. Max is loving sports right now. Loves listening to sports talk radio in the morning, wants to know who won the game when he walks down the stairs when he wakes up, loves wearing sports clothes (in fact he has specific days for certain teams/brands..Tuesday is Vikings day, Wednesday is Nike and Fridays is Oilers) It's fun because Chris and I like to talk sports and now he's joining in. He even sat and watched the entire superbowl party with us at our friends' house!



2. He had his first big boy weekend a couple weekends ago when Chris, Mya, Ivy and I were out of town for a gym meet. He got dropped off at a friends house after school, spent the night there, went to his ball hockey game and then went with a different friend until we got home that night. He was pretty nervous, but did great. We're very fortunate to have friends who are like family here that we felt comfortable leaving him and being out of town. It was so good for him to get that first experience behind him!

3. He is very motivated to finish all of the books on the YRCA list of nominations. (YRCA is the pacific northwest's library association list of books) Once you read all of them, you can vote on your favorite one. Things like that are all the motivation Max needs to get reading. Here's the list...he's on the last one right now and then he can vote!


Absolutely Almost – Graff, Lisa
Loot – Watson, Jude
El Deafo – Bell, Cece
The Fourteenth Goldfish – Holm, Jennifer
Rain Reign – Martin, Ann M.
The Thickety: A Path Begins – White, J.A.
New Kid – Green, Tim
The Circus Dogs of Prague – Rachelle Delaney


Mya

1. She's in competition season right now with gymnastics. She works super hard every week (10.5 hours of weekly training) so we are super excited for her to finally get to compete. Her first competition was in Lethbridge (4.5 hours south of here..close to the border) and she ended up in first place overall! Chris and I are basket cases at these events, but she's as cool as a cucumber. We have this weekend off and then 5 meets in the next 7 weeks. Luckily, 4 are in town so it's not as big of a commitment.



2. Mya is a great big sister to Ivy at school. They play together every day for morning recess (the only recess that Ivy is at school with the half day program). When I pick Ivy up at lunch and ask about her day, the best part is always that she played with her sissy at recess. I'm hopeful this relationship will continue to be a good one for both girls and maybe, just maybe we can even skip the horrible years when sisters hate each other!

3. She is loving reading right now too. It wasn't too long ago that I was sure that day would never come. Right now she's very into my babysitter club books (she even talks to me about them like I still remember..."Mom! I'm at the part where Maryanne is babysitting and someone is calling her and hanging up!!" She also likes the diary of a wimpy kid series. She had to do a current event this week at school and chose to do an article about the Muslim ban. Her teacher sent me a nice e-mail afterwards saying she did an awesome job and he appreciated her bringing that up so they could have a class discussion. It's fun to have kids with opinions.


Ivy

1. Ivy is doing great in school. She's starting to read and loving all of the attention she is getting because of it! I could have 10 kids and I would still be amazed when the 10th one learns to read. I just think that whole process is unbelievable. She's sounding out words on signs along the road and loves to write notes to people at home. Her spelling is hilarious and even some of the words she's sounding out. She pronounced "nice" today as Nike. Still trying to learn all of those pesky rules!

(still finding lots of selfies on my phone!)


2. She is in gymnastics once a week and is training with Mya's coach. Christianne is big on conditioning so Ivy is getting quite the workout each week. She is very proud of herself and all of her rope climbing and frequently asks me to feel her muscles even though she doesn't know how to flex:)

3. We have not had much time for her to be involved in anything except the gymnastics one afternoon a week when Max and Mya were still in school. Next week though that's all changing and it could be crazy for us! She starts swimming lessons and ski lessons. Honestly we kind of forgot about the fact that she still needs some major swim lessons. Max and Mya do too, but they're at the point where they can swim a lap and pass the swim test, so we've kind of put lessons on the back burner. Ski lessons will be great and hopefully will speed things up for her in the mountains.

1st ski trip of the year!

On Saturday we drove to the mountains for a quick ski getaway. We had been wanting to go and our weekends are filling up really quickly with gymnastics competitions, ball hockey, etc. I found a groupon for Mount Norquay and Chris had been wanting to try that resort so we gave it a shot. We got to Canmore around 3:00. We checked into our hotel and then went for a hike along the bow river. It was pretty nice outside so we had a really enjoyable walk. Afterwards we hit up some stores and then had a nice dinner.




Sunday we got up early and headed to Norquay! On the way we saw a few dozen caribou hanging around the hotel which is always fun to see. We got to the ski hill and about 45 minutes later we were all geared up and on the ski lift! This marks the first time all 5 of us went skiing at the same time. Max and Mya can take care of themselves on the chair lifts now and on the mountain so Chris has to just take care of Ivy. It takes everything I have to take care of myself out there so I can't be in charge of anyone else! Luckily Chris is a big picture guy and he knows if he puts the time in now, the kids will be independent skiers soon and we can enjoy many years of family fun. So basically Max, Mya and I had a great day while Chris just went back and forth across the mountain with Ivy teaching her turns and control. We lasted about 5 hours with a small break for Max and Mya and a big break for Ivy. She kept calling the chalet "swiss chalet" (which is a restaurant here:)




After we skied, we decided to try out the snow tubing hill they have at Norquay. It was included with our groupon. Even though we had about 45 minutes until they closed, we still got 5 runs in and it was super fun. Each person has to be on their own individual tube, but you can hook together as many as 5 at a time so we had a blast doing that. It was ridiculously fast and cold, but totally worth it.



Click Here for a video of Max and Mya coming down on the tubes.

Christmas 2016

Christmas has come and gone! We had a great Christmas break with family and friends! I always get so nervous right before Christmas that we will all get sick, but this year we managed to stay healthy until the day we went back to school! (january 9th) Mya has been home Tue/Wed/Thurs and Max has been home a half day Wed and all day Thursday. Thankfully Chris, Ivy and I are healthy! Here's a run down on what we were up to the last few weeks.

Dec 24th: For the first time in our married life, we attended Christmas Eve service at our own church! We always travel to one of our family's houses for Christmas, but flight prices were cheapest on Christmas day so we were able to go to our church! It was an amazing candlelight service...Max even got to go on stage in front of 1,000 people and sing a Christmas carol! After church, we headed to some friends house from church and we enjoyed a really nice night together!

December 25th: We got the kids up nice and early to head to the airport by 6:15. We got picked up by a taxi and when we got in, Ivy asked me how the driver knew we were going on a field trip! Everything was smooth with our flight and Ivy and Mya were dressed pretty cute:) Lots of people were commenting on them.



David, Linda and Jeff picked us up and we drove straight up to the cabin! This is the first year we celebrated at the cabin and they had it all decked out with Christmas decor so it felt very festive! We had a few Christmas treats and then opened presents! The kids saw them right away and couldn't wait to open:)



December 26-Dec 29th: We stayed at the cabin and had a super relaxing time! We played in the snow, walked on the lake, watched the ice houses go up, built a snow fort, put together a 1000 piece puzzle that didn't look like the picture on the box, read, watched Christmas movies, ate lots of great food, saw the Gopher bowl game, played TONS of cards and had quality time as a family.




December 29: We drove down to Decorah to see my family! My sister got there the day before and the excitement was mounting from all the kids to be together! My kids miss their cousins so much so I didn't really see them for the next week or so! Honestly, once they got together, they hardly left each other's sides the entire time. 8 kiddos with one who takes lots of naps and two that take one nap a day can be hard, but the laughing/playing makes it all worth it. (Mom---maybe get rid of the piano before next Christmas break?!?!?) They played outside, built forts, did crafts, played dolls, went to the bank, played at Luther, went to a movie, went shopping, and lots more!



December 30: My parents celebrated their 40th anniversary in September. Brian, Tara and I were texting at the time that we should do something fun for them at Christmas when we were all together. So we got a babysitter for the kids and we all went out for dinner at Rubyiat with just the adults! They had a 4 course wine dinner set up for us and we had the best time. Even though it was 3+ months late, it was definitely worth it. We never get a chance to be together like that.



December 31: We celebrated Christmas that night and had so much fun with all the kids. Everyone did great with being happy for others and taking turns. After presents, the big 4 had a piano recital for us that was so great! All 4 of them are in piano lessons and since we didn't see their recitals, they played their songs for us at my parent's house.



January 1st: We watched Iowa lose at my aunt and uncle's house, (boo!) but then drove to Waverly to meet up with our friends the Neymeyers for pizza . Wish we had a picture, but we spent 2 1/2 hours talking non stop since it had been a year since we saw them last. I always laugh when we put kids in a room with kids they "kinda" know and within a few minutes, they were all laughing and talking like they were friends they see regularly.

The rest of the week was just hanging out having fun with cousins and getting an amazing haircut for Max!





January 5th: Max and I took off for Dubuque for the day to see some people. We weren't able to see everyone we watned to see, but we had to get back in order to fly out the next morning! It was worth it though and can't wait to visit longer next time! Chris took off on the 2nd and so the kids and I flew home on the 6th with no problems at all. It was good to be home and get back on a schedule!

The one and only Chloe Jo

Such a hard post to write, but Chloe definitely deserves it! I'll start at the beginning...

We had been noticing that Chloe was losing weight for the past year or so. This summer the vet switched her food because honestly I thought she was just getting sick of her food. She seemed way more interested in other dogs' food so we thought it was a taste thing. That went okay for awhile and then she got sick of that too. I took her in November 1st for a weight check. The vet decided to do a blood draw, but was pretty sure nothing was wrong with her. She was bouncing around the vet like a puppy and was super happy. Well, the blood work came back that she had kidney disease. We switched up her diet 6 times over the next 6 weeks....she would like it for awhile and then refuse it after a week or so. We also started giving her an antacid. She did pretty well over the next weeks and we were just hoping to keep her eating and happy. When I would take her into the vet they would tell me that she did not act like a typical "kidney" dog because they are normally very depressed.

Fast forward to last Sunday. She had been puking up food once every few days, but nothing super regular and she has always been a puker. She started throwing up all of the food she was eating and then on Tuesday started refusing food all together. I took her in Thursday. She was still acting okay...not tons of energy, but was excited to go in the car in the morning and stuff like that. When we got to the vet, she had lost another couple of pounds since the last visit. They drew some blood and then we made a plan for how to get her to eat with meds. After that, her blood work came back and the numbers were through the roof. They had quadrupled since November 1st. We still had a tiny bit of hope that she would take the meds and hold on for a little longer. She refused the meds that night and again Friday morning and that's when we decided it was time. From that point Friday morning until Saturday morning at 10:00am, Chloe went way downhill. I could not believe it. It was almost like her way of making sure we knew we were doing the right thing. Saturday morning when she went outside to go to the bathroom, she laid down in the snow (-12F) and couldn't get back up. Chris had to carry her back in. We all said our goodbyes (heartbreaking) and then Chris took her into the vet. He said it was a really nice set up for her, he had some private time, he brought her bed for her to lay in and had a really peaceful experience.

We will miss her so much. We got her on December 15th, 2004. 12 years to the day that I took her into the vet. Chris wanted a dog and I wanted something to take care of. I saw a picture of a golden puppy in a downy ad and told Chris that's what I wanted. We picked her out of a litter of (I think) 11 goldens. She was born on a farm in Milan, Illinois. I remember painting one of her nails so that we could identify her when we came back to get her a week or so later. She lived in Moline, Cedar Falls, Dubuque and of course Edmonton. She loved all people...but of course her family the best. The anxious look on her face when we would get ready to leave somewhere and she didn't want to be left behind was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. She was patient, gentle and loyal...basically the three traits you hope/wish for in a family dog.

I have literally hundreds of photos of her. The reason? She was everywhere we were. If the kids were outside having a lemonade stand, she was there. Wrestling? She was there. Playing in the snow, she was there. Eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, watching tv, driving, walking, watching soccer, opening presents, cooking, cleaning, etc. SHE.WAS.THERE. The list could go on and on. The other reason I have so many pictures of her is because she was so damn cute.

It's weird because at this very moment, the things that drove me crazy about her are the things I'm missing the most. The fact that we could never put anything on "her chair", the sound of her claws on the wood floor when you're in the basement, the dripped water all over my kitchen, the constant swiffering (btw..I'm going to sell my stock in swiffer now):)There is so much more and I know and trust that we'll think of her often.

Chloe was my first dog (I need to finish up here because the tears are welling...) but hopefully not my last. Man oh man I loved that girl. I planned to write more about the kids and everything, but I can hardly write about myself let alone my precious kiddos and their relationships with their dog. Maybe someday I'll be ready! For now...a few pics:)

Murrieta

After we left Disneyland, we headed south to Murrieta to stay with Tara and Tony for a few days! They moved there in August and we were anxious to get there to see them and the girls. Our first full day there was Ivy's birthday. She started the day off with a bowl of cookies for breakfast courtesy of her Aunt Tara. I won't forget that someday when I get to be with her girls on their bithdays! Later that day we went to the pool in their neighborhood and enjoyed some very cold swimming and a nice warm hot tub:) We made homemade pizza that night for dinner and enjoyed a cake that my mom ordered from a local grocery store for Ivy!









Saturday Tara organized a little horseback riding adventure for my kids. They got to learn a lot about horses and enjoyed riding in the ring. Pretty sure Max was picturing himself galloping along a trail on his own horse for a couple hours, but this wasn't quite it. There's a lot to learn about horses before you get to that point! It was a good experience for the kids and they are still talking about their horses. That night we invited Chris's cousin Joel and his wife and son over to Tara's house for a barbecue. We hadn't seen them since our wedding so it was great to catch up! We had a wonderful night...the Iowa win over Michigan didn't hurt.





Sunday, Chris, the kids and I packed up and headed south to La Jolla Beach. We enjoyed a tourist day in Sunny California and had a couple hours on the beach watching the surfers, the seals and playing in the sand. We had a great lunch of fish tacos after the beach too! After a crazy long drive home (due to a forest fire on the side of Interstate 15) we made it just in time to head out to the winery with Tara and Tony! We left the kids with a babysitter and enjoyed a quiet adult night. They live about 15 minutes from the wineries so I expect we'll be back there checking out more wineries on our next visit! In fact on our way out, Tara picked up the card of a limo driver so that we can do a whole day trip of it! That night after we got home from the winery, Tara and Max headed out to pick up some In-n-out burger...something we definitely needed to check off our California to-do list!













Monday was our last full day and Tony had to work. We headed to the pool and enjoyed a few last hours in the sun before heading back to the cold tundra! We loved our time there and can't wait to visit again! It was the perfect mix of activities and relaxation. We had plenty of time to sit in their gorgeous backyard playing cards and sipping on some adult beverages. It was hard to say goodbye to the girls, but knowing we'll see them in a month for Christmas made it a little easier! Thanks Tara and Tony for the wonderful hospitality!