Upchucks

Gavin: Mom. I'm hungry. Can I have some upchucks?

Mom: Upchucks?

Gavin: Yes. Upchucks.

Mom: UPCHUCKS?

Gavin: YES. UPCHUCKS.

Hmmm... think, think, think.

Mom: Apple Jacks?

Gavin: Oh. Ya. Applejacks.

Sigh of relief!!!

Kate's first E.R. visit

I have a bad habit of tossing the kids stuff they leave upstairs by the top of the stairs. At the end of the day, I take one trip downstairs with all of their junk. Last Friday was no different. I tossed Emily's locket, among other things at the top of the stairs. I didn't think twice about it, because Kate has NEVER put anything in her mouth.

A few hours later, I was getting ready to make dinner. I heard Kate gagging a little and immediately knew what had happened. I rushed to her, but I was too late. I told Travis that I thought she had eaten a locket. He wondered if I had seen her eat it, which I hadn't, and he asked me how I knew. Mother's intuition is a crazy thing. How many times has she coughed and I haven't thought twice about it, or even heard it. This time was different. I knew something was wrong.

I called the doctor, and they said I needed to take her to the E.R. for X-rays to make sure it wasn't stuck in her esophagus. I felt so bad, because I knew that it was my fault. I cried and apologized all the way to the E.R. There were several doctors that asked me what had happened. I felt like I was hooked up to the lie detector test. I tried to tell the exact same story every time. I was sure that they were going to report me to DCFS. We were lucky, the X-rays showed that the locket had moved down into her bowels. The doctor thought it would pass the next day.

6 days and at least 10 dirty diapers later, we were able to retrieve the locket. What a relief! I was really starting to worry. I wiped the locket off enough just to take a picture of it, then immediately discarded it. Yes, I know how disgusting this picture is, but I thought one day she would like to see it.

Emily's First Sleepover

Emily invited her cousin over for her very first sleep over. I really think that I was as excited as she was. The girls had so many big plans for the night. We went to watch Emily play baseball and then had some dinner. After dinner, they took their sleeping bags out to the trampoline and started to watch a movie. We were going to light a fire and roast smores, but unfortunately it rained. We were able improvise and roasted our smores over the stove and set up a tent in the basement to watch the movie in. They stayed up until about 10:30 when they finally crashed. At 6:00, they came giggling up the stairs and asked me for breakfast. WHAT? Don't you know it's 6:00 a.m.? I got up a few minutes later and made French Toast. We went to see a movie and then they just enjoyed playing outside. Thanks, Bree, for coming. Emily had a great time!

Last Day of School

The kids both had a great school year. Emily had two teachers. Mrs. Kroeger in the morning, and Ms. Allred in the afternoon. She adored both of her teachers, and had another successful year. It's been amazing to watch her progress in her reading and math. She loved school lunch (especially the pasta) and making new friends. Her favorite subject is math and she is looking forward to being a second grader.

Emily and Mrs. Kroeger

Emily and Ms. Allred

Tyler wouldn't let me take a picture of him and his teacher, but Mrs. Barnhill did an excellent job. His report card showed that he is on an 8th grade reading level, and a 7th grade math level. His favorite thing about the 4th grade was the science experiments. He took third place in the spelling bee, and did a great job in the geography bee. He insisted on taking his lunch on the chicken pot pie and shrimp popper days, but like Emily, he loved the pasta.

I enjoy attending the lowering of the flag. It always makes me a bit emotional listening to 700+ students singing the national anthem. I am looking forward to summer vacation and an even better 2010-2011 school year!

GG's Funeral

My grandma's funeral was held May 20, 2010.

My grandma was a master gardener. She had the most incredible flower gardens. She would not have been disappointed in her flowers. They were amazing.

We decided to have a balloon release. I had never seen one, and it was pretty neat. Emily said, "I bet GG grabbed one of the balloons and took it to heaven with her." She also prays every night that GG will be safe in heaven.

It was so hard to say goodbye to my grandma. The hardest part for me was leaving the mortuary the night of the viewing. It was also very difficult for me to see the hearse waiting for her the next morning. There are days that it is still hard for me to believe she's gone. She was such an incredible woman and will not be forgotten. I love you, Grandma.

I want to eat you up.....

Sometimes when I hug my kids, I get a little carried away and tell them that I want to eat them up. That was the case this morning with Gavin. He replied:

"Mom, eat TYLER instead!"

Grandma

My grandma passed away on Saturday, May 15, 2010. I got a phone call on Friday from my mom. She told me that Grandma wasn't doing very well. They took her off all of her medication and gave her some morphine to keep her comfortable. My parents were supposed to come and watch me finish my leg of the race on Saturday morning. I knew exactly where they were going to be, and when I didn't see them, I knew what had happened. Travis and the kids were at my finishing point, and I was so grateful to see their faces. Honestly, my grandma is the main reason I started running in the first place. Running is something that I had always wanted to do, but never dared to try. I'll never forget a conversation I had with her. She told me that she had always wanted to play the piano, but never had the opportunity to learn. She told me to never have regrets in my life. If there was something that I wanted to do, I needed to do it. I ran my first 5K shortly afterwards.

It's interesting. We have known that this day was coming for a long time now. Every Christmas and birthday, we prepared ourselves that this might be the last Christmas or birthday for grandma. This went on for 10 years, maybe more, but somehow, she kept making it to the next year. No matter how prepared you think you are, it's never easy. In fact, this is the saddest I have been in my entire life. My heart is breaking. I know that she is happy and in a better place. I know that she isn't hurting anymore. But I am going to miss her immensely. Travis asked me what I would miss the most. All I could say was "everything." Really. Everything. I miss her fingernails. They were always so perfectly manicured and shiny. I loved to rub them because they felt so smooth. I loved it when she would tickle my arm or my face with them. I miss the ham and cheese omelettes and hot chocolate she used to make us. I miss the warm chocolate pudding with whipping cream. I miss bubble baths and fluffy towels. I miss the Snicker's bars that she would cut into little chunks for me, Ty and Cari to share. I miss faking sick so I could go to her house. She would make us a bed on the couch, surrounded by chairs so we wouldn't fall off, and let us watch Sesame Street all day. I miss baking cookies in the oven downstairs, because it was too hot upstairs. I miss bouncing a ball off of the roof of the garage and swimming in the irrigation water. No one has ever made me feel more loved or important as she did. She always had time for us. When we were there, we had 100% of her attention. There are so many memories and things that remind me of her. The smell of Zest soap, Jergens lotion and crest toothpaste, just to name a few.

My kids loved her as well. I know they won't remember much, but I hope to help them remember what a great lady she was and how much she loved them.

My grandma is my hero. She was such a great example to me. She has taught me many things over my lifetime. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to call her my grandma. She makes me want to be a better mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend. I love you grandma. Thank you for all that you have done for me. You will never be forgotten.