boo

Oh brother......

Best

Georgia had a friend from school over last night I talked her out of swimming in the swim meet with the bribe of a play date. . I made a point to let her and her friend play without Murphy and Millie, not upon her request, but just so she could have her own time. I distracted the Ms long enough to play Guess Who (which is absolutely hilarious with a four and two year old!) and half a game of Memory. Before I knew it, the alley gang was all together upstairs playing school. Georgia never complained about her siblings being in attendance. They all had a great evening!

Trevor takes Georgia and Murphy skiing on Saturdays, and Millie, Charlie and I go to the Spokane Club for tennis or workout and play area time. Today I got a good workout in and the kids played.Thank God Charlie takes a bottle and is happy while I work out. Even with a few blow-outs in her history, the girls welcome the little butterball happily.. We decided when we woke up it would be fun to go swimming, so we hit the pool for Charlie's first dip. She loved it. Her kittle chunky legs kick kick kicked the whole time. The nicest mom was there watching her older daughters swim and asked if she could hold Charlie after a while. I handed over the wet noodle for a good hake hour and Millie and I got some quality pay time. I'm sad to say this doesn't happen often enough. I ale ays have Charlie attached to me at the hip...or boob. My heart just about melted when we were playing. Lesson learned: make extra special time with just Jenkins.

We came home after eating lunch at the Club, played a little and I laid down with Charlie to put her to bed. Millie happily sat in Charlie's bouncy seat. Both passed out and I got to try to beat my Angry Birds score, watch This Old House, Hawaii Five-0, check my e mail, AND play a few rounds of Words With Friends. All while under the covers.

Trevor and the kids are due home in a half hour or so. It will be an early dinner then I'm out the door for a movie with Di.

Tomorrow, aside from church (which is always on my calendar but rarely gets checked off), we have nothing going on! I look forward to a fun day with the family. I think I will take Millie, just Millie, to the grocery store with me.

Time Flies

Sibling love (most of the time)

I was cleaning the house while the little kitty (named such because all she does is cat nap) was sleeping in her swing. Apparently she woke up and wanted to hear a story.  Millie told me "I'm Kate, the teacher, and I'm reading Charlie a book." 

It has been one month

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in a month.  We've been quite busy.  Lots of lessons learned.  Like don't hit your sister in the face or you won't get to play Legos for two days (his face did not look like this when I told him). 

And the world does not come to an end if we miss swimming.  In fact it opened the door to a play date with friends (and a martini for me). 

And don't mistake Zofran for kids chewable Tylenol.

And I have amazing friends.

And don't be afraid to get back in to something (tennis!) after six years off. 

And take the time to pop a little note in the mail to someone.  It'll make their day.

Time really does fly.  I have a 6.5 year old amazing daughter, 4.5 year old outstanding son, almost 2.5 year old crack-up of a daughter, and a 4.5 month old precious little cherub.  I have never been happier!

So proud of this girl!

Georgia continues to amaze us all.  What a neat kid!

Happy Holidays, Mall Santa style

NERD

Seattle

Oh yeah, REALLY shy.

Charlie and I took a long weekend to go to Seattle for Jess' baby shower.  And I think we gave Lucy a crash-course of what it's going to be like with a little sister! 

It was a great trip, met really nice people, and even got to squeeze in a Gonzaga game with Julia, Casey and Josie, and see many a Zag friend from years and years ago!

And I loved snapping pics of this little goofball!

Brynn's Birthday Photo Session

I'm loving this stage

One Year Ago

It is hard to believe it has been a year since the scariest times of my life.  One year ago today I was in surgery to remove a tumor from the back of my head.  A tumor the size of a tennis ball.  How surreal that feels to say.  And to think of how successful the outcome was.  AND to think, one year later, I have never been happier.

We went in to the whole thing quite scared.  Going through my head were thoughts about not being here for my children, my husband, my family.  Not seeing my kids grow up.  I felt so selfish during those times.  I wanted to be here for them, not someone else.  They are MINE.  And thankfully I AM here to be with everyone.  And we even added one more for me to be with.  Amazing is the fact Charlie is here following such tumultuous times.  Things happen for a reason.  I'll never know why I had a brain tumor.  What I do know, however, is from the bad came a whole lot of good.  I am able to positively look at life without allowing the negativity to take over.  Without judgment.  And the world is a happier place for me.  Look at everything I have to be thankful for.  Thanksgiving will forever be a VERY thankful time in my life.

I took a few minutes to read through the blog posts from the days surrounding my diagnosis and surgery.  I can remember the combination of numbness and pain I felt.  My heart hurt.  The weight of everything was unbearable.  Yet the out-of-body feeling left me numb.  I couldn't formulate cohesive, logical thoughts.  I am so thankful to have had the support I did to make it through.  My family and friends (and people I barely knew) were there, and that's what mattered most.  I remember it being so hard for me to talk about the situation with anyone, until it came to the boiling point when I gushed to Mel for what seemed like hours.  And how the process seemed to take an eternity, but in actuality, from start to finish was a few weeks.  To have to wait 10 months post-surgery for a follow-up/non-pregnant MRI was just about as hard.  The fear of the unknown truly is something.

Who knows what the future will hold for me, but for right now I wouldn't trade the things that transpired in the past year for anything.  The relationships created and strengthened, the outlook I can have on life, and the self-knowledge gained.  I am THANKFUL.

Repost: Wake-Up Call

 This post was from one year ago.  Still have to remind myself of these things.

I remember back a week or so ago (and even in the months prior) I was feeling really overwhelmed. I had Georgia in school and activities, Murphy in school and activities, even a soccer class for Millie. I was doing Pilates, running, and doing my grad school at GU two days a week. I felt overwhelmed with articles to read and present on, treatment protocols to create, things to remember. I felt like I couldn't catch up with anything. I developed tactics to tackle laundry, preparing dinners, and organizing toys, which helped matters, but I still felt like the only time I wasn't running around was at night when I was shutting my eyes to go to bed (or watching hours of mindless TV before crashing).

I believe this is my wake-up call. I need to slow down. Yes, the kids enjoy their sports and activities, and will continue to be involved and active. I should've taken a hint from the stress I was feeling, however, that I, myself, needed to slow down.

I can't believe how fast time flies. I can't believe Georgia is in kindergarten and Murphy in preschool. I can't believe Millie is starting to talk. These are the days I need to be focused on them. The little things. I am a stay-at-home mom for a reason. I know what their favorite games are, and I can play it with them. I can let Murphy brush my hair and put three headbands on me. Millie can wear those cowboy boots of Murphy's to Home Depot with me. I am so fortunate to have this opportunity. These are the moments I need to be focusing on. These are the moments I live for.

When I return home Monday (well, I may be a little out of it for a while after Monday, but soon enough) these are the things I will focus on. 100%. These are my kids. My husband. My family.

She makes my day!