Cadence's 7 year stats

Cadence had her well check today!  She is growing as always.  She is 54 pounds and 4 feet 3 inches tall.  Another 13 inches and she will be as tall as I am.  She aced her vision test which was great news to me.  Brady and I both started having vision trouble about her age.

Cadence has been complaining about her eyes feeling funny and the room spinning a couple times a day.  I thought it was related to the recent cold/cough we all had but even though Cadence has been feeling good for a couple of weeks now she still has this dizziness going on daily.  The doctor told us that her adenoids were very swollen and she has a lot of fluid trapped in her tubes/ears.  Cadence couldn't get the to "pop" when the doctor had her plug her nose and blow.  He is going to have her take some Zyrtec every day for a while to see if that will clear it up.  He is sure once we get her ears clear she won't have the dizzy spells anymore he also thinks her adenoids are swollen in relation to her ears and all the fluid/nasal drainage.  We will go back in a month to make sure it is getting better.  I hope this takes care of the problem for her!

Other than that she is perfectly healthy and above average!

Life is Hard

Two years ago we adopted a kitten from a friend.  He was friendly, playful, and cute as could be.  The kids named him Rockstar.  As he grew he constantly used his claws for everything.  The kids started to avoid him as he would always leave scratch marks in his wake. He also loved to chew on anything rubber or soft.  Computer/charger cords, the kids toys, and any number of things were chewed through before this cat turned one.  

He was turning into a total pain in the butt.  He would cuddle up with you all but begging to be petted only to turn around and bite you for no reason.  He bit Brady badly on the hand when trying to escape the house. It quickly became infected and Brady had to make an ER visit that ended with a nasty antibiotic shot followed by days of a very strong oral antibiotic.  Brady was less than happy.  

We pressed on with Rockstar.  Figured he would mellow with age.  He was difficult, but he was our cat.  To keep him from "playing" (read attacking the kids trying to get them to play) we adopted a second kitten who we named Bullseye.  Bullseye is everything Rockstar is not.  Sweet, cuddly, sociable, excellent with children.  The cats took to each other like we had hoped and would play hard, leaving the kids alone.  We thought things would be just fine.  

Then we went on vacation over Christmas.  We found a nice place for the cats to stay that would allow them to roam free as long as they were nice to the other cats.  When we got back things seemed fine. Then Rockstar started picking on the kids again, specifically Beckah.  Not cool.  He would try and take her food, would constantly follow her around and when she would try to get away from him would try and swipe at her.  I started keeping him shut up in the bathroom when the kids would play or eat.  It helped keep the cat away, but didn't help his attitude.  

I was growing more frustrated by the day. I had started looking into re-homing options but because of his difficult personality no one was interested.  Then, on Cadence's 7th birthday Rockstar followed Beckah upstairs and while she was laying on the floor by our bedroom door he bit her hand.  She started screaming right away.  It was a deep bite.  By the afternoon it was swollen, red and hot to the touch.  Infected. Brady took her to the ER to have it treated.  It is healing nicely and probably won't even scar.  

I redoubled my efforts that very day to find the cat a new home.  A barn maybe, where he could hunt and be a pain to his hearts content, far from any little kids.  No luck.  The no kill shelters were full and one of the volunteers said that even if they had room they would have better luck finding a home for a dying cat than one that bites.  

My heart was hurting.  It still is.  I finally called the Humane Society today.  I know that there is a very good chance Rockstar will be put down.  I know this because he tries to bite nice people who come to our house. He is aggressive towards our vet.  We have to warn everyone that comes over not to touch him or they will most likely get a cat bite.  If I watch other peoples kids I usually have to lock him up.  I just won't chance it. 

I explained all this to the very nice lady on the phone.  I asked her what his chances were.  She, kindly, explained that they would give him time to warm up to several of their cat people.  That they understand that he will be upset and confused at first and that he will need to time to demonstrate if he will be adoptable or not.  She told me that there are good people working with the animals who want them to do well so they can be adopted out.  She assured me that if he was approved for adoption that it would be in his file that he was not to be placed with children.  

She also told me that if he proved to be mean and nasty and not adoptable that he wouldn't be alone with he was put down.  It hurts to think that it is a possibility but I am also very rational.  I know that he can't be allowed to run free biting anyone he wants.

It's harder than I thought it would be to let him go. 

But I know if we keep him the biting will happen again.  That is not something I want to happen.  So on Thursday we will be surrendering our handsome cat to the Humane Society.  I'm praying that he adapts quickly and will be able to be adopted to some nice person who doesn't mind a handful of a cat.  

I know I will feel relieved once he is gone and don't have to keep an eye on him at all times.  I know this needs to happen.  I just can't help but wish that things were different.  

And I really hope that Bullseye adapts well to being the only cat in the house.  I think he will as the kids all love him to bits.  Sigh.  Life is hard. 

Cadence's Birthday Videos and Pictures

Here are pictures of Cadence's Cake and us singing to her!  

We also have some video of her bowling (her activity of choice for her birthday!). 

Cadence is 7!

My oldest baby is 7! Time is going by much to fast.

Cadence wanted to spend her birthday with just family.  When I asked her if she wanted a party she told me that she just wanted to spend the day her family.  She said, "It doesn't matter if you get presents or not, just that you get to spend time with the people you love."  She is such a good kid.

So we spent the day together.  Cadence slept in and then we went bowling.  I made home made strawberry cake with vanilla frosting and it was super yummy.  She did get presents.  She has been asking for her own Minecraft account for a while (it's a computer game Brady plays...like Lego's on steroids on the computer). She also got a Furby and a big remote controlled HexBug from the grandparents.  She had an awesome day, despite Beckah getting bit by the cat and having to go to the ER that afternoon.

My computer is down or I would have new pictures of her for this post.  Once we get it running again I will put new ones up!

Happy Birthday to my Cady girl!  You are wonderful, sweet, responsible, and amazing!  I love how much you love to be with your sisters and brother.  Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter and here is to many more awesome birthdays!

Not having a working computer...

STINKS!  Big time.

It really annoys me that I can't work on pictures lately.  I had hoped to have it fixed by now, but there is always something more pressing to take care of these days.  I hope to have it fixed next pay check though.

Sigh.

Other than that we are doing well. Brady wasn't selected for retraining in December.  We were bummed but figured that God had other plans for us. Then Brady was asked if he wanted to deploy. We talked and decided that we were okay with that so Brady told them yes. There was some back and forth and we were told it was pretty sure that he was going. Then we find out a few days later that they aren't going to send him. Bummer but we started making other plans. Then they said yes he is! Okay, change of plans! Oh, wait actually no he isn't. Sigh. It was crazy there for a bit but it is official now that he isn't going and it's nice to know for sure.  He is planning on going back to school and finishing his degree now.  I'm excited for him to get going on that as I know it is something he really wants to do.

The kids are doing great!  Cadence is excelling at school as per usual.  She has aced all her spelling tests so far this year and all her teachers are impressed with her advanced reading and math skills.  She loves school and really misses it when she has to skip a day.  She is also in Piano lessons and is flying through the beginner books!  She loves her Piano teacher and we are looking into getting a real piano for the house so she doesn't have to keep playing on our cruddy keyboard.

Rory is really blooming at home this year.  She has started taking her role as a big sister very seriously and has been a big help to me around the house.  She was hoping that she would get to go to Kindergarten this coming year, but they moved the age cut off to July so she won't be old enough in time.  We did get her signed up for preschool screening in March and I am hoping that she will qualify and get a spot.  I normally don't do preschool, but Rory is ready for something school related and I think she will benefit from the structure and social interaction. She is also in a little gymnastics program and LOVES it.  She is learning all kinds of things and I am so impressed by what she can do after only a few months in the class!

Beckah is talking like crazy!  She learns new words everyday and is stringing together some pretty complex sentences these days.  She knows her colors and a few letters which is pretty awesome for a kid that isn't even two yet.  She is into everything, follows me everywhere, and wants to help with everything.  It can be exhausting, but then she smiles her silly little smile and I melt.  She is such a fire cracker.

And then there is Owen.  He is so sweet.  He has four teeth now and is almost sitting up on his own.  He loves his family.  He especially loves Brady and Cadence.  There is really nothing sweeter than watching Brady and Owen together.  It just melts my heart every single time.  Owen is having a hard time adjusting to a regular napping and bed time schedule and that is driving me a bit batty, but at the same time I am trying to cherish the last of these baby days.  He is growing up much to fast.

We are gearing up for back to back birthdays here soon, Cadence will be 7 in a couple of weeks and Beckah will be 2 in March.  It's crazy how fast time is flying!

I hope that 2013 is treating you all well!

Christmas in Las Vegas

We decided, somewhat last minute, to spend Christmas in Las Vegas this year.  I wasn't very excited about it at first.  I have had two years to spend at home on Christmas.  Growing up we never just stayed home.   There was always somewhere we had to be and it HAD to be on Christmas day.  No other day would do. I didn't realize how bad it stunk to get up, rush through presents so we could have time to get ready and be at a relative's house until I didn't "have" to do it. 

The last two years have been liberating! No one to see, no where to be.  Just wake up, open presents, hang around in our PJ's playing with all our new stuff.  Maybe go to a friends for dinner or have some friends over for dinner. It's awesome.  So when Brady started asking me if we would have the money to visit Vegas for Christmas this year I wasn't very excited.  I really didn't want to give up my peaceful Christmas. But I gave in.  It was a good year to go as my siblings would all be together this year for Christmas so I would get to see all of them. We had the room in the budget if I cut back in other places and, probably most importantly, it was important to Brady that we go.  He rarely asks for us to do things like that and then follow up with me on it so I knew we needed to make it happen. 

So, we drove a total of four days in our van, two to get to Vegas and then two get home, in some of the worst driving conditions we have ever had to drive through. The worst we had to deal with kid wise was Rory getting altitude sickness twice (once on the way there and once on the way back).  I had planned for that possibility though so it wasn't much more than a blip on the radar.  A gross blip but compared to watching other drivers lose control and fishtail into a ditch, seeing Semi trucks jack-knife on an icy road and driving up and then DOWN the mountains through Vail, Colorado while it was snowing on top of more snow and ice...well I can honestly say that barf was a welcome distraction.  My kids were so good on the drive.  Even the 5 month old did extremely well with only a couple of crying jags that lasted only a few minutes each.  I still need to write a thank you note to Fed-Ex.  At one point I was driving through a small blizzard.  I couldn't seen more than 20 feet in any direction.  The snow blowing all over the road made it impossible to see what lane I was in or even where the road ended.  The road "felt" good under my tires (those of you who drive in snow will know what I mean) but visibility was no where near good.  Brady and I discussed just pulling off at the next exit with lodging and calling it a night. I was driving very slow, probably 25 to 35 miles an hour, when I was passed by a Fed-Ex Ground truck.  I could clearly see his red tail lights ahead of me and I told Brady that I was just going to follow the truck.  The truck driver could somehow see and was keeping a stead pace (55ish).  I felt myself relax as I followed his tail lights.  We followed that truck for an hour and a half when the snow let up and the roads became clear and I was able to pick up our pace. I am very thankful for that truck.  

Our trip home was great all in all and a great way to end 2012.  It was wonderful to see so much of our family.  We were planning on staying in our old house while we were there.  Of course once we got to my mom's house Cadence and Rory were begging to stay there with their cousins and I gave in.  My mom and dad were awesome and went and picked up the stuff they had put at our old house (air mattresses and blankets and all that) and we made our beds on the living room floor with the two big girls on the couch.  Beckah's pack'n'play was tucked neatly in the back bedroom with my brother's boys since she needed to go to bed earlier than almost everyone else.  Bless my kids and their ability to sleep.  They did very well despite all the people crammed into my parents house.  And by crammed I mean a total of 18 people (9 adults and 9 children).  It was crazy...and crazy fun if I am being totally honest.  The first morning my niece and nephews woke up early and pretty much stood in a semi-circle around the front of the couch where Cadence was sleeping waiting for her to wake up.  They were whispering things like, "We are going to have so much fun!" "When Cady wakes up we should totally play that one game." "When is Cady going to wake up so we can play??" It's so funny to me that they were all waiting on her to get the fun going.

It's hard to believe how much all the kids have grown.  Kids who were barely talking the last time I saw them are now little giants who almost have more extensive vocabularies than I do. Cadence is the oldest at 6. Avery just turned 5 and has to be the queen of "Why?" Tyson is 4 but looks 10 (seriously that boy is so TALL). My sweet little Rory is 4 going on 14.  Deceptively quiet Aidric is too smart to only be 4. Then there are the little ones. Sweet Liam who is only 2 but he talks so clearly now he seems older. Gage (aka Gah-jay the Destroyer...long story on that one lol) is 23 months now and never stops moving/climbing/getting into trouble. Beckah is 22 months and thinks she is a big girl and should do all the things the big girls do. And sweet little Owen on the end who was darling and cuddly with everyone our entire trip.   My parents house was a mad house on a good day.

It was excellent to see all the siblings, mine and Brady's.  Only one family was missing and we are sad we couldn't see them, but the kids got to Skype with Saylor and Paisley which was awesome.  Thank you technology! I didn't realize how much I missed everyone until I got to see them in person.  I missed our families so much.  Brady and I are so blessed really.   The more I get to know my siblings as adults the more I love and admire them.  They are such amazing people who are raising amazing children and I am so proud to call them my family.

When we were planning our trip I thought we were spending a long time down there but it felt like no time at all.  Because Brady and I both grew up there, both our parents and grandparents are there, all our friends are there, there was so many people we wanted to see.  It wasn't possible to see them all and I am grateful for those who came all the way out to see us once we were there.  I am thankful to my parents and in-laws for letting crash with them and spend quality time with people.  It means so much that so many people miss us as much as we miss them.  And to those of you we didn't get to see I hope we get to see you next time.  

I got to take a lot of pictures of people while we were there.  I was able to shoot a wedding for some family friends (something I only do in unique circumstances as wedding photography isn't really my cup of tea).  It was a beautiful day for a lovely couple and I feel lucky that the timing was right for me to take their pictures.  I was also able to take pictures of my siblings and their families while we were there.  I took so many pictures that I didn't have any memory card space for pictures on Christmas day!  My siblings took some pictures for me though and I am grateful for that. I will post some pictures once I get through editing all of them.  It could take a while!  There were so many!

Christmas day was crazy but good.  We managed to convince all the kids to go to bed in my sister's room so that Santa could come.  And boy did Santa come!  The living room was full to bursting!  We got to see my both my grandmas, a ton of my cousins from both sides and Brady's grandma and cousin's too.  There was even time for me to sneak out with my sisters, sister-in-law and mom to see Les Mis!  The trip was stressful and crazy but in the end I wouldn't take it back even if I could. I was reminded of all my fond memories of traveling to see my cousins in Utah during Christmas break.  Sleeping on the floor or the couch or where ever there was room. Staying up late chatting and laughing about silly things and spending long days playing silly games.  Preparing and eating yummy food with people we love.  I cherish those memories now as an adult when work, families of our own, and distance make getting together so difficult now. I am glad that my kids will have similar memories and that even through the distance they look forward to spending time with their cousins.  

Brady and I have decided that from now on those memories will have to built during the summer though.  Unless we have the money to fly home.  Driving during the winter was just scary and we don't want to do that again.  Ever.  We were very blessed and felt the Lord watching over us, but the risks we took are ones we don't ever want to take again. Not when we can drive risk free in the summer months.  

So that was our Christmas trip in a nutshell.  I hope that you all had a great Christmas and New Years and that 2013 brings wonderful things for everyone!

Owen Four Month Stats

We had our 4 month well check yesterday!  Owen is perfectly healthy and growing very well.  He was 16lbs and 27 inches.  The doctor we saw was a new resident again, but this time around when I said Owen was my 4th baby he didn't bother going through the whole "you can tell I have never done this before" thing.  Instead he just asked me if I had any concerns and then let us go.  It was GREAT!

So happy for a healthy boy!