Five Months of Catch Up

Our computer has been having some issues so I haven't posted in months and months.  It would take 20 minutes to load one picture- who has that kind of time??  Everything is all fixed and now it's time to play catch up!

March- We went to Canada to see Taylee and my very first professional hockey game (Taylee and I share a lot of firsts). It was amazing. Stan’s parents had gotten amazing seats. Their seats were right behind the Detroit bench and our seats were five rows back and just right of center ice. Before the game we went hockey shopping which is something that is basically synonymous with going to Canada. This time however, Taylee and I bought stuff for us. Taylee and I each got a Flames hat.Taylee got a pink Flames jersey. I got a Flames shirt. I bought Taylee a horn but didn’t teach her that it was a horn until after the game (had the people in front of us known that they would have kissed me). Instead she just used it as a megaphone while I made sure she didn’t hit anybody in the head with it. We were ready to go the Flames game. Taylee looked adorable (can’t believe I forgot my camera). During the game we all cheered loudly for the Red Wings (yes we were wearing Flames gear but that’s because it came in pink and the Wings stuff didn’t). The game didn’t start until 8, which is usually bedtime so Taylee got to drink a large coke-not something I would repeat unless completely desperate. She’s normally a loud-constant-talker. On caffeine she is unbelievably able to kick both those qualities up about 100 notches (maybe the people in front of us wouldn’t have kissed me). Detroit won, it was a great game and a great experience for all of us.

I can't believe I forgot my camera for this trip.  Not at the actual game (obviously), but this was her outfit.

April- April went so quickly. I’m trying to remember what happened. Taylee had a pre-K program I was able to go to thanks to one of my co-workers taking over my class. She recited a nursery rhyme. She knew it very well, but was kind of nervous with all the people watching her. She said it perfectly, but didn’t act it out like she had been practicing at home. I have to say, I was surprised at the stage-fright.

We dyed Easter eggs at home this year. None of us are big on boiled eggs so we only colored 8. It was pretty low-key. The Easter Bunny brought Taylee a karaoke microphone that she can hook her MP3 player up to and sing along. She was so excited. Eventually, I would like to sign her up for singing lessons. Right now (July) she is taking guitar lessons and is progressing very well. She’s very musical.

Near the end of April (April 17 to be exact) we were on our way back up to Stan’s parents’ house in Canada. Stan and I had talked about the possibility of getting another dog sometime. I’ve learned over the last fourteen years that “sometime” to me means yesterday as soon as I woke up and “sometime” to Stan means before he dies at the age of 240. I think Stan has learned that too. We had talked about getting a boxer. They are such beautiful, loyal dogs. But they are also big- 65 pounds. Bella weighs 17 pounds and she is perfect so we wanted a small boxer mix. When I found this little girl I knew she was the one. She is half boxer, half jack-russell/golden Labrador mix. Right now (July) she is 27 pounds and hopefully just going to fill out. I found her on petfinder.com. She and her two sisters and mom were found roadside in Cabo, Mexico and taken to the shelter there. The shelter they were taken to is affiliated with a rescue organization (Pawsitive Match) in Calgary, Alberta. In order to adopt a puppy from Pawsitive Match you have to complete several essay questions about your life, love, and philosophy. It was very similar to the questionnaire I filled as a reference for my friend who is adopting a human child. When we got the call that we were accepted, Taylee and I jumped up and down like crazy. We were so, so excited. All three of us had brainstormed names for our new puppy. Names like Rose, Tulip, Kate, AnnaBeth, Lucy, and Janey were thrown around. In the end Stan decided he like Kami the best. Taylee had her heart set on naming the puppy AnnaBeth after the heroine in a movie she had just watched. She settled for AnnaBeth being the middle name. We bought a kennel, food, collar, and even a tag so were completely ready to meet Kami AnnaBeth. Once we got there we couldn’t decide which one was Kami. Our test was to put the puppies down and see which one came to her name. The first one we put down was a very cute little girl with light brown fur and a completely black muzzle. As soon as we put her down she ran away to play with the other dogs. The second puppy we put down was also very cute, but was so extremely skinny. She was all red except for a small patch of white on her chest. As soon as we put her down she followed Taylee around everywhere. So she became Kami. She was so well-behaved as we went to the nursing homes to visit Stan’s grandparents before heading out of town. She slept most of the trip home and Bella really paid no attention to her. That first week we had her she wouldn’t eat or drink much, but when she did she immediately had diarrhea. I had made a vet appointment as soon as I could, but that meant a four-day wait because of uncompromising work schedules for both Stan and me. We found out that Kami had girardia and was very weak and unhealthy. Thankfully the cure was simple and fast. As soon as that was taken care of we noticed she was scratching constantly and was losing bits of hair. So back to the vet she went. The diagnosis was skin mites and a bacterial skin infection. She was given medication for both which lasted about a month. Now she is healthy, happy, and hyper and we are all so glad she is part of our family.

O my gosh-the Easter Bunny brought me a microphone!

Putting the microphone to use right from the start.

Easter at Grandma Carol's

Our new family (minus the lab who snuck in the picture)

Could any puppy be cuter?

Bella's not so certain.

But look at that! Ahhh

May- May started out with me running in the Lilac Bloomsday. This was by far my favorite run ever (out of 3 total). I loved it. There were a ton of people, beautiful scenery, and different bands playing every couple of miles. I ran it, walked over and got my t-shirt, and then ran the six blocks up to catch the bus, and went back to the hotel to see my family and shower before heading back home. Why was my family back at the hotel? Well, over 50K people sign up to run in the Bloomsday. There was no way to find parking and Stan didn’t know the route well enough to stake some place out. This is what he explained to me the night before. I was slightly disheartened, “But who’s going to cheer me on and take pictures” “We’ll take a picture of you on the treadmill, mom. We’re going swimming.” And that was that. It did work out perfectly and hopefully next year I will be going with a friend and my family can support me from the comfort of their home.

Taylee played a few soccer games in May that had carried over from April. She is playing fairly well, but recognizes that she is not the best person on the team. She told me her goal is to get the ball to Ruby or Loginn because she knows they will score. She will be playing again in September so stay tuned.

Taylee also signed up for kindergarten! She is getting so big. I really look forward to having her in the same school as me next year.

Near the end of the month Taylee had her jazz recital.  Jazz is her favorite so far and she is so good at it (so dramatic, so jazzy).  Unfortunately the studio she had been going to closed so we are going to have to try out something new this Fall.

The rest of the month was taken up by getting ready for the end of the best school year ever. I had no idea teaching could be like that. I’m switching rooms again so had to completely clean out my room which is a lot of work (not even close to as much work as last year). My dad and Carol came over and helped me so much. I am so thankful for their help. Next year I’m on track to teach 5th grade again. The only difference is that I will only teach Math and Science. I’m excited to see how next year will go.

Getting back to the hotel (I was too tired to go the treadmill)

Taylee and Abbie-finally on the same team-and o yeah, Taylee still wears a skirt every time

Talking with the principal, Mrs. Johnson

A little excited!

Such a grown-up costume this year.

Kami gets a little bigger

She wants to do everything Bella does.

June-June is my favorite month. It’s like a Friday night of a long weekend. School got out on Friday, June 4th at 2:30. Taylee and I had a train to catch at 5:22 for our big trip to Seattle. Our trip could not have been more perfect. We bought a CityPass and were able to do everything on that and more. Even more importantly, we spent a lot of time with our good friends Giana and Tom. Taylee calls them her fairy god-parents. They are definitely a very significant part of our lives. We had picnics, went rollerblading, went up in the Space Needle, went to parks, fed pigs, went running, fed giraffes, rode on roller-coasters, watched movies, had gourmet food every night, rode ponies, had a lake tour, pet a sea anemone, sat in the hot-tub, drank smoothies, had facials, ate sushi, and played with two very lovable dogs. Best vacation ever. It was missing something though-Stan. Stan was not able to make it to Seattle with us this year, but hopefully next year it will be the whole family.

The end of the month Taylee and I joined our friends Becky and Daityn to see the Augusta rodeo. It was hot and fun. The girls are hilarious together. They were getting paid to spray people with a spray bottle.

Starting off our train ride- not feeling so bright-eyed 18 hours later.

Aquarium petting zoo

Taylee could not take enough pictures of the meerkats.  We took home a stuffed one she immediately named Violet.

Our one rainy day in Seattle and it was actually just the morning that was rainy

One of my favorite animals.  This is Chokey the giraffe.

Space Needle

Best park ever

Giana and Taylee take a turn- for some reason Giana wearing a skirt (too much time around Taylee?)

We wanted another turn--Oh look I'm wearing a skirt too.  Taylee's contagious.

You can tell Tom is a good sport.  You should have seen his face when Taylee was trying to run on this while it was spinning.

Remlinger Farms-an unexpected great time!

Only one arm up Tom?  Tom's not as brave as Taylee. 

We only have one arm up because we barely fit in there as it is.

More fun at the farm.

Hee Hee.  Taylee was actually more upset about this then Tom.

Taylee on Apple-still at the farm

Our first professional baseball game.  Go Mariners!  Oh..too bad (it was kind of a blowout by the Angels)

Butterfly House at the Science Center

I'm on the keyboard, Taylee's on drums (Experience Music Project)

Taylee and Daityn at the rodeo

The dogs are happy to have me back.

July- July was a BIG month for Taylee. In a week’s time she learned to ride her bike with no training wheels, tie and double-knot her shoes, and swim the front-stroke- turning her head to breathe out the side- across the pool. July began as a series of packing and unpacking. Our first trip was our annual 4th of July camping trip with friends to Glacier. Everything was packed and ready except the camp chairs and tent. And then…no tent. It’s gone. We have no idea where our tent is. So I started unpacking. Luckily for us we have some amazing friends who each called people they knew to find us a tent. In the end we wound up with the perfect tent for the weekend. It turned out to be a cold, but wonderful weekend.

While we were in Glacier we got the devastating news that Stan’s Grandma Lucille had died. As soon as we got back from camping we unpacked and packed for the trip to High River, Alberta for Grandma Lucille’s funeral. The day we left Stan had to go into work to finish some things up, even though he had started vomiting about 3 a.m. I packed for everyone and drove up while poor Stan tried to recline the passenger seat in a comfortable position. Thankfully it turned out to be a 24-hour bug (food poisoning?) and no one else caught it and Stan was better the next day. Our time in Canada was a big family bonding time and Taylee got to play with cousins she rarely sees. It was a bittersweet trip.

As soon as we got back from Canada we quickly unpacked and repacked for Missoula where I was to run a half-marathon I was not at all prepared to run. In all the packing/unpacking chaos I forgot my knee brace. My knee started hurting around mile 5. I could barely walk on it after the race and considered going to the doctor the next day. I ended up not going to the doctor and my knee healed up just fine on its own in a couple of days. Other than that, the run was beautiful. So much of the run was right along the river next to the national forest and the end of the race was through tree-lined neighborhoods where people had sprinklers and hoses on to spray us, some were playing music, some had some funny/nice/inspirational signs, and everyone was cheering. It was a rewarding race.

After returning from Missoula my friend, Becky, in Conrad called to ask if it would be possible if I could watch her daughter, Daityn, for a couple of days. So, time to unpack and pack for Conrad. Along with her full-time employment, Becky also runs the swimming pool in Conrad. It’s a great pool-huge-swimming lanes, diving area, and shallow area that is only about 2 feet. Taylee and Daityn had a great time in the pool, at the library, practicing bike riding, picnics, and lots of play time.

Finally home to catch up on an unbelievable mountain of laundry. It was just about time to start buying new clothes so we could wear clean ones.

We finished up the month with Taylee learning all of her new skills and getting bumped up a level in swimming to Level 2 Advanced. We also had a picnic and went to the pet-and doll parade with the Virtses and finally playing with her friend Claire and a sleep-over and Grandma Carol’s and Grandpa Jim’s.

We love summer and I can’t believe how quickly it is winding down. In less than a month Taylee will be a kindergartner!

It looks like daytime, but it is pitch black--that's why anyone who moved is a little blurry.  Super slow shutter time.

Claire and Taylee rush outside before it starts raining again.

 

Nobody here but us humans

Bella snuggles with Taylee-probably to protect her from the scary fireworks.

Taylee, Stan, and me

Kami hit a bit of a growth spurt

Taylee and her cousins:  Shyanne, Brantly, Riley, Taylee, Savannah, and Ethan

I'm the one going FAST :-)

Bike-riding training.  I missed all the drama and BELIEVE me---there was DRAMA

Doesne't everyone ride their bike in a zebra print dress?