She Scared Us

 

A couple of nights ago, Aqua scared us a bit. It was a hot day. Even with the widow air conditioners and the swamp cooler going, the house was warmer than I would have liked. Chad and I took Sophie for a walk as part of our daily exercise. When we returned, he decided to take the other dogs around the block. A little while after he got back with Aqua, she came into our room panting heavily, drooling, and whimpering. We thought maybe she got hurt on the walk. She has had issues with her paws on the back porch in the past. He took her after dark, but we didn't think of checking the temperature of the sidewalk especially since the other dogs didn't have a problem. As we observed her more closely on the bed, we realized she was overheating. I sent the kids to get the frozen meatballs (we keep them on hand in the summer to help the dogs keep cool). She seemed too disoriented to even know we were holding it in front of her. Then, we all got more scared. I laid next to her on the bed to try to keep her calm. Sean and Noel turned on the shower, and Chad tried to lead Aqua to the bathroom. She wouldn't budge and seemed to be getting worse. Then, he grabbed a towel, through it across the room to the kids, and told them to bring him a cold towel. Sean came back with a cold, wet towel and tried to cool down her paws knowing it is center for temperature regulation for dogs. When that wasn't working fast enough, Noel soaked the towel even more and draped it over her head and neck. Her breathing started to clow quickly and the drooling dissipated almost right away. A few minutes later, Chad went back to the kitchen to get the meatballs. When Aqua heard the freezer open, she shook off the towel and ran to him. Our girl was better! 

I don't know how to prevent this completely in the future. I will be giving the dogs meatballs periodically the rest of the summer when it is close to 100F. Chad will wait until later to take her for walks knowing she is more sensitive to the heat than the other dogs. If she starts acting disoriented, we will get her in a cold shower before she starts whimpering. Hopefully, these things will help her. (For anyone wondering, the water was full of cool water, and she drank some of it after the meatball.)

Easter 2025

This morning, I woke up with this hymn on my mind. This is the hymn that my dear friend sang with me at my mom's and brother's funeral. That sweet friend had never heard it before but willingly learned it for me (a service I could never repay). I told my husband that I was sad we so rarely sang it in church anymore. Then, one of the speakers incorporated into her talk. After that, as if he knew how badly I needed it, the bishop made an impromptu change in the program and had the congregation stand and sing this very special hymn. I stood listening to everyone sing as I cried in Chad's arms. I am so thankful to know that because of Christ, I will be with my family again. He lives! He made the ultimate sacrifice for us! He comforts me when I need Him the most! 

My Easter celebration was more difficult this year than I expected. I think my cousin's death has hit me harder than I thought it would and continually throws me in the a spiral of grief over my mom and brother. Somehow, today I felt it so strong. The only thing that pulled me out of it was celebrating Easter with my kids. I love my kids, and I am so grateful that they still let me spoil them in this way. 

Bowling with the Family

In the past, we had a tradition of going to a movie as a family for New Year's Day. It has had to change here and there for a few reasons. This year, it looked different because we couldn't all agree on a movie. Instead, we chose to go bowling. Since Eric and Noel both had to work on the 1st, we chose to go New Year's Eve. I don't know if everyone had fun, but I do know that I love any chance I get to be with all of my kids. I hope they never feel too old to hang out with Mom. 

Christmas Day 2024

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 

A Day of Celebration 

Today was a great day full of smiles and gratitude and fun. My oldest came over at 8am. The others stayed in their rooms until he got there so they would all experience the magic at the same time. This is what the saw as they walked into the living room.

They were all happy and excited as they went through their stockings and opened gifts. 

Then, we went to Starbucks for peppermint hot chocolate and goodies, made a ham dinner, and just enjoyed each other's company. 

I am thankful for this wonderful day to celebrate the Savior's birthday and spend time with family. I love this day, and I love this family of mine!

Snow - Finally!

 

It has been snowing off and on for a few days. Today, it started coming down a lot. When Noel got off work, she was scared to drive home. Luckily, I work from home and was able to take Chad's car to pick her up. Later, Sean did his weekly trip to the corner store for snacks and said that his foot prints were almost gone when he was walking home (he chose to walk). About 30 minutes ago the dogs went out quickly, and Sophie had snow stuck to the belly of her sweater when they came in. They say we will continue to get snow through the night. Thankfully, we live north of the metro area and will not be getting as much snow as the south side. Tomorrow morning, Chad will take Noel to work before he goes, and I'll either take her a car in the middle of the day if the roads are clear or pick her up when she's off. The snow could be worse, but Sean and Noel don't have much experience driving in it. 

21 Already!

 

My precious Sean turned 21 today! It seems like just yesterday he was climbing on my lap with "blankie" and "arrr" (his security blankets) and a sippy cup. He still love to give me hugs even though he can't climb on my lap anymore. I can't wait to see what the future hold for this boy. I love him more than words can describe. 

Day at the Beach

 

Friday, was a good day. We started at the beach and light house in South Haven. I was obviously more excited to be there than the kids, but I expected that because I'm the one that grew up going there periodically. We lakes down the pier to the lighthouse first and took pictures (a must when in South Haven). Then, we walked over to the shore, waded in the water, and played in the sand as we waited for my cousin, Sherry and her husband. 

Then, we went to a tavern for lunch with Sherry before walking around to the shops.

This was followed by another trip to Sherman's Ice Cream where we met up with my cousin, Clint, and his family. Then, we went to Kids Corner (a well known playground out there) and walked back over to the lake.

 At this point, it was finally time to go swimming. I took the kids back to our hotel (only 10 minutes away), left Sean there (at his request), and took Noel back to the lake. We swam and jumped into and over the waves for about an hour before heading back to shore to make dinner plans as Noel and Clint's girls played in the sand and weather a bit more. Then, I went back to the hotel room to shower and change before heading to dinner. 

We met at a brew pub by the harbor for one last meal before going our separate ways. 

I am very thankful to have had this day with my cousins making new memories. It was the best day of the entire trip!

Our Second Destination

Last night we made it to our second destination (the third being home). We are officially in South Haven, MI, and I could be more happy. I thought I would not be back after my grandpa's funeral, but I made it a priority and found a way. 

We dribble about 6 hours from where we were in Illinois to our hotel. I drove the first half and Noel the second half (Sean didn't want to drive). She did both state line crossings in rush hour/vacationer traffic. (We were close the residual traffic from Chicago and drove past a few resort town.) 

I am so happy to be here. It feels like I'm finally home!

Illinois/Michigan Vacation:Day 1

This year, we planned a big trip (for us). The plan was to have a "cousin reunion" in South Haven, Michigan, where we grew up going for family gatherings with my dad's family. (We haven't seen each other, for the most part, since my grandparents passed away.) As time went on, plans had to change here and there. Eric was not able to get the time off, so he couldn't join. Chad had to have surgery and no longer had paid time off, so he had to stay home. Most importantly, my cousin, Kara, the cousin I was always most connected to as a kid, developed significant health problems and is unable to travel. So we pivoted. Eric stayed at his home, Chad stayed at ours, and the rest of us planned a two stop trip: one stop in Illinois, and one in Michigan. 

Our first leg of the trip started yesterday. Sean, Noel, and I set off to Illinois early in the morning and arrived at about 10pm local time. 

It was a long ride, and we took pictures of each state crossing as we drove (it was the job of the person in the passenger seat).

Today, we will go to my aunt and uncle's house to swim and spend time with them and cousins. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to be able to have lunch before heading up to our second stop, Michigan. 

Recreation Photos

I love pictures that recreate past pictures. When Eric was a senior, I really wanted to recreate a kindergarten graduation picture with his best friend from that time period. We talked about it for months, and I worried we wouldn’t be able to do it because of COVID. Thankfully, his school was able to figure out how to do graduation at a drive-in and we were able to do it. 

For Sean, we were able to recreate his eight grade graduation picture with is favorite teacher. 

When it came to Noel, only one picture came to mind when I thought of doing this. It doesn’t include anyone else which is good because she changed schools in high school. She fought me a bit on it but agreed that it looked great when she saw the result. 

I love that even when they think my plans are weird or stupid, my kids indulge me in things like this. And in case you’re wondering, they are in frames with their senior pictures. 

50 Years of Pomona

 

My high school had a 50th anniversary carnival today, and I brought Sean along for the fun. There were a bunch of booth seeking things, a few food trucks, a car show, and an open house in the school. It was fun looking at the cars while joking with Sean about some of the more unique designs. I loved walking around the school and showing Sean where I went to school. I ran into some of my good friends and enjoyed catching up with them, as well. We also had ice cream, and I bought a yearbook from my senior year since the dog ate it mine a few years ago. 

I was glad I went and was able to share it with one of my kids. There is something special about doing things like this with the people I love.