Sonoma County Fair

Nanny and I took the kids to the fair on opening day.

Both kids were great. Bryce enjoyed seeing all the animals and Faith was content to sit in the stroller the whole time. There was a neat kids' area where they had all sorts of reptiles on display. Bryce even got to touch a giant tortoise, some type of lizard and a snake. He thought that was great.

It was the least expensive fair trip I've ever taken. It cost $9 for admission, we packed a lunch, and got free Clover ice cream cones. We intended to buy treats, but the ice cream was enough, and I didn't find anything for sale in the pavilion that I couldn't live without.

When we got back, Faith was so tired that she fell asleep in Nanny's arms.

Faith 9 Months

Faith is crawling all over the place. She is also pulling herself up on furniture and walking with her little push toy. She has even mastered crawling up stairs. She is very dangerous and I can't turn my back on her for a moment.

Her top gums are very swollen, and have been for over a week. The top four teeth should be coming through any day. She has been in pain and fussy on an off as a result.

She has been sick twice this past month. The first time I ended up taking her to the doctor because she had a high fever for over three days with no other symptoms. The doctor said one of her eyes was red. It was the start of the 3 day 4th of July weekend, so rather than take a wait and see approach, they put her her on antibiotics. This was the first time she has been on antibiotics. Later in the month she was sick again with a fever and runny nose. Because of being sick and staying at Nanny and Pawka's house, she was waking up 2 - 3 times a night and getting up for the day around 6 instead of 7.

She is starting to eat a wider variety of foods, including beans (a favorite), peaches, cheese, bread, peas, broccoli, yogurt, oatmeal, chicken, enchilada casserole, spaghetti, and mac n' cheese. She is eating three meals a day. She still nurses when she wakes up at night, and before or after each nap, and before bed. Sometimes she nurses other times of the day as well.

At her 9 month check she weighed 16 pounds 11 oz, and was 27.5 inches. She has dropped way down in the percentile for weight.

Pawka's last days and the weeks following his death

I am so thankful that we were able to share some wonderful moments with my dad prior to his death.

When we knew that his death was approaching quickly, we decided it was time for him to tell Trey that he was going to heaven soon. Trey has never been good at showing emotion, but when Pawka gave him his cross he buried his head into Nanny and the tears came.

The little ones helped Nanny to bathe Pawka. I hope this picture helps them to remember how much they loved and cared for their Pawka.

The church's Praise Team came over and Pastor D led us in a number or songs, one Ancient Days was played at the memorial service at Pawka's request. It was a beautiful, powerful time of worship and sorrow.

On July 3rd, my mom, Nathan and I told Bryce that Pawka was not going to get better. We explained the best we could that he was going to go to heaven soon to be with Jesus. At the time, we didn't realize how soon. I'm very thankful we prepared Bryce as much as possible before his death.

Betty Lou's birthday is July 3rd, so on the 4th, after the Mortuary took Pawka's body away, we celebrated. We knew Dad would want us to, and the kids were looking forward to cake and ice cream.

The week after Pawka died was very difficult to say the least. Juli and the kids stayed for the week in order for us all to be together and to help with the arrangements for his cremation and memorial service. It was a crowded house, as Nathan and I and the kids were also staying with Nanny. In order to try and give the kids some normalcy, we spent a morning playing mini-golf and having Mary's Pizza for lunch. This helped to brighten everyone's spirits and was a much needed break for us from all the service preparations.

Following Dad's memorial service family and friends came over to continue celebrating his life. Thank God for such a wonderful group of people.

We tried as much as possible to have a bit of normalcy for us and for the kids. Our friends and family surrounded us and spent a lot of time at the house with us. There are various pictures of our "new normal."

Bryce 3 Years Old

It is hard to imagine that my baby boy is now three years old. Where does the time go?

At his 3 year appointment he weighed 32.5 pounds and was 39 inches tall.

We were so thrilled that Pawka was still with us to celebrate Bryce's birthday. What a blessing.