Yosemite

We spent August 3rd - 8th with the Husen's. They rented a wonderful house in Pine Mountain Lake. We were spoiled and got the master bedroom since we needed the most room in order to accommodate Faith's crib and Bryce's sleeping bag. The room had a very tall bed and when you looked at the window from this vantage point you could see the lake and the hills across from the lake - so beautiful.

Unfortunately Justin wasn't able to go down for the first part of the week so Emily and Mason rode down with us. We took a detour to the town of Muphys to visit Ironstone Winery. The grounds there are beautiful and the wine is good. For such a long drive, the kids did surprisingly well.

The second day was spent at the lake. There was a wonderful swim area with a giant floating trampoline. The guys and kids had a great time with this. Bryce was fearless and loved jumping off into the water. Faith finally fell asleep in Nathan's arms.

The following day we drove to Yosemite. We were about 40 minutes from the park gate and about an hour and a half from the valley floor where the visitor center is located. After crowding on a few different buses and a stop at the visitor center, we decided that we would hike up to Mirror Lake. The hike itself was only about 2 miles roundtrip. However, rather than have to deal with multiple buses we walked another mile or so to a place where only one bus ride was required in order to get back to our car. The buses were an issue because they made us take the kids out of the strollers and collapse and store them up front - what a pain.

When we woke the following day it was raining. We had intended to spend the whole day at the lake, but instead spent most of the day at the house lounging around. Justin arrived mid morning, and after naps the weather had cleared enough so we went to a playground and to a fishing pier. Gramps and Nathan each caught a tiny little fish. The boys thought the fish were great.

On Friday we headed back to Yosemite. The drive was extremely long. We had to make a few stops just shortly after entering the park because Hannah's friend Brooke got car sick. Then we got stuck for 30 minutes waiting on construction. When we finally got up to the Sentinel Dome trail head it was time for lunch. We ate at the trucks and then started our hike. The hike was only about a mile up, but it was steep. I carried Faith in the pack the whole time. Bryce and Mason were troopers and hiked a lot on their own, but when they got tired Nathan and Justin carried them. The view from the top was amazing. You had a 360 degree view and could see falls, half dome, the valley floor and the mountains in the distance. It was majestic. At the top of Sentinel Dome is the Joshua tree made famous by an Ansel Adams photo. That evening we took a quick trip down to the lake. Gramps, Nathan, Justin and the little boys took a quick swim.

Each night people took turns cooking dinner. We had some excellent meals. Once the kids went to bed us adults enjoyed ourselves by playing games, talking, watching movies, and enjoying wine and other yummy drinks.

Nathan, the kids and I packed up Saturday morning and headed home. The rest of the group didn't leave until later that afternoon and Sunday morning. However, we felt we needed to get home since we would be moving back to our own house after being at Nanny's for almost two months. We knew there would be lots of packing and unpacking and organizing to do.

Thanks to Grammy and Gramps for a wonderful trip!

Bryce 3 Years 1 Month

Bryce has become quite the swimmer over the last couple of months. He is able to doggie paddle for a very long time, do "big arms" (breast stroke) across the pool, take breathes, jump and swim the the ladder, float on his back, and with a little assistance, dive for rings. He has been taking twice weekly swim lessons at the YMCA for the past three months. Next session he will move up to the next level.

He is continuing to nap very sporadically. On average he probably naps 3 times a week. This makes planning very difficult. When he naps, he stays up until 8 or 8:30, however when he doesn't he is cranky so he goes to bed at 7 or 7:30. Sometimes, regardless if he has taken a nap or not, it takes him over an hour to finally fall asleep at night. I feel like he is getting overly tired, but can't shut his mind down enough to let himself fall asleep. The doctor said we are already doing everything we can to help him relax - a bedtime routine of stories, a blessing and prayer, lots of exercise during the day, including swimming which is supposed to help, and not giving him candy or other sweets or caffeine.

His behavior has been up and down. We have been trying to let some things slide, not knowing how much is attributed to loosing Pawka and having his life in an upheaval. Most days he is really sweet, but sometimes he just gets in these awful mood where nothing you say or do pulls him out. He yells, tries to hit, and sometimes tells me "bad mommy" a wonderful saying he learned from Mandy. He knows that bad behavior has bad consequences (time outs, toys being taken, not getting to do fun things like go to the park, etc.) and that he gets good things when he behaves well. Even knowing these things he has still been acting out quite a bit.

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.