Prime Numbers Week!

Chickie turned 7 on Monday, and yesterday The Engineer and I celebrated 13 years of marriage! I guess that means it's Prime Numbers Week in our house! (If the kids were a little older, maybe I'd even incorporate that into our homeschool curriculum....)

The Engineer is awesome. He's kind and holds firmly to his beliefs. He is a man of integrity. He works really hard and he's really smart. And call me crazy, but I love the flecks of gray in his beard! He definitely makes "growing older" look good. He's my guy, and I love partnering with him in this life.

Photo by Whitney Runyan Photography.

And with this beautiful cross pendant and gorgeous roses, he did good this year! (Much better than I. I didn't even manage to get him a card, and I ordered him a gift that won't be here for weeks! Oops.)

 

What a prime family I have! I'm blessed beyond measure.

Update on big life stuff

A couple of months ago, I blogged about big life changes. I'm happy that I have good updates to share!

My dad had surgery for his prostate cancer 2 1/2 weeks ago. My sister Becki and I were able to go to Arizona for the surgery. He's had some complications in his recovery but is doing better and better. When they checked out the prostate after removing it, they found the cancer was more aggressive than the biopsy had shown. But because they found it very early, they were able to get it all with surgery. No radiation, no chemo. He should still live another four decades or so. (He's 61 now. I'm thinking positively here!) We are so, so, so glad that this was found early and that they handled it aggressive treatment. We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!


Not bad for one day post-surgery, eh?


I also shared in my previous post that our church decided to disband. We checked out several churches, and we found one in our area that we really like. That "in our area" caveat is an important one. Ever since moving to the metropolitan area where we've lived for 12 years, we'd had to drive a pretty good distance to church. That gets old. So to find a church close to home is fantastic. And it's a church that isn't "churchy," if that makes sense. It's casual. It's full of people with very imperfect lives. Well, every church is full of imperfection, but at this place, we're made to feel that we can be honest about that, instead of hiding it. That's pretty cool. I'm going to start working in their children's ministry, so I'm looking forward to that. We think this is the place for us.

Life is good. God is good.

A week full of changes

Last week was crazy.

Monday I got bad news about a friend who is making some really poor choices. I can't go into more detail than that, but I'm still trying to figure out how to respond.

As I was still mulling over that, I got a call on Tuesday evening from my mom.

"I'm going to tell you something that's going to be hard to hear," she prepared me. "Your dad has prostate cancer."

Ugh. My dad, who is almost 61 and has run multiple half marathons in the last few years, has cancer. The same cancer that took the life of my grandfather (my dad's dad) and my father-in-law (who passed away before I met The Engineer.)

My parents had just gotten the news Tuesday, and they weren't sure yet how bad the cancer was. I felt a deep trust in God when I heard the news, and both of my parents were displaying peace and faith. But I was still stressed and emotional. It was still hard to wait until Thursday afternoon/evening, when my dad would see the urologist and get more news.

Thankfully, the news Thursday was very good! The urologist is 99.9% sure the cancer has not spread. They found it early! My dad has been very consistent with his checkups and bloodwork, paying special attention to his PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) levels. There's a lot of controversy right now about how useful a PSA level is. My dad's was very low, and the doctors did not think he had cancer. But the number was rising, and with my dad's family history, that was enough for the specialist to suggest a biopsy, just in case. Thank God my dad said yes!

So he will have surgery in November to remove his prostate. The doctor expects it to take care of the cancer completely, and my dad has a very good chance of not having any serious side effects. If you pray, we'd love you to join us in praying for my dad (Sam) and my mom (Cathy) during this time!

Let this serve as a reminder to you and those you love--whether you're male or female, get your regular checkups! And ladies, get your men to go in. Make the appointment for them if necessary! Women tend to get checkups more regularly than men, and this needs to change! A couple of years ago, The Engineer started having annual physicals, including bloodwork to check his PSA. When Zoodle gets older, we'll impress on him the importance of regular checkups too.

"It's cancer"--two terrible words. But "We found it early"--those are four words that make the news much easier to take.

So, that's brought us through Thursday of last week. The week wasn't over yet!

When The Engineer and I moved to where we live now, we had already connected with a church. They needed a worship leader, and that's The Engineer's area of passion and gifting. (He plays guitar and sings.) We have been part of that church family for the last 12 years.

And I really do mean that word, family! They were a wonderful support to us during rough times (like The Engineer's brain surgery), and good times (like the birth of our two children and the recent birth of Munchkin, the baby I carried for Ann.)

The church changed through the years, as most churches do. The first pastor moved when Chickie was a year old, and last year the second pastor moved. Through the years people came and went--in fact, The Engineer and I have been at that church longer than anyone else! But with all the changes, it remained our home, our community.

After our last pastor left, things just never really recovered. We called a new pastor but it didn't work out for him to move out here permanently. Many people felt it was time to find new church homes, and our numbers dwindled. Finally, we made a decision last weekend, that it's time to disband this community of believers.

It sounds like sad news, but I'm actually really excited. The gradual decline in numbers over the last year or so was very hard and very sad. But we were stretched in so many ways during that time, and God used it to bless us and grow us. And you know, it's okay for something good to come to an end when it's time for that to happen! It means we are free to find another church where we can grow and serve, to find a new community that, I am confident, will become our family!

And so many of those we've connected with over the last 12 years are still part of our family. The best example is Ann and her husband and kids. Ann and I have been very close for some time now, but when I had the extraordinary privilege of carrying her baby, it knitted our families together in a deep, beautiful way. And there are others, people I know I can call on to share my joy and my pain. We'll keep those relationships, whether or not we share a church with those individuals.

So this ending is really a very cool opportunity to discover a new beginning, and I am excited!

This week there isn't too much going on. Zoodle has a cough. We're studying spiders in homeschool. It's Wednesday morning at 8:30 and we're all still in our PJs. It's been a fairly normal week, and I like it that way!

But life moves forward, and big changes come, whether we like them or not. I'm just glad I can trust a big God to be with me on normal days and days that are full of turmoil. Every day, He is there.

My wonderful mother-in-law

It's time for an update. And it feels good to write about something that I've been wanting to share for some time.

When I first met The Engineer's parents (not too long after The Engineer and I started dating), I immediately just loved them--both his mother and his stepfather. They accepted me wholeheartedly without any of those pesky "Is this girl good enough for our boy?" vibes.

At the time, they were 70 and 71 years old, about the same age as my grandparents. (The Engineer is eight years older than me, and his mom was 41 when he was born.) But I was so impressed--they seemed so much younger than 70! I remember The Engineer telling me that he'd recently taken them rappelling down a mountain! They both had such sharp minds, and I genuinely enjoyed just sitting and chatting with them. I was thrilled to join their family officially about a year later.

We didn't get to see them all the time, since we've always lived pretty far away. But we visited them about once a year, and their retired status allowed them to come visit us pretty easily. We went on two cruises with them before we had kids. (Those are great memories!)

Unfortunately, several years ago, The Engineer's mom gradually began to show her age. Her husband kept us posted, and when we saw them in person, we'd really watch her to see how she was doing. Things have been worsening significantly over the last two or three years.

After considering the options, The Engineer and his stepfather determined that the best way for his mother to get the care she needed was for her to be in a facility where skilled caregivers could help her, around the clock. They decided it would be a good idea to move her close to us, where there are more facilities to choose from. I know it was such a hard decision for them both. Recently I wrote about how proud I've been of my husband through this time. He's been awesome--wise and kind and loving. I also have such strong respect and love for my father-in-law. He's made huge sacrifices for the wife he loves!

In February, The Engineer flew out to see his parents. He spent the weekend there, and then they all flew back here. After staying here a little over a week, his mother was moved into a really wonderful facility only 15 minutes from us. It's small and family-run, and in a lovely area backing up to the woods. It's very personal since the maximum number of residents they can have is 12.

It's a great facility--but the transition has been tough. We've gone up and down emotionally, wondering if this is going to work out. It's just not wise for her to live at home (or with us) right now, though we all wish that wasn't the case.

Things are looking up, now that she's been in the facility for awhile. We pray that she fully transitions there and begins to consider it "home." Her husband was able to stay with us for a couple of weeks after she moved in, to help with the transition. It was wonderful having him here, as hard as the situation has been. His family is all halfway across the country, and that is his home, so he eventually flew back there and will visit here frequently.

Aging can be beautiful. And aging can also be tough. I've seen my mother-in-law experience the beautiful and the tough sides of aging. It seems so cruel for such a vibrant, awesome woman to change so much. God has given me so much peace through this process, and I pray he gives that same peace to my wonderful mother-in-law. It will be good to have her near us.

At the same time, it's so hard to see her as she is today, so different than the energetic woman I met in 1999. I look forward to the day when we'll see her, whole and complete, for eternity.

The Engineer's mom and stepfather, in 2006

What's up?

This time of year is a little crazy. I've been thinking how I need to blog about the crocheting I'm doing (lots of orders in the winter!), and Chickie's sixth birthday (three days ago!) and The Engineer's and my 12th anniversary (two days ago!) Lots of excitement. At some point I should sit down and gush about my kindergartener and how well she's doing with reading. I should do an interview with Zoodle, who has this awesomely cute voice and face--he definitely needs to be on video more often than he is.

All in time...or maybe not. Life just keeps swirling whether I blog or not!

And in that swirling life, there's the challenging stuff too. The stuff I haven't been blogging about. Well, okay, to be honest, I haven't been blogging about much at all. But I wonder if not blogging about the challenging stuff is stifling my blogging instinct altogether. So, here goes....

The Pregnancy

This journey as a gestational carrier...it's kinda crazy. It's emotional. And not in the ways I expected.

I expected that it might be confusing, bonding with someone else's baby. And so far, that just hasn't been very challenging. We'll see how things go over the next 5 1/2 months...and after the birth, when my hormones may toss me around for awhile!

But so far, I'm really trying to enjoy this pregnancy for what it is. I'm not bonding as a mother with this child, but I'm enjoying carrying him or her. I love my pregnant body. It's got curves it doesn't usually have, and I feel beautiful! I'm feeling little "taps" when the baby moves, and it's such a miraculous thing to know that a small human is growing daily inside me. My whole mindset is different than it was with my kids--as it should be. But I'm enjoying being this child's temporary guardian, and want to continue to enjoy that.

What I didn't anticipate--what I don't think any of us did--was that this journey would be so challenging for Ann. Onlookers (women, anyway) tend to think about how they'd handle being a carrier for someone else. Most people don't think about how it would feel to watch someone else carrying their child.

Ann really wants to carry her own children! When her daughter was carried by someone else, that situation had some really intense, unique stressors, and Ann was dealing with all that. This time, without those stressors, Ann is "free" to really feel. To really grieve the loss of her ability to carry babies. And it has been, at times, very, very painful.

It's also been at times very, very joyful! With the pain and the joy, it's been, as Ann has called it, a roller coaster! And since we are striving to join as partners and truly share this pregnancy, it has been a roller coaster for both of us.

I'll be honest--it's not just Ann! I've been hormonal, and emotional, and sometimes I've pulled away. Our friendship has been challenged with stuff that most friends never have to deal with. We haven't always handled it well along the way, but I think we're handling it well overall. We are communicating--a LOT--about what our needs are in this unique relationship. Ann is learning to share more with me. I'm learning to choose my attitudes instead of being controlled by hormones. We both dream of having a lifelong friendship, and we expect to come out of this particular 9 months with a much deeper bond because of what we're working through.

I see the fight that Ann is fighting, and I rejoice in her victories! She is learning so much about herself, and this time of difficult healing is leaving her stronger, as a woman and a mother and a child of God.

It's just been hard at times. Hard and awesome and emotionally difficult and emotionally thrilling and bitter and sweet. And so totally worth it. Ann and I both dream of that moment when this child comes out of my body and into her arms...that moment when this child's mother holds him or her for the first time. I dream of looking back at the journey and saying, "It was harder than we expected. But it was so much more beautiful than we expected, too."

Ann has given me permission to share links to two posts she recently wrote about her struggles and victories. The first, Resentments, is very "raw" but definitely conveys the depth of her struggles. The second post, In Good Times And In Bad Times, shows how she is finding joy through this process, and not letting the difficult parts overcome her.

The Engineer's Family

In my post about Christmas, I hinted at the difficulties that awaited us when we visited The Engineer's mom and stepdad. At this point, I still can't go into details. I'll just say...aging isn't always easy. Sometimes it's very painful, not just for the person getting older, but for the entire family. Decisions are being made, decisions that aren't easy or fun. And The Engineer is in charge of a whole lot of it.

He's awesome--I'm so proud of him. I see his desire to take the best care of his mother that he can take. I see his desire to make the best decisions that he can make. I see his pain, as he knows that sometimes there aren't any "good" choices, only a "best" choice. In less than a month, some changes will hopefully have been implemented. Honestly, none of us are looking forward to what's coming. We are praying for God's divine intervention in this situation, and as vague as this is, I'd appreciate your prayers too, if you're the praying type.

The pregnancy has to be way up on my priority list right now, and I'm so glad The Engineer is handling all the stuff with his family. He's busy with work and church, and his plate doesn't really have room for one more (big) thing, but he's handling it with a grace that makes me love him more. I just want to choose to trust that God's grace is even bigger than The Engineer's, and that He'll walk with us all through this.

So...that's what's up. And now that it's off my chest...I'm looking forward to writing some fun, "happy mommy" posts. Soon!

Tune into Jeopardy! today!

Remember how almost two years ago, my sister was on Jeopardy!? I didn't mention it at the time, but her husband had been on the famous quiz show the year before. There are a lot of IQ points in that household!

Now our brother Sean has joined the grand tradition! He'll make his national television debut on Jeopardy! today! The show is syndicated, which means it's shown at different times and on different channels, in various locations. You can find the show time in your area by clicking here.

So tune in and watch Sean today! Apparently you can even see a little of his interview/intro with Alex Trebek on the commercial that airs all day prior to the showing. I'm hoping to watch our local Jeopardy! affiliate today to see if I can catch the ad!

I would like to point out that I feel pretty special.... I'm the only one of the three of us siblings who hasn't been on Jeopardy! How many people can claim such an honor?! In all seriousness, I'm really proud of my big brother Sean, and I know he's really excited. (But no, I don't plan to attempt to make it "three for three." I'm just not as good at trivia as my esteemed siblings, so I'll leave the quiz shows to them!)

In closing, a little Jeopardy!-style answer/question of my own:

A: This word looks weird and misspelled when you type it repeatedly.
Q: What is Jeopardy!?

"And so this is Christmas"

We spent Christmas in California with The Engineer's mom and stepdad. We enjoyed the beauty of far-northern California. We even got to choose our own Christmas tree from the forest!

Honestly, in a lot of ways it was a tough trip. I can't go into detail in this public forum, but The Engineer's mom is in her 80s, and, well, sometimes age makes things complicated. It was an important trip to take, but I am very glad to be home.

Thankfully it wasn't all stressful! Christmas was really lovely. The night before, we put out reindeer food, plus cookies and milk for Santa (with letters from the kids.)

The next morning, the kids got up, and we confirmed that the cookies and reindeer food had been eaten!

We all got gifts we were excited about...

...and we had a really nice, relaxing day together...ending it by eating an "engineered turkey"! I wish I'd gotten a picture--The Engineer made a fantastic turkey. He did his research (like a true engineer) and we ended up with a delicious bird with crispy skin and moist meat.

We stayed in California until the 29th, and then headed back home. The 30th was The Engineer's birthday, and we also had our belated family Christmas that night.

For some reason this Spiderman car/boat/plane toy has been a big hit with Zoodle!

The big toy was Chickie's new Barbie Dream House. (This is a combo birthday-Christmas gift since it's a larger gift than we'd planned to purchase this year.) It was another hit (of course.)

I'm finding Christmas is so much fun as the kids get older. Everything is just so exciting to them. I'm looking forward to next year (or I guess that's really this year--Happy New Year, all!!)

A labor of love

In honor of Labor Day, I'm thrilled to give you photos of a labor of love my mom and Mamma (grandmother) accomplished for me. My mom brought this on her recent visit, and I LOVE it!



Isn't it a gorgeous quilt?! I asked for "jewel tones," and I love the colors they used!



My Mamma did most of the piecing (sewing the pieces together), and my mom machine-quilted it. They are both experienced quilt-makers who do intricate, beautiful work.



I love the black background, and I even love the back of the quilt--because that's where the hidden gem of this jewel-toned quilt is discovered!



My mom used different colors of thread to quilt it--and I love the effect!



It's a great size for curling up on the couch on a cool winter evening (or on a warm summer evening when the kids and I have gotten chilled drinking smoothies!)



I'm so fortunate to be in a family with such talented and generous matriarchs!

Woo hoo! A car repair!

Our vehicles have conspired against us. Between needed-repairs (electrical, alternator, etc.) and scheduled maintenance (timing belt, brakes, blah, blah, blah, etc.), we've had major auto expenses lately. So of course...perfect timing for me to make a silly mistake while driving, right?

Our neighborhood has some traffic circles along the main road.



I'm so used to driving around them that Friday as we drove toward the library, I zoned out and misjudged where I was. I took the traffic circle too wide and hit the curb. It was hard enough for me to quickly pull over and check my tire. Sure enough, a little chunk of the tire was gone...not enough for it to be flat, but enough for me to drive straight to Discount Tire and see if it needed to be repaired or replaced.

(Oh, and I also hit the curb hard enough that I just might have let loose with a word I really shouldn't say around my kids. Not proud of that, but...if I'm going to be honest about my faith, I suppose I could also be honest about my potty mouth, right?)

We made it to the tire store where I found out that the tire needed replacement. That's when my day really got good.

Yes, I said good. I found out that we had purchased full replacement coverage on the tire. All I had to pay was $17.50 (to continue the warranty on the new tire.) The tire shop didn't have the tire in stock, so they sent us to another location.

We had lots of library books with us, since we'd been headed there to return them.



We haven't read much lately, so Chickie, Zoodle, and I got some great, quality reading time while we waited for the installation. We actually had a really fun time in the waiting room.

By the time we were through, though, I was quite hungry. I'd forgotten to eat breakfast (and I pretty nearly always eat breakfast!), and all I'd eaten was some of Chickie's Goldfish crackers (plus some pretty bad tire shop coffee). But wouldn't you know, on the way to the second tire shop location, we'd passed a gas station with this out front:



It's kind of hard to see, but that's a little trailer that says, "Customer Appreciation. FREE Hot Dog. FREE Soft Drink. FREE Chips." Yep, the gas station was giving away FREE lunch! We filled up our car with gas and enjoyed our food, sitting outside in the shade. (See the Cheetos powder on Zoodle's fingers and face? Mmmmm.....)



Chickie, Zoodle, and I came home, free food in our bellies, with the happiness of knowing we'd enjoyed each others' company for a few hours, in a car with a practically free brand new tire.

I wish all car repairs were this much fun!

Sprinklers...and life vests

Friday, we went to a local outdoor mall that has a nice splash pad. (Marketing has become so creative, hasn't it? Get the kids to the mall for free sprinklers; and maybe the parents will go into the stores and restaurants for some non-free items.) We were there with Ann and her family.

Zoodle delighted me when we took off his shirt and and he asked,

"Mommy, can I have my life vest?"

I'm not sure if he understood my explanation of why life vests aren't necessary at splash pads, but he willingly ran off to get wet.



At one point, all four kids decided that they wanted more of a full-body experience.



Our temperatures have been hitting triple digits almost every day, with heat indexes at times several degrees higher. If this goes on for long, adults may start bringing their bathing suits to the splash pads too!

Thanks to Ann for the photos!

Mom

On one of my other blogs, The One-Minute Writer, today's writing prompt is,

"Think about your mother, or the woman who had the most influence in your life as you grew up.

"What name fits her best--"Mom," "Mama," "Mother," or another? Why?"

The woman who gave birth to me is "Mom." It's a comfortable name, and that fits. I'm so glad to have a mom who I feel so comfortable around. In fact, I crave more time with her.

I like being in a family where I don't have to dress in my best finery for Thanksgiving. I can tease (nicely!) and be teased in return. I know that my mom loves me with all my good parts and bad parts, and that she's comfortable enough with who I am that she doesn't try to change me into someone I'm not.

As a kid, I felt more comfortable at home than anywhere else. I wanted to spend time there, hanging out with my parents. I think that providing such a place is one of the greatest gifts my mom (and dad) gave me as I grew up.

Thanks, Mom, for providing a home that was loving and comfortable...a place I always love returning to.

Happy Mother's Day!

And a quick P.S.--This Mother's Day, we're lucky enough to have The Engineer's mom visiting. She's welcomed me as being truly part of the family ever since we were married--even before that, in fact! I'm proud to wear her wedding ring/engagement ring, the one The Engineer's dad gave her. (He passed away before I came into the family.) It's great to spend Mother's Day with her (and with my really awesome step-father-in-law too!!)

Blue Bell Fun Run (Race Report)

We got up very early this morning to drive out of town for a race. It was sponsored by Blue Bell Ice Cream and the ads promised as much ice cream as we could eat after the race (for runners and spectators.) Works for me! So while it was only me and Chickie running this time, we made it a family event.


Aaaah....now that's a beautiful truck.

First was Chickie's 1-mile race. We're actually wondering if it was a bit shorter than a mile based on the times kids were achieving...but even if it was shorter, I'm still impressed with Chickie's endurance. She ran--and often ran fast--with only one short walk break. She finished in 10:01!


Chickie, Mommy, and some random kid, about to finish the 1-miler


Chickie with her cool participant medal, which she's still wearing as I write this, over five hours later

Later it was my turn to run a 5K. I ran it in 29:06, which is a PR (Personal Record) for me, by 3 seconds. But boy was it a hard way to get a PR. I started out way too fast and couldn't even stick with my normal 4 minute run/1 minute walk pattern. I ended up taking extra walk breaks in the last half. I'm still happy with the time--a PR is a PR!--but I look forward to pacing myself better next time so I don't feel so spent halfway through!


Me, about to finish. I actually really like this photo. I don't have big muscles, but I love how I can see them flexing in my right calf! They may not be big, but they're doing their job!

After my race, we enjoyed frozen treats! Yum, yum, yum.





For those of you who happen to live in my general vicinity (most of you know who you are), this is a fun family event--a great way to create memories. There is also a 10K and a four-person 10K relay. A lot of the 5K participants were walkers; some brought their dogs or strollers. (Because of all the walkers, I was in the top 10% of my age group. I may never again rank that high again.... I'll take it!)

I doubt we'll want to make the drive every year, but we may someday do this race again...and maybe next time some friends will join us!

Big day...big girl

Yesterday was kindergarten registration day. I'm a little confused as to how my little, 7 pound 4 ounce baby girl is suddenly old enough for kindergarten. Imagine how I'll feel in August when it's time for school to start!

The Engineer came home early so we could all go together. We arrived at the school, where Chickie posed for a quick pic at the location where she'll spend lots of time...possibly for the next six years.



Inside, once I got to the front of the line, I was asked, "Do you have all your documents?" (I was required to bring Chickie's Social Security card, birth certificate, and immunization record; The Engineer's and my IDs; and a utility bill as proof of residence. With all the paperwork, I felt like I was enrolling her in the military, not kindergarten.)

I held out the folder I'd brought with everything, and they said, "Okay, we'll make copies."

"Oh, I already made copies," I told them.

Well, that simple statement made me the hero of the day. "I want to remember your face," one of the ladies said. "You're the organized one!" (Good thing she can't see the clutter in my house.) I sure hope everyone at the school is that easy to please!

While I filled out forms, Chickie and Zoodle colored. When I finished and got everything approved, Chickie didn't want to leave--she loves coloring.



Zoodle wanted to pose for a photo too....



Then we all headed to the Golden Arches to celebrate.



It still doesn't feel quite real since school doesn't start for five more months. But they gave us a handout with advice on how to help your child adjust on the first day of school. When I saw the part that says that if your child cries on the first day, you need to leave anyway, that made me get tears in my eyes. Funny thing is, I seriously doubt Chickie will cry. She's way too excited. But while Mama's really excited too, I'll be battling other emotions along the way!

One more step toward adulthood for Chickie. (Sigh.)

One more step toward the the freedom of an empty nest for Mommy and Daddy. (Score!)

Let's hope this week is a little more boring

What a week!

Last Wednesday morning I experienced some weird vision symptoms (flashing lights in my peripheral vision and a blind spot.) The Engineer came home to take me to the ophthalmologist, who thankfully assured me that my retinas were just fine. (I knew that flashing lights could be a symptom of retinal detachment, and neither emergency eye surgery nor blindness were on my to-do list.) He gave me a few possibilities of what could have caused the symptoms, and based on the fact that I had the same issue a few days later, I'm pretty sure it was an ocular migraine (no headache involved, just that odd vision for a short time.)

Turns out, according to Dr. Google, ocular migraines aren't dangerous or harmful (except that whole FREAKING OUT BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU MIGHT BE GOING BLIND thing.) I'm hoping they aren't a regular occurrence though.

I was fine afterward, but then it was Zoodle's turn to be less-than-healthy. He got a fever that afternoon, and had it for the next couple of days. And it wasn't one of those "Wow, I'd never know this cheerful kid was sick!" fevers; it was one of those "Oops, the WHINY MONSTER has returned; his temp must be up again" fevers.

By Saturday, Zoodle was fine, but I was starting to feel pretty run down. In the afternoon (after being outside for a long time running) my allergies attacked in full force, and the body aches and exhaustion I was feeling convinced me I'd caught some sort of bug.

I survived on Dayquil & Nyquil, but by Monday I was feeling well and truly rotten. I went to the doctor, and found out it was probably just bad allergies and a virus. "You probably got whatever your son had," she told me. I didn't ever have the fever, but I did have the miserable, whiny attitude (just ask anyone who follows me on Twitter!), so I think the doctor was probably right. It's so nice when our kids share, isn't it?!

Thankfully, I woke up today feeling like a new person...not perfect, but pretty great compared to the past few days. I celebrated by going to Costco, doing laundry, and being grateful to have the energy to get back to such an exciting life.

So here's hoping this week is more boring than last week was, and that the virus (which I'll name grumpymoodius whineius) leaves The Engineer and Chickie alone!

Time to be a sister

One of the great things about our Christmas trip was that I got to be a sister. Of course, I'm always a sister, but I don't get to spend time with my siblings very often. Sean, my older brother, lives halfway across the country from me, and Becki, my twin sister, also lives halfway across the country...in the other direction.

So It was a treat to get a lot of quality time with both of them when we all traveled to New Mexico for Christmas!

First I saw Sean in Albuquerque, where we were spending time with my dad's mom. A highlight of that time was when the two of us went to a karaoke bar.



We sang some "normal" songs but we each also sang a Christmas song as part of their "Carol-oke" contest. Neither of us won the $50 prize. We said it was because one of the bar's "regulars" got the votes of all her friends. That's our story, and we're sticking to it! Even though we didn't make money on the deal, we had a great time together.

We then went to Clovis, NM, where my mom's parents live. Becki and her family joined us there. Unfortunately Sean only got a little time with them before he had to head home, but The Engineer and I were able to extend our trip by a couple of days,. Becki and I got lots of time to play pinochle with other family members. It's a game we don't usually get to play except at family events, and we love it. Here are Becki and me:



Another great part of seeing Becki is getting to spend time with her family. Donal, her husband, played a lot of pinochle with us. He and The Engineer also drove to Roswell for a memorable visit to their museum (all about UFOs and aliens...oooooh. Let's just say they were glad the entrance fee was only $5.) Here are Becki & Donal:



And my kiddos love spending time with their cousin! (Thanks, Uncle Becki [yes, that's what my kids call her], for the personalized PJs!)





Having our whole family together--even for a short time--is such a treat. I'm glad that this Christmas I had time to be a sister!

Seasonal stitching

I did a lot of crocheting on vacation and have continued since coming home! Here are photos of come of the hats I made. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph two of them before I gave them away...sigh.

First, a hat I made months ago.... I've even posted photos here before. It's from the free Pretty in Pink pattern from Valerie Whitten. Here is my adorable niece, 4-year-old Molly, modeling her new hat:


The rest of the hats are my original designs.

Mamma and Papa (my mom's parents) got hats.




I made this fun black and navy hat as a special order for a Twitter friend. Most yarns these days have at least some acrylic in them, but this hat doesn't. It's 93% wool/7% polyamide (whatever that is!), and I like the soft texture.



My mom was given some really cool yarn called SoySilk, which she passed on to me. It's a pricey yarn, and it was cool to get it for free! I had just enough of the purple/pink variety to make this little hat for Chickie. It's hard to tell, but it has little raised polka dots on it.


This last hat is the one I'm the most excited about...but it comes with a disclaimer! My brother is the voice of the Winterhawks, Portland's minor league hockey team. He announces all their games. Not only does he love his job; he's also a huge fan of the team. I wanted to make him a hat based on the Winterhawks logo. Here's the disclaimer--this is not licensed, and I only made it because it's a gift. I don't sell hats based on trademarked team logos; I don't want to end up in court! But I figured one hat as a gift would probably be okay. Here's Sean, modeling his hat. And he just happened to be wearing his jersey when we opened presents, so you can compare the hat to the logo!



I was more excited about this than I was about any of the other presents...including the ones I was opening! I love my big bro so much and thought this would be the perfect gift for him. My anticipation paid off! Sean reacted just like I'd hoped he would--with utter enthusiasm. I was so thrilled and gratified to see how excited he was!

I continue to love the creative aspect of making hats, and I love sharing them with you! I am still taking custom orders; just email me to talk about design, prices, and production time. Most hats are $10 to $35 depending on complexity and materials. And there are still a few pre-made hats over at my Etsy shop, C. Beth Crochet.