New Observations for Today

Thomas is feeling better, and were trying to find fun activities to keep us busy while the rain continues to come down in sheets. It's getting more and more difficult to deal with this day in and day out rain, and the ground is so saturated it's like walking in a swamp wherever you go, whether it's the yard, the parks or the trails. Plus, with all the high winds we've been having, I'm very leery of taking Thomas out and about outside for fear of all the branches and trees that routinely come down these days. The roads are littered with tree debris, so it's obvious it's a bit on the dangerous side to be out walking in this. So, we're heading to the pool more and more, or the mall.

Thomas is talking, and it's becoming obvious I can't keep up. He's figured out this week how to put words together, so now the chatter is really on! It's so amazing to see his words just explode daily and we are having a blast listening to him talk to us these days. It's so much fun. Mommy play, monsa truck, mommy play blue monsa truck, nommy bath, Buh-Buh Booce, Ma-ma lil-lee, Lu-lu nice, Jodi nice, candy truck, lion, lilo, stitch, out please, up please....

No-Go on Toby Keith weekend!

I prayed last night that somehow Thomas would sleep off whatever new illness he's taken on, but God had better ideas about my weekend! It's tough being a mother, I tell you. Andrea and I went several rounds trying to determine if exposing her three kids to this was worth the Toby Keith concert, but after a few minutes it was quite obvious that no amount of fun was worth having Grace get sick with something new. I've been quite vocal on parents that expose their sick kids to others knowingly, like people who take sick kids to church, or to the pool, or to the gym, and I certainly don't want to start being that kind of mother now. It's really hard having a sick toddler and even harder to have a sick baby, so although the tickets cost a lot of money and I was really wanting to go over and hang out with Andrea for some adult entertainment, we did the right thing and canceled, hoping Andrea could get the tickets to someone that really wanted to go. I was fully willing to just dump them, but after calling around a bunch, Andrea called and let me know that Sharon and Ron, who had initially wanted to go but didn't get tickets, now were able to go out. Everyone around here was very happy that it turned out that way. It was good knowing that family, who actually wanted to go, were able to go out and have what I hoped would turn out to be a good night of fun.

We attempted to take Lil and Bruce down to the outlet mall to get some stuff for our cruise, but Thomas was feeling really miserable and it was a failed attempt at salvaging some of the fun in today's day off from work. It was hard for me to go out and get groceries, knowing instead I could be driving off the rez to a fun concert. While we sat at home channel surfing the night away, I really hoped Andrea was having a fabulous time, and couldn't wait to hear all about it. Certainly not the night I thought it would be, but that's how it plays out sometimes. I know that it's for a reason, and I'm certainly happy that Ron and Sharon were able to go.

The Fight is ON!

This morning I woke up not knowing that the day would turn into one big fight! It started out with a huge confrontation with Tim (delusional jerk from insurance hell) and ended with....uhmmmm, nothing but phone calls and more phone calls all day long. Started out badly by Quentin (delusional jerk from insurance hell #1) telling me he was turning my case over to Tim (delusional jerk from insurance hell #2). This was because my claim is now listed under Bodily Injury, since I'd decided to take my aching neck and shoulders into visit the old doc after hours on Friday. Then it got worse when I started to question on the length of time it was taking for them to determine liability so I could get this circus on the road. After all, my car just continues to sit and mildew in the constant deluge of rainfall we've had for days on end now. When Tim calmly (remember, he's delusional) mentioned that by my statement they were going to find me at some fault, I lost it. Bring it on, Tim. Well, not my actual words, but almost. I stated in no uncertain terms, "I'm not rolling over on this one," and then pounded him with point after point of how insane it was of them to think that I had any fault in this accident. And that was before John took up my cause and got on the phone. After all, I'm just merrily on my way home to watch the Seahawks kick some booty, when "Boom" I'm t-boned! How in the world does that suddenly equate to me being at any fault?!!!

My words to anyone from this point on is....when making a statement, even if you think you're being honest, check with others about the facts of your "statement" before you make THE STATEMENT because they can make your "Statement" sound like something is your fault and then they can twist your words around. AND, don't think for a second that your insurance coverage cares about you in the least. They are not your friend either.

Within the hour, good ol' Delusional Jerk #2 called me back, and confirmed that I was indeed correct and they were assuming full liability. I should have been happy about it, but the conversation fighting for myself earlier left me drained, so I was just eager to get the proceedings underway. There was no time for celebration, as the rest of the day was spend trying to find an auto shop that would take my car within the MONTH and was one that we approved, calling my medical insurance to square away with them their part, and making sure my car insurance was up to date on things that were going on. Plus, the rental car company came a'callin and I had to explain to them that they could indeed now take it up with Delusional Jerk #2 from now on, and then my doctor's office called with more questions. What a mess! And somehow a ticket for failing to yield just doesn't seem adequate for the other party in this whole thing.

AND....Thomas appears to be taking on another cold the day before we're supposed to go to Yakima for the weekend and the big concert! Uhhhhh......

New Observations for Today

These days Thomas is full of words. Today, after I'd gotten home from work, I had to race off and use the bathroom. I asked him if he wanted to go in with me, as he was very fussy and didn't want me to leave him to watch the big tv in the living room, but he continued to raise a fuss. Grandma heard him all the way upstairs and I heard her come down and try to see what was wrong. I yelled from the bathroom where I was, and when I joined them Thomas says, "Mommy" "Pee" "Kye". Grandma and I knew immediately what he was saying. When Daddy got home, he was still fussy and not feeling very good, and he called out, "bye-bye" "mall" and off we went.

Later, he said, "Mommy?"
I said, "Yes?"
He said, "Bye-bye, Lulu."
"Thomas, Lulu isn't home right now."
"Bye-bye"

On the way home, he says, "Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"Mosh-you" (Matthew Lawrence)
"Honey, Matthew is sleeping right now. He goes to bed a lot earlier than you."
"nigh-nigh"
"Yep, he's asleep."

Thomas has been witnessed taking a jar of little metal latch pieces and lining them all up perfectly, then saying "did it" and clapping for himself. Today he took a bunch of pieces of wood and lined them up all nice and neat, then repeated the above.

Thomas says "git it" "kibb" (crib), "sticky" when his hands are sticky and dirty, "waffle" "iron" and "mix" and then will help me make waffles, and will pretend to be a baby, awake and asleep. He's starting to have favorites during the day, and today it's his "monsa" monster truck, Bulgy and Butch are his favorites.

Last night John tucked him in for the 10th time, and he started his bedtime prayer.

"Dear Jesus" says Daddy
"Mommy" replied Thomas
"Thank you for Mommy" says Daddy
"Daddy" continued Thomas
"Thank you for Daddy" says Daddy
"Bulgy" prompted Thomas
"Thank you for Bulgy" says Daddy
"Butch"
"Thank you for Butch"
"Cha-Cha"
"Thank you for tractors"
"Amen"
"men"

It's almost getting too much to keep track of the daily verbal changes we see in Thomas. Tonight he was able to have chats with us about what he wanted to do and tells us when he is tired and wants to go night night. There is no guess work in our days. He's very deliberate in his play and enjoys laughing at the Lion King movie which we just introduced to him a week ago. It will be very interesting to see how our days continue to change as the language development explodes.

Seahawks WIN! Seahawks WIN!

John hopped on the Seahawks train long before noon, and it was just Thomas and I to play away the hours until game time. We went shopping and played at the mall, then headed to Papa Murphy's to get pizza and cookie dough. The goal was to keep Thomas awake as long as possible so that I could watch a bit of the game in peace and quiet without having to watch a cross route AND talk to Thomas at the same time. Thomas tried to pull a fast one on me with a call for nap at 12:30 but I coaxed him out of his crib with the promise of outside and candy, not to mention pizza and raw cookie dough (no, he didn't get it raw, but I really prefer my cookies mostly goo but a bit warm.) I didn't see much of the Steelers game this way, but that wasn't really the goal. I was successful at holding Thomas out until about 1:45, which is nothing short of fabulous.

The game started, I was sitting in near dark, in an eerily quiet house, without much of anything but pizza scraps and the FOX team to keep my company. Within minutes I was alternating between silent screams and fist pumps and jumping around the living room in silent celebration. I kept looking around for someone to high five or yell with, but with Thomas sleeping in the next room, there was none of that. Shortly before halftime, Thomas woke up and we traveled up to Jodi's where she'd hired Molly to watch the kids while we focused on the game. It was so nice to sit back and get rowdy with the adults.

John had a great time down there, and said the atmosphere was unlike anything he's seen before. He was hoarse from all the yelling and cheering, and said that the guy next to him only screamed "rip their head off" when appropriate, which I'm sure was a lot of the time considering the magnitude of this game. I remarked to Bruce last night that he'd better take some extra heart medication. He responded by saying, "How about some anti-depressants?". So true, so true! It would have been a long walk out of that place and an even longer drive home had the outcome been different.

Fun Days

Thomas is talking so much these days, and is starting to put more and more words together. "Daddy, go way", "Mommy bye-bye van water" is almost a full sentence in my opinion and let me know he wanted to go out to Whatcom Falls to see the waterfalls. Yesterday we took him for his 18 month check at 21 months, and I got the third degree for him still being on the bottle. I'm sorry, I'll try to wean him, but I'm not ready to pull him off. Call me silly, but the boy is lean enough without me taking away the few calories he gets during the day. If we brush his teeth I'm not so worried about the bottle issue. I'm not going to make an issue out of a little thing, because Thomas has shown me in the past that he'll figure things out without me making a big deal out of it. If he's four and still wanting a bottle, then I'll make an issue out of it.

Today we went swimming in the morning, the car appraiser came by, Jodi and Lauren stopped by to play, we napped and then when he woke up we headed out to hike at the falls and then stopped by Lo-Lu's to play. It was a fun day with a brief break in the rain. What a relief!

Impact!

Today started out like any day really. John headed out for a run while I took Thomas to jump with the Madeline and Lauren in gymnastics, and then I came home and turned Thomas over to John for my own run. Usually I take Thomas to the store with me for an outing, but today I decided to enjoy myself a bit and go without him, which seeing that it was Festival of Food celebration (aka cheap people feeding frenzy at food tasting booths) at Haggen, it would have been a nightmare to take Thomas anyway. On the way home, I had no idea just how blessed we were that Thomas stayed home.

Two block away from my house I could see down the road towards the neighborhood school that we pass almost everyday. I also caught a glimpse of a car approaching the road coming up to the stop sign. In a heartbeat I saw her look the other way, but not stopping, and in my heart I knew she was not going to stop. I had a moment of gut wrenching insight, and I gripped the steering wheel, pressed on the gas, and stared straight ahead, as if willing my car to fly down the street and avoid impact. I also realize I didn't want to look at the car as it was hitting me, and I didn't want that vision in my head for the rest of my life. I think I also hoped that somehow it was all a mistake, that I wasn't seeing what I thought I was seeing, and hoping that if I sped up and she slammed on her brakes at the last minute, somehow impact would not occur and I could continue on my merry way home for my special lunch and Seahawks kickoff.

As she slammed into me, and as my car suddenly had a life of it's own, I frantically tried to remember what I should do. Unfortunately, I had but a moment before I could see that my car was careening towards the Munch/Firs house, that I was now turning into a wide circle and that the house was quickly approaching my out of control car. Now that would have seriously cut into their asking price for the sale of the house, wouldn't it! I was still gripping the steering wheel, which was no good at working at that point, and realized that I may want to try the breaks.
I finally came to a stop, completely turned in the opposite direction of travel than I'd originally been. I remember a carbon copy of my mother's famous line, "oh Jesus, Jesus" and then realizing I was okay and unhurt, I started to shake and cry like a baby. I can work with a hardened criminal, but give me an out of control vehicle and the thought of flying into a house, and I turn into a sniveling, dripping wet dish rag!

Thanks God for Lance, who took my cell phone call. I knew John was two blocks away, but I couldn't reach him, didn't have my cell phone and only knew Lance and Jenny's by heart. Soon John was on the scene and took over helping me recover my adrenaline decimated brain cells. My concern at this point was the groceries in the trunk and the Seahawks kickoff looming near. I sent John home to relieve Lance of Thomas duty and to watch the game, knowing it could possibly be awhile before the sheriff's office could get a deputy out to us. Luckily, it all happened pretty quickly. I was absolved of any guilt for the accident, reported my stiffening neck, and a ticket for failing to yield ($150.00 fine) was given out to the other driver. Despite a jammed seatbelt, inability to get in either door on the driver's side, coffee dripping all over the interior (somehow the Starbucks mug flew around and didn't shatter as it hit the window. Half a mug of coffee and cream is all over the interior, though) and a blown airbag, I was able to drive the piece of junk home.

John quickly unloaded the groceries and we settled in to watch the Hawks play, welcoming a little quiet time while Thomas slept. Only as the afternoon progressed did we talk about how things could have been drastically different, how blessed I truly was to be unhurt, except for a slight skin burn from the airbag and a stiff neck and shoulder. If I have to be in an accident, it's better to happen like this, where the only thing a mess is my car. I doubt the Seahawks would have been featured in the Bellingham ER, or nearly as important!

Seattle Trip/Sonics Game

I bought John Sonics vs. Miami Heat tickets for Christmas, before I realized he didn't want to go to a Sonics game this season because they stink this year. Oh well! I tried. At least, unlike the clothes I get him, he can't take these tickets back. He was thrilled about seeing the Heat, though, so that helped me feel a bit better about spending the money. I was determined to enjoy seeing Shaq even if John wasn't eager. Turns out he was, and we eagerly awaited our outing to Seattle. Leaving Thomas was difficult, as it continues to tug at my heart to leave the little ball of energy home, but Grandma reports he didn't have one ounce of trouble without us. Okay, come on! He could at least ask for me once, couldn't he?

John's fun plan was to park at the Seattle Center and take the monorail into downtown to avoid Friday rush hour. Ummmm...the monorail stinks about as much as the tax they tried to impose to pay for a new and longer one. Those poor Seattle-ites who were taxed like crazy on a pathetic excuse for transportation. John had just been on the website, but when we walked up to the terminal there was a little sign that read the monorail is down for maintenance difficulties indefinitely. Imagine our frustration. We very quickly had to change our plan and ran towards the bus stop around from Paul Allen's atrocity called the Experience Music Project. Look it up! It looks like a giant heap of trashed metal melted into a giant blog they call architecture. Hmmmmmm.....And it was raining and I didn't bring an umbrella!

We traveled into the city by city bus, spent 20 minutes in Nordstrom, raced to Urban Outfitters, swung over to run through Banana Republic and scurried to find the next bus that would take us back and get us to the game in time. With just a few minutes to spare, we flew into Starbucks for refueling and waited in the rain with a few hundred other soggy people and jumped back on the city bus. It wasn't quite the Seattle shopping trip I was looking forward to, but then again, I'll take what I can get.

We had great seats and I was very happy about that. I don't think I've had more fun in awhile, and I laughed and yelled more than I expected to. The place erupted when Shaq entered the court and it was a lot of fun to see him and watch him play. I didn't care who won the game. It was just a lot of fun to be there with all the energy and excitement of seeing the great players on the Heat team, like Alonzo Mourning, Dwayne Wade, Shaq, Jason Williams, and that punk Gary Payton. What a hoot it was!

Triple Overtime on the "I don't know what BOWL"

Tonight Thomas had a great time, and before he went to bed he took a dark, rainy walk, a bath, I went to the gym, he played trains, watched teletubbies 3 times, played Matchbox cars with his one truck, colored at his chair, poo'd, and ate dinner twice....all while Florida State battled it out with Penn State. Now, I'll tell you, I'm rooting for Florida State tonight. I hope they win for very important reasons. It's hot in Florida, I'm going there in a month, and I like red more than white. I didn't watch a game this season and I couldn't tell you one name of one player on their team if I was on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Now, with NFL football, I usually take the time to know the teams and stats (at least what any mother of a toddler can!) But with college football I have only a few criteria in which to judge; the color/look of the uniform, the mascot of the school, the weather, and sometimes how hot the quarterback is for that season. So, tonight I went with the color of the uniform. John picked Penn State because the kicker is just a young boy (a freshman) and he feels sorry about all the missed field goal attempts. Wow! Glad we didn't have money riding on this one!

Post Head Trauma Shot=Seeing if the lips work!

No smile....check
Lips working...check

Okay, Thomas, let's roll!

Our 2nd Christmas with Mom, Dad and Drew!

Tonight Mom and Dad, along with Drew, made it over a very snowy and difficult Cascades pass. I didn't know all day if it would happen, as the passes looked awful. They made it over and we enjoyed a quiet late afternoon together. Although everyone was tired, we decided that it would be fun for the boys to open their presents tonight so they could enjoy their toys for the duration. For the record....the Whipples played by the rules and stayed within the dollar amount. The Kings/Vankemsekes cheated and showered us with way too much goodness! It's embarrassing really, but Thomas loved his toys, John and I got exactly what we wanted, and Drew was enjoying setting up Shark Park with Uncle John when near disaster struck!

Thomas takes a HEADER out of his crib! Yep, there's a first time for everthing and tonight Thomas decided it was time to try out his climbing skills-despite the presence of an ever vigilant Nana and his father no more than 8 feet away on the floor. However it started (no one saw him climb up), John saw the ending and I heard it from the kitchen. Mom ran out of the room calling for Jesus and I rushed passed her to see what that thud was. Turns out it was the back of Thomas's head meeting Mr. Hardwood floor-head on-literally!

We haven't had much luck at the ER during the Christmas season, but I truly thought this one had passed us by without the mandatory visit. Four years ago we had to take a baby Drew to the ER with breathing difficulties. Three years ago I spend Christmas day being evaluated with what turned out to be my first (and only) migraine, despite my best prediction that I had to be dying of a brain hemorrage with the intense pain. Last year everyone was sick, including John's cousins that came to town, but to my best recollections, no one had to visit the ER. So, I actually had the nerve to remark to Brad that it looked like everyone was healthy this year, as he made his way up to visit with his family. Hmmmmm....great call!

The ER was slammed that night, but Thomas seemed to enjoy himself checking out the obese lady with the funny mask on her face sitting in a wheelchair, the old lady in her pajamas with her feet propped up on her wheelchair across from us (I couldn't help but think of Bird Flu), the baby being rocked on the other side of us, the water fountain with it's many disposable cups to play with, and the candy machine. He did not like the wrist band they wanted me to put on, and he did not like me changing him on that funny table in the bathroom. He liked playing "monkey" on his hospital bed as the man kiddy-corner to us moaned in pain, and he enjoyed running down the hall right before the doctor came to visit him-finally! What a very expensive popsicle we all shared tonight. And to make matters worse, the crazy woman at John's "favorite" KFC messed up our order on our way home, forcing me to call corporate office and report her for forgetting my chicken for my chicken salad and John's BBQ sauce for his BBQ chicken. Take that, crazy lady!

We missed the cousin's party that night at Punkie's and I felt bad that Drew missed out on a fun evening as he waited for us to return. He was such a great sport about it and I hope that sometime I can make up for his missed party. Bruce and Lil skipped the party to join us at the hospital, but once Bruce had talked it over with us and checked out Thomas for himself, they headed off to fill my folks in on what was going on. I was thankful they came and happy that they didn't miss the whole evening entirely.

As I rode with Thomas to the hospital, and again that night as I lay on my mat beside Thomas's crib, I thought of Jenny's story of Madeline's concussion this summer. Madeline was out of it and threw up after crashing on her head, and Jenny then had a hard time keeping her awake. I knew in my heart as I thought of those symptoms that Thomas was ok, and without that story running through my head as an example, I would have been in a world of hurt. I did sleep that night, checking on him several times, but I had a peace in my heart that all was well and the knowledge that this is certainly not the first time Thomas takes us to the edge.

Thomas, Pretzels and Putting on Your Game Face!

I sometimes feel just a bit guilty about it, but not enough to stop. I remember the pain of it as a child. Dreading the moment when it would arrive, and I would have to sit, sometimes quiety, sometimes with as much fervor as I could muster in my little body. And now, like a father passing on his family name and wealth, I shall too pass along the pain....the pain of weekend SPORTS! (Although with my father it was mostly baseball and M.A.S.H) Yes, Thomas may control the activities of our daily lives, with our schedules, our Nick Jr/Disney television shows, and our freetime, but he does not have much say when the Seahawks play this season. His only choice in the matter has been which jersey he wants to wear, and his choice is Hasselbeck or Alexander. And since his grandpa is NOT an Alexander fan, most often he has been seen wandering our hallway in Hasselbeck, aimlessly trying to distract us with trains, trucks and a whine here and there. He will learn....oh yes he will, and it is not like he is not rewarded for his patience. I have been known to bribe him with pizza and candy, pretzels and other treats. Sometimes it's even been our treat that he goes down for his nap....RIGHT BEFORE kickoff! How amazing is that! And so, yes, I do sometimes feel guilty that Thomas must suffer through a game here and there...but only for brief moments. After all, it's the Seahawks!

Santa Visit, 2005 (21 Months old)

Each time we've gone to the mall, we've taken Thomas up to see Santa, wondering if "this" would be the time Thomas would agree to go up and have his picture taken. Each time Thomas has been more than content to look at the lights and check out "fosty" and his little friends. Today we realized it was crunch time for getting this year's picture done, so we decided to take him to Yeager's sport store to meet Santa there, and if he wasn't into that Santa, we'd take him to the mall for one last shot at that Santa. Well, he wasn't diggin' Yeager Santa, so we tried our luck at the mall. It didn't look good, as just before it was our turn, the tape in the helper's machine ran out, prompting a longer than necessary wait. Yeah, Thomas was running out of patience. BUT, John pulled out the big gun....Thomas's Harvey train, and right then Santa called him up. With John gently coaxing Thomas to show Santa his new train, Thomas made his way towards Santa, and let Santa pull him into his lap. It was a great shot, too!

New Thomas moments

Thomas is changing every day, and never more evident than with his vocabulary. He is saying new words every day, and is quite the one word chatter box in the car these days. He loves to point out the Christmas lights, frosty, icy, snow, smooth, splash, mo-mo (Elmo), Jay-Jay, rain, mulk (milk) choo-choos, andy (candy), Santa, baa (bath), la la (salad), juice, drink, nak (snack) go-go (yogurt) Yesh (yes, which is said with a lot of vigor and was taught to him by his grandma while I worked!) Jesha (Jesus), coffee, and our favorite "wah-poo", which we believe is his Native American word for both fire and pretzel. Grandpa is bubba and Grandma Lil is mah-mah. Grandpa Darrell is Papa and Grandma Marion is Nana. I'm Mommy and John is Dad-deeeee, usually said with much enthusiasm. He loves to read in his crib, and we've had a lot of nights where we've put him to bed, only to have him sitting up in his crib half hour to an hour later "reading" his books and making tractor noises. John and I took him for a late walk through the neighborhood and up to the Pohlmans last night, and when we came back we visited the shop and Grandpa. While in there I noticed that Thomas has a block of wood with different sizes of screws and holes in it, and watched in amazement as Thomas picked out a screwdriver, fit it into the correct screw and then began screwing it into the wood. Call me ignorant, but they're selling huge wooden play toys for kids Thomas's age and here Thomas has the fine motor skills to work it out on his own with the real thing. When I asked Lil about it, she said that he didn't know how to do it last week, but has worked hard at it each time they go up to visit, and now this week he has it mastered. I'll bet money he'll be working the table saw next week at the rate they're going.

Waterfall Swimming!

Thomas waited all day for Grandpa to get back from Seattle today, and when he did come in, Thomas was up the stairs like a rocket to see his favorite buddy. They took off together outside, leaving Lil and I to catch up on the last few day's events. Within a few minutes, I catch sight of Grandpa hauling Thomas back towards the house, and by the sounds of it, Thomas is none to pleased with something. Thomas rarely cries, and and was really going after it, so both Lil and I head for the back door to meet up with them. When we got to the door, I opened it, only to find Bruce holding a howling and soaking wet Thomas, who was flailing his arms and lunging for me. I pulled his soaked body to me, and Bruce and I tried an attempt at stripping the boy, who thankfully was fully dressed but without a bulky coat. As we stripped him, Bruce told me that Thomas had jumped into the waterfall pond. Lil asked Bruce where he was, and Bruce said, "Right beside him." It was so funny, and even as I'm trying to calm Thomas down with soothing words and mama talk, I wanted to laugh out loud. The waterfall and ponds that Bruce build and beautifully landscaped have never been an issue for any of us. We just never let Thomas out of our sight, as you can imagine what a wonderful adventure they hold for a little boy. He enjoys them a lot, and we let him go around them, throw rocks at times, but we're never far away. We're constantly talking to him about them, though, as he'll still try and see how close he can get to them without us pulling him back. So, we'll see how Thomas addresses the ponds tomorrow after his little adventure today. Nothing a hot bath won't cure, that's for sure!

Costco Dog Times TWO!

We went to Costco tonight to get supplies and we had a great time checking out the toys, playing basketball with the display hoop, running down the aisles and eating! It was a good time had by all, especially seeing Thomas polish off a huge hotdog at 8 o'clock at night! I just knew he's sleep well with a belly full of hotdog and lemonade. So, now Thomas likes to hold my hand and take off running and squeals with glee as we run together. So, we took off across the parking lot, and of course, the cold air hits his lungs and by the time we got to the car he was coughing. As I put him in his carseat he's coughing so much he's gagging....and then the fun begins! Costco hotdog comes spewing forth, again and again. As Thomas pukes, I catch it with my hands (I'm trying to keep it from getting on him, me, his carseat or the floorboards.) As I catch the hotdog slime, I throw it out of the car into the parking lot and go back for more, as Thomas doesn't stop with just a few heaves. More and more, and then John gets into the act, as I'm having trouble with the lemonade/hotdog/stomach acids concoction we are experiencing. Finally, Thomas rids himself of all nourishment for the evening, I wipe things up with the spare box of wipies that I stashed in the car, and we're off! Shaking our heads and commenting about how only with your own are you able to handle a situation like that and drive away with a smile and a chuckle. God, can we get a break on the stomach experiences?!!!

Double trouble! Our most horrible weekend!

Saturday morning- This morning I was going to run the Jingle Bell Run, but I woke up a bit late, and decided it wasn't worth the effort with the frigid cold and all. Plus, John woke up and said he didn't feel well. I waited around a bit for him to get out of bed, and played with Thomas, all the while itching to go out on my own run. By 9:30 I'd lost my gumption to go out and the early morning coffee high had worn off, so I was content just to sit around and enjoy a lazy Saturday morning. John finally pulled himself up but he was really feeling sick to his stomach, so most hope of Christmas shopping and festivities quickly went out the window. AND, by 11:30 I was starting to feel a little funny. NO JOKE! By nap time, John had already hit the toilet for the 1st of several toilet competitions (whose turn is it to watch Thomas, who's got the can?) between John and myself. By mid afternoon I'd entered the puke-a-thon, and the race was on to see who could dehydrate the quickest! It's horrible to be sick....it's double horrible to be sick with a toddler who could care less if your insides are threatening to erupt out of your body and you feel like you're being run over by a diesel truck over a bed of stinging ants...it's most horrible when two parents are jockeying for toilet time while trying to keep a toddler content! What a nightmare! I hate throwing up! That's why I've never gotten drunk...because I HATE TO THROW UP! I willed myself to not throw up for my entire pregnancy, despite 9 months of sickness, except for that one time on our cruise when the foo-foo chicken and a high seas storm sent me running. Anyway, by evening, I was practically begging for Bruce and Lil to get back to watch him for awhile, because he really needed time to run around and go outside, and we just couldn't manage it. They did get home and took him off our hands for awhile and Lil cleaned our disaster of a house (God bless that woman!). We felt so sorry for him, as he'd been couped up all day long. I went to bed. I couldn't do anything else. John seemed to manage a bit better, but with two more bouts of can time, I thought I might just end up in the hospital from whatever plague we'd been hit with. Don't think bird flu didn't cross my mind, either. By morning, John and I were both feeling better, which was an absolute miracle, considering how the night went. The body still ached, but the stomach was intact. That was most important. It took John until Wednesday night to eat a small meal, and I finally ate a light meal on Tuesday night. Did I lose weight through it all....yeah, I wish I could have been so lucky for all my trouble. Not a chance! Shoot this one down as the worst weekends EVER! I can't think of one that was worse. And I hope to never write about one again!

Neighborhood fun!

It's very sad to think about, but our times playing with the Pohlmans in our neighborhood are dwindling quickly. They are leaving for Seattle some time next year, and although we have truly enjoyed all our time together since they've moved back, it is even more apparent how much they will be missed now that we know they are going. This morning Jodi called while I was out on my run and wanted to meet up for a walk. It is bitterly cold here, but after getting back home, feeding Thomas and getting him ready, we were ready to hit the hills of our neighborhood. It is a refreshing treat to chat with Jodi, and always fun to share stories since we last caught up. I try not to think about her leaving, as it is very difficult to feel like you're losing something, but as we go about our days, I can't help but think about how short our days are together. I want to really enjoy each and every time we just run up to their house, or she stops by with Lauren just to play, or we hang out up at their house together, or our jaunts around the neighborhood with the kids. I thought we would have many years together, watching our beautiful kids grow up together, but I guess God has different plans for our lives, and a different path for us to travel down. I trust that he will bring peace and happiness in this decision, and will ease the transition with their leaving.

This afternoon, Thomas and I walked up to Jenny's house and played, before leaving to make our way back home for dinner. Of course, Thomas can walk up to the house, but when it's time to go, he's all mama's boy and wants to be held "like a baby", or so he says. I look back and realize what a wonderful day is was, full of laughter and great friends. I couldn't ask for more from a day!

Mommy and Tommy cooking together for the 1st time! 20 Months

Thomas helped me whip up a batch of strawberry dessert that is one of my favorites that both Mom and Grandma used to make. It was a lot of fun having Thomas help me hold the mixer as we added different ingredients. I look forward to having him help out with the chocolate chip cookies next!

Cutting Christmas trees with Friends!

Today we headed out to Mt. Baker highway to cut a tree and hang out with our friends Carrie and Kevin and Kevin's mother Liz. We didn't want to cut our tree this early, but we wanted to spend time with them, as they live in Seattle and we rarely see them these days. Carrie and I used to be running partners, and since she left I have yet to find a running buddy who will meet me at the trailhead at 5 am, in the dark, with our headlamps shining, bundled up in multiple layers to keep the freezing temperatures from killing us. I'm sure Kevin is still heated about me bailing on our Frosty run this morning, I knew my knee wasn't up to it, and the physical therapist has yet to clear me for more than 4 miles. I hope he forgives me one of these days! We enjoyed our time running around in the trees and snow while looking for the perfect tree. The Santa in the shack didn't impress Thomas but the Quad bikes in the parking lot sure did!