Something New...

Last week we decided we would try something new with Jade...her first time ice skating. We had planned to do this with a friend so she would have a buddy to try it out with but illness and difficult schedules had made it very hard to actually make this happen. So one day we asked Jade if she would like to try it out without her friend anyway. She was more than willing to take on the challenge.

I was not sure what to expect. For one, I am not the one putting on the skates. That was going to be all Kaz and Jade while I took pictures and watched from the bleachers. And two, how much fun would skating be at this age anyway. In all honesty I was pretty sure that one, maybe two, laps around the arena and that would be it for her. So not the case. Granted it took quite a bit of time to go around that first lap but by the end she was completely excited about being on the ice. I'm not so sure that Kaz was but he happily obliged her requests to go around time after time. She did take a few minutes break between laps and I think that helped Kaz recoup for the next round.

I was really proud of them both. It was not easy for Kaz to hold her hand the whole time and they only fell hard once. It is times like these that I wonder what she'll really love to do when she's older. Will she love the ice? Dancing? Sports? Art? Music? And when she chooses something in life to pursue, will we have adequately encouraged her?

Time will tell....

Making up for lost time...

I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted...well,...yes I can. I always let the time run away from me and always seem to let other, more important things of life take over. I do, however, want to try to record what is going on with our lives at least once a month. I don't think that would be asking too much of myself.

BOSTON:
Since my last post, a lot has happened. While Kaz did get very close to winning the NY Ballet audition, he did not get it. It was sad but he had another audition to gear up for. He was headed for Boston for their next tenor trombone audition- the mother of all orchestra jobs by his estimations. He did very well, again. He made it past the 1st round but did not make it through the semi-finals. We can say there was a lot against him at the time- the night before he left we found out we both had strep throat. That was after I spent all afternoon at the ER and he left to play a concert only to come back and sit in the ER for a few hours himself before having to leave. Oh, well...you never know what is going to happen in the world of music...

SPRING BREAK:

Now that Jade is on a school schedule, we had our first spring break. Jade and I had intended to spend it in New York but decided to stay home and go later on a combined trip to Connecticut when we attend a wedding. I had a fabulous time playing "stay-at-home" mom. Jade and I were able to do a lot of things we don't normally get to do together- grocery shopping, running errands, going to the farm, playing at the playground and just having fun without the necessary time constraints we usually have.

Touche...

So probably about a month ago, my girlfriend (Carrington) and I are talking about our kids- she has 3, I have 1, they are all the same age. We were talking about potty training since we had already started with Jade and she was thinking about it but not committing to it quite yet with her kids. She informed me that the very next day, although they had not shown much interest in the potty, they all wanted to go to the potty. We teased that they must have been listening in on our conversation.

Last night, we were discussing some of the not so glamorous parts of having toddlers. She is now having frequent nap times that result in kids taking off their diapers and having accidents in their cribs. I told her how fortunate we were that Jade has still never tried to take off her own diaper. Now that she is potty training, she only wears one during nap time and bed time.

And what happens today? .... Why, of course, I hear through the monitor during Jade's supposed nap time, "Mommy...I pooped!". I expected to have to come and change her diaper but as I looked into her room, she had most of the diaper off with one side still hooked around her ankle, poop still in it (thank goodness!) and another diaper ready to go in the other hand. I truly think she was trying to change her own diaper.

Touche!

Happy Birthday, Delaney!!!

Today is Delaney's 8th Birthday and I thought it prudent to post a few pics and reflect on the last 8 years with her.

Delaney started out as a foster dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind. I had been working there almost 2 months when this little furball needed 24 hour care due to an auto immune disorder. I happily obliged since Kaz and I didn't have a dog and I was eager to help out. Little did Kaz know that one day, a bouncy , though rather sick, 4 month old lab puppy had wandered into our apartment (I didn't exactly tell him I was doing this:).

We've been hooked ever since...despite the vet costs, supplements, and yearly blood work-up. She has been with us almost as long as we've been married. She has gone on vacation with us to California, flown to Indiana, driven to and back to Canada, and travelled with our other dog 37 hours straight in a car from Oregon to Ohio. We couldn't have asked for a better, more loyal companion.

We also celebrate Charlie's birthday, too. He was a pound puppy and a playmate for Delaney (we don't know his birthday). What he lacks in intelligence, he makes up for with determination. He's about a year younger than Delaney and she puts up with him. He is thankful for another friend because I am sure he would not do well as an only dog. One look at his calm demenour in the shelter was all we needed to see (boy were we in for a shock!). Charlie runs on all 8 cylinders all the time.

I am thankful for our canines. I remember when Kaz was deployed how grateful I was to have my watchdog and my confidant. What would life be like without one?

Wedding and Florida...

It's been too long since my last post so I thought I should hurry up and get it together. We spent 2 weekends ago at my brother's wedding and an overnight in Jacksonville, FL for a bass trombone audition.

Wedding: Was great. Jade was a terrific flower girl and actually threw the petals down the aisle as I carried her. She had a wonderful time doing her 'job'. I only have a few photos as Kaz and I were both tasked in the wedding but here are a few.

Jacksonville: Kaz did awesome! He was 1 of 3 finalist for the Jacksonville Symphony bass trombone audition. It was great to see him finally have a taste of success at the trombone. He is still planning on returning to the Air Force but we are waiting for paperwork to get started. I will keep everyone updated.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Weekend at the Lake and Wedding Shower...

So a couple of weekends ago we went home for a visit and to attend a wedding shower for my brother's fiance.

We took Jade out to the lake property. It's owned by my dad's employer and he help keep it cleaned up and looking nice. You know, all that yard work that most of us dread doing and he likes.

Here's a few photos of our visit.


What could be more fun than throwing rocks into a lake? Why, throwing more rocks into the lake, of course.









Or, how about blowing the seeds off a cattail? Okay, that's fun for a while but not after they end up all over you.






Jade has been tasked as a flower girl for my brother's wedding and I have been tasked to get her down the aisle. Hmmm...wonder how that will go. Nonetheless, we are ready for the challenge. My mom, Jade and I went to a wedding shower for my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Her name is Heather and I think she's a great addition to the family.

Long time...

I can't believe it has taken me so long to post on my blog. So much is going on I think I felt I didn't have time to write or the weeks went by so fast I didn't realize just how much time had already passed.

My brother is getting married next month and Jade is to be the flower girl. Now, most of you know- she's not even 2 yet but the bride and groom seem content to know that things may or may not go well in that arena. So, I have been tasked with getting her down the aisle. This also requires a dress, shoes and all the fixings for both myself and Jade. We spent all weekend and part of Thurs/Fri getting those details lined out. I have to say that there is nothing cuter than a toddler decked out for a wedding. I will post some photos of that soon.

On a completely different note, grandma and grandpa came for a visit this week and it has been a while since I've posted a video. Granted, it's nothing spectacular. However, I love how much my mom loves Jade, and how much Jade loves her back. It's the same with my dad. It's always a little difficult when the grandparents leave...

Week before auditon...

Kaz will be auditioning in Jacksonville, Fl this coming weekend. I always feel a little bit excited and anxious the week before he auditions. We'll see how this one goes and I'll keep everyone updated.

I know my blogging has been slight for a couple of weeks. That is because I have finally joined the masses in Facebook. And boy, that was a whirlwind of a first week. I've been setting that up and now am trying to do both my blog and keep up with the incoming friends on facebook. It has been really interesting to get in touch with people I haven't seen since high school- and that was over 10 years ago. Wow, I feel old....

Can anyone say Fat Albert?
Jade's newest passion...helping with the dishes!

Snow is gone and another concert....

So the snow here has finally melted with a weekend of 40-50 degree weather. Yay! I can't wait for spring. I thought I would add some more pics of our weekend. Grandma came to watch Jade a bit as Kaz was playing again with his old Air Force band and I had already schedule a Saturday workday. Here are a couple of my favorites.


These were taken at Kaz's concert last night. Jade was having fun with Grandma and all the pictures she was taking. She started to squint when the red light would come on before the picture was actually taken. It was pretty cute.

Winter Wonderland, again...

This time, we had a foot of snow with a 3 inch layer of ice in between. Needless to say, 2 snow days and no grooming. Hopefully we can let Jade play in it tomorrow...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

18 months old and a weekend with the Grandparents...

Jade had her 18 month appointment a few days ago and she seems to be catching up on the percentiles. Right now she is sitting at the 50th percentile for height and weight and the 25th for head circumference. She's 24.5lbs. and 30.5inches tall. She has a clean bill of health and I have to say, as appointments go, this one was quick and easy. It is such a blessing to not have a list of worries or frustrations with Jade. She is sooooo easy compared to many toddlers we know.




This past weekend we all went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. And when I say all, I mean the dogs, too. We fit Jade and both dogs in the back seat of our Ford Focus. I have to admit, I am surprised as to what this little car can handle. Here's what the dogs look like after a weekend away on the car ride home.

They usually figure out a way to make it work back there.


Kaz and I took the opportunity to go to Bloomington all day Saturday. We had tickets for the Men's basketball game. It was Kaz's first time at Assembly Hall and this was his Birthday Gift. We had a fabulous time eating out and visiting some of our old spots. We also noticed how many things had changed. Despite that, we've always said it would be nice to retire there and we still think that.

Did I mention that we were in the nose-bleed section? We still had great seats and had a blast watching a game we didn't win. Oh, well. Maybe next year?

It had been a very long time since I've screamed and yelled that much. It was fun!

Neighbor's House on Fire...

So, what do you do when you get a call at 5am from one neighbor, then another informing you that your other neighbor's house is burning. Well, I guess after determining that the blaze was already called in, the residents got out, and your own house is going to be okay...you sit in front of your window feeling the heat and watching in awe as to how quickly and how monstrous fire can be. Our neighbors directly beside us gave me these photos. The house burning is directly across the street.


From what we've been told, this house still had old fuses. One of them overloaded and that was that. Needless to say, I know what our next Neighborhood Watch meeting will be about.

Everybody check their smoke detector batteries!!

Oh, my....

Hurricane-forced winds, ripped up trees, and no electricity...oh, my.

I haven't updated my blog in a while because we had no electricity for almost 3 days and no Internet for over a week. Dayton was hit by 70 mph (some say more) winds from the leftover hurricane and it completely ripped through for miles. There was more damage than having a tornado.

We were part of the 250,000 people without power but we got lucky. The winds hit on last Sun. night (power out around 3pm) and came back late Tues. night. My neighbors just got hooked up today- over a week without power.

I do have to say that no electricity for that long really brings out the best in some people. A few of our neighbors had a potluck of whatever was left in our freezers that was still good. It was a fun time to get together and just talk. No TVs, no phones (albeit cell phones). By Sat, since everyone else was still without power, we invited those same neighbors over for homemade pizzas, root beer floats, and laundry- a week without doing laundry for a family of four, yuck! We rather enjoyed being able to help out.
We made out okay where the trees were concerned. We lost several large limbs but didn't lose a whole tree. Our immediate neighbor lost one almost through her front door, and a neighbor down the street had one completely uprooted almost falling onto the corner of their house. They also had one snap in half and hanging on all the electrical wires behind the house. Scary...

Thankfully no one was injured but I'll bet people talk about this one for years and years to come. I'm still in shock as I drive around and see the damage and all the dead limbs and trees on the side of the road.

My Mommy Difficulty...

I have always wanted to make sure that I get and stay involved with people outside my little circle (not that my circle is very big mind you). I miss having a small group of Christian women to talk to and to learn from. I also want Jade to understand that it is an important to get connected and have some fun with others. Tonight I went to a Women's Fall Ministry Kick Off at my church fully intending to feel the push or pull of my heart to one of the many opportunities to get involved.

My dilemma is this. I would really love to be in a mom's group. But, of course, all the mom's groups meet during the day because most of them are stay-at-home moms. I, on the other hand, am a working-during-the-day mom who has evenings and most weekends free. It's been a real challenge with any group that I have been involved in-not just with my church. It seems play dates and kids outings are reserved for the daytime hours. I try really hard not to get upset or worried about this fact but it does leave me feeling a little on my own when it comes to all of this. I can't be the only working mom out there.

There are other opportunities. However, it would mean leaving Jade at home and going to do them. I find myself feeling very selfish about my time and wanting to spend as much of it with Jade, not without her.

I am sure there is something that I can do. I guess it might just take a little thinking, some waiting, and a bit of prayer.

Things I love...

There are so many things I love and enjoy, but I find the little things really make my world go round. Here are three things that I have noticed lately that have really made me smile.

1. When Jade gives me a long hug and snuggle accompanied by a loud "Mama!"
Nothing makes me feel more like a mom right now than to have her run to me and want to be with me. I relish each and every time because I know that it won't always be this way.

2. When Kaz thinks it's an amazing thing when in 2 hours I accomplish amazing feats of house cleaning and he tells me so. I must have gotten a 'cleaning gene' from my mom. I actually enjoy cleaning up and wish I had more time to do it better.

3. When a client of mine tells me that they don't know what they would do without me to take care of his/her dog. I have had more and more people cling to my grooming after a few more bad instances at other grooming salons around town. It warms my heart to know that my services are actually wanted and needed- not just another doggie expense.

With all the changes around here I am learning to take some time and see the joy in the little things around me and the people that are my life. So many times I get caught up in what I have to accomplish during a day and another week is over and gone.

God knows that I am still a work in progress.

Summer in the Midwest

Disclaimer: I haven't posted in a long time trying to figure out what has been going on with my picture downloading. Evidently, my blogger likes FireFox instead of Internet Explorer.

Let me paint you a picture...

It's about 8:00pm, and Jade and I are at our Neighborhood Watch meeting 2 houses away-Kaz is at work. While we are talking with our local sheriff about our little area we (my next-door neighbor) heard a clicking sound in the kitchen. Finally, our hostess let us know it was her weather radio and it was only set to go off when there was a tornado warning in the area.

Well.... not more than 5 minutes later did our local tornado sirens start blaring and the weather radio starts going off. My neighbor and I took off for home. Her adult son runs to their house to check on the dad- he's older and mostly deaf and can't hear the sirens- while she and I ran into my house, grabbed the dogs and headed into our middle bathroom where we stayed another 10 minutes until the sirens stopped. Evidently there was a funnel cloud that never touched down that went right through our area not more than 6 blocks away. My neighbor's son says he has it on video.

So you'd think that would be it? Nope. We both went back to the neighborhood watch house we were at to retrieve our stuff because we left everything, when the sirens start going off again! So, now I'm running back to the house again, grabbing the dogs and getting back into the bathroom. After that one I got my radio, TV, some water, a couple of pillows, my phones and stayed there until Kaz got home about 11pm.

I'm tired! And now, the flooding is starting. Here's a picture of the creek behind our house. It is usually only a few feet deep.

Lots of newness...

So much to tell!

Jade:
She did two things this past week that we thought wouldn't happen for a while. She started crawling although she very much prefers to stand and try to walk even if it means using a little walker to help. And she cut her first tooth. So far, I have to say, she's not shown any signs of being bothered by teeth coming in. We are so blessed to have a little one that doesn't seem to be high maintenance- at least, not yet! She has been great with all the changes that have been going on here and re-adapting to life after being in England for 3 weeks. Right now she seems to like sharing her food with the dogs. The dogs, of course, love that. Charlie had the great privilege a few days ago in receiving 2 half-eaten teething biscuits. Yum....

Kaz:
He is officially out of the Air Force! Saturday was his last concert, the annual Glenn Miller Show. His parents and his brother came to town to listen. There were about 3,000-4,000 people there and Kaz had a feature, "Stardust". It was amazingly windy but still enjoyable. He starts is new job on Monday. He will be working at Homewood Suites, the extended stay by Hilton Hotels, as a guest services manager. It will enable him to work evenings/some weekends and have benefits. I think he is looking forward to being able to stay home during the day and take care of Jade while also being able to provide financially for his family. I think he is also ready to take a break from the trombone for a while. He will be joining the Guard Band (out of Toledo) and do his one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year.


Me? I am just getting ready to start grooming full-time again and start gearing up for my International Professional Groomers certification. It is a little weird to put my mindset in a testing situation again. I haven't had to "study" for a very long time. I am also looking forward to having Kaz at home during the day and knowing that deployment is not an option again.

Ahh, Changes...

I know I have been a little behind on my blogging but I'll attempt to provide all the new updates.

Kaz has finished his student teaching and will be finished shortly with his last class for his teaching license. Although he has put in a bit of time for this venture, we think Kaz will decide to leave the Air Force in May to be a stay at home daddy during the day, and employee by evening. Right now we are not sure where he may work but we'll keep everyone posted. He will also be joining the Guard Band doing his one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. That way he'll be able to keep his GI Bill and a few military perks.

This will give me the ability to go back to grooming full time and pursue my International Grooming Certification within the next 2 years. I hope to someday use this feather in my cap to my advantage when I want to start my own grooming school and grow my business in other avenues of dog care.

As for Jade, she is growing and progressing by leaps and bounds. She has said goodbye to bottles and hello to her sippy cup. She also said bye bye to breastfeeding this past week. This is something that I have mixed emotions about. I really wanted to continue to breastfeed until she was one, but Jade had other ideas. One day she just decided she was not all that interested anymore. So, with my new found freedom, I enjoy dairy again (she could not have dairy, therefore, neither could I). She has also begun to nap regularly for longer than 20 min. Yay!

Every day we look at her and wonder what she'll do with her life- who she will become, what she'll accomplish, how she will feel about herself. And every day we look at her with amazement- how can we love another person this much?

What's new...

So, I know it has been a very long time since I've updated the blog but here it goes.

I am officially operating my business out of our home and the old place is finished. I feel like I can now spend time working on our current place and keeping it clean (sure, I will). Kaz is doing his student teaching at a local high school and will go back to his job at the band later this month.

Jade is doing wonderfully despite her need to spit up still. It has become a worry so we are allowing an upper GI test is a couple of weeks to rule out any physical causes. Other than that she is still a great little girl amazing her mommy and daddy every day.

Here's a new pic for everyone...

I love seeing Kaz with her again and I know he loves to be with her. Of course, it is also nice to be able to take a break every once in a while.

Jade is doing very well with all her advancements. She's eating a lot, sitting up on her own, entertaining herself for longer periods of time, still sleeping through the night, and is overall a very happy baby. We have definately been blessed.

More photos to come.

New year, new beginnings

Ahh, the new year is upon us and already so much has changed here at home.

To start, my business is now at home and operational. After a lot of moving stuff (again), some decorating, and a little winterizing I now enjoy the benefits of an at home business. No longer do I go out in the cold in the mornings nor do I have to worry about a dog potentially jumping off the front porch taking it's owner with him/her. To top it off, all of Jade's things are here- no more packing up a bag to take to work every morning.

Let's see... Of course, there is Jade and all of the new tricks she is learning. She's back to sleeping through the night (usually 9pm-7am) after the craziness of Christmas and is really enjoying her food. Most of the time, I can't shovel it in fast enough for her. She has also mastered rolling over this week. She's done that a few times already but this week seems to be the turning point and she automatically rolls over when placed on the floor. Oh, no!! Crawling is next! I don't know if I am prepared for that one.

Kaz will be coming home sooner rather than later. I finally feel like we are on the downward where that is concerned. I can't wait to have him home. I've been sending him short video clips and photos since he's been gone so that it won't be as much of a shock to him when he gets back.

I wonder what this year will bring....