It Snows in Utah

Snow is COLD.

I live where it is warm most of the year and very HOT the rest. This whole snow and ice thing was a shock to my poor body. But it was worth it.

Friday was Jaime’s 30th (I mean, 29 again) birthday. As a surprise, I flew to Utah to help her celebrate. It was fun. We went to Park City for some shopping at the outlets (by the way—the outlets are outside…and it was snowing!). We kept Jaime busy until 5:00 when she could go home for her surprise party. Two surprise in one day! And I managed to keep both a secret!

It was so good to visit with her and see her boys—including her husband who was so good and shopped with us yesterday and made us breakfast this morning. Despite the cold, seeing a good friend who lives far away warmed my heart.

Add to that the fact that my little brother through his connections managed to get me a first class seat on the flight out there and I was totally happy. There is nothing wrong with a cocktail at 9:00am is there?


Hope everyone’s Christmas was good. We had a great day. Cade still has a few presents under the tree. Apparently unwrapping presents is only fun if you are not supposed to be doing it?! He will get to them eventually!

Ornaments on Our Tree

Our tree is currently being held captive.

Well, it is behind a baby playard fence. I prefer to think of our tree being protected instead of jailed. But, as I said in a previous post, even with the baby gate, Cade can reach the tree. I think at this point the fence is mainly protecting the presents that are beneath the branches of the tree from being attacked by Cade. I am sure that the lure of the shiny paper would be just to much for Cade to ignore.

Of course, Cade probably won't want to open any presents on Christmas...just when he is not supposed to. Ahhhh...the inner workings of the mind of a one-year-old.

Cade loves to look at the tree. Early in the morning when we go downstairs for breakfast, the only lights on are the Christmas tree lights. We walk over to the tree and point to the different ornaments. Cade will point to the Santa ornament and say, "Ho Ho Ho!". He will point to the penguin ornament and tilt his head to the side because I like the baby penguin ornament and apparently say, "Awwww" and tilt my head to the side. Cade will find the Elmo ornament and smile big. But, his favorite is the hippo ornament. Every time we see that one I sing, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". Cade will point to the ornament and bob his head back and forth to tell me to sing. Enjoy this website and sing along! I Want a Hippopotamus

Tomorrow will be a busy day...so I probably will not be back to post until after Christmas. I would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Silent Night...

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ, the Saviour is born

Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Silent Night is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Really makes the meaning of Christmas shine for me. I love to sing it at church on Christmas Eve when the only light surrounding us is candles. Brings tears to my eyes every year.

Last year at Christmastime Cade had a shirt that said, "Never a Silent Night With Me". I thought it was funny--and at just four months old it was somewhat true. We have come along way in the last year and Cade usually will sleep through the night without fussing for at least 11 hours. It is wonderful. I owe a lot of his good sleep habits to Dr. M. Weissbluth and his book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and to my friend, Amy, who gave me that book when Cade was born. I am very spoiled by Cade's sleeping habits and in this last week I have learned not to take them for granted. With Cade being sick he was having a hard time sleeping. The medication he was on was keeping him up--as well as his difficulty breathing. Add to that the fact that we are quickly transitioning from two naps to one and it has been a rough week.

BUT, last night, we returned to our regular sleep patterns. Which means Cade got a really good night sleep--and so did his Mama. We both really needed it. So, in addition to loving the song Silent Night, I have learned to really appreciate a truly silent night.

Where Do You Read Your Paper?

I have a sick child. And a sick husband.

Therefore, I have not had a lot of time to blog. Besides that, unless you want to hear me complain about having a sick child (and a sick husband) I don't really have a lot to say. So, here are some pictures to keep you entertained since I won't have the usual story full of my humor and wit. (See, that was funny!)


Because Kim demanded it, here are pictures of my "Hope" tree:






Then, to explain the title of the post, here are pictures of Cade sitting in the front yard "reading" the paper. We had just gone outside. He picked up the paper, walked around for a little bit, found a good spot in the middle of the grass and opened the paper. It was funny!

Over the river and through the woods....

And back to the doctor we go.

(And by the way, we live in the desert, therefore, there are no rivers and no woods...just dirt and cactus--and warm weather!)

The last few days Cade has been getting progressively more and more sick. Started with runny nose...and moved right into his chest. Ughhh... so after being at the doctor like two weeks ago for the croup, we went back today. Luckily, Cade did not have to get another shot, but did get a breathing treatment and an oral dose of steroids. Poor baby. The shot probably would've been preferred. The breathing treatments takes at least 5 minutes--and he hated it whereas a shot is over pretty quickly. But, he needed the breathing treatment--and it helped. So, we have to continue to do them at home (boy, won't that be fun!) and give Cade prednisolone for the next 5 days.

And, Jim is sick. Apparently he has whatever Cade has. Yuck.

On a happier note, I received a gift from Santa yesterday. He was a little early, but I think he wanted me to enjoy it before Christmas. Out by my front door, I found a little three-foot Christmas tree. On this tree were ornaments--all of them saying HOPE. Hope is my middle name, so this little tree is very special to me. Thank you, Santa!

Who Let the Dogs Out?

On Wednesday, Cade went down for a nap in the afternoon.

It was a little later than usual, but he was sound asleep around 3:00pm. I was sitting downstairs watching Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, on TV. I am sure I had 100 other things that I should've been doing, but I needed some time to sit and do nothing while Cade slept.

I started to hear dogs barking. Loudly. Then other dogs joined in. It was coming from the back of the house--and also coming across Cade's baby monitor. It sounded like dogs were attacking something or someone. I went out the back door and saw two younger girls walking a medium size dog on the green belt. The dog they were walking was barking at two other dogs behind a fence across the way. All three dogs that I could see were barking and growling at each other--setting off a stream of barking dogs down the street. It was crazy. The girls pulled the dog away, laughing, and would let the dog go back up to the fence and stir up the other dogs again. I watched for minute, contemplating whether I should say anything, but then they finally walked away.

About twenty minutes later, I hear the dogs again. I swore they were going to wake Cade up they were so loud. I walk out the back door again, irritated that these girls were not smart enough to walk a different way home to keep their dog from getting riled up...and see the girls practically leading their dog up to the fence. They apparently thought making the dogs crazy was fun. I was not happy. And I spoke up. I am normally non-confrontational. I am the peace keeper. But, if you threaten my child's nap, I will threaten you. So I yelled to the girls, "I have a baby that is trying to sleep...could you keep your dog away from the other ones?" One girl screamed back that she was sorry but that the dog was too strong...which I kind of believed, but then between the two of them they could manage the dog. And I had watched them pull the dog away, and then practically take the dog back up to the fence. Amazingly enough, as soon I finished glaring at them with my best "Mom" look, they left. Peace and quiet at last.

Cade slept until after 4, so apparently the dogs barking didn't bother him at all.

What a Difference a Year Makes...

I remember last year this time.

Cade was just four months old. On Christmas day he rolled over by himself for the first time. We were so excited that he had managed to move by himself. This year we will me lucky if Cade manages to sit still for five minutes.



Last year Cade's Christmas dinner was a bottle. This year he will join us for ham and all the fixings that go with it.



Last year Cade didn't want to go to anyone but me. He cried whenever anyone else tried to hold him. This year, especially with his cousins here, he will probably go to everyone BUT me.



Last year Cade spent most of Christmas in his swing--napping or observing. This year, he is WAY to big for the baby swing and he will prefer to be in the middle of things...



Sometimes I miss Cade being a baby. The way he would fall asleep in your arms...and smile in his sleep. But in the last year he has gotten so big and developed such a personality, it has been a joy to see him grow! Just wait until next Christmas when I report that he won't stop talking!

A Plane Ride to Bethlehem

Away in a manger, no crib for His bed

The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay

The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby wakes

But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus look down from the sky

And stay by my side,'til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever and love me I pray

Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care

And take us to heaven to live with Thee there

Last year for Christmas, Cade got a Fisher Price Nativity set. He was obviously too little to play with it last year, but it is perfect for him right now. It is soooo cute. It has the animals and the Wise Men/women and Mary and Joseph, and of course, baby Jesus in the hay. I have been trying to teach Cade that baby Jesus is the one in the manger, but he likes the angel better. When you push the angel down, it lights up the star on the stable and plays, "Away in a Manger".

Apparently there are several more pieces to this set--and I have heard a rumor that his great-grandfather might be giving Cade another piece this year since he was the one who gave him the nativity set last year. What a great way to incorporate play with the true reason and meaning for the Christmas season.

Now I just have to explain to Cade that Mary did NOT ride in an airplane to get to Bethlehem (she sat in his toy plane for several days) and that baby Jesus should NOT be used for a teething toy. Oh dear...

Monkey See, Monkey Do

In the last week, Cade has become a little copy cat.

He will do--or attempt to do--anything we do. Here are a few examples:

• I was exasperated the other day and said, "Aiy yi yi" and Cade smiled and said, 'Yi yi".
• I was whistling for the birds the other day, so Cade puckered his lips and started blowing.
• I pointed to a bunny in a book and said, bunny and scrunched up my nose. Cade did too.
• If we hear a dog bark, Cade will say "woof" back to the dog.

He is just too darn cute.

And for a little bit of fun, follow this link to watch us morph into an elf family!

Elf_Dance

Proof that it Rains in Arizona

There are several reasons why I haven't posted lately.

I could list them for you, but I would probably bore you and you probably wouldn't think they were all that valid of excuses anyway. But, I promise to make it up to you. For those who are possibly going through Cade withdrawal since I haven't really posted much about him lately, I promise this week will be full of him.


Last week it rained. It rained HARD for a long time. I know...rain in most areas is not a novelty, but when you live in the desert, it is. Cade thought the rain was the coolest thing. And he wanted to be outside in it. Not just looking at it, but walking through it, standing in it, sitting in it. Cade also thought sweeping the rain was fun, too. (Sweeping? Yes...he carried the broom around and swept the rain...go figure?! Maybe he thought he might need it for a paddle if it kept raining!) He thought it was the best thing in the whole world. The problem was he was just getting over the croup and I didn't want him wet and outside for too long. Well, reasoning with a one-year old is pretty impossible. So, we let him play until he was completely soaked and then brought him in--kicking and screaming for a warm bath. He was so mad! Here are a few pictures--and be sure to check out the new video on the side bar!

Mmmm...Pink Grapefruit

I love Jelly Belly jelly beans.

Well, most of them. While shopping for Christmas presents for others, I managed to find this large bag of Jelly_Belly's on sale for myself. The bag said it had 49 flavors. However, right next to this bag was a box that had 50 flavors. The bag was a much better deal, but I didn't like the fact that I was being gypped out of a flavor. I made my girlfriend compare the flavors on the back of both to see which one was not in the bag. Turns out that the 50th flavor is jalapeno. I decided I could live without that flavor.

Speaking of Jelly Belly's, when I was doing my residency I worked out of an office. I shared the office with my residency director. We always had a jar of candy on the desk. Some how our candy disappeared quickly. We decided to put some Bertie Bott's Jelly Belly's in our candy dish. Bertie Bott's are from Harry Potter. They have regular flavors in the pack, but then they also have grass, pepper, pickles, and sausage flavor jelly beans. The plan worked. Whoever was constantly raiding our candy jar stopped. They must have gotten a horrible tasting one!

Cade is still a little young for jelly beans. In fact, other than a few M&Ms here and there, he hasn't had any candy. But someday, I will get to share with him the wonder and deliciousness of Jelly Belly's. Ohhh...and I can't wait to give him Pop Rocks for the first time! The joys of childhood.

No More Denying It

Okay. I admit it. I am sick.

I survived the weekend...but today has been the worst day. Hopefully this means I have now hit rock bottom and will start recovering tomorrow? One can hope...



Since I am sick and tired, and therefore, uncreative tonight, I will post some pictures from Advent by Candlelight so you can see the beautiful tables that were set up.

I would also like to share an email that I received about my friend Noelle's baby, Brielle. She was the one born with Trisomy 18, but has so far been beating the odds that are against her. Apparently she is currently fighting an infection, but seems to be holding her own. A friend sent an email reminding us to take time in this busy holiday season to pray.



"Through the holiday season it is so easy for all of us to become distracted with our busy lives. I am definitely guilty of this. Noelle has said to me before that she truly believes her daughter is here and is doing so well due to the overwhelming POWER OF PRAYER. She is truly a miracle baby. Their family is so full of Faith it takes my breathe away. The strength that exudes from their home is so amazing and encouraging. I am sure I speak for everyone when I say this. A prayer of mine now at this time is for all of us to come together again in full force with continued prayers of healing for this precious little girl."

Advent by Candlelight

It has been a busy weekend.

Not only did I have to work this weekend, but on Saturday night was the event at my church called, Advent by Candlelight. We first heard about this event from my SIL in Wisconsin. Her church has such a great response to it that they have to hold the event over two nights to accommodate all that want to attend.

The event is beautiful. It is a gathering of women to mark the start of the Advent season. A time to focus on the true reason for the season of Christmas. This year it was held in the fellowship hall of our church. There were ten tables...and each table had a pair of hostesses. The hostesses were in charge of providing the dishes and centerpieces for their tables, as well as dessert. There was to be no artificial light...the room was to be lit by candles only.

I was a table hostess along with my friend, Amy. We used her fine china plates and coffee cups for serving our dessert and coffee. Our table was decorated with my Christmas table runner which depicts the nativity scene. We had tons of candles. It looked absolutely beautiful. Since all of the tables had different hostesses, all of the tables were different--and it created a stunning effect. The room was bathed in candlelight. We opened with prayer, had dessert, listened to an inspiring devotion given by my Mom, heard quotes from famous women about their thoughts on Christmas, did a choral reading of "Mary, Did you know", and closed with a final song and prayer. I think all of the guests had a wonderful time.

Advent by Candlelight reminds us that Christmas is truly the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It makes us pause...focus, rejoice. It was a great night. I will share pictures as soon as I see some.

Thanks to Kim for telling us about this wonderful event. Thanks Mom for the planning and hard work. You gave a beautiful devotion and had a very successful evening. Thanks Amy for being a great hostess. I enjoyed working with you on this!

Happy start of Advent!