Pig

It continues to amaze me how little my kids understand about where their food (particularly meat) comes from.  I made a pork tenderloin a few weeks ago and it blew their minds that it was from a pig.

Today I packed Beckett and Darcy roast beef sandwiches for the first time ever.  Beckett came home and informed me that he HATED his sandwich.  Then he said,

"Mom, if you ever make a pig again and we have some left, will you make me a pig and cheese sandwich?"  And Darcy added "Yes!  I want a pig and cheese sandwich too!  With at least 8 pieces of pig!  And I will tell everyone that it is DEAD!"

Resolution #15: Sew Something

My parents came to visit in September, and my mom made me the most perfect valances for my kitchen and family room.  She stayed up until about 3:00 in the morning a few different nights to get them done perfectly.  I watched her for about an hour and then got tired and went to bed.  Which just proves the saying that I've known to be true for many years:  If you want something done right, ask Debby Dillman to do it.  She doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "80 for the 20".  But man, everything she does is perfect!

I, however, think that "good enough" is ok with me!  I've been working on a dress for Darcy for Christmas (I made Gwen and her doll matching dresses when she was in 1st grade, so now I'm trying to do the same for Darcy).  I actually have been trying very hard to follow the directions (all of them!  not just the ones I think are important!) and so far they are looking pretty good.  But the dresses aren't quite done, so they are overshadowed by my first COMPLETED sewing project of the year - a liner for my new bike basket!

I tried to capture it in its best light, because there are plenty of flaws, believe me!  It is a little (ok, lot) crooked, the underside has lots of bunched up thread clumps, and the inside and outside are not exactly the same shape.  However, it took me 2 days and it is DONE, so voila!  

I have to admit, I still miss the kids but it has been really fun for me to explore a few hobbies and check some things off of my "to do" list.

Darcy's BDAY - Part 1

Our Darcy turned 8 in October... hard to believe considering she is teeny tiny and in 1st grade!  We turned her birthday into an excuse for a family adventure, and it was super fun!

We had been reading the American Girl book, "Saige Paints the Sky".  Saige lives in Albuquerque, NM and celebrates her birthday at the annual International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.  This was one of the first longer chapter books that Darcy had been really into, and we got such a kick out of it.  We read the last chapter to the kids in the car one day, and the kids were all talking about the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.  I asked Siri how long it was to Albuquerque and she lied to me and told me it was a shorter distance than it really was.  Then, I googled the hot air balloon fiesta and found out that the first day of it this year happened to be Darcy's birthday (October 5)!  So based on mis-information from Siri, we booked a hotel and decided to surprise the kids with a trip down.

The best part was that we didn't tell them what we were doing.  We woke them up for school on a Friday, got them all ready, and Lance mentioned he would drive them to school... we pulled into the parking lot and then announced, "You know what?  Instead of going to school today, let's go on an adventure!".  So Gwen ran in to turn in her homework and we pulled out of the parking lot yelling "Not today, school!  See ya later!".  The kids couldn't believe it.  It was so much fun just to see the looks on their faces.  Then, we put in the "Saige Paints the Sky" movie, and at the end of it we told them where we were going.

We were driving through a snow storm, but we finally got there 8 hours later.  We ate dinner and turned in early b/c we had to get up at 4:45 to make the "Dawn Patrol" - the first set of hot air balloons that go off when it is still dark.  Traffic was horrible, so lance got out with the kids and they walked 1 mile+ to the field while I waited to park the car. Things were delayed though, so we all got to see the Dawn Patrol, followed by the Mass Ascension, where 500+ hot air balloons take off over about 2 hours.  I think hot air balloons are cool, just like anyone else, but I'm not nuts over them.  But, this was really, really cool.  Something about a beautiful day, with your 4 favorite people, and your daughter wearing a Happy Birthday hat and talking all about Saige and her both celebrating their birthdays, it was just really special.  Lance was totally crazy about the hot air balloons and kept saying 'This is so cool!  This is one of the neatest things I've ever seen!"

Saige is also an artist, so we brought art pads and crayons/colored pencils/markers to the field and we all sketched our best impression of the event.  It is fun now to have those pieces of "art" as souvenirs of our trip.

Mustang Mile!

My friend Kristen and I chair our school's annual fundraiser, the Mustang Mile and Fall Festival.  Or at least, we have 2 out of the 3 years it has been in existence.  It is a lot of hard work, but we love it!

Last year, the weather was PERFECT and the whole night was awesome.  The event starts with a 1 mile fun run and then it is followed by a festival with games, 2 big bouncy things, colored hair spray, food, a DJ, prizes, and the biggest draw - a dunk tank where kids could dunk their teachers.  We earned $950 from the dunk tank alone last year, and $34,000 for the fundraiser as a whole.

The night was so perfect last year, and I was so proud, that I invited my parents out for it this year.

Fast forward to this year... we have THREE bouncy things, we added a full cookout with a food tent, 2 giant  outdoor lights that required a giant delivery truck and a generator and an additional dunk tank.  The flash floods had already happened, and since Colorado NEVER gets rain in the fall, we figured it couldn't possibly rain again so close to the flooding.  The day before - 70 degrees.  The day after - 70 degrees.  The day of - high of 42 degrees and raining!  I am an eternal "weather optimist" so we waited until the very last minute to call it, but finally we decided to bring it indoors.  The run was still done in the rain, but the festival had to be moved inside and people had to run to the food tent in the rain to get their food.  Not ideal, and I was CRUSHED that my parents were there and it was all sub-optimal.  But, we survived it and it went pretty well.  Instead of a dunk tank, we put teachers in jail and kids could pay either to: 1) get the teachers out early for good behavior, or 2) get in jail with their teachers.  We weren't sure how it would play out, but kids were desperate to get in that jail, and we ended up earning over $1,000 from it!  And, our total for the fundraiser went up from $34k last year to $43k this year, so financially it was a huge success.

My kids in jail:

My kids were also thrilled with this:  I ordered 3 ticket banners for our ticket tables.  They were supposed to be 4 feet by 18 inches.  They came in at 4 feet by 18 feet!  We are now the proud owners of 3 giant Ticket Slip N' Slides!  I know Beckett's face is blurry in this picture, but if you look closely you can see the absolute joy that can only come from an 18 foot long plastic slip n' slide mistakenly being delivered to your house.

Resolutions!

During the first few weeks of school, I:

-  tried to talk Beckett into switching to half-day kindergarten 

-  decided that maybe we should get a puppy

-  tried to talk Lance into adopting siblings from another country

-  seriously considered whether having my "tubes" surgically untied was a good idea

Which led me to my first, and best, resolution:

DON'T MAKE ANY MAJOR DECISIONS THE FIRST MONTH AFTER YOUR BABY GOES TO KINDERGARTEN!  

The thought that I was possibly having all of these thoughts because I missed my kids honestly did not occur to me.  Clearly, I thought, a puppy/baby/children-from-another-country was just a GOOD IDEA.  Why hadn't I thought of it sooner?  It took Lance to finally say, "wow, maybe you are in crisis because you miss the kids?".  DUH.  

In addition to my first resolution, I made a series of others for the year.  I've been waiting for this year for a long time, and I want to make the most of it.  I remember everyone telling me that I wouldn't get anything done on maternity leave.  I got a LOT done on maternity leave.  Similarly, everyone has been telling me "You just watch!  The day will fly by and you won't have accomplished anything!".  Well phooey on that because I crave productivity!  Example:  since school started I have completed a big work project, started two girl scout troops, gotten Darcy's troop up and running, and chaired our school's big fundraiser, the Mustang Mile and Fall Festival, which earned our school over $40,000!  Whether it is a good thing or not, I really value accomplishments.

So here are my resolutions/goals for the year.  Hopefully I do better than when I tried to read the Bible:

- Do more yoga.

- Have less chaotic Holidays. 
(because I will presumably be able to plan/shop/craft, etc. while the kids are at school)

- Introduce my photo albums to the year 2008 and beyond.

- Blog Better. 
(note, this is not specific!  I am setting myself up for success by not being too rigid with my criteria!)

- Stop what I'm doing and enjoy quality time with my kids when they are home sick from school. (note, I've already gotten to practice this twice!  Beckett and I enjoyed a rousing game of Candy Land and two episodes of Cupcake Wars!)

- Read some non-fiction. 
(I've heard science has made some progress since I graduated from college and I'd like to catch up)

- Garden and maintain the yard a little better.

- Organize three things.  

- Know what we're having for dinner the majority of the time.

- Create a peaceful evening/after-school environment, even on our busy days.

- Extend our bedtime reading... More chapter books, and letting Darcy read to us.

- DON'T OVER-COMMIT
(lance will say I've already failed at that one, but I have really enjoyed what I've done so far)

- Similarly, don't over-schedule - myself or the kids.

- Be more thoughtful with birthdays and thank you notes.  
(I THINK of everyone on their birthday, but that doesn't cut it anymore)

- Sew something.  
(ha!  I've already sewn Alvin and the Chipmunks costumes for Lance and two friends!  But I'd like to sew something "real")

- Paint and/or fully decorate one room.

- When the kids are home, don't be distracted by things I can do while they're at school.  

I'll keep you posted on the progress, because there is nothing I like better than checking things off of a list!  

Glad the feeling is mutual...

I've been missing all of my kiddos since they started school, but especially my little guy.  For years I've been waiting for the day when I can grocery shop by myself... Now, I go into the store and I see a mom with a little boy and I wish Beckett was with me!  There's no one to get a cookie for, or to watch ride the penny horse, or to continually say "no, you can't get that, now stop asking me!" to.  It is lonely!

Anyway, Beckett has had four pictures come home from school so far.  The kids can draw about anything...

Picture 1:  "Mommy and Me"

 Picture 2:  "Mommy and Me Watering Flowers"

 Picture 3:  "Mommy and Me Looking for Sand Crabs (in Hilton Head)"

 Picture 4:  "Mommy and Me Eating a Jelly Doughnut"

I don't want him to miss me.... But it's really, really nice that he misses me : )

First Impressions from a Kindergartener

Mom, you know what we do a lot of in Kindergarten?  

SITTING!

We color in art class - SITTING

We sing songs in music class - SITTING

We write at our desks - SITTING

We eat lunch - SITTING

We sit on the dot rug - SITTING

That is a LOT of sitting!

[Other than all the sitting, kindergarten is AWESOME, school is SO FUN, his teacher is SUPER NICE and he LOVES it!]

Feet Feet Feet

One of these feet belongs to me.  

The other belongs to my 9 year old daughter.

First Day of School! First Day for Mom!

Yesterday I sent my baby off to kindergarten!  He was so ready, but it was still pretty rough on me.  This was particularly hard because we have a choice between half and full day, and we decided to do full day.  The girls both did half day, but they were different kids than Beckett, and Beckett has LOTS of energy!  He goes to sleep at the same time as the girls and wakes up about 2 hours before them, ready to take a bike ride, walk the dog, jump on the trampoline - whatever I will let him do at 6 in the morning.

He had a diva moment in the morning before school... He gets LOTS of hand me down clothes from my well-dressed neighbor so I hardly had to buy him anything for school this year.  I had a nice polo shirt and khaki shorts laid out for him to wear, but he INSISTED on wearing these blue jeans that I got him because they were literally the ONLY new things I bought him for school this fall.  So he roasted in 93 degree weather, through 3 recesses, just so he could wear these "super cool pants".

 I don't think I've mentioned this before, but we ended up having Darcy repeat kindergarten last year.  So after two long years, she finally started 1st grade and she was SOOO excited!  She is not a morning person at all, but she hopped out of bed and got herself all dressed and ready.  She was most excited about her Hello Kitty dress and her new silver shoes.  She gave 1st grade a "Double Thumbs Up" (with both index fingers) when she got home!

And Gwen, my original baby, started FOURTH GRADE!  She is gigantic, and looking very grown up, and it is very hard to imagine her running out of those same kindergarten doors and into my arms after her first day of kindergarten.  I didn't get a great picture of her shoes, but she was most excited to have black, sparkly high tops with bright pink laces and a wedge heel (as if she needs any more height!).

And as for mama, I met my friends at Starbucks for our annual Boo Hoo/Yahoo coffee morning.  It was really good to take my mind off things because by about 12:30 I was ready to go pick Beckett up and bring him home with me!  

We had a FABULOUS summer - just the right amount of activity, the kids all had friends on the street to play with, not a lot of fighting, etc.  It was just about as perfect a summer as we could get.  So I was not looking forward to school starting, but unfortunately it is not up to me.  I'm just so grateful that they love their school and they get out at 2:30, so I will still have plenty of time to spend with them each day.  

And I have made some resolutions, since this is my first year being home full time without kids!  More on that to come...

Happy 5th Birthday, Beckett!!!

My baby boy turned 5 today, I can't believe it!  I've been so sad and mushy this week because MAN was that kid an awesome 4 year old.  I can't stand the thought of him getting older!

We celebrated this morning with a "mommy and me" pancake breakfast at Village Inn after taking the girls to school.  Then we played, went to gymnastics, picked the girls up from school and played some more.  Then we had a special birthday dinner at his request:  salad (I don't really know why, he doesn't love salad), hot dogs and ice cream.  Delicious.

5 special gifts for our 5 year old: a spiderman skateboard, a giant styrofoam airplane, a bey blade, a pack of "trashies" (garbage-themed squinkies for all you parents of girls!), and a pack of about 500 water balloons for the summer


More to come, I just had to
take a minute to wish my littlest guy a very happy, happy birthday!

Another Poem by Gwen

I periodically do focus groups for Compassion International, which is based in Colorado Springs. They are a fabulous organization!  Compassion is one of those companies that offers "sponsorships" of children in poorer countries, and our family has been sponsoring three children for about 1 1/2 years now.    We tried to mirror our own family, so we have a 9 year old girl, 7 year old girl and 5 year old boy, all in Kenya.  Anyway, the lessons we're trying to teach our kids are obvious but it's normally not so obvious whether or not they are sinking in.  Let's just say I was thrilled when Gwen asked me to mail this poem to her "pen pal", Ntaanywa:

Dear Ntaanywa, here is a poem for you:

Ice cream and candy are both nice things
But the best things happiness brings
Family and friends, love that's your own
Not toys, not a phone
Knowing God's there
Love to share

by Gwen FitzSimmons

"I Will Be a Fashion Designer" by Gwen FitzSimmons

This from Gwen, who just yesterday wore coral sweatpants with a red shirt to school.  The kid's all drew pictures of themselves and then in the "belly" area they wrote about their future career and how someone might know if it is a good job for them.  Here is Gwen's:

I've thought and thought of what I want to be.  I'll tell you this so you will see, a fashion designer is the best job for me.

If you have a special touch for drawing, you should probably start thinking of being a fashion designer.  You can sketch a lot of designs and see them come to life.  For example, you can sew your dress or clothes for people to wear.

If all your designs are unique you would make a good fashion designer because all designs should be special.

You should probably like glitter, a colorful style and have a love for accessories.

I love all these things and that is why it's a good job for me.  But wait, there's more!  In addition to those special, colorful, unique designs you should probably know how to sew.

Make your design come to life.

Stitching straight or curved, the designs need to look nice you see.  I can do it, and that is why a fashion designer is the best job for me.

Go Big or Go Home.

Or in Lance's case, Go Big and Break a Bone.

Since I've met Lance I've had a few sore knees from running, some neck pain from riding a bike that was too long for me, 3 uncomplicated c-sections and I've probably stubbed my toe a few times.

Lance once stubbed his toe so badly in the middle of the night that he had to go to the hospital.

Lance claims that if you are not getting hurt, you are not trying hard enough.  Lance, I speak for all of us when I say "You Are Trying Hard Enough!  No one doubts your commitment! You don't have to prove anything to us!"

We just had a fabulous and seemingly INFINITE Christmas break.  Today was the kids first day back at school, and since I had a kid home sick almost everyday in December it has been a LONG WHILE since all the kids were in school.  We rented a condo in Winter Park with my friend Tamara's family for the winter and we got to go up there two separate times over break.

Anyway, Lance broke a rib on the first run of the first day skiing : )  Two weeks later he is still in a lot of pain but continues to ski because "its nothing that 4 ibuprofen can't fix!"

He gets offended when I say he is accident prone because that implies he is clumsy.  He is really not clumsy he just does everything so HARD.

By providing this list of Lance's injuries, I am not implying that he is accident prone.  I am simply reporting the facts and letting you come to your own conclusions.
Since I've known Lance he has:

• Sprained his ankle badly multiple times (volleyball & basketball)
• Dislocated his thumb (skiing)
• Separated his shoulder, whatever that means (snowboarding)
• Mountain biked through a weird bug's nest and come home with bites ALL OVER his face (not really an injury but too funny not to include)
• Broken a femur, both tibias and both fibulas and been in a coma for a WEEK (car accident)
• Had his rods and screws from above broken bones taken out, for 10 more weeks of wheelchair/crutches
• Thrown his back out a few times
• Broken his elbow (mountain biking)
• Broken his wrist and hand (mountain biking) resulting in a cast followed by surgery
• Broken a rib (skiing)

And those are only the injuries I remember.  Lance, I love you, but could you Go Smaller?

Disney

Disney was everything we hoped it would be, and more!  Despite the fact that we had to wheel Gwen through the airport in a wheelchair, holding a giant cup (just in case).  And despite the fact that she was sick the first day and I was sick the second.  Disney was truly MAGICAL and the kids had an unbelievable time.

 Skipped Hollywood Studios the first day to let Gwen recover... started like this but ended with a smile!

 The kids loved the pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Too cold for mommy of course, but they had a blast!

 African face painting... Staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge gave me the itch to go back to Africa BIG TIME!

 The girls visited the Bippity Boppity "Mom-tique" on our last day at the Magic Kingdom.  I was surprised Gwen wanted to do it, but she was so excited.  Such a good reminder that she may be tall and mature, but she is still my baby girl!  Luckily I had brought their Christmas dresses for our family pics : )

 We rated every ride with our thumbs.  Darcy spent the entire first day yelling "TWO THUMBS UP!!!" after every ride, while holding her two index fingers in the air : )  We finally taught her how to hold her thumbs up. From then on, she would first confirm, "Are these my thumbs?" and then upon confirmation would shout "TWO THUMBS UP!!!".  They loved almost every single ride. Beckett was terrified of Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror, but other than that they loved everything.  Darcy rode Space Mountain (just barely tall enough!) and she loved it!  So grateful for kids who like adventure!

Thank you, Disney, for being everything you promised!  Our kids were at perfect ages, and our whole family just cherished the trip.  I felt so grateful for this trip.  Gwen threw a penny in the fountain and wished that every kid in the world could visit Disney World.  That about sums it up right there - we are so fortunate : )

Please Please Please

We've been plotting and planning and reserving and packing and anticipating our trip to Disney World.  We leave tomorrow.  Twenty-four hours to go, and Gwen is throwing up...  That in itself is ok - better here than there.  The big question is WHO ELSE WILL GET IT and WHEN???

Fingers Crossed, People!!!

The Undecided Voters

SNL did a hilarious skit on the undecided voter... my kids have been quite fickle in their opinions too over the past few weeks!  To caveat this story, I do not even vote based on taxes, but Gwen has a ton of questions about Republicans vs. Democrats and I've done my best to explain the differences in tax policy, social policy and military "stuff" to her.  
(and for the record I have never called us Middle People) 

So the other day we are driving in the car, and the kids are constantly noticing and counting the political signs around our neighborhood.  Darcy and Beckett start chanting "Mitt Romney! Mitt Romney! Mitt Romney!"  over and over again.  Gwen gets this look on her face and turns around to face them...

"Mitt Romney wants rich people to pay less taxes and Middle People like us to pay more taxes!  Do you know what that means?  You won't get as many Christmas or Birthday presents!!!"  

There is a long pause.  And then the chanting starts up again (I swear, in unison... I don't know how)

"O-bama! O-bama! O-bama!"

Mama For Sale!

Yesterday Darcy and I were having an epic battle of the wills over creeping and crawling.  I knew if I lost the battle, I was losing the whole summer/war.  I stayed very calm and told her the consequences for not participating and why it was in her best interest to get started with the other kids.... 

I hear Darcy whispering to Beckett.  I have no idea what they are talking about.  Darcy finishes whispering, looks over at me and says:

"We decided that we're getting rid of you, by a garage sale." 

Me: You're getting rid of me?
Darcy: Yes, go outside.  We're selling you at a garage sale and its today.
Me: Who is going to buy me?
Darcy, getting a sneaky smile on her face: Strangers!
(she says this in a whisper because everyone knows that strangers are terrifying, and it is giving her pleasure to make me sweat at the prospect of being purchased by "strangers")
Darcy: Now go outside and stand on the driveway!  Now!

For the record, I asked Beckett if he wanted to sell me too and he replied "NO!!".  So at least one of my kids likes me.  I don't think Gwen wants to sell me either, at least not yet : )

Farewell, Piper

Piper FitzSimmons

January 16, 2002 - June 13, 2012

Yesterday Lance and I had to put down our first baby girl, Piper.  We knew it was coming, and that did help, but it certainly wasn't easy.  Her health had been deteriorating quickly and she had lost 15 pounds in the past few months.  Fortunately, we were blessed in that the vet told us it was Time, without trying to throw a lot of costly and ultimately ineffective last ditch efforts at us.  Lance called me while I was at WhiteWave, so I had to quickly pack up and meet him at the vet.  While he waited for me outside with Piper, he started having second thoughts but when he walked in (to potentially cancel) the Vet Tech said immediately, "You're making the right choice.  Its time."  That helped a lot.

 These pictures were taken right outside the vet yesterday.

Piper has always been a "people dog".  Her love for us was displayed every time we walked in the door and Piper did her "headstand" where she stuck her butt in the air and her buried her head into the ground so you could pet her back.

The most obvious example of her love for us is how she would "close the house" with us each night.  WITHOUT FAIL, Piper would wait downstairs until the last person went to bed.  If I was working in the office, she was at my feet.  If Lance was watching TV, she was laying next to the couch.  She sometimes looked so tired, but she wouldn't think of going to bed while someone was downstairs, potentially needing a friend.  When Lance was out of town for work, Piper would sleep by the door, just in case he was coming home and needed someone to walk upstairs with.  She wouldn't come up until I called to her and then she would reluctantly leave her post.  Even a few nights ago, when she had stopped eating and was very weak.. Lance and I went to the basement to watch Game of Thrones and Piper just stood at the top of the steps.  I told her to stay because I didn't want her going to all that trouble, just to have to walk back up again when we were done.  I came downstairs and told Lance that Piper was up there waiting for us, and sure enough, we heard the soft padding of her little paws coming down the steps.  Oh, this is hard to write!!!

Last night the couch was a lonely place without our Piper at our feet.  Lance and I finally got the kids to bed, and then sat and made a list of our favorite Piper memories...

• We remember picking her up and she was so little and fat and cute.  She looked like a prairie dog/gerbil and when she went potty outside her fat would just spread out and she looked like a little puppy pancake.  
• We remember her meeting Marley and how she loved him.  
• I remember Daddy sleeping on the couch with baby Gwen and Piper and Marley curled up next to him.  
• We remember training her on the electric fence - Marley got shocked once and was scared of the entire outside from that moment on.  Piper was not quite as quick.  We quote her as "Oh, a flag!  I wonder what it does?  Ouch it shocked me!  Oh, another flag! I wonder what this one does!  Ouch, it shocked me!" over and over again until she tested the entire perimeter of the yard.  
• Piper ate furniture, baseboards, walls, lead based paint.  We took her to a cabin with Randall and Antje and she ate the woodwork and we had to pay to replace it.  
• I remember dreaming that I had my back brace (from high school) on too tight because I couldn't breathe and woke up to find puppy Piper curled up on my chest, fast asleep.  
• Swimming at the lake... Marley and Piper would race to the stick, Piper would hang back and wait for Marley to do all the work to retrieve it and then she'd cut him off and take it from him and then get the treat.  
• Throwing the frisbee and tennis ball at Ault Park.  Both dogs loving the fountains at Ault Park.  
• We could never forget her little head and face - people asked how old our "puppy" was her whole life.  
• When she was sick in January, Lance would carry her up and down the stairs b/c we knew she would be sad not to be sleeping in our room with us.  
• Piper loved to sit under the shade tree in our front yard at this house.  The sun would move the shadow and Piper would move right along with it, always laying in the cool shadow.  
• Piper got so mad when we went on vacation - Once we left for a weekend and Marley stayed at one friend's house while Piper stayed at another.  She thought Marley had gone on vacation with us and was seriously mad at him for a week.  Even when we would take Marley on a walk without her (we would sometimes alternate), she would watch out the window and be very mad/suspicious at both of us when we got home.  
• We remember Piper riding the front seat of the car in Cincinnati - she was such a good companion and wanted to do everything with us.  
• When Piper was a puppy, we drove 5 hours to Grant and Melissa's wedding with Piper on a pillow on my lap.  
• Who could forget moving from Arkansas to Colorado when we hit a deer and Piper and Marley crammed in the front seat while I crammed in the back with the kids.  
• We will always remember how much she loved food : )  
• Lance loves his memories of mountain biking with Piper and Marley in Cincinnati.  Marley ran ahead, but Piper was always right behind Lance on his bike.  She never wanted to leave his sight.  
• I remember running with Connie Cortez in Cincinnati.  Connie would take one dog and I would take the other.  
• In the mountains, Piper loved to go snowshoeing with me.  She loved to follow behind and get snow flicked in her face and try to catch it/eat it.  
• Beckett sincerely cried and cried when he found out Piper had not come home from the vet.  He was inconsolable.  Beckett is very empathetic and loved the dogs most out of all the kids.  Just the day before yesterday, he came in with the peanut butter and asked if he and Piper could both have a spoonful.  He went and got two spoons and gave Piper a huge spoonful and then he got a smaller one for himself and the two of them ate their peanut butter together.  
• Sadly, I think I'll always remember how happy she seemed at the vet.  Her health was obviously going, but for some reason she was actually having a pretty good day.  She got a lot of attention from us outside and she seemed to be basking in it.  

Piper was such a great dog and a wonderful companion.  She truly loved her people and we loved her. Goodbye, Our Little Lion.

From the mouths of babes

Me: sitting in a chair
Darcy: runs up to hug me, happens to feel my belly "pooch" and gives it a squeeze
Darcy: "Do you have a baby in there?  Why is it so fat?"
Me: Well, I'm afraid its just kind of fat.
Darcy: "I think 'cause there's a BABY in there!"
Me: No, Darcy, there is no baby in there
Darcy: "But its so fat!  I really think there is a baby in there and you are not telling me!"
Me: No, Darcy, there really is no baby in there, I promise
Darcy: "There is, there is!  I can hear it saying 'googoo gaga'!  HI BABY!!!" (yelling into my belly)

Awesome.  I feel so good right now!

Consumed

Remember back before you had kids, when you thought you were busy?  And then you had your first child, and you realized that you had nothing but free time before having kids?  Well, the only good thing I can say about my schedule right now is that it can only get better.
I thought things were hectic with one kid.
Then I had Darcy and one kid sounded like a breeze.
Then Beckett came along and suddenly there was no such thing as "alone time".
Then I started a business that I thought would be small but holy crap.
When Lance went out of town I would feel very sorry for myself, taking care of three kids, running a business, etc.

THEN we started Brain Highways.  The only word I can use to describe it is CONSUMED.  Every morning we get the kids up at 6:10 so we can do some of our patterning, creeping and crawling before school.  This means, in order to work out, Lance and I alternate days and wake up at 4:45 so we can be ready by the 6:10 wake up call.  Then everyday after school there is more patterning, more creeping and more crawling.  I swear every time my sister calls me I am harassing my kids to "take another lap"!  We have been going strong for about 20 weeks now and the kids have only missed a day when they've been throwing up or had pneumonia (Beckett).  They are truly being champions and we are very proud of them (and of ourselves), but it has brought a whole new level of stress to our lives.  In fact, I normally cherish each school year but this one has been the pits and I won't be sad to let it go.  We are hoping to do our best over the summer and get Gwen and perhaps Beckett done.  Darcy will be another story...

I just keep thinking, "Well, once Brain Highways is over I won't be able to believe how much free time I have!"