Life with the B's

We wish you a warm and fuzzy Christmas

2012-01-14T23:53:00.002-07:00

~Christmas Vacation~

"Clark, Audrey's frozen from the waist down."

"That's all part of the experience honey."

You know how you get an image, idea or fantasy in your head about how you want an event to turn out. ~~Sometimes~~ often the reality of those ideas morph into an event that isn't quite what you were hoping for. The weekend before Christmas we didn't do anything wintry, holiday-ish or "Christmasy". I can't even remember if we were sick, lazy, busy or all of the above. I realized with having small children who are beginning to form long term memories of our holiday traditions, I needed to plan something fun!

Did I mention I was also starting to feel guilty for not having a picture of both kids with Santa? Eliza, Grandma Doris and I went to the Festival of Trees and had breakfast with Santa but only ended up with one quick picture:

I mean it when I say quick. There were about 100 other kids waiting to meet the big jolly guy and I was afraid to get a picture behind the BSU tree so I kept moving us to find the perfect background. The line to sit and tell Santa what you wanted was an hour long. No thanks. Big mistake as Eliza kept reminding me afterwards that she didn't get to tell Santa what she wanted because the line was too long.

Enter: guilt

So....I needed to mend her poor childhood and find Santa. Two days before Christmas. I thought our local Botanical Garden Light Exhibit would be perfect! It is a huge beautiful display, free hot drinks & cookies, fire pits, a train exhibit (what Eliza wanted for Christmas) and of course a chance to sit down with Santa. Lucas even said yes immediately when I pitched the idea. Perfect!

Well, except for the weather. It was averaging 17 degrees at night with not a drop of snow. Flippin' cold. I thought it might keep the people away but I was wrong. Traffic was backed up several miles away to the garden and then line to pay took almost 25 minutes. Did I tell you it was 17 degrees out?

Are you ready for our adventure? Here we go:

One quick picture of a light display. The only one I got because it was so cold I didn't want to take my hands out of my gloves. Unlike Anderson who insisted on NOT wearing anything over his hands.

Anderson lost his patience while we were waiting in line to pay. Once we got in, began searching for Santa and then had to wait in another line to talk to white bearded wonder, Anderson was certainly done. He only wanted to walk around by himself and cry.

But wait! It was finally time to see Santa! Well, Anderson was still crying and it had nothing to do with being fearful of Santa. He was cold and ticked off. Despite Lucas and the others telling me to forget it, I was determined to get my photo of the kids with Santa. I tossed the camera to Lucas and marched up to dump my kids on the lap.

This photo opportunity lasted exactly 4 seconds...

as Anderson bawled and slid his way to the ground.

After making it to Santa so Eliza could enthusiastically tell Santa she hoped and dreamed for a train set, I felt it was time for the next big event! The Train! We couldn't find it. I searched up high and low around the garden and then we navigated our way through the crowds until my mom finally stopped to ask directions. Don't forget it was 17 degrees and we have a crying toddler on our hands. We finally made it though to the train! Eliza takes one disappointed look at it and says "I thought you could ride on it Mommy!" Dear god help us.

After watching the train go round and round we decided quickly it was time to go. Didn't it seem like we just got there? I thought about all the cute family pictures people had been posting on facebook from the visit to the garden lights. Darn it. I was determined to drag these people around and take some pictures now. We got Anderson to stop crying for 2 seconds to take this picture. Even though it looks like Eliza has a condom on her head it doesn't look too bad.

Oh, these two sweet people (my mom and Larry) were the best sports to hang out with us. They were even silly enough to say they had a good time.

Before we marched back out I did negotiate a stop by the hot cider and cookie stand. With the warm drinks taking the stress and edge off the evening and the cookies freezing in our hands until we shoved them into our mouths, we headed back to our cars. Filled with warm memories of course.

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-12-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tis' the time to reflect back on the year that is heading on out and embrace the next one! I have to say 2011 was mostly an uneventful year for us. In a good way. We had:

Yet another fine Spa weekend 2011 with the ladies
Our baby learn to sleep through the night.
My family and friends helped me raise almost $2000 for the MS walk!
One crazy week of summer birthday celebrations and a family reunion.
A diagnoses of "exercise induced hives" but I didn't let that stop me and went on to run 3 big races.
Starting back on my MS meds
My longtime friend, April, moving her family back to Boise after 15+ years
That baby learned how to walk after 16 and 3/4 months.
Lucas got to hang out and drive around rockstars. Well, they used to be big stars at one point.
The mighty hunter came back empty handed but thrilled to go out on the hunt.
Time with all of my family this summer.
Taking our complete family to Red Fish
Being nationally recognized for the work we do with local families at our Luna Mom's Club
Eliza trying out dance and soccer
Erik having a clean MRI
My dad's wife, Karen, beating breast cancer!Yippeee!

Here are some of my favorite photos to capture the year of events:

My fabulous team of family and friends. My goal is to raise $2000 in 2012 for the MS society!

Capturing the best little giggling girl ever

Soccer with her buddy Luciya

My favorite picture of the year!

Sweet cousins

Anderson playing the role of "ET"

Our annual summer fun with Dana, Gaizka & their family

Lucas lovin' some rock & roll with Joan Jett

My favorite boys in one of my favorite places in Idaho

I feel complete since we were able to take the kids to Redfish Lake where we were married

Two cute kids pretending to be at a picnic

My oldest brother Keith with his kids Morgan & Logan

Who wants to stand still for all these pictures

My brother Erik, Katie, Anna, Charlie & Bennett

The whole family-from my dad to mom and my siblings in between

Race #1-See Jane Run 5K

Race #2-Dirty Dash 10K
Who would have thought the best part was chugging a beer half way on top of the mountain!

Race #3-Barber to Boise 10K

The closest Lucas got to "Deadliest Catch"

O.K. now those are some sweet, cute and lovely pictures. Life isn't perfect though. What about the funny or awkward ones that make you laugh but don't often make the final cut? Here are my favorites from this year:

Awkward family photo

Probably wish you hadn't sat down next to him now

Look! Here comes Dana on a paddle boat...wait a minute. Here is a man who should NOT be wearing a Speedo carrying a butterfly net. Random.

It is really hard to have all the kids looking at you smiling.
It is even tougher to have just one of them crying their eyes out.

Thank you to everyone who sent us lovely Christmas cards of their beautiful families this year. Thank you to all our loved ones who made our year fun, entertaining, and joyful. We are so grateful for those who support and complete our family and circle of friends. Much love and Cheers to 2012!

Welcome to the Family

2011-10-26T15:03:00.001-06:00

This is what I know about him so far...

He works with Lucas.
He drives a truck.
Has brown hair.
Wears a wedding ring.
Helps take care of his two kids, Lilly and Jackson.
He was sick this last weekend and did not make the trip to Twin Falls with us.
He was sick because he drank too much beer (7 to be exact). He didn't throw up though.
His name is Pete and...

He is Eliza's husband who lives with us.Yep, she has an imaginary husband and kids. Why have a plain old imaginary friend when you can create a whole family.

Aside from Eliza having a husband and two kids living with us now, this is what else we have been up to lately:

First day of her second year in Preschool

Soccer with her buddy Luciya. Eliza prefers to run. She told us she is afraid to kick the ball in front of other people.

This little guy loves to sit and read books!

Playing in the oven. Guess which classic children's story this reminds me of?

Waiting for the garbage man with Hadley and Blake.

I told you he likes to sit and read! Anderson grabbed a book and kicked back with his buddy Henry.

Wasn't such a good idea now.

Celebrating birthdays and big moves. Don't forget cars and race tracks.

Love, love, love the pure look of squealing delight on her face.

Learning the move for "touchdown!"

"New" bed for Eliza and new clothes-Thank you Grandma Pam!

Climbing onto things so he can climb even higher

Corn maze with Grandma Pam

I think she was just really excited... or she sat on the stem

Riding bull on the front of the tractor wagon, wearing classic Carhartt overalls.
The wind whipping through his hair.

Bath time with the Elephants!

Tightrope walking with the Circus stars

Front row seats with Hadley and Blake

Barber to Boise 10K run! While some of us are still not walking on our own (ahem, Anderson), there are a few of us who are trying so very hard to run:)

Happy Birthday Charlie and Bennett!

2011-10-10T19:10:00.000-06:00

1,2,3,4...

2011-09-15T21:21:00.001-06:00

Redfish Lake, ID
August 9th, 2003

August 2004

August 2008

August 2011

Who knew this beach would fill up with so much love when we started on this journey 8 years ago. xoxo

One year into One week

2011-08-12T16:02:00.001-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

"We have a little dude!"

2011-07-07T22:51:00.004-06:00

This is how our journey started with Anderson one year ago today:

The second after he was born all I could say over and over again was:

"We have a little dude now!"

I was in love with him the instant we met.

Everyday I think of what we went through to bring him here safely.

He represents the choices in life that are almost taken away from us, the things we have to work hard for to keep and all the happiness that is possible.

Today we celebrate all of the anticipation...

Joy...

Delight...

Fun...

Satisfaction...

Wild times...

and completeness

Anderson has brought to our family.

It's a lot of work but life is soooo worth it buddy.

Cheers to many more happy and healthy years to come!

"It's my Bourf-day!"

2011-07-02T22:19:00.002-06:00

On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same."

Because there had never been anyone like you...ever in the world.

- From

"On the Night You Were Born"

Wecome to the 4's my dear Eliza. We are happy to say goodbye to the 3's with the challenges and fears unseen in the previous years. You eventually warmed up to school and have embraced all the opportunities it offers. Preschool has given you the gift of courage, shown you how to be polite, independent and opened up your eyes to the world ("These are the continents of the wowld."). Your life has added teachers and new friends (even the boys who are alway in trouble) to the list of those who love and care for you.

I have told you to stop growing up once you turn 4 but I don't think you will listen. Fine. I will try to remember you for who you are now.

Words we love:

"Stoo-dle" = stool

"Too-mon-yo" = tomorrow

"Hims a nice baby."

"Skeena" = Me, Christina, Mom (Thanks for the stripper name, honey)

Things you love to do:

Watch "A Baby Story"

Play school

Play Stroller Strides

Kick the soccer ball around

Swing at the park

Swimming lessons

Talk about going golfing and fishing with your Dad

Spending time with your grandparents

Now we are on to the day of celebration....

with a doll house!!!!

The grandparent/great grandma/aunt/uncle clan

The dare devil water slide

Or you can go the safer route.

Sweet Maisie

Babes on the blanket

Hello Ella!

This is our dear friend Luciya who is the life of any party! Love her!!!

Even brother got into the water action

Maggie and Claire managing the kiddos

Beloved Grandma Kim (Lucas's mom)

Andrea, Tyler, Hadley and Blake

The doll house cake!!! I was proud of myself for coming up with this idea since Eliza wasn't a big help with ideas. She wanted raisins for her birthday. For a gift.
Anywho, this cake turned out to be a fun option and she was pretty happy with it.

Time for presents!

Um, who is more excited to get furniture and accessories for the doll house?

Now she has her own family to boss around!

Cheesy smile + bubble machine

Every year we end Eliza's birthday celebration with some fireworks and she was so patient waiting for Lucas and me to clean up

We love, love, love you Eliza.

Thank you to all our friends and family for being a part of her life and giving her so much to be happy about!

Baby Countdown

2011-06-21T22:27:00.003-06:00

Today when I went to pick up Eliza at school, one of her classmates stopped right in the middle of taking a drink at the water fountain pointed to Anderson and loudly asked:

"How old is he?"

"Well, in a few weeks he is going to be one." I choked out with a smile.

"Is he zero?"

"No, not really. 11 months."

"Is he zero or one?"

After we went round and round I finally said:

"Yep, he's zero."

This is a tough concept to swallow when your last baby is about to turn one. I have tried to take in each month and enjoy (or wish away: screaming) certain milestones that I know will soon be a memory. I know he will grow to be a bigger, rougher, stinky, dirty, mouthy, fast moving, limit testing boy way too soon.

This last month before he turns the page into the world of "years", I am trying to eat up and capture the yummy baby treat that he is...

I love how he hangs on tight to things and does a squat.

Bare buns that beg to be pinched

Goofy glances at me.

Sitting in one place with our buddies.

Proud looks when he gets to try something new.

Do you understand why I call him "My Little Old Man."

Cautiously clinging on to the side of the crib

Sweet smiles and soft squeals.

Especially when he first sees me come home.

Did I already mention the cute buns? Well, check out the sweet little toes, chubby hands and soft skin. Don't you hate it when you splash so much you get water in your own face?

Yummy.

Apples to Apples-part 2

2011-06-08T22:36:00.001-06:00

Lovin' the comparison shots of my kiddos! Same holiday weekend, same place and even the same fleece jacket! If there was sound you could also hear the same high pitched screams. Looking back at the original pictures reminded me that the screams are only a phase. Thank god.
Oh, and don't forget the same bald heads. It is so weird to see Eliza without any hair!

Another Year Wiser

2011-04-04T16:25:00.001-06:00

Sometimes life isn't fair. Or perfect. Or easy.

It's one thing to repeat those words and it's another to actually believe them. To celebrate my recent 34th (yikes!) birthday, we traveled down to good ol' Twin Falls to spend a weekend with my Mom and Larry. You know it's never easy to travel with kids and this was no exception. Hours before we left it was the usual:

Finish packing frenzy, Does everyone have what they need, Are the kids packed, Are the dogs packed, What time can Lucas leave work, My "Service Engine Soon" light came on, Do we have enough food and entertainment for the drive, Our neighbor with dementia issues put out a nice bicycle for the trash so hurry up and call her family to let them know and then run out to grab it out of the hands of the trash man, I forgot my sunglasses, Can we make it there in time for dinner?

Deep breath. We made it to Twin Falls safely and sanely and just in time for a wonderful dinner. The biggest gift of the weekend was not having to plan or cook any meals. The other joy is watching family spend time together.

Eliza watching so carefully as Kitty ate his dinner reminded me of the hours I used to spend hanging out in my grandfather's chicken coops watching their every move.

Although the time went by so quickly, we were able to squeeze in a round of golf.

Goof around

Do a little race car driving.

Another big highlight of the trip was the generous offer by Mom and Larry to treat us to the big new thing in the Twin Falls restaurant scene, elevation 486. This is a lovely restaurant right on the rim of the canyon. These kind and brave people took myself, my husband, a 3 1/2 year old, a baby and a 7 year old to a nice dinner.

I was almost as anxious to tackle this meal as I was getting ready for the drive down to Twin Falls. It was just as chaotic as I imagined it to be. Mom and Larry were so excited to finally be at the restaurant during when it was still light out so they could see the view. We had a wonderful table with a view however, it soon started pouring rain and the canyon was thick with clouds.

The 8 month old baby kept slipping out of the highchair and was unusually fussy as we shoved food down him. The 3 1/2 year old was a little sassy and I could only give her the "you had better behave" eyes from across the table. The 7 year old started pouting because she only wants to eat macaroni and cheese-all day long- so she wouldn't talk and put her hood over her head. It took awhile for the waiter to realize we were there and then after apologizing he promised us warm delicious rolls from the oven. Repeatedly. Our hungry bellies waiting in anticipation.When he proudly dropped them off at the table, we cracked one open and discovered they were still frozen in the center. Oops.

We quickly shoveled our food and politely declined the offer of free dessert since my mom had made me a surprise chocolate cake that I hadn't had since I was a little girl. Thanks mom.

Christina's 2nd birthday

O.K. back to the present day.

Whew. We made it through a crazy dinner. Right? My mom was trying so hard to give me a break and offered to carry Anderson out of the bustling restaurant. She has him over her shoulder and started winding through all the people to the front door. Then I heard the sounds that make me cringe - drool, gag, cough.

Uh, oh. He throws up... all....down....my mom's nice leather coat. That's it. We started busting up laughing. We finally reached the point of where things get so crazy bad all you can do is laugh.

We couldn't get home fast enough but as we opened the doors of the restaurant to a freshly damp world, we turned to look over the canyon to see this most amazing sight:

Rainbow after the rain storm-Twin Falls Canyon

So did anyone see the beautiful rainbow behind us in the first picture at the top of the post? Sometimes we get so focused on the negative, the ugly and the awkward we forget to focus at the beauty behind it all. That skill takes years of practice to achieve:

Take One

Take Two

Take Three

Sometimes those not so perfect moments turn out to be one of the most memorable. My all time favorite family picture:

Humphrey Family Photo 1977 (a.k.a. Dad wants to kill Erik)

Getting to know you

2011-03-28T21:56:00.000-06:00

Hello there. My name is Anderson and I am almost 9 months old (almost as much time outside the womb as inside.). I am a pretty sweet and happy little guy.

My mom is having fun dressing me up. At this point I let her do whatever she wants and I do it with a smile. I don't even know how to talk back or complain yet.

My worst feature is the constant drool all over my face. All day. Every day. It takes my cuteness down a notch but then again my cute rating is really high.

I am a boy and I push, kick, pull and pinch harder than my sister ever did as a baby. However, I like to scream and screech like a little girl. Sometimes I get so excited all I can do is let out a high pitched scream and curl my hands up into tight fists.

One of my favorite toys is a cheap rattle my parents got out of a first aid kit. I get pretty excited when I see it.

I like tags. Well, really I love tags. Searching, looking at, touching, tasting and organizing them.

Thankfully I just started sleeping through the night. It was a tough 8 and 1/2 months for my mom. Thank goodness she loves me so much. She is always kissing my soft skin and pinching my cheeks.

I think it helps to know I will only be so little for such a small time.

McCall Adventure

2011-02-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

Although it is tempting to never leave the house once you have kids, your soon realize there are too many fun things out in the world to take advantage of. The first weekend in February we were fortunate to score a free, new and large house in McCall. It also happened to be the Winter Carnival in McCall so there were plenty of fun activities going on. We invited our friends (6 adults total) and their kids (6 total) and it was a blast. Although, traveling with kids is exhausting.

We partied a little and ate delicious food...

The Dads took the girls out to play...

If the kids started fighting we...

Things did get a little messy...

The Dads took the girls skiing. Actually, they bought them a ski lesson...

So they could...

We did get some rest and snuggle time...

But most of it was done once we got home...

Thank you Ashley, Pete, Maryn, Kai, Emily, John, Luciya and Mirabel for the good times!!!!

Love me

2011-02-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

I ...

I...

Tiny Dancer

2011-02-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

As soon as we knew we were having a girl, people started telling us how exciting it would be to have her in a dance class. Well, at least the other women in our lives did. Cute little outfits, shoes, pretty hair and the dance recitals with kids trying so hard to focus on the task at hand.

Lucas would always say "No, she will only play soccer!"
I rolled my eyes and thought whatever happens will be fine.

Are you kidding me? You only get one shot in life to look this cute in a dance outfit and 3 years of age is the perfect time to start. Lucas is even excited now that he sees how adorable she is. Well, actually he thinks it will help her be a more coordinated child on the ski hill. Whatever.

We started a series of ballet classes through the Boise Community Education and I couldn't be more thrilled with how well it is working out! Stay tuned for the recital in May!!!

Apples to Apples

2011-01-28T21:24:00.002-07:00

Anderson - 6 months

I would say I'm a pretty sentimental person, especially when it comes to pictures. One thing I love about having kids born on almost the same day, is comparing their growth and milestones through photos. Do they look the same at their first Christmas? Do we have a photo of them doing the exact same thing...looking the same way?

Eliza - 6 months

We started feeding solids to Anderson this last month. This event comes with mixed feelings for me. I hate seeing my baby grow up and I am partial to the one food item feeding plan a.k.a. milk. Once I get started though, I realize how much fun it is to introduce new foods! I even enjoy making my own baby food. Eliza was a great eater from the start and can still eat like a truck driver at times so I thought this first feeding would be so easy!

Well, not so fast.
Anderson acted like I was trying to feed him a sour pickle. He wrinkled up his nose and between his drool and tongue pushed all the food out. I tried to entice him with my favorite Honeycrisp apple (EVERYONE loves these!) pureed with the all familiar breastmilk.
Nope.
This went on for the next several feedings. I had to suck it up and take the parenting advice I give out and back off for a bit. He is now doing great and the proof that he is surviving is all here:

Anderson vs. Eliza's doll - 2 months

Anderson vs. Eliza's doll - 6 months

Happy Holidays 2010

2010-12-21T14:52:00.002-07:00

All the planning, shopping, decorating, eating, partying, singing and threatening small children to be good for Santa for Christmas are in the final days! Consider this our Christmas card as we look back at the highlights from this last year...

New Additions. Our sweet baby boy Anderson entered the world. He drools, smiles, rolls around and puts up with us dragging him around on our schedule. We went from a couple having one child to really becoming a family when he arrived in July.

Erik, Katie and Anna welcomed Bennett and Charles to our family as well. Katie did an awesome job growing these two little guys until they were full term. We look forward to family gatherings with three young boys shooting BB guns and wrestling with each other.

Eliza starting preschool. It was a slow start, but now we are in a great routine and she loves everything about school.

Giving back to others. Through all the down economic times lately we are so fortunate to have a home, jobs and so many other nice things. We adopted a child through Eliza's school and bought her a clothes and a book. After the kids sang at her Christmas program, the families put together blankets for the City Light Women and Children's Shelter.

The McCabes and our family pick a charity each year at Christmas to donate to instead of giving gifts to each other. This year, Aunt Julie came up with the great idea to have Eliza pick out toys for the Toys For Tots program. It meant so much to teach Eliza the concept of giving back to other children who are not as fortunate as we are.

Meeting goals. 6 point bull elk with a bow after several years of coming home empty handed. This is a huge accomplishment for a very dedicated hunter. Please let me know if you want to come over for an Elk dinner. It is delicious.

Good health. In the last 7 years I have learned how grateful I am for everyone's good health. Our family has had several major negative health events and I couldn't be more thrilled in how well we are doing now. Never take for granted the good health you are given and the opportunities to take part in preventative health care.

Lucas and the kids are very healthy. I was blessed to end up with a healthy pregnancy and uncomplicated delivery this year and a good MS status on my MRI in November. My brother Erik also had a great MRI this December with no changes since his brain tumor surgery 7 years ago. Cousin Molly is a healthy young woman in remission since her Leukemia diagnosis 2 years ago. Not all of our friends and family are so lucky.

Cheers to 2011 and all the good things to come...

Ski Bunny

2010-12-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

The waiting and pep talks are a memory now...we have officially introduced Eliza to snow skiing! With a child who is slow to warm to new activities we weren't sure how she would react to the first attempt at this sport. The weather was in our favor as the sun was shinning like it was a beautiful day of spring skiing. Lucas had been introducing Eliza to her boots and skis at home. Goggles and helmets were purchased. Lucas brought a chair for her to sit on while we put her boots and skis on. We made promises of having cousin Molly on the ski hill. I had treats and Kleenex in my pockets if necessary. It all paid off because she LOVED it!!!

Of course there was a bit of whinning on the first run...

Then she begged to do it again and again and pointed to the big chair lift. "I want to go on that!"

We all ended with smiles and one exhausted 3 year old!

Every handsome boy...

2010-12-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

...should have a deer sweater in their wardrobe.

Happy 5 month day to you my "dear"!!!

Santa is a nice guy

2010-12-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

We are happy to have witnessed the perfect timing for two kids to take a picture with Santa. Eliza is done being afraid of the jolly ol' man and even told me "Santa is a nice guy, hims really nice" before she went to tell him her Christmas wish list (books). Anderson is at the age of being plunked down in Santa's lap without knowing what happened to him. Next year is when the fear will most likely set in.

Seriously...this little guy is so happy. This was during a time when he should have been taking a nap. Anderson started rolling around at 3.5 months and is already trying to push his upper body up and squirm around. Oh boy, we could be in for it.

"O.K., hurry! Get your snow clothes on while your brother takes a nap!"

It was time for Eliza and I to build our first snowman! December 1st was a snow day for everyone so we couldn't have picked out a better time to make our creation. The dogs were just as giddy to be outside playing in all the fresh powdery snow.

Henry looking for his brain. Or a ball. Which ever is easier to find.

The joy of attempting to make a snow angel

It has been 8 years this December since we moved into our house. The yard was a blank canvas ready for us to take action. For the first few holiday seasons, we bought live Christmas trees so we could plant them in our yard. Here is the Cedar tree from our first Christmas:

Looking forward to celebrating Christmas this year!!!

Falling into place

2010-11-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Ah, the good times that come with the season of fall. Halloween turned out better than I had expected (see Halloween post from last year) as far as the costume situation. Holidays where you are expected to dress up typically are not fun with a child who fears dressing up. Those days are behind us as we are enjoying life as a princess. I love to have costumes with a theme so Anderson was kind enough to be a frog along side his princess sister. We spent the evening with the great grandmother's and Eliza really got the hang of the trick or treating.

School is going very well now for her! People would tell us "Wait a few days or a week and she will jump right in." Try almost a month and a half. When I turned the corner one day to pick her up from school and saw her out on the playground with the other kids instead of playing "teacher's shadow", I was beyond proud. I wanted to take a picture and hug her teacher. Ms. Kristi was a patient person to have Eliza track her every move for over a month. Each day Eliza participates more and more in the classroom and continues to love going to school. She is also more outgoing in other social situations outside of school. Whew. Take a deep breath. Our kid isn't so weird after all.

Cheering on the Vandals. Even though are team isn't very good, at least we look good.

I had to show how small Anderson was for his first Vandal Football game!

Annual trip to Twin Falls. Oh, I love spending time at Mom and Larry's place in Twin. Eliza LOVES it as well and has told me she will take a bus to go down and see Grandma if needed. This suggestion comes from the real horror of when my parents used to send me on the Greyhound bus BY MYSELF as a young child to visit my grandparents in Twin Falls. They of course deny such an evil act.

Larry is very proud of his seasonal decorations so we had to do a photo shoot

Anderson is still one happy sweet baby. Even though I am exhausted from getting up 1-2 times a night he always melts my heart with smiles like this:

Eliza having a deep discussion with the sheep. Maybe she was breaking the news to them that this was their last weekend before being sent to their "winter home".

3's

2010-10-09T22:14:00.000-06:00

We certainly have a lot to be happy about around here! Anderson is at the sweet age of 3 months, Eliza at the challenging 3 years and I just happen to be 33 as well!

Eliza has been at the Eagle Montessori Preschool for a month now. It has been a bit challenging on the social end of things. When I say this kid is slow to warm to new things I mean s...l...o...w. She is just now starting to get a mat out and sit with everyone at circle time instead of standing in the back. One of the first days she refused to take her coat off and wore her rain jacket the entire 3 hours of school. She stays very close to the teacher's side and just watches the kids on the playground. It is tough as a parent to see you child stand in the background so much. I was really shy as a young child too and I hate to see her go through the same feelings and emotions I did. On a positive note she is eager to go to school and is so proud of the work she is doing. Maybe by the end of the year she will be doing everything like the other kids. I promise this is the only time I want her to follow what everyone else is doing.

Our happy little man is doing very well. He is a smiling, laughing and sweet little snuggler. Maybe I think he is so sweet because he just smiles at me and doesn't talk back like a 3 year old I know?? We moved him to his crib in his room and he has been sleeping 7+ hrs. at a time. I love him even more.

One of the biggest events in our household recently was having Lucas gone on his Elk bow hunting trip for 10 days. You better believe it was tough to take care of two small children and two dogs on my own for that long. Thank goodness he did get a nice big 6 point Elk to fill up our freezer with. This is the biggest Elk he has gotten and to do it with a bow is even more magical in his eyes. We are all so proud of him and are thrilled that we can now move onto the bird hunting season (can you feel the love?).

As for me, I am happy to report the post pregnancy follow up appointment went well with my neurologist. As long as I am resting, eating and exercising well she will support me in breastfeeding through the first year. I am at high risk for having attacks right now and I will have a MRI in November to see how well I am doing. My symptoms are minor at this point and hopefully they stay that way.

I do have to leave the post with a video capturing one of the best sounds a person can hear...the first giggles of new baby. Love it.

Fun with Family-Aug. 2010

2010-09-04T21:38:00.001-06:00

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Anderson's 2 week pictures

2010-07-29T15:12:00.001-06:00

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Anderson MacRae Babin

2010-07-11T22:34:00.000-06:00

Our family is thrilled to announce the safe and healthy arrival of Anderson MacRae into our lives on July 6th, 2010 at 4:10am. He weighed 7 lb 9 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long.

My weekly midwife appointments were starting to get a bit silly as I was dilated to a 3, 4 and then 5 without being in full labor! The baby was waaayy down there, I was 90% thinned out and I was more than ready to get the show on the road. After my appointment on Monday July 5th, I started having real contractions instead of just "low cramps." We went on our merry way by going out to lunch, going to Costco and eventually dinner at Lucas's Dad's and Grandma's. I was having random contractions about once and hour but was in denial that this could be it. We went home to finalize installing the car seats and then I noticed the contractions coming about every 10 minutes or so at about 10:00 pm. I also needed to take a break when they were happening. With being so far along already I was worried about things progressing too far. As Lucas brushed his teeth and put on his sleeping boxers, I laughed and told him our plans for the evening were changing. I called our doula Jennifer, our midwife and he called his mom to come pick up Eliza. We started packing the car for the hospital!

We were immediately checked into our room around 11:30 and a few minutes later Jennifer arrived. When Georgianna checked me around midnight I was already at 7 cm! She had another mom who was at an 8 so there was a bit of a competition. The next 4 hours were filled with a tremendous amount of hard work. I did it all natural and didn't even have an IV. We had the lights dimmed and Jennifer played a CD with relaxing music while I got into my groove. I insisted Lucas let me squeeze his two fingers while I did my "hee, hee, hee, who" breathing routine through each contraction. Jennifer was my focal point through all my breathing and also provided much needed massage on my legs, hips and back. She coached Lucas on helping me relax after each contraction and provide me with ice chips. She also encouraged me to change positions which is the last thing you want to do even though it helps the progression. Soon I was 9 cm with only a small amount to go. Georgianna recognized I wasn't mentally ready to push yet so she let me get to that place on my own. Just before 4 am I was done with the contractions and ready to move on to pushing. I was a bit anxious, but finally moved into a pushing position and didn't waste any time getting the baby out. After 15 minutes Georgianna was telling me to reach down and grab my baby to pull them onto my chest. It was such an empowering feeling. The immediate relief to have your baby out and on your chest is one of the most amazing experiences after such hard work.

I wanted Lucas to be the one to announce the gender of our baby and it was so worth the wait to find out! The next three pictures are of him making the big announcement and my reaction.

Even though he had the cord wrapped around his neck and arm, he was perfectly healthy from the moment he was out. He also had one of the most beautifully shaped heads! My babies must have hard heads:)

I couldn't have done it without my Doula, Jennifer! Thank you!

Eliza was able to meet her new baby brother later in the day and start changing her vocabulary from "baby sister" to "baby brother!" She calls him "Ann-er-son" and loves to hold and kiss him.

All of our family and several friends came to visit us over the next few days. It is such a joy to share a new baby with everyone.

Anderson's middle name is Grandma Doris's Scottish maiden name. We wanted to honor someone who has been such a big part of our lives!

Thank you to everyone who gave us their love and support during this beautiful pregnancy...now let us all enjoy every minute with this sweet boy!

3... is a magic number

2010-07-04T05:28:00.001-06:00

Birthday Breakfast

Whoa. We officially have a 3 year old. That is like having a real kid, not just a baby or toddler anymore! I am happy to say we were able to celebrate Eliza's birthday without the drama of being in the hospital or making her share the day with a new brother or sister.

When we got her out of bed we had our gift waiting for her in the living room. Her eyes enlarged when she saw the nice red jogging stroller meant only for her and the 20 Stroller Strides workouts she does each day. We had Eliza's favorite breakfast of pancakes, bacon and chocolate milk and moved on to Stroller Strides at Settler's Park. Of course we had to take the new stroller and show it to her friends after class. Her dear friend Olive bought her a snow cone and we hung out in the grass enjoying the finest things in life (sweet treats and warm sunny days at the park with friends). We met my mom and Larry for lunch at Seasons and then rounded out the day with having all the close family members over for dinner. Thank goodness for last minute and easy things like pizza and ice cream cakes.

Eliza is planning how she can torture her parents with her new doctor kit. I have never had my blood pressure taken so many times a day.

I'm not going to lie. I get more excited about eating a Cold Stone ice cream cake than anyone else.

The best part of having an early July birthday is the fireworks!

Eliza is truly one of the sweetest kids I know. She watches and observes, is particular about putting things in their correct place, is one of the best buddies to have around, is always ready to go do something with me, loves her family and has a kind heart and soul. Her new favorite saying is "That's O.K.!"We could all use a dose of positive attitude when we have spilled our milk for the 3rd time in one day.

Aside from the presents, food and family gatherings, this day represents so much more. Birthdays are not just a way to keep track of how old you are. They are to celebrate the fact you are here in the world now and have wonderful years ahead to learn and grow. I completely understand when mom's call their kids on their birthday to tell them "25 years today I was in the hospital...." What they are really trying to say is :

You changed my life forever on this day

I couldn't imagine my life without you

I laugh, am happy, stress and worry more than I could ever imagine

I am completely in love with you

39 and waiting!

2010-06-25T20:59:00.000-06:00

38 weeks

When I started out creating this post, life was calm with many thoughts of "when are we having this baby!" Then Eliza started crying (big time) in her room and we went in to find out she had thrown up all over her bed. Let the games begin. The poor sweet girl had a stomach virus and repeatedly got sick and then had a high fever for the next 24 hours.

My heart was torn in two as I tried to comfort her but soon began to panic about getting sick myself while being 39 weeks pregnant. What if Lucas got sick too AND I went into labor and he couldn't be with me. Hmmm. What to do? Hide out at my mom's house? Go get a mask? The thing about the stomach virus is you never know when it might get you and it comes on fast and hard. Not that any time is a great time to get it but come on...being this pregnant is REALLY bad timing.

I realized what was done was done. I kissed Eliza goodnight less than an hour before she got sick so I was already exposed. Let's get into battle mode and do what we have to do. I notified the grandmas and my doula to be on standby and we did our best to work as a team to take care of Eliza. We are now out of the woods as far as Eliza is concerned and it is up to Lucas and I to stay healthy. Bless the person who created bleach.

We are back to waiting for a baby, but now I am in the mindset that it will happen when it is meant to happen. I need to trust my body. This trust has been hard to come by since I was diagnosed with MS. A year and a half ago I truly thought my young body had failed me. Now is the time to make it as strong as possible and believe it can do anything I put my mind to.

Today I went on a walk with my family, took a nap, planted more flowers for our yard, took care of an almost 3 year old, soaked up the sun, helped to cook dinner and indulged in a milk shake. We are going to be experiencing a major change in our life soon, but I am also living life in the now and enjoying every minute of it.

Maternity Pictures-36 weeks

2010-06-22T20:39:00.000-06:00

Being this is my last pregnancy and possibly the last time in my life that I may feel this good, we had a beautiful set of photos taken recently. I remember being pregnant with Eliza and thinking "Oh, I will never forget this feeling!" Of course you do. Although there are the challenges, there are many more amazing moments being pregnant.

Soon our family of 3 will become 4.

First Hair Cut!

2010-06-05T15:28:00.000-06:00

My baby got her first hair cut! Actually it was just a trim but still a big milestone! We were headed to a tea themed birthday party so we also took advantage of doing beautiful princess curls. Three years of waiting for beautiful long hair has finally paid off:)

Eliza has been busy getting ready for the baby by reading books, watching a sibling video and of course giving Lucas a C-section to deliver a baby. Mmm hmmm. I have a picture and video but Lucas made me promise not to post it.

Since she will be turning 3 soon, Eliza is also busy thinking of what she wants for her birthday:

"Medicine for my mouth and nose. A pen. Paper."

O.K. so allergy medicine, a pen from our office and a pad of paper from some conference I attended. No problem.

Actually since she does a stroller strides workout about 4-5 times a day and has resorted to using a lawn mower as her stroller I think it would be nice of us to buy the poor kid a play jogging stroller. Lets just hope she doesn't get a baby sister or brother on the same day too:)

Pros and Cons of Pregnancy

2010-05-15T21:27:00.001-06:00

32 Weeks

Whoa!!! We are in the home stretch of my final pregnancy experience! I am starting to put the breaks on a bit and really try to enjoy and absorb as much of it as I can. We have been busy bees trying to make a dent in the to do list and I finally feel more comfortable in all that has been accomplished.

A major task was painting the baby's room and putting up the wall decal. All without killing each other. Lucas huffed and puffed his way through painting with me (not his favorite thing to do) and I found enough patience to put up the wall decal. At least this baby will know that we tried to make a welcoming room for them:)

Eliza helping Lucas put together the changing table- this photo is to remind us to never buy furniture you have to put together ie. why Lucas won't look up at the camera or smile.

Another way of making this pregnancy more memorable is to make a pros and cons list. I think we will start with the cons so we end on a positive note.

Cons of being pregnant
*People staring at you-I kind of have a glimpse into the life of a large chested woman as people rarely make eye contact with me at first sight. Their eyes widen and go straight to the belly.

*Lame comments such as "Oh! You still have a long way to go!" This is after you tell them your due date. My new philosophy is to tell them "Any day now!"

*The first trimester. I shall refer to it as a "dark period" in my life.

*The physical issues. My aching back, hips, heartburn, peeing when I cough or sneeze, stuffy nose, bloody gums and uncomfortable sleeping and sitting positions.

* Not being able to have a nice glass of wine, beer or yummy martini. When you are having a stressful moment it is so nice to unwind with a relaxing beverage.

Pros of being pregnant

*People stare at you-strangers stare and smile sweetly at the sight of a beautiful pregnant belly. They may even offer to help or let you step in front of them in a line.

*Feeling the baby move. You always have a quiet buddy who loves to nudge and kick around inside. This is the number one thing I wish you could capture to remember the sensation.

*This is the one time in my life that I can take time off work or anything else life throws at you. I love seeing how open my calendar is for June and July. Nothing is more important than having a baby.

*The physical issues. Your hair doesn't fall out as much, my skin problems go away, MS? What MS?, paying more attention to your body and getting massages.

*Not being able to have a nice glass of wine, beer or yummy martini. Potty training Eliza hasn't been easy so I would probably be drunk under the table most nights if I wasn't pregnant.

*The anticipation of waiting for a new little person to arrive. This is like Christmas for adults! I love having a "project" for Lucas and I to focus on, plan for and bond over as a couple. It is even sweeter the second time around because we know how much fun having a child is.

MS Walk 2010

2010-05-10T22:11:00.000-06:00

Are you kidding me that all the people below in the picture (add Ashley in too!) who were at the MS walk this year to support me!

We had a great team this year and our generous friends and family helped us raise $1,000! It feels so good to give back to the MS community that has given our family so much support and education since my diagnosis.

To follow up from the PSA that was done by Channel 2 News, here is a newstory they did on my diagnosis as well: http://www.kboi2.com/news/health/90834589.html?tab=video

The day of the walk was a beautiful spring morning filled with friends, fun, free food and a walk in the park/Zoo.

My incredible friends pin these signs on our team's backs. It is such a visible and outward show of their support for me, I love it!

Hot stuff sporting her new sunglasses!

Emily, Me, Silf, Yaka and Ashley

Mom and Larry

The Brown Family

As if it couldn't get any better...this also happened to be our beloved annual spa weekend! My favorite ladies and I after dinner at Berryhill. We definitely know how to spoil ourselves after all these years. We even have a spa trip planned to Mexico for when we turn 40. You need something to look forward to right?

Easter, Toddler Party and Baby Watch-28 weeks

2010-04-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

Hello, hello!
Tis about time I got back to this finishing this post! This last month has been about completing the "Big Baby To Do List". Mostly so I can sleep soundly at night and not stress about all the things I need to do. In the meantime, we celebrated Easter and had a toddler birthday party with our friends. Doing a group birthday party is the best idea ever! My friend Emily has the best backyard and we all pitched in with food and drinks. I think this could be our new spring ritual.

The Birthday Girls: Eliza, Grace, Luciya and Maryn

Easter Egg Hunt Playgroup. Eliza has finally taken to the swings at the park. She didn't want to get out of this one so I referred to it as the "Toddler Bjorn".

Coloring Easter Eggs

Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt at Shelley's

Eliza's legs look so long in this picture! Everyone keeps telling me how tall she is...maybe so??

She is definitely getting the hang of the egg hunt

Easter Dinner with family at our house

After Easter Dinner....just kidding:)

MS Walk 2010 PSA

2010-03-19T20:10:00.000-06:00

I was recently asked to be involved with a PSA (Public Service Announcement) for our local MS society to promote the walk and fundraiser this year. It was fun to meet the crew at our Zoo to film the commercial airing on Channel 2. Eliza also ended up being a part of the shot at the last minute which meant a lot to me. I think it is important for her to look back and see our participaton in such a meaningful and personal event.
If you are interested in making a donation or joining our team go to: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/christinababin

Well, look who's a big girl now!

2010-03-15T22:31:00.001-06:00

We have officially hit two MAJOR toddler milestones in the last two days!!!

1. Big Girl Bed- when people ask me in my parenting class "How old do you think my child should be to switch them out of a crib to a big kid bed?" I always reply "4th Grade". I am hardly kidding. One of the biggest battles many parents face is keeping their child in their own bed and I firmly believe you need to wait until they are mature enough to deal with such freedom. Also, I love my sleep and knowing that my child is safely asleep in their own bed. However, just as Eliza is getting bigger so am I. Physically it just wasn't working out to heave her over the side of the crib.
I wanted to make a big deal out of changing her bed so we had Eliza stay the night at Great Grandma Doris's house so Lucas and I could get to work. We changed her crib to the daybed option and moved most of her toys from the playroom (a.k.a new baby's room) into her room.
Lucas and I were so excited to see her reaction. Knowing our sweet Eliza though, she could either be afraid of the change and start crying or would love it. The look on her face was priceless when she entered her room. Pure joy. Mostly because of they toys. I am blown away by the fact that these same toys have been in the room next door for 2 years and she acts like they are all brand new.
She was soooo excited to go in and out of her bed "all by myself." For the last two days she repeatedly asks us to go into her room so she can show us what she can do. The best part about having a more timid child is that they don't even get out of the bed in the morning or after nap when they switch to a big kid bed. She still waits for me to come get her! Ask me in a month if that is still happening though.

2. Potty Training- Now we are still in the middle of this mighty task....however she has finally pooped in the big potty! This has been a big struggle for such a self conscious little person. Lucas and I have followed her around several times for a day and a half with no clothes on just waiting to catch the big event in the toilet. The result was the playroom or bedroom floor. Pure frustration and doubt that it would EVER happen. I was getting really frustrated so I backed away and put her back in diapers. We told her as soon as she pooped in the toilet she could wear her underwear. Well....look who's got her cute underwear on:

Next is tackling the potty while out in public. Wish us luck.

I am now a whopping 24 weeks pregnant! Everything is going very smoothly and I am enjoying this midpoint in the pregnancy. I do feel very heavy and am a little frightened by the fact that I am only going to get heavier. The nesting feeling has definitely kicked in and I have a to do list in effect. The baby is active and we have been able to see the kicks and pokes in the last few weeks.

Our family is also very excited to announce that my brother Erik and his wife Katie are expecting twins this October too! It is crazy to think we are almost doubling the number of grandkids in one year :)

I'm Yours

2010-02-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

I was busy cleaning the house this evening while Eliza and Lucas were snuggling in our bed watching the Olympics. I was listening to our Satellite radio on the TV when I hear a small thud from the bedroom and quick little footsteps running by me. I look over at the TV and realized that Eliza's favorite song by Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours" is playing. She is busting out some of her great moves (dancing + Stroller Strides workouts) and you can hear her little voice singing along with such a big heart. As soon as the song was done the quick little footsteps were heading back to the bedroom to continue snuggling with Dad. Sometimes we may need to stop and enjoy the music I guess.

New favorite toy alert! My friend Ashley also was kind enough to give Eliza a little red guitar.

Those of us who lived through the 80's know this picture reminds us of "Risky Business" with Tom Cruise. Classic white underwear and some good music.

Baby watch-20 weeks!

2010-02-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's a....

BABY! No, we did not find out what "flavor" we are having at our 20 week ultrasound today:)
We are staying strong with not finding out! Our 20 week appointment was actually yesterday but the office messed up and didn't schedule our ultrasound at the same time. I am sure if we were finding out the gender I would have started crying. We were offered the option of doing the ultrasound the next day but at Intermountain Medical Imaging. This also happens to be where I have gotten my MRI's. It was such a joy to be going there for this event instead of the other. Eliza came with us and did really well through the hour long peek at the baby. I am sure it is so weird to look at a black and white screen with basic anatomical features and have everyone telling you "Oh, look at your baby sister or brother!" The poor kid doesn't even know what a bone is.

Arm and head

We watched the baby try oh so hard to get their hand to their wide open mouth. So cute.

Of course since baby is growing mom is growing so here are the most recent pictures of me:

18 weeks

20 weeks

Half way through and I am so big already! Oh well. I am really enjoying the pregnancy now and am trying to appreciate every moment. Life is going to fly by so fast and I want to slow it down just a bit. Lucas and I have been working at finding the right names but it has been tough. I won't make fun of people who go to the hospital without a name picked out anymore. All serious suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

My dear friend April is due in the next 3 weeks with her first baby and I just returned from her baby shower in Detroit last weekend. We have known each other since elementary school and it is so fun to both be pregnant at the same time. I love her dearly and hope the best for the arrival of her sweet little girl.

My brother and his wife just did a final round of IVF this week so we are keeping our hopes up and fingers crossed that they are as fortunate as we all are.

Sunny Sundays

2010-01-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is what wonderful weekend days are all about:

Going to a yummy breakfast with friends and completely stuffing your belly
Walking over to the park with your child to enjoy the warm sunshine on a cool winter day
Filling up the bird feeders for your backyard wildlife
Throwing the ball for your two energetic dogs and then one of them accidentally puts a bloody gash near the other one's eye so you panic and almost throw up because you are already so queasy and emotional
Husband calms you down and verifies the dog will be fine
Watching football and taking a nap
Remembering that life is good

2 1/2 year Milestones

2010-01-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

As Eliza is growing up I have noticed the big milestones are spread further and further out. Trust me, I am amazed at how fast she is growing up, but there just are not as many things to document. Today my friends reminded me that I need to write down some of the funny things she has been telling me. Those are milestones for sure.

Eliza before bed: "I NOT go nigh-night"
Me after waking her up in the morning: "I thought you weren't going to go nigh-night?"
Eliza: "I NOT go nigh-night!"
Me: "O.K. so what did you do all night?"
Eliza: "I played."
Me: "What did you play?"
Eliza: "I play with Ashley (who is my friend)".

Milestone: Lying to your parents about what you did last night
If you see Eliza driving around in the middle of the night please tell her to go home and go to bed.

2. While out at lunch today Eliza started picking at a crayon to break it apart instead of coloring with it. I told her to stop picking at it. She sat back further in the chair with the crayon and quietly looked at me. When I looked over at her ready to catch her picking at it again she pushed my cheek with her hand and said "Look away momma."

Milestone: Out of sight, out of mind

3. I had just woken Eliza up this morning and as she lay in her bed I bent over into her closet to pick out her shoes.

Eliza: "Cute buns"
Me: "Who are you talking to?"
Eliza: "Cute buns momma."

Milestone: Giving complements
With how my body is changing and growing lately I will definitely take a complement when one comes my way.

Oh Baby-15 weeks

2010-01-11T09:07:00.001-07:00

Hello Baby!

This is the ultrasound done unexpectedly at 12 weeks since we couldn't hear the heart beat at first. The little critter is moving, kicking, swallowing and can hear. I did feel the first little flutter kicks at about week 13. I haven't felt too much since then, but can't wait to consistently feel that movement!
Here is the 15 week belly shot! There is no sucking it in anymore, the bump is officially here:)

The food issues are getting to be comical around here. My sweet husband has been doing all the weekly grocery shopping for us since I found out I was pregnant. Things are a bit tricky for him though. Here are some examples:

Me: "You bought Stawberry Yogurt Cheerios instead of the Berry flavored ones I asked for."
Him: "That was all they had! It was the closest thing."
Me: "Oh.."

Me: "You bought French Silk flavored ice cream? Are you trying to get back at me for something?
Him: "I didn't know you didn't like it? I thought I would surprise you!"
Me: "Oh...yuck"

Yes, I am pickier than our own 2 year old has ever been.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-09T21:53:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T22:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays and Happy 2010 everyone!

We had a very nice holiday season but one thing I didn't receive was a lot of energy and motivation. I am still working on feeling 100% better but each day is different. Food is a big deal in my world right now. I need to be fed as frequently as a newborn baby and it needs to be big time. Ham, cheese, eggs, beef, potatoes, ice cream and candy top the list of favorites. So healthy I know. Fruit, fresh salads and veggies are on the list too but only after I achieve a good dose of the others. Cereal is my go-to-friend at 10:00 pm since I can't go to bed on an empty stomach.

What happens if I don't get food? I get sick, nauseous and irritable. I have to keep remembering what I thought the first moment Eliza was placed on my stomach when she was born. A real human that I created, nurtured and....fed. There is a reason why your body is working so hard.

I have promised myself I would be taking pictures of my growing belly so that is my goal tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Well, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Lucas to return home with my latest food craving...better go!

Mixed Bag

2009-12-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

I had a completely different post in my mind before a dear friend of mine surprised me with a goody bag and this little poem today:

MS, schmem es...It's a baby now!

A year ago you got the news

Now look at all you've done!

You've had some episodes of blues

But some battles have been won!

This office has a different reason

To bring you through its doors...

It's time to celebrate this season

One down and just two more (trimesters)!

It was a big day to say the least. My one year MS diagnosis date on top of an anxious trip to the midwife for our 12 week check up. Yes! I finally feel more comfortable saying we are expecting a baby! This journey has not been easy with illnesses, all day nausea, exhaustion, bruised ribs from coughing, spotting since the day I found out I was pregnant and unpleasant hormone supplements. We couldn't find the heart beat at the appointment so we needed to do our second ultrasound to make sure everything was fine. It was, thank goodness, but only after some tears and anxiety. I am still dealing with the reality of having another baby. It is hard for me to bond with something that I know can be so fragile. After our appointment, Lucas and I walked out to my car and there was a mystery bag sitting by my door. We hesitated and I did stop to think if there was anyone who I had made angry lately. Above the bag was a note for me so I felt more safe. My friend Ashley had left me some of her yummy homemade peppermint ice cream, chocolates and the sweet poem. Now I was crying in the parking lot.

Through these tough and sureal journeys we go through in our lives, there are those special people that give you the strength and encouragement to push through and suceed.

The fog is lifting a bit for me and there is so much more to look forward to. My family will be in town for the next week and we will be celebrating Erik's 5 year anniversary of being free from any signs of his brain tumor. We are going to Sun Valley for a ski trip and then back home to enjoy Christmas with everyone.

How fortunate are we to have each other.

Huh?

2009-12-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

One of Eliza's latest talents is to engage us in a very serious, animated, gestured and non-coherent conversation. I appreciate all the effort she puts forth.

Family Fun in the Fall

2009-11-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Babin family loves Fall! Mr. Babin of course is practically in heat over the fact it is hunting season and my heart skips a beat when the cinnamon pine cones and pumpkin flavored treats hit the stores.

Now don't go by the picture below, this entry really does end well. I started the "Halloween Costume in Training" program in March after our trip to Disneyland. I was so excited to buy a cute fairy costume with my free Disneyland birthday money for Eliza. Well, she wasn't as excited. She wouldn't go near the thing and cried every time I brought it out. Finally about a month before Halloween I was able to get it on. Here is the result:

O.K.... next option? We ended up with a cozy giraffe costume for $10 at Costco. Every time we ran by the Zoo this summer at Stroller Strides Eliza would get so excited to see the giraffe so it was a good fit. I don't even want to start thinking about costumes for next year.

Eliza and I spent a wonderful weekend in Twin Falls with my mom and Larry. I absolutely love staying there and we have started some traditions such as making soup and pies. Eliza really enjoyed helping to make the pies too.

Pumpkin carving. The seeds are always the best part. Mmmmm.

It is so fun to take the same picture each year with your child and see how they have grown. It also make me realize how much cuter people are with hair.

If you own a pumpkin patch/maze this time of the year you are making some serious money. Every family I know goes to one each year. They really are a fun family thing to do.

Look at how tall my little pumpkin is!

Stuffed into the cow train

She pet her first big animal!!! Yay!!! She is my child after all!

Waiting for the pig races to start. Actually Lucas was checking the score for the Vandal game on his phone:)

We finally made it to the actual Halloween holiday and spent most of it traveling to see all of our family. Since Eliza couldn't wear the costume in her car seat we had to take it on and off at least 4 times that night. We used the "overly enthusiastic" strategy of giving her tic-tacs everytime we wanted her to put it on. Notice I am avoiding the word "bribe" since that would be rewarding someone to stop a negative behavior:)

Great Grandma Sue was first on the list and is always such a joy to see.

Great Grandma Doris fed us dinner and gave Eliza the cutest clothes.

Learning the ways of Trick or Treating at my Dad and Karen's.

Dad and Karen have the perfect neighborhood for trick or treating. We all had a great time going to see all of their neighbors and watching Eliza master the art of begging for candy. We finished the night by driving down the famous Harrison Boulevard to look at the decked out houses. The best part was being able to see the "Thriller" performance at one of the homes. Eliza was clapping as they were dancing and was so sad when the music ended. It was a late night but thank goodness we gained that extra hour.

Baa Baa White Sheep

2009-10-16T22:02:00.000-06:00

Our family (Babin's and McCabes) spent a wonderful weekend in Sun Valley at the Trailing of the Sheep festival! We were celebrating Grandma Doris's 80th birthday and wanted to take her to a place which is an important part of her heritage. At one time, her family had one of the largest sheep ranches in the area and she spent a part of her summers at their rustic property just outside of Ketchum. It has been 10 years since all of us have gone away together for a vacation and it needs to happen more often.
We found a great condo to accomodate all of us on vacation rentals by owner- one of the best websites ever. Our view to the left were the Pioneer Mountains....
and the view to the right was the Warm Springs section of Baldy. Not too bad!

We spent time together playing games, eating, watching football (Go Vandals!) and talking. As Eliza is getting older and more independent, it has been such a joy watching her bond and interact with our family. She had no problem being without mom and dad when she is "helping" out everyone else. I am sure it helps that no one can say "No" to her too.

Here she is helping Molly stretch out after a long run

Grandma Doris and I tried to get everyone to play bridge but they were too afraid. Chickens.

We spent Saturday at the park in Hailey were most of the festival activities were. They had cultural groups (Basques, Highland Bagpipes etc.) performing, food, wool shearing demonstrations and other vendors.

3 Generations of Babins!

Eliza a.k.a "the dancing queen" danced away with Molly and the Basque dancers.

Sorry the video below is sideways (Molly is too tall to capture it the other way) but it shows you Molly and Eliza getting their groove on.

Grandma Doris has a Scottish background and is always emotional when hearing the bag pipers play.

The intensity of the dogs hearding the sheep is amazing! It make our dogs look so lazy.

GD, Mike, Eliza, Lucas, Julie, Molly, Gale

Coloring and watching football with Molly. Since Molly is a preschool teacher she is always bringing the coolest things for Eliza to do. Eliza is really into learning her colors and watching football, it was a pefect match. Several times the first thing out of her mouth in the morning is "I watch football."

I thought this cheezy smile made her look so grown up, it was scary!

Walking with Grandpa to the fly shop. Lucas always has to go to the Silver Creek fly shop and act like he absolutely has to buy something. "It is the only place that sells hats that fit me!" Mmmm, hmmm.

Waiting patiently for the sheep parade to start on Sunday

The Peruvian participants were absolutely beautiful!

The highlight of the weekend is the actual trailing of the sheep through town to their winter pastures. The 4-H side of me gets so excited to see this! Can you believe that in the early 1900's there were over 2 million sheep in Idaho. We still don't have that many humans here today!

Guard dogs protecting the sheep as they go through the crowd

Before we headed home we had to stop at the old homestead for Grandma Doris. This is what is left from the original cabin. It was such a beautiful area and we were thrilled to have shared a part of Grandma's history this weekend!

Reflections from a hunter's widow

2009-09-27T21:37:00.001-06:00

I survived and thrived for 10 days while the mighty hunter was Elk hunting this last week! Here are some things I took advantage of while the Mr. was away:

Grocery shopping. I decided to get crazy and buy a different and yummy pasta sauce than we normally buy. Different because it contains Lucas's well known "enemy" the onion. I also decided to buy some junk cereal since we are always so healthy in our cereal selections. Although I couldn't make myself get too crazy as I ended up buying fruity Cheerios. Not much of a risk taker I guess. I bought organic milk and bread since he would normally shake his financially frugal finger at me.
Staying up late. My natural body clock likes to stay up a bit later than Lucas (9:00pm) so I was able to do it with the lights and TV on this week. Time on the computer wasn't an issue either.
Making the bed or lack of. I pretty much sleep in one place so making the bed as a solo occupant is sooooo easy and quick to tidy up in the morning.
Fruity ice cream. Eliza and I took advantage of ordering fruit filled Cold Stone ice cream while Daddy was away. He struggles to share his chocolate candy bar concoction if I go the fruit route. Come on, we should always share and be open minded about our desserts.
Household tasks. Everyone has things around the house that we avoid and Lucas's thing would be giving the dogs a bath. Eliza helped me tackle washing two stinky labs, spray them with doggy cologne and wash their beds. You could see how ticked they were that Lucas left them so vulnerable in my hands.

I do have to pat myself on the back for accomplishing so many things by myself in a week and in really good spirits! I had the tires rotated on my car, exercised, cooked, shopped, took care of a toddler and two dogs, worked and ran errands. I even had to clean up scrambled egg puke on the carpet one day and I didn't mentally or emotionally loose it. That was how I knew I wasn't pregnant this month.

Maybe it was because I had my eye on the prize. A trip to Portland this weekend to see my friend Jami and indulge in good food, wineries and a trip to the spa. A much needed vacation after all I have experienced this last year is an understatement. The ultimate prize though was having Lucas, Eliza and the dogs pick me up from the airport tonight. Nothing makes you appreciate your family more than when you don't have them in your life at all. It also helps when your daughter keeps telling you "I miss you Mommy!" the entire way home.

Summer to Fall

2009-09-20T21:47:00.000-06:00

Wow, it has been way too long since my last post. A busy August and a new computer after our old one crashed will do that to a person.

Just to give you a glimpse into what our August consisted of: visits from friends and family, our wedding anniversary, Dana and Gaizka here from Spain for the whole month, Lucas and Dana's birthday (might as well have a big party so everyone can see each other), 3 birthday's in Lucas's family, a Farewell to Cancer Party for Molly, the Fair and my mom having surgery on her neck. Did I mention the pressure to have another baby soon so I don't have to get back on my MS meds? No matter, I love it all (except for the pressure) and September feels like such as easy month after all the craziness.

Of course I have pictures:

We did pretty well for having about 20 adults and 20 kids at our house!

So good to see our friend Enric since he and his wife moved to Barcelona 3 years ago.

The old High School crew telling stories.

Dana took charge in the roasting marshmallow dept.

I absolutely love the fair. People watching, the food and the animals.
Mmmmm....Ice cream "potato". Second only to the deep friend snickers

So we know Eliza can't read yet as she didn't notice it was called a "petting zoo." She wouldn't touch one single animal. I don't think she is my child after all. I was just about to sign up for 4-H until I saw the young girl crying her eyes out while she took her beautiful cow to the auction circle. Nope. Never mind.

She was afraid of the sweet animals but she loved the vegetable cut outs????

Showing her enthusiasm for Grandma's Doris's 80th birthday present. We are all going to Sun Valley in Oct. for the "Trailing of the Sheep" festival!

Our cousin Molly has officially kicked cancer to the curb! She is now doing fundraising for cancer and if you would like to support her click here to go to her website.

Getting ready to bust it on the dance floor...

Doing the chicken dance and any other dance until 10:30 that night!

Our attempt at fishing with Dana and Gaizka's boys

Dinner out on the town. Having kids makes you appreciate these moments of freedom. Actually, the kind family members willing to take them overnight need extra appreciation as well.

I know, I know this post is long but I am not done yet. The grand finale for the summer has to be Labor Day weekend. We invited our friends Ashley, Pete and Maryn up to our family cabin in Pine and had a great time. We were also able to meet up with some other college friends (Angela, Bryan and their two daughters) who have a place up there too. Yes, you did the math right. We had 4 little girls under the age of 5 at one point. You better believe there was some tug o' war over the baby dolls.

There really is something special about watching dads with their daughters

All I remember is something needed to be retrieved under the bed. I promise we don't normally make our pregnant guests do things like this.

Watch your keys around this kid. She is obsessed with driving right now. I am not kidding. Her eyes lit up when she was able to help drive the golf cart.

These last pictures were taken at the beginning of summer on Memorial Weekend by my friend Angela. I guess we have come full circle now.

We met them at their parent's cabin and she was able to capture the cutest pictures of Eliza with a new puppy. Classic kid and dog playing together.

I am really enjoying this sweet 2 year old. She is reciting her colors, numbers, days of the week, loves wearing her bracelet or "pretty" from Grandma Doris and picking out her new shoes to wear each day. Her language keeps cracking us up too. She talks quite well, but there are a few substitutions we are still working on. For example she asks me about taking her daily vitamins but it sounds like she is calling them her "bunions". I can't keep a straight face when she asks me "Momma eat bunions too?"

The ultimate letter substitution though is using "f" for "tr". As in "Look momma, a f**k!" when she sees a big truck on the road or dad's truck parked in the garage. We all are trying so hard not to laugh. I just about died when we went to Home Depot and she was so excited to announce Dad pulling up in his you-know-what.

So you think you can sing?

2009-08-25T16:07:00.000-06:00

This little girl of ours loves to sing. I finally captured some of her greatest hits on video. Enjoy.

This video is a collection of "ABC's", "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (my favorite is when she says "wool"), "Winkle Winkle Little Star" wrapped up with a bit of a song from swimming lessons:

When she gets tired of that same tune over and over again, she turns to the song my mom used to sing to us and now I sing to Eliza before she goes to sleep, "Bayou, Bayou Baby Girl". This about drove my family crazy when we were at the cabin because she would sing all day long. Notice how she yells at our dog Henry and Lucas falls asleep.

A lifetime in 6 years

2009-08-14T23:04:00.000-06:00

I had to make a separate post to acknowledge our 6 year wedding anniversary which was last Sunday. I wish we could have had a more exciting and romantic celebration. However, we were just coming home from over a week with the family so it wasn't going to happen with laundry, unpacking and cleaning to do. It made me sad to think we didn't do anything to celebrate. Money and time are tight lately though. I did spend a lot of time reflecting on our married life so far.

In the years following our wedding we have been hit with a lifetime of heartbreaking challenges: brain cancer diagnosis for my brother, death of my uncle from a brain tumor weeks later, my beloved dog Jackson dying, my grandmother Evelyn dying, my diagnosis of MS, his cousin battling cancer and 3 pregnancy losses. Yikes, if I was Lucas I would run for the hills since 99% of these things were from me!

However, we have had many more spectacular experiences: the arrival of Eliza, amazing vacations to Hawaii, Spain, river trips, a nice home, good jobs and everyday fun with our friends and family. We also have happiness. When you have been around an unhappy person you learn that you can't buy everything in life.

If we can pack that much into 6 years...wow. We are going to have an amazing rest of our lives.

Much Better

2009-08-14T22:07:00.000-06:00

What two weeks from your normal routine and spending time with loved ones will do for a person! I am doing much better, physically and emotionally. After each of my losses, my family just happens to be coming into town so I have been able to indulge in the love and entertainment from my family. My oldest brother Keith and his two kids Logan and Morgan, my other brother Erik, his wife Katie and their 2 year old daughter Anna and my best friend April from grade school was here. Dana and Gaizka our friends from the Basque country are here too. To sum it all up we played at the parks, in the water, celebrated summer birthdays, ate a ton of good food, went to the Basque festival, went bowling and spent almost 5 days at our family cabin playing games and hiking among other things.

You had better keep an eye on your purse, cell phone, sunglasses and car keys around these two

Eliza, Morgan, Logan H., Konor, Dilan and Logan I. (Dana and Gaika's boys) at the Basque festival

All the cousins were so sweet to each other

What a handsome boy!

One of many hugs andkisses

Larry, Mom and Anna

The hose was almost as much fun as Roaring Springs

Mom with her grandkids

Bowling was hilarious! Eliza was the biggest cheerleader but refused to play.

Anna gets a spare!

Hiking to Heart Lake in the Trinity Mountains

Doesn't it seems like you could just flick the look out station right off the mountain!

Katie and Anna taught Eliza how to play hide and go seek while Lucas and Erik were fishing

We take this picture every year with the kids. I will have to post the other two years to compare how everyone has changed.

Thank you to our friends and family for your love and fun memories.

I get it!

2009-07-27T20:36:00.000-06:00

I am angry, sad, hormonal and nauseated.

I should be 7 weeks pregnant. Instead I am going through my 3rd pregnancy loss in 4 years. I should be "2 for 2", not "3 for 1" in the sucessful pregnancy odds. I should NOT be so experienced at what to do when your early pregnancy goes south. Are you kidding me? I get the message that life is hard and there are challenges but it seems like you can only get kicked in the face so many times.

This loss is considered a blighted ovum or empty sac: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/blightedovum.html
Nothing related to my first two losses so it looks like I am spreading my bad luck out???

I am sad for the loss of this baby (it doesn't matter if I already have a beautiful daughter and someday I will have another-hopefully).
I hate the feeling of getting kicked off the "pregnancy train" and sent to the start of the line like I am playing a board game. I hate to be the one to have so many negative health issues. Maybe I should start doing plastic surgery so I can get something positive out of my health care dollars.

I have opted for a D&C this Wednesday morning so I can start over again sooner than later. My body doesn't seem to get the message that my pregnancies are over when they should be. The flip side is my "MS body" won't be in remission any longer so I may be experiencing more symptoms with the change in hormones etc. As if a pregnancy loss wasn't bad enough.

I have to leave on a postive note, right? Hopefully we will get pregnant again soon so I don't have to get back on my MS medications.
I am angry, sad, hormonal and nauseated. I am also loved by so many friends and family members who will help me get through this.

4th of July Celebration

2009-07-08T21:46:00.000-06:00

Aaahhhh. You have to love a relaxing summer celebration. We spent this last weekend with my mom and Larry at their place in Twin Falls. They went to a lot of work to plan an old fashioned 4th of July celebration for family and neighbors. Larry's two daughters and two of his grandkids stayed the weekend too. Everytime we stay there I always wish I had the opportunity to do 4H as a kid. He has the sweetest sheep that graze around the house, I love it! There are so many fun and outdoor things for the kids to do too.

Emma and Andy out at the tree house

Mom loves to sing "Summertime" to anyone in the hammock. Eliza is obsessed with her "Awe-me" and wouldn't let her out of her sight.

Eliza helping mom prepare all the food

Larry had an old friend of his perform patriotic songs using several different instruments. It was so much fun!

Emma, Marnie and Al who lives on the property with Mom and Larry

Shelley is the only one of us with a beautiful singing voice

Andy played back singer as well with a kazoo

I guess you are still inspired to dance when you have only been married for 2 years:)

Horseshoes in the sheep pasture

Larry had an old tent set up in the yard for the kids to play in

The grand finale with a small child friendly fireworks show.

Happy 2nd Birthday Eliza!

2009-07-02T21:25:00.000-06:00

Our baby is officially 2 years old! We had a fun Hawaiian themed birthday celebration at our house for sweet Eliza. All of our family came to eat yummy food, light fireworks, eat cake and open presents. Not only was it to celebrate Eliza's birthday, but to give a huge thank you to our family for giving us so much love and support these last 2 years.

Thank you Ashley for the adorable outfit from Hawaii!

This girl can eat some cake! If you ask her about her birthday, "Cake" is her response.

Our tradition of lighting sparklers while we sing happy birthday

Eliza, Elisa what's the difference. Thank goodness Coldstone makes a yummy ice cream cake.

She at least gave one try to blow out the candles before Mom stepped in to help.

Molly and her family are heading to Maui in the morning to celebrate the end of Molly's battle with cancer. I can't think of a better way to relax and regroup.

What is a party without a dog eating ice out of the drink cooler

My dear sweet Eliza! It was not an easy journey to bring you into our lives and this last year has proven to be quite a challenge as a parent with my own health issues. Your kind and easy going personality has been sprinkled with more toddler demands and possessivness in the last several months for sure.

I have never been more grateful to be blessed with a child as you though. You are my buddy, my endless entertainer, helper and comedy relief. My heart melts when you look me in the eyes, kiss me right on the lips, pat my back and say "Oh, mommy." I like you kid. I love you with all my heart and then some.

Here is a tribute to Eliza's own unique personality. She has never sat down to watch a movie and hardly watches any cartoons. No interest at all. Since she was a small baby she has loved one thing....

This kid loves to cheer for people on the Family Feud. I think she was meant to support and love everyone in this world:)

Dancing Queen

2009-06-29T21:30:00.000-06:00

Go Eliza, Go Eliza....it's almost your birthday.

Bye Bye Birds

2009-06-27T21:46:00.001-06:00

A few days ago our three robin babies left their nest after spending several weeks growing at an amazing pace in front of our eyes. Although our visitors won't be dive bombed at our front door by a protective parent, I have really missed looking out the window to see them. No offense momma finch who is still raising her babies, but you just are not as exciting to watch as the robins. We still are in awe of the finch raising 5 birds in such a tiny space. I guess it is like our neighbors who are doing the same thing with their 5 kids in a house the size of ours. Anything is possible.

I also began to think about the similarities between the birds and raising Eliza for the first 2 years:

Pregnancy...

Pink, bald and squirmy...

Unique hairdos and eating all the time...

Vocal...

Learning to be out on our own but with friends near by...

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T22:23:00.000-06:00

Lucas's father's day wish this year was for all of us to go fishing on the Owyhee River just across the Oregon border. I was excited to go since I had never been fishing there, but a bit anxious to see how a "very 2 year old" toddler would do. She did awesome!
The Owyhee River has become a very popular place in recent years unfortunately, but I can see why with the beautiful red canyon walls, wildlife, slower moving water and BIG brown trout! It was torturous for both Lucas and I to watch these huge trout rise and feed in front of us without being able to land a single one! Beyond aggravating! Even the pelican fishing by us tried unsuccessfully so I didn't feel as bad. What a great afternoon outing with the family though. We were able to show Eliza some wildlife that have only existed as a picture in her favorite books. A deer for "Bambi" and a family of raccoons from "Pocahantas". What a classroom we live in:)

Ready for anything

My handsome fisherman

The pelican I was competing with

Our first children. This is a classic picture of Henry and Murphy. Henry will always look you in the eyes but Murphy never will look directly at you. Power struggles at its best.

First Graduation

2009-06-07T16:59:00.001-06:00

Start the Pomp and Circumstance music....Eliza graduated from her first level of swimming lessons on Satuday! I was cracking up at the little ceremony they had for the kids with the 3 levels for the kids to stand. We will have to get video of her jumping into the pool so you can appreciate her new skills.

Babies, Birds and the Potty

2009-06-01T16:30:00.000-06:00

It is time to start eating ice cream treats....summer has arrived!

Here is a glimpse into our lives over the last month. We spent Memorial Weekend at my family cabin. It is shocking how booked our summer is already so we knew we had to get up there any chance we could. My dad and Karen were there the first night and we took part in our favorite spring activity, Morel mushroom hunting! Karen is the really successful hunter and we find a few here and there. Thank goodness we don't rely on these for our food source, only a few sauteed in butter for our steaks. Mmmmmm. Lucas's dad Gale came up for the last two nights as well.

Eliza after eating some fresh forest dirt.

Fireside with Grandpa Gale

Lucas can't stand smores (Is he human?) and since Eliza eats like a truck driver I have a buddy to make them with. I also had to capture a picture of her with one of her many babies. This kids is addicted to babies. I am proud of the fact she watches "A Baby Story" with me and knows exactly when the baby is being born. She says "Oh, baby!" in a slow drawn out way. I think she will be a midwife someday.

We were lucky enough to visit with my college friend Angela and her beautiful family. It is amazing how kids can be so entertained with a bucket of water. Eliza and Shayne cleaned the deck very well.

Angela and Avery.

I am so fortunate to have Lucas's family here to help take care of Eliza when needed. His mom and Al had her overnight and taught her the art of making a cake. Actually licking the bowl.

The other interesting thing in our daily lives is that we are expecting....3 little robin babies! I was already turning into a total "bird nerd" with my Idaho bird book and binocs so this did not help my new obsession. The mom built a nest in a basket right on our front door step so we have front row seats to all the action. We are absolutely amazed at the perfect nest these birds are able to build. However, this does not come without any drama...

Here are some of the conversations it has sparked in our household:

Lucas: "She is never at her nest."

Me: "Yes, she is!" "She needs to eat, build up the nest and have some alone time." "Where is the father, huh?"

Lucas: "She's panting and looks angry."

Me: "She is hormonal, leave her alone!"

Then today I discovered she has an upstairs neighbor! A noisy and social finch somehow made a nest in my wreath right above the Robin nest. She gave away her spot with all the chirping. Very sweet unless you are trying to hatch some eggs. I would be soooo annoyed if I was the Robin.

Stay tuned for more bird drama...and if you come over call ahead of time so I can let you in the garage.

Finally the biggest thing to hit our household is Eliza using the potty for the last month or so! She was in the bathroom one night and told Lucas "Potty, help!" We are not pushing anything and it is still very early in a long process. This means my little baby is getting big. We are only one month away from her 2nd birthday now.

Spring: A Photo Essay

2009-05-02T21:04:00.000-06:00

In between storms and before the sun went down today, I went out into our back yard with Eliza and the dogs to get some fresh air. I decided to take the camera out to capture some moments with this adorable, now 22 month old. Before I knew it I was so inspired by our Spring surroundings. It could have been the glasses of wine, but I think it was because I was capturing some of the most beautiful things...right in our own backyard...and in less than 15 minutes.

Good ol' Murphy keeping watch

Henry-dumb as dirt but so handsome

I have turned into a "bird nerd"lately by reading "Birds of Idaho" and keeping a feeder full. Our trees are full of nests and baby birds keeping their parents busy. A pair of Quail have been coming to feed but I missed them. While taking pictures I was thinking it would be so nice to see our friend the Wood Duck and a few minutes later he was cruising down the canal! However, he is very camera shy and fly away as soon as I came close to the fence.

Mourning Dove

Sparrow in my favorite Magnolia tree

Mallards

Red-winged Blackbird

The Lilacs were the first things we planted when we moved here

I planted these strawberries today and the first of our garden beds

My favorite thing to capture by far...

If only I could have captured the spring smells, especially after the rain. The sounds were amazing though. Here is a little audio of the moment including Eliza singing her "Daddy" song and the bird families chirping away.

MS Walk 2009

2009-04-18T14:32:00.000-06:00

What an incredible and successful day we had today! Brooke and I ended up with over 50 of our friends and family to join us for the 2009 MS Walk. As of last night we raised over $2000 and I know more was donated this morning.

The weather was perfect for walking around the zoo and Greenbelt. My friend Ashley did some quick thinking in making our team stick out and created signs for us to wear on our back:

The Simmonds (Benji, Michelle, Ella) and Pearson (Ashley, Pete, Maryn) families

Erin Brown, her Dad Bill, husband Zach and daughter Grace

Erica (her daughter Mia and her mom Irene were also there), my Dad, Karen, Lucas's Aunt Julie, Uncle Jerry and Grandma Doris

Desiree Steinbroner, her son Isaac, Jessica Cammann and her kids Cooper and Gracie, Amber and Jack Ruebel

Melissa (aka "Yaka"), her Dad Clinton & Stepmom Tuesday and Jami Silflow. Silf gets the award for traveling the furthest (Portland) for the walk!

Nancy McDaniel, Claire (Olive in the stroller) and her mom Rhonda

My mom and Larry were also there, Larry's daugher Marnie and her two kids Andy and Emma along with Maryanna Peavey, Kelly, Scarlett and Stella Cromwell!

The organizers made it a fun event to participate in and I already have people who want to do it next year.

Since being diagnosed I have felt so much support from everyone and this was a great opportunity to actually see it in action. There were many others who donated money to our team but were not able to be in the walk and I want to send out a big, big thank you to them as well!

I am also feeling much better from the last several weeks since I was given some meds. to help me stay awake and then sleep at night if needed. Sleep does make the world a happier place:)

Bless you Daddy

2009-04-13T16:16:00.000-06:00

Happy Easter everyone!
Our family has had a wonderful yet challenging last week. Eliza starting things off right by saying her first three word sentence and melting our hearts yet again. Lucas was changing her diaper, sneezed and Eliza immediately followed with "Bless you Daddy!" Extra words and manners to boot, wow! Now of course she wants to keep saying it since we throw a parade every time she says it. We even had an offer by April's mom to make a small pope outfit for her so we can take her on the road to bless people. We might consider.

Eliza had her first Easter Egg hunt after our Stroller Strides class on Friday.

Eliza explaining the art of hunting eggs to Claire and Olive

On Sunday we had Lucas's family over to do another egg hunt and yummy ham meal. It was almost like a Spring Christmas as everyone was so generous with gifts for Eliza.

Doesn't this look like an add for shampoo with the wind blown hair?

Julie and Eliza's new tunnel

Molly trying to entice Eliza to go through it. Eliza learned to just walk around the other side when she threw something in.

Inspired by the Masters

E with Lucas and Grandma Kim

On the challenging side, I have not been feeling well. Sleep has been hard to come by for almost two weeks now. Fatigue has already been a constant companion of mine so the lack of sleep is making me feel crazy. A weird stomach bug got Lucas last week and now I have been dealing with it for the last 5 days. Ughhh. I have a lot of days where I will be working in the next two weeks which is giving me anxiety because I won't be able to nap during the day. Now is the time to plug in my mom's famous advice "One hurdle at a time."

So, I let my doctor know how I am feeling and tomorrow I am picking up some prescription samples for a fabulous (hopefully) drug called Provigil to fight my fatigue. Wish me luck and much rest:)

It is hard not being able to accomplish much during the last few days and I have been soooo grateful for Lucas stepping in to make things happen. All I can say is "Bless you Daddy."

Disneyland Adventure

2009-03-27T21:45:00.000-06:00

Mom and Larry on Main Street

We survived a trip with 17 people to Disneyland! Thank you to Mom and Larry for sending all of our family to the happiest place on earth (also the most expensive place on earth). We had a great time with enjoying the sights and sounds of Disneyland for 3 days. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and everyone had a room next to each other. As far as what we did each day, it is becoming a blur so I had better hurry up and write it down. I had the following goals for the trip:

*eat a frozen chocolate covered banana

*go on the Indian Jones ride and Splash Mountain with Lucas

*eat more junk food

*spend my Disney birthday money (Disneyland is a pretty cool place to be on your birthday)

I suceeded in all.

The junk food was plentiful and the rides a blast. Disneyland is definitely a place for adults to have a good time. We even had to settle a debate about the "Indian Jones" ride....boulder or no boulder. Half of us didn't see the giant boulder that comes at you at the very end a.k.a the best part of the ride. The believers were shocked at those not seeing the 30 ft. boulder coming at you. Katie (non believer) and I (believer) had to do the ride again just to prove them wrong.

For my birthday I was lucky enough to spend $69 at any of the Disney shops. Alcohol, cigarettes and food were excluded...bummer. I decided to go with a beautiful bright green Fairy costume and wand for Eliza. She is terrified of it and has yet to try it on and the sparkles are falling off all over. Oh well, I tried. Nothing is perfect, even in Disneyland.

Eliza assisting me in the race car

Katie, Erik and Anna on the jungle ride

Eliza enjoying a parade with Morgan and Anna

Eliza and her cousin Anna sporting the "Humphrey mullet"

In front of Minnie's House

Eating the best corn dogs ever

Poolside with Grandma

Officially 32 now!

Of course we had to get the mouse ears!

My nephew Logan

My niece Morgan

Video of the toddler girls entertaining us in the hotel room

Thank you everyone for a fantastic vacation and birthday celebration!

City of Sisterly Love

2009-03-12T14:16:00.000-06:00

We arrived back from our trip to San Francisco on Wednesday evening. Here is a recap of our experience:
It was a slow start as we were delayed trying to go through Seattle. Snow? Seattle? March? It was a bumpy flight too (those of you who know how much my stomach enjoys flying know how fun that was) but we finally arrived in a sunny and beautiful San Francisco. As our plane touched down Lucas said to me:
"Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love."
"Huh? You mean City by the Bay?"
Oops. Philly or San Fran, whatever. I couldn't stop laughing.
After an expensive cab/limo ride (Lucas is banned from getting our rides from airports after this and New York) we arrived at our fantastic Bed and Breakfast, the Inn 1890. It was a block away from the historic Haight Street which always provides for interesting people watching. I about fell over in my chair at the Thai restaurant later that night when Lucas told me he had never heard of the Haight/Ashbury district. I guess this is coming from me who went to Boise High and had tests on Woodstock.

The next morning I was more anxious than I thought about my appointment. Thank goodness my dear friends (Claire, Ashley, Melissa, Jami and Kelly) prepared two goody bags to help calm me down. The first bag was to only be opened on the plane and was full of yummy snacks that came in especially handy when our flight was delayed. The second bag to be opened at our hotel had bath salts and relaxing tea to enjoy. The third gift was to be given later that night by our friend Stacie. I was more excited about the gifts than my appointment for most of the trip!
Lucas and I finally set out to walk to the UCSF campus. Just as Lucas shouldn't get us cabs from the airport, I shouldn't be the guide in a strange city. I took us 15 minutes in the wrong direction before we had to get a cab.
UCSF is a busy place. On the neurology floor there were many people with walkers, canes or wheelchairs, young and old. You didn't know why exactly they were there but it was hard for me to see what my life could be like.
We met with Dr. Goodin for over an hour. He reviewed my records, did the routine neurological exams and went through the disc with the multiple MRI images with us. Here is what we learned from him:

He does believe I have MS based on the MRI, spinal and my symptoms
He is not concerned about the abnormal vessel. I have probably had it my entire life.
The symptoms I have experienced (spasms in my left arm and leg) are categorized as tonic seizures or more specificially paroxysmal symptoms and only occur in about 5% of people with MS. I have also experienced something called Lhermitte's sign. Dr. Goodin's guess is that I was experiencing an attack for the last 3 months and that I may not experience anything for awhile. However, just being on medication won't completely eliminate my attacks.
I expressed my frustration at being narrowed down to one medication for financial reasons and he reassured us that Betaseron is a very good medication to be on and since I am not having any reactions I won't worry about my limited options.
Vitamin D. I will be doing a blood test to rule out a few other diseases but a big factor is learning where my Vitamin D level is. Dr. Goodin really stressed how they have learned what a big deal it plays in our health, "It is more than just a vitamin", especially with MS. I will start supplementing when we get the results in a few weeks and I encourage everyone to talk to their doctors and pediatricians about it too.
I should anticipate having MRI's every 1-2 years from now on.
Pregnancy is fine...getting back on my meds after having a baby is important, especially in the following 3-6 months because of increased attacks.
There have been phase 3 trials (not FDA approved yet) for oral drugs instead of these nasty shots that are giving me bruises and red marks but the safety has yet to be tested and that takes years. Looks like the shots are still with me for awhile.
I am doing really well right now.

That was our visit with Dr. Goodin. I felt we got our second opinion, learned a few things and confirmed several other. Of course there will always be more questions and things to learn.

The grand finale of our trip was meeting up with my friend Stacie and her husband Eduardo. They treated us to yummy drinks at their beautiful new apartment and then I received my third and final gift from all the girls back home...more thoughtful cards and money for dinner that night! Stacie and Eduardo took us to a fun and unique Japanese restaurant called Shabu Sen where you cook your delicious meal in bowls of flavored water. Thank you so much ladies for the gifts (hence the title of this post)!!!

The next morning Lucas and I took a walk in the Golden Gate park and began our preparations for home.

We missed our sweet Eliza and were so glad to be home. After going through our mail I received a package and note from the local chapter of the National MS society:
"Congratulations on your team recruitment and fundraising efforts. Your team is currently our top fundraising team in the entire state! Keep up the excellent work!"
Wow, it is all because of the amazing friends and family in my life. Thank you!!!

San Francisco here we come

2009-03-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

We leave to San Francisco on Monday for our trip to the MS center! I met with my neurologist, Dr. Lindholm today to evaluate my current condition and how I am feeling after being on the medication for 7 weeks. I haven't had any major side effects and I am on the full dose now! The doctor said that is pretty rare for her patients and that I shouldn't have any problems from now on. The last leg/arm spasm I had was just over a month ago and she thinks they should mostly go away. They did a blood draw to see how my liver is tolerating the meds. and we should know the results tomorrow. The plan is still to have another MRI in May unless the specialist wants it earlier. We are anxious to hear what Dr. Goodin has to say on Tuesday.

After my appointment I had to pick up a CD with my MRI scans and also request records from my dermatologist to take with me and see if there are any relations to the skin problem I have had for 9 years and MS. All of this made me think about the reality of my situation again. It is surreal to think I have a problem that requires me to have a neurologist and brain scans. Many, many emotions to deal with...then I realize how fortunate I am to be as healthy and active as I am today. Things could be much worse.
As for the MS walk coming up in April, I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received. Thank you! If you still haven't registered for the walk please do so we can make sure we have enough thank you gifts for everyone:)
Click on this link to register
Thank you so much to Ashley for watching Eliza today, Grandma Doris and my mom for watching her while we are in SF. I am excited to have a mini-vacation with Lucas and to see our friends Stacie and Jeff.

Eliza has reached the 20 month mark and continues to keep me going in more ways than one each day.
I ask her this question each day which cracks me up (pause the music at the top to hear the audio) :

Spa weekend 09

2009-02-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

It was that time of the year for our annual ladies spa weekend! It happened to fall on Valentine's Day but I don't think our guys minded being off the hook:) Everyone was able to join us except for Molly who is living in Prague. We had a fanastic time relaxing and enjoying our girl time. This is a serious weekend, it compares to Lucas's Elk hunting trip for me!

Dinner at Bungelow on 13th street since it was Friday the 13th

After our day of spa treatments

Making dinner at Ashleys

Enjoying a yummy cucumber mojito

Drinks and chocolate cake make for happy ladies

Yaka and Claire competing for the top cheerleader in the world, as far as the Wii goes.

Thank you to all my dearest friends for yet another great spa weekend. There was a lot of effort and thought put into our time spent together and I am so fortunate to have you all as my friends. I love you a ton and can't wait for Portland next year!!!

On a health note I am feeling great so far! I am up to 3/4 of a dose and have not had any of the nasty side effects. I do get tired during the day but have been taking naps when Eliza goes down for hers. Count your blessings for your good health each and every day. Never take for granted that you can walk with ease, feel without numbness, see clearly and have plenty of energy to enjoy life.

These are a few of my favorite things

2009-02-20T20:43:00.001-07:00

Eliza loves reading her books...

Taking care of her babies and Elmo...

Looking at her reflection in the stove (I know, we need to get her a full length mirror!)...

Practicing her workout moves such as jumping jacks and fast feet...

Dancing after every Stroller Strides class at the mall with her friends.

MS Walk

2009-02-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Save the date for the MS walk on April 18th in Boise!
Go to our personal webpage for more info:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/christina.brooke

Thank you all for your love and support!