Danica

Getting a dog was our first priority after the wedding. I had a stack of books for everything dog, and we were super excited to find a wonderful dog. So we went to the Humane Society "just to look." Danica was a stray, guessed to be a year old, and she was sitting down in the holding kennel. She wasn't barking. "We need to look at that dog," I told Kevin.

We had to wait 48 hours to take her home. I was scared to pieces that her original owners would show up. I skipped work so we could get her right at 11am, the earliest we could claim her.

Thank goodness we didn't have kids yet. In her prime (the next 9 years) Danica could play fetch, go for walks, explore the grounds, swim in the sound, and overall get her run on for anywhere from 1-8 hours a day. I thought all labs were like this until we visited family in the midwest whose lovely lab played for about 20 minutes then settled in for a nice nap. "Is she always this active?" my cousin asked. "Yes, isn't yours?" "No." Well, then.

If Danica found a ball, it was fetch time. All my pants had wet, slimy marks on the thighs from Danica's constant attempts to shove a ball in my hands. She wasn't a cuddly dog but loved attention and always wanted to be with us. For a while she even slept on the bed with us (the longest I've co slept with any "baby") until I realized that two adults and a 65 pound dog weren't fitting on the FULL MATTRESS. But she's always slept in our room.

She originally approached the kids with an attitude of benign neglect. Then they started feeding her scraps and she was all in. She let them climb all over her, take her toys, and give her clumsy pets and scratches. As she slowed down, Patrick could walk her. She never pulled or went too fast.

It's been hard watching her slow down. Making the choice to let her go is hard. It's not clear cut. She's still eating and drinking. She's not having regular accidents. She still loves to get out. But she's in constant pain, her sores won't heal, her hips give out constantly. Do we continue to put band aids on, knowing they'll only delay but not truly improve and heal? We have decided to let her go, before she's in agony, before it's horrid. We took a last good walk today. She spent time sniffing around the park and wandering in the woods.

Thank you for an amazing ten years, sweet Danica. Run strong over the rainbow bridge! You have been such a joy for our family. We love you, our first "baby."

P.S. Letting her go was more peaceful than I could have imagined. We have an amazing vet, and he plus the office crew were wonderful to us. They placed an IV port so she received the medicine quickly. Her head was cradled in my lap and we stroked her soft fur as she slipped away.

22 months

Dear Fiona: You are 22 months old!

I keep thinking of this as your first Christmas. It's not. Obviously. But your current level of enthusiasm for life makes it all so fresh and new. We have the house all decorated and you just love it. You have commandeered all the stuffed toys, and you walk around the house with your arms crammed full of snowmen and dogs wearing hats. The bottom half of our Christmas tree is in a permanent state of dismantle. The child-safe ornaments are scattered throughout the house, inside your dump trucks or in a pile on the couch. The chocolate advent calender is a big hit, but I'm also hoping you'll like the holiday books I've spread about downstairs. Naturally, the Dora book is a hit. Damn Dora and her map, anyways.


You can say Patrick's name so clearly, and I adore hearing you call his name. The other day you brought him your string cheese to open. "Help me, Patrick." You are true siblings, making each other crazy while delighting in the company of the other. You argue with him about the chosen TV show. The correct answer is Diego. To which Patrick answers, "We are NOT watching Diego!" Then I silently apologize to my Mom, yet again, for the 15 years of bickering she endured.

Someday soon I'll cut your hair. You look like the proverbial ragamuffin but I love it. Just like I love your mismatched clothes, Diego snow books, messy face, and padded cloth diaper tush. I love that when I nurse you, you are my baby for a few minutes.

Love you!
Mommy

Thankful

Chase family Thanksgiving was held on location in Tacoma today. Five family members made the drive up: Mom plus her parents (89years old each!) in one car, my younger brother Dave and his lovely wife Beth joined the party after they completed their Black Friday shopping. Plus Bug the dog! The biggest disappointment was Kevin's absence, as he had an afternoon shift at work. Luckily I bought a TWENTY POUND TURKEY so there are plenty of leftovers.

Menu:
Alton Brown's roast turkey
Orange Vanilla Cranberry relish
Sausage and Cornbread dressing
Shredded Brussle Spout salad with bacon
Dijon Mustard and Cheddar potato gratin
Grilled asparagus
rolls
WINE AND BEER
pecan and pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream lightly sweetened and a touch of orange oil

It was a blast, so much to laugh with everybody, Patrick loved getting Uncle Dave to play Star Wars and Fiona read books with Auntie Beth. By the end of the day we were all pretty overstimulated (the downside of a small house). Fiona had missed her nap, and Patrick lost all resemblance of impulse control. Bath, books, and bed by 7pm. Thanks to all the help from the fam the house is cleaned up and I'm enjoying a "For Crying Out Loud" podcast with my glass of wine. I'll order my Sweet Hope chocolates and off to bed.

And my anxious, worrying little heart is thankful for all of it.

The Best Yet

We took the kids to get holiday photos done at the mall today. This is usually a mom-only event, and ever since Patrick turned two and Fiona was born it's been quite the fiasco. Nobody wants to wear their holiday clothes, kids sit still for a milisecond (and the photographers keep waiting for the perfect pose. Take the damn picture), and I'm trying to wrangle everybody to just cooperate for the love of God.

So I was expecting a bit of the same this year but feeling better with Kevin along for the ride. Earlier in the week Patrick chose his Christmas outfit at the store. I was hoping for some willingness to actually wear said outfit. Last year he wore his vest for the 10 minutes it took to get a photo, and that was the end of the vest. Fiona wore the Hanna Anderssen black velvet overalls that my sister-in-law gave Patrick when he was 6 months old! They are a bit short in the leg. So they are Hobbit overalls. Super cute Hobbit overalls. Kevin promised the kids a ride on the mall's Christmas train if they did a good job.

And darn it, they did GREAT! Wore the clothes, cooperated for the photographer, sat/stood still on mark, and just were super cute and charming. Patrick was especially sweet and so proud of himself for doing it "right." While Fiona was a normal 21 month old, she went along with the program enough to get some good shots. It's always hard to choose, but we got some good ones for family presents.





The kids had a great time on a train. Kevin rode with them, and we feel like we got a good deal at $3 a head. Definitely for the younger set, as it was a slow and steady pace. But the ride lasted about 5 minutes and they got a nice loop around the mall.



Oh, and Patrick let Kevin spike his hair!

Two Hours

I'm heading back to work Monday after a 10 day stretch off.

I am tired of the children.

They are tired of me.

Yesterday started with Patrick and I having an altercation over oranges and apples, and continued along the theme of Rebel Yell (They rebel, I yell) until bedtime at 7:18pm.

The plan was to hit Top Foods for some groceries and say Hi to Daddy who was covering the AM shift at the in-store Starbucks. The kids woke up before 6am. By 7am they had sippy cups of milk, breakfast on the Wiggles table, and Dora in the DVD. I hit the shower.

Two hours later, I was out the door with my sanity MIA. Why does it take two hours to get one adult and two small children ready for the day?

1. I kept getting out of said shower to remove Fiona from various dangerous and elevated areas of the bathroom. Finally I just shut her out. She sat and cried outside the bathroom door for the remainder of the shower.

2. As I got dressed, put on a bit of makeup, and used a blowdryer, the children helpfully helped themselves to my makeup and perfume. "Mommy! I smell good!"

3. "Fiona, lets put on a daiper!" "NO!!!!!" and my giggling girl flipped up and ran off. We repeated this scene multiple times until she was pinned for the dressing endevour. More screaming.

4. Anybody who expects a preschooler to put on clothes (including underwear) socks AND shoes upon first request is delusional.

5. Pack diaperbag with diapers, snacks, sippy cup, wallet and phone, find the keys, and gather all the cold weather gear. The kids refuse to wear coats. Make sure it all gets into the car.

6. Shit, where IS my coffee?

7. Find and replace Fiona's socks and shoes. Tell Patrick again to get his shoes.

8. Start loading car. Patrick runs outside and immediately pours water all over his pants and shoes. Replace Patrick's pants, socks, and shoes.

9. Fiona has a big poop.

10. Patrick asks for a drink of water. On attempt to put cup on the counter, it falls and dumps water all over the shoe bucket. Clean up water and set shoes in front of the heater to dry. Reassure weepy son that is was an accident and he is not in trouble.

11. Get children and insane Mommy into the car. Don't forget your coffee. Check for diaper bag, wallet and phone, shopping bags, winter gear, and personal sanity.

How to have a great trip to Great Wolf

This last week we took the kids to Great Wolf and drug my Mom along for good measure. Kevin was giddy with excitement and Patrick could barely contain himself in the car. They swam hard, played hard, enjoyed lots of cookies and ice cream before dinner, watched lots of TV, still woke up early, and spend the last 48 hours recovering from the stress by being little punks. Patrick loved all the big rides, Fiona liked the hot tub best, us grown ups hit all the big rides, and we can't wait to do it again. They were decorating for Christmas while we were there, and I think we might try to do a holiday trip next year. Mid week the first or second week of December perhaps. And we'd love some friends to join the fun and share our wine...

For your education: My Seven Friendly Tips for a Fantastic Great Wolf Experience

1. Pick the right time to go. We are those parents who pull our kids out of school without a care for a vacation. We rarely get to go anywhere that's not owned by somebody's in-law that we are going to make the most of it. And that means minimized crowds. By the time it's a Big Deal to pull your kid out of school, they will be old enough to handle the park without a hovering parent. At that time I'll sit down with my magazine and contraband cocktail and set them loose. But since we are still in hard core hovering mode, mid week vacations are it. We went Monday through Wednesday, by Monday night they were at 10% capacity. I don't think we waited for a ride longer than 2 minutes.

2. Get the biggest room you can afford. My kids need their downtime, and so do I. For me, a hotel room is not just a place to sleep. It's my retreat from the busyness and noise of the resort. Since our kids are small, it was also nice to put them to bed and still have space to enjoy our evening. I've known people who hung out in the bathroom once their kids were in bed while in a hotel. Not a chance. We splurged on the Grizzly Bear Suite with two separate bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a nice sized living space. Worth every penny.

3. Take my mother. Not your mother. My mother. Because she is amazing, super fun, and gave Kevin and I a chance to go on rides together. Plus, I got to take her on the Howlin' Tornado (aka the toilet ride) for the first time and it was AWESOME! She's a worrywart yet a closet adrenaline junkie. Her first ride was certainly not her last. We were so lucky to have her with us. Yeah retired Grammas!

4. Bring all your own food. We were warned before our first trip that the food is super expensive and not yummy. The one exception is the pizza, which is decently priced and good enough for kiddos. The rooms come with fridges and microwaves, and the sinks now have food drains in the kitchenette. We have tons of food (and wine) so we can eat as we wish. We allow for a treat or two, usually ice cream, and save a load of money.

5. Pick your length of time carefully. We like doing two nights. This allows us to relax and enjoy the space without worried about "getting our money's worth" out of the park. The kids have time to explore but I don't feel guilty if they want to take a break after an hour of swimming. But I have kids that need that downtime and perhaps a nap for good measure. Plus I want a break! A fast and furious one night trip might be fun for the right kids, but some mom has gone into production management overdrive making that appear easy. Why spend money if you, the parent, is not also having a good time? We enjoy the park just as much as our kids, and we want to have fun on our vacation as well.

6. Budget for the wands. MagicQuest is a riot, the kids love it, and quite a few adults are roaming the hallway figuring out the clues. Patrick's wand actually lasted a year of hard play and he could use it again this year. As long as you don't get roped into the money drains connected to the wands (wand holders, fancy attachments) they are a ton of fun for a small investment. And you can use them at every visit. It's also more active than you'd think. We watch kids run up and down five flights of stairs for hours to find all the clues.

and finally

7. Have your friends go at the same time. Then you can all party together, the kids can entertain each other, and us parents can take turns sneaking off to the big rides! If you are very coordinated, you can get rooms next to each other. We intended to invite others, then got lazy. But God took care of us and our good friends just happened to be going there the exact same time. Fantastic. I really hope we can make it happen next year as well.

ps. We had so much fun we didn't get pictures. And I didn't want to take my phone into the park. Here are the only pictures I took (I think Kevin also took two).

Bedtime, the most wonderful time of the day

Oh my sweet baby Jesus did those kids run me ragged today!

Patrick could not stay out of my face for five minutes.

Fiona kept screaming for help with something I'd already told her 18 times she could not do.

And it was all yucky cold and raining.

And the post office was closed 30 minutes before we got there.

And Patrick kept touching things.

And Fiona lost my IPod (in the house, I found it after having a mental breakdown).

But then both doors were closed, lullaby music played on, and I cleaned the kitchen and poured myself a drink (eggnog with rum, happy holidays to you too!) and decided that going to bed early was the only way to improve the day.

And so, goodnight.