The Kassel Family Project Life 365

We had our first ever Parent-Teacher-Student Conference at Ridgeway Elementary for Laura.  Ridgeway philosophy is that the student needs to be involved in the conference and both Andy and I think that is a great thing!  Laura got to hear everything that her teacher, Mrs. Hanney, had to say.

Laura got a big smile on her face when Mrs. Hanney told us that she was doing very well. We received her first trimester progress report.  Under the comments section, Mrs. Hanney wrote, “Laura is off to a wonderful start to Unit A!  She is a very hard worker and stays focused on her tasks.  In reading, we will continue to work on using picture clues and sound clues when reading an unfamiliar word.  As a writer, Laura is hearing multiple sounds when stretching out words.  I appreciate her daily effort!”  We also got to see a writing sample and hear about the different things that Laura does in the classroom.  For example, she sits in the rocking chair every day and shares her writing.  I really enjoyed the conference and not just because Laura is doing so well.  It was great to see Laura be involved and listen intently.  We are so proud of our redhead!

One of the beautiful smiles that always makes my day…

Today, I am taking Oscar to Rolling Hills Veterinary Hospital to have him put down. It’s a very hard decision, but it’s time. He either has diabetes or kidney disease.  After a discussion with our Vet, Dr. Candace Stormer, Andy and I decided that we would just let Oscar live until he wasn’t Oscar anymore.  The stress of treatment for either of those illnesses would just make the end of Oscar’s life a terrible time.  We didn’t want that for our wonderful, furry friend.

As I sit here writing this at 5:45 am – I don’t think I’ll be able to do this later, my heart is hurting so much.  Oscar was “my cat.”  He was my “Bubby.”  As a kitten, I found him under my old Ford Escort coming out of work one night.  He was so tiny and he fit in the palm of my hand.  He LOVED all of our other pets, but especially Smokey.  We used to have “Oscar and Mommy” time every night.  I would sit on our bed watching television or reading and Oscar would sleep next to me.  He was goofy at times too.  He used to love it if you left the faucet on in the bathroom sink.  He would merrily hop up on the sink and contort himself so that he could drink the fresh water.  He used to love to taunt Newman.  He would sit about a foot away from her and just stare at her.  The crouch and then cat “butt wiggle” would happen and off they would go through the house.  He always looked like Pepe Le Pew when he was bounding after her.  Andy and I would laugh for hours watching the two of them.  When I was on bed rest while pregnant with Laura, he would sit on the bed with me and purr.  It always made me relax and feel better.  Oh, how I will miss him.

Yesterday, I spent some time with him while John was napping.  I held him and hugged him.  He looked up at me a few times and it was obvious that my Bubby is already gone.  He doesn’t know us anymore.  There are flashes of recognition, but they don’t last long.  It was in that moment that I knew that this is the right decision even though it’s killing us to have made it.

I love you my beautiful friend.  Thanks for always making me feel better and for watching over me.  You were always there for me and I’ll miss you so very much.  Say hello to Sammie and Smokey for us and give them the best Oscar rubs that you can.

1 boy + Strep Throat + Ear Infection + Home + Ibuprofen =

Today was a wonderfully quiet day despite the fact that John appears to either have strep throat or an ear infection or both.  Most of the day was spent relaxing and snuggling with John, who needed Mommy to “nuggle me” a lot.  We did the typical Sunday stuff, such as laundry and straightening up the house, but mostly didn’t do much of anything.  I’m very relaxed this evening and it’s wonderful!

It was an extremely busy day today.  It started out with a trip to Home Depot for Kids’ Workshop.  It was a special trip today because Grandpa Ken and Grandma Marilyn were with us.  Grandpa Ken helped John build his picture frame, while Andy helped Laura.

After Kids’ Workshop, it was off to FlipzUSA gym for the Gymnastics Express Fall Performance.  Gymnastics Express is the travelling “gym bus” that comes to John’s daycare.  Unfortunately, John was in no mood to participate.  The great staff had me and Laura sit with John to try to convince him to participate.  We were never successful in getting John to participate, so I pulled the t-shirt off of John and put it on Laura.  She ended up doing the entire performance instead.  In the end, both Laura and John received medals and we thanked the owners for allowing Laura to “sub” for John.

After the performance, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and then home so the kids could take naps.  Unfortunately, naps were not in the cards for either of the kids, so they played while I straightened up the house.  Saturday evening was spent celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary with great friends and great foods.  The adults were a bit on the goofy side and hilarity ensued!  It turned out to be a fantastic evening filled with lots of laughter.  Thanks to everyone who came by!  It meant a lot to Andy and I!

To celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary, Andy and I went on the Columbia Star Dinner Train (www.dinnertrain.com) with some great friends, John and Melinda Adams.

What a wonderful, unique experience this was!  The train ride to Centralia and return was just over three hours.  We took advantage of that time to catch up with John and Melinda.  We don’t get to see them often because all of our lives are just crazy busy at the moment.  We thanked them for joining us and Melinda said to us, “We were so happy you asked us to share this with you.  You two have a lot of friends and we were so touched you chose us.”  How sweet that was to say!

Between conversation, we also had some wonderful food and wine.  We began with a bread appetizer and a wonderful cup of Butternut Squash Bisque.  After that came Prime Rib, Baked Potatoes, and Green Beans.  The meal was finished with a Pumpkin Pie topped with walnuts and chocolate.  We ended the evening feeling very full and happy.  It was such a great time with wonderful friends, great conversation, and great food!  We couldn’t have asked for a better evening!