Going Through Life One Blog Post at a Time
I stayed home from work today because I wasn’t feeling well. Despite that, I did find a bit of ambition. I ended up baking the three pie pumpkins that we had and turning them into pumpkin puree. I now have three 2-cup bags and two 1-cup bags of pumpkin puree in our freezer. Fresh Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Muffins, and Pumpkin Brownies (this year’s experiment) here I come!
Every year as we put up our Christmas tree, we tell the kids about some of the ornaments and where they came from. Laura gets a kick out of seeing some of my ornaments from when I was little and hearing the stories about the ornaments. So, last year, Andy and I started a new Christmas tradition with the kids. Every year, they will pick out a new ornament for our tree. Someday, I will dig through my substantial amount of Christmas decorations and gather all the ornaments together to pass on to them. Hopefully, one day, they will be describing to their kids where each ornament came from.
This year, the ornaments came from a stand in the mall. They were both so excited that they got to choose their own ornament and that they also got to have their names written on them. They took about 15 minutes to find just the “right” ornament and then both stared quietly and intently as the clerk added their names.
Laura chose a unicorn.
John chose a train.
The kids and I went with the Lowerys to Chuck E. Cheese’s today. The kids had a great time…I didn’t have a beer, but I must say that after 1 1/2 hours there, I know why parents NEED the beer (LOL)! John went around with me and wanted to play any game that produced tickets. Laura and Alia hung out together the whole time. They rode more of the “rides” instead of playing a lot of the games. Rachel took this picture of them riding the virtual roller coaster.
All in all, it was a fun time. The kids really enjoyed themselves and it seemed to burn off some energy…that is until we got home and they decided to play with a box and be robots…
Dad and Marilyn stopped by today on their way home from Kansas to bring John a new toy – a train!
They had been visiting some friends in Kansas. The husband of the couple they were visiting is a woodworker and had made some of these trains. He decided that he wanted to give one to John so Dad and Marilyn stopped back through Columbia to deliver the train. John was so very excited and loves it! Now, I just have to find a place to store it….
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.