Emmettisms

Emmett keeps me smiling all the time. Here are a few of my favorite recent quotes:

• "Mom, have a good day at work and remember to tell me all about it when you get home!"
• Em: "Mom, go get me a drink right now." Me: "How about you try asking me in a different way?" Em: "You have legs don't you?! They ARE working, aren't they? Go get me a drink." Um, Ya...he did NOT get a drink from me.
• Upon waking in the morning: "Good morning mommy. It is like there is a desert in my mouth! I need a drink!"

Augi Turns 7

This was the most grown up celebration ever. We have done Luau's, pirate parties, fairy parties, and tea parties. But, this year it was a simple family celebration.

Birthday Morning...surrounded by Moshi Moshi Kawaii. The artists? Me, Augi, and Em of course.

 Bellsie is like one of the family, so she joined us for Augi's favorite dinner: Chinese Take-Out

 Augi opted for her favorite dessert:

Glazed Donuts.

Here is the cutest thing...Augi and Bellsie hadn't seen each other, but when I picked up Bellsie, they were dressed just alike!

Here is to another great year my sweet girl!

It's Gone...

July 2012 is gone. Not one post during the entire month. This must be the longest I have ever gone without a post. This is going to be a general post, but we have special posts coming up...Paris 2012 and Augi's 7th Birthday. If I try to do them tonight, they won't be any fun. I will take my time and do them right.

I am busy at work, as usual. I have also been under the weather for 3 weeks. In case you don't know, I discovered about 6 years ago that I have had an attack on my spinal cord at some point in my life. The name of it is Transverse Myelitis. Well, because there is a little weak spot on my spinal cord, any infection I get or even a raise in my body temperature from too intense exercise can result in an exacerbation of symptoms. What does that mean? I got a cold and a uti and had a fever. So, now I have pins and needles from the neck down to my toes. I have pain in my sciatic nerve on my right side. My legs and fingers don't want to work right so I have to concentrate hard to get them to move, which is exhausting. Today I am feeling a little better. I just have to let it run its course. Hopefully I am on the downhill side...

A little fatigue didn't keep us down, though! Here you will find my cute little nuts. Em has a love-love relationship with Ava. Augi and Ava have a love-hate relationship. Girls. Let me tell you about this field, though. This is the field where Colton and Clint and I set our lanterns off. I feel a sense of calm whenever I go through it. I try to do it often.

 Our first summer in England was beautiful, as I remember it. Last summer was a disappointment. This summer? Miserable weather. This is as close as the kids get to sunbathing this year. At least they are willing to keep trying, right? I do miss warm summers.

 Knowing about the miserable summers in England, who in their right mind has an

outdoor pool here? Well, the kids' school has one. Dummies. Augi was nearly in tears as she had to jump in this FREEZING water on a cold day for the swim competition. She did it, though. Brave girl.

 I can't complain about everything in England in the summer. The green fields spotted with red poppies is my absolute favorite view.

More school events happened this year, including the summer concert where Augi played the recorder, violin, and glockenspiel.

 Augi and I signed up for the race for life, my 3rd race. However, true to England's style, it was cancelled due to rain. Grr.

 So, we went to Gregg's for a sweet and tea instead. We still thought about my mom and enjoyed the time together.

Augi is tortured with the same fine, straight hair that I have. She was so proud of the curls we were able to get for a party...

 And the company was fantastic!!

 Augi and I went out for a little exercise. She dressed the part...

 I could just eat his cheeks up! This little boy melts my heart.

 He plays as hard as he rests.

 And he enjoys life. "Just enjoying the lovely sun..."

 This is not meant to be a complaint. Just an observation. I often cross this track. Nothing noticeable about it. Except, when a train comes, two to three men  come out and lower the rails and close the gate by hand. No automation. Amazing. Keeps people working, I guess.

7 years old.

Today my little Augi is 7.

Name: August Leona

Aliases: Augi, Aug-Pog, Peanut, Augi-monser, Squiggy, Honey, Augo, Bug, and Princess

Height: 123 cm (48.4 inches)

Weight: 45 lbs

Here is what the new 7 year old has to say about herself:

1. Favorite  food: Artichokes
2. Favorite movie: I don’t know. Uhhhh...Treasure Buddies!
3. Favorite toy: Wolfy!
4. Favorite Book: Dr Dolittle
5: Favorite season: July. It is my birthday. (Same answer as last year!)
6: Favorite animal: Dog.
7. favorite song or singer: Katy Perry
8. Favorite color: Yellow
9. If you could change your name, what would you be called? Leo.
10. Who are your best friends? Bellsie and Annie from America.
11. What is something you like about Daddy? He is cuddly.
12. What is something you like about mommy? She is playful.
13. What is something you like about Emmett? He is fun.
14. What is your favorite thing about yourself? I like animals!
15. What makes you sad? When someone tells me off.
16. What makes you happy? If someone tickles me.
17. What makes you scared? When you say “Boo!” and I don’t know you are there.
18. If I granted you 3 wishes, what would you wish for?

1. A dog.

2. A cat.

3. A horse.

19. What is the best / funnest thing you have ever done? I don’t know. Horseriding.
20. What do you want to learn now that you are  7 years old? Art and animals.
Check out her 6 year old interview for comparison!

Her birthday is low key this year. She had the choice of a typical super duper party with decorations and guests and games, etc. Or, a tablet computer and a family party. She chose the latter. She is loving her tablet, but feeling a bit sad about her choice to not have a party. She LOVES a good party. We didn't let her day go completely unnoticed, though. I'll post on that this evening. ;)

Em's 4th Birthday

Emmett requested a Mickey Mouse birthday this year. I actually don't know where that came from. He has never really seen Mickey. You can't escape Disney, though. So, we went for it! I took the easy road...we hired an entertainer. Best. Idea. Ever.
She entertained more than 10 2-7 year olds for two hours straight!

I hope it was a memorable day, sweetie pie. 

June is getting away

Facebook has cramped my blogging style. I feel like everyone sees our pics on FB and then they don't care to read my blog! I want people to be anxiously awaiting our life story on the blog scene. Boo.

Speaking of Facebook, FB is how I have recently connected with my father...Facebook plays a key role in this story. However, you won't hear the story on Facebook, so there!

Several months ago I was thinking about my mom and my childhood. I thought about stories she told me about my father. I remembered she told me he would go by his birth name rather than his adopted name. Well, I looked him up (googled) by his birth name. I found him listed and I saw that he had a wife and a daughter. I looked all of them up on FB, but didn't find them. I didn't take it any further except in my imagination. Zoom forward to a few weeks ago...I clicked on the FB page of my older 1/2 sister, Angie, and noticed a post from who I suspected was my younger 1/2 sister, Indi. Aaagg. I had looked her up as Indica, not Indi! Several emails later, I reconnected with her. I was completely nervous to talk to my dad. However, we Skyped with him yesterday and it was really great. Augi was thrilled to meet him. Emmett was a bit uninterested, but that is typical for him! 
I am going to sound super duper old for a minute. All this technology is amazing. Maybe I would have found them earlier had the technology been there...who knows. So, that is the biggie story of the month. Try getting that on FB.
As for other news...
-  Tammy and Bruce visited us towards the end of May. They were perfect guests. They were a bit too independent, though, so we didn't get to be complete tour guides. Well, they will have to come back because we missed a few sites.
-  Augi is just finishing up Year 2. I am so proud of my little peanut. She has come so far this year. She reads and she is learning the violin. She still loves art and science. I can't believe she will be 7 next month. We watched her in a swimming match on Friday. Poor kid had to swim in a freezing cold outdoor pool. Who has an outdoor pool in England?! Stupid.
-  Em had a rough time the last few weeks. He has realized that staying home is waaayyyyyy more fun than school. Actually, there were a lot of changes after spring break and they were harder on him than we thought. So, he fought going to school each day for a few weeks. Well, he is back in the game, loving school. I am relieved. On Friday I got the rare opportunity to pick him up from school. When  I arrived I learned that Emmett was married to Kate at school that day. This was no playground game. The entire class planned the wedding, made invitations and a cake, invited the nursery toddlers, assigned bride's maids and groom's men, and went through all of the ceremony. There was even a kiss! Geez, no wonder he is lovin' school now. It's the only time he gets to see his wife!
-  Chris is gearing up for summer break. We are going to have to structure it...I'll work on that.
-  I am overwhelmed at work. Job security, right? I don't know. We are still in limbo. As far as our current status goes, we can stay in this country until 30 September. Yep, just over 3 months. I will feel way more secure once I have a signed contract. 
That's it for now...I will work on pictures over the next few days. I promise. 

Discovering myself.

Just when I think I have it all figured out, my life changes. I haven't seen or talked to my father in 35 years. I don't really ever remember asking my mom about him much, and she didn't give me a lot of information. I have one picture of us together. 

Tonight I spoke to him on the phone. 

It was the best I hoped and none of my fears came true. 

I am so glad I found him. 

Bonus? I have a younger 1/2 sister!

Sarah reminded me that my mom is helping all this happen. 

It is just what I needed at just the right time. 

Coincidence? Hmmm.

OK. I occasionally delve into the world of geocaching (thank you, Sarah...). If you aren't familiar with this form of entertainment and possibly sport, you can find more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocaching 
I am by no means an experienced geocacher. We occasionally look for them when out with my handy-dandy android app. I have an account with groundspeak. Here is where it gets a little geeky...I have placed a cache down the road from our house and I received almost daily emails from people who found it. Hey, it is fun! Unfortunately it was recently raided so it is on hold while I look for a new, more secret place to hold it.
Well, I have a story. I have what is called a "travel bug." No, this is not a desire to travel. It is a dog tag with a code printed on it that I have attached to a keyring. Along with this dog tag, I have a laminated copy of my mother's obituary and a sea shell. Geocachers find the trackable and move it to a new cache. They post on my trackable log where they have placed it. My goal for this cache is for my mother to travel the world. I want her to go to all of the places she didn't get to go. It is a way to meet new people and have them hear her story. So, the travel bug left my cache in Bury St. Eds. It went a few places in England, then ended up on Jersey Island. One person picked it up from Jersey Island, but he has been unsuccessful in finding a place to put it. Another piece of information you must have is that Tammy and Bruce are visiting right now. One of the places they really want to go is York. Well, we made plans and booked their stay in York. Here comes the interesting coincidence. After booking their trip to York, I received a message that my trackable---my mother's trackable, that is---will be at a gathering of geocachers at a pub in York on the one night that Tammy and Bruce will be in York. 315 miles from the last placement. Coincidence or a little "hello" from my mom? I think I know...what do you think?
BTW...you can follow this trackable at http://www.geocaching.com/track/default.aspx and put in the code VPG2QG

May

I left April and planned to hate May. The thought of having an anniversary to my mother's death is incredibly painful. In reality, May isn't just the month that I lost my mother. It is also the month when I became a mother to my wonderful little boy. Emmett has my mother's smile, so I see her in him every single day.  I recently came across a poem about the month of May that I really like. It makes me think of both my Mom and my Boy.

MAY CROWN

All early in the morning

I rose to greet the day,

And underneath my window

I saw a Child at play.

The robins were not fearful

Of one so mild and meek;

They lighted on His shoulder

And nested at His cheek.

He picked the clustering roses,

The lily in its sheath,

The long-stemmed purple violets,

And wove them in a wreath.

And then I saw a Lady

Come walking in the dew;

Her robe was white as starshine,

Her mantle was deep blue.

And as the Child approached her,

All sweetly she knelt down

And bent her head, receiving

His fragrant, flowery crown.

Helen Connolly

The Magnificat. Volume LXVI. Number 1. May 1940.

So, I am not going to hate the month of May. 

I am going to take time on 11 May to celebrate my son 

and on 22 May to remember my mother. 

Inside the MInd of a 4 Year Old...

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a 4 year old? Here is a snapshot of one! I interviewed Emmett for his annual birthday interview. VERY insightful.
1. What is your favorite food? "Cucumbers!" I would agree. The kid can eat an entire cucumber in one sitting. I would add any sort of meat to his list...
2. What is your favorite movie? "Horton Hears a Who." This is a recent favorite.
3. What is your favorite toy? "Pirates." OK. He does like pirates, but we were currently playing pirates and Emmett likes to give the answer that requires the least amount of thought. I would say he likes a variety of toys, action figures, swords, dress up, animals, etc.
4. What is your favorite book? "Stick Man!" This is very funny. All I have to do is mention this book or show him the book and he bursts into uncontrollable belly-laughter. He loves when the "Stick Man" is being used as a boomerang and his body is bent and he loves when the girl calls him a "Pooh Stick." Potty humor.
5. What is your favorite season? "When the leaves go off the trees....That is summer, not fall, you know." Okey dokey. Does he want an argument?
6. What is your favorite animal? "Dog." No question there. Emmett loves dogs. Especially cute little fluffy dogs. He will be very happy someday when we get another dog. I think he misses Nanny as much as I do. In fact, it was always Emmett who would notice when she needed a love, food, or to come in from outside.
7. What is your favorite song? "Happy birthday!" Again...least amount of effort. He also loves "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath, "One Day" by Matisyahu, and he HATES "Going on a Bear Hunt" by Dr. Jean.
8. What is your favorite color? "Black!" I was wearing a black shirt.
9. If you could change your name, what would you be called? "Augi! Heeheeheeeheee...."
10. Who are your best friends? "Bellsie and Mickey Mouse." Mmmkay. Bellsie is our family best friend, but Mickey Mouse? 
11. What is something you like about Daddy? "Why daddy? Hmmm. How he laughs."
12. What is something you like about mommy? "How she...(begins laughing uncontrollably.) She  loves me."
13. What is something you like about Augi? "Why do we call you mommy?" Em has recently taken an interest in linguistics. He often asks why we call different objects by their names. Goofball. I asked him the question again, what he likes about Augi. "She gave me a present."
14. What is your favourite thing about yourself? (laughs and laughs...) "I am Mickey Mouse."
15. What makes you sad? "When people push me."
16. What makes you happy? "Mommy!"
17. What makes you scared? "Scary noises."
18. If I gave you 3 wishes, what would you wish for? 1. "Mickey to come. The real Mickey Mouse." 2. "Numbers to come alive." 3. "Trees to come alive and go crazy. (pause. Serious look...) That can't really happen, can it?"
19. What is the best thing you have ever done? "staying in the caravan park and climbing in the lion thing at the Isle of Wight." OMG. I love this. Caravan vacations are totally WT here, or Pikey as they like to say. Augi's favorite vacation was a condo in Vegas. My kids are genetically pikeys!
20. What do you want to learn now that you are 4 years old? "About sea monsters and mommy. Mommy is a sea monster!!"

Happy Birthday little boy. 

Nanny.

My little Nanny Goat Gruff was born on 07 August 1996. 6 weeks later, she came to live with us. I was giddy with excitement. She was at my in-laws, and Chelsie was holding her. She was sooooo tiny. Quivering with nervousness. She looked like a tiny little goat with her schnauzer beard! She was incredibly playful. She was really our first child. We treated her like that. She was spoiled rotten! Chris used to drive around town in Greeley, Colorado with her hanging out the window, enjoying the ride. I took her everywhere. School, work, shopping, driving, walking, road trips, even in the cabin on flights!

Here we are...just shy of 16 years later. Her time has come. I kept hearing people say that I would know when the time is right because she would tell me. 

I wished she would just go quietly in her sleep. 

I hoped the signs would be unquestionable. 

I thought it would be a dramatic event. She would stop eating or have a stroke.

The reality is that she has been slipping away from me for several years. 

When I was offered this position in England, one of our criteria for accepting the job was that I had to be assured that we could bring her with us. No Nanny=no overseas. She was part of our family and we wouldn't leave her behind. Well, the vet spent a lot of time checking her over. After bloodwork and several sessions, he begrudgingly decided that she could go. At 14 she was already deaf and her health wasn't perfect. We left her for two months while she stayed at home under "quarantine." I remember being so excited to get her I could hardly sit still (although that isn't unusual for me.) I am not sure if I just didn't realize how old she had gotten, or if she aged several years during our separation...either way I wasn't prepared for the scared, scruffy little dog that was presented to me at the airport. She didn't run to greet me with licks and jumps. She just wandered around dazed and confused. She whimpered. She was terrified. She calmed after we got her home and I discovered that she perked up during walks. She got used to her surroundings and seemed to be content. Old, slow, but content. Last fall, when we went to Oslo, our dog sitter mentioned that she was noticing Nanny's age more now. She was deaf and nearly blind. She slept 23+ hours per day. But, she continued to eat well. She still perked up on her walks. 

There was nothing dramatic. No seizure or loss of consciousness or bowel control. Over the last few months she developed a disorder similar to Alzheimer's. She didn't seem to recognize us when we touched her. When she was awake, she couldn't stop pacing in a counter-clockwise circle. She bumped into things and she was hunched over. She lost so much weight. She got stuck in corners. This week the vet took some blood and gave her some medicine to try to help get more oxygen to her brain. The medicine kept her awake but she was frantic, stressed, and walked in circles for hours. I spoke to the vet and she said there was nothing to try. Nanny had a neurological disease and it is wasn't going to get better. We could keep her sedated and on pain medication. Nothing else. We wouldn't be able to bring back my Nooshy who loved to play, run, and snuggle.

Nanny has been giving me the signs for a long time. I just wasn't ready to see them.

So, today, we let her go.  

I miss you, Nooshy.
I miss watching you lay in the sun for so long you were lethargic.
And seeing you wiggle with excitement every time I walked in the door.
I miss the way you held on to me with your "arms" when you were nervous.
I miss taking long, lazy naps with you.
I miss watching you "go crazy" as you ran around like a nut.
You hadn't done any of those things for a long long time. But, I remember how much fun we had and I am so happy you were part of my life.

Thank you for being my sweet girl.

The Fam

I get blubbery just writing this. We could have kept these four here forever. OK, maybe we would have needed a bigger house if we kept them. And lots of rope. But, really, we had a wonderful visit. Augi cried harder than I have ever seen her cry when they left.

It isn't the same around here without them. Here are just a few shots of their visit...Mindy's blog is much more detailed, so check out hers too!

Framlingham Castle:


















Baylhem Rare Breeds Farm...



OK, Piggy. This look is not helping you be less "Rare."





Oh Ya. Holding baby lambs is what life is all about!





















Colchester castle and zoo...














Geez, are they in a police line-up, or what?!

























We couldn't let them leave without taking them to a real-live BOOT SALE!


London...







It's that same guy from the easter egg hunt. He has that empty stroller again.I am seriously reporting him.
Now that I think about it, she might be in on it too...she seems to be trying to hide a bulge in her pocket (inside joke...for you Mindy)










This is a great likeness of me when angry...




Augi has been bugging me to go to Pudding Lane, the site of the beginning of the Great Fire of London. Her wish finally came true. Now her life is complete.













So, we left them in London. Luckily, they found their way home. Damn. I miss them.