And She's Five!

Happy, happy birthday, Mallorie dear!

This little sweetheart of ours turned five earlier this month. She arrived after many hours of labor and hard pushing and aside from the inability to fall asleep by herself for several months, has been such a joy in our family!

 

 

Bug-a-Boos, as I love to call her, has a smile that will light up a room. Her heart is also the most tender of my children - she cries when someone leaves without giving her a hug and a kiss, adores her little brother and mothers him all day long, gives the best snuggles, is a good helper around the house, and has the sweetest voice as she sings while playing. Several months ago, she mentioned to me that she felt like she should be praying before getting out of bed in the mornings. Mallorie is also my worrier; worries who will watch them when I work or go out without the children, worries if we are going to be late, worries when someone looks like he is leaving and she hasn't had a hug, worries over new events. Definitely some of my genes in the works. 

This girl is loving preschool. Dances with joy during ballet class. Is excited to finally be taking music lessons from Aunt Becky. Adores anything My Little Pony, Barbie, or has sparkles. She's learning to play with boys and has been working to read. Picking veggies from the garden is a favored pastime. 

We were in Donnelley with the Adams clan over her birthday weekend and got to celebrate with newly-met relatives. Eggs for breakfast, a hike up in McCall for the day, and a delicious pasta dish for dinner. She helped decorate her cake with sprinkles, which she thought was fantastic. 

 

 

 

 

 

Can't wait to see how you grow and change this year, my MJ!

Beebers

For several months, Spencer referred to himself as "Beeber," which was likely a cross between Spencer and Bubba. If you ask what his name is today, he will pat his chest and quietly say, "Pencer." Melts my heart every time. However, we have frequently started calling him Beebers.

In a recent display of interest in potty training, the little man has gone potty several times in the froggy training toilet sitting in the upstairs bathroom. I'm not holding my breath for him to be out of diapers in the next 6 months, but it was an exciting event the first time nonetheless. After doing his business, I gave him high five and proceeded to tell him how great it was, how he did a good job, etc. With a grin on his face, he replied, "I know, Mom." We marched downstairs for the post-potty-in-the-toilet M&M and I had to call my mom to tell her the news and his response.

Climbing out of his crib is the second trick he learned this week. To be honest, I'm shocked that it took him this long to perfect the technique, but I wasn't complaining. The other morning he was asking for me to come get him and as I was waking Morgan up for school, I didn't get there right away. Moments later, I heard his doorknob jiggling and I peeked around the corner in time to see his little body behind the door, wide smile plastered across his face. "I. Get. Out. Of My. Bed!!" He squealed. (note: I put the periods between words to illustrate his diction. It's rough and has pauses in between most words) The following morning he popped out of his room and immediately opened the door to his sisters' room and hollered, "Ger-rerils! Morning time!!"

He is such a character! As a friend noted over the weekend, his face is full of expression. The boy doesn't have to utter a word to get across any emotion running through his head. Mallorie is quite expressive in her eyebrows, as is Chadwick I think, but Spencer? It's all over his face. He's got a neat personality that keeps us laughing.

Oh, that boy.....

Twenty-Year Reunion, Sunglasses and Such

Last month was full of activities - vet school reunion, backpacking, back to school, and Chadwick's high school reunion. It fell the same night as the WestVet Appreciation Picnic - an annual thing where the local specialty veterinary clinic sponsors dinner and a fun event for the area veterinarians/technicians and their families. While talking about which event to attend, as we were folding laundry and watching a movie, Chadwick mentioned that his high school reunion would not occur again for another 10 years. The WestVet picnic will recur next August. Somewhat in shock, I looked at him and said, "You've been out of high school for 20 years??" With a smile, he quickly pointed out that I'm not super far from that benchmark myself....and I was stunned. Not sure why that hit me so hard - maybe it's because I didn't attend my own 10 year reunion?

We didn't go to the family picnic in the afternoon as we spent the morning moving Stephen and Tara into their new home in Boise (they moved from Seattle - can I just mention that I'm stoked??) and had our own chores to finish. Date night in the evening which was fun. Chadwick knew quite a few people there and I got to meet several of his closer friends from the era. Sitting at the table with Tara certainly wasn't hard. She and I snuck out early to get back home and left the boys to re-live the Meridian High glory days....

 

Morgan is turning into a night owl. She has a hard time falling asleep and would rather read than close her eyes and attempt to turn off her brain. Because of this, we sometimes see her 3-4 times after she has been "put to bed," which drives me crazy. She's now allowed two times, though I'm quite cranky the second visit, before losing her books or her blankie. She has resorted to leaving me notes on my pillow to avoid the negative consequences of descending downstairs another time. A few weeks ago, this awaited me:

Her instructions led me to this note on the bathroom floor.

Giggling quietly, I showed the notes to Chadwick. Then we found the "big" spider in another section of the bathroom. If she thinks this is big, she'd better not move to South America any time soon...

I'm pretty sure I purchased this lip gloss for the name. Luckily, I actually like the color.

Loving these kiddos and their sunglasses. There's another picture of Spencer in an earlier post asleep in his sunglasses. Can't get enough of this boy! Unfortunately for those glasses, he dumped them out the open window at a stop light last week. I heard the crunch of the plastic under the tires of the car behind me. And another one bites the dust!

 

Trauma in the neighborhood erupted about 4 weeks ago (proof that it's been too long since writing) when a house in the upper cul-de-sac went up in flames. The fire started at the freeway and charged up the hill, fueled by dry cheatgrass, a huge burnpile, and the line of evergreen trees at the back of the neighbor's house. By the time I called 911, the flames were visible above the evergreens...I had the kids put on a movie and ran out back to see what I could do. In the end, not much. Several of us from my side of the neighborhood put out the small fire burning up our side of the small irrigation ditch and sprayed water at the other side of the bank, watching helplessly as the siding melted on a neighbor's house and listened to the popping sound of flames devouring structure and memories of the primary house fire. What was worse was the line of people streaming in and out of our street, along the big canal, and on the streets across the freeway. Four cars were parked outside my house alone, all containing people wanting to take a peek at the tragedy unfolding above us. The police finally shut off our street to anyone, including a neighbor of mine who wasn't allowed access because there were too many vehicles already clogging the small street. It was like vultures circling a dying animal. I wanted to cry in anguish and scream at the onlookers to leave these poor people to their tragedy. Alone.

In the end, emergency crews from four districts teamed up to douse the flames. The neighboring houses were spared, minus the melted siding and shed on a nearby home. No human lives were lost. I reached out to the family the next day and with the help of neighbors and caring ward members, provided meals, clothing, school supplies, and money. The childrens' school provided assistance. Family and friends donated money and more clothing. She tearfully told me that the only thing keeping them afloat for the first few weeks was the generosity pouring in from so many people. It warmed my heart to see strangers reach out to ease another's suffering. When I finally met her, I realized that this was the mom I had spent the last year waving at as we shuttled kids to and from bus stops and activities. I drove up the street to take a look at the place this afternoon. It's a ghostly shadow of its former self.

And who doesn't love a yellow dog carrying a stick twice his length?

For the Moment

Six months after Mallorie was born, I found myself in a dark place. Mentally, emotionally, physically. My relationship with my husband was crumbling. I was hard on Morgan, who was only two and a half years old. I'm pretty sure I kicked the dog a few times in frustration when he wouldn't move out of the way fast enough....and in the small square footage of our duplex, his 70-pound frame was underfoot more often than not.

In that gloomy period, I was often able to stand back as if outside of my body looking in. Wondering if that was really me. The me I knew to be a happy child, an outgoing college student. The me I remembered from pre-motherhood and maybe even pre-veterinary school years.

I still have moments when the clouds descend and the weight of the blues rests heavily on my shoulders. Thankfully, those moments are not as low and do not last as long as that rock-bottom February of years ago. A forgiving husband, solid friendships, sessions with a counselor and anti-depressant medication allowed me to climb out of the ravine to higher ground. My inner desire to be the kind of mom my children deserve and some sort of self-preservation nudged me (then and now) when the going was/is tough.

Recently, I have had moments "outside myself" when I catch myself smiling - at Spencer's antics at the table, the sight of our red barn set against the glow of the sunset, the smell of the mint on the morning breeze that floats through the open window. Giggling at the sound of my children's laughter from the other room, of hearing Mallorie sing song after song while doing her business in the bathroom. Of Morgan's enthusiasm for science/bugs/dinosaurs or my own sense of accomplishment when personal goals have been met for the day. Feeling grateful when I wake in the morning and my right hand isn't numb from the night's sleep. Tonight, I am sitting peacefully on the back deck, the smell of recent rain washing over me, the muffled sound of the freeway and crickets in the background. Darwin has left off trying to get me to throw the ball and is resting on the ground near my chair.

For the moment, the stresses of today and impending ones of tomorrow are silent. It's good to have me back.

Solar Eclipse 2017

For the first time since 1918, a total solar eclipse graced the skies of the continental US - starting in Salem, OR and arcing over the country to end it's journey over American soil in Columbus, SC.

The hype here at home was amazing, especially since the path of totality ran not real far north and west of us. The Idaho state veterinarian sent an email warning us that the influx of animals may bring disease, increased risk of heat stroke, etc. Stores and gas stations, especially in rural areas, were advised to massively stock up on snacks and gas to provide supplies to the thousands of travelers that were expected to flood the area. Hotels and campgrounds were booked solid. The Oregon police have a webpage dedicated to the eclipse, how to stay safe and such. Madness.

Chadwick ordered solar viewing glasses from Amazon, which didn't arrive in time. We improvised and created cereal box viewers. Morgan was out of school for the day so we loaded up into the car and drove to Intermountain Pet Hospital to view the phenomenon with Chadwick and his co-workers. The staff had several pair of glasses that we traded in addition to our cereal boxes and the binoculars that I brought from home. The cereal box viewers totally worked! The small, half circle light on the bottom is the actual one to watch. Turns out, a 22-gauge needle was required to make the right sized hole.

 

Chadwick was able to get a pinpoint light onto a piece of paper with the binoculars. Spencer was quite interested in this process. "Doing, Daddy?"

 

I have to be honest - I wasn't real enthused about the whole eclipse until Monday morning. I didn't care if Chadwick purchased glasses (next time we'll have to go to Lowe's...might save us $70), hadn't made plans to head to Fruitland to move into the path of totality (mostly because I was scheduled to work in the afternoon and wasn't sure if I could make it back in time with the traffic predictions), and decided last minute to stay at the clinic with the crew.

 

I'm so glad I did. The girls loved it and we were able to borrow glasses from Chadwick's co-workers and view the sight. It was amazing to watch the world slowly darken to dusk at 11:27 am local time. While it never got completely dark, it darkened enough that the lights in the parking lot turned on. The temperature dropped at least 5 degrees. The earth was bathed in a glow unlike anything I've ever experienced. And we got to be together as a family.

Now I want to rent a motorhome and travel to the area of totality for the next solar eclipse in 2024. Taking a roadtrip in a motorhome is one of my new additions to the bucket list. Combine it with a complete solar eclipse....and it's perfect. My hubs wasn't sure about the whole idea. I have a few years to get him to warm up to it. Ha!

It Has Been Talked About...and Finally Done

Chadwick loves to backpack. I tease that his camping motto has something to do with the fact that if he can see another person, he hasn't gone quite far enough into the wilderness. He's been itchy to take Morgan out for a one-nighter. And I've been holding him back as I thought her still too young. 

Then my friend Cyndi and her husband took their four children - ages 10 to 4 - backpacking for a night and that was the nudge I needed to send my two packing. Literally.

The Friday at the end of the first week of school, Chadwick picked Morgan up after the last bell and headed up to Jennie Lake. Turns out, they didn't make it to the lake on the first night, but they camped along the trail and hiked in the rest of the way Saturday morning. The day was spent fishing and hiking and then back out to the car later in the afternoon. 

Morgan came home dirty. The kind of dirty spent out in nature. The kind that creates happy memories and the desire to do it again. The kind that leaves black smudges around the ankle bones for at least 2 showers before it finally gives in to the soap bubbles. 

I lost count of the number of times Morgan said, "And guess what??" The fact that the hike to and from the lake was roughly 10 miles with elevation didn't dampen her enthusiasm one bit. In fact, when she couldn't sleep Saturday night she said that maybe she just needed to do some more hiking. She picked wildflowers, reeled in a fish caught by her dad (they caught and released a total of 4 nice trout), slept in a tent with a clear view of the stars, and she can't wait to do it again.

 

 

Darwin went as well, though I think he might have had mixed feelings about the adventure. For one, he was packing his own food and blanket. Secondly, he slept outside the tent which made him nervous and cold by morning. He didn't move much off his bed once he returned home, tired dog. 

 

 

The whole adventure was a success and I can't wait to join on the next hike. Mallorie was bummed that she wasn't able to go, but we had pancakes and eggs for dinner Friday night and went to the park before bed so she was placated. The curtains were left open to allow for a bit more light into her bedroom and she fell asleep without a fuss (which was a relief as she doesn't like to sleep alone in her room). 

Guess it's time to start investing in backpacking gear...or raid my dad Mark's supply....

Vet School Family

We started our veterinary education in 2004 as a group of approximately 100 students. Of those, roughly 75% were women. At the end of the four years, tight knit bonds had been forged between groups of individuals. The core group of friends with whom we spent time outside of class earned the name "vet school family" because that's what they had become - people you want to see on weekends and after class. People who make you stronger, help get you through the trials of advanced education and life, lending a hand when needed, lifting your spirits by word or deed. This group got together during General Conference weekends, holidays, bright summer weekends, and in between. 

This "family" consisted of six couples and two single students. One couple was not actually attending veterinary school with us; we met Mike when he was roommates with Chadwick and Milo our second year of school before he got married. And of those in the veterinary program, I was the only wife...the other wives worked or were taking classes outside of the veterinary medical world. 

Several couples were able to reunite in Wyoming at the Andrus house for a brief weekend and CE in Jackson in 2011. I was torn between my desire to stay at home with the girls and catch up and the need to attend my meetings for professional credits. I went to the meetings. 

(Andrus, Hunt, Merkley, and Griffiths families)

 

Since that summer, we have gone many different directions and grown considerably. Two of us have been married. All have added children to their core family units. There have been moves, job changes, purchases and sales of veterinary clinics, and lots of life in between. Through it all, our bonds have been maintained. Bonds forged in Pullman, by helping each other through dating, conversion to the gospel, marriage, trials of college, and love for one another.

Some of us are still proudly displaying Cougar Pride.

We reunited in Fairview, Utah a few weeks ago, all but two couples in attendance from all over the western United States and Canada. It was amazing how it all worked out to allow us to get together for a quick weekend. The house we rented was perfect - the kitchen space was large enough to feed everyone comfortably, the outdoor sandbox was the best babysitter, and the living room allowed us to have adult time in the evening. I think we got caught up on the wheres/hows/whos of each family. And oh to hear the stories that were told!! I haven't laughed like that in a while.

 

 

 

 

Saturday afternoon was spent in Mount Pleasant at Hayley's parents' house riding horses, jumping on the trampoline, running through sprinklers, and enjoying turkey BBQ for dinner. Yup, we got Jen on a horse!!

 

 

 

 

 

12 adults.

12 children - 16 girls and 4 boys.

2 nights and 3 days of laughter, sharing of memories, and strengthening friendships. 

 Families: Barnes, Andrus, Hunt, Christensen, formerly Frampton, Merkley

In an attempt to name the children....Ada M, Kherrington C with baby C, Grace A, Bonnie M

Caroline B, Mallorie H, Martha A, Acadia C, Covey M

Spencer H, Morgan H, Rose B

Suzie A, Maverick C, Tynlie C

Annie B, August B, Eva A, Leah F

I came home stronger for the time together. How I miss these amazing people!