My first baby

Anyone who knows me well, knows that Attley was my first baby. I got him the summer I bought my first house. I love the heck out of that dog. And while I was fairly good at training him to be a people friendly and generally obedient dog, I definitely did cater to him. I had never liked dogs much so I was really surprised at how much I loved this mutt. When he came down with hip dysplasia at 10 months, I was so sad for him and vowed I would make his life as painfree as I could afford. When he was 3, his left hip was getting really bad. I was pregnant with Cate and knew that if we didn't do something for him at that point, we never would. So we went ahead and got him a full hip replacement. He was a new dog. He could run and play again, scamper up the stairs, and keep up on long walks. He still had a bad right hip but the new hip could now take over the burden and give the right one some relief. And yes, things changed when we had Cate and then Clare, but overall, Attley is definitely a family member that we love and cherish.

One of Attley's favorite things is going up north so he had a ball when we were up there. He was tearing around the place, running up and down hills, chasing sticks into the water and swimming to his hearts content. We knew he was going to be sore - he always is when he overdoes it. Plus, he's been pretty lazy this summer so just the increased activity would make him sore all over. It would be the equivalent of me - super non-fit person - suddenly doing a triathalon. So we expected him to be sore. But after a week he was still limping around pretty bad. In fact he seemed a bit worse as time wore on. I called the vet and she came out yesterday to give him a once over (yes, came to our house - a good old fashioned home visiting vet - gotta love it). We wanted to rule out the possibility that he maybe seriously injured his hip or something else. First thing she noticed was his head bobbing as he walked which apparently is a dead giveaway for front leg lameness (who knew?). She looked at his right front leg and noticed a large knot on it. Scott and I are feeling pretty stupid at this point that we didn't even notice a large bump protruding from his leg. It seemed so obvious when she pointed it out. Plus we had just assumed that it was his back hip which is what is always bothering him, that it didin't occur to us to check anything else out.

The vet was giving us all these possiblities like arthritis, strain, sprain, or even possibly cancer. I figured since he came up lame after our trip up north, it had to be a sprain or something. She doesn't have mobile x-ray equipment in her car so told us to make an appointment at another clinic to get him checked out. We were lucky to get an appointment later that same day. That doctor comes in and explains how an x-ray works (Oh please! I always get really impatient when doctors do this - I realize that average joe maybe doesn't understand the basic concepts of modern medicine but I almost went to med school so I always feel like blurting out, "yes, yes, I know. Please move on.") Then she finally got around to the part on his leg which I could obviously see wasn't broken and told us it was either cancer or an infection of some sort. We would have to take him to the U of M oncology dept to get a biopsy to really know what was going on.

And that's where we are right now. I had a sad night last night thinking that we may lose our cherished pup. He's only 6 years old and I had thought we'd have him for at least another 4 years and hopefully more. Not to mention I thought we could amortize the cost of that hip replacement over several more years. Something is telling me that its cancer. And I expect there will be a ton of agonizing options for us to choose from, all of which may not work and we'd spend a ton of money to have him die in the end anyway. Apparently they can even do chemo and radiation these days. I hate the thought of him dying a painful death. I would rather put him down than draw out a long inevitable painful death. But I will miss him so very much. He's such a sweet boy.

So Scott and I are being extra nice to him. He definitely is in pain so we were given the go ahead to give him aspirin (he has liver problems too). And we're doing a lot of extra cuddling and loving. He really is a sweet boy. And I would rather deal with all the hair in the world in my house than to lose him. Hopefully it won't come to that. We'll know more next week I suppose. I'll keep you all posted. In the meantime, prayers for this 4-legged member of our family would be much appreciated.

Up Nort

I'm craving breadpudding. Of all things! I hadn't even thought of breadpudding for years until about 4 weeks ago when I had some at Famous Daves. While I've always preferred my mom's homemade recipe (mouth is watering now), I can't knock Dave's, especially with that yummy sauce all over it. So of course, once I've set myself on the course to lose weight, I now can't get it out of my mind. And I have to be good today because I knowingly blew it all weekend while we were up north. I figured I'd better enjoy something on this trip so I ate what I wanted (which included half a bag of reeses peices - the big family sized bag). Which brings me to my next topic...

Do not go up north on a rainey weekend with two children under 3, to a lot with no amenities and a mouse infested camper. I keep trying to be positive. Scott decided that we should stay both nights in the hotel. Thank God! The hotel was nice and had a pool so at least Cate and Clare had some fun there. And we didn't get rained on but it was cool and cloudy. I got to eat some decent food (but I felt guilty). And the girls did really well in the car. Other than that, not much fun. Both girls had a super hard time sleeping, especially that first night. And if anyone knows me at all, I was a mess! I get super stressed out when the girls don't sleep. After everyone finally conked out, I was still up for another hour just destressing. In the morning we went swimming, which is also very stressful with two toddlers who both think they're the next olympic champions but who in actuality, can barely keep their heads above water without help. And they like going in different directions too. After swimming we headed out to the property. It looked pretty much the same as it did last year. I cooked up some burgers for lunch and we got a fire going. Needless to say, we missed naps (i.e. mom is stressed again). So we had grouchy dirty tired hungry babies as we headed back to the hotel to have dinner. We were way past normal bedtimes again (stress). I thought for sure we would get the girls down very easily the second night given how tired they were. And they did go down well. But I didn't. There were kids in the next room banging the door and running up and down the halls until 11:30. I am a very light sleeper and could not sleep through that (Scott was out 2 seconds after his head hit the pillow). I got up and knocked on their door and did a totally crabby-old-lady-shaking-her-disfigured-finger diatribe at these poor kids telling them to be quiet or I'd get them kicked out. I'm still embarrassed (they should add that as a question on the realage test "have you ever given a crabby-old-lady-be-quiet diatribe to a bunch of kids? If yes, add 15 year"). There wasn't an adult in sight and the oldest kid I saw was maybe 12 and she was trying to do her homework. It occured to me later that they were probably children of one of the hotel employees so I couldn't have had them thrown out if I wanted. But they did shut up pretty good after that. The next morning, Scott took off to the lake with attley to do some man crap like cutting down trees and clearing...something. I'm sure he was in hog heaven. The girls and I hung out in the room watching cartoons. Cate started to feel kinda sick and had a fever so we didn't venture out of the room. Boredom set in about 10 minutes after Scott left and I was dreading the next couple of hours with a sick kid and an antsy 1-year old. However, I'm quite good at figureing out how to enjoy myself. So I popped in some Elmo videos for the girls, and I took out the book I had borrowed from Sarah, "So you want to be a Rock and Roll Star" by Jake Slichter of Semisonic. That pleasantly passed a couple more hours until Scott came back and we packed up and left. I was very happy to be heading back home. I'm more than willing to rough it up at the lake, but not with the girls. It stresses me out WAY too much.

So here we are at home today, recovering. Cate still has a fever. I'm thinking its from a cold that she recently caught. They both slept great last night and took good naps today. I'm indulging myself with an episode of Oprah. I usually don't watch it because I'm supposed to be spending quality time with my kids. But I did that this weekend (sort of) so I'm breaking my own rule. And its keeping me from whipping up some bread pudding!

RealAge crap test!!

As if I needed another reason to be down on myself... I saw this online test called RealAge which supposedly tells you what your biological age is compared to your actual age. It asks all kinds of questions from basic (height, weight) to detailed (history of family cancer, if you wear a seatbelt). Its actually quite comprehensive. I'm always optimistic at the start of these tests. I really thought I would come out at my age or younger. I don't think I live that bad of a life and in general, consider myself healthier than most. So I take the test and the result is that I'm biologically the age of a 41.1 year old person!!!! I'm 38! What's with that!? The worst part is that I sent it to Nan, who is several years older than me and Sharla, who is one month younger than me. Nan came out at 41.7! She's almost younger than me. And Sharla came out at 35!!! I think they cheated.

I guess my high age is due to a high cancer risk with my family history, I don't eat all my veggies, and I don't do any strength training. Plus, I already have arthritis (have you seen my deformed finger - totally 70 year old lady hand). But, the beauty of the test is that they give you a "Plan" and you're supposed to work on 3 thing then retake the test in a couple of months and see if your age went down. So I started thinking that maybe I should be doing a bit more to stay healthy. I do have two very young daughters and I need to be around for them. Can't go off and have a heart attack when they're in puberty. So I decided to start doing situps, pushups and lunges 3 times a week. I started last night and am sore today already. Sad. I've also decided to start counting my points, weight watcher's style. I did this a few years ago and it helped me lose about 10 lbs. Hopefully by being more active and eating better, I'll shed some weight and put myself a long ways towards being here a lot longer. I started counting points today and already had 2 peices of chocolate. I'm going to have to watch it for dinner!

On a completely different note, I have a friend here at work who is a complete conspiracy theory dude. He never takes anything at face value and believes that our government is covering up everything and is completey inept and/or corrupt. Its interesting how zealous he is in what he believes. I always hear him out and ask questions about why he thinks the way he does. He's a very intelligent man and he does do a ton of research to back up his opinions. He never completely convinces me but he always makes me think more about certain issues. His latest theory (and many others believe this as well) is that the 9/11 attacks on the towers were orchestrated by the Isreali's with help from key personel in our government. He pointed me to a very interesting website and article which makes some very strong arguments for pre-placed thermite explosives in the twin towers and tower 7 that caused them to completely collapse within their own footprint. The article details how the collapses could not have been caused by the airplanes or the ensuing fires. Its super intersting and well documented and researched. I can completely see how this might be the real cause for the collapse. However, he didn't point me to any information as to who was behind it all. I'm sure he has a ton of reasons for why he thinks its the Isrealis/our government but he didn't share those with me. Now, while the evidence is quite convincing, I do not know how to access other documents that might be as equally thought out and documented that disprove all of the theories in the above article. Therefore, I can't definitively concur with my crazy co-worker. But it does get me thinking that nothing is black and white. It gets me thinking about the role the media plays in swaying the public's opinion. It gets me thinking about how much power our government has to keep information from us. It makes me think how ignorance is bliss, sometimes. I don't really want to think about my government being behind the murder of thousands of innocent civilians. Its easier for me to think that some stranger in a far off land who hates us did it. But am I right to close my eyes and ears to hard scientific evidence? No. But to really get all the facts, I would have to spend a ton of time on it. And, frankly, I would rather spend my time focused on my family than finding ways to maybe possibly prove that someone somewhere is lying about something.

So, you are privy to some of the ramblings of my small little brain. I'm done babbling. I need to turn my attention to this weekend and the daily stuff that needs to get done. We're heading up north to our lake property this weekend with the girls. We'll be spending one night in a hotel but the other night we're making a go of it in our 70's avacado green camper (the Master - see pic). Should be interesting. I'm hoping the colors are at their peak up there, but I doubt it. I need to pack for everyone and get groceries too.

I also have to get a present over to Sharla's for Paige and Payton, her 3 year old twin girls. Its their 4th birthday this weekend and we're going to miss it. Happy birthday girls!! Have fun at the party!

Farmboy

Clarebear had her one year well baby checkup today which included 2 vaccination shots and a blood test for hemoglobin and lead. Ouch! Poor baby! I asked for the lead test because its possible she's swallowed some small peices of one of granny's old necklaces that broke recently. I'm not worried, she's not showing any signs of lead poisoning. But better safe than sorry. Anyway, she checked out fine on everything. She's topping the charts, just like Cate was at this age. She's 31" long (exactly half my height) and weighs just under 24 lbs. That's 95th and 90th percentile for girls, respectively. Cate was 30 1/4" long and 24 lbs at her one year check. Scotty says that I grow em big and I guess he's right. Looks like I'm always going to be the shrimp in the family, no matter what family I'm in. I reckon both girls will be 5' 8" or taller. I hope they don't get a complex about it because they will probably always be taller than the boys until they become adults.

While Clare and I were in the waiting room at the doctor's office, Fred Hoiberg came in with his 3 year old twins! After he checked in he came over and sat right across from me. I normally wouldn't have said anything to him - I always feel bad for celebrities who can't go anywhere without people mobbing them - but I know Scotty would have KILLED me if I didn't say something. So I said hi and let him know we were big fans. Found out his kids have strep which was why they were in. He asked where I lived and I asked where he lived (near Hazeltine). He was really nice (and cute too) and didn't seem put off at being recognized (that's a good ol' Iowa farmboy for ya). I of course called Scott the minute we left the office to rub it in. He was jealous and mad that I didn't mention that he also went to Iowa State. Scott's been hoping to run into Fred at the Chaska Target for years now. Now when he does, I'll be able to introduce them. Tee hee! My gloating didn't end there. I had to also give a call to Stratton - not so much to rub it in but because she's such a T-wuvs fan and I knew she'd appreciate the siting. She would and has done the same for me when she's spotted Dan Wilson. Now that's a good friend! Have fun in France Sarah!

After my brush with fame I was fully intending to go straight home to work after dropping off Clare at Jamie's. But I made a quick stop at Chaska Farm and Garden - they were having a sale on grasses. I didn't end up buying any grasses but got some dwarf hosta's, an azalea, a mum and some daisies. I'm such a plant slut. I just love getting new plants and figuring out where to put them and what I can move or split to make more plants. Who knew I would be such a plant nerd! After fulfilling my little plant addiction, I stopped at a couple of garage sales. It's Caver's Steamboat Days this weekend and they always have a city-wide garage sale. So I didn't get back home until 1:00. When I finally sat down to work (I had to eat lunch first) I tried opening some spreadsheets but my VPN was going very slowly so it seemed to take forever just to get one little thing done. I did actually manage to get in a couple of hours but then called it quits. I could hear the plants calling me to put them in the ground so out I went. I'm gonna have to buck up and do some work this weekend.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I've got MOPs training on Friday night and Saturday morning. I've been looking forward to being a part of this ministry for moms. And the women who are leaders with me seem to be a fun group. Sharla (my oldest - I mean longest- friend) and Paige (my neighbor and newest friend) are leaders too so if nothing else I'll have a ball with them. Then on Sunday my newest nephews are going to be baptized. John and James were the unexpected one's that made my brother's family jump from 6 to 8. They're so cute too! That reminds me that I have to go get them a present! Better do some shopping tomorrow.

Summer's Over

Our labor day project this year was landscape lighting for our front gardens. I say our, but really it was Scott who did all the work. We're just waiting for it to turn dark so we can see what adjustments we need to make. All to increase curb appeal. Scott actually had about 20 things on his list that he wanted to accomplish this weekend. He's only gotten 2 things checked off. I wasn't dumb enough to make a list. I was just looking forward to the long weekend with nothing on our agenda but the lighting project (which I was uninvolved in). So far I've accomplished getting my nails done, watching a movie, grocery shopping and a start on laundry. Oh, and I organized the kids clothes into storage bins. That's it and I'm totally fine with it.

Scott and I went on a spur of the moment date on Tuesday night. We called up the neighbor girl at 6:30 who amazingly was instantly available. We took off shortly after and went to a movie in our old neighborhood of Hopkin! We wanted to see Nacho Libre but were a little too late for it. So we saw Prairie Home Companion instead. It was marginally funny, but all the old geezers in the back thought it was hilarious. We stopped for a beer at Big 10 afterwards. It was a nice quick get away for us both.

Well, thats about it. I can't believe summer is over! Its rainy and cold today - very fall-like. I love fall though so I'm not sad at all. I'm looking forward to the crisp weather and wearing sweaters. I love the look and smell of the leaves turning and of fires burning. I like visiting fall festivals and craft fairs. I'm going to visit one in October in Rosemount that was featured in Country Living magazine. Its called Haupt Antiek. Should be fun. Also in October, I'm going to Chicago with Sharla and Nancy which should be a super fun time! We're going to the musical Wicked and doing a bunch of shopping. Cate starts a quasi pre-school next Friday called Play Pals. She gets dropped off one day a week for 2 hours to play and do art and sing...sort of like pre-school. I think she'll love it. Yep. Lots going on in the fall. Love it.

Gotta go. Its time to eat.