Adventures with Redd

Redd likes Christmas trees!

 

Then he took the Little People's car for a spin this morning.

 



More of Redd

Yesterday, Emmie and Ireland had a tough time finding Redd.  Emmie was convinced he had not come back from the North Pole. 

This morning, she found him much more easily.  I heard her a couple rooms away squealing and jumping up & down. 

Redd's New Hiding Places

Yesterday, Redd repelled down the curtains.

Today, Redd found a place by Emerald's baby picture above the entertainment center. 

Introducing Redd the Elf

Our family would like to introduce our elf, Redd. 

Redd ziplined to our house from the North Pole, using the North Pole Zip Lines.

 

 

The girls discovering Redd.

 

Day 14 ~ Little Things

After having a busy, rough day, I'm thankful for the little things in life: 

• warm, fuzzy slippers
• blue Pentel RSVP pens
• address labels
• comfy, broken-in sweats
• Mistletoe Memories tree decorations
• Out on a Limb scrapbook kits
• cameras on cell phones
• old photographs
• flip flops
• capri pants
• a full candy bowl
• Panera cinnamon crunch bagels
• Krispy Kreme chocolate iced, cream filled donuts
• cottage cheese with bacon bits
• warm snickerdoodles
• Harley rides
• pennies from heaven
• chapstick
• manicures
• Jack @ Skin Kitchen
• Crest whitening toothpaste
• roses
• Garth Brooks "Shameless"
• microwaves
• heated seats
• angels
• warm blankets on a cold night
• scrapbook retreats
• Ireland kisses & hugs
• Emerald kisses & hugs
• "I Love You"s 
• white gold
• Hawkeyes
• Facebook
• Nook
• John Grisham
• Thinsulate gloves
• comfortable jeans
• Which Wich
• strawberries
• real Christmas trees
• indoor plumbing
• Edgar Allen Poe
• Mod Podge

Day 13 ~ Chocolate!

Ode to Chocolate:

Candy-coated
Hot with marshmallows
Oh, sweet velvety goodness
Covering coconut & almonds
Over nougat and caramel
Love with peanut butter
Around pretzels 
Truffles
Ever the addiction

Thankful for chocolate!

Photo courtesy of wakeup-world.com
 

Day 12 ~ Health Care & Insurance

This one is very hard to be thankful for today, but I'm making the attempt...

I'm thankful for the health insurance through my employer.  Although I complain about the portion I pay for (a lot, especially today when I went through the open enrollment process for 2013), it affords me to take my daughters to their checkups for free, get free immunizations (including flu shots for the adults!), and save money tax-free to go towards medical expenses not paid by insurance.  I'm trying very hard to look on the bright side of things although my insurance payments went up by 19% for 2013. 

One thing I can be very thankful for are our health care providers.  Our family physician is one of the best around and we all love him.  Our dentist is wonderful and again, the girls just love him.  I have the best OBGYN around (although he no longer does OB work) and the best chiropractor.  We're so blessed to have wonderful doctors who care about our health and our family, who make sure we're on board with treatment plans, and aren't out just to get the copay. 

For all of this, I am thankful.

Photo courtesy of shotofprevention.com

Day 11 ~ Veterans

Today, on Veteran's Day, I am thankful for all veterans who have defended our wonderful country.  Please take a moment to thank the veterans in your life today.

Thank you (in no particular order):

• Father-in-law, Jim (aka Dad)
• Uncle Roger
• Uncle Gene
• Late Brother, Jerry
• Friend, Aaron
• Friend, Tim
• Friend, Ron
• High School Classmate, Jarrod
• Hubby's employee, Nick
• David

I'm sure I'm missing people whom I'm unaware served, but I thank each and every veteran today. 

Photo courtesy of oncenter.org

Day 10 ~ Work Ethic

It's been a long day of trying to get ready for Thanksgiving guests ~ finally finished the remodel of our master bedroom, starting organizing/cleaning one of the spare rooms, dishes done, laundry almost done (washed & dried, just not folded yet), girls' toenails painted per their request, etc. etc. etc.

Which brings me to what I'm thankful for today... I'm thankful to those who taught me a strong work ethic. 

My Grandma DeBoer... what a wonderful woman, for many, many reasons, but today I'll talk about HER work ethic.  She was a science and history teacher for many years (not even sure how many), she waitressed in a cafe after she retired from teaching and she was a missionary in Africa for a year. 

My Grandma Borneman... when her husband died suddenly leaving her with two teenage boys, she worked every odd job she could do in order to support herself and her sons. 

As much as it pains me... my father, whom I quote, "A job is not worth doing if it's not done right the first time." 

Last, but definitely not least, my hubby Dan.  He busts his butt, not only at his job to provide for our family, but also on the house.  For instance, he just finished siding the front half of our 3 story house: by... him... self... Yeah, that's dedication (and only slightly crazy); I admire and respect him. 

Day 9 ~ Thankful for the Generosity of Others

Tonight we took the girls to see Santa at a local photo shop.  They were running a promotion where you would get your picture taken with Santa and a 4x6 print for free (any additional prints would need to be paid for).  Yes, I know they are hoping to boost business by getting people to pay for additional prints. 

But on the other hand... I paid not a single penny for the look of awe, wonder and excitement on my daughter's face when she saw Santa.  I paid not a single penny for the smile plastered on her face the whole time we were there.  I paid not a single penny for the conversation she had with Santa.  I paid not a single penny for my daughters' experiences... and yet it was priceless. 

For this, I will patron to this local business for their generosity and Christmas spirit of providing this Santa service for free, rather than going to a "big box" store.

Day 8 ~ Preschool Teachers

Tonight was Emmie's open house at her preschool.  Which means lots of 3 and 4 year olds running around.  Which means lots of noise, lots of chaos, lots of running, lots of... well, lots of 3 and 4 year olds!  Which brings me to what I'm thankful for...

I'm eternally grateful for those very patient people who are preschool teachers and keep all of those little boys and girls on task and even more importantly ~ TEACH them.  Emmie has learned so much already this year; I'm so impressed and proud of her.  She loves going to school and she loves her teachers.  She talks about it being so fun and Ireland can't wait to go to school too.

I'm very thankful for Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Timmerman for their patience and for teaching my precious baby and all the other precious children. 

Day 7 ~ Shoes!!

I... love... shoes... really, it's an unhealthy obsession.  I could wear a different pair of shoes every week and I wouldn't have worn every pair of shoes at the end of a year.  Yep, I'm well on my way to becoming the next Imelda Marcos. 

I'm so thankful for the beautiful foot coverings that fill my closet (and my hubby for understanding my obsession).   

Photo courtesy of beautyetips.blogspot.com
By the way... I do not have these shoes, but they are AWESOME. 

Day 6 ~ Thankful for Pets

I love animals.  I don't hunt (neither does Dan), I brake for all little critters, I love cute, cuddly, loveable pets.  Over my lifetime, I've had an aquarium at various times, I've had cats and dogs (both house pets and outside pets), and most recently, we have some resident chickens (never knew they were so sassy!). 

My favorite is of the feline persuasion.  Domestic cats are independent, but are also cuddly, loveable, purring balls of fur (of course, there are exceptions, as with anything).  I have many fond memories of my kitties growing up and as an adult. 

My first cat was name Fluffy (I know, real original).  She was a black & white cat and she was the first (and last) housecat I had growing up.  I had lots of farm cats though... even the phase where I named all of the kittens after characters out of Lion King (Simba, Nala, Shenzi, Banzai, Sarabi, etc.).  

Once I was an adult, my first housecat was K.C. (Kitty Cat... so creative!).  She passed earlier this year from old age.  She was a cat that was the exception; very hard to love, but love her I did.  I had Tag ~ he was a naughty boy that I ended up giving to an aquaintance because he wouldn't leave K.C. alone.  I got Dan Lucy, whom we still have.  She's a big cry-baby and we love her to pieces.  Then I had Charlie.  Charlie was a truly unique cat, a one-of-a-kind.  My nose-kissing, pudding & ice cream lovin' cat.  And I miss him immensely, even after he's been lost now for 18 months. 

I would not be the person I am today without the love I've given (and received) from my feline friends and even my canine friends (such as my large four-legged friends Baby and Ramsey).  They love us unconditionally and make us better people.  For that, I am truly thankful.  To show my thanks, a tribute is below of my little man.

K.C.

Lucy

Charlie

Charlie

A Tragic Beginning

We got Charlie and his sister Suzie at a garage sale.  We paid $5 for the both of them - a bargain if you ask me.  They were 6 weeks old at that time.  They were to be outside kitties to help with the mouse population.  Tragedy struck two weeks later. 

It was a horrifying experience.  At that time, Dan & I rode together to work since we both worked in Cedar Rapids.  We pulled into the driveway and when I opened up the passenger door of the Cadillac, I noticed that Charlie was lying in the driveway and that Dan had been within inches of running him over.  He looked at me and gave me a pitiful little cry.  I said "Charlie, what's the matter, huh?" and bent down to pick him up.  I noticed then that he had 3 large puncture wounds in his body - on his side, chest, and neck.  I panicked and yelled for Dan.  I gently picked him up and rushed him to the door of the house, where Dan met me.  Dan grabbed the phone from the house to call Dr. Baxter, our vet.  While Dan was on the phone talking to Dr. Baxter on what we needed to do for him and was making him comfortable in a little bed in our attached garage, I went on the hunt to find Suzie. 

I called for her and walked the perimeter of the house, franticly searching for her.  I couldn't find her, so started searching in our detached garage.  She wasn't there either.  I checked the corn crib, the stables, the backyard.  I finally walked through the hoop barn and at the end of the hoop barn, I caught my breath.  I saw Suzie lying on the slab of cement at the very corner of our property... she wasn't moving.  As I walked closer to her, I knew the worst had happened.  As the tears streamed down my face, I screamed for Dan.  He came sprinting from the house to get to me.  I was sobbing by the time he got to me, because poor Suzie had been viciously mauled and left for dead.  Dan gingerly picked up her lifeless body and gave her to me. 

With tears running down his cheeks, he went to the garage and grabbed the shovel.  I held her close to me, apologized to her for not protecting them better, and cried.  We buried her under our big elm tree in the backyard, where she loved to play.  We know that's where she was the happiest and where she should be.  Even as we grieved for Suzie at her graveside, we knew we had to do everything possible to save her brother. 

We determined that both cats were attacked by the slab of cement, being tiny and defenseless against their seasoned attacker.  Charlie, using every ounce of strength in his little body, had crawled from there up to the house in his search for us to help.  It's heartbreaking to think of even to this day. 

Together, we cleaned out his wounds as Dr. Baxter informed Dan to do and put him back into his little bed in the attached garage.  We knew he'd be safe there, as that garage is always shut, so nothing could possibly get to him.  Dan made a small litter box for him, while I gave him warm milk & found some canned food to eat.  I had to help him eat, as he was too weak to even stand to drink his milk and eat.

After a few days, we started noticing that he was developing large lumps on his side & neck.  I immediately took him in to see Dr. Baxter.  It turns out the one on his side was infection.  The vet lacerated it and gave me instructions on how to keep the infection out.  It was a rather disgusting process, but there was nothing I wouldn't do for our brave little man.  Dr. Baxter thought the lump on his neck was inflammation on his spine and thought it might end up being permanent.  He said Charlie would probably always have a lump on his neck that hindered the mobility of his head. 

I then brought him home and showed Dan what we needed to do to keep the infection out.  We worked together to make sure Charlie had the best chance possible at life.  By this time, Charlie had been moved from the garage to the house. 

One day, a few weeks later, I noticed that after a wrestle session with Dan's cat Lucy, the lump on Charlie's neck had opened and the lump was actually an infection like what had been on his side. 

We set to work immediately and started cleaning his neck the same way we cleaned his side.  In short order, his wounds healed, the infection was gone, and little Charlie was a permanent part of our household.  Obviously, he stayed in the house and at 4 months of age, I took him back to the vet to be declawed & neutered. 

Charlie was the most loveable & young at heart cat we've ever known.  He slept with me every night (until he started keeping me up at night), raced to the door when I got home from work, cuddled with me in my recliner, kept the other two house cats active, and followed me around the house when I did my housework.  You would never have imagined the ordeal he went through so long ago. 

He was my best bud and according to Dan... a troublemaker.  Charlie was an innocent, loveable little guy and I couldn't imagine not having him be a part of our lives.  We saved him from certain death, but he did so much for us as well - showed us unconditional love, affection, and was quite often a source of laughter & amusement.

Day 5 ~ Ireland

I am so thankful for my quirky little Ireland.  Finding out I was pregnant with her was not near the lengthy process as her older sister.  We found out we were pregnant a week and a half after Emmie's 1st birthday.  We hadn't really been trying, but hadn't really been NOT trying either (we had discussed "trying" in a few months).  Guess the fertility problems were gone!

First hurdle was finding out that I was due March 9th, 2010.  That was one of the LAST days I'd ever want a child born on... all for personal reasons that I won't delve into now.  But the baby would come when it wanted, so couldn't change that.

Second was picking out a name.  Em had been easy since we'd had the name picked out for a girl since before we'd married.  Now, though... clean slate.  Dan was great with the boy names: Thor, Hercules, Legend, Fortune, Zeus, etc.  You get the picture.  I was a little bit more picky (wanted the name to sound good with Emerald, go well with the last name, etc.).  Didn't have anything specific in mind though.  When we found out we were having another girl, it took all of Dan's suggestions out of the running.  We couldn't agree on anything (except middle name ~ Marie after his mom's middle name)... until a fellow scrapper made a suggestion at retreat ~ Ireland.  Eureka!  Went well with Emerald, sounded good with our last name.  We loved it! 

March 9th came and no baby.  I had an appointment that day with our OB.  We made the decision to induce the next day (mainly so my doctor could deliver because he was on call and the next time he'd be on call would be 2 weeks from then).  My water was broke at 9:14 am on March 10 and Ireland was born at 12:56 pm.  A second gorgeous baby girl!

I'm thankful for a second beautiful daughter who is sassy, witty, a cuddle bug, a true observer and very smart.  She's an animal lover like her parents and already loves to try to help me around the house.  I love her to pieces and couldn't imagine life without her. 

Our gorgeous Ireland with me and Daddy

Beautiful! (Photo courtesy of Tanya Noel Photography)

Day 4 ~ Sweet Nectar of the Gods

It's Day 4 and today, I'm thankful for the sweet nectar that is Mountain Dew.  The highly caffeinated drink gets me through the day and allows me to function!  I'm also thankful that Pepsico was smart enough to make a caffeine free (without being diet) so I could continue my habit when I was pregnant!

Photo courtesy of sodahead.
This post should not be considered an endorsement and is just personal opinion.

Day 3 ~ Thankful for my Hubby

On the anniversary of the date that I met my husband, I'm thankful for him. 

It was 2000 and I was fresh from a divorce.  When I say fresh, I mean fresh... like 2 days after my divorce was final.  Yep, that's fresh!  It was a Friday night and I was in Cedar Rapids for a birthday party for a friend at Borrowed Buck's Roadhouse.  I was looking good in my bar clothes when I caught a guy looking at me from across all of the pushed together tables.  Very good looking guy in jeans and a white shirt.  I smiled at him and I had butterflies when he returned my smile.  He finally came over and gave me his best pick up line, "So, you race cars?"  

Probably should give a little back story here... I was part of a large group of people who knew each other from a chat room on AOL.  Dan was new to the group, so I didn't know him yet.  My AOL screen name was racingbabe01.  His was HvyPickle... ahem. 

Back to my original story... "So, you race cars?"  I laughed and explained that I was going to race IMCA with my sister-in-law (side note, I'm also thankful I did NOT do that!), but wasn't currently racing.  He asked me to dance and we danced to Brian McKnight's "Back At One".  We danced our first dance at our wedding reception/dance to that song. 

We started officially dating on November 21st.  We just clicked... we both wanted the same things out of life, had many common interests, and most of all, we respected each other.  The only problem was that I lived in West Des Moines and he lived in Cedar Rapids.  It wasn't long into our relationship, we discussed the pros and cons, and we decided that I would quit my job and move in with Dan in Cedar Rapids.

Two years later, we got engaged.  In another year and a half, we were married.  We've been married for 8 years now (together for 12).  We've had more than our fair share of bumps along our journey, but we've grown from each and every one of them.  More than that, Dan makes me a better person ~ he's taught me that no one has the right to use me as a doormat and I must stand up for myself.  He gave me the confidence that I could go to college and be successful.  He's the best father to our girls ~ involved, loving and caring.  I know there is nothing that he wouldn't do for me or our daughters. 

Each and every day, although I may not show it well, I am thankful for him.

Waikiki Beach, 2005 ~ Day 1 of our honeymoon!  Can't wait to go back someday!

Our 1 year anniversary, 2005, Noel Ridge Park ~ he planned a wonderful picnic

Field Museum, 2006, Chicago ~ on recommendation of his dad, we saw the King Tut exhibit.  Very cool!

Marshall Field's, 2009, Chicago ~ this was the last time we were in Chicago, we need to go back!

Our wedding day, 2004 ~ my favorite picture.  There's a 20x40 of this in our living room.

Harley ride, Coralville, 2010 ~ love riding behind him on the bike!

Hawkeye Christmas Party, Davenport, 2011 ~ always have a great time!!

Thankful ~ Day 2

This morning, my 4 year old got sick in the car on the way to daycare.  As I raced back home to get her cleaned up and laying on the couch, calling my boss that I'd be working from home, calling the hubby that Em threw up, doing all of the things of a sudden routine change, I decided today would be the day to acknowledge how thankful for my first born. 

My husband and I always wanted to have children.  So a year after we got married, we decided to start trying to get pregnant.  Each month I wasn't pregnant was gut-wrenching, agonizing, heart-breaking, depressing.  I cried... a lot... I received all kinds of very "helpful", well-meaning advice like "Don't think about it and it'll happen" or "Don't stress about it" or "You could always adopt".  All from those who got pregnant right away, so had no idea the pain we were going through.  After a year of this, I went to see my OB-GYN about fertility treatments.  What an agonizingly slow process. 

First was testing on Dan.  He's superman... no, really, he is.  We even have it confirmed by a respected doctor (insert huge ego here!). 

Then was the multiple tests to see what could be wrong with me.  We thought we hit the jackpot right away because we found out that I was not ovulating.  I went on fertility meds to force ovulation.  It worked (more tests confirmed that), but still wasn't getting pregnant.  I had more tests to make sure my falopian tubes weren't blocked (they weren't), ultrasound to see if there were any issues with my ovaries (there weren't).  Finally, our doctor decided to do an exploratory laparascopy to see if I had any scar tissue on my uterus that was prohibiting pregnancy.  Bingo!  Our doctor fixed it and I was told to continue trying as soon as I felt up to it from surgery (I'd been on fertility meds for 9 months now).  The first month afterward the surgery, I wasn't pregnant and I was devastated.  Our doctor suggested trying another month or two since our next options weren't covered by insurance. 

After 2 years and 2 months of trying, tears, tests and medications, I *finally* was able to see that all-elusive plus sign on a test stick.  I sank to the floor and I cried again; but this time, it was tears of relief and extreme joy. 

On July 16, 2008, our little miracle girl arrived in a hurry (water broke at ~1 am and she was born at 8:11 am).  Emerald Irene was the answer to all of my hopes and dreams.  Every day, I count my blessings that I get to be mommy to such an intelligent, funny, creative, beautiful child in all of her sassy wonderousness. 

This was Em on her first Valentine's Day.  Quite the little pin-up!

One of my favorite baby pics of Em. 

Day 1 of Being Thankful

Today is November 1st... November is the month when Thanksgiving occurs and one should reflect on the things that they are thankful for.  I did this last year on a smaller scale, but going "all out" this year. 

With having a bad (i.e. frustrating, irritating) week (bad month? bad year??) at work and complaining about all of the "bad", I need to take a step back and remember that I'm thankful for my job. 

Flexibility
I'm thankful that the flexibility of my job allows me to take my kids to their appointments and go on field trips with them.  I was able to take college classes and complete my education while working full time.  I'm thankful for that every day.

Salary
All I'll say is that I'm paid well for what I do.  Although I may complain about merit increases and reviews, I'm fairly compensated.  For this, I need to remember to be thankful because my job allows me to help support my family. 

People
While there are always people who grate on your nerves at work or that you just can't stand, there are people that you truly enjoy working with every day.  I'm lucky enough to have a coworker I thoroughly love working with each day and there are others whom I value... a former boss who is the best ever, an admin who is always helpful, site contacts who are funny and intelligent people, and many, many others.  If/when I should ever leave, I would miss the people the most.  For this, I'm thankful beyond words.

So, although change is hard to accept (and I'll be the first to admit, I'll probably complain again tomorrow about one thing or another), I'm very thankful to have my job and I'm thankful for all of the opportunities it has afforded me in the almost 12 years I've been there.   

What are YOU thankful for today?