Thankful for coffee

Yes. You read that right. It's November and everyone is showing their gratitude for the important things in life. Spouses children health.... and I am thankful for coffee? Trust me, I am overwhelmingly thankful for many more significant things than this and I promise - justice will be served to each and every one. But for today? It's about the java.


For me, my love of coffee has very little to do with the caffeine jolt (although I never get decaf because the fully loaded always taste better!) and lots to do with the cozy feeling that goes along with a warm cup. Meaningful conversations with the people I love often happen over a cup of coffee. From one person's 6-shot-espresso-with-extra-flavor-and-chocolate to another's shade-grown-beans-french-press-brewed-with-agave-and-soy-milk concoctation - they all seem to mirror the pesonality of the one who drinks it. I also find that coffee dates are the starting point for many new friendships. ("We should meet for coffee sometime!")


I love that just-right feeling of having coffee in hand before a long road trip, and the smell of a freshly brewed pot at home which adds a peaceful and comfortable sense of routine. And I'll just call it like it is folks. I think it all boils down the the fact that I feel like a grown up when I drink it. Thanks Joe!

Thankful

A few months ago a good friend told me about an accident her son had where he fell off a bunk bed and got a concussion. Naturally, I was empathetic and felt bad for her and her little man. It didn't make a huge impression on me though. It just seemed like one of those tales of parenthood that everybody has and I didn't "get it". I saw it through the light of the happy ending and it didn't sink in how scary this actually was to experience.

Last night I had one of those experiences. It changed my perspective on such parenting experiences. Aly and Peyton were goofing around before bed. The 7-year-old fell on the 2-year-old. I turned around to see her red-faced and clutching her side with the strangest cry coming out. I could see that she had gotten the wind knocked out of her. I scooped her up and patted her back and tried blowing in her face to get her to breathe again. Only instead of getting her breathing rhythm back she went completely limp in my arms and her eyes rolled back in her head. I laid her down on the couch and she began twitching as though she was going to have a seizure. This was NOT what I had expected. I panicked and called 911 and in the process totally lost it on my other 2 kids who were not in any way understanding what was happening.

Before I had even finished my call with 911 Peyton had snapped out of whatever happened and I didn't even have them come out. She was so totally fine, but needless to say - I was not. I will never forget that feeling or forget the way she looked - so incredibly vulnerable. It has made me very thankful for many things today. I am so thankful that little miss Peyton is 100% fine. I am thankful for my husband who came right home to check us out and calm me down. Thankful for Noah who in his 11-year-old-wisdom prayed for Peyton when I was to flustered to form a complete sentence. Also, thankful for good friends who I can count on to come over on a moments notice and helpt me "debrief".

Life is good.

Back at school

Important day today... Summer came to a close (MUCH to soon!) and the kids started school. They were all smiles when we dropped them off and all smiles when we picked them up. Couldn't have asked for anything better. It so refreshing to be able to walk 2 blocks and be right there instead of having to load up into the car. It was significant for Noah because it was a new school so he's the new kid but he had no complaints and said he wasn't even nervous. It was special for Aly because it was her first day of kindergarten! The beginning of an amazing journey!









Here's Noah in his class...


And here's how I found Aly during dinner tonight...

Look ma! No Hands!

Well, not exactly, but here is Peyton showing off her latest trick. She been flipping onto her tummy consistently for about 2 weeks now.




She also has lots to say these days. Here a little bit of her chatter...

End of the year

It's just a quick little slideshow so you all can see some pics. There's a few from the Lilac Festival Torchlight Armed Forces Parade, Aly's kindergarten graduation, and Noah's last day of school. It is very bittersweet as we have decided that this fall the kids will be going to our neighborhood school. Westgate has been such a tremendous blessing in the kids lives but for many reasons we know that this is the right decision. I also included a video sure to melt your heart.

The Binky

Humor me while I get a little sentimental.... P.S. This was actually written about 3 weeks ago.



My daughter took a pacifier for the first time yesterday. Big deal huh? Well, actually it is kind of a big deal – for a couple of reasons. First, for the last month I have been physically attached to my little peanut night and day almost continuously. I have loved the snuggling! But in the process I have been forced to neglect my other two kids, my house and just about everything that can’t be done one-handed. Peyton is a smart one. She smells the difference between mom and anyone else – even in her sleep. So she’s been held almost constantly, and to top it off she hasn’t taken a pacifier at all – just a finger will work to soothe in between feedings. But the yesterday she took the pacifier for nearly a full hour. It was an amazing hour. I made the kids a dinner that actually required use of the stove. I cleaned. I helped Noah with his homework. It was really pretty blissful. After I took care of all those things I went and took a look at Peyton – happy and content with a “binky” in her mouth. And… (here’s the Big Deal #2)

I got sad. The last month has been a big chaotic and crazy. But it’s such a brief period of time when a baby is small and utterly dependant on mom. I know that in reality she is still utterly dependent on me, and I also know that there is no way we could continue for any length of time in that same routine. However, the realization hit me that the journey has begun. She has taken her first little step toward independence. Today the binky…maybe next month she’ll be able to sleep in her own bed…In a few years she’ll have her first day of kindergarten…and then ten years later she might be driving a car. It all goes so fast and I’m trying to savor and remember these moments as well as the milestones.

That’s all.

A tale of a girl's first bath...

Oh cruel twist of fate that this content sleeping angel is about to meet...


Her adorarable big sister is ready to assist in the torture...




What a face!


She is finally thinking this is not so bad...






One of those weird poses you can only do when you're under 1 month old...


And the finished product! Hmmm... we seem to have quite a few pictures of her screaming her head off which is funny because she is acually a really peaceful child. We swear! She really is!


~The End~

The rest of the story

Make sure to read the post before so you are all caught up first.

**WARNING** Contains plenty of pregnancy talk so if you are a guy or single person who might find this gross - read at your own risk!

I knew we were in the final leg of this race about 10 days ago. I started having contractions late Friday night and really thought I was headed to the hospital. But things stopped and all I ended up with a night of no sleep. Noah had a basketball game at 9 am the next morning and it was so hard to drag myself there. I was tired. I was hurting. My only seating options were to sit on the bottom row with no back rest (ouch!) or climb to the top so I could lean against wall, but making my way up the bleachers is equally painful right now. But we went to the top. Noah's team got crushed :(, and my little stinker Aly kept deciding she hade to go potty. I reached a point where I literally felt like I could not make it up and down the bleachers one more time and next thing I know I am bawling. Complete waterworks. Jon is looking at me like I have two heads and of course I am surrounded by people I know from Noah's school. Just a little embarrassing. I am usually not a cryer. This was purely a hormonal issue, and my first clue that things are a changing...

Then I spent the rest of last week nesting!! The girls room is done except for some wall decorations. I love the way it turned out and will post pictures soon. So that brings us up to this week. I had my doctors appointment on Monday (yesterday). I am currently 3 1/2 cm dilated! Yay! That is good news. The bad news is that he told me he will be on vacation all next week. This really sucks for me. I have been very spoiled. He is a great doctor and throughout this entire pregnancy, not to mention my entire last pregnancy, I never once had to see another doctor. He was there for every appointment and for the delivery. it will really be a huge letdown if he not able to be there. My doctor knows how ready I am to have this baby and really trying hard to work with me to get her before he goes on vacation. However, we did have a discussion about recent recommendations from the medical community. Turns out the consensus is that doctors have become to cavalier with non-medically necessary inductions and recent studies are suggesting inducing before 39 weeks is not a good idea. I completely agree and don't really want to be induced, but it is a bummer because I won't be 39 weeks until the day AFTER he leaves for vacation. But we did come up with a plan. Yesterday, I had my membranes stripped. I'll leave out the details. Just know that physically I am showing every other sign of being ready for labor and he was confident that with that procedure I would be in labor within 24-48hours. Well that was about 31 hours ago and I am still not in labor. I am so surprised because I had this done with Aly and she was born the next day. The only positive sign is that as of this morning I have also lost my mucous plus. Again, I will spare you the details. ;)
So here I sit! Playing the waiting game. The next step, is another appointment tomorrow where he will strip the membranes again. He also said that he *might* break my water. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I am really anxious to have the baby, but to me that pretty much seems like an induction so I'm not sure if that's what I want to do. I'm hoping I will go into labor tonight and not have to make the decision. We of course will be updating with pictures as soon as she makes her arrival. Oh and we now have the name "Avery Elise" back on the table. For a long time we have been settled on "Peyton Elise" but now feel like we need to see her before we can decide between the two. So who knows!

The good and the bad

I haven't updated the blog in 6 weeks! To anyoen who reads - sorry! I have felt a bit uninspired, not to mention quite busy. I wanted to take sometime and fill everyone in on my last few weeks of this pregnancy and life in general. I am literally just hours or days away from having our little one. I'm so excited and antsy. It occured to me that once baby comes these last few weeks are going to be remembered as a surreal fog and I wanted to make sure to take the chance to write it all down so I don't forget. I've been wanting to get this little one out since about 36 weeks along. Although I know it is better to stay in as long as possible I can honestly say I am TIRED of being pregnant! I had it so easy with both Noah and Aly so this is totally new to me. I try daily to remind to myself that this will be the last time I experience this and to make sure to savor it and take it all in. However, the reality is that I am having a really hard time getting past the pain in my hips and pelvic bone. I am also having a hard time getting past having the same conversation over and over again. People are brutal! Everyone was must much nicer and had a lot more tact with the other two. This time around everyone just seems to say whatever pops into their mind. Sometimes funny, other times - not so much. On the bright side...it is pretty cool because for the first time Jon and I are totally completely in sync - we both know FOR SURE that this little one is the little caboose to our family. Now all that probably sounds prett grouchy, but don't get me wrong. Although a surprise this gift has felt so completely right. I look at how our family has ended up and it fills me with such joy and peace. I truly know that this is how our family was always meant to be and we are complete now. So, now I just want to tell my story...

To be continued...

The fashion sense of kids!

Or perhaps lack thereof?

We have several nice cute pairs of PJ's for the kids and they are folded and put in their drawers. However, when I ask them to go put on their pajamas for bed they have their own idea of perfect sleeping attire. A bit eccentric maybe, but I still think they look pretty darn cute.

Dog on roof?

That's what happens when you have snow piled nearly to the top of your roof! Stealthy laboradors can jump it and voila! They have a whole new playground. Craziness I tell ya! Here's my little video. It doesn't have sound and I'm not a very good videographer but you get the idea. :)

Lighting of Christmas Lights Coeur D' Alene

The day after Thanksgiving my mom and I took Noah and Aly to Coeur D' Alene. They had a small parade, caroling and the big "light up" of Christmas lights. The kids like the parade ~ especially Noah ~ because superhero characters came over and shook their hands. We missed most of the caroling because everyone needed to use the restroom and so well...you can just imagine trying to cram a pregnant lady into a honeybucket with a 4 year old. The light up was beautiful and a perfect way to kck off the Christmas Season. Hope everyone is doing well!! Love ya. :)

Preschool Thanksgiving

These are not the best pictures in the world but I have to include them anyways. It is Aly's class doing a very informal Thanksgiving presentation. They did a couple of songs and then they had a "feast" in the cafeteria afterwards. Somewhere in there she bonked her head and you will see her sad-little-indian face.

Thanksgiving Day

Better late than never right? It was a great day! It was cold outside and warm inside. We had good food and hung out with the family. Here's some pictures from the day. My brother who is an amateur photographer took some of the pictures. You can tell a big difference between pictures from his camera and pictures from mine. :)

Thank You Very Much Dave Ken and Molly!!

I really like to listen to the morning show with Dave, Ken and Molly in the morning when I take the kids to school and back. But I gotta tell ya ~ I probably should have stayed away this morning. They were doing a little survey about their most favorite fast food items of all time. I have never been so hungry in my entire life!! Today I just had to stop for a "D. Lish's" cheeseburger because of their recommendations. It was every bit as good as they said it was going to be. I don't know how I'm going to resist now. Not to mention I am also now craving crisp meat burritos from Taco Time, roast beef sandwiches from Arby's, filet o fish from McD's and the chili cheese burrito with fritos on it from Sonic. They really should have a warning advising pregnant women to TURN THE STATION! Since they didn't I think they might be obligated to pay for my liposuction after the baby is born. I'd settle for them just paying for my gym membership for the next year. It's the least they could do!

Once these cravings are past I am dedicating the remainder of my pregnancy to spinach salads with just a hard boiled egg and squeezed lemon for my dressing. *sigh*

A Haiku for the Beloved Fish

Orange gills laid to rest

On a drizzly Autumn day

Goodbye dear Stevie



Yes folks, Stevie has reached the end of short life. Was buried in our backyard as Noah deemed flushing an innappropriate burial. We discussed our favorite memories with Stevie and said a short prayer. Stevie is survived by doting owners Noah and Alyson, not-so-doting owners Jon and Jennifer, and fellow Boyer pets Riley and Abby. Stevie has now been replaced wtih Stevie Jr, and Spiky Millicent. However, I think I need a bigger tank for maximum oxygen exchange for these guys (can you tell I have been doing my fish homework?). If anyone has a rectangular 2-5 gallon fish tank they would like to donate let me know. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Goldfish Awareness Society.

Silly Saturday....and...~Welcome Stevie!!~

Never have a whole lot say. I communicate much better in pictures. Maybe as I get used to this blogging thing I'll have more to say. But for now I thought I would let everyone know about the arrival of Stevie the Goldfish. Stevie was a prize at last night's Harvest Party. Here he is:


He seems to hangout on the bottom a lot. Makes me a little nervous but he is alive! I don't particularly have high hopes for Stevie, but we will do the best we can. If he makes it through a week we will invest in a bigger tank and a few accessories for his pad. Isn't he cute?

Today is also designated Silly Saturday at the Boyer House, so here are some super silly face pictures from Noah and Aly.






Adios for now!

Oodles of fall festivities with pics!!

We have been keeping busy in October! The kids and I went to Seattle to visit some friends and made a little trip to Pike Place Market.







Then Noah had his All-City Cross Country Meet this morning. He's getting to be such a good runner!





We also made our annual trip out to Harvest House in Green Bluff. The kids were in heaven. Pony rides, apple cider, bouncy houses and pumpkins. What could be better?















As much fun as this month has been I am ready for a break!! I might get it too. My courses are up in 2 weeks and there is a 6 week break for Noah's sports. I'm sure something will come up. Aly is going to start some dance classes and my next big project involves painting the kids room and doing to big room-switch-a-roo. Should be interesting. I will keep you updated!