Snow...in Raymond????

According to the locals, Raymond WA has not seen this much snow in over 10 years! In about 2 days we got over a foot of snow. It stuck around for a while. I was housebound for about 5 days. Here are some fun pictures of Reid in the snow...it was the first time he saw and felt snow. I think he liked it.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Pictures (I know I am over a month late posting these, but what can I say, life is busy this time of year)

Reid and papa were tired, so they took a nap together. Aren't they cute!?!?!

Reid really loves his grammie, can you tell? (And I am pretty sure she loves him!)

Rudd and I spent Thanksgiving with my family in Corbett Oregon. It was great being with everyone. Reid loved the mashed potatos. He was happy seeing all of his family.

It was our first Thanksgiving without my Grandma Lenore, but I know she would be happy to see us all together. I am sure she was smiling down on us that day.

Here are some things I am thankful for this season:
Rudd... he is always there for me when I need him, he is my best friend
Reid...he brings so much joy to my life, I can't believe I have lived this long without him! I look forward to many more Thanksgivings with him
My Mom...even though she is recovering from a stroke and getting ready for Dialysis, she still has a smile on her face.
My Dad..we have our differences, and rarely see eye to eye, but I know he would be there for me and my family in a second. He shares his love for baseball and the Yankees with Reid. I can't wait for the two of them to go to Reid's first Yankee ball game.

Mouse Up Date

We caught a mouse in my car. Rudd put a "sticky" trap in my car and in one night we got the mouse. We also caught two more in the garage. We may be doing some spring cleaning early! I didn't think it would be appropriate to put a picture of the poor mouse from my car on here. I am sure you can picture a little mouse on a sticky trap.

Fun House...NOT

Reid has his first ear infection. Acutally it's a double ear infection and his eyes are infected too. We would have never known his ears were infected by the way he was acting. The only reason we took him in to the doctor was because his eyes were red, swollen and GOOPY. I finally got to the doctor yesterday and discovered I have strep throat! and my eyes are infected just like Reids. Then Rudd decided to go to the doctor and found out he has tonsilitis. Reid Rudd and I are on antibiotics, and Reid and I have eye drops. Have you ever tried to put eye drops in a 9 month old? Its worse than putting drops in our pugs eyes! I can't wait until we are all feeling better. Maybe then we can get our Christmas decorations out. Christmas is in 6 days and we don't have our tree up...no wonder it doesn't feel like Christmas!

REALLY???

I was looking through my Coach purse, a gift from Rudd "just because" that I got this summer(I love the bag, it is my favorite purse) and noticed that my tissues were all crumbled up. I didn't think much of it. Then I got into my new Vera Bradley Tote bag that I use for my school stuff, and found more pieces of tissues crumbled up. I thought to myself, this is weird, it looks like a mouse got into my bag. As I was getting stuff out of the trunk, there were bits and pieces of Ricola cough drops scattered about. I made a mental note to talk to Rudd about a mouse being in the garage and getting into the car. The next day, I got a dollar out of my Coach bag to buy some popcorn, and discovered that the dollar bill was chewed, yes chewed. I called Rudd freaking out, telling him therehad been a mouse in my new Coach bag that was eating my money and tearing up my tissues. So this weekend, Rudd cleaned out my car for me, looking for signs of a mouse. All he found was more cough drops stashed under my emergency roadside kit. When I went to look in the glove box, this is what I found:

How disgusting is that! To think a mouse was running around INSIDE my Coach bag, eating my money, and making a nest in the glove box of my Volkswagon, ...only in Raymond. So the moral of the story is...don't leave your purse in your car if there is ANY trace of food. I am just happy that I haven't come across the little creature while driving! Now we have to ge the car looked out to see if we can find the bugger.

Lighting candles

Although I was raised Catholic, I still have a lot to learn. I usally call my grandma Lenore when I have questions. Now I pray to her (and search the internet). Last night we went to Mass. We prayed for the names in the Memory Book at the back of our church, which now holds the names Lenore Winters, Austin Winters, and Olivia Rose McElroy. At the end of Mass we lit candles for Grandma Lenore, Austin, and Olivia (It was Olivia's birthday-and I remember when Olivia was born I lit a candle for her and her family -at the time, I called my Grandma Lenore and asked her what I was supposed to do when I lit a candle in the church). So this time I knew what to do, but when I thought about it, I didn't know EXACTLY why people light candles. I knew it was because we are praying for them, but there had to be something more. This is what I found: "Often you can find them(candles) near a statue or icon of Mary. These are called votive candles and indicate that someone is praying about something particular, either for themselves or on behalf of someone else. The word "votive" can also refer to a promise to pray for someone, as well as a wish or desire for a certain outcome on behalf of someone, such as recovery of health." As I was lighting candles, I knew there were many more people I could have lit candles for, I pray for them as well. Loved ones I have lost, family members who are ill, and dear friends who have been through so much. I love you and promise to pray for you!

8 months

Reid is 8 months old today. He is crawling, standing up, has 4 teeth (and I think some more on the way), knows what he wants (aka throws fits when he gets mad), and is eating finger food. Tonight Rudd and I had to move the mattress down on his crib because we woke up this morning to our little man standing up in his crib looking over the edge.

Thank you Dad, and all Veterans

Tuesday is Veterans Day. My dad is a Veteran, he faught in the Vietnam War. My grandma Lenore said that when he came home and told her and his dad that he enlisted, they offered to go to the Priest at their church and see what he could do to get my dad out of his obligation, but my dad declined their offer. He was pretty young when he went to war, late teens early twenties and was a door gunner on a helicopter. Have you ever seen the movie "We Were Soldiers"? It is based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young." The movie did not depict the time or place my dad fought in the war, but I think it portrayed some of what he went through. There are a few scenes showing door gunners. To this day, he cannot watch any war movies, especially We Were Soldiers, but can you blame him? He lived it, he survived it, why would he want to re-live it?

It brings tears to my eyes to think of the welcome home he recieved, or should I say the lack of support he recieved when he came home. He was spit on and had things thrown on him because he served his country. It was awful. Every Veterans Day, I call him, tell him how much I appreciate his service to our country, and that I love him. So thank you Dad for serving our country. I hope that the thanks and love I show you today and in the years to come can begin to make up for the way your were treated when you came home from war. Thank you to all of the veterans and current members of the miltary!

My dad has a Zippor lighter that he got when he was in the army, and I will never forget what it says on it: "When I die I will go to heaven because I have spent my time in hell."

Reid's 1st Halloween

We didn't go trick or treating this year, but Reid still got dressed up for Halloween. A friend got us these cute pieces to stick on our pumpkins so we didn't have to carve them.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and got Reid some pumpkins. We also went through a corn maze. Reid enjoyed riding in his red wagon and playing with the pumpkins. I am hoping this will become a yearly tradition for our family!

Fall is here

Fall is here...as I drive home along the ocean and bay, I see the leaves changing color. The wind picks them up and fly float in the air and over the road. I love fall...Rudd and I were married in October, it gives me a "good" excuse to snuggle with Rudd at night, I can suggle up with Reid, a warm blanket and a book, and there are still some sunny days when it doesn't rain (although it can be chilly). Today was a good "fall" day. The sun was out and it was about 55 degrees outside. Rudd, Reid and I took advantage of the sun and took Reid out for his first "official" ride in his Radio Flyer. HE LOVED IT! He smiled and giggled the whole time he was in it. We couldn't stay out too long because it was getting chilly. I hope we can get in a few more rides outside before winter sets in!

Reid

Reid is wearing the Harley Davidson shirt his papa bought him the day he was born. Rudd says he looks like a lady killer in it!

Our little boy gets so tired in the evening...I think it's from playing with all of his friends at daycare. He is surrouned by girls, so I guess it's more like flirting instead of playing.

Reid is changing so much so fast. He is developing his own personality and lets us know what he likes and doesn't like. He loves to sit on the floor and play with his toys. He has to get every last one out of the toy basket! He doesn't like Bernie and Rizzi bothering him when he is playing. Reid is just like his mommy...he loves to sleep on his belly. He started rolling over in bed last week. At first I was really nervous about the change. I put him to bed on his back, but sometime in the middle of the night he flips on his stomache. I've been getting up more often in the middle of the night just to check on him.

#5

Rudd and I just celebrated our 5th Anniversary- or our #5 as Rudd puts it! We spent the day shopping in Olympia and had lunch at Olive Garden. I didn't realize it until after we ate lunch, but Rudd and I ate at Olive Garden on our honeymoon! We had a lot of fun with Reid. Rudd bought me a digital picture frame and Fiesta Ware dishes. I am really excited about the dishes. I have four different colors and can't wait to "add" to my collection.

Here is a picture of our anniversary cake that I made. It wasn't fancy, but it was yummy!

too much

It's been over three week's since my last blog. So much has gone on, I don't know where to begin and am to exhausted-emotionally and physically to go there. I am tearing up typing this- it's all too much for me to take- I am spent.

I thank God that I have Rudd and Reid in my life. They are my strength and my serenity. When I am feeling down, I just look at Reid and know that things will be ok, and I look at Rudd and he reasurres me with a warm touch or smile.

PS: Austin- I love you

Austin

My cousin Austin is 10 years old and has leukemia. There is nothing more they can do. I am sick to my stomach thinking about how sad it is that his life will be cut far too short. Rudd and I have been trying to remember good times with Austin, so I thought I would put them here. Austin is the youngest of four children and is a wild child. He has big eyes and strawberry blond hair. He is definitely wise beyond his years (due in part to his cancer). He is such a character and has such a great imagination.

He entered a contest through the Tacoma Museum of Glass to create a super hero, and the super hero they picked would be made into a glass statue and travel around the country in an exhibit that showcases children's glass art. Austin created Bacon Boy, he has meat vision and shoots grease out of his armpits! He even has a "nemesis", Fry Guy. Austin says that their families have been feuding for years, what an imagination he has. Well, he won the contest and was there when the artists brought his Super Hero to life. They made two statues, one for the exhibit and one for Austin. I had the opportunity to see it in person, It is amazing.

Here are some of my favorite moments with my cousin Austin:

Around Christmas, he was at OHSU in Portland (he was there for about 10 months straight), and we were making a Ginger Bread House. I was almost eight months pregnant and mixing the icing, but wasn't sitting on the floor with Austin or our cousin Erin. Finally Austin said "you need to get down here and help instead of just giving directions", So I helped make a door and windows with the small gum drops, and was even able to get back up off the floor!

When my cousin Mel got married last October, Austin was sitting next to me while they cut the cake. He said "when I get married, I am going to have a wedding cake made out of donuts, and the twisty one will go on top!"

I was sitting with Austin as he got platelets one day and he was playing with his new cell phone. He had a voice message and didn't know how to check it. I told him you can dial your number and then enter your password. He thought that was way too much work, so the next time his dad called he said "Dad, don't leave leave a voice message for me and tell everyone else not to leave one, it's way too hard to check my messages" I showed him the shortcut to hold down the 1 key and it goes directly to voice mail, he thought that was pretty neat.

When he was younger, he somehow got the mother of all zip ties stuck around his neck! He came walking out of the garage at his house with it on and everyone freaked out. Thank goodness there was enough slack to be able to cut it off.

Just this summer, I was at his house watching him and Drew -my nephew- ride their dirt bikes and four wheelers. Austin was on the phone to a girl. I said is it a friend that's a girl or a "girl friend", he leaned in real close and "she's my girlfriend, but don't tell my mom!" He had the biggest smile on my face, I just laughed!

Through these upcoming difficult days, I am holding on to the special place he has in my heart and praying for his family. I know Austin's family could use all the prayers they can get, so if you can help out, that would be great!

This is a picture of Drew and Austin. It was taken about 4 years ago. They have so much fun together!


This picture was taken this summer in Hermiston at the water park. It was great to spend time with Austin and see him enjoying summer.

Feeling better, feeling blessed

I was pretty down last weekend because of taking Reid to daycare and my mom being in the hospital. Well daycare has gone pretty well. Reid is a very happy baby and seems to be doing well at daycare. They have all kinds of toys for him to play with and other babies to play with.

My mom is home from the hospital and is on her road to recovery. She called me the other day to tell me she loved me, that's my mom. It is nice to know that she is herself again...not 100% but getting there. My mom and I talk at least once a day, and it was hard not to be able to talk to her for those few days, we are now back to talking 1-2 times a day...thank goodness for unlimited long distance!

It is such a good feeling to know that I have people in my life who can help get through these hard times. When I cry at night, Rudd puts his arms around me- doesn't say anything, but lets me know he's there and that he will do whatever he needs to do, like driving over White Pass at midnight to get me to the hospital in Richland to see my mom. Then there's Lisa. When I called her to tell her that my mom was being taken to the ER in Hermiston, she offered to go there and make sure she was ok. She stayed there for hours until my mom was taken to Kadlec in Richland. I was a mess, but knowing she was there put my mind at ease.
".

Good Bye Summer Hello Day Care

This summer was so much fun- staying at home with Reid, visiting my friends and family in Eastern Oregon, and spending time with Rudd. With the end of summer came Reid's first day at DayCare. I was a mess all of Labor Day weekend knowing that on Tuesday I would drop Reid off and spend 8 hours without him. I was sick to my stomache I was so nervous and anxious. When I went to pick him up at the end of the day he was sitting on the floor playing. I could tell he was having fun. As I walked in, he heard my voice looked up at me and smiled. When I picked him up, he reached out and touched my face, almost like saying "I've missed you Mom". I was relieved to see that he had a good day and was happy. His "teachers" say nice things about him, like "eats very well"- (that's my guy) and "is a very happy baby". I can't wait for the weekend when I get to spend 2 full days with him!

Not Ready

I was laying in bed crying the other night because I realized how scared I am to lose my mom. I know death is a natural part of life, blah blah blah, I don't care, I am not ready to lose my mom. Just over a week ago my mom, who is only 56, had a stroke. It took 5 days for the doctors to figure out it was a stroke. She was on a ventilator and had a central line. Right now her speech is altered and her gross motor skills are affected. I have heard of people bouncing back from these, but I have also heard of people having more strokes. My mom has already been through so much- a heart attack, going blind, and diabetes. What more can this woman handle? She is so strong, I love her so much and am just not ready.

First Tooth

I can't believe it! Reid (my little man) is getting his first tooth. I can feel it in his mouth. The second one is showing through the gums too! It's amazing how fast he is growing. Just the other day during tummy time, he scooted backwards on the floor. The next day he started moving his legs like he was crawling, but his hands weren't doing much. The day after that, he had his arms and legs moving, but couldn't get any levrage (spelling?), so he didn't go anywhere, but you can see it in his eyes, he wants to get moving. He also rolled over from his tummy to his back. It is sad to see my baby grow up, but at the same time, it is SO MUCH FUN watching him go through these "firsts".

Ok, Raymond's not that bad...

Having a baby makes me want to move closer to my family so Reid can be around his grandparents (he is lucky to have both sets), wonderful cousins, an awesome Uncle, and my good friends Lisa and JD and their boys. But Raymond has it's perks...Rudd and I have made a good life here. We have almost remodeled our home from top to bottom, have put our personal touches to the house, and have great memories here. We even have a small family of deer living in your backyard- ok not right in our backyard, but right behind our fence. They come to our fence and eat fruit and veggies we throw out there. There is a mama deer and two - yes twin- fawns. I love looking out our kitchen window and seeing the bay, green trees and our three deer friends! So maybe Raymond's not that bad. I would like a little more sun and less rain though.

Summer Time

Reid and I had a mini vacaction in Eastern Oregon last week. We spent 10 days at my mom's house in Umatilla. It was a jam-packed week and a half. We visited Rudd's parents a few times so they could spend time with Reid. Papa Skoubo can really get Reid laughing, and I think he enjoys the toys on the Exersaucer as much as Reid does. Reid's cousins, Chelsea, Drew and Alyssa were able to spend time with him too. He LOVES his cousins, and is always looking at Chelsea and smiling. She is so good with him, she even changes his diapers.

We went to the water park with Austin, Chelsea, Drew, Alyssa and Grammie Winters. Reid loved the water! He looked so cute in his hat and swimming trunks.

We also celebrated Chelsea's 11th birthday. I remember when she was a baby- time flies by way too fast, now she will be in 6th grade next year.

Reid met a student of mine from Sandtone Middle School, Sierra. He really liked her. We ate lunch at Pizza Hut, I love that place and Rudd hates it so we hardly ever go to Pizza Hut. When we found out we were having a boy, we celebrated by going to Pizza Hut!

Lisa and I saw the "Sex in the City" movie, and it was as good as I thought it would be, a little on the long side. On our way home from the movie we stopped at Hastings and I bought two CD's- something I haven't done in a really long time.

It was a great visit and I was sad to leave, but excited to come home to Rudd, I know Reid missed his daddy.

Falling in love with life again!

My cousin Erin made me a wonderful scrapbook from the shower her and her mom had for me. She used brown lunch sacks, and put wrapping paper from the gifts on the edges. She is so creative. The scrapbook has pictures and things that the guests wrote to me and Reid. Lisa wrote "You are going to fall in love with life all over again". I have been trying to find the words that describe the feelings of being a new mom. Lisa's words decribe it perfectly. I am falling in love with life... a new life with Reid and Rudd. I can't imagine anything feeling more perfect that what I feel when I look at Reid and see him smile at me, giggling at his daddy, falling asleep in my arms after singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" twenty times, and laying in bed with him and Rudd. It's the little things that make my day brighter.

He's getting so big

Reid is growing so fast! After our long trip to Umatilla (that's another blog) we discovered that Reid can sit up on his own and almost roll over. He is ready for his exersaucer and loves it. Reid also slept in his crib for the first time. It was hard not being in the same room with him, but I knew the day would come. Another first he had was eating rice cereal. I think he really likes it! Oh and I can't forget his first "official" giggle. It's a combination of a grunt and a laugh.

Does it ever end?

Our black pug Bernie has a huge ulcer on her eye. She probably bumped into something, and since pugs have such a flat face, there is nothing to protect her bug-eyes! She is on an eye creme that has to be admistered every hour to the affected eye and we have to watch for things oozing out of the ulcer, like her eye parts! YUK. If the creme doesn't work, they will have to cover her eye with her third eye lid. That costs about $500, so lets hope the creme works.

Favorite Pictures

I take pictures of Reid all the time and these are some of my favorites. The video is of the first time he was making noises.