The Aftermath



DemCougs Christmas 2010

Well, Christmas has now officially come and gone and the 4 of us survived...for the most part.  K is in the background having a tantrum right now from lack of sleep/battles with sister over new toys/enough juice & sweets to kill a small rodent.

While Christmas Eve was a late one for us, Christmas morning G & K actually slept in until 730-ish...which might lead you to believe that we slept in also...but NO.  I was up at 6am and that was that.  So, last minute cleaning, starting on some of the days cooking, hot water for candy cane green tea (a new favorite thanks to my awesome sister) and Sirius Christmas music.  Finally, once everyone else was up and at 'em...it was time to see if Santa came & what he brought.  Grace was tickled pink to get the Sleeping Beauty doll and mermaid Polly Pocket that she had been asking for (it's because Santa got her letter - according to her).  Kellan got a CARS chair kinda like a pink one his sister has, but when it bucked him out twice in a row...he wanted nothing to do with it.  He also got a light up spinning wand that was a big hit.

Later that morning when the family arrived and we'd stuffed ourselves silly with Smoky Chicken, rice, stuffed peppers and more (yes, we went nontraditional thanks to a communication snafoo between me and my sister) we relaxed in the living room and let the chaos begin.  All in all G & K did very well and got some cool stuff that they have been playing with non-stop since the wrapping paper hit the floor.  Chuck and I were also blessed with some great gifts from our family - but the best was just seeing and spending time with all our family...especially Chuck's parents who were able to come over for the weekend.  We also trekked out to Uncle Jim's house to see some extended family, witnessed some killer karaoke and the first half of the Coug game.  Although the Cougs ending up falling to Butler...we all agreed they were going to have a great season!!

G picking out our Christmas tree & LOVING the snow.



Not quite Rudolph, but you're getting the idea



Really Mom...bows on my head??



  

 

Loving his tractor & horses



 

Grace & her Aurora

 

Our family is close but also quite spread out and our thoughts always came back to those who were too far away to be with us in person, but they were definitely in our hearts as we celebrated the season marking our Savior's birth.  Hopefully all of you had a great Christmas as well and remembered the true reason for the season!!  Blessings~~  

Karaoke queens




Christmas Eve eve

Still up...as much as I should be getting sleep given the festivities that lie ahead, but after getting our Christmas cards out much later than I wanted and forgot the return address - as well as the year-in-review letter that I wanted to include...I figured maybe one or two people would look here for an update.  Maybe...
So with that, an update!
Grace is anxiously waiting for Santa and Christmas!!! Kellan...well he just wants to take about the lights on the tree and aggravate his sister in any way he can.  Letters went out to Santa a couple weeks ago (and so glad that I had to help write them to get a few ideas) and now it's just waiting to see if we'll get some snow to make it a white Christmas.
The semster ended in its typical whirlwind fashion for me -- I passed both my classes, even the mini-comp final in one of them (super stressful, but great practice for the real thing in a couple months) and got all the vet school stuff buttoned down.  Chuck has stayed busy at the store...as well as with city council, house projects and just keeping up with the kiddos.  We are both looking forward to staying home for Christmas and having a fairly low-key holiday.
I am starting to get sleepy, so it's off to bed and more to come soon!!!

Westside Thanksgiving

The kiddos and I made it to the westside Saturday afternoon for a week of family-time and a DeMeerleer Thanksgiving.  So far there has been LOTS of cousin fun, some baking and a few glasses of wine.  Here's just a few of the photos and videos of the fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOZ47U4UJKM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA9gkTzpxv8

A quick moment...

I am supposed to be doing homework...I have a ton of it to get accomplished in an absurdly short amount of time (& I haven't even been procrastinating...) but I did take some time out this weekend to enjoy and be amazed by incredible family.  There are a bunch of new pictures on the Picasa site and some new Youtube videos as well.  I got to watch one of G's dance classes and got a video of the dance they are learning for their recital in January...as well as a couple videos of the kiddos in their respective swim classes.
So now, back to reality and homework...hope you enjoy these little moments!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPc6-nRz8rw  (G's dance video...more on the DemCougs channel)

Oct

 

 

Holy cow...it's been a month, I can't believe it...but time has been flying by.
We've been busy with preschool, dance classes, hunting, Colton sports, grad classes, yard work, homework...you name it!!
Now we are gearing up for Halloween - G has been asking to wear her costume almost daily...at least we're getting our money's-worth out of it!

Blue-ribbons and a W

Well as you might have seen in the sidebar pictures...G showed Princess Fiona this past weekend and it might have been one of the most adorable things EVER!! From her PINK show shirt, belt and boots to a fuzzy, teddy-bear calf...seriously...who is gonna come close to beating this pair in the show ring??

Beyond the fun and novelty of showing her calf, G also REALLY enjoyed riding on the "merry-go-round" (aka carousel), watching the racing pigs and hanging out with her cousin Caleb who came and spent the day!

G showed on a Monday, so that weekend we got to enjoy the first home Cougar game against Montana State.  I'll freely admit, I didn't have high hopes, but the Cougs managed to remember that the point of the game is to have the most points at the end...and pulled off one for the W column.  K even got into Cougar spirit and let me get some pretty cute pictures (more in the side bar album).

Fun, Forks, Fall, Fair and Fotos...

Even though this past weekend was a 3-dayer for most, we extended it to a 4-day getaway to the Westside to visit G/G DeM.  We got some shopping done (me=cell phone upgrade), Chuck and his dad worked on various and sundry projects, I got help learning all about/cleaning/running my AMAZING yard-sale-find serger and the kiddos had a great time hanging out with grandma and grandpa.  We also took a trip to Forks...not for a Twilight pilgrimage (despite ribbing from a few friends!)...but to go to a special beach located between Forks & LaPush.  G & K had SO much fun playing in the sand, tidepools, and hiking in the forest.  All in all it was a fabulous weekend!
Fall has kicked off with school - for me (2 classes, back-to-back nonetheless) and preschool for G.  She is loving it...she really feels like a "big kid" and I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!  It also means fair time.  In just a few short days G will be showing in fair for the first time - a Highland calf - and she is pretty dang excited!! Now I have the task of finding show clothes for a tot...hmmmm....

Also, we took a step off the deep end and we are now....suburban owners.  Yup, you read that correctly.  Mom & Dad always told me "Never say never" and now it's biting me in the *ss! 

I also took a sewing class and learned free-motion quilting.  It was incredible!! It was one of the best things I've done for myself in a very long time.  8 hours of sewing, gabbing, and learning...and I walked away actually remembering...yeah!!  Then I came home and showed Chuck what I'd accomplished, he was amazed and somewhat in disbelief...but definitely encouraging!  If only he realized that encouragement may mean many more babysitting hours so that I can work on my projects! ;-)

So we did go and get photos when K turned one...he's a few for now...more "fun" pix to come soon!

Dance recital

Here's the video of the dance recital...it's also in the video bar on the right.
Enjoy! :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3enS6UwVTo

The end of summer

It's come...the end we've been dreading...the end of summer.  Personally, I think we should be given an extra month since June was pretty much equivalent to March so it really shouldn't count in terms of summer, thus we all deserve an extra 30 days.  Alas...there were 300 DVM students in and out of my office yesterday, so I'm guessing others didn't get my Summer-Extension memo.  Maybe next year?!
So I decided that evening though it's a nice evening out...I'd take some time tonight to update the picasa albums and the blog since I know that tomorrow (when my classes start) things are really gonna pick up and updates will not be nearly as often as I would like...but are they ever??
The end of summer has been busy for us - we've been working hard on projects around our place...taking the kids to the water park...whisking G off to her gymnastics/dance lessons...going on bike rides...canning...yard saleing...working...you name it!!!
This past week G had her summer dance recital and on Saturday we celebrated K's 1st birthday.  A bunch of family and friends came over for BBQ, cake and laughs (especially when the tissue paper was the biggest hit!).  He got some fantastic BOY toys ....a welcome change from playing with so many of big sister's pink toys!
I hope you enjoy all the pictures...check out the slideshows in the right-hand bar...and I'll try to get a few new videos posted soon (they just take so darn long to load!)

More summer fun...

I have added a bunch of new pictures -- rafting, swimming, kids at play, you name it!  I have also added a few new videos to YouTube...you can access them via the YouTube bar on the right.  If you have problems...just let me know!
I can't believe that summer - as far as we are concerned - is over in 2 more weeks.  Then it's back to school, craziness at work for both of us...and well, summer slow-life (haha...like life is ever slow for us...) is a thing of the past.
Until then we are gearing up for K's 1st birthday, G's dance recital and last gymnastics, finishing our deck, a few last yard sales, waiting for tomatoes to ripen and enjoying evenings on the deck.

Long overdue...

Holy cow...I just realized that it's been a month since my last post! To those family & friends who check this regularly to see what's going on with DemCougs...SORRY!!

So what's happened in the past 30 days...hmmm...a LOT.  Some good, some bad, some really bad...but all of it shapes us into the people we are and will become.

In mid-June we loaded up the SilverBullet and went camping at Dworshak for a cousin's graduation party. We had fabulous weather, got to go four-wheeling and out in the boat, play a ton of cards, hang out with family we love but only see a couple times a year...all in all - had a fantastic weekend!  G even went tubing behind the boat...no fear whatsoever on her part (me, terrified!).  She also was the constant shadow of two older cousins but enjoyed the attention from all the cousins who were there! K got some great time in the great outdoors and hanging with Grandma and a couple sweet aunties!!

Another nice twist to the last month was some unimpeded time at home.  We actually got time to work on projects we wanted to work on...painting some trim that needed it, work in the flower beds, mower the lawn, work on the deck, and just relaxing - hard to believe I know, but yes, just curling up and doing some NOTHING! :-)

We also got to go on our first raft trip of the year!!! it was FABULOUS!!!!!!!! The water was high (13000 cfs), the sun was hot and the company was great...I couldn't have dreamed of a better trip! We even got a jet boat trip out of the raft trip! :-)  Then we were home about 30 minutes when we got a phone call no one ever wants to receive.  We were notified about a family member who was involved in a murder/suicide.  In that moment the world stops spinning, pauses, you lose your breath and then the world continues spinning but nothing is the same.
We have tried to get our brains to believe the unbelievable...and while that might never happen, we have at least accepted what happened and are trying to move forward. 

Meanwhile - K is now walking everywhere and can get himself standing from sitting.  He is so proud of himslef and has found tailing sister is much easier now that he's bipedal!  He's also cooing, trying to talk a lot more and the other day he grabbed a toy truck and started making a "vrooming" sounds and since then, he is 110% boy - only focused on tractors, trucks, cars and anything that can be banged into something else for a big noise!
G is still rocking dance - they are focusing on tap right now and working on a routine for their end-of-summer recital.  She is also still loving gymanstics...and I am still convinced this is the most adorable thing ever...she is tumbling, bouncing, flying (like Tinkerbell as she said) and starting to learn about class dynamics, although she definitely has her own perspective. She was having some troubles with cutting in line and trying to get the teacher's attention, so before her last class I reminded her that she needed to listen to directions and not cut in line.  To this she responded..."it's okay, I'll just be first."  Hard to argue & not laugh at that line of reasoning. :-)

So now a weekend to clean the house, get things packed and ready to go for raft trip #2 and Grandma Carol's visit.  Hopefully a new post to come much quicker this time around, but no promises...it is summer after all! :-)

A snippet of summer

This weekend Chuck & I got a chance to get-away...sort of!  G & K went to stay 2 nights at the farm while we got to go on a jet boat trip up Hell's Canyon for our anniversary.  Friday was a gloomy afternoon with showers in the evening, so we were a bit nervous how the weather would turn out for our day on the river.  Thankfully things turned out and we had a BEAUTIFUL 80+degree day getting to see both a familiar stretch of the Snake, as well as a cool new part of the river.  It was a long, but fun day and now both of us are SO jacked for our raft trips!!  We got to see the Salmon - albeit running 30,000 CFS - and it was so nice!! I can't wait!!!!
G has started both dance and gymnastics - and is loving both, but I have to say...she is REALLY in her element in gymnastics.  The summer will show us which we will continue with in the future, but for now -- well, at least we are directing all of that excess energy and flexibility!  K likes being at both because there are some other little kids he can interact with...and he has started walking -- yup, walking -- so he can test it out in different places and on different "terrains." 

Here's a couple picture updates but there are lots more in the sidebar albums and a couple videos too!

G's first dance class

G's first dance class was SO adorable!!  There are new pic's in the sidebar of "Grace" and here's a video of her learning some ballet jumps. 
ENJOY!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUqouDVZkzU

G & Princess Fiona

G getting to know her fall fair calf. She did really well with the calf, it was the rooster that she had a tough time with!
If you click on the picture it should link you to the whole album.

K's getting his groove on too!

Kellan clapping/dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2V81j2knMs

Good Vibrations

Grace is back to her GLEE dancing antics!  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_5NplI6TEA

will spring ever end???

Ah...what a week...and still a few more crazy days to go, then WSU summer!!!!
Getting home from China was nuts and Dad & I were home way later than we thought and both of us were up and back at our respective jobs bright and early the next morning...and there was no rest for the weary the rest of the week.  I came home to probably the craziest 3 weeks at the vet school which equals lots of long, extra hours but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  There was also that pesky little final paper that I had yet to write for my class this semester.  Thankfully G'ma Carol came to stay again (we gave her a week off, sort of, inbetween) and so I had a chance to lock myself in a windowless room and write my paper, stay late at work to get all that I needed to done and magically find clean laundry, a vaccuumed house...it was a miracle!!
Now school is in its final week and the chaos is in full swing with grades and graduation looming...not my graduation, but my first DVM graduation - I'm in charge so the pressure is on.  Then a weekend break and then my summer grad class.  I REALLY excited about this one though - not only does it mean I will be on track to graduate next spring (despite the fact that WSU is cutting my program), but also because it is in one of my favorite fields --- Pop Culture!!! I'm even helping TA the course!  It's going to be fabulous!
Oh...so what about the rest of the family....right.....
Chuck went on his annual forced-march hike trip with Dustin this year...but they didn't make it past the packer bridge because Chuck came down with a terrible cold and stopped himself before it got to his lungs and he came down with pneumonia and wolf-bait.  They both had a really good time, but as soon as he came home he promptly shared with grace and kellan.
grace is as precocious as ever...the stuff that comes out of her mouth never cease to crack us up or frusterate us to no end.  I don't remember anyone ever warning us that "threes" were essentially bi-polar hi & low's. 
kellan is EVERYWHERE, all the time!! he has mastered crawling, pulling himself up on whatever is nearby and driving grace crazy in anyway possible.  Ahhh, the fun to come! he is also babbling a lot....so much so that Chuck is already convinced that his first word is "uh-oh" since he says it when we tell him no-no or catch him doing what he's not supposed to.  It is pretty funny!!
Now we are all excited for the sun to show itself here on the Palouse and to actually start summer!!!

China Trip - BRIEF

So I need to get to work this morning, but I spent most of the evening last night after class and before Grey's night uploading pictures from the trip...so enjoy those for now - captions and thoughts to come this weekend *hopefully*

Way behind...I know...

So lots has been going on - that's my excuse and reasoning for why I haven't kept up on the blog the way I was previously. 
We've been to the Westside for a weekend at G/G DeMeerleer's, wrapped up swim lessons (with a couple of doozy ear infections to boot...), Kellan started crawling and hasn't looked back since (on to scaling furniture and chasing Apollo), he also cut two little chicklet teeth, Grace turned 3 complete with a princess-party, Chuck has started a few outside yard projects I've been badgering him about for AWHILE, I've been working like a manic to kepp caught up and try to get a little ahead (impossible I think...) before I head to China, celebrated Easter, had a Pampered Chef party..............
Really, we've been living at Mach 10 and are gonna have to crash sometime - maybe in 5-10 years when we don't have to run to keep up with the kiddos and everything else! :-)

So...rather than drawing it out more - and because I know this upload is gonna take awhile - I'll post some pictures, videos and DEFINITELY check the picture and video bars on the right for all the latest and greatest...this is just a quick few that I really loved.

some new pictures - March 2010

A couple weekends ago Auntie Liz, Grammy Barb, the kiddos and I ventured to Spokane and got some new pictures taken.  Here's the results:

Keeping up...

Things have been moving along at warp speed (what's new?!) but last weekend we were able to go over to the Westside and visit Gma/Gpa DeMeerleer for a few days.  We lucked out that our visit overlapped a visit from the Alaska fam...so Grace got LOTS of playtime in with cousins Alexis and Daniel.  Kellan enjoyed watching everything but jsut wasn't able to keep up - yet.  He did manage to make sure he wasn't forgotten in the hustle and bustle of everything else by cutting his first tooth on Saturday and then getting a 24-hour flu bug on Sunday.  The little man was not feeling good.
Then it was back home and two days later Grace spiked a major fever and after a visit to the doctor, had another ear infection (we thought we'd wrapped this up 2 weeks ago, but no...). Chuck and I each took a day home with her and by Friday, she was back to normal...just having to still take "the bad medicine" as she calls it because apparently it doesn't taste good.
Then yesterday, Kellan starting coughing a bit, but nothing alarming...normal daycare cold stuff...or so we thought.  All last night he was wheezing and coughing, so this morning we figured we take him into the doctor just to be safe. Well, as Chuck put it - they were all spooked.  They sent us immediately to Urgent Care to get chest images and to get an infant nebulizer ready to get his airway to open up. Then they slowed down and actually checked him...temperature = normal, blood pressure = normal, oxygen levels = normal, attitude = happy and flirting with the nurses....hmmmmm.....  Then he had a major coughing fit, spit up some phlemg and then stopped wheezing for awhile.  They sent us home with a bunch of antibiotics and mediciations to make sure he doesn't get any additional infections and that it doesn't get into his lungs or become pnemonia...but otherwise said he should be fine in a few days.  Thanks for panicing and inducing parental panic, fear and helplessness!!!  errrgggg.....
Tomorrow I am hosting a Pampered Chef party with a number of family, friends and coworkers, so should be fun!

Kids on the move...

So i was going to upload a bunch of new videos, but it was taking WAY too long...so instead i loaded them on YouTube. You can find them on the video bar on the right...

In the meantime, here's some new pictures!

Kellan is easing into "real foods" - as much as rice cereal & mushy sweet potatoes count!

Grace & Apollo - for some reason she REALLY wanted her picture with him...