Roxy

Our little Pomeranian Roxy is 12 years old. Lately, she is really showing her age more. She still has bright eyes and a wagging tail, but she can hardly hear and she coughs a lot, and she has these "episodes" that have to do with her heart (the vet thinks). She is on 2 heart meds. She sleeps a lot (although that isn't really very new). I realize that she might not wake up some morning. The hardest issue right now is that we really can't leave her for long periods, like over night. We have a couple of weekend trips in March and I'm stressed about what we are going to do with her. We used to bring her to the kennel, but I know that would put too much stress on her. She used to go there, and when she would come home, she would cry and breathe funny for hours, then sleep for 2 days straight. I think bringing her to my parents would stress her out also. I don't know what to do. She is such a good dog, and I just want her to be comfortable and happy. I have been making her extra people food - eggs, meat, cheese... all her favorites. She gets lots of dog treats. I am glad she is still eating well, if she weren't I would have a hard time keeping her with us. I feel like she has a decent quality of life right now. I'm not ready to let her go. I don't feel the time is right. I know she got the back seat once the kids arrived, but she was my first baby, the first time I had to care for something other than myself! She is my little puffball. Foxy Roxy (she was named Roxy because she looks like a little fox!). She still runs in circles when she has to go outside. She still runs around the yard, even when it is -15 outside. She loves walks, and I hate that she can't go on them anymore (the vet thinks it is too hard on her heart). If I say the word walk, she starts running in circles. She runs up the stairs every night to sleep on her bed in our bedroom. She has been the best little pet you can imagine!!

Love the Fight

I can't believe I'm a wrestling mom. I grew up in a hockey household, with 2 younger brothers. I had very little exposure to wrestling growing up. I knew a couple of wrestlers in high school, and I know they ate very little and never had much energy. I am praying Bret never has to cut weight. I have been a wrestling mom for going on 6 years now. It pretty much takes over our lives from Nov-March, and he has other thing (camps, practices, etc) pretty much year round. He is the hardest worker I know, he never complains and asks every weekend to go to tournaments. He is very competitive and works hard to win. He does not always win, which is a good lesson, but hard for him. He knows that he has to practice hard to be a good wrestler, and I admire his determination. It is difficult for kids these days, they have to pick a sport and put everything into that sport. They will fall behind if they don't, which is too bad. Kids no longer play a sport for just that season (baseball in spring for example). They have to go to year round camps and training to be good enough to keep playing. And even then, with the big schools, they might not make the high school team someday. I like wrestling because it really teaches you to be disciplined. It also teaches kids to work hard, be a good sport, and I think that being on the wrestling team will help Bret in life forever. We love his coach Vic, and we are sad this is his last year in youth wrestling (next year will be on the middle school team). I looked at his team pictures this year, and there he was, in the back row. He is one of the "big kids" this year, after I always saw him as the "little kid". He is the oldest. 6 years, in a blink of an eye. My little tough guy, is growing up. He is almost a little man now. Some things he does and says are no longer "boy". He is more than I ever hoped for. I am so proud of him, and I love him more every day!!!

Winter Blues

This has been the winter of snow, snow, and more snow. I can't believe it. It was nice and pretty in December but now it is January, and not so nice anymore. I sometimes questions why anyone lives in MN!!! I guess we must be a little crazy!!!

We are busy with wrestling, gymnastics, piano, church school, work, and trying to fit in a little relaxation in there somewhere. This is our weekly schedule:

Mondays - both kids church school, Bret wrestling practice (Mat Mondays)
Tuesdays - Bret wrestling (Rogers Area), Jenna gymnastics
Wednesdays - Jenna piano lessons, Bret wrestling on some wednesdays (Pinnacle)
Thursdays - Bret wrestling (Rogers), and Jenna will be starting Hip Hop dancing next week
* thursdays are hard because I work almost every thursday, plus Brian is starting a basketball league thursday nights!!!
Fridays - FREE (except I work every other :( )
Saturdays - Wrestling tournaments
Sundays - Wrestling tournaments, and practice Sunday nights (Pinnacle)

As you can see, we are a total wrestling family. I worry he will burn out, but he is such a hard worker and always wants more, more, more!

I am trying my hardest to let Jenna participate in what she wants as well. She did great in basketball this year (ended in Nov), and I am trying to talk her into soccer this spring (the only sport I really understand!) but she isn't too thrilled. She loves dance and gymnastics, so I might sign her up for dance this summer. I am not a big dance mom type, but I know she would enjoy it. I don't know if our wallets will like it, from what I've heard of dance it is pretty spendy!!

I am still working every other weekend, and I am hoping I can get to every 3rd weekend someday. I really miss spending time with the family on weekends. I do enjoy having time off during the week to volunteer at school, do things around the house, and get the kids off to school each morning. I know I would have a hard time going back to Mon-Fri days.

The kids are just growing and changing so fast. I will post some pictures soon. I have to work today so I'm just doing a quick post. I hope to get this site updated more often. I say that a lot, but let's see if I can stick to it!!!

The first snow

We have a layer of new snow on the ground, the first snowfall was this past Saturday. We all thought it would melt, but it has stuck around, the kids seem to be enjoying it. For me, it seems like I'm not quite ready for snow...for winter... for the holidays. November is suddenly here in full force. Frigid temperatures right around the corner. The basketball season is wrapping up, the football season long over. Wrestling will be here soon, taking up our every weekend and many weeknights. The kids have started to request hot chocolate with whipped cream. I believe winter may be here!

Summer Schedule

I am torn as to how I feel about summer quickly approaching. In some ways I love the sleeping in, knowing that we don't have to be anywhere (most days), and the fun in the sun. In other ways I dread the "togetherness", especially the kids. They tend to fight a lot as it is....I need a way to encourage them getting along, and being nice to each other. A reward system of some kind. I've tried them in the past, but none have lasted long. I am just hoping to keep my patience and make the best of our time together!!

3 more days of school!!!

June 5, 2010

Springtime, end of the school year is around the corner, time for summer, family, sun, water, sleeping in, grilling, music, fairs, rides, biking, walking, grass, popsicles, kickball, waterguns, sprinklers.

Bret:
wrestler
intense
stubborn
loyal
convincing
intellectual

Jenna:
gymnast
carefree
stubborn
sensitive
spoiled
squirmy

Picture post

My Waterfod ornaments. One of my best friends used to work there, and she gave me one every year for years. I LOVE them!!!













The tree this year. The kids wanted colored lights but I talked them into all white. We did colored lights on the basement tree.




























Bret really wanted this Nerf gun, you can't tell but it is very long and huge. He loves it!

Kids playing outside the day after Christmas. It was actually warm enough then (it is not warm enough now to playoutside). I even went out and we built an igloo fort. We had snow for 3 days straight over Christmas. Bret has an icicle in his mouth. Cute huh?

All the kids together. An after the holiday dinner out. This is the first year all 4 kids have been with each other on the actual holiday. This was on Dec 26 at an Irish Pub.

Jenna and her big sister Brooke, who lives in Texas.

Jenna holding her most wanted gift, Lulu the cat. This cat actually moves and makes sounds like a real cat!

Brian, Bret, Blake and Kiah.

Bret at Grandma and Papa's house, waiting to open presents.

Grandma and the kids. She bought the girls matching Christmas dresses.

Bret decorating reindeer cookies. They were so cute!

Jenna and her cousin Kiah. Jenna is 6 weeks older than Kiah and they are both in 2nd grade. Grandma (my mom) got them matching Christmas dresses.