Buddy Love

This is Buddy.

He's been with us for about 6.5 years, and on this earth for about 8. If you count in dog years, he's older than anyone else in this house by a fair margin.

Buddy has been here in the thick of things. For awhile, it was just the three of us - Buddy, me, and Husband. He formed a fast bond with Brandon from the weekends he was here, and later when he was here all the time. He was here to greet Lucy the day we brought her home (gave her a big 'ol sniff while she was sitting in her car seat in the driveway). Over the years he has gone from tolerating her to forming a bond with her, too. He takes her bossing like a champ!

Buddy is pretty gentle. He rarely barks. The most noise he makes is when he bays at sirens, which is hilarious. He likes to be by his people but doesn't really like to cuddle - he'd rather roll over and let you scratch his belly. He gets a little too friendly with guests sometimes, but his soulful brown eyes usually win them over.

Over Thanksgiving, I had Buddy boarded at our vet's office because he had a lump on his belly that I wanted checked out. While they were at it, I asked them to check a bump on his neck, too. I'd had him in for that particular bump a few months prior, and it was diagnosed as an allergic reaction.

When I went to pick him up from boarding, I knew something was wrong. The staff, who love him and are always very friendly, were unusually quiet. The doctor wanted to talk to me in an exam room.

The lump on his belly is just a fatty mass, she said. No problem, lots of older dogs get them. The thing on his neck...that was called a mast cell tumor. Cancer. Surgery would be needed to understand its stage and if it had spread.

I held it together while I was there, because Lucy was with me. We collected Buddy and headed home. When I told Husband, I lost it a little bit. I wasn't ready to lose our dog.

We scheduled the surgery, and in the meantime I had all but convinced myself he was fine. He seemed perfectly normal. As the day approached, however, I grew more anxious. I did alright dropping him off, but picking him up was not easy. He was groggy and pretty out of it, and had a sad looking bandage on his head because they couldn't get the "cone of shame" on him - he freaked out. They sent us home with 2 painkillers and a sedative, and said "try again tomorrow."

When I brought him home, Lucy helped it sink in. She was very concerned when she got a peek at his incision, which was kind of Frankenstein-ish, I have to admit. As we sat on the floor petting him while he was so obviously disoriented and drugged up, I looked over at her and saw big tears running down her face. "I don't like Buddy to be like this," she said. "I don't either, Honey," I told her, as my eyes filled, too.

The following day, I worked from home to keep an eye on him. Even on the highest dose of sedatives, he wouldn't get near me if I was holding that damn cone. I had Husband try to help when he was home for lunch. No dice. That dog became a bucking bronco if I even l laid my hand on the cone. The bandage wasn't staying up, and wouldn't keep him from scratching at the stitches. We needed another alternative. Enter the donut.

He is tolerating it, and it does keep him from scratching. But he's definitely not thrilled.

Friday, I got the call that the labs were back. The tumor was a Stage 2 out of 3, so what they call "intermediate." The extra tissue they took all around the tumor was clean, but usually for Stage 2 the next step is to biopsy a nearby lymph node. We had already done that, and the lymph node was also clean. So for the moment, our puppy is cancer-free! However, the Stage 2 diagnosis does make it more likely for the cancer to reoccur. Also, any other bumps we find (anywhere on his body), need to be checked right away, because now he has a history.

What a relief. This whole experience has made me really face the reality that one day we'll have to say goodbye to our furry baby. It will break Lucy's heart, and I dread that day. But it will also break mine. He is my first dog, too. It's true what they say that dogs become part of the family. It would just be pretty boring around here without our pup, so I'm glad cancer has seen fit to leave him alone for now.

He is recovering fine so far and doesn't seem to be too bothered by pain. The biggest challenge we've had aside from the cone situation is some doggy diarrhea from one of the meds, which hasn't been fun for any of us (I can attest to this personally, based on the pleasure of a 4AM clean-up). Today, he bayed at some sirens and I got tears in my eyes laughing at him. "That's my boy!" I told him. It was the most normal I've seen him since Tuesday.

Bay on, Bud.

Was Santa Here?

When we returned home from our trip to Iowa, there were a few things in the yard that weren't there when we left...Lucy got out to investigate, and found a sign with her  name on it! From the footprints in the snow, we're pretty sure Santa was here!

Thanksgiving 2014

We spent Thanksgiving in Iowa this year. We were back at St. Mary's School on Thanksgiving Day for the "Big Overmohle" holiday, and caught up with the White side of the family on Friday night. In between, we had the opportunity to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa, and my brothers and their families. Us kids even managed a rousing game of "Cards Against Humanity" while Grandma and Grandpa watched the littles. I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time!

This toolbox and tools belonged to my great-grandfather.

Lucy and her second cousin, Leighton.

We love us some Auntie Lynn!

Family time!

Pretty maids all in a row, awaiting the annual gift from their brothers.

Barn board tool boxes (or planter boxes, or whatever you want!)

We managed a trip to Santa's Castle on Friday.

Mom hosted her family on Friday night.

A busy, but fun weekend! We have many blessings to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby Brother Got Married!

This weekend my youngest brother Justin married his longtime love, Shantara Lynn in a ceremony back in our hometown. We had lots of fun helping them celebrate. Congratulations!

The fun and beautiful couple.

Purple power!

Lucy and Grandpa

Jason and Chrissy

Mom and Dad

"Don't feed the zombies" - all the grandkids!

Mom and Grandma

We couldn't let those Canadians think they were too far from home...

Hawkeyes vs Gophers

There were all kinds of reasons to be excited about this game:

1) I LOVE college football and haven't been to a game for several years. Go Hawks!

2) Never been to TCF Bank Stadium.

3) Never been to a college game with Husband.

4) As Husband told me shortly after we sat down - he'd NEVER been to a college football game before.

5) The fun of marital rivalry.

6) We had AWESOME seats!

I love the feel of college game day. Crisp air, excitement, colors, rivalry, concessions, noise...we had such a blast. It was cold but not too much so, we had nice banter with our endzone-mates, and we even ran into my high school prom date at half time, thanks to the wonders of social media. The only unfortunate thing (for me) is that Iowa got absolutely trounced. I could have handled a good game, but 51-14? Ouch. The good news is that I think we'll do this again, and the Hawks are bound to do better. Right?

Halloween 2014 "Where Are the Puppies?!"

This turned out way better than I expected. The wig makes all the difference.

The only thing is that she's way too cute to be Cruella!

Dude, Where's My Car?

Today I lost my car.

On Wednesday afternoon I parked my car in a ramp at the airport and headed to Dallas. I neglected to grab one of those little reminder papers, thinking I would surely remember where I had parked. I looked back as I entered the elevator and made a mental picture of the floor number and the parking aisle.

After an uneventful flight home, I was looking forward to being able to go home mid-afternoon and relax a little bit before picking up Lucy. I headed to the Gold Ramp, which required me to take the tram. I didn't take the tram the day I left, but didn't think much of it because I came in on a different airline than the one I flew on the way out. I was pretty sure it was the Gold Ramp, because something in my head was noting that it was a ramp in which I usually don't park, and I usually park in Green.

Once I arrived at the Gold Ramp, I tried the 4th level because I remembered being just above the skyway, which is on the 3rd floor.

Car was not there, and something didn't seem right. I stopped to think, and realized the rows didn't line up right. I remembered parking in a row which drove away from the entrance door, and was offset just to the right. These rows were set up the opposite, so I was definitely in the wrong ramp.

By this time, confidence in my memory was shot and I had no idea which of the other 3 ramps contained my car. I settled in to do a little detective work, using my phone to look at an aerial view and remembering how I drove into the ramp area. That didn't help; not enough detail. My phone was dangerously low on battery and no outlet in sight, so I was hoping it would hold out long enough for me to figure something out. All the while I was semi-frantically searching, I heard the same intercom announcement, over and over again:

Welcome to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. You have parked in the [insert color] Ramp. Please take a ticket. It will help you remember where you parked your car.

I'm paraphrasing, but I'm pretty sure I got that last line right. The voice was mocking me.

Finally,I found a layout of the parking ramps on the airport website and figured out that along with Gold, the Red Ramp was set up the same. Two down, two to go. Blue and Green.

I got back on the tram to go back to where I started. Since I was convinced I had parked "differently" than I usually do (i.e. not Green), I tried Blue. Multiple levels of Blue. I definitely got my exercise, as I knew I had parked towards the end of the row on the right. So each level, I pulled my suitcase and carried my computer bag down the row. At one point, I finally thought to pull out my car keys and push the alarm button. Eureka, I heard it! But it sounded like it was coming from the adjacent ramp.

The Green Ramp.

Where I always park.

So, over to the Green Ramp. I was positive I had parked one level above the skyway, because I had a picture in my mind of looking down at the skyway from my level. So I tried Level 4 first. Walked all the way down the row. Nope. Pushed the alarm button. Closer! Must be one floor up. Nope!

Thank goodness the ramp is only 7 levels, the 7th being the roof which I knew wasn't right. I couldn't tell where that damn alarm was coming from. At one point,  I couldn't get it to turn off, so the alarm was blasting and by that time, I would have fully welcomed a security car swinging by to give me a lift. No such luck. I even asked another guy in the parking ramp where he thought the horn was coming from. He didn't know.

In desperation, I tried Level 3, the same level as the skyway.

There was the Ford Fusion, parked exactly where I didn't think it would be.

I must be losing my mind. Lesson: grab the damn paper. Or at least take a picture of it.

Studio Lucy: Much More Constructive Use of Craft Supplies...

...as long as she keeps them away from her hair.

I like the colored volleyball.

She made these "crowns" one night, all by herself! 

Every once in awhile I bring old display boards home from work.
 I helped a little bit on this one, but Lucy did most of it!

Soccer Life

Lucy just finished her very first season of soccer. It was a rec league through our city, which teamed up girls from the same school together. Consequently, no other kindergarten girls from Lucy's school signed up, so she got to meet some new friends from other schools instead!

The season was only 6 weeks long, with a total of 8 games. There were only 3 teams of kindergarten girls, so we played the same 2 teams all season. Lucy had a lot of fun and made friends easily. She started of the season pretty tentatively, but definitely learned a few things along the way and had a little more contact with the ball as the season went on. It's so fun watching girls at this age, most just learning the game, and a few standouts with older siblings who know what they're doing. :) Most often they all cluster around the ball, too polite to really get in there and starting kicking. Towards the end of the season they were catching on a bit more to defense, and realizing it was OK to stand outside the cluster and wait for the ball to come out. Lucy scored her first goal this way, in the last game! The ball popped out and she was on the outside, and took it in for a goal! She loves to do goal kicks and has a wicked little leg on her. The coach made a few comments about it throughout the season. She liked it and says she'd like to play again, so we'll sign her up for spring league.

As a new "soccer mom," I enjoyed myself immensely. I really loved seeing how the girls grew throughout the season, and liked spending time outside and seeing the same faces week to week. We were lucky to have a very mild fall weather-wise...only one week did I need to bring a blanket to keep me warm!

Turns out we picked up some soccer skills and a new friend...Lucy and the coach's daughter got along great and we've already lined up a play date. I'm loving feeling part of this community!

"The Cluster"

Like a boss.

We had out-of-state spectators!

Keepin' it casual.

Run, Forest, run!

"Go, Grasshoppers!"

"What, are we playing?"

Kickin' machine.

The team, minus one.

Soccer Sweetie!

Bang, Bang

Isn't she cute? But what made us decide to give her BANGS?!

It wasn't really by choice. It was a small force of nature called Lucy Laabs.

She cut her own hair. Quite short. In the front. Sigh.

You may recall this happened last summer, but we were lucky enough that it didn't really affect her coiffe too much. This time, it was on my watch. She was happily crafting lastnight; kind of doing her own thing. We were in the same room. She climbed up on the couch and promptly fell asleep. I carried her to her bed, and didn't notice a thing until this morning.

She had no explanation, and I found the scissors and hair under her desk.

I was fretting over it as we dressed for church, and Husband was telling me it was bothering me more than it bothered Lucy. Well, of course. There is one piece, right in the middle, that she cut very close to the scalp. We're talking buzz cut territory. I was quite wrapped up in what I was going to do to try and make it look better.

We got to church and at the start of the service, this prayer:

God of forgiving grace,
We are not always patient to wait for your words and your actions in our lives.
We whine and complain and we try to control those things which are out of our control...

I chuckled to myself.

There was nothing I could do about it but take her to a stylist and see about options. Turns out, the only option was bangs. This will allow the short pieces to grow out while somewhat covering them up.

It's cute, but it's going to take some getting used to. Lucy has already said she wants her hair off her forehead... which I guess is a good physical reminder of why she shouldn't do this again.

Because certainly, I don't want to test the theory of "third time is a charm."

Kindergarten Check-In

We are about 3 weeks in to kindergarten, and Lucy is doing great! But let's hear about it in her words:

What is your favorite thing about school? Playing on the playground

What's your favorite thing inside the school? Doing artwork

What new friends have you made? Skylar, Ari, Rowan, Hassem, Annabelle

Who do you like to sit by at lunch? Ady and Nathan

What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chips

What's your least favorite thing to eat for lunch? Hamburger, because it had spice in it

Why do you like your teacher? Because she helps me do stuff, like art projects

Why is your mascot a tiger? Because tigers want to be nice to people

Do you like school? Why? Because it's friendly with other people, and I love other people that I meet

'Twas the Night Before Kindergarten...

The backpack is packed, the outfit is laid out, and the child is asleep. Tomorrow is the big day, and I've had bits and pieces of this blog roaming around in my head for a few weeks, and now I've finally reached the point (and summoned the courage) to write them down.

The past couple of weeks I've been off. Stressed, tired, cranky, emotional. As the end of the month loomed nearer, I grew more anxious. Kindergarten was coming.

All summer long I think I was in some sort of denial. It was still far away. I did all of the required things - filled out the forms, bought the school supplies. But it still wasn't here - just one of those things in the far-off distance.

Don't get me wrong, I want Lucy to go. She needs to go - she's beyond ready. I'm so very excited for her to experience new people, a new place, new things, new ways of learning. She's going to grow and learn so much socially and intellectually in this year.

Yes, my little girl is growing up, and there's nothing I can do about it. Time has gone by so, so fast...I mean, how the hell did we get from this:

to this:

to THIS, in such a short time?

Sigh. Heavy sigh, heavy heart. It's this weight I've been feeling. This is my baby. We're not having anymore kids, this is my only shot. They say the first five years of a child's life are the most impressionable. Did we do it right? This step into kindergarten is a big leap away from us. This is the point at which outside influences become much stronger, and from now on it will stay that way. Does she know what she needs to know? She doesn't know how to read, should I have pushed that more? Am I a bad mom because I didn't spend the summer practicing writing her name in lower case letters?  As if that isn't enough to worry about, my email inbox and Facebook feed has been full of back-to-school parenting articles like "10 Signs Your Kid is the Class Bully," and "Your 5-year-old: Brave New World," and "Keeping Your Young Daughter Body-Positive." Too. much. information. Then I got a reality check.

The other day in the car, out of the blue Lucy told me she was worried if the teacher gave her a paper with a line on it to cut, that she couldn't cut straight. "Mama, what happens if I can't cut straight?" Bless her little heart, this is the biggest thing she's worrying about, that she might get kicked out of kindergarten or get in trouble if she can't cut straight. So we talked about three important things to remember for kindergarten:

1) Try your best.
2) Be kind.
3) Be respectful.

That's all I can ask of her, and that's all I can ask of myself. I took last Friday off, and we had orientation today so it was a nice 5-day hiatus. I had some time to think. I also had some time to be fully immersed in my daughter's imagination, creativity, sass, and overall awesomeness.

You guys, she's going to be fine. We did fine (and it's not like we're done!) And you know what? Things are going to happen. Life happens. She's going to cry, she's going to be made fun of, she's going to get hurt. I can only hope we've given her the tools to dust herself off and try again. As if I needed some extra reassurance, today at orientation when it was time for the kids to separate from the parents and go outside with the paraprofessional, she charged forward with an eager smile and never looked back. I thought maybe something like that might make me feel sad, but it didn't. I felt proud. I felt reassured.

I love this child to the moon and back, and it's time to let her go just a little bit. I'm not saying I won't shed a tear tomorrow, I might. But I know she's going to rock it. As of tonight, Lucy is pretty confident she will, too. Check out her thoughts on kindergarten here.

Knock 'em dead, kid.

Goodbye, Sunshine Valley

We seriously found the BEST daycare and preschool over 3 years ago. We're going to miss these folks!

All Over Creation

I'm tired. I've been on the road A LOT lately, all over this great state of Minnesota (and some Iowa).

Thursday 7/24, I went to Winona for some day meetings and a public meeting in the evening.

Weekend 7/26-27, we traveled to the Alexandria area for a wedding.

Monday 7/28, I left early in the morning and headed to Bemidji. Meetings during the day, public meeting in the evening. At least I got to stick my toes in the Mississippi headwaters again.

Tuesday, 7/29, traveled to Grand Rapids for more of the same. After that meeting, drove to Brainerd.

Wednesday 7/30, rinse and repeat in Brainerd. After that meeting, drove back home.

Thursday 8/1, got up, packed, and we headed on vacation to Battle Lake.

Sunday 8/3 drove home.

Monday 8/4 had a night meeting in Minneapolis. Over 200 people came. At least I could sleep in my own bed.

Tuesday, Wednesday - pretty quiet.

Thursday 8/7 night public meeting in St. Paul.

Friday morning 8/8, traveled to Okoboji, IA for the weekend.

Sunday 8/10, drove home.

This week I'm not going anywhere.

Oh wait, except for Saturday...Lucy and I are driving to Des Moines.

THEN I'm not going anywhere...for awhile.