Saturday, December 29, 2012

Snow Bug - Blogged by JME




We've had snow all week, starting the day after Christmas.  It wasn't too cold outside and the snow was beautiful.  We couldn't help ourselves.  We decided to have a snow day.  June Bug got all bundled up so she would stay plenty warm. 


We decided to go snowshoeing.  Since this was June Bug's first time, we decided to stay pretty close to make sure she did okay.  We went to Grammy Lu's house and snowshoed in her back yard.  It was perfect and we had a great view of the mountain. 


June Bug did pretty good.  She loved seeing all the snow but wasn't so sure about being so restricted.  She wanted to get out and play right in the snow. 


 Her cheeks and nose got a little rosy but she stayed good and warm bundled up with momma. 



Grammy Lu went with us.  It was snowing the whole time and made for a perfect day in the snow. 



Finally . . . .

 
After being so patient, June Bug finally got her moment in the snow. 
 



My beautiful little snow angel. 
 

Monday, December 24, 2012

Meeting Santa Clause  -  Blogged by JME



We took June Bug to Christmas Village earlier this month to meet Santa.  She did so great!  We were so proud of our little sweetie.  We made sure to tell Santa that what June Bug wanted for Christmas this year is to be out of diapers.  He laughed.  I don't think think he took us seriously. 


This Santa Clause was amazing!  He had a real beard and a twinkle in his eye.  He was very thoughtful of June Bug.  He didn't 'Ho, Ho, Ho!' like I thought he would.  N8 pointed out that it was probably because he didn't want to scare our little one.  It made a lot of sense.  June Bug didn't cry either until Santa handed her back to us. 


She had a great time but it sure wore her out! 

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Pink Ribbons - Blogged by JME

Like everyone else, N8 and I were shocked and heart broken by the news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.  As we followed the story, the tragedy hit closer to home as we found out that one of the little victims is from our very own community. 




Little Emilie Parker's parents grew up here.  They were married here and had their first home here.  Her grandparents still live here.  This is where she will be buried.  As this week has gone by, we have seen little pink ribbons here and there, and more and more have accumulated.  Now, driving down main streets here in our city, we see them everywhere.  They are not limited to the busy main streets either.  People have tied them to their mailboxes, stop signs, street lights, cars, trees, bushes, etc.  Business marques have messages on them expressing their condolences to the family. It is a way that our community can come together to support the Parker family and all of those families who lost someone they love during the shooting. 




It has been very touching driving to work or running errands to see all of the beautiful pink bows that represent love and support during this tragic time.  Today is this sweet little girl's funeral.  To the Parker family and all those who lost their loved ones:  We mourn with you.  We grieve with you.  Our hearts break for you.  We pray you may find the comfort and healing you need. 


Thursday, December 20, 2012

It's a Race - Blogged by JME

I've had a really hard time keeping up on our blog lately. With the holidays, life has been busy. This was one thing that I really wanted to post about, however, even though it is about a month late. 


It's been a little bit of a tradition for my sister-in-law and I to go to ORMC early on Thanksgiving morning to do the walk/run before having our feast.  We've been three times now, missing one year because of the weather being too cold.  We've had others come with us, like Pookie's husband FireRyan and my N8. 


This year we left the hubbies home and had a great girl day with Pookie, me, and our girls.  It was fun to take them, even though it was cold.  June Bug loved seeing people walking their dogs and jabbered away at them.  Pooh Bear really liked listening to her little cousin talk. 


We had to bundle up pretty good.  Even though it was a sunny day, it was super chilly.  I made sure to have gloves for June Bug but forgot to bring any for me.  My hands got pretty numb from pushing the stroller with nothing protecting my hands. 


While we were waiting for the prayer and the race to start, a life-flight helicopter flew in.  It was the first helicopter June Bug has ever seen.  She didn't act too thrilled about it though. 


Sister Stephanie gave the prayer like she always does.  It is so sad.  Apparently the nuns are leaving ORMC so this is the last year they are doing the race.  We always loved doing this race because the entry fee is donating food for them to take to the homeless shelter and it was great to burn a bunch of calories before eating a big meal.  What better way than that to celebrate Thanksgiving?

 
It is also really sad because the nuns are so sweet, especially Sister Stephanie.  They will be missed!  I'm not sure if the race will be sponsored by someone else next year or if they are going to discontinue it all together.  If they do, Pookie and I will need to start our own race to run on Turkey Day to keep up our tradition.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I Just Want to Moosh Her - Blogged by JME


N8 and I decided to see what June Bug would look like if we mooshed her face up. This is what we got . . . .





For how incredibly busy we are, it looks like last night we had too much time on our hands. 



 We thought it was so funny and we rolled around in hysterics.  For those of you who think we are mean parents, just keep in mind that June Bug thought it was hilarious as well and laughed just as hard. 


Today we tried carrots for the first time.  Even though it looks like most of them ended up on June Bug's face, she sure enjoyed them.  She is so cute, we just want to moosh her.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Blogged by JME

We started the holidays out with one of our favorite Christmas traditions:  Going to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  This is something N8 and I have done seven times (missing a year here or there due to N8's deployment schedule) and have loved every time.  We bring someone different with us every year.  This year we brought N8's mom and her husband.  I was able to get us front row seats, which we were very excited about!!!


The best way I can describe a TSO show would be to tell you it is like Forgotten Carols on steroids.  It has so many amazing special effects, but also has a wonderful Christmas message as well. 


This year, they put on a different show than they normally do.  They performed The Lost Christmas Eve.  It is an amazing story of an angel who is given the assignment to search a given area that is filled with people from all over the world, New York City, to find people performing Christlike deeds.  He finds many people who fit this description. 


However, during his search, he finds a man who is incredibly bitter.  Looking into this man's past, he finds that when he was young, he was a man who believed in God and that men were created in God's image.  He becomes successful and gets married, and six months later, they discover they are expecting a child. 


The man waits in the lobby as his wife delivers their son, but when the doctor comes out of the delivery room, he tells the man that during the delivery, his wife started to hemorrhage and lost too much blood. They were not able to save her.  In addition to this, their son went without oxygen for too long, which resulted in major brain damage. This child would never learn to talk, most likely would never learn to walk, and would definately never hold a job or contribute to society.  The man becomes very angry and tells the hospital that he does not want the child.  He signs papers and gives the child away. 


This is when the man became extremely bitter and spent 40 years with that bitterness eating at him like a plague.  His hatred grows and he ends up hating Christmas and this time of year. 

 
The performer in the picture above is from London, England.  He reminded N8 and I of Thor and so that was his nickname throughout the night. 


The angel watches as he bumps into a little girl on his way home, who smiles at him and asks if he has any children. He answers, "No!" but realizes this is a lie. It makes him start thinking about his son and where he may be now. He calls the home where he placed his son 40 years ago. 


They tell him that his son never learned to talk but does walk and lives in a home next to the hospital but spends most of his time in the hospital volunteering in the newborn unit. The man goes to the hospital and enquires where his son may be. 


As he enters the floor where his son volunteers, he immediately sees his son, as his son looks just like he did 40 years before.  His son spends his time rocking the babies whose bodies shake uncontrollably from the heroine their mother's used.  The father looks at his son wondering if he will ever forgive him for abandoning him years before. 


His son notices his father and smiles.  His father walks to an incubator and picks up one of the babies and spends Christmas Eve evening gently rocking these sweet babies.  The angel returns with his list of people who he saw performing Christlike deeds and includes the father on his list. 


It was a great show and one N8 and I will remember.