sick.

I went to Lopez last weekend for (one of) Lauren's bridal shower and batchelorette party. I swear I wasn't on the island more than two minutes and I was a walking allergy commercial. I had itchy eyes and throat, sneezing, sniffling... yeah yeah. Anyways, it didn't go away, even after I got home. Then over this weekend, we went bowling and all that good stuff for Cadynce's birthday and I lost my voice. Weird, right? After a miserable few days I broke down and went to the doctor. I have a sinus infection and a "suspicious" looking throat. What does that mean?! Anyways, I'm on antibiotics now, but I did stay home from work today because the thought of talking on the phone all day made my throat hurt even more just thinking about it. Bad part is, I can't sleep due to that fact that I can't breathe! sheesh! Just hoping that the kids and Colby stay healthy!

Living with a 5 year old.

Cadynce was up at 6:45 this morning. Colby went and got her and threw her in bed with me, turned on cartoons, and jumped in the shower (he had to work). She does not sit still and every two minutes she has something to say. Finally, at 7:45, Camden woke up, so I rolled myself out of bed and got things going. I'm not sure where she gets this from, but she has to know exactly what we are doing for every second of the day. So before I can even get a sip of coffee or their breakfast done she is asking, "mom, what are we doing today?"..."and then what?"..."uh-hu, and after that?"... "oh, and mommy, can I take my moose that papa got me? You know papa got me this moose for my birthday last night?"..."yes Cadynce, I know that papa got you that. And I don't know what else we are doing today." Take note, that was like a 30 second conversation. I got the kids their cereal and hopped in the shower. We got all ready and went to go get some REAL coffee, enter Starbucks! Starbucks is maybe a five minute drive my house, ok, more like 7, but anyhow, she did NOT stop talking the WHOLE time. And she bounces from thing to thing.


-mom, can i bring my moose into napa when we get there?
-oh, mommy, did you see the helicopter is back.. it must not be out saving lives.
-is papa going to be working, what day is it?
*i can't even answer because another thought/question/phrase is flowing from her little mouth.
-that's where i had my swim license (yes, license not lessons)
-are we going to go this way to Napa, or back by our house.
-mommy, remember that time when me and alex and camden were playing on the blue thingy with the water, and the little pool, and camden would go back and forth and me and alex would too, that was the same day that nana dropped off alex. that was when nana was alive though. not dead.
*one gigantic run-on sentence. Whoa.


Finally, we get to Starbucks, I always have to remind them to be quiet when I'm ordering and through the line. Oh heavenly coffee....I can now tune out the ramblings of my five year old because I have a Venti-nonfat-with whip cream mocha.



please note: this was all before 10 am.

5.

Today my little girl is 5. Yesterday, I was driving out to pick up her gift and realized at that exact moment five years prior, we were driving to the hospital to have her. I can't figure out where time has gone. I feel like I should be able to remember every single day, 5 years isn't that long, and yet, all I have are bits and pieces. I've taken millions of pictures, thank goodness, I just hope it's enough. I can't help but think that if I can only keep bits and pieces of the last five years, what will the next five be like, and the five after that?

This will be Cadynce's first birthday without her Nana. It's been a really hard couple of weeks for her, so I'm grateful for the distractions this weekend. I think today will be the hardest on me. Last year, we went and had ice cream with Nana, Papa, John and Lauren.

In the fall Cadynce will be starting Kindergarten and she is really excited. I am too. She needs something for herself that is a challenge and doesn't include her brother. And maybe she'll talk less at home since she'll do so much of it at school. Wishful thinking? I think so.

I love my little girl. Happy Birthday Cadynce Rae!

susan.g.komen.

So as you can see --- it was raining. Addy was cozied up in Bob.

Melissa, Sarah, me and Sarah. Oh and Addy too!

Sarah rocking her tattoo!

J.C. ... nice banana!

The Dahlbecks!

Gangsta Sarah.

Me and Sarah.

Sarah pushin Addy in Bob, in the rain. ick.

Me and Sarah Weller.

R4L pictures.

Colb came and brought me and the girls Starbucks. We walked together lots of laps. For Rhonda...for Kelan, for everyone.

Ridgeline Helicopter had a photographer taking aerial photos. Pretty cool stuff!

Aunt Sandie and Uncle Tom walking the survivor lap.

The cutest little old lady, she rode the survivor lap in a golf cart!

luminarias.

Colton and Kayci bein' crazy.

Sarah, Tiff, me and Christine.

Fred and Alf stretching before they walk. Ha!

Me and Tiff in the jammie lap.

let's play catch.

Catch up, that is. Back in May we went to the Cruzin' For The Cure car show, and got to see Mater. The kids loved that!!! It is an unbelievable truck that a guy from Lake Stevens built. WOW!


Aunt Sandie through a huge birthday party for Grandma Cleone, she turned 80. It was really neat to see all the people that came to celebrate and how happy it made grandma.

I also attended Relay for Life in Arlington; it was our first every relay and we are the number 1 rookie city in the nation!! That's right! So far there has been over 230,000 dollars raised!!! And fundraising isn't actually final until August 31st. While Relay For Life was a huge success... it was not a good day for me. Our friends, Justin and Lacey Knowles of Stanwood, found out that very day, that their son had cancer. Kelan is 3 years old and has neuroblastoma. June 4, and 5 was relay for life, walking for 18 hours and no sleep at all. Then Sunday was the Susan G Komen walk as well. I ended up meeting a few team members in Seattle on Sunday for the walk, then heading over to Children's Hospital to spend some time with the Knowles'. Kelan is such a trooper; it's amazing how well kids can tolerate things that adults just can't. They have a long battle ahead of them...we're praying for them everyday.