Pondering Life

The recent news of the passing of a dear classmate has caused me to ponder.

She was 24, and had CF her whole life. She missed tons of school, but always came back with a radiant smile and infectious laugh. I feel bad that I lost touch, but such is life...

People come and go. We keep in touch with some, not as much with others, but their influence stays with us forever. 

In what way do I touch people?

What is my influence? Do people feel refreshed after I'm with them, or do they feel just 'so-so'?

What do I think about and spend my efforts on on a daily basis? What is my PURPOSE in life?

I always want to remember WHAT and WHO I am living for. Everything else can follow.

Improvising

What she doesn't know: walking would make life a WHOLE lot easier! (for baby, that is!)

From the mouth of an 11 month old

Gathipositha.. Hi, HI, HI, HI!!!!! goshe. empeggughhh. agi! soremong. hi, hi, HI, HI, HI!. agi. akamatale.
hi. hi. HI... Hi! dodo. DO DADADA! DOH! HIHIHI

Spoiled Rotten

Early B-day present from Auntie Jen! 

We couldn't wait until her b-day to open it- oops! This way her gifts will be nicely spaced out. She loves every single item. They've been the highlight of her week.

Wool Diaper Soaker from Gma B!

My mom is just learning how to knit, and was game to take on this amazing project. I love everything about it: the ruffles, the stripe, the waist tie, and the way the felting keeps the pee contained while still being breathable! I put her in it for naps, since that's when she pees the most, and she stays completely DRY.

- Still using baby gifts -

Pretty sure this one came from Kent 'n Diane. She is the girl of MANY clothes...aren't all little girls? :-)

- Thankful for modern medicine!- 

Antibiotics and I have a love-hate relationship. I HATE how they wreck havoc on my pumpkin's tender immune system, but I LOVE that the treatment works! I can't imagine what it would've been like with out the meds. We kicked it in the batooey. There are a few straggling marks on her skin reminding us of the recent bout, but they will soon be gone. It amazed me how fast her skin recovered.

Socialization

Ever since Rhya was little I've felt a little guilty about not 'socializing' her in a more fulfilling manner. Man, sometimes a whole 5 days would go by and the only other ppl she'd ever see were the adults in our bible study! 

We've been doing MUCH better at that lately, though:

Thurs: Daycare kids here for 10 hours

Sat: Visited Cory in the Oshkosh prison

Sun: AM mtg at Charlotte's, pm mtg in Oakdale, supper w' Bill 'n Shanda, Kylie 'n Karena!

Mon: Playdate at Amanda and Kylie's (oops, no pictures for ANY of it!)

Tues: Mom's group playdate in Cottage Grove at 9:30 (our first one and I don't know a soul- ack!), daycare kids here for 5 hours after that

I'm definitely NOT saying that the only reason I do stuff is for socialization for my daughter...it's just been on my mind. 

On the other hand, we heard at Hermosa about not doing EVERYTHING just for our children. They need to know that the world doesn't revolve around them. 

On another hand, one of the challenges of a stay at home mom is to remember that there is an existing world beyond the tiny box of homemakerism. I  need to think outside the box and remember and think about life beyond my little world....and then I can maybe-hopefully-strive to raise my child in a well rounded manner.

Speaking of well rounded, does anyone else (besides yours truly) work out just so they can pig out later?

Excuse the random thought. 

G'night

Lately we've been:

Playing with the new Craigslist find:

Chillin' w' our spiffy shades:

We've been averaging about one stroller ride per day. I thought that Rhya would rip the sunglasses off, but she thought they were great! She kept feeling them and smiling.

Playing with the occasional daycare kids:

These two adorable little girls have come twice now! They were at our house for 10 hours on Thurs. Thanks to my mom for quickly providing some age-appropriate toys! We played piano, played kitchen, played school, read books, played soccer, blew bubbles, played with playdo,  played on the swing set, ate a zillion snacks, walked to and from the library, walked to the park, etc......WOW....Rhya just kinda watched the whole thing (when she wasn't getting trampled by the 2 year old). The 4 year old LOVED to feed Rhya. I tried to upload a video but gave up after watching the hourglass spin endlessly!

She's Part Dog

We had a wonderful Saturday with Gma Mo! She spent time with Rhya and I while the guys went to the Auto Show. Gma brought a couple of totes teeming with TOYS, so Rhya was thrilled! Her favorite items were the little monkeys. One in her mouth, one in each hand.

About the post title: Kennan accompanied Gma Mo on her visit. He is the sweetest dog EVER (along with her other relative dogs Sakari, Tyah, Lucy, Kasha, Mollie, Mavric, and beloved Abbi). Rhya would get right in the middle of the dog play and pull on tails, hold onto noses for balance, crawl underneath, etc!

Mike and Kristina joined us on Sunday, and Rhya did the same thing with their dog, Kasha. I'm thinking I might have to do a dog cake for her first b-day, although Kylie thinks that a kangaroo cake would be great. Maybe I'll have to do two...ahem, with all my talent, cough cough.

Sidenote: Kristina makes a KILLER peanut butter cup chocolate pie. WOW. YUM. Besides morning mtg. and gospel mtg, most of our day consisted of eating. burp.

About Rhya's skin problem. It's NOT chicken pox, much to my dismay. It is bullous impetigo. Poor thing. Now I'm kicking myself that I didn't take her in SOONER!!! She's now on three antibiotics. She probably got it in some public setting, and since she's a baby, her immune system allowed her to get it. The doctor said that it should look way better in 24 hours, so I'm crossing my fingers!! She's still little miss jolly, silly, happy girl, but the spots are naaastyyyyy! Times like these I wish it was ME that got it, not the little one!

This handsome dude is our basement dweller:

Cool shirt, eh? He's now an employee of Ziegler Cat. He's a busy boy: school in the morning, work in the afternoon. He leaves at 6:30am, gets back at 8:50pm.