A Barkley Update

"How is your puppy doing?"  I get asked that question quite frequently lately.  So, I thought I would do a little blog update.  

He's actually pretty great.  During the month of December he gained 5 pounds in 11 days.  Then again, didn't we all.  His last vet appointment revealed that he has slowed down a bit and only put on a pound since his visit a month ago.  That brings him to a grand total 16 pounds!  We were told he would only make it to about 20 pounds which will be great.  He is perfect as he is right now.

Well, mostly perfect.  He has a couple of annoying qualities such as walking along the back of the couch like he's a cat and shredding paper.  Oh, the shredding paper. 

He just loves to visit the paper recycling bin while I am working at the computer.  It's been a constant battle lately but I think we may have turned a small corner this week.

We've established a new routine that seems to keep him quiet a little longer.  School drop off (which the neighborhood kids love), a game of fetch when we get home, followed by a two hour or so study session.  Then a walk at lunch, more work, and then off to pick the kids up again.

He keeps all of us on our toes but he is such a joy to our family.   There is nothing better than burying your face in his soft, fluffy fur at the end of a bad day, or the beginning of a good one! 

So that's the Barkley update.  Our buddy is doing quite well and we are all still pretty smitten with him!

Those darn "lasts"

For me, the "lasts" related to the kids growing and changing have to be handled a bit like ripping off a bandaid.  Just do it quickly and don't look back.  However, I do want to remember and document some of the lasts. 
Just the other night we stumbled on a "last".  We've been slowly changing Cooper's room over from a firefighter theme to basketball.  Truthfully the room has been bit of a mess since the summer.  When the big Pottery Barn box of new bedding arrived Friday, I knew what had to be done.  That night I tucked Cooper in under his firefighter quilt one last time. 

We talked about how we would wash it up and hand it down to Blake for use in his firefighter room.  Suddenly the tears started flowing.  Not from me this time but from my sweet little boy.  He tried with all his might to hold them at bay but he's my kid and we all know that never works.  So we both snuggled up and talked about the fun times with that blanket and how we want Blake to have those fun times, too.  That seemed to do the trick and before long Cooper was drifting off to sleep.
The next morning I swooped in and replaced the fireman blanket with the updated big kid bedding.  It wasn't long until I heard Cooper shouting, "Oh, wow, I love my new bed. Can we get the LeBron FatHead now?"  Hearing his excitement made this mama's heart feel just a tiny bit better.  But, boy, will I miss that little boy under the firefighter blanket.

Girl meets "Boy Meets World"

 Everyone knows that I don't necessarily like the fact that my kids are getting older.  I mean, I like the fact that they are growing and thriving but I miss having little babies.  Seriously, I do.  However, recently I have begun to appreciate some of the perks of having a tween in the house. 
For me, one of the best things about having a tween is being able to share things from my own tween/teen years.  Before Christmas McKenna had discovered "Boy Meets World" through the new show "Girl Meets World".   Much to my delight she found a few episodes of "Boy Meets World" on YouTube and soon she was hooked.   Santa was almost as excited as I was and managed to deliver the entire 1990's series on DVD.  That's right, all 7 seasons equaling 158 episodes of Cory, Sean, and Topanga.  Until this weekend we had been slowly making our way through the each season - but Saturday's snow day meant we had an entire day to binge watch our new favorite.  To date, we've made it through three DVD's but we are still on season 2!   And I'm glad.  It will be a sad day when we press play on the last episode.  So for now I will relish the laughs and the snuggles and the, "Did you really wear your clothes like that, Mom?".   

The day Kinley took a tumble

There are certain situations that I will never be able to explain.  Thursday afternoon was one of them.  The kids had been playing outside in the little bit of snow we had left in the yard.  I made them come in as the sun was setting. I was ready to settle in for a quiet evening. Chicken noodle soup was in the crockpot and we were all ready for pajamas and relaxation.   I had just changed Kinley and headed back down the stairs to get dinner when I heard an awful noise. It was one of those noises that you identify instantly. I knew someone or something was falling down the steps.  I reached the bottom of the steps just in time to see Kinley tumbling head over heels from the top of the staircase.  I kept thinking she would stop but she kept coming down the stairs finally stopping on her belly on the second step. She was crying, which was a positive sign but she was clearly beat up.  The side of her face instantly began to swell and she complained of leg pain.  Nothing appeared to be broken or bleeding but based on what I had just witnessed I knew she needed to be checked out.  I loaded her in the car and we headed to the closest emergency room. 

In the ER I had trouble keeping Kinley awake and she had started to complain of neck pain.  Upon hearing this she was promptly placed in a collar until her spine could be cleared.  She was talking and smiling some, but the fact that she tolerated the collar without complaint was reason for all of us to be concerned. It was soon determined that her condition and height of fall warranted a ct scan of her neck and face which continued to swell over her cheek bone and eye.

She was an absolute trooper in the ct machine and never shed a tear during the entire ER visit.  

An hour and a half after her fall she was feeling well enough to take a few selfies.

Her neck was eventually cleared and no fracture was detected on her cheek bone.  Except for a little lingering redness around her eye and the occasional complaint of neck soreness we wouldn't know that she recently tumbled down 12 stairs. She certainly remembers, though, as evidenced by the picture she drew Friday. 

This is her picture of falling down the stairs.  It is so sad.  However it's good to know she's working through the whole incident.   We are blessed and grateful that she was not hurt. I will never be able to explain how that is even possible but I won't stop being thankful that the whole thing is just a memory.  

An Update

Wow, I have been especially bad about taking pictures lately - even with my phone.  These are the only pictures I have taken since the first of the year.

And to be fair, I'm not even sure that I was the photographer behind those last two pics.

I am slightly sad that I haven't documented more but I'm also proud of myself.  I feel as though the lack of photos means I am doing a better job of putting my phone down and being present in the moment.  I've been really trying to make that a priority.

We have all managed to make it through the first week back at school after the holiday break.  The first few days were a bit rough with news of new projects and the ever dreaded release of the syllabus. However, this weekend we were afforded some much needed time at home to get a jump start on all things academic and so we (Mckenna and I) are feeling pretty good as of this writing.

Saturday morning we got Cooper all signed up for baseball.   His participation in a sport has never caused me so much anxiety.   We have discussed this baseball thing and debated it from all angles before jumping in with both feet.  It's either going to be an awesome experience or the worst spring ever. Stay tuned.  After baseball sign-up we were feeling pretty good so we played the power ball. Cooper picked the numbers based on the lucky numbers on his fortune cookie from the night before. We didn't win. But the good news is that no one did.  The jackpot now stands at over a billion dollars.  I don't think we will be playing again because I actually don't even desire to be the winner of a billion dollars.   

In other news, I am happy to report that after two solid months Kinley is finally over her cough.  I seriously thought she was taking it to college.  Three antibiotics, a bunch of albuterol treatments, and some allergy medicine later and she seems to be back to regular, "spirited" Kinley.  I do not have a clue in the world where she gets her strength. She wears me down like nothing else. 

McKenna has finished out another marking period and has really excelled.  Her grades this year astound me and the way she manages academics, dance and music really make me proud! Not to mention the fact that she still makes time to just be a kid! 

Barkley is thriving and growing like a bad weed.  He managed to pack on 5 pounds in 19 days in December.  He has started losing his puppy teeth and though he still gets into mischief, he has calmed down considerably. He lovingly lays at my feet and sleeps the day away while I work on schoolwork or hangs out in the kitchen with me while I cook. I love having him around.
Earl and I are kept constantly busy with the kids but we are still managing to do a few things for ourselves.  Okay, maybe one thing, but it's a start.   A few weeks ago we started a new workout series and so far we are loving it.  We have both stuck with it, managing to get a workout in every day - no matter what!  I think we are both so happy to have a new workout.  We feel so much better and we are sleeping and eating better too. 
We've planned our next Disney vacation and the countdown is on.  I, for one, cannot wait to get away.  By that time I will have 4 more classes under my belt and I will be so ready to celebrate that and have some down time.  We are staying at a new resort and trying a lot of new restaurants and experiences.  We are all excited to be getting back to our happy place. 
So that's a little update to get up to speed on the goings on around here.  I feel like it's an exciting time for all five of us as we embark on new things, learn, and grow. 

Adventures in ice skating

New Year's Eve day found us with no real plans except hanging out together.  When our friends suggested ice skating we jumped at the chance to pull on some skates and have a little fun.  Kinley was still not feeling quite up to par and had been having a cranky morning so she and I planned to just watch the big kids.  

As you can see, that lasted about .2 seconds as she quickly decided she wanted to skate.  

Thank goodness for the walkers which the kids used to get a feel for being back on the ice.  Cooper's big desire was to skate fast which left him lying on the ice more than skating at some points.  But he was having fun. 

The best part seemed to be hanging out and catching up on all things Christmas. 

 

Two hours,two sore feet, and only one fall later, I finally persuaded Kinley that it was time to go home.  I was so proud of her for trying something new and putting forth great effort in learning to skate.  We are certainly hoping to get back to the rink this winter!