The Little Lady

Well, my sweet girl was sick a few weeks ago and we had to undergo more testing to find out what caused her bladder infection. She was a trooper. She had to put up with some unpleasant testing and was stubborn 'til the end! She recovered quickly and doesn't hold a grudge. In the end, everything is fine, she is healthy and there are no underlying problems.

I pushed to have her tests done at Seattle Childrens instead of the smaller Everett Clinic. I don't regret this. We were greated by a 'Child Life Specialist,' whose only job was to make E happy and help us cope! She had a DVD player, bubbles, light up wands, anything.

Get the best care you can. Be sure of your parenting skills and trust your instincts. That's been true for the big things in our family, and when they turn out to be nothing.

First Ponytail!

She loves it!

Politically Active and Morally Strong

Yesterday, we visited our lady Senator, Patty Murray, and Rep. Rick Larson to be a voice of reason and ask them to support health care reform. There has been a lot of incorrect information, myths and downright slander and lies over the 'death panels' that I felt I needed to have my voice heard to those representing me! And they do represent me, both my senators and rep are supporting reform. Murray actually wrote parts of the bill.

It's not right to scare people into thinking this bill will make the government decide weather you live or die. It's not right that after living through cancer, my family is considered uninsurable, although we live healthy lives. It's not right that we spend nearly 30% of our income on health care. It is time to change health care so that it is available to all who want it and that insurance companies aren't taking advantage of us (capping your coverage, increasing rates after illness, charging $60 for my birth control, etc). That's what Obama's plan is, he's not trying to use tax dollars to perform abortions or kill your granny.

I heard a suggestion on NPR the other day that I liked: since the cash for clunkers program is going well, we should pay people to live healthier-get exercise and eat better so our health system isn't so taxed!

PS: I also asked to include dental, as I gave the kids suckers to keep 'em quiet!

PPS: I'm keeping this photo for Butter's Conscientious Objector file. In case one of the Bush twins becomes president in 20 years and tries to invade an innocent country and then tries to draft my babies! Sorry, I had to end on a wing nut note! I was restrained in my writing above.

Thurston County Fair Photos!

Adult Corner

No no, this isn't an xxx rated post! It's the adult section of our house, meaning-no toys. Well, there's a ball in this photo but it's a dog toy, does that count? Every night, we make the effort to put all the crap away, get the toys put back, put the couch cushions back on, get rid of all books and sippy cups and we sit our asses on this couch, use our fancy hand crafted tables and we do nothing (okay, I knit).

Endorsement alert! Those are red gaiam insulated curtains and they saved our asses this summer and winter, worth the price. This blog is not sponsored by any corporations, but if they want to send a free pair for our dining room, we like the blue ones. Just saying.

Travel and Anniversary

Summer is winding down. It's cooled off here, it's in the 60s. We ended our last trip of the summer- to Suncadia Resort with our in-laws. Butters learned to swim and E charmed everyone.

We commemorated an anniversary-1 year since the big surgery in Pittsburgh. I've been reliving and feeling all the emotions I pushed aside last year. Seems like that's my survival mode, be strong when you need to be and deal with it later. DH and I talked a lot about what we were feeling. He sees this as the date when things moved to making him better, I see it as a date when all the really bad shit started to happen. Painful surgery recovery, then the radiation. He's the optimist. If I stop and think too much about what could have happened, I still get choked up. Most people ask if he's okay? Is he doing okay. He's fine, but we aren't the same. People just aren't the same after dealing with something this big. But, he's okay and that's all that matters. I guess you could say we are stronger for it. Maybe we'll enjoy the little things more, but it's the little things that keep piling up and adding all the stress.

I had wanted this summer to be fun for the kids-carefree and fun. As you can see from the photos, I'm pretty sure we succeeded in that department!

More Kentucky?

I'm so far behind on my blog posts. We just got back from a weekend in Olympia, but I've still got Kentucky photos to share and we are taking another trip this weekend. Busy summer. I upgraded to a Blackberry phone and I'm completely addicted, so I've kept my facebook page up to date with photos and stories and useless nonsense. The blog has suffered. It's still hot here, only 85 today but still not pleasant to sit in front of a computer.

I heard from the grapevine that people wanted more photos from KY, so here is a sampling from the aquarium and coney island, where I found a praying mantis-see E's finger.