And .... they're off!

One of the last remnants of camp ... Lilah's friendship bracelets. (Friendship bracelets are HUGE at camp -- even the counselors try to keep them on for as long as possible) Lilah's bracelets were put on early in the summer, and she wore them 24/7 up until half-way through November. I managed to roll them off her hand without cutting them, and have saved them for her in a keepsake box. :)

Secret Mommy Confession #5

I drive around with Lilah's potty chair in the back of the truck.

Hey, don't knock it until you've rocked it .... This chair has come in handy several times!

I would have to recommend it to other mommies out there in the midst of potty training .... And it's a true friend that will let your child potty in their car as well. (ANDREA -- You're next!!)

(My other reality is the horse tack and dog crate on the other side)

Lilah's friend Addie

One of the nicest things about being home again is seeing Lilah's special friend Addie and her mommy Tiffanie several times a week. Addie's mommy always knows the good "mommy-and-me" places to go and has become a good friend to me. We both enjoy spending time with them, and can't wait until Addie's little sibling is born -- Tiffanie is due within the next few weeks!




(Addie was soooo tired in this video. Lilah was trying to drag her to the carpet so she could put Addie nite-nite! Addie liked this game too!)

Nick's Cancer

So, in the efforts of keeping this blog an on-line diary for Lilah, I will blog about Nick's cancer. Nick originally started having uhhh -- problems towards the end of September. When we moved home, he went to see a doctor who diagnosed him as having an infection. When antibotics didn't work, Nick had blood work drawn and the truth came out. (Um, excuse the pun there.... )

Nick had surgery the last week in October, and two weeks after his surgery his blood levels were still elevated. Coupled with a "positive" CT scan, he is slated to start chemotherapy. We meet with the chemotherapist tomorrow, and we're assuming he will start the week of Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, thank you to our friends and family who have stepped in and helped us through the surgery and countless hours of Lilah-sitting. Thank you all for the well-wishes and prayers! Here are a couple of our favorite messages forwarded to us:

From our Jewish friends: "We are sending prayers (the Jewish kind) your way."

From a song lyric: "Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is about effective as trying to solve an alegbra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real trouble is in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind the blind-side you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday afternoon."

From our brother-in-law: "You and Heather have a good track record for taking on adventures and challenges and not only surviving, but somehow thriving and then blogging about it."


Much love to you all!

Foundation Riding Academy

Since moving back from camp, I have started my own little riding academy. After a couple of simple marketing strategies, I now have four students. (And almost the same amount of horses it seems....)I hope to continue to grow it, but am waiting to see how things shake out it other parts of my life. In the meantime, if you would like to check out my website, let me know and I'll send you the link. Spread the word!!

Halloween '09

We had fun celebrating the holiday with Lilah and friends! Since Lilah is a little young to be cutting pumpkins, I let her paint them instead: (you can see the final products later in this post)



Yes that IS black paint on my floor. Thank God for tempra!

Lilah dressed this year as .......

MINNIE MOUSE! (Thanks Naomi for the hand-me-down!) :)

Lilah and Simon pose:

And they hold hands!

On the actual Halloween day, Nick and I went to Corvallis and meet up with friends. Lilah stayed behind and went trick-or-treating with Aunt Michelle and Nana! Thanks Michelle and Mom for letting us enjoy somewhat of our former lives!

Nick played computer and video games with friends while I hooked up with a couple girls from camp and went TRAIL RIDING!! Just what the doctor ordered.....

Then, that evening we partied.

Our friend Erin made these lovely appetizers: (yuk!)

(this was actually like a butterfinger/graham dish)

Nick and I reinact his surgery four days before Halloween:

Did I forget to mention we went as pirates?

Erin and I

We are champ-pion-on at beer po-pon-pong

Hope you all had a good Halloween!

Idle Minds

Nick writes:

I had a thought the day before my surgery. It occur ed to me that I had taken a test that normally is given to pregnant women looking for the hCG hormone given off by a developing embryo. Apparently it can also be present in men for a few reasons including a germ cell tumor.

So, with Heather egging me on, my curiosity got the best of me and... I'm pregnant!

Lilah's Nite-nite game....