Boys[Chris] and their [his] toys

This first photo was from my first shooting experience (more photos later, this is a boy toy post!). Chris and his dad went out 4 times through the week shooting in the desert.

 I was so very excited to upload all the pictures from the camera to the computer and get a blog posted. Upon uploading the 250+ photos and videos, I realized that the vast majority of the photos were of Mat and Owen playing with toys, and all the more of Chris playing with their toys as well. Here is a photo synopsis of the week of toys for the boys.

 Owen, Mat, and Chris enjoying Mat's crane toy.

 Uncle Chris racing around P&J's kitchen on Owen's first bike!

 Look at those knees!

 Owen thinks it is hilarious! Mat is racing Chris on his own trike.

 Big boy fall down go boom! Little boys close behind to check on big boy!

 The race continues...

 Outside fun with the John Deere tractor. It appears as if Mat is being dragged in this photo??? Chris looks smug...

 Making a man-made tunnel.

 Staging a photo with Owen while the tractor was dis-engaged for safety.

 Heavy load in the trailer...

 Chris has tested the weight limit for any and all toys... So far no casualties...

 Chris must get it from his dad, Papa..

 At Mat's house the fun continues with another scooter with wheels. Thank goodness for tile, the fun doesn't even need to go outside.

 Birthday boy chasing the Brits on his trike, adorned with balloons.

 Chris voted on a pinata for Mat, and offered to hold it, note his hand placement for protection.

 Chris is humoring me here for a photo of this geode. It's really big but he just wasn't into posing.

 Back in Cali, hanging with the Aubins, and yes, the dads have stolen the razors....I'm completely NOT surprised, in the least.

Boys and their toys...I am just along for the ride!

Arizona

We are very close to home but I thought I would post an update. We went to lake havasu for a week to visit with Chris's family. What a wonderful time! We enjoyed a whole day Xmas celebration with cousin Mat, and of course Chris's sisters and their Josh's.. Janet made an amazing spread as usual- a 22# turkey mmmm... Ate on that for a few days. Owen enjoyed some carefree play with Mat since he hadn't been to preschool all week. It was nice for them to play together without us cleaning Owens hands every 2 seconds. To sum up the week, Chris went shooting 4 times, and I even went once and tried my hand at 8 or so different guns. Janet watched Owen so I could go on a few different runs, my last one was 7 miles, felt so great, and notably easier without pushing the jogger stroller. Watched a couple movies, read the middle place book, visited, enjoyed a day of 75 degree weather, and Owen played with insane amounts of hot wheels. Owen has been eating higher volumes of food and for the last week even accepting a spoon with yogurt or puréed fruit on it. Sometimes up to 3/4 cup of yogurt! It has been great, at times we didn't tube him anything if he drank water also. It was so nice to have extra hands for basic things like showering, exercising, etc for such a long period of time. We had a total blast and Owen did too. Here are a few pics from my phone we are pulling up right now! Home sweet home!

Evan is home

A quick update, as I have had many awesome family and friends checking in on Evan. They went home yesterday. Lucky kid that his parents are both RN's, a hospital team is much more likely to discharge you in a timely manner. Xoxo keep healing Evan!

Update on Evan

Well I haven't chatted with Evan's Mom but I have received a few texts. Evan was in surgery from 8am-5pm. SERIOUSLY??? That itself is so crazy. It was long for a few reasons but mostly because they wanted to be meticulous in removing the tumor, and he was also getting radiation directly on the site. This is a special procedure that is done specifically at UCSF. He is recovering, and I guess there is an epidural in place for pain. The good news is that the tumor is OUT! I'm not quite sure what is ahead for them, but he made it through and now is working on getting better. Thank you for your good vibes sent their way, I can't imagine how exhausted they  must be after an all day surgery like that. Owen has had some long ones, but not like that...

Baby Evan's Surgery

Baby Evan (not so much a baby anymore...) is having his tumor removed tomorrow morning. I wish it were that easy. He is also getting direct radiation to the site. He has had 2 long rounds of chemo, and hopefully this surgery will get rid of that darn thing. Please pray, think, send love, whatever your agnostic equivalent is... for Evan and his parents. They need your support whether you know them or not. And also hug your kids and loved ones extra tight. Surgery and Cancer are things no one should undergo, let alone an 18month old. WE LOVE YOU EVAN!

Juneuary

We need rain. Bad. I have been watering my winter garden and that's just weird. I saw rain in the forecast for WEDNESDAY!!! WAHOOOOO!!!! It is scary to think about the seasonal problems that may happen with such a late winter.

January has already been moving very quickly. Owen is running now, and craving the outdoors just like his mama. He wakes, finds his shoes, finds me, sits down and throws his shoes by his feet for you to put them on him. Once on, he wiggles the door handle to go exploring. Turkey hunts, solar outdoor light installation, dirt playing, rock throwing, and tool finding are just a few morning activities we enjoy. Even bundled up, his lips turn a bit blue, but it never slows him down.

The irony of blogging is that so many things are bloggable, but sometimes documenting them, posting, etc, may take longer than the actual craft, activity, event, etc. My hats off to so many avid bloggers, it truly is a commitment. In the constant re-prioritizing of life, blogging sometimes goes by the wayside. I never stop taking pictures, or even thinking "this would be a great blog...".

I started work this week... I have been working at my "non job" as I have called it...A whopping 55 hours last year! That position was on-call Health Education RD teaching classes when people needed coverage. I recently have transferred into in-patient, with hopes of working around 2 days per week. Many shifts that I will work are between 4-6 hours, usually getting bumped up to 8 as needed. The position is still on-call which means no guaranteed hours, benefits, etc, but at least I have senority over one person...

Training this week was sure interesting. I have been working at home, overtime, for a long time, you know, the Owen job and all. But driving an hour, clocking in for 8, and driving back an hour+ was quite interesting. Initially I had 3 scheduled training days, but my trainer was so hopping this week I opted for another day. 32 hours this week, wahoo! I have missed the clinical realm of nutrition and am enjoying refreshing and brushing up on some topics that have been dormant in my brain.

So a salute to all the working Moms and Dads (yes a wide range of folks here), but it really takes a good team to make the week flow smoothly. Luckily Chris was off on 3/4 of the days so he was the home daddy. My mom is watching Owen on the other day this week so they will have a blast together.

Another career avenue right now, I am leading a Lap Band/ Gastric Bypass support group once a month on the second wednesday of each month. Last night the attendance was small. We are hoping to make this a success, so please contact me if you know of anyone who has had either the Lap or Bypass, and I would love to connect with them. It is free, and I am willing to give it a shot for another few months to see if attendance picks up. Group support is HUGE, and having an RD for an hour is a perk:).