I didn't think this through...

I have been meaning to get Summer a butterfly habitat for ages.  She loves animals, probably more than anything else.  Perfect gift idea, right?  Wrong.  I forgot about one thing that makes her very very sad...saying goodbye to animals.  And that is exactly what you have to do, after watching these tiny little caterpillars grow, build cocoons, and hatch into beautiful butterflies, is let them go.

It was very exciting when she opened the gift on Christmas morning!

It was even more exciting to send away the little coupon for our caterpillars.

And even more exciting to watch them grow.

And again, more exciting to see them build cocoons.

And the MOST exciting of all was to watch them emerge from their cocoons as beautiful butterflies.

Summer got to play with them for an entire week before we had to release them.  She took such good care of them, talked to them, and protected them from the kitties.  She was heartbroken when we had to release them.

Luckily we had a beautiful sunny day.  We got to watch them fly freely, which made Summer less sad.

But I learned my lesson....never again.

Visitors from Idaho

When your child drives 12 hours through snow and rain to introduce you to her boyfriend, should you be worried?!

We had a great (but too short) visit with Kya and Clayton!  Too bad Mike was stuck in bed the entire time (recovering from surgery), but bonus that Clayton got to spend a lot of time in our room haha.  That's definitely not normal for most of our kids' friends:)

I was so worried about their drive back to Idaho because there was a ton of snow in the forecast, but thankfully they made it safely...at about 2am-yikes.  I heard it was quite the messy conditions.  Maybe next time they should come in the summer.

Florence Nightingale Effect

 The month of February is not only Jordan's birthday month, it is also a month to celebrate LOVE.  I get out my red and pink garland and trees, my sparkly hearts and my signs that say "love".  I buy boxes of chocolates for the kids, and I try to plan a date night for me and Mike.

(I had to sneak in a picture from Jordan's 21st birthday!!!!)

BUT...this year my Valentine decided to change things up and start the month off with major knee surgery.  So I spent the month of "love" serving my valentine...endlessly.  And...I think only one of us experienced the "Florence Nightingale Effect" and it wasn't me;)  

Mike has struggled with sports injuries for as long as I've known him.  Actually, when I met him, he was recovering from a sprained ankle.  He destroyed his shoulder playing volleyball.  And, a few years ago, he retired from soccer because he would get injured just about every time he would play.  It's also not unusual to get a call asking me to "get the ice packs ready" after Tuesday night basketball.  But when this last injury happened, I knew it was more serious.  Instead of "get the ice packs ready", it was "I'm going to need you to help me in from the car."

After that phone call, came months filled with doctor visits, x-rays, MRIs, and a LONG break from sports.  Finally, Mike was faced with a decision...either surgery OR recover enough to walk normally, but never really play sports again.  There was really no choice...he moved forward with the surgery.

We knew recovery would be long and difficult, but I wasn't really prepared for how much pain he would be in and how little he would be able to move around (duh, what did we think long and difficult meant?!).  When they called from the hospital to tell me he was done with surgery (2hrs later than I expected, which absolutely freaked me out!!), they told me Mike was having a hard time managing the pain, so they had to give him a ton of meds.  When I picked him up, he was in rough shape.  

(Day 1)

(Lovely gifts)

The first week or so was really terrible.  We managed to get him upstairs (not an easy task) and set up in our bed.  Once he was upstairs, he wasn't' coming down for a while!!  Our days were filled with bringing up and down ice bottles, bringing up and down water, food, meds, managing pain, and adjusting and struggling with his brace and bandages.  We even had to buy a shower chair:/  

(Much more comfortable set up upstairs...

I took up residence in Kya's room since Mike needed the entire bed!)

(When we finally took off the bandage to see the damage)

It was hard watching Mike in so much pain and struggle with not being able to do much.  I had no problem helping him...but after about week 5 it started to get old haha.  Luckily that is about when he started to get more independent!!  Now he is 8 weeks post-op!  He can walk (with a limp) and he isn't in pain (thank goodness).  His knee still swells when he walks or stands for any amount of time, and its going to be a long road (9 months ish) back to playing sports.  But, I think he's happy he got it done!!

(Callie loved how much time Mike spent in bed, haha....always someone to sleep on)

I am ready to have my husband back!  I have missed having someone to help lift things, reach things, go to Home Depot, work in the yard with me, go to church with me...heck I'm just excited he can come downstairs for dinner and put his dishes away!  I may not have enjoyed the "taking care" of him part, but it really has made me appreciate all Mike does for me and our family.  Maybe I did experience a little of the "Florence Nightingale Effect" after all:)

A Reason to Celebrate

After missing Christmas in Canada, we were determined not to miss Eric's baptism!  It was snowy, covid tests were near impossible to find, Kya was already back in Idaho, and Jordan had school.  But the rest of us made it up there...and I am so glad we did.  It was a special weekend, and I truly treasure any time with family (especially since it's harder to come by these days).  

I got to see my Dad's headstone (finally).  The gravesite was so serene and beautiful covered in snow.  I imagine the cemeteries in Finland would look similar.  I feel like I can't go to Canada now without visiting my Dad...even if it is just his grave.  I still miss him so much.  

It's so nice that I was able to see all 3 of my sisters.  I really love these ladies and wish I could spend more time with them!

We got to stay at Mom's house.  We all love visiting with mom, and her house really still feels like home to me.  Summer loves that Grandma lets her have anything at her house that she says she likes haha.

And most importantly we got to celebrate Eric!  So exciting that he got to be baptized on his 8th birthday.  We absolutely love that boy, and are so grateful that Summer has a cousin her age to play with.  I hope they are this close forever:)

Snow: Friend or Foe?

I am starting to understand why my parents always hated when it snowed!  Over these past few years, snow has really been a pain in my butt!  Between closing schools, to causing accidents, to cancelling parties, to not being able to leave my house...to THIS YEAR, WHEN IT CANCELLED MY TRIP TO CANADA😢.  That's right, after finally finding a place to get a covid test on Christmas Eve, then spending 3 hours driving and waiting in line for covid tests, then waiting and checking for results, we couldn't even go because of all the snow.  Snow is on my last nerve! 

But it still is beautiful...and a little fun.

And look how cute the kitties are when they share Summer's snow pants:)

Who stole the trampoline?

I woke up one Saturday morning and our trampoline was gone!!!! 

Then I went upstairs and looked a little closer.  

Can you see it?  Over the fence and across the street?!  I guess it was a little windy--yikes!

I called Mike and he rushed home with a friend (and a guy walking by) and we hurried it back across the street and heaved it over the fence and into our yard.  I still can't believe the wind was strong enough to carry it all the way over!  AND that it didn't get run over...or hurt anyone! 

Our Christmas was Complete

The kitties were adorable

The decorating was delightful

The baking was delicious

The gifts were cherished

The festivities were enjoyed

The family was together

The blessings were immeasurable

Merry Christmas!

Sweet Tooth?

You can't force this kid to do anything she doesn't want to do!  Her tooth was hanging by a thread, but she would not let anyone pull it.  After weeks, even months of wiggling, she said "um....mom" and I looked over and she was holding her tooth in her hand!  All it took was a bite into a chocolate covered marshmallow:)