Summer 2011

Well, here it is Summer of 2011 and we are in the full throws of enjoying having AJ around all the time as he has summer's off. Last week was his first full week with the kids and on day one I texted him to see how things were going and he replied with the fact the Maggie was cranky and it was a lot different having two kids! Last summer he had it made with Porter who was one and walking. This summer is a little different with a 2 year old and a 6 month old. But he will survive and the kids will have a great summer bonding with daddy.

And since I am not pregnant this summer, watch out yard and home projects that I can do, here I come. Well, maybe not all of them. I still have limitations as we have a 2 year old and a nursing 6 month old, but when they are napping, I am cutting down trees, trimming branches, mowing the lawn and laundry. Truth be told, I do laundry all the time whether the kids are sleeping or awake! AJ and his dad bought me a weed whacker and last year we bought a very nice lawn mower and some good clippers and trimmers and I am set. Like I said, watch out yard, I'll whip you in to shape.

But that is just the ongoings of owning a home. This spring AJ decided to build a chicken run and hen house with his Dad as Salem now allows for urban farming! We have chickens. AJ's mom calls the hen house the Taj-ma-Coop and says if she and Al fall on hard times, they can move in to that! It is really nice and beautiful and soon enough, the next couple months we should finally have eggs.

We also are going to paint our house this summer that we started the process on last summer. Currently, our house is yellow with brown trim and LARGE patches of gray primer. Very pretty. But by the time we got as far as we did last summer with the trim, school started up and then the rain came. So, we are getting it done this year, no excuses!

So that is the yard, the chickens, the house. And another project we have going is that our main floor we have two bedrooms. Currently, Maggie is sleeping in our room and she is ready for her own room. This means, we all have to make the shift. But before that can happen, we have to do some preparation in our room that we are remodeling in the basement. Long story short, the people that lived in the house before us tried to do home improvement and never should have. Thus, we have to redo pretty much everything and so that is what we are doing. Once we get the room in the basement par for us, we move down there, Porter moves to our room and Maggie gets Porter's room. But that means, painting each room and new bedding for Porter and Maggie and since we are getting a new room, why not new bedding for us as well! So goes the domino effect! Lori has been gracious with helping us with all this as she loves to decorate!

Our house feels like we get it clean to get it messy to get it clean to get it messy! But it is all good things and will help in the resale value someday and just allows the overall efficiency of our home while we live here.

And finally, a project for the fall. AJ's parents are remodeling their kitchen and purchased a new stove/oven and dishwasher. Their old ones were very nice in comparison to our very old and barely function stove and dishwasher. So sitting in our garage are their old ones to eventually replace ours with. The exciting thing is that the stove is gas and we currently have electric so I am looking forward to a gas stove as they are so much nicer to cook on. Shhhh, don't tell anyone I cook!

As you see we have a lot going on. All good things and we love getting our hands dirty and working. This is just all part of being a homeowner and I am looking forward to working one each of these projects. This is the summer of home projects!

Pamelia Lake

 On Thursday we took a 4 mile family hike up to Pamelia Lake and back. I wore Maggie in the front pack and AJ carried Porter in the back pack.

 But somebody has to carry some water and diapers too! So I had a pack on my back as well.

 It was a perfect day and the forest was beautiful.

 Our family. Maggie would follow AJ from the camera after he set the timer so we never could get her to look at the camera!

 We found some patches of snow!

 And the lake. Porter loved throwing rocks and twigs in to the lake.

 The beautiful lake.

 This was Maggie's spot to wiggle and move around while we ate lunch. She promptly grabbed a large handful of dirt and pine needles after laying her down and then tried to shove her hand in her mouth. Silly girl!

 This was also a great place for a diaper change for both the kids!

 Porter wore his only shoes that fit him and they are sandal like and I hate socks with sandals but it was just a little too chilly not to have socks on. Such a true Pacific Northwestener. Socks and sandals!

 Porter also loves walking with the trekking poles. He actually walked quite a bit on his own out of the pack. This was a great hike for him as no steep drop offs or intense hills.

 My loves!

 "What is the bright light? It is so bright!"

Maggie-lishous

Look at me, I am five months old!

Grand Floral Walk 2011

We all walked the Grand Floral Walk this year. Al, Lori, Jana, JJ, AJ, Finn, Porter, Maggie and myself. Fun was had by all. Here are a few pictures before we took off.

 Porter was a bit uncertain as there was a clown hanging around. 

 Maggie did really well and took a few naps in the stroller.

Lori and I made rose halos for all of us girls to wear. 

.processing.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. Life seems to be crazy for so many people. I can really only speak for myself and I do know for me and my family, life has been CRAZY. We are only 5 months in to 2011 and this year is one for the books as far as this DeBacker family goes. One year ago, we found out we were going to be adding a new member of the family only to find out 2 days later AJ's current job was receiving a cut in the number of hours and thus would spiral down to less pay and very high medical insurance costs. God then led AJ to a new job opportunity in July and what has been an amazing job for AJ with the Salem Keizer school district. He loves his job. It has ups and downs but then again what job doesn't. We felt blessed that God had provided AJ with a full time job and medical benefits. He was off and running with his new job and along came Maggie on January 16th. And what a whirlwind that was.

We were reeling. We hung tight to each other. We hugged each other, held our son and hugged our family and friends. We felt God wrapping his arms around us and we never ever felt alone. It was a time of fear of the unknown, trust in our almighty God and love like we have never experienced from everyone near and far, known and unknown around us. We prayed and cried. Cried and prayed. And tried to laugh and act normal every now and then. One week and a day after Maggie entered the world, blue and breathless, we were taking our baby home from the NICU. She entered the world on a cold, windy rainy night and we brought her home on a glorious, bright sunshine day!

So now we are four months out and I am still processing. I look at the medical bills that are coming in (no complaints as we have insurance and a beautiful daughter). I see all the things we want to do with our home. I dream about taking a vacation this summer and I hear of all the lay offs and job cuts the school district is making. And I am overwhelmed.

But God is gracious and all knowing and loves and cares about even the sparrows. So I know he still loves and cares about me.

Why am I struggling? AJ still has a job. I know, a huge AMEN, right? He is baffled and I am baffled and we know God has a reason and for this we are so so so thankful. Our daughter is thriving and is hitting milestones and impressing the doctors. She is babbling and rolling over just like a normal baby. We are astounded by her daily. Both of our kids are beautiful and amazing and such "easy" kids that I honestly couldn't ask for me. So again, I ask, why I am struggling?

I guess when I pictured life after my baby girl in 2011, I pictured it differently. And yes, I know, this is a stage of the nonn stop nursing, fully reliant on you baby stage. I am not complaining. This will be over soon. It is all the other things I wasn't expecting. Traumatic birth, ambulance rides, NICU, medical bills, ER trip, family sickness, broken water heater, giving away one of our dogs, finding more and more gray hairs on my head. This is just life, right? Well, I guess I just feel like my turn at life should be over. It is time for another person's turn. You know, when you play the game of life and you drive the pink car, spin the wheel and do your turn. Now it is the blue cars turn.

Please don't feel like I am complaining. God has given us sooo many things as well. In no means does this post lessen all the things we have been given. Just processing. Writing is so cathartic. Just getting it out helps me some. And now the blog world knows how I am feeling. Overwhelmed but blessed. Kind of a weird place to be, I guess.

Enough processing and rambling. I'm out.

Cute kid videos

Porter's favorite number is 2 and he loves saying it. He is also a math whiz! Check him out...

2 days shy of turning 4 months old, Maggie decides it is time to roll from her back to her belly.

Goodbye, Ellie...

AJ and I were married in July of 2003. I moved to Vegas to join AJ who was already living there as he had another year or so left of school I was in a new city, newly married and didn't find a job right away. AJ was working and going to school, so I was at home a lot and lonely. Well, I started looking at getting a dog. By September of 2003 I found our first dog, Lucy. She is a rat terrier, chiuaua mix. She is the black and white dog. We loved her and thought she was pretty cute and fun.

But then, I got a job and then I got a second job. I was rarely home and if I was home, I was most likely sleeping. AJ was still working and going to school, so our new puppy was not getting a whole lot of socialization. So by June of 2004, we thought it would be a good idea to get a second dog so they could be pals to each other. And that is when Ellie, the white miniature schnauzer entered our lives.

She was a wild and crazy puppy and we just chalked it up to the idea that she was in the pet store for around 6 months. That is a long time in a pet store. We took her home and instantly she was the alpha dog. She was in charge. Now fast forward to April of 2009 and we now have our little baby Porter. Ellie was fine when Porter was a little baby but as soon as Porter could crawl, we had a minor incidence of Ellie getting very territorial of her bed that Porter had decided would be fun to crawl in to. I was devastated but just couldn't bring myself to admit that Ellie might do this again.

Unfortunately, she did a couple other minor times but truly, she and Lucy would often be locked in the basement all day when we were home as I just didn't feel comfortable if I was in the kitchen and the dogs were out with Porter in the living room. Then Maggie came along and now she is getting to a stage of rolling and will be scooting and crawling very soon. Ellie had to go. She just isn't the best with kids. She is loyal with all her heart to AJ and I, but saw the kids as a cramp in her loyalty to us. And that just wasn't going to work.

Lori, my mother in law, found a wonderful person (the lady who does her nails) that was interested in taking Ellie. It sounds like a match made in heaven. No kids at home and she will be able to fully spoil Ellie and I am sure we will get updates on her from time to time.

I will miss my Ellie dog. She was a fun dog and had the quirkiest ability to howl. It was pretty cute. Goodbye, sweet girl. I know you will be much happier with your new family.

 

My last picture of Ellie. She was getting groomed the next day. She was so shaggy!

 Ellie and our other dog Lucy. They rarely shared a bed.

Look at my new haircut!