We're back!

Well our vacation is officially over! We're back from mom and dad's and had GREAT time. It was so relaxing, in fact most of the time was spent lounging and playing in the pool. Cam and Papa had a boys day and hit the movies. The girls were NOT invited. They saw Night at the Museum 2 and loved it. The bucket of popcorn and huge soda was a bonus. Mom and I made a few trips to the casino - let's just say I was not able to submit a letter of resignation upon my return. But we had so much fun with our "girl" time. Cam did some skating at one of the best skate parks we've been to and had fun. It was nice to kind of get away and take our mind off the sad days we had last week. Bryan managed while we were gone, imagine that, and got quite a few things done around the house. He said it was kind of weird around here without the dog, which I found to be true once we came home. You expect her to be over here while you're doing this, and over there when you do that. She always had a "spot" in whatever it was we were doing around the house. And coming into the house, she was always right there at the door, sooooo excited to see you. Bryan and Cam were swimming tonight and it was definitely odd not to hear her barking - same with the doorbell. It sort of just echoed throughout the house, without the barking accompanying it. I think Hayden was a bit down also - probably didn't help that Cam and I left him for a week. I'd probably be depressed if I were him too - being left with Bryan. But he also seems to be better, maybe it's because we've "rescued" him. And ... believe it or not, I did not take ONE picture while we were there. I had my camera, with me most of the time, but it just never came out. However, we did get one picture: Air Force One. Obama was flying into Vegas about an hour or so before we were flying out. So ... on our way to the airport, he flew over. It was pretty cool. You can see the plane right above the Mercedes.

Cam and I worked on the project below for his teacher, and he gave it to her on the last day. I had heard about it and we thought we'd try it ... ... it's actually a glass vase with pencils attached to it. So of course, we filled it up for her. Thought it turned out pretty cute and she LOVED it!

Well I didn't get much done last week with all the drama going on, so needless to say I've been absolutely slammed with work. I was in the office yesterday, so Bryan and Cam had fun hanging out together. He was home today and will be tomorrow also, but skate camp starts next week, so that's a good thing - for all of us! Below are some pictures of Shelby, as promised. :) They brought back some good memories, and it felt good to actually talk about it without tears. Something we're working really hard on! Cam has been doing much better, so just giving it some time seems to be the answer!

Looking through our pictures, it was amazing to find how close she is to Cam in most of them. She certainly was never far from him when he was little, that's for sure. (And her ball was never far from her either ... :)

Cam playing with Shelby and her ball

Shelby watching Cam to make sure he didn't try and get through the gate we had in our old house. It kept him out of the kitchen, mostly because of the dog's food and water bowls. It didn't stop her though - she hurdled that gate like it was nothing.

Cam is almost 8 months old here - and fully protected!

This one was taken about a week after Cam was born. You comment on people and how "young" they look in pictures, I suppose you forget animals also looked young. She was just a pup!

"Daddy ... can you see my ball under there?"

We'll Miss You!

Yesterday was a very sad day for the Peterson's. We had to put Shelby to sleep. The past few days (and probably month or so now that we look back on it) she had been behaving very oddly. To make a long Monday and Tuesday short, she tore up the drywall in the laundry room in an attempt to get out. Both times we were away when she did this. Wednesday she continued to act strangely and Bryan took her to the vet where he said she was showing signs of dementia, and that it would just get worse. She was 14 years old, had a difficult time seeing with her cataracts, and her safety was also a concern with our stairs, the pool, etc. The vet was afraid that she might also turn her aggression towards us or someone else. Obviously a risk we couldn't take. Cameron had a really rough night - we all did, actually - but it is so heartbreaking to watch a child grieve the loss of a pet. Bryan and I tried to "get it all out" while we could before Cam came home from school, but we all still have our moments. She was a fabulous dog, so energetic and full of life. She definitely deserves to be in a place where she can have that again. She was Cameron's guard dog and took extra special care to let us know when she thought he was "in trouble." We have to constantly remind ourselves that we KNOW she is in a better place and not suffering in any way. Cam and I are leaving tonight for Vegas, so I don't have time to post pictures at the moment. But I will be certain to post some of our favorites soon.

On a bit of a happier note, Cameron has officially advanced to the 4th grade! He made the HONOR ROLL - AGAIN! and we are so proud of the year he had at this new school. Let the Summer Vacation begin! Wahoo! (Thank goodness I stocked up on my wine last week ....) :)

Tuesday's Tales

We didn't make it out to the lake last Saturday, but we did board the USS Enterprise for a bit. :) It was dinner and a movie night for the Peterson's. Let's just get this straight - we are NOT Trekkies by any means. Apparently I watched Star Trek growing up, at least according to mom, but still not sure if that's because it just happened to be on the TV or what. I do remember that when it was on, there was nothing else playing on any other channels, so maybe it was a last resort effort on my part. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew the characters, and the movie was fantastic. Honestly. Not a real sci-fi buff, and as stated before, definitely not trekkies, but this was a great movie. It was humorous, and had a great plot line. And it's a good thing Cameron was with us. At one point in the movie they mention Saturn and that they're headed for Titan. Cam leans over to me and whispers that Titan is Saturn's largest moon. I did not know that. And apparently he didn't think I would either. I highly recommend the movie. It is a bit long, and we didn't get out of the movie until almost 10:00, so we hit Denney's. It was open and EVERYBODY got what they wanted. :) Great time had by all. Sunday, well that original plan stuck: yard work. But after a few hours of planting, weeding, mowing, trimming and swimming and sunburning, we got the backyard done.

It's Tuesday, which means Cam has exactly a day and a half left of school. Thank god. Seriously. I'm ready to be done with making sure uniforms are clean and somewhat wrinkle free (We live in Arizona, do you have any idea when I used my iron last?), homework and projects, etc., etc. And, I'm thinking there must be a little bit of short-timers with his fellow third grade boys because the lunchtime and recess soccer games have gotten brutal. There's the usual name calling - "I'm better than you", "You suck", "I wasn't even trying and I'm still better", - and then the pushing, and "stealing" of the ball, etc. Then the teacher's aide steps in, the the teacher has to get in on it, and then the warning slips get sent home. Now, if Cam's instigating these little rumblings, and physically bullying, then yes, I'll whoop his little behind. But from the sounds of it, some of these kids just really need to shed the bubble wrap their mommies' dress them in before they leave the house, and grow some you-know-what's. Get over it. It's soccer, not checkers. Go swing or something if you don't like it, right? Anyway, that's almost over too. One more day. What could happen on the 2nd to the last day of school, right? RIGHT? He brought his "My 3rd Grade Stories" book home, short stories they write every Friday. It is quite the collection. I will be sure and share some of them soon. He also brought his yearbook home, and spent most of the evening pointing out all his friends, in every grade, and then of course, the "jerks" from the soccer games. And he didn't waste any time with his pen and doodling. He is right. Some of them actually do look better with mustaches.

Which brings us to Thursday. Rest and relaxation is just around the corner. Vegas. Cam deserves it. I deserve it. Bryan deserves it the most, but I'm pretty sure he'll find plenty of ways to take care of that while we're gone. :)

Out of the Mouth of ... Cameron

"Moooooommmmm ... my scab fell off in the pool. Third one today. Mom? Did you hear me?" Yes. I heard you. Excuse me while I go gag and check my suit for any scabs that may be stuck to it.

"I only have a couple of days left of school. How about I just skip today? We can play video games or something?" Nice try bub. I don't think so.

"Well I'll find out for sure on Thursday whether I passed 3rd grade or not. I'm pretty sure I did. You shouldn't worry about it."

I know. I suck.

5 days since the last post? What is that all about? Seriously. My deepest apologies for standing you all up. It's been quite a week. Nothing too drastic, the usual, with a few extra appointments mixed in. You know, life in general. Cameron officially has 3 1/2 days left of school and then he is finished with 3rd grade. Forever. Do you have any idea what this means? I am a mother to a soon-to-be 4th grader.

A 4TH GRADER!

Where does the time go? He's VERY excited to be done with school and start his summer, and we're not wasting any time. We leave Thursday night for mom and dad's for another visit. The last one was interrupted by dad's hospital stay, so we are REALLY looking forward to spending some time there. Good news from Portland: Uncle Dave is out of the hospital. Miracles/Prayers/Good thoughts do truly work in wondrous ways. He was taken off the ventilator a couple of weeks ago, and to be perfectly honest, the prognosis was not good. But he pulled through incredibly, and surprised everyone. He is very tired, but feeling good and so glad to be home. Last weekend we hit the lake for the first time. It was absolutely gorgeous. Water temp was about 79, and with the outside temp around 101, it felt great! Bryan did some wakeboarding, and Cam had some more lessons. He actually got up this time, the longest ever, and was so excited. Below are some pics from the lake ... from last weekend. I know, I need to get on the ball and post these in a more timely manner. Sorry. At any rate - enjoy your weekend! Think we're heading out on the boat again today, yardwork is on the agenda for tomorrow, and that about covers our weekend. Sounds pretty good if you ask me. Okay, maybe not the yardwork, but I'll take it. Any day without drama is a good one in my book!

When you are a mother ...

... you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

~Sophia Loren

I saw this yesterday, and thought it was so appropriate. Just wanted to share!

Happy Mother's Day

To All The Mothers Out There:

May the love you've given others come full circle back to you.

Thank you for ALL you do to make life so much greater and brighter.

You make life happier for so many others

and you make everyday something to celebrate!

Well I hope everyone is having a fabulous Mother's Day! Cameron woke me up this morning to snuggle, and then asked if I wanted to open his present yet. I asked him what time it was and he said, "Well it's ALMOST seven." But then he fell asleep for a bit, so that was nice. :) When I woke up again there was breakfast and coffee downstairs, beautiful flowers (see above), and a FANTASTIC hammock in the backyard. It is the perfect spot for me to catch some rays by the pool, or hang out with a great book. It was Cam's idea, Bryan said, but he financed it. :) Then there was Cameron's masterpiece, that he has been talking about all week. In fact, when he came home with it on Friday, he wanted to know if I wanted to open it. I told him I would wait. He was so excited! As he should be ... I've taken some pics of the book he made, and each page so you could get the full effect of how perfect it is.

If you cried, it's okay.
So did I.
In fact, I read it through three different times, and cried each time.
Wonder if that will pass?
Probably not.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Her and dad are in Portland visiting with my Uncle, and right where they should be. Mom - I hope for you a day of peace and contentment. Thanks for all you have done, and all you continue to do for Theresa and I and the rest of the family. We are headed out to see Denise later today, and wish her a Happy Mother's Day as well! She definitely deserves it. Kudos to her for putting up with Bryan all these years. Ha! Our day will be spent relaxing here, Bryan needs to mow the lawn, so Cam and I will be lounging in the pool. I'm not sure it gets any better than that.

Just for this morning ...

It is inevitable. I don't care how many times I read this, I cry. Every single time. Hug your children. Tell them you love them. Be thankful for their presence. Be thankful for how truly blessed you are.

Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face.

Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles..

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys..

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just! for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given. I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore. And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day.....

25 Reasons I Owe My Mother

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I'd share the following "Momism's" ...

It is a bit long, but well worth it!

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.

'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'




2. My mother taught me RELIGION.

'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'




3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .

'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'




4. My mother taught me LOGIC.

'Because I said so, THAT'S why.'




5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.

'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'




6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.

'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'




7. My mother taught me IRONY.

'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'


8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.

'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'




9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.

'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'




10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.

'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'




11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.

'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'


12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.

'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'


13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'


14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.

'Stop acting like your father!'


15. My mother taught me about ENVY.

'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'


16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.

'Just wait until we get home.'



17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.

'You are going to get it when you get home!'


18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.

'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'


19. My mother taught me ESP.

'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'


20. My mother taught me HUMOR.

'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'


21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.

'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'



22. My mother taught me GENETICS.

'You're just like your father.'


23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.

'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'


24. My mother taught me WISDOM.

'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'


25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.


'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!'

Mean Moms

In honor of the upcoming Mother's Day weekend, I thought I would post a few of my favorite "mom" related material. :) This one is SOOOO true! Our mom was the MEANEST! :)



We had the meanest mom in the whole world!


While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.

When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.

And you can guess our mom fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.

Mom insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.


We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds. Then, life was really tough! Mom wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.

While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property, or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was. I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms anymore.

Ola!

Well that's about the extent of my Spanish vocabulary. Except that I can order beer, and ask where the bathroom is. What else is there? Happy Cinco de Mayo! It's a skate night, so maybe we'll hit Taco Bell. "Running for the Border" has such a different meaning when you live in Arizona. I'm pretty sure I'll have a corona or two to honor the day. As if I need a reason. Anyhoo ... The weekend wasn't as exciting as we planned, although it was a most welcome, mellow and relaxing time. Did not hit the lake like we wanted to, we had extremely high winds here. This generally means the wind at Saguaro lake is twice as bad. Not my idea of fun, I hate it when I spill my drink, and certainly not ideal wake boarding conditions. So ... we putzed around here, caught up on some TV shows, watched some basketball, ran some errands, and just enjoyed the sunny (but windy) weather a bit.

My uncle is still in the hospital. The surgery on Friday evening was successful, I suppose, in that they drained a quart and a half of pus from his lungs. I know, sorry, I hope nobody was eating. He is still sedated, and on the ventilator. Unsure of when they will proceed with letting him breathe on his own, they just don't think he can do it on his own right now. His lungs were pretty stressed from the pneumonia and the fluid that built up, and apparently now there is some sort of an infection and he has a fever. So ... the waiting/hoping/praying game is still on.

Hayden is now on his 6th lizard of the season, a bit early I believe. Now these are ones that he has actually made it into the house with. One I intercepted on the patio as he was bolting across the lawn headed for the doggie door. Bryan found one in my shower running around, thank god he took his shower first. That would NOT have been pretty. There's been a couple in the living room, one in my office, and one that never actually made it out of his mouth, as we caught him the minute he came in. It was rather comical trying to catch him and throw him back out before he "dropped" off his gift. Oh, and then there was a bird. I'm thinking this was his way of apologizing to me. Earlier in the day he had knocked over the lamp on my desk, which knocked off several books, which knocked off a report in progress off my desk. Needless to say I had papers everywhere and had to put them all back in order. Wasn't happy, and scolded him a bit. :0) So I guess I could blame myself for that bird. He brought it in while we were all upstairs, and just very neatly had it laying in between a pair of mine and Bryan's shoes. At least it wasn't in the shoes. But I'll tell ya - I walk around the house constantly looking before I take a step, pretty much the same process we take in avoiding dog poop in the backyard. It's gonna be a long summer. And it's not even summer yet.

Cam was very irritated that I hadn't updated his bookshelf. He's been done with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw for a while now, and in fact, for the first time, he had a choice about which book he wanted to use for his report. He read three in the amount of time allotted. This last book he finished in about 4 days or so. That's my boy. I'm so glad he understands what it's like to read a book that you truly enjoy. He is a bit bummed, however, because apparently the next book in the series doesn't come out until August.

Bryan's still working his tail off. Still dealing with $#@& at work and trying his best to leave it before he comes home. I know it's not easy.

Okay - not too exciting, but at least your caught up. Have a great day!

And on another side note ... what a great day to have a BIRTHDAY! There will always be parties, and people ready to celebrate. You sure don't have to look far. Happy Birthday Heth! We miss you and wish we could be with you today! (If it helps, I'm buying you your first drink of the day ... glance to your left there - see that nice frosty margarita? (At least I HOPE it's your first drink ... it isn't even 7:00. Unless maybe you indulged in a little Bloody Mary with a nice buffet for breakfast?) Whatever's clever - it's your birthday and you can do WHATEVER you want! Have a great day! :)

Friday. Finally.

And the news for today is ... TGIF. Seriously. I could stop right now, and that would be enough of a post for the day. It says it all. What a week! I woke Cam up this morning, and the first thing he said was: "Mom. It's Friday. Finally." I'm hearin' what your hollerin' boy! So the week has been full of late work days for Bryan - not sure if there's an end in sight anytime soon. Apparently things are so bad with the equipment and operations of the business that a couple of guys have just up and walked away from their routes. That's pretty bad. When your "office equipment" ain't working, well it doesn't make it real easy to do your job.

As much as he'd love to, let's hope he doesn't act on a whim and "walk away". Honey - if you're reading this, (remember the blog was his way of keeping up with the family this week...) please remember that I am NOT the breadwinner in the family. Okay, that's done. Let's see, Cam's got exactly 15 1/2 days left of school. He's just a tad bit excited about that fact. Today is his last day of another week of assessment testing, we've got one more Book Report due next week, and 2 more Friday's of spelling, language, phonics, and math tests. Geez. Whatever happened to taking it easy on Friday? At any rate, he's worked his little buns off this year and is extremely deserving of that break. Summer Skate Camp has been announced, so of course we're all over that. Nothing new with me. Just working. And trying to keep on laundry. And watering the yard. I'll be damned if all those flowers we planted are gonna die on me.

I suppose the biggest drawback of the week has been Uncle Dave's condition. It seems he went by ambulance to the hospital yesterday morning because of chest pains, and found out that it was due to the fluid in his lungs. Large amounts, enough that a thoracentis wouldn't cut it, they are doing surgery today to drain it. He'll be in the hospital for the next few days or so recovering. Pneumonia is still there, and from experience we know that this is not a good thing. Now is the time for prayers.

To end on a bit of a happier note, dad is clear of his pneumonia, lungs are clear. The anti-fungal medicine for the valley fever is causing the fatigue, so he was very excited about that. Knowing he only has another couple of months of it, and then he'll be on his way back to normal was HUGE!!! A lung cavity developed from the valley fever, and the doctor thought he actually had the valley fever for about 6 mos-1 year before symptoms showed up, This also explains some of his tiredness. He is totally immune to valley fever now, he'll never get it again. They were headed to do some follow-up chest x-rays, although the images might not show any change in the size of the lesion just yet, because valley fever is such a slow "growing" and "going" condition. Other than that it's all good! Yay for good news! He (they/we) certainly needed it!

As of right now, the weekend appears to be clear and free ... of anything. Skate practice is tonight, sleeping in tomorrow, and I'm sure laundry. Who knows? Maybe we'll get the boat out of the garage and clear the cobwebs. It's about that time of year to start hitting the lake again!

One for the Cameron Chronicles: Bryan is on the couch with the laptop, Cameron is leaning over the arm of the couch looking at the screen. Bryan tells me to come over there and take a look at the screen - I honestly still have no idea what it was they were looking at. Probably cars. Or wheels. Anyway, I'm leaning over the front of the laptop when Cameron says, "Excuse me! Your blossoms are in the way of the screen." Oh my god. Thought I was gonna pee. Thought Bryan was gonna pee. I looked at Cam and corrected him by saying that these were in no way blossoms, but more like rhododendrons. Then he had to ask what a rhodoendron was. Never mind. It was perfect timing for me to go back to whatever it was I was doing.

On a happy side note ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my BESTEST friends in the whole wide world! Kerry - I hope your little part of the world is perfect today! Even with our busy schedules, things never change with us. We always catch right up where we left off. I love that about our friendship and truly cherish it. Have fun today - lunch is on me (next week?) I Love you Scary! :)