Cambrie's First

It's hard to believe that this sweet little baby is already a year old. What a fun 12 months it has been! We celebrated her birthday on Saturday (yes, I am slow posting) with cake, pizza and the movie "UP." (She didn't stay up for the movie but we enjoyed family time with Grandma Kerr on Cambrie's behalf.) We sure love this little girl and cannot even imagine our world without her in it!

Master, the tempest is raging

I just realized I never posted about our adventurous trip to Washington DC a week(+) ago. We went for the sealing of Greg's sister's family. We also happened to go the weekend of a monumental and historical blizzard which almost shut down the temple and literally crippled the city for days. (Who knew DC normally gets as much snow in a SEASON as they got in 24 hours on December 18-19th?)
All-in-all, miracles truly did happen and the Beard family was sealed for Time and All Eternity on December 19, 2009. We were grateful to be a part of it.

Thank you

Merry Christmas

Yeah, Yeah...I know, it's a day late. The cards still sitting on my counter are a constant reminder. But, I am out of stamps...and excuses. It is what it is. We hope you had a great day and that you are enjoying the holidays.

Losing a tooth

Tower City

Visiting Tower City in downtown Cleveland during the holidays is a hit-and-miss tradition for us. (Is there such a thing as a hit-and-miss tradition?) The first time I went was when Greg and I were newly married and living in Utah. We'd come out for Thanksgiving and went down to see the lights and the soldier with his family.
We missed a few years living on the East side, but have tried to get down there these past few years -- mostly thanks to Jennie and Ted who plan it and then invite us to tag along.
That is what happened yesterday. Greg was at a meeting all day and I just wasn't sure I was up for taking the kids down to the crowds and chaos after Addysen's soccer game. The kids talked me into it however, and we survived thanks to Jennie and Ted's willingness to help keep track of everyone. It was fun -- although disappointing that Tower City didn't have many of their usual decorations (including Bruce the Talking Spruce) on display.

*This post will be more interesting when I can get blogger to accept my pictures. LAME*

I shouldn't have.

Greg is out of town. It's been a busy week and I haven't been home with my kids at bedtime for three days in a row.

So, tonight, I decided to forgo "me" time and stopped at the redbox after a lovely 1.5 hour adventure with Kenzie and Brynnley at Walmart.

Time for a chick flick. I invited Addysen and Cannon to watch with me if they wanted.

Granted, I'm way behind the times. "Marley & Me" came out quite a while ago (was it one year or two?) But, in my defense, I was warned that I shouldn't see it. You see, our yellow lab, Kerrdog, looked an awful lot like Marley. We got him as a puppy - from a farm -- probably to fill some void when having children wasn't happening on our timetable.

It was a love/hate relationship from the beginning. Mostly love...but there were moments...
Sadly, I distinctly remember attempting to take him for a walk one day -- only to end up giving him a kick. He was so excited about the walk, I couldn't get the leash on, he jumped up and scratched me -- and in the process knocked over and broke a planter on the front porch. So what did I do in my frustration? I gave him a little kick. I then bawled my eyes out wondering, "What kind of mom will I ever be if I can't even control a dog? If I get this mad at a dog...how will I ever make it as a mom?" It was a sobering thought.

Oh...the memories.

I'll spare you... most of them.

It's not like the movie is even THAT great. But it sure seemed to parallel my life in many ways. The job changes, the moves, the miscarriage (***IF you haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled - stop reading NOW.), the love of journalism and writing, the snowball fights, the "clean-up," chasing the dog down the street (in my case, I was 8 months pregnant when he escaped the fence and roamed the neighborhood--oh the name-calling.) the highs and lows of marriage and parenting...all with the beloved, obnoxious dog along the way.

So much like my life.

And even the death. Kerrdog died a traumatic death -- his stomach flipped and there was nothing to be done. Even if we'd caught it earlier - he was too old for surgery. He died in the car on the way to the hospital.

Sigh...

I don't even consider myself an animal lover. An animal-liker, maybe...but I'm not extreme.

I haven't bawled during a movie for a really, long time. But bawl I did tonight. As did Addysen and Cannon. (Addysen's friends that are spending the night got a little choked up as well - but they likely thought we had lost it altogether.) I quickly shooed the girls downstairs after the movie as I could tell Cannon was really struggling to keep his composure.

Whew -- that movie hit a little too close too home. I should have heeded the warning of our friend...but I certainly didn't expect that much emotion after 2.5 years.

I guess life's just like that...suprises all along the way.