Norway

For my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary their children gave them the trip of a lifetime. My grandpa is Norwegian and he's always wanted to go to Norway to study his ancestry. So on May 10th, they all headed off to Norway for a vacation. They had a great time and they all learned so much about that side of their family history. I just wanted to post the pictures of their trip for everyone to see. The first picture is everyone in Bergen, Norway. From the back left: Uncle Doug, Aunt Donna, Dad, Mom, Uncle David, Aunt Jeanette, and my grandparents in front. The second picture is my grandparents working together to learn about Grandpa's family.

Heartache

On May 15th, 2007, we had to put our dear Ella to sleep (she was only 7 years old). She hadn't been eating her food, and when she did eat her food she would throw it all up. I took her to the vet on Thursday, May 10th and they did blood work and x-rays on her. They didn't find anything except that she had really bad arthritis. She was put on 5 pills a day for her tummy ache and arthritis and we were sent home. She did great until Saturday night (just like all kids - they're always well until the doctor's office is closed!). She started throwing up her water. I took her back in early Monday morning and they ran a barium test on her. The barium stayed in her tummy and they found out that her tummy was really stretched out and there was some sort of blockage. They wanted to do exploratory surgery on Tuesday to find out what was wrong. They thought that she had eaten a diaper and that they just couldn't see it on the x-ray. They called me at noon on Tuesday when they were ready to open her up. About 10 minutes later they called back and told me that they had found inoperable stomach cancer. I could try radiation and chemotherapy or they could call a specialist in to look at her, but Joe and I decided not to prolong her pain. Also, they found arthritis in her legs and pelvis and in her back and they told me that it was very painful for her. Will, Lauren, and I were in the car on the way home from the park when they called. Joe was out of town on a call, so I had to handle Ella with the kids. We drove straight to the vet and Will and I got to say goodbye. She was still under anesthesia on the operating table (we decided that it would be too hard on her to wake up so we could say goodbye), but Will and I gave her kisses and told her goodbye.

This has been so hard on us. Ella was our first baby and she was part of our family. Since I stay home, Ella was with me all day and I really miss her company. On Tuesday, Will kept crying and screaming, "I want my Ella back." He and Ella were great pals and they did everything together. He would always talk to her like she was a person and she was his first friend. We have tried to explain that Ella was so sick that the doctors couldn't fix her and they had to call Jesus so he could fix her. The only way that Jesus can fix her is if she goes to live with him in Heaven. Jesus took her pain away and now she feels better. Of course, Will wants to go to Heaven to see Ella and he asks often, "When can we go get Ella back from Jesus?" He wanted to see the picture of Jesus with Ella in his little Bible, too. Last night when we were driving home from the mall, Will said, "She's not going to throw up anymore." It was just right out of the blue. I can tell that he thinks about her often and that he really misses her. I can understand because I miss her, too. She was the best dog and she loved us so much. We will miss her and we're looking forward to seeing her again.

I've posted some pictures of Ella with the kids over the past year. She was loved by everyone and our hearts ache for her.

30....

Yesterday (May 11) was my 30th birthday. It was a wonderful day for me. I spent most of the day with my two beautiful children. I gave myself the "day off" - well as much as I could. I let Will watch Sesame Street (a whole hour of time to get stuff done!) and then we went out to eat at McDonald's for lunch. Both of the kids took a nap at the same time and I got some more work done around the house. Joe got home from work and our friends came over to celebrate my birthday. We had pizza and cake (Baskin Robbins!) and Joe planned and ran the whole evening. For my birthday, Joe gave me a gift certificate to get my hair highlighted. I've been wanting to do that since my hair is so dark now, but I've been waiting until I was done being pregnant. Since we're not planning on any more little Stones, I feel like I can get it done. I almost got my hair highlighted after I had Will, but I knew I'd have another baby soon and I didn't want to look silly with them all grown out. Enough about that..... It was so much fun to spend the evening with friends. The most exciting part was the 9 children running (except Wyatt) around. Little Wyatt isn't born yet, but I'm sure he'll be running with the rest of them someday. The kids had a great time and really enjoyed eating the cake and playing in the playroom. Our friend Scott took a family picture for us and some other pictures of the evening. It was nice to have this day photographed so I can remember it. After looking at the pictures, I realized that I'm not young anymore. Not that I'm old, but I sometimes have a hard time realizing that I'm a mom with two kids and not a teenager. I think most people feel that way. Well, enjoy the pictures.

update

Well, we're really settling into a routine around here. Lauren is taking 3 naps now (morning, afternoon, early evening) and it makes my life so much easier. I know when to schedule things because I know when she's going to be sleeping and eating. Of course, she's not exactly the same every day, but it's pretty close. It's just nice to know when to expect a break!

I thought this picture was cute! Daddy and his little girl. She was all dressed up in her church clothes!Will had a great time playing in the mulch! I finally got those pictures off the camera!
Here is Will with "the girls" - Kaitlyn (4), Allison (10), and Katherine (7). The other 10 year old twin was inside.Lauren loves to smile and laugh. Here is a cute picture of her laughing at Will. She has also started grabbing things to put in her mouth. She's going to be 3 months on Sunday!

Florida

Here are a TON of pictures from our trip to Florida. We had a great time!Will on the slide at the park. Lauren on the swing at the park.
Will jumping the waves with Daddy, Mommy, and Lauren.
Will and Grandma building a sand castle.
Will and Grandpa building a sand castle.
Will making his own pizza at Uno.

Will and Lauren jumping into the pool.
Mommy, Will, and Lauren visiting Howard the Rhino.
Will talking to Thor - the hilarious talking bird at the zoo.
Lauren hanging out with Daddy at the zoo.
Will in the petting zoo.

Feeding the giraffes.
Daddy and Will on a train ride.
Will petting a snake.
Making waffles with Grandpa and Grandma! Reading The Enormous Carrot.