A Sledding Weekend!

After the whirlwind few weeks we have had lately, it was time to get the kids and get out of this town. The kids have done really well with the custody schedule, but I knew a long time ago when I set up this trip to the cabin, they were going to need some sort of "reward" for being such troopers. And with the passing of Kya this last week, this adventure was needed even more!  I got off work early on Friday, packed up the rig and the kids, and hit the road. My parents also joined in on this trip.

 

The roads were clear pretty much the whole way up - wet in spots, but never snow covered. The closer to the cabin we got, the slushier it became. Even the lot at the cabin was pretty slushy. But the snow - OMG! I haven't seen that amount of snow at the cabin in years! It was well over mid-way to the tops of the ground floor windows. So fun! I love it when there is that much snow!

 

Since it was Valentine's Day and all, my mom grabbed a heart shaped pizza for the kids for dinner. They loved it!  Then we went through the goodies they received at their class parties. I always loved Valentine's Day in school. I remember decorating our boxes and passing out our cards, candy, etc. to all of the other kids in class. Carter's class decorated coffee cans and attached handles to them. It was a really cute idea!

 

Saturday, we spent all of the morning and half of the afternoon inside due to the rain. It poured! After nap time, the rain finally let up and we took that chance to throw on our snow gear and head out for sledding! We had originally planned to use some of the hills over by the fishing ponds, but it was so slushy that we really couldn't even get to those hills. So we settled for the area across from the cabin, up at the church. The plow had already been there earlier in the day, so the road up was totally cleared. We found a fun little hill that was just right for the kids and had such a fun time!  Here are some pictures of our adventure!

 

Kendall, being a card shark like her mama.

 

 

Checking out the snow.

 

 

At the Y Program, there is a pool table. Carter plays every single day, so of course he had to challenge his Papa at the cabin!

 

 

 

My dad had to dig out the windows because the snow was so high and the weight would eventually break the windows. He called that piece of wood "the original snow board". ;) He would stand on top of it as he shoveled so he wouldn't fall through the deep snow.

 

 

Kendall giving Jesse some loves.

 

 

Heading out for sledding!

 

 

Carter is killing me with this smile. I swear, ever since he started losing his teeth, he can't figure out how to smile a big, goofy grin. Poor kid!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesse was all over the place while we were sledding. Mostly, she liked to tackle us at our landing spot.

 

 

 

 

I finally talked Kendall into going down with me. She wasn't too sure about this sledding thing. I think she only went down three times total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How's that landing, Papa? And how is your back feeling?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I absolutely adore this picture of my parents with Kendall. 

 

 

 

 

Digging out a snow fort.

 

 

 

 

The sun peeked out for a few moments this morning while we were packing up, so I headed out to the deck to snag a few shots.

 

 

R.I.P. Kya

If you had told me two months ago that I would be burying my two and a half year old dog, I would have laughed. Right around Christmas time, Kya stopped eating her regular food. We figured she was boycotting it because she didn't like it. We got a different food for her, and she seemed to take to that really well. Then she stopped eating that food as well. We would try giving her things like a ham bone, or turkey from Christmas, but she would always throw it right back up. I finally got her some canned dog food. She would scarf that down in seconds. She dropped a ton of weight, her bones were sticking out, and she was just so lethargic. She finally stopped eating the canned food and I knew something was up.

 

I took her to the vet yesterday and he immediately said something major was going on. He drew some blood and sent it out for testing, gave her a fluid injection, and sent me home with some special food for her. I literally had to force feed her that food. She had zero interest in it and would just lie there, not moving. The vet called me this morning with the lab results, and ultimately diagnosed her with kidney failure and some form of pancreatic cancer.  My mind is blown that this can happen to a dog who is less than three years old.

 

I waited on the vet to get some more conclusive lab results, but in the end, everything came back pointing to a very, very poor prognosis for Kya. I needed to take into account her quality of life.

 

The plan was to take her in tomorrow and have her put down. I didn't want her to suffer, and forcing food down her throat is not how I wanted her to spend her final time days or hours.

 

Tonight, I brought her in and brushed her so she would be pretty. Half way through, she started acting like she was going to throw up, so I put her outside. The vet made it clear that if she started vomiting, we needed to take her in right away. I knew there was no way I could take her and sit with her. I called Eric and had him bring the kids to me, and they said their goodbyes. Carter is absolutely devastated. I tried to explain to him that Kya was really sick, and that we needed to remember the good times with her. He is sure going to miss her. Eric took Kya to a 24 hour vet about an hour ago and just called me to say everything is done. I am still reeling from how quickly this all happened. I'm stunned that this could happen to a dog so young. I know there is nothing I could have done to prevent it, but her short life just hits me so hard. She was still very much a puppy, totally healthy and active months ago.

 

There is a huge hole in my heart. I hate that she's not in my house, and never will be again. I miss my friend so much.

 

 

Kya was such a good puppy. She really wasn't a wild, crazy puppy like most are. She was very chill, and very good with the kids. She LOVED chasing Carter around the yard.

 

 
Huskies aren't known for being the easiest dogs to train, but she seemed to do just fine with the basic commands. The big problem we had with her was running off. The second she was off leash, she would take off, and that dog could run like no other dog I have seen. And she jumped like a deer. There were several evenings of chasing her around the neighborhood, trying to find her.

 
Most of all, Kya was a gentle soul. She was never mean to other dogs, always wanted to play, and was content just lying there, being pet.

 
She was such a beautiful girl. We received compliments on her wherever we took her. Everyone wanted to pet her.

 
She only got to go on one camping trip with us, last fall. I was really unsure as to how she would do, considering her love for running off. I figured she would run off into the forest and never return....off on some grand adventure. But she surprised us all and stayed in camp the entire time. She explored quite a bit, taking in the new, mountain scents. I can tell she had a great time. And she sure loved the swimming hole!

 

I took these pictures with her tonight. I set the timer on my camera and we had some quiet moments, saying our goodbyes.

 

 

 

I don't know if you were in pain, sweet girl. If you were, you sure didn't show it. I know the pain is now over for you, but my heart is just broken.  I waited my whole life to have a husky and two and a half years just wasn't enough. I will miss you terribly! I love you, sweet girl.

 

A Quiet Weekend {recap}

This weekend was very quiet, which is just what I needed after the crazy that was last weekend. The kids and I were really quite lazy......doing some light cleaning, building forts, watching movies, having snacks, etc.

 

Friday night, Carter decided to pull out another tooth. This kid is going for a record! Both of my kids got their teeth really early, so I shouldn't be surprised that Carter is losing them so quickly. This is eight gone now, and he's only 6 1/2!

 

 

 

I decided last week that Kendall and I were going to hit the potty training hard. I'm sick of buying diapers. Every evening when I would get home from work, I would take the diaper off and put the Minnie underwear on. By the time I dropped the kids off to Eric yesterday, she had gone potty by herself 8 times, and only used one diaper, which was at nap time. I think we finally got it! I'm proud of her!

 

 

 

I was more than happy to have a quiet weekend. The next two are going to be packed with fun, so lazy was just what we needed! Plus, with the weather we have been having, I had zero desire to leave the house.

 

 

(Yes, my Christmas lights are still up.......the icy conditions aren't exactly making it easy to climb up a ladder to get them down.)

Changing Times

As a fiercely independent person, I embrace this quote. So many people fear being alone. I welcome it, in moderation. In this time of great change, I need alone time to reflect on the person I need to be, for myself and for my kids. The future is scary, but I CAN do this.

Last night was the first night of the new custody schedule. After watching the Superbowl at my parents' house, I went home. My own house was empty. My kids were with their father at his new house. I knew they would be fine. I knew they were making forts to have a "camp out" with their sleeping bags, pillows, and stuffed animals. Apparently they had been playing on the stairs all night...which of course made me nervous for Kendall. What if she woke up in the middle of the night and started wandering around and fell down the stairs? I bet I thought of this a thousand times throughout the night. I know she will get used to the house and this won't be an issue, but my mind still goes there.

At the end of the day, this decision was so easy, yet so hard. Obviously it needed to be done and we needed to remove the negativity from our life.  My children were my primary focus, and I am determined to make this a positive change for them. Sure, their lives will be different than what we had planned so long ago. But different doesn't always have to mean "bad". And they will have everything in life they would have had, and that's all that matters. Sure, it will be a little different, but that's okay. Truly, it is. We will all roll with the punches, like we always have. The game plan may have changed a little bit, but the focus and determination to provide a great life for our kids will never change.

On a personal level, I plan to embrace this. There are many things I know I need to change about myself, within myself. This is that time. There are many things that scare me, but fear has never stopped me. I always welcome challenge, and here it is, staring me in the face. Challenge accepted.