End of year family photos

Behind a camera lens I feel at home.  But in front of a camera?  Not a bit.  It just doesn't feel natural to me to be in front of the camera.  In order to ensure the girls know I was not only "taking" their photos but also there "participating" in the everyday and events that I found worth photographing, I've made an effort to make sure I'm in more photos in 2013 than in years past.  And I'm glad I did!

Sometimes the photos were taken by others or by Julia who is showing quite a bit of interest and promise in photography.  Other times I just put the camera on self-timer and had it snap away.  If Emma was in any of those self-timer shots she would go into fits of laughter.  I love when she has fits of laughter so I did that lots!

Christmas morning we took our annual photo after the opening of the presents.  It's a little top centered (because I had limited time for the girls to stay put before playing with their new presents) but I love it.  I love seeing the progression year over year of the girls under the tree and am glad Chris and I are in the photo.  Taking our family "fresh off opening presents moment" photo is a Christmas morning tradition I treasure.

This year we had our family photo taken at a photo studio.  It's been a few years since we had our family portrait taken and it felt like the time was right.  The girls had a lot of fun, but BOY is it stressful getting everyone up and ready and to the studio to have the photo taken.  Now I remember why it had been so many years between photos :-)

And this year I had our Christmas card include a photo of all of us together.  Here is the photo from that card.  I tried to scan the card and post here but it doesn't come out nicely so you are getting the card photo and just imagine the peace, love & joy message printed across it.

And there is a snapshot of how my efforts of documenting our family presence this Christmas season worked out.  I think it's going well and I expect to continue my efforts into 2014.  Life goes by so very quickly and it's nice to see photos of us all together throughout the years.  Plus, I'm not getting any younger and might as well get photos in before all my wrinkles start to show :-)

Proof my kids were here

Julia was here

Emma was here

Local summer adventures

This summer we had a list of things we wanted to do.  There is still about 3 weeks left to our summer and we are working on completing most of them.  I posted closer to the beginning of summer that showed we started it off with a bang and have done some dribs and drabs posts since then.

Now that our summer camps are over, we reclaimed the month of August for family fun!  Horray - that's my favorite kind of fun!  I seriously can't get enough of hanging out with my little ones and I feel like they are growing so quickly.

Last week we went to the science museum.  I am a scientist by training and I really miss playing with things in the lab.  Hanging out there made me realize just how much I miss it and I wonder if there is a chance I might be able to find some part-time work that is only during the school year (lots of us stay at home Mom's dream about this perfect schedule) that includes getting my hands dirty in a science lab.  Doubtful, but I'll look into it.  I might just have to rely on our yearly membership to the museum to fulfill my science side :-)

GLOW was the special exhibit geared to hands on exploration.  There was a section with costumes and you could dress up as fireflies and jellyfish.  We decided to forgo the costumes and stand in the firefly capture jar to check out the view - this made the girls all giggly!

Butterfly room is always a favorite stop for me.  Julia finds it a bit warm but was up for it and Emma is happy to check it out as long as there are other people in the room she can watch.

Digging for dinosaur bones

Fossil Prep lab had a learning session.  They told us about a dinosaur they are currently working on that was found in MT.  How did we never see the fossil prep lab before on all our visits?

Panning for shark teeth.  Cut out for a wheelchair is quite nice, but it falls short in being truly accessible unless you have super long arms.  

Starring in their own dinosaur movie.  

This week we took advantage of the *slightly* cooler weather to visit a park we'd never been to before.  I had won tickets to the carousel and mini-golf at the silent auction fundraiser at Julia's school so Chris met us there the other day after work for some Monday evening fun.  It was a fun place to visit.

The park had the oldest remaining original fountain in the city was up and running, a small-ish playground with an accessible swing and monkey bars, a snack shack, a carousel and mini-golf.  The park is in the historic district so everything was USA themed.  The carousel even had a bald eagle instead of a horse in one slot and that is what Emma rode.  Julia rode a dolphin, although I'm not exactly sure how that made it's way onto the national themed carousel?  The mini-golf had obstacles made out of local historic landmarks and I just loved it!  I have a feeling we'll be back.

When did you get SOOOO BIG???!!!!  Emma is staring right though me to the campers running all over the place!

Sisters swinging next to each other.  Melts my heart they can swing next to each other and it's not something we take for granted!  Emma is also much stronger this summer because she was never able to sit in these swings before without added attachments.  Both girls are nosy as ever and watching the campers again!

Such a cutie pie!  This girl melts my heart.   

Is that a hole in one?????

Emma was interested in mini-golf for about 3 holes.  She reached out for the club and even helped swing and hit the ball.  Surprisingly, she did quite well!  Then she decided she had enough and wanted to people watch everyone on the course that did NOT include anyone in her family.  Her stroller was thus positioned for optimal non-family people watching and she was smiles the rest of the night.  Silly girl!

Girls Rule!

Boys....need we say more??!!!

Wildlife in the city.

We have about 3 weeks before the start of school.  The fun will continue.  How blessed and lucky our family is!!!!

SUMMER Fun!!

This summer we've been doing so many fun things that it leaves little time for me to document it.  This fact really just makes me smile!  After all, isn't life all about participating in it ;-)  Here are some photos from our adventures.  Enjoy!

• Mommy/Julia date day to pick strawberries.  

 I just adore her!

• Daddy/Daughter fishing fun

Julia LOVED fishing!

Emma was more interested in the people watching than the fishing or the fish

Chris had a bit of fun by chasing Julia with the fish he caught!  I LOVE this photo!

• The girls had some fun on a recent rainy day

Playing some computer games

Emma figured out how to move the screen door open and closed.  It took my breath away!  Love how she is using her arms a bit more even if it is to try and bust out of the house into the rain :-)

• Swimming.  I'd say lots of swimming while the girls would say there is never enough swimming!  My girls take to the water like fish.

Julia's underwater handstand is getting really good!

• Sleep-overs followed by sidewalk chalk art

Note:  Emma was in the wagon while I took photos.  When not taking pictures I held her in a sitting position on the blanket so she could join in the fun.

• Boardwalk and beach adventures, where Julia proudly helped Emma on some rides even though her arm was sometimes crushed and hurt proving yet again that she is the BEST BIG SISTER EVER!!!!!

Finnegan

Firecracker FINNEGAN Sheedy

July 4, 2002 - February 21, 2013

We called you 

Finnegan

Finney

Finn

Finster

Finney Ginney

Finnegar

Finners

Finnegan-egan-egan

But mostly we called you family.

Thanks for the best 10.5 years.  We wish it could have been more.

You brought more joy into our world than I ever thought possible.

We will never forget you.

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. "

(Anatole France) 

My heart is broken today.  

Unexpected

It's been an emotional week here.  Our beloved dog, Finnegan, is only 10.5 years young.  She was losing weight and so we took her into the vet to have her checked out.  Our guess was that her teeth were not doing well since she wouldn't eat her large treats or hard food but would eat the small treats and canned wet dog food.  She had some tests and it was found she is in kidney failure.

Early days with Finnegan.  I took her to the local orchard for pumpkin picking.  Doesn't everyone?

After a lot of discussion we decided to treat her for the kidney failure.  The success rate for the treatment which consisted of 3 days in-patient with IV fluids was predicted to be high and could extend Finnegan's life by about 2 years.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a success for our girl.

The weekend Chris proposed.  I said Yes and Finnegan wholeheartedly agreed!

The doctors determined that her type of kidney failure is Lyme Nephritis and the short-term prognosis is extremely bleak for our Finney.  We checked her out of the hospital against medical advice (they wanted to euthanize her) and took her home to spoil her a bit.  When we checked her into the hospital for treatment she was ok - still eating a bit, but quite skinny.  She was still barking and taking walks but the walks were getting shorter and she was lagging behind a bit rather than walking as far ahead as her leash would allow.

Finnegan loves to be right in the center of the action.  This is from when Julia was a baby.

Something happened while in the hospital and she hit a marked decline - not the result we we were expecting.  We are not sure if Finnegan would have had the same decline if we never checked her into the hospital but it is certainly possible.  One thing we knew is that we had to take her home.  She was depressed and unhappy in the hospital and for a dog that has never been in a kennel a day in her life we didn't want her to think she was there because she did anything wrong.  We didn't want her to end her life that way at all.  We needed to bring her home.

All of us have used Finnegan as our pillow or recliner for years.  Thanks, Finn, for loving it as much as we do!

The vets weaned her off the IV fluid treatment and the plan was for Chris to pick her up around 6:30 Monday morning and have Finney home before the girls woke up.  But I couldn't sleep that night.  I was too worried about Finney and then Emma kept waking up and so I decided at 2am to just call the vet and see how Finnegan was doing.  They told me she could be taken home anytime so I went over and picked her up right then.  Can you tell I'm a bit nuts over this dog?  I didn't even think twice about heading out in the middle of the night just to get her home with us.  I figured she would start to heal a bit at home.

Younger years in the snow, ready to retrieve a ball as always!

Enjoying the snow we had about two weeks ago.

She was all happy when I picked her up to come home.  She did need a bit of help to get in the car and then took her time before she came inside wanting to smell everything on the front lawn first.  That made me smile.  She was OK getting up our front stairs and then laid down on the living room floor and set about cleaning herself.  Each breath she took had her whole body shaking.  It didn't make us feel good to see her like that.  She didn't eat but did take a bit of water.  We cuddled and kissed her most of the day.  We took a family walk and let Finnegan be our guide of where she wanted to go.  She didn't go far - just a couple of houses away in a few different directions.  Afterwards we came home and sat on the front lawn with her letting her watch all the neighborhood happenings.

Constant, Loyal companion.

Chris and I prepared ourselves to say our goodbyes to Finnegan today (Tuesday).  Then during the course of the day on Monday she took a turn for the better.  She ate a boiled chicken breast.  She walked around a bit more and stopped shaking with each breath.  She walked through Chris' legs for a tushy scratch - her most favorite thing in the world to do with people and only a few of us let her actually nestle in there ;-)  We gave her the meds she has and hooked her up to the IV fluids we had to give her at home.  I can't believe we are giving our dog IV fluids, but we did and we are.  I posted about Finnegan on Facebook and the outpouring of support was amazing.  People were thinking of and praying for Finnegan.  That is the only way I can understand her change for the better.

A ridiculously good sport!

Today (Tuesday) she is stable.  When I arrived home from Emma's PT, Finnegan was on the couch.  That is the first time she jumped up there since coming home.  It was good to see her there and she even stood up and banged her tail against the cushion in greeting to me before she laid back down again.  She didn't eat much but took a slice of ham and a scant bit of chicken today.  She barked when the mailman came - he always pushed a treat in the slot for her - but didn't bark at all for the two UPS deliveries we had today.  She greeted Chris and Julia when they arrived home from work/school and she walked between Chris' legs again.  He took her for a walk and she made it all the way around a block!  Right now we are giving her another dose of IV fluids.

Monday.  Right after the family walk.

My parents came to visit and see Finnegan and it was such a wonderful visit and kept my spirits up.  We are thrilled to have had a day and a half of some good time with Finnegan.  It will make saying goodbye easier for us.  She is such a loyal and loving dog and it will be so hard when it's her time to go.  For now we are considering her stable.  She doesn't seem to be in any pain and seems to enjoy quite a few things about her day.  We think her days are numbered and don't think we'll get some miracle to heal her but we are going to take it one day at a time.

Christmas morning.  Our family photo.

These extra couple of days with Finnegan are something I needed to the very core of my being.  We have been through a lot together She and I.  I got her while I was still single and she warmed my heart from the very beginning.  When Chris came along she adopted him as her human and we had our engagement photos taken with the three of us!  Then the girls came along and she did drop down a bit in her placement in the family but not much and never really got relegated to dog status.  Finney continued to accompany us on our many errands out and we even took her on vacations with us whenever we found hotels or houses willing to rent to us with a 90 lb. dog!  She has never been in a kennel and there have always been people willing to watch her if we needed it while we went away.  She is just the kind of dog that everyone wants to be around.

Finnegan put herself in the center of the Duck, Duck, Goose game at Julia's party only a couple of weeks ago.

It's been an emotional week.  We are taking it one day at a time now.  We will not let Finnegan suffer at all and once we think that will happen we will have to make a hard decision.  For now, it looks like we get another day to spend with the Best Dog Ever.  For that we are thankful.

Snapshots of life

Mommy take my photo so everyone can see how I look like a Bunny without my teeth!

No, no.  I'm quite sure these boots were not made for walking.

General musings

The weather today is gorgeous!  A rare Fall day that doesn't feel like winter and will go up to about 60 degrees.  Everything seems a bit easier when the sun is shining and the weather is fine. I guess when it comes right down to it my main beef with winter is the hassle from coats getting situated in wheelchairs and car seats.  Thankfully, we don't have to deal with any of that today!

Emma woke up bright and early for herself and was in a ridiculously happy mood - even for a little girl who typically oozes happiness.  We spent a bit of time doing some hand stretches and hand playing - where I would open my hand and stretch it out and have Emma copy me and then I'd put her hand in mine and we'd wiggle them around.  I'm noticing that Emma's hands are getting tighter and tighter and that makes me nervous so I've been trying to stretch them more and finding ways to make opening them fun.  If anyone reading this has any ideas on how to stop her hands from getting so tight, please share (Annette - if you're reading this maybe we can plan a visit so you can give us some tips???  plus, we miss you a whole lot!!!!!!)

I smiled when I noticed Emma and Finney seem
to be looking in the same general direction!

Last night after Emma had her hair blown dry Julia took one look at her and said she looks different.  She looks older.  I agree.  My girls are growing up so, so quickly.  So today I brought my camera on our walk and decided to take a photo from behind to capture what I usually see from my vantage point on our walk.  Emma is usually looking all over the place with Finnegan leading the way while I try and manage to keep them from getting tangled up!  Emma loves to toss her head about and look back to see what I'm doing.  She usually looks up and over the headrest but today since she didn't have her chest harness on she decided to lean forward and give me a backwards glance.  She always gives me a sly smile as if saying "Just checking that you are still there - that you still have my back."

I've taken photos like this before and think about how much has changed.  In the beginning it was in her Kids Up FAST chair and my view of Emma was always with her little hat on which was the only way we could keep her CIs on her head in the early days.  It always seemed like she had such a tiny little head and eyes and smile a million miles wide when she looked back at me.  Always taking everything in while we walked.  When she was about 3.5 we were finally able to keep her CIs on fairly regularly without her hat at I just loved the look of the back of her head with the little ponytail on top swaying side to side each time she snapped her head around.  And now my view is of a lovely little girl with her hair held back by a fancy clip and her CIs mostly hidden under her hair.  She is in a big girl chair and now more often than not she has her talker attached so she can "chat" if she wants.  Mostly she doesn't want, but I expect that will change over time.

One thing I hope doesn't change is Emma's love for school.  She is so excited each and every day when her school bus arrives.  Lucky for me she is equally excited each day as her bus drops her home.  Her drivers said they've never seen a child so happy to both go and come home from school.  They just love having her on the bus and especially enjoy when she treats them to her "singing" on some of her rides home.

Life is good, even if it does seem to go by at warp speed sometimes!