Yaay for Bjork

I've always been a big Bjork fan. I just thought I'd share this video since its a great one. I love her ideas... its nice to see something completely different.

OK, The specialist has spoken...

Too bad he didn't really have much to say. He's leaning towards the brain tumor (which is actually good news). Darryl has soooo many more tests to do, and he'll also be having a cat scan (FINALLY!!). Poor guy, we left the office and he had a stack of requisitions in his hand. BUT hopefully within the month we'll have a definite diagnosis and a treatment plan.
It's a bit frustrating still being in the dark, but Darryl has a really great sense of humor, so we're keeping things pretty light. He's hoping that if he has brain surgery they'll either give him some bionic bits, or give him some 'Rain Man' abilities. Yes, he's a nerd.

Nothing else is new. I've been going nuts buying things on the internet. We had planned to go to Edmonton to do some shopping, but with everything going on we just don't have the time. I bought an AMAZING dress (well, amazing in my opinion. I realize that most of you think I dress like a crazy person). I'll try to post a pic...




I love the colors. I'm just crossing my fingers that my somewhat... um... ample bosom fits discreetly into the dress. I don't like the belt thing, so depending on how its all rigged up I might take it off. sigh, so many fun dresses in the world just calling my name... Good thing we now have a dressmaker/alteration whiz in the fam (yaay for Dawn!).

I also ordered this...

Perfect for fall/winter. Cooooomfy :) 3 cheers for organic cotton!!!
I can't remember everything else that I ordered... I shouldn't shop while stressed. I hate the act of actually going somewhere and spending hours looking around at stuff... sooooo bloody boring, so I think I went a bit crazy with the online stuff. Short and sweet is the best way to shop.

Now, if Birkenstock made winter boots life would be grand ;)


I raided MEC for all of Nyla's winter stuff. She's going to be one toasty little puffball this winter. It's going to be so nice to get out and do some fun winter stuff this year. There are some REALLY great cross country ski trails that we're planning on getting quite familiar with. They have these cute little huts at different intervals where you can go in and start a fire if you're cold or need a break. Very kid friendly. We're crossing our fingers that Nyla learns to love her baby backpack. I think she'll have a lot of fun as long as we're moving. She has no patience for standing still... especially when she's tied into something like a backpack or carseat.
My brother's girlfriend is making him come with us :) You have no idea how funny this is to me. I'm going to take lots of pictures... Did I mention that he went camping... for FUN?? Is the world spinning off its axis or something? Sigh, I know this is only funny to those of us who know him. If you don't know him just imagine someone with the disposition of Red Foreman (that 70's show) frolicking in the wilderness. Still not funny?? well, you'll just have to take my word for it then.


OH! We just installed a new version of Photoshop (CS3). I'm getting the instructional DVD this time too since I didn't ever have the time or patience to figure out the last one - then in a fit of rage I uninstalled it... So, if anyone has brilliant ideas on how to make this work better, ie: work at all (coughcough CHRIS???? cough cough...) Note to Christy: that was a not so subtle request to share the wealth of Chris' computer brainiacness... tell him I'll pay him with a big ol' high fiver, AAAND a super cute Christmas card featuring NYLA :)
I'm determined that I'm going to get Nyla's photo albums put together this winter. I haven't printed out pictures AT ALL. I just keep saving them to discs.
I'm going to take some fun courses too. My first one (stained glass) is at the end of the month. Then I'm taking an oil painting class... This looong descent into the black hole of sub-arctic winter will hopefully pass much faster if we're busy busy busy...

Man, I can sure ramble even with nothing much to talk about. I'll post updates as we get them.
Thanks for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. We appreciate them.
Hugs from us

The rest of the update.

This part of the update isn't as fun, so I'll get the crappy stuff out of the way and end with some news that's more fun.
So, we found out that Darryl either has a pituitary (brain) tumor or Addison's disease. He's been going for non-stop tests, and has a whole load more infront of him. There is a specialist in town now that Darryl will see on Tuesday. This guy is basically the man with the plan. He's going to order all the more specialized tests and cat scan, so hopefully it won't be too much longer till we know what exactly we're dealing with. We don't even know what we're hoping for because both have positives but super crappy negatives as far as illness is concerned.
I'm just pissed off... Those of you who know Darryl know that this is SO BLOODY UNFAIR for him to have to deal with. He's the kindest and generally best person I know. I have never seen a man more dedicated to his family, and he works SO hard. On his days off he takes Nyla for Daddy time uptown. They go for breakfast and have little adventures together... he's just amazing.
Thank God I know how strong he is, because I don't believe for a second that we won't get past this. This man will kick ass regardless of whichever disease he has to battle. He's being awesome. I know he feels like complete shit all the time, but he's still as funny as ever. You'll never catch him moping around feeling sorry for himself! Please keep him in your thoughts/prayers etc!!

Now, the other difficult news. My Dad is in end stage Parkinsons. Parkinsons dementia is beginning, which makes him very confused and overwhelmed and usually pretty irritable. He can't make decisions very well and is often too overwhelmed and tired to cook or clean etc. He has about a year to live, so we're hoping that his mind will stay as clear as possible and that he'll be strong enough to stay in his home. (By the way, there are major grants for elderly people to help them make their homes safe enough so they can remain in them for as long as possible. One grant covers medical equipment and another one covers renovations. Let me know if you know someone who could benefit from this and I'll pass on the info).

NOW, the fun news!! First of all, I'm very excited to inform you that Kevin, my older brother, has found an amazing girl... (believe me, that news alone is super) AND they are in the process of buying a house AND are expecting a baby in February! We were all shocked, like jaw to the floor shocked! He has never been one to want family life. I'm excited because this girl is AMAZING!!!! We get along sooo well. We love the same things and have so much in common. Yaaaaay! Now I'll have someone to do tons of fun stuff with!

The other fun news is just that Nyla is super cute, so I thought I'd post a little video of her in her cute, hot pink long johns. She's usually much more vocal, but as soon as the camera comes out she gets pretty quiet.


I think that's about it for now. I'll update when we have more info.

The cutest Lion around.

Oh my goodness, this little girl is just too cute. She was sooo excited to be a lion, she was strutting around while we were uptown and waving at everyone like she was the queen. She grabbed hold of her tail and swung it around - which she thought was incredibly funny so she would swing it and crumple on the floor in the bank in a fit of giggles.

Nyla's grooming buddy. Molson didn't want to let Nyla go uptown with her fur out of control... (yes Molson is Darryl's cat from his bachelor days... who but a bachelor would name a cat Molson??)

So incredibly proud of herself :)


Just Cuteness.

Just before her nap, getting upset because she wanted to see her picture on the digital camera but have her picture taken at the same time.

And MELTDOWN!

We didn't go trick or treating but we had a pretty great day.

Nyla has been so much fun lately. She's full of kisses and cuddles and makes up silly games. She loves books and being outside. She still looooves stew... I wish I could say everyone else was as excited about it :) Now we're experimenting with every kind of stew under the sun.

She's eating well, sleeping pretty well, learning new words everyday (her latest word is 'cool'). She loves to play bongos on her tummy, and when we're trying to get her to sleep its not unusual to find that she has 'jerseyed' herself so the bongo playing can be louder. She goes craaazy for dogs and ducks... she's just an all around amazingly cool kid.

I'll update on everything else another day.

Nyla's update

Just a quick one since it's early and my brain is still asleep...
Nyla is doing so well. She was pretty overwhelmed with all the activity and visitors last week. She decided that since people were always here it meant that she should be able to party all night... this kid can go for DAYS without sleep. She's back to her normal sleeping schedule now, which is very good news for Darryl and I.
She is no longer a crawler. She decided one day that the crawl/walk combo was trash and is now officially a walker/runner. Poor thing, her upper body gets a bit carried away when she runs... but she's determined :)
AND the best news of all for right now, she has FINALLY discovered food. We've been trying to get her to eat anything/everything for ages, then one day she decided that she wanted to try some stew that I had made... she gobbled up my bowl, then had more. She usually hates lumps or anything with any texture but she's pretty excited about carrot and potato lumps. So, I've been making pot after pot of stew since its now the only thing she'll eat. I can't give it to her fast enough by spoon so she drinks it out of a cup :) Funny girl.
She's talking a lot more and understanding soooo much. It's nice to be able to ask her questions and get answers. It makes life sooo much easier. I'm thinking about starting potty training soon... she asks for her bum to be changed, so I think if she's aware of a dirty diaper she might be ready. We won't be hardcore about it...
Anyway, as we speak she's saying 'poop, peeeeew stinky. Bum bum bum', so I'm off to change a diaper. I'll post pics soon (not of the diaper, don't worry).

Well, it's been one hell of a week. Things are scary and hard and I'm fighting my usual urge to run as fast and as far away as I can...
I won't get into too much detail, but I spent the last week in a blur of a sewage soaked basement (my Dad's), dealing with insurance dudes, visiting my Dad the ICU about a zillion times a day in order to make decisions regarding his health and future, and then trying not to freak out about a scary bomb dropped in my own house.
I feel weird. I'm not organized in any sense of the word and I'm quickly learning that organization is now going to be my 'friend' while I try to keep everyone's lives in order.
I don't like being the one people look to for an answer... what the hell do I know?

But, we're getting through it one day at a time. Eventually this will be the new 'normal' in my life. I will make decisions for my family and for my Dad and not even feel strange about it. I'm sure I'll learn a whole heck of a lot that will make me better than I am.
There's a quote I love... it doesn't make sense to a lot of people, I guess its one of those ones you have to live to understand...

Rainer Maria Rilke:
Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.

Letters to a Young Poet

So, things are getting solved and I'm breathing again. AND I'm not breathing sewage fumes, so that's a bonus :)

Anyway, I know a lot of this doesn't make sense. I think there's only one person on this planet who understands my mixed up brain in regards to what I have to do... I wish I could trade a kidney to go back in time and be able to hash it out with them. Booo on growing up and screwing up :)

PS, no I'm not drunk, I'm just scattered and I promised some family that I'd post an update... if you can call this an update...

Greatness

I found these by accident today and thought I'd share since they're so funny.
I miss Ireland...





This one is Australian, but probably one of the best beer commercials I have ever seen. He's my hero...

Happy Birthday Nyla!!

We've had such a great day! When Nyla woke up and saw her birthday decorations she was so incredibly excited. I wish I had the video camera out to catch her expression :) Her eyes were huge and she had the biggest smile I've ever seen. She kept pointing at the balloons and screaming "LOOK!" at the top of her lungs. Ahhh, what a cutie :)
She powered out before we took family pictures, so those might have to wait till tomorrow.
She gets to pick out a fish tomorrow, so I'll post some pictures of her with her new buddy too.

This is a montage of Nyla's first year. It was hard to keep it a reasonable length... I had to cut about half of it out :) I hope you enjoy it!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In happier news, Nyla's first birthday is on September 24th! We're shocked and amazed that the year has gone by so quickly. I'll post a birthday thing on Monday, but I thought I'd add a picture or two, just because she's so cute.

We're baaaack!

Well, I'm back and ready to blog again. Unfortunately this isn't how I wanted the posting to begin, but it's an important one.

Ages ago I told some of you about a friend who's baby was diagnosed with cancer. After many surgeries and treatments they were told the cancer was gone, unfortunately a few months ago they found out that the cancer is back, and has spread. The Weber family is trying to raise awareness for childhood cancer and are also trying to fundraise to help with the enormous bills that keep piling up.

This youtube clip is one of the ones they're trying to spread around, so feel free to share it if you're so inclined.

They have a myspace page set up, there are some technical difficulties, so there are two addresses with a little bit of different info on each one.

www.myspace.com/babykaylaweber2

www.myspace.com/babykaylaweber

Some of the images are incredibly heartbreaking, so make sure there aren't little ones around.

My blog will be on hiatus for a while.

Nyla's Update

Last Tuesday I took Nyla for her hip ultrasound. They brought in a doctor to do it instead of an ultrasound tec which was nice because he could tell us first hand what was going on. Unfortunately she's a bit old to be able to see any joint issues via ultrasound (her bones have calcified too much). She would need an Xray to really see what's going on. They are very hesitant to do an Xray because radiation on rapidly dividing cells is just not a good idea...
So basically we still don't know what's going on. I think she may just be double jointed like my sister. She pulled a gumby when she was reaching for a toy (bent in a way a normal baby shouldn't be able to bend). She has another appointment coming up soon, so maybe we'll get an answer - or at least get closer to finding an answer. I think she'll be ok. She's still very active and although her hip bothers her sometimes, it doesn't seem to hold her back too much.
I can't believe how fast she's growing up. She took her first step and keeps trying to walk, but gets so excited and starts waving her arms and shaking her bum so she falls down :) But she knows she can do it and she's fiercely determined to keep walking (probably just so she can chase after the cats), so before too long I'm sure we'll be running to keep up with her.

We went to Moonshine Lake the other day for a picnic. Nyla loves being outside - especially in the forest, so we hiked around the lake. If there were any bears I'm sure they were heading for the hills when they heard Nyla screaming 'yaayyaay!'.

She found one of Oscar's little toy cars under the couch and has been carrying it around with her all morning and saying 'car'. She's a genius! (Well of course she'd have to be... look at her parents!!)

She's going to be a year old in September! Crazy if you ask me.
Anyway, I'll post some pics from our little trip to the lake. I've been told that there aren't enough pics of Nyla on here anymore...

Notice Darryl's carefully cultivated 'farmers' tan?? He's so cool ;)


Nyla's goofy grin. (Trying to hide her top teeth).



I know you might be thinking, 'who is that mighty tanned woman??' Yup, that's me sporting my best 'tan' to date. (ya ya, so its just a bunch of freckles... just let me revel in my tan-ness and don't make any smart comments!!)
Nyla, being totally disgusted with all the kisses I was giving her. This is after I accidentally elbowed her in the face :( I think I cried more than she did...

YEEAAAAH BABY!

We have our team put together! Any challengers??? We're ready to kick some arse!

We've decided to do an adventure race next summer!! Its something we've been looking into for a while but the timing was never quite right. I'm SOOOOOOO freaking excited!
There are 2 that we're leaning towards, basically because they're in the north coast so we can plan a visit home at the same time.
The first one is an 8 hour challenge called 'City West Adventure Challenge'.
http://www.raidthenorth.com/2007/sac/CWAC/index.php
It looks like its more relaxed and fun. My little bro (Kieran) is going to join us to make up our team of 3. I'm not sure where its going to be next year (they're going to alternate between Prince Rupert, Terrace, Kitimat and Smithers) but I'm hoping to get a few other teams together to make it more fun. (Email if you're interested). There's a huge party afterwards - which may be enough of a draw for some of you ;)
The one I'm really excited for is a 36 hour race called 'Raid the North'. http://www.raidthenorth.com/2007/rtn/ This one consists of trekking, mountain biking, paddling, navigation and ropes. The course is completely unmarked so you plot your own route to the check stops. Kieran and I are going to do this one but we need 2 more members for our team. (COME ON JESS!!!!) We have 2 very tentative members but we'd like to find people who are REALLY 'gung ho'. So look at some pictures and get inspired AND EMAIL ME if you're interested!


I've seen this view from a mountain bike one time too many...


HOW FREAKING AMAZING IS THIS????

Only a month late!!

Well I meant to do this a long time ago but somehow time kept flying by...

Congratulations Kelly and Chad!

Welcome to the world Calleigh May!

She is such a beauty :) We're so happy for you guys!

I'm melting...

I remember in the winter complaining because it was -40 and I was freezing my butt off... now I'm complaining because its so hot I think my skin may be melting off. H'mmmm.
Those of you who know me and have seen the almost transparent nature of my pasty white skin might understand why I have issues with extreme heat. All I can do is ooze around like a puddle of goo and hope that I don't start muttering to myself. I don't think straight when its too hot. Maybe that's why shaving my head seemed like a good idea... ha, just joking. I'm not quite 'pop star' crazy yet... but we'll see how long this freaking heat wave lasts. I think I'll try becoming nocturnal.
BUT on the positive side, I can brag about my tan (in Anita language that translates to burn and freckles).

Nyla has become 'DANGER GIRL'. She's trying to stand and walk unassisted. One day Darryl and I looked over and she was just standing in the middle of the room giggling like crazy. I think she loves the independence of it. Unfortunately this has been aggravating her hip so she's developed a limp when she crawls (if she's been really active) and she has a really hard time getting comfy at night. We can't really take her in the car seat or stroller because sitting in one position for so long is painful. Her ultrasound is on July 31 - it seems like forever away. I'm still hoping that its nothing too serious and that whatever the problem is will be easy to fix (without surgery!!!).

I think that's about it for now. OH, the grain elevator (full of canola) burned down today. The whole city smells like greasy, burning, nasty things. Its pretty barfy! With all these blazing fires in town I'm really missing being on the fire department.
Anyway, enough rambling. GOODNIGHT!

Flash floods and ponies!

Things have been pretty busy for the past 2 weeks.
We had a crazy flash flood that did a lot of damage to our driveway, yard and garden but thankfully not the house. It was so bizarre! One minute it was raining really heavily then we looked out the window and there was a raging river going through our yard (pics below).
And we went for a visit to my Aunty Pat and Uncle Bob's house. It was really nice to see them again. Kathy brought Sadie the pony over to visit Nyla (Nyla kept giving the pony the angry eye) then we went for a walk to see the big horses. Nyla wasn't a bit afraid - even when Chester the horse kept trying to lick her hand (and eat my shirt).
* Geesh, I can't believe I forgot to mention that Darryl's sister Laurie was here for a visit. Nyla really liked having her Aunty Laurie around for a while. They had some really great bonding time and we were sad to see her go

Sadie the pony.

Nyla decided that she was the boss and took the rope from Kathy.

Nyla's first ride on Sadie. (We forgot her hat... good thing they had a spare.)


Chester the horse.

Aunty Laurie and Nyla.


You can't tell by the picture how fast the water is moving but it was pretty nuts (It destroyed the fence). I'll post a video when I figure out how. (so probably never)

My poor garden is no longer a garden.

Darryl's Grandpa Perry (big grandpa) passed away last night. Its sad that he's gone but we're happy that he's not in any more pain. I'm sure he's hopping over fences, chasing cows and keeping an eye on everyone he loves.

My little storm chaser

We've been having stormy weather lately - which Nyla LOVES! I've never seen a baby so excited to see rain and lightning. I usually open the door and let her watch. She squeals and claps and if I dare to shut the door she throws a queen sized tantrum.
I love storms so I'm glad she has figured out that they aren't scary. I'm guessing when she's older instead of wanting to go to Disney Land she'll be begging to go on a storm hunt.
Next time I'll try to snap a picture of her enjoying the storm.

Sucker punched by good ol' perspective...

This has been a stupid week. You know when you were a kid and you realized for the first time that you couldn't really jump into a chalk drawing like they do on Mary Poppins, or when you realized that sometimes everything is not going to be ok, and the way that felt?? Its kind of been like that, so of course I've been feeling sorry for myself. Sure its due to my own stupidity but still I've worked up a good funk. Anyway, the point of all this rambling... I took Nyla to the doctor today and we found out that her hip hasn't developed properly. I have to take her for an ultrasound to find out the extent of the problem, but the treatment options are all pretty shitty.

Its bizarre how your world stands still and completely changes focus when your child is sick or hurting. I just don't want her to go through any of this. Its a crappy way to find perspective in life - but I guess that's how it usually happens right?

So if you're reading this and you pray, please pray for her. If you don't pray, then please keep her in your thoughts. I'll update when I know something.

Happy Father's Day!

I think Nyla is an extrememly lucky little girl to have a Daddy who loves her so much!
Darryl is an incredible father. I've never seen a man take so much joy in every part of fatherhood.
He loves spending time with Nyla and makes sure to take her on special Daddy time (usually shopping, or somewhere away from home so I can either get stuff done or have a break).
Nyla is crazy about her Daddy. I'm glad they make a great team.
Happy Father's Day Darryl! You definitely deserve the title 'Daddy'.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Guardian Grandpa

Darryl's Dad passed away a year ago (June 5th), just a few months before Nyla (his first grandchild) was born. Darryl doesn't want to keep remembering the anniversary of Alvin's death, so we're trying to make it a time to remember Alvin's life. So, to all of us loving and missing Alvin now, I hope we can all take a minute to remember something about him that makes us smile. Feel free to share with the rest of us!!
One thing that is difficult for Darryl is that Nyla didn't get to meet her Grandpa Alvin. We're sure that he knows all about her though and he's always near to her, being her Guardian Grandpa. Its nice to know he's looking out for her, our kids to come, and Laurie's kids to come as well. He's a good guy to have in your corner! :)

I don't think grief ever really goes away, the edges just get worn down over time, so please remember Darryl, Laurie and the rest of the family today.

PS: We love you Laurie! We miss you and can't wait to see you very soon. Nyla needs some Aunty Laurie cuddles :)

The only pictures I can find of Alvin right now are from our wedding. I'll add those, and I'll also add a few new ones of Nyla. I hope they make you smile!!