Wednesday, September 30, 2009


Nothing too exciting going on. Just a lot of running around with school, errands, gymnastics and other. The next few weeks are jammed full. We have windows that we need to put in before it gets too much colder, but the next two weekends are so full that I don't know that it will get done before the snow flies. Ugh.


Today Grandpa Jim and Grandma Cheryl took Emma to school and lunch. They said that they had a lot of fun.


Tonight we went to see the Okey Dokey Brothers play. They do kids music and the girls just love them. So they were dancing and having fun.


We have some tentative plans with sme friends tomorrow and a whole bunch of running to do in the morning before that happens...

Sunday, September 27, 2009


I shudder to think when the last time it was that I posted. I know that it has been a while. We have been really busy doing lots of nothing important. So by the time the evening comes and I should write, it always sems much more appealing to go to bed.


Friday evening was lovely - we turned down all offers of outside plans as we had a nice evening at home, coloring, working in workbooks and playing games. Very mellow and much needed.


Saturday morning was up and at 'em. We were off to the ALS walk at Lake Harriet in honor of Uncle Dale. All of the charity walks we do have particular meaning and closeness for us for many reasons. But, I always find that the ALS walk is the most visually sad to go to. Because it is so very obvious who is afflicted with the disease. And knowing that the survival rate from diagnosis to death is about 3 years, it is so sad to think. It is a time to think how sad it is that there are all of these diseases that can affect any one of us. I am a good example. Pow, comes out of nowhere. But, so much t be thankful for in the mean time.


We went to a party at Aunt Tina's house that evening. All of us celebrating the walk and without much mention, celebrating Uncle Dale. It was a nice evening. The girls had lots of other kids to play with so we were actually able to mingle around a bit.


Got home late, very late. But, true to form the girls were up at their normal time. Ugh, that was difficult. Because Jay is a terrible morning person and since he doesn't ever get up with the kids, I was up. Trying to entertain while still trying to wake up myself.


At church we went to Emma's "milestones". It is a special Sunday School class that the parents go to that the kids learn more about their bibles and just talk about some other special milestones.


We all took a much needed nap. Then headed across the street for a fabulous dinner and fun time. The girls were off their rockers. I am not sure if they needed more sleep or what. I think I am really looking forward to a nice, QUIET workout tomorrow morning!!!!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009


Been trying to get back into the workout routine. This whole summer I think that I made it to the gym twice to workout. Thankfully, since I am only paying $9 per moth I don't feel too badly about it. But, now that we are getting back to a routine I am hopefully going to be getting back into a little bit better shape.


Madeline had her class yesterday. It is amazing to see how much work and time the teachers put into a class that is for little ones like that. We are so lucky and they strive so hard to work all aspects of thir brain and body. That is why I have done classes with the girls for so long through these programs. Now, if we could only get the people running them to see that these classes were not set up and were never looked at as a money making venture. That would be terrific. The politics that go on within schools is aggrivating.


Emma got to bring "share bag" with her to school today. The kids find a few things at home that they want to share in class. She was s excited and changed what she was to share abot ten times this monring alone. But, she settled on some things and was excited to share!


This evening Jay helped a neighbor with his car. Then we went to Grandma Kim and Grandpa Don's to help move some stuff from a neighbor. When we got home the kids were darn tired. Ready for all of us to sleep. I must plan my morning tomorrow, the girls are off to the zoo with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Cheryl. That means that I get a couple of hours to catch up on some things by myself. Not sure if I know how to do that!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009



It has been a while since I have written. Not a lot to mention. We have been really busy doing a lot of running around, getting into the school routine and lots of other stuff. Nothing too exciting, but it certainly keeps us hoping. The evenings have been filled with some indoor activities - need to remember how to play INSIDE the house with winter coming. And Emma LOVES Dancing with the Stars, so we have been very invested in that. Madeline has had a huge explosion in talking. She has always been pretty good, but now she is catching on to lots of new phrases - "that is so cool, mommy" That is a popular one.









I have been feeling just fine, so there has not been much thought about MS. Which is great!

Sunday, September 20, 2009


It was a busy, but very nice weekend. We did a lot of fun things and got some stuff done around the house.



Saturday morning the girls went out to dinner with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Cheryl. That allowed us a few minutes of quiet, but even better gave Jay a chance to start putting in a new window in the downstairs uninterrupted. We thought this window would be the worst of them all with possible rot that would cost us much more money. Amazingly, that wasn't the case. It had just been a crappy window that caused the snow to come in through the seals. Gladly, that will not be an issue this winter.



After breakfast, all of us loaded up to go to Emma (and Madeline's) second annual mini-golf classic. It is just a fun little golf course that is set up in a local park. Jay was the caddie and I was a spectator - and also responsible for keeping amatuer golfer Maddie under control. They both had fun, but 9 holes proved to be a bit much. Home for early naps as we had a little party to get to.



We drove down to my friend Jennifer's house - she is another MS'er. A friend that I have really connected with. She has 3 kiddos. She and her husband cooked chickens out over an open fire - no this was not on a grill. This was the chickens were on a big log and cooked over and open fire, along with corn on the cob, they had a fresh tomato/jalapeno salsa. It was terrific!! And yes, I do not want to hear it from any of you, I DID eat chicken from the bone. And don't think that you can get away with it. I found a juicy meaty breast part. But, I will not do it again soon. We had a great time. Jennifer and I really get each other. It is best told when her husband said to me, only moments after we met, "you are another one of those with a damaged brain?" We can use that humor - and thankfully, or not so, understand each other.


We made it home late and went to bed.



Today was church and a quick lunch. We then headed to Aunt Nancy's house to assist in removal of trees. Jay swiped through 4 big trees within matter of minutes. My cousin and I were left to clean up the branches. We were served a great dinner as thanks and had a bit of relaxation as another cousin kept the girls entertained. Aunt Nancy was eternally grateful to Jay for his help! I am thankful to have a husband who is so handy at so many things and wiling to share them. As we talked about on the way home, we have been discussing at church to "pass along your treasures". Unfortuatly, we don't have much, if any, monetary treasures. But, being able to help someone out is a way to pass along what we do have.



The girls were wiped. They were in bed about a half hour earlier then there normal bedtime. That felt good. I ate way, WAY too much. Must rest my body and digest food.

Friday, September 18, 2009


A lot of running around the past couple of days. So many pittly things that needed to get done.
The girls both started gymnastics this past week. They were SOOO excited. Emma still wants us to sign her up for dance as well. We are trying to ease into that slowly. On Madeline's first practice we almost had to cut the night short as she had a fall on the trampoline. But, she shook it off and was up and at 'em again in no time.
This evening we went to Barnyard Boogie. It is a little dance/petting zoo and craft get together that they have here. It is a lot of fun. The animals are great. They are actually very well taken care of and the girls love to pet a goat and a chicken and all sorts of other animals. Then we went inside for some snacks and dancing fun.
Must get some sleep for a very busy weekend!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009


Oh, back to the routine of school!! On Monday Emma asked that Grandma Kim drive her to school and pick her up again. They made a day of it and went for lunch afterward, then Madeline and I met them for an ice cream cone and a walk near the lake. It is so much fun to see how excited Emma is for school. She just loves it!


On Tuesday, Madeline started her class. She is a little social bug and loves to experience new things. She had a great time checking out class and singing along. Afterward she lovesd recounting for me all of the kids that cried when their moms left and she was sure to tell me she didn't cry cause "mommies always come right back". Too cute!


Today Emma had school. It is interesting because for the most part she has always had 5 or 6 good friends in her classes and a couple of other kids she knew as well. But, this year, she has two little boys that she really likes in her class, and that is it. So it will really be up to her to reach out ot new people. Although on Tuesday after Maddie's class we went to the park to hav e a picnic. Em said that she wanted some other people to play with. There was a set of twin girls that were there. And surprisingly she said that it looked like they were having fun and she wanted to play. I told her to introduce herself and ask to play. They girls weren't so hot at first - a real blow to a mom's heart - but, Emma kept at it and they all ended up playing.


This eveing we took a trip to Culvers for ice cream treats - I certainly didn't have to finish mine! The girls enjyed theirs, but ended up wearing most of it@!

Sunday, September 13, 2009


It was a busy weekend. As it seems like things are as summer winds down.



Jay took Friday off of work for Emma's first day of school. It was "parent" day, as all Friday's are where the parents have time to learn some good parenting skills and ideas. It is always great to be in those classes with new people and people who have several older children. It shows just because you have had kids, you still have a lot to learn!





We had a great time. Emma was thrilled to have Jay there and it was nice to have him be able to see how her school and classes work. Hopefully he will have more time this year to join us again!








After school we went to a small, quiet park and enjoyed a picnic. Then played on some slides and all had an "acorn fight" with the thousands that were on the ground. That evening we were off to a graduation party for a friend. Great food and fun chatting and relaxing.




Saturday morning we were up and at 'em early as we were participating in a walk to support lung cancer. We did it in memory of my grandma Pat Wilcox and aunt Carolyn Reid and in support of my friend Judy Golz. She has started the foundation that ran the walk and it was great. They had a terrific turn out and it was so awesome to support them and give hope to those with the disease. We stuck around to chat and look around afterward. We finally had to get home as the girls were falling apart. Unfortunatly we had to cancel dinner plans with some friends that we hadn't seen forever.




Because we originally had other plans that evening, we were flying by the seat of our pants when Auntie Ashley came over then Grandma Kim and Grandpa Don stopped by. Our simple dinner turned into a huge impromptu schmorgasboard. I litterally felt like I was going to split right open because I ate so much!



This morning church started their fall schedule so things didn't get underway until a little later. Emma started Sunday School back up again and she was SO excited. And even more so when she got her new bible. After church we made a quick pit stop at McD's then off to do a little fishing.



It was a beautiful day. Perfect to be out on the lake!! We caught a few little fish and now that the girls have smaller poles, they were able to catch their own. All of the little friends were thrown back in the water. We all just like looking at them then giving them back to the water.



Home for naps. Although Madz obviously didn't get the message that was next on the agenda because he was crabbing for an hour and a half. She finally crashed out but I woke her up shortly thereafter and she wasn't very happy about it.



We went for a walk, went bike riding and rollerskating tonight. Getting in all that we can until hell, I mean, winter comes.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009






Wow, I am just spent tonight! Today was a fun day. A friend, her little boy and my kiddos and I all went to the zoo. We truly didn't get to see much because trying to chat with my friend and keep our kids all going the same direction takes a lot of time. We saw some grizzly bears in a fantastic habitat. The bears were actully doing a ton of interracting and fighting/playing with each other. My pictures don't show it very well, but it was really awesome. Then, truly, I forgot to each lunch. Pretty unbelieveable for someone like me! But I think that got me off kilter today for some reason. We said good bye at the zoo and the girls and I headed home.



The girls slept the whole way home then I successfully transferred them into their beds for nap. No longer then 20 minutes later Madeline was up and there was no putting her back down. I decided to dive into some clothes and shoe sorting for her. Maddie had fun trying on all of the shoes and unfolding all of the folded items. But, it didn't matter we had fun and I go the stuff done.



Emma was up not long after that. We played around a bit and tried to persuade them to go and play somewhere else beside the middle of th kitchen. They weren't taking the bait. That is how it seems to work when you want some space.


We ate dinner and rounded out the night with a mellow movie and some popcorn. Madeline fell asleep on my lap. But, Emma made it through and peacefully went to bed. I need some sleep now!!

Monday, September 7, 2009
















It
Ihas been a while.... We are still mourning the loss of our sweet Elijah pup. It is still somewhat of a shock. We have been able to spend lots of time with the other two, but seeing them play and have fun is a reiminder of him not being there. So sad to lose them in general, but to lose them so quickly is like salt in a wound.


Friday was a little like walking in a fog, since Thursday was crazy. But, it was a casual day since we took care of a friends little boy all day. It was fun and he is a sweet little guy. Then the girls went to dinner with grandpa Jim and Grandma Cheryl that night. Jay and I took the other two dogs outside and they had a playdate with the neighbors dogs. They all played ball for a long time and could have played longer.

Then Saturday came and it was a day that we have all been looking forward to for a while. State Fair!! So much fun. We got an early start on the day and headed home in the early evening. We saw lots of animals, ate lots of yummy food and even ran into Grandpa Al and Grandma Nicki. It was a lot of fun. But, you could tell by the end of the day that the girls were done for and they needed a nap! So we made it home and we all crashed for a while. It was nice to get in a good nap. Then we woke up and played with the dogs again for a while and called it a day.

Sunday was church and then McDonalds. But, we met at a different McD's because we were meeting Grandpa Jim and Grandma Cheryl to take pictures for their Christmas cards (yes, Chrstmas cards. That is so depressing!!). We met at a beautiful little park area in Edina. They girls were great and they had fun. Hopefully one of the photos will turn out for them!


Today - it was so, so nice to have Jay home for another day. I think that he really needed it - we started off the morning by going fishing. It was a truly beautiful morning. The weather was perfect the wind was nonexistant and the fish were, well, nibbling. The girls liked to look at the fish and touch them, Madeline always wanted to hold them. Then we made a nice picnic lucnh and enjoyed that outside. Then poor Noah, one of our other dogs, was totally unaware of what was coming to him. The razors!! I am sure that he thought that within our grief we wouldn't remember that he desperatly needed a shave. So sorry buddy! However, we are pretty certain that he put a hex on the razors. Just after we stared shaving him down the razors stopped cutting. Devine intervention from Elijah!!? We had a delicious grilled out dinner.

Emma doesn't start school until Friday so we have a few more days before the schedule starts back in again. Once school starts I am going to start my workout routine again. It was abandoned for the summer, yes, practicially the whole summer. I think that I am going to be sorry for doing that once I start working out again. Oh well. Have to do something to make winter pass by.
I couldn't get the photos to layout the way I wanted to, or I just didn't have the patience to fool with it. Either way you hopefully can decipher when the photos were from.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

A very sad day here in the Viera household. The day with the girls went just fine. We had to adjust some plans that we had with a friend that is very sick. So instead we had a picnic at a park and came home ot make some zucchini bread for this friend of mine. Then the girls apped and I read my book out on the deck. After that things got a little crazy.

The dinger went off on the oven to take the bread out and about the same time Madeline woke up from her nap. I went to get her from her room. Without me knowing, during that time Jay had come home and didn't see me so he went out back to see if I was at the garden. He didn't find me, but he found our dog Elijah laboring out back. He wasn't able to breath well and he looked terrible. Jay came in and said that Elijah was sick and we needed to go take a closer look. We tried to give him water, but he wouldn't take it. He was laboring in his breathing so badly. And one touch of his stomach said that we needed to get him to the vet ASAP.

Jay took off to the vet and I stayed home trying to figure out the logistics of what to do with the girls (as having them at the vets office with all of the craziness would be the best place for them. I wouldn't have minded if Emma came, because we talk to her honestly about stuff. But, without much thought I looked into other options). Thankfully I found my mom not far from our house and she scooted right over and I called another friend/neighbor to see if she could drive me to the vet.

I ran inside and they brough me to the area in back - I knew that wasn't good when you byass the regular exam rooms and straight to the back area. There I found my poor little Elijah there with a tube in his throat trying so hard to breath, but knowing his body just couldn't work anymore. Jay and the Dr explained to me that right when Jay brought him in they were going to get some exrays, but while they were setting that up he went into heart failure. They brought him back, but that wouldn't last. We had to make a choice. We both knew what we had to do. It was time to let him go. He was very peaceful when he left us. That doesn't make it much easier - if at all. We spent a good amount of time with him after he was gone.

I have to page through my photos to find some of him. Oh he will be missed. What a sweet boy and loved so dearly. Like all of our pets, we are lucky enough, that they love us and our kids dearly and we love them.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009




This evening was long. Not in a bad way, just it seemed to go on and on. Now, I am too tired to write anything of any importance. Which I guess that would imply that I do on any other day.






Iwill make it short and sweet. We went to the pool today. It is going to close for the season on Monday, so today was our last day. What a bummer. I can feel my psychy going down at the thought of the pool closing for the winter. We had a great time and the girls had fun. We hung out this evening with a miriad of neighbors making plans for dinner soon. The girls were given some yummy dessert from neighbors so they were all jakced up. Bedtime was worth the wait. Before dinner we went to preschool open house for Emma. She is going to have the same teacher as last year. She is really excited for school to start again. This is her last year of preschool. I am also doing some of the parent learning portion too. I thought that, among other things, there is no reason to send her off to school without the most involvement possible. Especially when they are that young. Off to bed.