And so it begins.  It is already almost 4 months into 2015 and I have been a slacker. Kids have gotten much bigger, and cross my fingers, they will continue to do well. DJ is in 1st grade and Yvie is in pre-kindergarten.

So far in the past year, DJ has had his third set of tubes and his adnoids out in the hopes that this would help with his ear issues. This type of surgery was a little more involved and DJ needed a lot of time to recuperate.  Poor little guy, I felt so bad for him.  My heart hurt to see him in pain.  I want to be the one to take his pain away. He was such a trooper. He went to school even when he was in pain.  He knew he had to do it because mommy and daddy had to work.  So far he is doing good, but it looks like he may need to have a fourth set of tubes.  Fluid is still building up in his left ear and he has had a very bad ear infection earlier in the year when he had such pain with bloody fluid dripping from his ears. It was during this that his left tube fell out. if it's not one thing, it's another.  As for Yvie, she has been quite healthy, except for getting croup whenever she comes down with a bad cough. 

In the past year, DJ has joined the cub scouts.  We have done a lot of fun things with the scouts as a family.  DJ enjoys it and so does Yvie.  She wishes she could be a cub scout too.  She is quite the tag along.  And I wonder how long DJ is going to tolerate it.  She wants to be like him so much.  She continuously copies him and will not make a decision about things until she finds out what DJ is going to do. It's going to break my heart when they no longer want to do things with each other. I hope it never changes.  At this time in their lives, they enjoy sharing a room and do not want their own privacy.  They love knowing the other one is there with them. It's like a security blanket.  This is what I hold most precious.  Their love for each other knows no bounds.  They can be bitter rivals, fighting with each other and then the next minute they are best friends.  This is what being siblings is all about.

We went to Taos in February and did some snowboarding again.  Took another lesson and so did the kids.  They did extremely well.  Much better than me, but I'm much older and not as resilient.  But I was not a quitter.  Had to show the kids that we do not give up.  It was so much fun!  Dave and I could not be prouder parents.  We also did some tubing while we were there.  I have never done that before and it was great!  It's fun to watch your husband and children act like little kids without a care in the world. We were living in the moment.  Pure fun!  

Last summer we did a weekend trip to the Grand Canyon. We camped at a KOA in Arizona and took the train to the rim.  It was overcast, cold, and rainy.  It was such a great experience to be there and not be hot.  The sky was wickedly cloudy and the view was breathtaking.  Never a dull moment.  It was great. I hope we create great memories for the kids.  I feel like this life is super short and time is going super fast.  I'm trying to cherish these events and tuck them away for myself to reminisce at a later time. 

Earlier this month I did my second half marathon with my brother, Ray.  We drove to Phoenix and met my brother there for a quick turn around trip to do this together. It was such a wonderful experience to be able to do this with him.  I was so proud of my brother.  He is much older than me, but kicked my butt running.  He is such an inspiration. I ended up pulling my Achilles tendon eight miles into the run and had to jog/walk it the rest of the way.  Ray could've continued on ahead of me, but didn't.  He kept me going and I love that about him.  He is so optimistic. It's sickening.

We added to our family this past Christmas.  Dave had been bugging for a new puppy and he got his wish.  We got a blue heeler and named her Dusty.  She is such a beast. The other dogs tolerate her...barely.  She has nickname of 'puffball' which I casually called her one time and it has stuck with the kids.  Dave cannot stand it.  She better learn some manners soon or else...