Baseball & Woodshop

You may have been wondering what we have been up to since it has been so long since I posted. Me, I haven't been up to much other than major hay fever, sinus congestion and itchy eyes. The weather here has been really warm, and I always get this way when the weather starts to heat up like that in the spring.

Meanwhile, Dennis has been coaching Cooper's baseball team. They finished the regular season in 2nd place (out of 4 teams) and that's the way they ended the recent seasoning tournmant. In fact, all four teams ended in the same spot. The tournmant was a nail biter though, especially the last game. They were playing the #1 team and needed to win two games to stay in. Dennis is a pretty mellow coach and I think the parents and kids like him. These pictures are not from that game howevernnis figured it was going to be a blowout because he had used up the alloted number of pitches for both his best pitchers, so they couldn't pitch in the game. He had to use the B team pitchers. They performed incredibly well. Dennis' team lead the whole game and it had to go into extra innings when they were tied at the end of 6 innings. At the last at bat for the #1 team, we had the lead and they needed to score two points to win. The son of Dennis' assistant coach was pitching. He's just this little, itty-bitty kid (about the same size Tucker was at that age probably) and he got two outs on them and we still had the lead. It looked like we might just pull it out, but alas, it was not to be. The other team won on a very close throw to 1st base followed by them stealing home to win when eveyone wasn't paying attention after missing getting the out. Kind of a cheesy way to win if you ask me. The boys were a little disappointed naturally, but Dennis did a good job of building them up and pointing out how amazing it was that they played so well with the not-so-good pitchers.

The baseball pictures of Cooper are not from that game however. That was a hot Saturday afternoon. Cooper played catcher the whole game. He traded off playing catcher with another boy on the team. He did a pretty good job of it too. Takes after his mom & dad since we both played catcher when we played baseball. Cooper actually had an amazing triple in the final tournament of game. He's a pretty decent batter when he watches the ball or doesn't swing at high pitches. We were all ready for the season to be over. The games were every Wednesday & Saturday from mid-April through May and they were usually long and painful to watch (lots of walks). The final game started at 6pm and didn't end until 9pm.

This other picture is of Tucker's latest creation in Woodshop. He was quite proud of it. I think he took this picture

so he could post in on Facebook. I think he did a really good job on it. He made me a smaller candle holder for Mother's Day. It looks equally as nice, though much smaller. I am getting the feeling that he is not going to be a desk job kind of kid. He works two jobs now, one at a local Safeway and the other at the local fruitstand where he worked last summer. He totally loves the hard work and he does work hard at the fruitstand.

I guess if I was fair, I would give Spencer some equal billing but I've already posted a goofy self-portrait of him in an earlier post and that's still pretty much what's available picture-wise. He left his camera on the coffee table recently and Dennis was checking out what pictures he had, which Spencer calls "creepy", but if he didn't always take pictures of himself maybe it wouldn't be so "creepy". Once again they were all mostly self-portraits, some of which gave us quite a chuckle. Such a funny kid. Maybe when he is at "Idaho camp" his aunt help him learn to take pictures of things besides himself!!

Mother's Day

I have been wondering what I could do to update my blog. I like to keep it current but it seems my life has been so ordinary that to post anything about myself, the kids or Dennis would be incredibly boring. Then in thinking about Mother's Day coming up I thought perhaps a tribute to my mom would be just right. (Mom I know you are a silent watcher so this is for you).

This first picture is of my mom when the family lived in San Francisco. Not sure if it was before or after I was born, but I do know that at the time she was a mother of five (with three more to come). That in itself is amazing! The fact that we all grew up to be functioning, mostly sane adults with normal lives of our own is another tribute to my mom (dad too, but it's not his day).

I think my mother was beautiful. She had wicked red hair, a small waist, bird legs--a petite fireball at 5'3" (maybe). She has since shrunk down to where I'm not sure she's even 5 feet tall--still a fireball.

Mom has always seemd serious and reserved and yet, I can remember occasions growing up where we sat around the dinner table laughing until somebody almost wet their pants. In her own quiet way she has supported, nurtured and encouraged all of us to be the best we can be. Sure there have been disappointing choices that all of us have made in our lives, but through it all mom has been a quiet force of love, a steady rock in any storm, a powerful example of faith & strength, an anchor that has held us all together as a family. Not an easy feat with 8 different personalities (9 if you include dad) all vying for attention, love, support, etc. I for one never felt any lack or favoritism. Her love encompasses us all equally in our own right.

We were never a rich family by any stretch of the imagination, but it never seemed like we were lacking. Mom knew how to stretch a dollar to it's limit, get the most mileage out of any shopping trip to the store, make the most out of any time available. She was hard, okay impossible to keep up with.

I know she harbors some regrets/guilt about being a working mom when my younger sisters and I were growing up, but I look at that with pride, wonder, amazement. It helped me get through my own stint of being a working mom with small kids. I knew that if my mom could do it and under much harder circumstances than mine, I could too. Her example helped me get through and appreciate just how really hard trying to do it all is. I wish I could say that I was half the hard worker that she is. I am a mere shadow of her. Thanks mom for being such a great example and giving me strength.

You'll notice that the pictures I have included have only been of mom with me and my sisters. The first is my two older sisters Karen & Roberta, who are amazing mom's (and now grandmas) in their own right. Life has not been a breeze for either one. There have been disappointments and hardships, but both have shown amazing strength and resilience. They are women of faith, love, devotion and virtue. They make me laugh, smile, cry and thank God for their presence in my life. I feel blessed to be their sister.

The 3rd picture is me with my younger sisters. "The three little girls" as we were called. Kind of a collective. My younger sisters are also amazing. The are talented, funny, and caring. Aleta is the mother of six fabulous kids who she mother's with incredible serenity. She is the most quiet of all the outspoken Vaden girls, but don't let that quiet/serenity fool you, it masks a magnitude of inner strength and faith that you would be hard pressed to find in any person. Now in this Mother's Day tribute Celiac (not her real name of course) would argue that she is not a mother. I would beg to differ. Although life has not blessed her with children of her own, she has been a mother, friend, mentor, confidant, blessing to pretty much every one of her neices and nephews (and her own siblings) at some point in their life. I think each and every one of them know that she loves them and that she is there for them. There are a few I think who can honestly say that without her love/support things would be much different in their lives. That is something you cannot discount or make light of. She has also been that same beacon of strength and hope for many a friend in her life. She is a mother in the truest sense of the word!

We are all products of one (and I know I keep using the same word) amazing mother. Each of us can look at ourselves and see traits, characteristics, strengths, habits, and personality we have gotten from our mother--whether gentically or through example. I am incredibly blessed to have such women in my life!

EE Update

Not that there is too much exciting to report. I had been using a steroid inhaler to "bring down the swelling" in my esophagus. The doctor decided to switch me over to Prednazone (?) which is a stronger steroid. One of the women I visit teach is a nurse and she said if I didn't want them she'd take them. Apparently, she had to take them for an ear infection once and she said they really gave her a zip. She lost 15 pounds and felt like she was thirty again. I guess it remains to be seen what side effect it will have for me--probably not a loss of 15 pounds (darn!). I have also made an appointment to see an allergist. Since EE is primarily allergy based it seems to make sense to me that in order to keep it from cropping up again you would need to try and find out what made it happen in the first place. Seems to me the steroids would only treat the symptoms not the cause. So that's pretty much the deal on the esophagus front. I'm sure you were all waiting with baited breath for that thrilling update.

Oh and the pictures, that's just so there was something to make this blog entry more interesting. This is what happens when Spencer takes his camera to school. At least he has some other people in the pictures with him instead of his usual "self-portraits". In the top picture, that IS one of his favorite facial expressions to "make". Bottom is two of his good friends Imani and Cailey. There several pictures in this vein. At school he can always be found in a flock of girls. I have candy on my desk now and he and a group of girls come visit me daily. Of course, the word is spreading and the crowd keeps getting bigger so I don't know how long I can afford to feed them all. Good thing there is only a few more weeks of school!

Go Susan Boyle!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

If you haven't already seen this on YouTube you have to check it! It is totally cool on so many levels~~not judging by appearance, not being cynical, etc... It brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard/saw it. It's amazing!

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

What is Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE)?
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a disease characterized by swelling of the esophagus (the part of the body connecting the throat and the stomach) caused by an allergic white blood cell, the eosinophil. Symptoms of EE can range from severe heartburn, difficulty swallowing, food impaction in the esophagus, nausea, vomiting and weight loss. There appears to be some age-related differences in symptoms, with younger children having more symptoms of weight loss, and older children and adults having food impaction and difficulty swallowing.
It is not exactly clear what causes EE, although this disease may be related to other allergic diseases, particularly asthma. People with EE frequently have a personal or family history of other allergic diseases such as hay fever, food allergy and asthma. Recently, there have been studies showing an association between food and environmental allergies and EE.
What Allergic Triggers Commonly Cause EE?
Various studies have shown that patients with EE have positive allergy tests to various foods, and that avoidance of these foods led to the resolution of EE symptoms. Foods reported to be the cause of EE have included milk, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, peas, beef, chicken, fish, rye, corn, soy, potatoes, oats, tomatoes and wheat. Of these, the most common food triggers are milk, egg, wheat, rye and beef.
How is EE Diagnosed?
The diagnosis of EE is generally made by performing a biopsy of the esophagus, with evidence of eosinophils infiltrating the esophageal tissue. A biopsy is performed via endoscopy (a camera inserted into the esophagus), usually by a gastroenterologist. There are many other diseases that can cause eosinophils in the tissue of the esophagus, including gastroesopheal reflux disease (GERD), parasitic infections, fungal infections, inflammatory bowel disease, certain cancers, recurrent vomiting, and others. These diseases need to be ruled out before EE can be diagnosed.
Once EE is diagnosed, an allergist will typically perform extensive allergy testing, including looking for food allergies and environmental allergies, such as those listed above.
Why Am I Posting This?
Well apparently this is what I probably have. I went in for an upper endoscopy yesterday (as opposed to the lower one that doesn't sound fun at all). I thought I would be getting my esophogus stretched so that I wouldn't choke on things so much. Well that didn't happen. Instead I find out I have this EE thing and will get some kind of treatment for it. Apparently this is something that you can have all your life and not know because you just think that choking on things is just something you have to live with (totally me). My esophogus is very "tight and swollen" which explains why I have trouble swallowing things and getting them down. I don't know exactly what the treatment is, I will find out on my next appointment on April 28th.

Easter Shoeboxes & Dotted Swiss

Easter Shoeboxes are what happens when mom cleans the basement during the summer and gives all the baskets, including Easter baskets to Deseret Industries. Something not realized until around 9pm the night before Easter because mom really isn't into helping out the Easter Bunny. Don't get me wrong, I do like Easter and have some rather fond childhood memories of Easter. Let's just say I'm less than enthusiastic about the Bunny part of it--particularly as the kids have gotten older.

Maybe if I would have had girls and made Easter dresses for them every year like my mom I might feel differently. The smell of dotted Swiss fabric always reminds me of Easter. It seems like our new Easter outfits were always made of dotted Swiss. At least the ones I remember. I'm not sure how my mom did it every year, but it seems like when we were younger we always got a new Easter dress. One year I am certain all five of us girls got them! Pretty incredible for a working mom if you ask me. I seem to recall getting purses, hats and gloves one year too, but you gotta love a cute Easter dress made of dotted Swiss.

I'm not sure how many dozens of eggs we colored growing up, but it was alot. It was a family tradition and in my memory pretty much everyone participated. I loved coloring eggs. Karen seemed particularly adept at it, but then that shouldn't be surprising given her artistic bent. Of course there was also the ritual hiding, and rehiding of the eggs on Easter Sunday and throughout the following week until we tired of it or the eggs got too "used" for lack of a better word. Every year there was at least one hiding that did not yeild all the hidden eggs. I have never been able to generate much enthusiasm from the boys for hiding eggs though.
They DO like to color eggs and every year we have done it despite Dennis wondering if we really need that many hard-boiled eggs and who is going to eat them (generally me but Cooper will help out some). This year we did 18 which was just enough for me, Cooper and Spencer to each do six. We managed to squeeze it in between the baseball & soccer games and a birthday party for a relative. We went for the straight vinegar dye for brighter colors. Dyeing eggs, always a fun time.

As a mom, I've never been that enthusiastic about Easter. For some reason to me, it seems like the Easter Bunny detracts more from the true meaning of Easter than Santa Claus does Christmas. So, I try to downplay that part of it. It seems like I am never really prepared for Easter despite the early appearance of it in the grocery stores. I keep putting it off. This year, I didn't shop for the Easter stuff until Friday. Maybe it is because the boys are getting older and even Cooper, despite not saying it, really can't beleive in the Easter Bunny. (He was there when all the Easter candy was purchased). And so, you get Easter shoeboxes because that is the only thing I know we have plenty of when it is discovered we have no baskets. We did add Easter stickers from the egg dye kit to make the shoeboxes a little more festive, but they were still shoeboxes. Oh well.

Spencer's Spring Break Trip

This post is called Spencer's Spring Break Trip because it was his idea (or desire) that we not spend Spring Break the same way we spent mid-Winter break, which was hanging out at home and pretty much not doing anything. We were up-in-the-air for quite awhile about where we were going to go. We thought about going to eastern Washington to visit family and friends there. That didn't pan out because some were going elsewhere and the pass between here and there apparently didn't get the memo that it is now officially Spring. In fact during the time that we would have been traveling over it, it snowed 2 feet and was closed for a time for avalanche. Good thing we opted not to head east of the mountains!

Where to go, where to go?? We talked about the Olympic Peninsula, Ocean Shores and other destinations. For some reason Spencer really settled on Portland, so that is where we decided to go. Dennis & Spencer made hotel reservations (in the ghetto of Portland--at least that's what it seemed like when we got there) for Wednesday and Thursday night. We left around 9am on Wednesday in a driving rain that was turning to snow as we headed south. (Apparently the mountain pass wasn't the only place that didn't get the Spring memo). It rained all the way to Portland, non-stop. We arrived at the ghetto around 1pm. (We had to turn around just before getting to the freeway to get the GPS--which thank goodness we did or we would have spent all the time lost in the ghetto.)

The first thing we did was visit Pittock Mansion. Which is the former home of the founder of the Portland Oregonian newspaper. It was very beautiful, with intrique hardwood floors throughout it's 12,000 square feet (4,000 each floor). The picture of Spencer at the grand piano is from our tour. There were about 10 people on a tour with us and when we came to the "sitting room" the tour guide asked if anyone played the piano and we all pointed at Spencer. He was a little reluctant but finally agreed to play something. He sat down and played a simple version of Beethoven's Fur Elise. I expected him just to do a scale or something. Everyone was very impressed. It was a very beautiful home.

We returned to ghetto, swam in the pool and settled in, I thought for the night. The boys however got restless so we made a visit to "Oregon's biggest mall" which is pretty much the same size as Bellevue Square with all the same stores. They were happy though.

On Thursday we had talked about taking a paddlewheel tour on the Columbia, but I let the boys decide and the opted to visit OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry) and the zoo. I think it was a good choice. OMSI is pretty much like the Pacific Science Center here in Seattle only bigger and better. The had a really cool (at least I thought) Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, where they had models of many of the "inventions" he concocted and one whole floor just about the Mona Lisa and these infrared photos this guy took of the painting. It was pretty cool. The boys of course zoomed through that and I came out about 20 minutes later. The rest of the time we spent exploring all the different things there were to do. The goggle picture is from the "Chemistry" room.

The other pictures (except the one of them in the "face" which is in front of a stadium downtown) are all from the zoo. It is a very nice zoo with lots of the same animals as ours. It is a nice walk and you can see where they are updating alot of their exhibits much like our zoo is doing. It is nice that alot of the zoos are changing to make the habitats more "real lifelike" and using the natural surroundings to enhance the whole setting. Their zoo is set against a hillside but all the "hiking" was very gradual. It was a nice hike and luckily for us it didn't start raining again until we were leaving.

We finished off the day in the pool again and got up early this morning to come home so Tucker could make his soccer practice. Everyone had a good time (even Tucker) and we were glad we got to get out of town a bit thanks to Spencer!