January -- snowy, lots of sledding, sickness, and other things

Three key words can sum up this month, and they all start with the letter S:

1. SNOW (loads of it)
2. Sledding
3. Sickness

Besides those three, there were a few more events worth blogging so I'll add those into the mix too.


Birthday
Before all the snow came, we celebrated Nathan's birthday.  I surprised him with his favorite cookies (raspberry shortbread thumbprints).  He loved the surprise because he actually had a rough day at work on his birthday that would damper ones spirits.

We had pancake breakfast for dinner (one of Nathan's favorite meals), and then he had to quickly go help push one of our neighbors cars that was stuck on the off ramp of the freeway (yikes).  Upon his return, he enjoyed a conference call with his family which is one of the highlights he looks forward to every year.

Dishes
Hannah really likes to help out around the house, especially if it means Daddy is involved.  One of Hannah's latest thrills is doing dishes.  We give her non-breakable, already rinsed dishes and she "washes" them in the kitchen sink.  Really, she just likes playing in the water, but it's still fun and cute to watch.

Time-out for Zurg

One morning, Nathan was putting his coat on and getting ready to go to work and we noticed that Zurg was in a timeout (he must have been mean to Buzz Lightyear).  We have found Zurg in the corner a few times this month.  Actually, he is the only toy that goes in time-outs.

Shoes and dress up

A few weeks ago, our Relief Society had a "swap."  I always like these free swaps because I end up walking away with a few used books and toys for Hannah.  Well this year I hit the jackpot!  I saw these Rapunzel shoes (from the Disney store), and they had never been worn!  I instantly grabbed them and put them in my box.  The heels even light up.

A few days later, I gave the shoes to Hannah.  Her face lit up and had the biggest smile.  She instantly ran into her room and anxiously said "I'll be right back mommy!"  A few moments later, she turned into this:

Hannah is understanding the concept of princesses.  It's a fun stage.

One day I was working on sending some church emails out, and I noticed it was really quiet in the house.  I snuck around the corner and there was Hannah trying on my boots.  Normally, I don't let Hannah touch my shoes, but this was too funny.

Sickness
I got sick -- again.  Two times in a 4 week period!  Not too happy about that.  This one was not very fun.  My head cold/influenza lasted 9 stinking days!  Just as I thought I was getting better, it came back and it started a whole new cycle.  Sigh.

Nathan started to feel a little sick too towards the end of the month, but thankfully it only was for a day.  We are both feeling much better now, hallelujah.

Mid-way through the month Nathan fell and slipped on some ice just outside our front door.  He hurt his knee bad enough to work from home that day.  Hannah enjoyed that of course.  Luckily, there was not any damage done to the knee.  Just a bruise.

Sledding

Pennsylvania got DUMPED on with a lot of snow this month (about 2 feet total for the month of January).  There was so much snow that Nathan and our neighbor decided to create a burm in between our two houses.  The sides of the yards are very steep on our side of the street and it makes for great sledding.

Hannah is totally fearless and loves every bit of it no matter how cold it is.  She goes, and goes, and goes, and when it's time to come in, Hannah is very distraught.

One afternoon, I was out watching some of the neighborhood kids who were sledding in between the two homes.  Hannah, of course, joined in on the fun.

But after a few days of back-2-back sledding, she was so exhausted that afternoon and I found her lying down in one of the sleds while the others kids took turns.

Napping

Sledding has really tuckered Hannah out lately, and sometimes she will instantly fall asleep in the car.  I couldn't help but take this picture because she was eating her snack, and then 5 minutes later Hannah was out cold with her hand in her cup.

Adjusting to not having Kronk

Believe it or not, no longer having a pet is an adjustment.  Much harder than we thought, but we are adjusting well.

We miss having the little guy around and making us laugh at his stupidity as he played.  We miss the (sometimes quiet) companionship that he offered.  He always wanted to be in the same room as us, and not having him around has made us acutely aware of that loss.

There have been a few perks to not having Kronk around: our laundry room doesn't have the unsightly (and sometimes smelly) litter-box in there, you don't have to worry about feeding another living creature everyday, we don't have to worry about Kronk trying to bolt out of the house each time we open the door, etc.  That being said, we miss not being greeted as we walk in the door (really all Kronk wanted to do was sniff our shoes and bags).

Hannah has inquired about Kronk a few times, but she occasionally says that "Kronk was sick and he had to go to the doctor to get a check up."  She sometimes will say "Mommy, I miss Kronk."

Well Hannah, we all miss the little man.

Farewell Kronk

The journey began early in 2006.  A female cat was pregnant with a litter of kittens. She was eventually abandoned and left on someone's doorstep -- very malnourished and starving.  On May 10, 2006 that female cat gave birth to a litter of kittens.  In that specific litter, there was a little runt.

Nathan and I moved to Iowa at the beginning of August.  One day we found ourselves walking around in the mall and stopped by a pet store. This particular pet store rescued animals.  We looked at the kittens and that's where our adventures with Kronk started.  On August 30th, we adopted Kronk into our family.

We decided to name our cat Kronk after the Disney character from the movie Emperor's New Groove. In the film, the character Kronk talks to squirrels by saying "squeak squeak, squeaker...squeakin'" (it's a Disney movie folks -- anything can happen).  When we were in the pet store our little cat was so small that when he meowed, he squeaked.  Not to mention, the character Kronk in the Disney film is a complete idiot and clueless fool.  Let's just say that the name fit perfectly for our little cat on more than one account.

Kronk was exactly what Nathan and I needed.  He helped me adjust to the big change of moving from sunny California to Iowa, miles and miles away from family and friends.  Kronk kept up my spirits. He was a great companion to Nathan during those late nights of studying, writing papers/dissertation, and eventually submitting all those job applications.  He even provided us with some company and laughs during the late night feedings when Hannah was a baby.

There were many great memories we made with Kronk during our 6 year stay in Iowa: the walks we would go on outside with the leash, him accidentally falling in the toilet, slipping on the ledge of the bathtub and falling in the water, anxiously looking out the sliding door to see Nathan get off the 5:34 pm bus and then bolt to the door to greet him, the snuggling with us on the couch, climbing in the Christmas tree, wrapping presents, always being the inspector and supervisor of any job, climbing in any and every box, etc.

When Hannah came along Kronk wasn't too thrilled.  He liked all the new hiding spots that came along with the crib and changing table, but was very nervous for many months with a new living creature in the house.  Then Hannah became moveable and started realizing he needed to stay out of her reach.  But over the course of 4 years Kronk started to adjust to living with Hannah.  He still kept his distance from Hannah, but he would let her grudgingly pet him every once in a while.

Kronk didn't necessarily love the drive out to Pennsylvania when it came time to move from Iowa, but he definitely enjoyed the larger and more spacious house we moved into.  One of Kronk's favorite things about living here was finding all the warm spots to sleep -- especially by the fireplace.  He sat on every window sill throughout the day and watched the world go by. He also enjoyed finding new nooks and crannies to climb into.

Unfortunately, this last month we noticed Kronk's health had been declining.  On Christmas Eve Nathan and I took him to the vet.  The doctor suspected that Kronk was suffering from some intestinal problems (either inflammatory bowel or cancer), both of which can be treated but the chances of a full or improved recovery were not that great.  Not to mention, the cost involved in providing treatment for the little guy were pricey and complicated.  We decided to run some blood tests and look into things more before deciding what to do.

The blood work revealed what the doctor had initially suspected and we started to come to the realization that we were most likely going to have to put Kronk down.  The big question was -- when?  How do you decided when it is time to end a life?  How do you make a decision like that when the animal can't even give you any input.  It was hard.  Very hard.

When we came back from visiting family though, we found some things that indicated we needed to put Kronk down.  We called the vet and scheduled the appointment.  Prior to dropping Hannah off at the neighbors we tried to tell her that we were taking Kronk to a pet doctor, but that he wasn't going to be coming back.  The concept was way over her head.

After Nathan dropped Hannah off at the neighbors he came back and Nathan and I had a few minutes to ourselves with Kronk.  It was actually very hard and sad.  This was our last few moments with the little guy in our home.  After some time we loaded Kronk into his cat carrier, we got in the car and drove away.  Kronk would never return home.

The vet is about 10 minutes from where we live, but it was a long, sobering drive.  Well, perhaps one of the reasons why it seemed longer is because we were driving through an ice storm.  We arrived at the vet and waited in a room for a few minutes before the doctor came in to talk to us.

Eventually, they took Kronk back to sedate him before putting him down.  They brought us back after the initial sedation and let us say our last final goodbyes.  I didn't want to be present for the euthanizing injection, so I took off Kronk's collar and left the room.  A few minutes later (11:11 am), Nathan came out of the room.  It was done. Our little kitty was gone, and he went peacefully.

It was an emotional day.  Kronk was part of our lives for 8 years.  He was the first "addition" to our family.  He was a blast to have, and we thoroughly enjoyed him.  One of the things we loved about Kronk was that he never grew out of that "kitty phase."  He always stayed idiotic and foolish.  Kronk gave us 8 years of laughter and love, and we will have a lifetime of memories.  Thank you Kronk for being part of our family.  You will be greatly missed.

Kronk

Born: May 10, 2006

Adopted: August 30, 2006

Died:January 3, 2015

December -- 'Tis the season to be crazy

December was crazy and chaotic, but all in a good way.

Hannah's pre-school celebrations

Hannah's preschool makes it a point to celebrate all the kids birthdays.  She was very excited to wear a crown for the day, get a treat, and a small toy as a present.

Her school also had a big Christmas celebration and did lots to prepare for it.  She loved coloring this "orgament" that was meant to be taped to the office doors.

Ward Christmas party

Our church had a Christmas party which was fun.  I helped set up for the festivities with a few other people.  

Hannah got to play an angel in the Nativity story and it was really funny to watch.  At first, she cried while on stage because she was separated from Daddy.  But then Hannah started to realize she was getting attention on stage and enjoyed it.  After some time she started waving, jumping, and smiling.

Hair cut

Hannah decided to cut her hair.  First time ever.  I guess it had to happen sooner or later.  I'm surprised it took her 4 years to do it.  The damage wasn't too bad, but now she has a some bangs.

Trying new foods

Hannah got more adventurous this month with food.  She started eating an apple, but only if she cut it by herself (no worries -- she used a plastic knife).

She tried a brownie and a cake ball.

And she downed a gingerbread house while we visited family.  This one was entertaining to watch.

White Elephant Party

This year we hosted a white elephant party.  Our neighbors (who moved in the summer) did one every year so we decided to continue the tradition.  This was one of my decorations for the party.

We gave away a Satellite dish (the previous residents of the home had one installed in the yard and since we don't use Direct TV we took it down as it was such an eyesore).  The dish was too big to wrap so we came up with this poem and wrapped it in a tiny box.

The party was a lot of fun and we are very excited to make this a continuing tradition.

After the party, I had to go on a scavenger hunt and find a few gifts some guests intentionally left behind.  They wanted to play some tricks on us (stinkers).  Let's just say it definitely kept things interesting, but I found them all and I've already re-hidden one of the gifts in someone else's car! Hey, if they are going to play that game, we'll play it right back with them.


Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve I showed Hannah a Nativity video produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She loved it so much that she watched it over, and over, and over again.

After a few viewings of the video, Hannah dashed out of the room and came back with her baby doll. It was a tender moment.

As we were getting ready for bed, we showed Hannah where Santa was online with Google's Santa Tracker.  She kept saying that "Santa and the shepherds are going to come tonight for dinner." Apparently shepherds assist Santa, and the eat dinner while delivering gifts.


Christmas
Christmas was a whole new experience this year.  Hannah fully understands presents, and she started to grasp the concept of Santa.  It was a magical year for everyone.

She enjoyed opening her Santa gifts: underwear, socks, bubbles, toy high heels (that perfectly match her Rapunzel dress), Pringles, and of course -- candy!

She also enjoyed opening all of her other presents too: Doc McStuffins toys, pompoms, legos, Rapunzel dress, a new Sunday dress, books, Daniel Tiger toys, a teddy bear with a matching blanket, etc.

We also enjoyed chatting with our families via Skype and phone.

As for Kronk, he had fun with his presents: the leftover, empty boxes.  It never gets old for us, or for him.

Visiting family
A few days after Christmas we headed down and visited the Pikes.  It was fun, relaxing, non stressful, and playful (we played LOTS of games).  Unfortunately, I was feeling under the weather and didn't take many pictures.

We had Tetris marathons, played plenty of Nertz, and some other card games too.

Nathan and I also played the Just Dance of Let it Go.  Hannah wanted to do it, but we had to do it with her.  In fact, we had to play it twice, and Nathan beat me both times!  We didn't take any pictures or videos, but during the shorty replay back from the game I managed to take this snapshot.  If you look right in the middle, Hannah is just standing there looking at the screen.

On our last day (January 1st), we ate lunch at Five Guys before driving back up.  In the building there was a Hokie (the mascot for Virginia Tech).  Hannah was excited to take a picture with the beloved Hokie which, by the way, IS NOT a turkey.

Thus concludes the Culmer Chronicles of 2014.