the plague . . .

Well this has been an interesting week and a half.  It all started last week when we took Rayce to the park with his friend Maisie . . .

They had such a great time playing and running around - it was fun to watch them explore and watch the other kids playing.  I was a little nervous watching him try and make his way around on the bark and cement, but he did just fine, and only fell a couple of times. 

He was exhausted when we finally left, so we made him a little camo pillow for the walk home

We spent about 2 hours out in the sun, and when we got home, Rayce's head started to feel a little warm.  I shrugged it off thinking it was just a little sunburn or something, but as the night went on, his whole body started to roast, and about 4 am I finally said to Brad "I think we should probably take his temperature" - yeah - 103* . . . not fun. 

This continued for what seemed like FOREVER, but it was actually 4 days.  I'm not going to say ONLY 4 days because those were some of the toughest nights we have gone through with him.  He spent those 4 days inside the house with Brad, and they passed the time by teasing the dog who lives behind us (amongst other things).

Oh, I almost forgot - before we left for the park that day, we decided to give Rayce a "big boy" haircut - and boy does it look good - check him out :-)

We said goodbye to the curls for now, but I'm sure they'll be back! 

So we are finally feeling better - and very happy about that!  I am in my last week of the 12 week Challenge and I am so excited to weigh in on Friday morning!  We have had some gorgeous days up here at Mission Ridge, but I am definitely excited for the season to end.  Brad is getting ready to start school in a few months and I am so happy for him.  We are also celebrating his 27th birthday this week and I have a BIG surprise for him - I can't wait. 

This week my friend Corey came to visit us all the way from North Carolina.  I met Corey in the summer of 2008 when she and I worked together at the Roadhouse in Seward Alaska.  She has made some HUGE changes in her life in the past year and I am so proud of her and how strong she is.  She had never met Brad or Rayce, so she got to experience the Jones apartment, and how noisy Rayce is when he's having "issues".  She is also working on loosing weight, so we took the opportunity to hit the gym and then take Rayce on a walk in his new backpack later on in the afternoon. 

We did some other fun things while she was here, my whole family joined us for dinner at Abby's pizza, which was great - Corey had met a few of them between passing through Washington on her way back from Alaska, and from mom and dad's visit to Seward the summer we worked together.  Rayce had a GREAT time watching the kids playing the games, and then finally conned Grandpa Tom into letting him take a turn himself.  Pretty darn cute. 

We had a great time having Corey here, as we do with any of our friends who come to visit us.  It's so great to have friends from all over the place, and even better that we can stay connected despite being so far apart. 

A fun little video of the little man and how excited he gets for bathtime:





I just love the colors in this picture



Before any of you freak out - I sanitized the toilet paper roll that he is now OBSESSED with



Got a LITTLE freaked out when dad's hand came under the door!


Brad got to go play some disc golf with Dave Crocker yesterday, which means yes, the weather has been getting better.  I think we got up to around 60 degrees today - Rayce and I even dared to open the sunroof while driving to Costco today.  It felt great.  Brad should find out in the next month whether he'll be starting at the College in June or September.  We're hoping for June since the job market around here doesn't seem to be all that great.  I'm excited for him to meet new people and get to do something besides hang at home with Rayce all day while I'm at work or the gym. 

Speaking of the gym . . . I will complete my 12 week Golds Gym Challenge on April 1st.  I am so excited that I have made it so far and so proud of myself for finishing.  I committed to 12 weeks, and I will be continuing after that 12 weeks as well.  I have lost 25 pounds at this point, and am hoping to drop another 10 by weigh in day.  I can tell big differences in my clothes, and the best part is that other people are noticing it too.  That is a feeling like no other.  Actually, the BEST part is that I know I will be able to keep up with my son once he starts running around outside, and that I am doing everything I can to make sure I am a healthy mom and a good example to him! 

Well that's all for now - back to work tomorrow!  Not too much longer left at the Ridge, and usually the last month seems to be the most fun, so I'm looking forward to it!  <3

Back to normal?!

Wow, a week has already slipped away without a post.  I'd like to think I have some sort of good excuse, but I'm not sure having a 1 year old is good enough.  We celebrated the life of my Grandma Doris last Saturday.  It was a great service, but it seemed like it all went by really fast.  It was great to see some of the people that I have known most of my life but have not seen for awhile.  I think she would have been happy with the service, except she probably wouldn't have liked seeing us all cry!  I was a little nervous about having the pastor do part of the service, I guess because you never think someone who isn't family would ever know someone as well as their family, but he did a great job with his part, and it was great to hear someone else's take on Grandma's life.  She was a great person and a wonderful Grandmother, and she will most definitely be missed!

Rayce had a great time playing in the back of the 4Runner after the service - he was so happy!  I'd like to think the majority of his happiness came from the fact that his DADDY IS BACK!!  

Thank the lord - Brad flew in on Saturday morning and then drove up to Pateros for the funeral.  It is SO great to have him back - and I think the look on Rayce's face shows that!

Not long after Brad got home, Rayce came down with the flu.  Brad's 1st night home and we woke up in the middle of the night to Rayce loosing his lunch all over me (and our new comforter).  He has been awfully whiny and miserable.  Poor little guy - we're hoping we're on the tail end of it!  Brad got it for a day, and so did I, but Rayce is still feelin the pain :-(

I got to go out snowboarding with Jessica on Monday - it was a GORGEOUS day outside and the snow was phenomenal!  Definitely one of the bonus' of working at a Ski Resort - we can pick and choose the days we want to go out!

I'll leave you with a few funny pics of Rayce - he had quite the conversation with himself the other night - wish I had gotten it on video, but the pics will do for now :-)

Single Mommy-Hood

Wow.  I have SO MUCH more respect for single moms after my whoppin' 3 days being without Brad.  There is so much planning, and thinking involved in entertaining a 1 year old all day long!  I decided to take Rayce out to my mom and dad's house on Tuesday night.  Rayce loves his Grandma and Grandpa, and his Aunties too, but I think his favorite thing these days is playing the piano, which is the cutest thing ever because the top of his head is barely above the keys.  He read some books with Grandma, got a sweet new hairdo thanks to some food getting in his hair, and then decided he was going to show me his Evil Knievel tricks on his trike that Autie Mel bought him. 

Today Rayce came to work with me and went to the daycare up at the Ridge.  I was a little apprehensive to take him in there because the night before, I thought he would like to play in the kids area at the gym while I worked out.  Boy was I wrong.  He wanted NOTHING to do with any of the nice ladies, and when I went to go get him, he still had big crocodile tears rolling down his cheeks.  Poor kid, I keep thinking maybe he's acting this way because his daddy has been gone for a few days, but who knows.  I'm just gonna go with that for now.  So he was in daycare for about 5 hours, and then I brough him over to the Ski School with me - he had a GREAT time running around. 

Brad will be home in a couple more days, and I couldn't be more excited.  I miss enjoying things Rayce does together, and of course I miss the normal things of everyday life with him.  I'm so thankful for our little family and this sweet little guy that just melts our hearts :-)



Dropping off "dada" at the airport

Even though it isn't the best timing, Brad is on his way to visit his Dad, family and friends in Oregon for the week. Rayce had a blast running up and down the airport, it was so cute.  He is fascinated by other kids and so much fun to watch!

We love you and will miss you lots this week! <3

Bittersweet Day

I decided I needed to start a blog, mostly so I can remember things that happen in our life that I don't want to forget.  This isn't really a happy beginning to a blog, but it was a day that I don't want to forget.  My Grandma Doris passed away this morning, I watched her take her last breaths and will never forget the feeling that overwhelmed my body once I recognized that it was really happening. 

I am happy that she is no longer suffering, that she has finally passed on and is not in any pain, and not anxious like she was her last few months of life.  But, she's gone, and that's a hard pill to swallow.  We arrived at the Harmony House around midnight, and it seemed as if she was just holding on by a thread all night long.  Sometime around 9 in the morning, the nurse told us to talk to her, that she could hear us.  Sure enough, I started talking to her, telling her that she's ok, and that we love her very much, and that she needed to go on and be with Grandpa Don.  A few minutes later I was talking with Brad and Rayce on the phone, and she heard Rayce's voice, and I swear that's what she needed and then she was ready to go.  It was only a few minutes later that her spirit passed on, and she took her last breath.  I am so thankful that she was able to meet Rayce, she was so excited about having a Great Grandbaby.  I will treasure that forever. 

It's been a long day, and Brad is leaving for Oregon tomorrow for 5 days.  I'm excited to spend time one on one with Rayce, but will really miss Brad, especially during this hard time.

I hope to post at least once a week - I'm even going to make a note on my calendar!  We'll see how it goes . . . 

RIP Grandma Doris, you will be missed immensly.  I love you so much, and can't wait to see you again someday.  <3