Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I know it's now January, but it's been a rough couple of months.

The first week of Novemeber, Spencer came down with some sort of stomach bug. It was lower intestinal and didn't stop him from eating, so we (along with his doctor) decided to let it run it's course. He wasn't acting completely himself so we decided to cancel a long awaited trip to Tahoe. Thankfully we did, because we received an early morning call on Sunday, a day we would have been in Tahoe, that my grandpa had fallen ill and the whole family was being called to the hospital to say our goodbyes. I was able to be there for that special time, say my goodbyes and thank yous to an amazing man. That is something I will forever be grateful for being able to do.


After a full week, Spencer started throwing up, too. I took him back to the doctor and had him checked out. Doc said we'd keep an eye on it and to call if he started getting dehydrated. Unfortunately, I had to call the next evening because Spencer just wasn't keeping fluids down. He was hungry and would grab at his bottle, but just couldn't keep it down longer than 30 minutes. Doc had us come in first thing in the morning, which was the day of my grandfather's funeral and celebration of life. I took him in and Doc said he was on the verge of dehydration and he would call me at lunch to check on him. One of the best friends I have ever had insisted on coming over to watch Spencer, putting her health and her own boys health at risk so that I could attend the ceremonies. I will forever be grateful for that act of love and kindness, Jen. Spencer seemed to be on the mend during that time because he kept his two 2 oz bottles down (usually he eats 6 oz at a time!). But, a few hours later after we returned home, he started vomiting again and continued throughout the night. I called the doc in the morning and as we had discussed earlier, we took Spencer to the ER for IV fluids. Doc had us go ahead and stay the night to ensure he was going to stay healthy. All the labs came back fine, he had a regular old case of the flu and was severely dehydrated. After the first hour of IV fluids, color came back into his cheeks and his personality came back- he was wooing all the nurses (male and female) and he was smiling and laughing again. From the time of his 6-month check up two weeks before his illness to our stay in the hospital, Spencer had lost 2 lbs- over ten percent of his body weight. Two months later, and he is just now getting back to his 6-month weight. Before The Illness, we were close to sleeping though the night, then we were back to being up every two hours to feed him because he was starving all the time. Two months later, we are now back to only getting up once or twice a night.

This is what Spencer looked like a month before he got sick...

This is after two weeks of being sick...

AND THEN- on Thanksgiving Day (which we were hosting) Adaline gets the stomach bug. Wonderful.
My mom talked me out of canceling the whole thing, and Adaline hung in there like a champ. I couldn't tell you much about the day, honestly. I was so worried about Adaline getting sick and Spencer would not let me get more than a foot away from him (I swear we were both traumatized by his illness), so I feel like the night flew by.

The next day, Adaline said she felt "all better" and wanted to go visit the Walsh Cabin. So off we went, with our fingers crossed- and amazingly, she did okay!

Spencer and Auntie Sara

It has been a crazy month and it took us right into December which is crazy in its own way, so I know this is a Thanksgiving post and it's already January, but that's where we're at these days.

Veteran's Day

Usually, I take time on Veteran's Day to tell the veteran's in my life thank you for their service to our country.

This year, one of the greatest veterans I know, my grandfather Robert Tornquist passed away on Veteran's Day. His passing was somewhat of a surprise to us, but we were all able to gather at the hospital and say our goodbyes. It has taken me two months to write about it because there is so much to say and I don't really know how.
I keep trying to write a summary of what I know about my grandpa to share with you and I have struggled with it. There's just too much to say and I don't feel like I could do the man justice.
My grandpa was a well-know, well-respected tractor expert. He was a WWII veteran. He was in the Battle of the Bulge and had amazing stories of warfare and survival. Above all, my grandpa was a family man, and he always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. He was quick to joke with people and try to make them laugh. He was kind, so very kind. I have heard more stories than I can recount of times when he helped a family member, friend, or neighbor through a hard time. So many of my dad's stories started with, "We had this horse/goat/mule/cow/truck/car that my dad received as payment for doing x,y, or z for this farmer..." and every one of those stories ends with everyone laughing and me pondering how my father and his siblings survived their crazy and exciting childhood.
As a grandpa, he was always on the floor letting us ride on his back while we played horsey. He let us drive his riding lawnmower and his tractors. As we got older, he always knew of a detail to ask us about our lives, and even let us drive his treasured Model T. One of my favorite stories at the Celebration of Life for him is how Grandpa told one of grandkid's partners, who called him Mr. Tornquist, "If you're here, you better call me Grandpa."
Our family is large, and we have all gone separate ways, but we still come together for parties a few times a year. Christmas Day breakfast has always been amazing, because give or take one or two people, we all manage to meet up for a few hours. Last year it was 47 people, this year, adding three more babies would have made it 50, but we all felt Grandpa's absence. On our way home, Travis told me, "Grandpa always made his way around the crowd and talked to every single one of us. He made us all feel special."
I am honored to be a part of my family, and I have always held my name in high regard. I was raised with the idea that our name is well-known in this community and to represent it the best I possibly could. I will continue to honor my grandpa by living by the values he passed down to my dad who passed them down to me.

Halloween Part II

A week or so before Halloween our favorite photographer Liz offered up a Halloween shoot to returning customers. We did it for Adaline's first Halloween and I jumped at the chance to do it again with Spencer's first Halloween. Liz has a way of always getting a good shot, even when Spencer spent most of the session fussing :) 

Thanks again, Liz! 

Happy Halloween!

We started our Halloween celebration a few days before Halloween by carving our pumpkins into jack o' lanterns. 

On the Friday before Halloween, we went to the local Farmer's Market to trick or treat, just like last year. Travis took some great photos, but we can't seem to transfer them onto the computer. 

On Halloween, the kids and I went to the library for a Halloween Story Hour. Turlock may be a small town, but it sure takes care of its little ones. It was a great, well thought-out production complete with trick or treating in the library (for toys and stickers, not candy!!)At the last minute, I put a different outfit on Spencer- I can't  believe he fit into the costume Adaline wore LAST YEAR!

That night, we went up and down our street to our neighbors and had a great time. Well, Adaline and I did, Spencer made it to three houses and crashed out so Travis took him back home.

Adaline had so much fun she worked up an appetite. She was so tired she had to prop her head up on her hand to finish her second dinner. 

THAT is a successful night!

Best Friends

Travis took these two pictures about six weeks ago, but it's still the same...

They love each other!

Six Months Old

Okay, he's already 6 1/2 months old, but this video was taken at 6 months ;)

So Serious...

 For the most part, this is how Spencer looks at people...

but if you wait long enough, you'll get this...

Definitely worth the wait!