december 2009

i have had so much to post throughout the month of december that i have just put it off. the kids have been out of school the whole month of december - which we ALL just LOVE! it has been a fun-filled month without much stress & primarily FUN on the agenda. we did so many things & had alot of good ole' family time eating, playing games, eating, watching movies, eating, reading stories, eating, did i say eating???? LOL i thought i better do a quick post to wrap up 2009 ...

the month started of, with keegan's baptism. it was a great day & we are so very proud of her. i did a slideshow of her from when she was born up until she turned 8 - it was so fun to do. i went through thousands of photos & reminisced - narrowed it down to 300 photos of her. we did not end up showing it so i guess i'll just have a head start on it for when she gets married (which will be in 30 years if her dad has anything to do with it!) here are some pics of keegan in her baptism dress doesn't she look like an angel?!





steve reading christmas stories to the kids. my sister-in-law gave us years ago a compilation of christmas stories to read - 1 a day for the month of december. we don't read 1 a day (life is just too crazy for that) but we do read them in clusters throughout the month.



we did candy jars for some of the manufacturer's offices that we work with & some of our most favorite neighbors. they were really fun to make & was unbelievable at how much candy we needed to fill al the jars. we had to make several candy runs as we needed more of this & that. but no worries, we still had enough candy left over so the entire dredge family stayed on a sugar high for at least a week.





we went to grandma & grandpa dredges on christmas eve & was glad to get some pictures of them with the kids. we don't see them very often, so when we do it is really nice!



the kids on christmas morning. crew is not pictured because he peacefully slept until 8 am christmas morning & the rest of us were up at 5am. we were all sad to not have crew during the christmas morning chaos but we sacrificed so he could get his beauty sleep - hahaha




christmas afternoon we all headed up to salt lake city mission - this is where they provided dinner for all the homeless in the salt lake area. they shuttled people in from many of the half-way houses & shelters. we had bought some hooded, zippered sweatshirts & took them down to give them to those in need. we were there for about 2 hours & what an eye opener it was. jake LOVED every minute of it. he talked to everyone & wished them a merry christmas as he gace away the sweatshirts. keegan was shy & scared - wondered why we had to give all 150 of the sweatshirts away ourselves (she wanted to just put them on a table & leave). brock was a litle freaked out (not sure if it was becausehe was so out of his element or if was the lack of sleep) but as long as he had a cookie in his hand he was ok. crew loved it! he loves people & action -there were plenty of both. steve & i were surprised a little at what a rough crowd it was & were very glad for the opportunity we had. obviously, no pictures from that event but we will always remember the experience as part of our christmas day.



i LOVE this ... a little background. i always send out a holiday greeting to my customers. i am very aware that not everyone celebrates christmas so i have always sent a message like the one above.

EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. i get emails from customers telling me they are offended because i do not beleive in christ, i have taken christ out of christmas, i am compromising "christmas", etc. it seriously, totally stresses me out. i always feel like i can't even do a little gesture with nothing but good intentions without someone being offended. i wanted to send this
BUT.
did not have the nerve to send it - maybe next year - LOL!

Another holiday season is upon us. Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wish.
AND.
MERRY CHRISTMAS - i believe in JESUS CHRIST!

we did not do christmas cards this year for family & friends - we did thanksgiving cards. and i really liked having it crossed off my list before december. steve had to comment that it didn't matter WHEN i did something, it was always a day later than when i wanted it done. so true! the cards were mailed the day before thanksgiving - LOL! one of these days, i will just accept the fact that i thrive on the adrenaline of getting things done in the nick of time :)

we closed the year with festivities that included food, family & fun. my mom & sister & her little family came over for a fun night eating, playing games, eating, laughing, eating, visiting with family, & did i say eating?? speaking of eating, i am DONE. just the thought of eating makes me weazy - i am ready... more on that in my next 2010 post. we brought the new year in as a family (minus crew - he was getting more of that beauty sleep :) i got a really funny video of the kids celebrating with their sparkling cider but not sure how to put it here ... i'll work on it?! hoping that the blog isn't as neglected in 2010 as it has been these last several months.

anyway... goodbye 2009. you were fabulous. but we are going to move on to a even better 2010!

a true story worth reading

so, it is soooooooo cold here in utah - this morning tempertures got down to 2 degrees. well, my little sister was heading out this morning. she has a 2 mo baby so she went out & warmed the car up. she started up the car & walked through the garage - with the large garage door opened & walked in the house to get her stuff (baby, diaper bag, etc). just after she closed the door (the door that goes into the house) she heard a weird noise - like maybe she forgot to put her emergency break on or something. she opened the door & she sees someone peeling out of the driveway IN HER CAR. just that fast! all i can think of is what if her little baby was in the car. i just can't get over how fortunate it was that her baby was still inside. i know i have MANY of times, put one baby in the car & come back in the house to get the other or my bag, water, bottle, something i forgot, etc. i just can't stop thinking about WHAT IF that baby was in the car - chances are the thief did not inspect the inside of the car before they stole it because it was SO fast. so, what would they of done once they realized they had not only stolen a car but a baby too. most likely, they would of abandoned the car. what would of happened to the baby in these freezing temperatures?? just gives me the chills to think at how blessed we are ... even though it sucks they will probably have to get a new car. police say that if it isn't found within 24 hours it is likely that it won't be found. the police also have said that this is happening ALOT! doesn't matter where you live (this happened in a gated community). also, in the car was the house key, the other car's key, the garage door opener - not to mention the christmas presents in the trunk. so just a reminder: PLEASE, don't leave your car running & do NOT put your kids in the car until you are ready to leave. SO SCARY!!!

here is a picture of sommers sweet baby on thanksgiving. she has NO IDEA of how blessed she is.

thankful

this time of year is such a reminder to me all that i have been blessed with. i am so fortunate & thank my heavenly father everyday for the blessings he has granted upon me. however, it has weighed heavy on me this year how much i have to be grateful for. so, so much!!!

i started a gratitude book this year & had everyone in our family write 10 things they are thankful for. it was really neat to see some of the things on their list. of course we all had the common ones like family, food, gospel, friends, home, etc. the list were very interesting and the spelling & handwriting is priceless. i plan on continuing these list every year. it think it will be really neat to go back & review these list as it reflects the person they are at that time in each of their lives. i am thankful for so many things. 

these are 5 of my biggest blessings & what i am most thankful for:

steve

i am always his first priority. he loves me despite my faults. he is a hard worker & willing to do whatever needs to be done. has a great sense of humor & laughs with me.

 

jake

such a great example to his siblings & always follows the rules. i love that he is all boy but also is OK with telling me he loves me & giving me a kiss in front of his friends.

jakes list:

1. nfl & all football

2. the gospel

3. jesus christ

4. god the lord

5. ac

6. food

7. house

8. health

9. mom & dad

10. friends & family

keegan

glad i have a girl to scrapbook, shop & do girl things with. she is a very good helper with the little boys. she is a leader. i love that she loves to organize the pantry, bathroom & drawers.

keegan's list:

1. family

2. parents

3. clothing

4. toothpaste

5. phone

6. lip gloss

7. money

8. gum

9. drugs (note: her medicine for her asthma)

10. shoes

( + 10 more - she couldn't stop at 10 so she had 20 things on her list)

brock

the life of the party & so full of life. so lovable, always hugging, giving kisses & holding my hand. i love that he always runs to me first thing for hugs & to tell me good morning.

brocks lists:

1. dinosaurs

2. mom

3. dad

4. chicken

5. spicy sprite

6. pickles

7. school

8. good monsters

9. coloring

10. abc's

crew

sweet, happy, mellow boy. i love that he sleeps 10 hours at night. i am so grateful he is healthy.

zoe

we knew this day was coming & it did ... last night.

zoe died last night. 

i just can't believe she is gone. we were all outside in the back yard - the wind was blowing & it was a beautiful night. i was taking some pictures, the boys were throwing the football, keegan on the trampoline & zoe. zoe running around with the kids being her normal full of life self. steve had stepped inside to take a call & i went in shortly after to check on some things with work. a few short minutes later, keegan comes in & says she thinks zoe is dead because she is just laying in the grass & not moving. we ran out there & sure enough, she was gone. she was just lying in the grass in her favorite spot - looked so relaxed & normal. steve checked her & could not get a pulse. i lost it. my little girl is gone - that fast. not a single indication - just gone!

steve & i took her to the vet - steve walks in & the gal at the vet saw steve & said OH NO, not ZOE! steve didn't have to say a word. the gals at the vet just LOVE zoe. in fact, when we kennel her they let her sit out front with them  - she has always been everyone's favorite! the vet is almost sure that she had a heart attack. she was just in a month ago for a full check-up & he said, "this dog could not be any better health especially for her age". she had arithtis but other than that - perfect. zoe was perfect in every way.

we left her at the vet & came back home - we had NO idea what we wanted to do with her body. we had not ever really thought about it. steve would really like to bury her in the yard. however, we thought of so many issues with that: she is big, big dog, we would have to build a wood box for her, we would have to get equipment to dig deep in the yard, what about our sprinklers, pipes, do we have to get permit from the city, would animals try to get her, would she smell, when would we have time to do this, etc? we have 1 day until we leave to go to arizona. i think have decided to cremate her & have her ashes put in a urn. we don't know yet if we will bury that in the yard, or sprinkle the ashes in the yard or keegan wants us to put it on the shelf in the office with her picture. so, we're not sure yet what we will do with her ashes but we are thinking that is the direction we will go. we have to call first thing in the morning & let them know what we decided...

we wanted to bring the kids up so they could see zoe one last time. WOW - was that hard. steve & i tried to stay super strong for the kids & allow them to have closure but it was HARD. very hard. jake & keegan are very, very upset. brock is still too young. he kept saying zoe is night night. it was a rough, rough night for all of us but we got through it together.

i can't sleep. i can't stop crying. zoe was the first dog i ever knew. she was with us for almost 11 years. that is a long time. i can't imagine my day without her. she is the sweetest dog with all the spunk in the world. i am going to miss her terribly. my heart is aching. i feel so empty.

i am very grateful that she did not have any pain and that we never had to face making the decision to put her down. she literally was running around the yard & just went to her favorite spot in the grass & fell into deep sleep. i think she knew her time was short. i think she wanted to go with us with her. i think she wanted to play one last time. i think she wanted to lay in the grass with the wind blowing. i think she knew, i couldn't handle it any other way. thank you zoe!

i have so many pictures of zoe. she was our first child :) 

here are pictures i took of her a couple weeks ago:

the only picture i have of her with all 4 kids. wish i had more ...

running around the yard with the kids - she hated my camera. she would never look at me when i have the camera.

this is the last picture of my sweetheart. this picture was taken of her tonight - minutes after she passed. she looks so peaceful. i'll always love you, zoe! thanks for all the wonderful memories!

crew's baby pictures

jolley photography did his pics - they were so patient & great to work with. i will have to say that i was SO embarrassed - crew pooped on every prop they used! he seriously pooped 12x & they did not even act like it was a big deal. i thought they got some great shots. you can go to their blog & see more of the pics they are under the last blog post (newborn baby photographer, utah) ... go here

sleepless nights

crew is still having a hard time sleeping more than 2 hours at a time at night. i feel like i am feeding him constantly but he only eats for a few minutes then falls asleep. the harder i try- it seems like the less he eats/sleeps. it has been a LONG week with steve being out of town. i have been taking him to the DR for weight checks because he is NOT gaining weight. i was referred to a specialist & we realized what the problem was - he is TONGUE TIED! meaning, the membrane that attached the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is very tight- it isn't allowing him to move his tongue up or out, which is necessary to eat. so, i took him in this morning & they clipped that membrane. so, things should get better soon - i hope. it is just a matter of him learning that he can move his tongue & that he needs to move it in order to eat. i can't believe how good he has been considering i have been starving him. i am feeling so bad that it has taken us 3 weeks to realize but glad we got it fixed. that explains my sore nipples- i didn't remember ever being this sore for this long. the specialist said the baby just chomps hoping to get a little milk from the run-off & that process is such trauma to the nipples. especially since i was feeding him every 1-2 hours ... hoping for more sleep SOON!

3 to 4

still trying to adjust. the jump from 3 to 4 kids has been BIG for us! i really did not think it was going to be a big adjustment. steve thinks it is because he (we) are old ... i think it is that we are out numbered! it has been SO fun having a new baby in the house & it has changed our ways. everytime we all go somewhere- we have to add the 3rd seat in the sequoia. such a hassle! we have loaded the kids in the car several times to go to dinner & then decided take-out would be a better alternative. i think once crew gets a little older it will be better - i won't take him to the ballpark & don't really like running errands & kids to activities with him. too much gunk still in the air.
he is a good baby- very mellow & content. he had jaundice so we had to have him under the lights for a couple days & i was feeding him every 2-3 hours. i think he got in the habit of snacking because he wants to eat every 2 hours but not really getting a full feed in before he falls asleep. has not helped with us trying to get sleep at night when he is up & wants to eat every 2 hours. so, we are going to start to work on him going longer at least at night - even if it means middle of the night baths to really wake him up. the joys of getting a baby on a schedule ...
brock has been much better with him- he always want to "help baby crew" and actually he is alot of help! keegan is the "little mom" as we expected her to be. jake has surprised me, he is SO into him. it is good to see his sensitive side come out.
life is good - just trying to adjust. i got some pics so i will post them soon.