Vacation Time Photos

Last week we took a trip up to the Black Hills of South Dakota so Parker could meet some family and so we could generally just take a break from everything.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

Parker and Ian hanging out after lunch at Lewie's, outside of Lead.  It rained and rained and rained that afternoon.  We still had a fun day.

Our short hiking experience up Mt. Roosevelt to the Friendship Tower outside of Deadwood.  It was storming not too far from us so we decided to head back to the car fairly quickly.  Parkers' first time riding on my back!

Crawling through an old gear outside of the Homestake Center in Lead.  My dads family all worked in this gold mine at some point before it was closed.

Treasures purchased throughout our trip.  I visited a Lickety Stitch Quilts in Lusk, Wyoming on the way up and Dakota Quilt Company in Spearfish.  Both are great shops with super friendly people.  On the way home we stopped in Aladdin, Wyoming (Population 15) for the Aladdin General Store.  This store was built back in the 1800's and still exists today as a gas station, general store and antiques shop. Inside I found that Pyrex dish for $4 and a book printed in 1929 about Tatters the dog.  Score!

Summer Rollin' On By

It's been a busy few months here in the Jennings' household.  Contending with a crawling/couch surfing baby on a daily basis keeps you busy!  Parker is getting oh-so-close to taking his first steps alone and every single day is filled with all sorts of chatter.  Hard to believe that he's almost a year old already.  Currently his new favorite thing is the ride on car.  Trips to the mail box or to walk the dogs find him driving like a mad man down the sidewalk.  I think (much to Ian's amusement) that we will have another gearhead in this house.

This weekend we are leaving for a little trip up to the Black Hills in South Dakota for a long deserved vacation.  No day job for Ian, no Gearhead stuff for both of us and lots of relaxing.  Maybe I can even manage to sneak in some craft time for myself!

Goodbye And Thanks For All The Tuna

In October of 2000 I found a gray kitten on some back county road outside of Lawrence, Kansas.  I took him home that night and borrowed some cat food from my apartment neighbors.  I thought he looked wise so I named him Yoda.  He ate so much food that I figured someone must have dumped him and left him behind.  This was the beginning of twelve wonderful years together.

Yoda and I moved from Lawrence to the Kansas City suburbs; living in many a different apartment.  Sometimes he was all I had for a friend.  Sometimes I could barely afford food for myself yet I always made sure he had plenty of good stuff to eat.  He was always there for me, always listening and cuddling with me.  He'd be there the minute I got home from work, demanding food because he could see one empty spot in his bowl.  He was there as I worked on needlework at night.  He was there next to me as I slept at night.

We gained friends along the way; another cat named Duncan and two dogs, Frankie and Lucky.  In 2008 I married Ian and though he was extremely upset with Ian for a long time (man of the house business) he eventually warmed up.  In 2009 we all piled into two cars and moved from Kansas to Colorado.  In 2011 our son, Parker, was born and after initially being unsure as to how Yoda would receive a baby I was surprised to find that he was the most welcoming of all four animals.  At this point he was starting to slow down but we assumed it was all due to old age.  Then he suddenly got really sick in April of this year.  After a vet check it was confirmed that his kidneys were failing.  He was on IV fluids at the vet's office for two and a half days.  We learned how to insert a needle to do subcutaneous fluids at home.  We put him on a special diet.  He seemed to perk up a bit but we just didn't know how long it would last.  Almost exactly one month later he stopped eating again and lost even more weight.  His eyes seemed vacant.  Although I didn't want to admit it, I knew it was time to let him go.  I called a placed called Home to Heaven on a Tuesday and made an appointment for the following Thursday.  Yoda spent the next two days curled up on me almost constantly.  I tried giving him all sorts of food, willing him to eat something but it didn't work.  I'd like to think for those last few days he was telling me it was okay to let him go.

On Thursday, May 17th a vet with Home to Heaven came to our house so we could say goodbye in the comfort of our living room.  Yoda was surrounded with love and I got to hold him while the shots were given to him.  I can't say enough good words about the Home to Heaven veterinarian.  Dr. Boal was wonderful, giving me plenty of time to say goodbye and talking to me about everything.  It felt like the worst decision I've ever made but I'm glad to know Yoda isn't hurting now.

I miss him a lot.  Little things like breakfast time, taking a shower without him trying to sneak into the tub and folding warm laundry without him jumping into the clean clothes remind me daily of the missing piece of my heart.  This will never go away.

We had a great twelve years my friend.  Thank you for it all.

We Have A Tooth!!

It's tiny, not yet all the way through, but it's there.  You can especially tell it's there when he bites your finger.  Do babies acquire teeth just like a puppy?!?  Yikes, that hurts!

This weekend I did a little shopping at a new fabric store in Boulder, Fabricate.  It is a cute shop and I was glad to find some nice fabric a little closer to home.  Sure, I can buy this stuff online but there is nothing like being able to see and touch everything and meet new people.  Here's my stash addition:

Parker is a super awesome assistant.  I picked up a class brochure from the shop and he made sure to read all the fine print for me, just in case something was missed.  What a kid!

On Becoming A Hermit

I looked at the calendar today and realized we are just a few weeks away from the start of Spring.  Thank goodness!!  I'm very much looking forward to open windows and sunny, warm days.  I'm sure that Parker will like it better as well because the kid sure hates wearing coats and hats while being in his car seats.  I had to knit him a new hat recently because his head is so darn big.

When we compare him to my nine month old niece he weighs one pound less than her and is already longer.  Two weeks from now will mark four months.  Parker is already rolling over and over and LOVES his bouncer.  I like the bouncer too because now I can actually get something accomplished during the day.

Yesterday we drove to Canon City for the day to visit with Grandma Jenkins.  This was Parker's first road trip.  He was so good and only cried for a little bit when we came home because he was hungry and we were stuck in Denver on I-25 in some traffic.  In April we will travel back to Kansas City for a long weekend.  Ten hours!  

We have done little else lately because it's been so cold and snowy.  I'm starting to feel like we'll never get out of here and enjoy nice weather again.  This kind of weather makes you want to curl up in bed and read books or knit.  Too bad Parker doesn't agree ;-)

Three Months

Where did the last three months go?  Every day is something new and filled with lots of smiles and "talking".  I'm glad to feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this parenting thing.

Rollin'

This rolling thing is hard business.  Sometimes you just have to take a nap.  I wish I could sleep like that!