Northwest Trek

Chris & Jack--up close with a moose!

A resting mule deer...look at that rack!

Jack & the Beaver


Summer fun is still in full swing, despite dropping temperatures.  Eat your hearts out (well, actually, we are eating ours out b/c we want more sun/heat)...we had to wear coats on 9/5/10 to our visit to Northwest Trek. 


Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is a 725-acre park where we saw bighorn sheep, deer, Roosevelt elk, woodland caribou, mountain goats, bison (really close up)  from our comfortable open air tram while touring the free-roaming area.


Jack had no fear of the animals & slept all the way home!

Soccer Jack

Jack & Coach Brett
Yes, I know there's no soccer ball in the picture..he wasn't just into it yet...but he did the very best on the last class and outperformed everyone else...well, he was the only kid to show up.  We love 1:1 instruction!

Jack's 1st Soccer certificate

Jack & I did Mommy & me soccer this summer through the local Parks & Rec...& we had an awesome Coach...thanks Brett.  Kidz Love Soccer program is developmentally tailored for preschool children and it was fun.  We did alot of listening with listening ears, learning to listen to directions, and then listening again when we forgot them, and oh yeah, we did some cool soccer drills too...no games of course, at this age.  We practiced not touching the ball, not forgetting or leaving the ball, and yes, we worked on listening & following directions.  Have you gotten it yet?

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

It was a hot day, this past Saturday, August 14, for the Walk Now for Autism Speaks...90 degrees!  The walk venue was the Seattle Center, in downtown, with the Space Needle in the background.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who supported me---I reached my goal of raising $250!

Have you ever been in a place where there are thousands of strangers, but you are all there because of a single reason, and that alone creates a connection?  As I heard the speakers, teachers, therapists, parents, & a teenager with Autism speak, my heart ached for a cure!  I've progressed, I'm not asking God the question Why? anymore.  Notwithstanding a cure; education, research, advocacy, & support are all the reasons why I support Autism Speaks.  Oh yes, the biggest reason...my deep love for my sister April, mother to Lance, who has autism!

My nephew--Lance Sherbert--my Hero!  Since he was back in NC & I was out in WA, I took his picture with me.

Jack holding Lance's picture on the Autism Speaks stage.

"Under the Tail of a Whale"--Jack & I were taking a break to get wet on our 90 degree walk.  The Seattle Center has neat attractions like this. 

Watching the water at the Seattle Center fountain!  Our city's icon...The Space Needle in the background.

Attached to the stroller--a picture of my sister April & her kids, Lance, Zackery, & Grace!

Wow! He's Beautiful!

Jack, our beautiful, beautiful boy
2 years, 8 months

So Jack & I went to NC, without Daddy.  He had to stay home to work, have some uninterrupted sleep, & no poop patrol while we were off having family & beach fun.  We had a 5 day "vacation" at the Mrytle Beach, SC resort called Dunes Village Resort with my sisters, cousins, aunt, & parents.  I put the word vacation in quotation marks, b/c supervising a 2 year old around water is definitely not relaxing.  But fun!

When I return from my regular visits from the south, it's very sad & I have to remind myself (over & over) why I don't live closer to treasured family.  Looking at the half full cup, instead of the half empty one...tells me that the concentrated time we spend together is not taken for granted & enough to show Jack the intensity of love despite distance!

Beloved Atlantic

Atlantic Sunrise & Jack's Silhouette

Wow, why does time pass so quickly while on vacation and so slowly when at work?  Jack & I are back from our 12 days of fun, yes, hot fun in the 90 degree + heat in NC & SC.  It was SO nice visiting, seeing, talking, laughing, eating, playing, etc with all my family.  The time was so, so precious.  Now, back to the real world...boo, hoo.  More info, pictures to come. 

Paid In Full

Paid in Full--yes, that's right, Jack is paid off....or in more detail...Jack's conception is paid off.  We are & will still be paying for a long time.  He wasn't that happy/cooperative about holding my sign...maybe, I'll get a better picture another day!

Jack & Sean at the park--after his first sleepover!  Seeing Jack around another child for 24 hours is a wonderful thing...Wow...how do you parents of more than one child do it?  It wasn't hard with Sean...he is the kindest, easiest child ever.  Now, Jack on the other hand, misbehaved alot.  He was not accustomed to sharing his toys & especially, his Mother!

How Will You Be Remembered?

Some men and women, buried at Arlington, will be remembered for their ultimate sacrifice in the defense of the ideals & freedoms of our great country.  It was awe-inspiring seeing Arlington and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in my recent trip to DC with my Mom.  Each tombstone represents a beloved son or daughter, wife, husband, sister, brother, father or mother...a lump automatically forms in my throat when I think of this.

My beautiful Mom!

Even though it was HOT...the soldiers didn't have any sweat running down their faces/necks...how? Maybe they have some type of absorptive material in the band of their hat.

Most of us won't be remembered by a white stone on the hills of Arlington...but how will we be remembered?  As I contemplate this...here's what came to mind...a loving parent, an encouraging friend, a helpful wife, a cheerful lady, a helping neighbor, a hard working colleague...& of course, a Tarheel basketball fanatic, a loud & boisterous talker, a person with a zest & passion for life, not afraid to do the right thing or try new things....How will you be remembered?

Great smile, not enough light!

Perfect light, no smile.  It's a serious, serious look...the look of deep thought..."How will I convince Dad to buy me a horse?"

Sometimes, fatigue takes over before Mom finishes her lunch!

A Blow Up Ramsey at the annual Tarheel BBQ...I'm brainwashing him already...after I tell him, "Night,Night & Sweet Dreams", I say, "You hate Dook!"...sending subliminal messages!

Freedom is Never Free

Last month, my Mom & I visited Washington, DC together.  It was such a GREAT time (even the conference that I had to go to)...we are easy traveling buddies.  We learned how to take the metro together and she "forced" me to walk for over 4 hours in 90 degree heat.  DC is such an incredible place...so patriotic, such inspired history...

It's important to pay tribute to the sacrifices of our forefathers...& it seems to me, each generation has it's own new set of issues & sacrifices to make.  What vision it took for Thomas Jefferson & Abraham Lincoln!  Despite our differences, we Americans, can proudly agree, the United States of American is a great place to live in freedom!  And freedom is never free.

Beautiful Boy

Jack Christopher Myers

Age 2 1/2

Bellevue Enatai Toddler Class

Stats:  34 lbs & 37 1/2 inches tall

Nicknames:  Jackie Chan

Action Jackson

Jackie Chen Cu-Cu Crum

Doctor Jack

       "Doctor" Jack & his "stet a scope"

If you know me, you know that I promote positive role models in nursing.  So forgive me for labeling this post "Doctor Jack".  See, we have this new favorite book...Doctor Ted.  Doctor Ted is a bear who pretends he is a doctor and this is where Jack got the idea to call himself  Dr. Jack.  There are so many truths in the story & when I'm reading it, I always laugh!

He has been interested in my stethoscope since I started listening to his lungs when he was sick...I would listen to see if he was wheezing, so we could give him a breathing treatment. 

Now, I'll try to use this interest to work on our counting above 10!

Mother & Son

A Mother's Love:

1. Unconditional
2. Unwavering
3. Underestimated
4. Unchanged
5. Unbelieveable
6. Unbreakable
7. Undeniable
8. Undisrupted
9. Understanding
10. Unquestionable

Ok, Ok, Ok...I did look in Webster's thesaurus for the last three.  Life is good.

Preschool Train to Snolqualmie Falls

The Snolqualmie Train Museum had a preschool train ride (on a semi-retired train) and Jack invited his friend Carson the great!  The boys had fun together, especially on the train ride.  We took one of the almost empty cars.  It was a grand view of the falls from above.  Sorry, I didn't get an outside pic of the train...it wasn't my priority while keeping 2 toddlers from getting muddy or running into the street.

We Are A Sum of Our Experiences

Jack loves strawberries with CHOCOLATE!

So, it's Mother's Day week...the culmination of every infertile's* worst nightmare...everyone is celebrating what you long for...being a mother.  This is my 3rd happy Mother's day...but it hasn't erased the pain of the previous 10 ones.  Of course, I'm very thankful for my own wonderful Mother and always tried to shift the focus there.  But, the lump in my throat, would build and build, until I had trouble breathing or swallowing.  Then, a caring & genuinely concerned person would ask me how I was feeling, and the pain would rise up, until it spilled out of my eyes as tears.

The scars will always be in my heart for all that was lost, especially our other 3 babies (pregnancy losses).  And there are the years of parenting joy that I can never get back.  Luckily, my story didn't end there. 

Enter:  JACK

Just like before, when the going got tough...to help my psyche, I would tell myself...SELF...just put one foot in front of the other.  Other positive self-talk included..."it is what it is"...from Alayne and "this too shall pass"..from April.  Prayer helped, sometimes my prayers and sometimes the prayers from others.  Lesson learned:  you have to get rid of the blame/anger before you can open your heart to God.

So now, in my most frustrating & fatiguing parenting moment...guess what I tell myself?  Put one foot in front of the other, it is what it is, & this too shall pass.  As time passes, the edges of the pain has softened and it's not a constant thought anymore.  Jack is a joyous diversion of my time & energy.  I'm actually thankful now for that pain & loss...it helped mold me into the person that I am today.  All of our experiences do that. 

So if you know or care about an infertile*on this Mother's Day..you might want to avoid the topic all together or give a hug or create a distraction for them.  They will appreciate it!

*my word and not meant to be derogatory...if you have called yourself a name in the past, you can politically correctly call others that word...even redneck!

Cowboy Jack

Jack loves horses & you'll notice the "seat belt" on this saddle that makes it safe for a 2 yr old to be on a horse.  We went to the Puyallup Spring Fair and when he saw the "pony" tent...he ran over and started waiting in the long, long line.  No grumbling or complaining.  He was so excited!  He's not smiling too big in the picture, b/c he was trying to figure out why Max had stopped.  He talked about his horsey ride for the rest of the day!

Happy Times

Hugging his new rabbit stuffed animal...which was a gift from Grandma.  Rabbit has 2 buck teeth (not seen in this photo), so when I first saw it, I thought it was a beaver...I'm still learning.

Yes, it's hard to keep a 2 yr old from moving...our one cool sweater vest...on our way to church.  I'm thinking he needs his first bow tie...what do you think?

Sometimes, it feels like these days will last forever.  I know they are fleeting...my boy still lets me hold him and kiss him like this.  Life is good until my back gets sore from holding a 32 lb baby!

Random Musings, Tarheel & other

Jack doesn't look too happy here...that's b/c you can't explain...WAIT to a toddler.  It was hard to have him wait until the starting bell rings to run out & pick up all the eggs that are spread out over the nearby grass.  I'm looking a little rough...but remember, I was just off from my 25 hour shift!

Tucker isn't too happy here either.  He knows there is no salami prize for cooperating for the picture.  Plus, he is thinking..your wig, is so...LAST YEAR!~

Yes, we lost...the NIT championship..you know the tournament that decides the 65th best team...(I call it the red-headed step child tournament)...

Well according to Jay Williams, current ESPN analyist, UNC could be National Champions again next year...Ok, OK, I try to convince myself...is this guy NUTS?  Summary:  We have the best recruiting class in the country..we are getting 3 of the top 5 players in the country.  OK, I'll settle down and enjoy my boys of summer.  But you can bet, I'll be waiting, every patiently, for November to come around, so I can see my Tarheels in action again.

Easter Time 2010

Jack riding the blue dragon on the carousel.

Getting ready for the NIT Championship game...UNC lost but we couldn't have been prouder to be over .500 winning % this year!  Jack knows that we can scream inside, only while watching the Tarheels!

Cold, wet, & fun Easter egg hunt.

Easter Basketball Basket...this is the 3rd year in a row...we have the same basket...but the contents have changed.  The Easter bunny left Jack some "magic" Dora markers (only writes on the "magic" paper); a wind up, hopping bunny; chocolate eggs & eggs filled with M&Ms, Peeps, & 2 stuffed animals from the Easter Bunny's Grandma! 

Question?  Name the animals in the picture.  No, the one on the right isn't a beaver (what I thought, it's a rabbit with buck teeth:)

Ok, give me chocolate!

2010 Easter Jack

Yes, Jack's head is in front of the Easter bunny's face...this wasn't the brightest Easter bunny on the block!  I guess all bunnies aren't made alike...but at least he sat there & smiled for the camera...my cutie pie! 

Heels to Play in NIT Championship

Sorry to all my followers for so long without a post...life has been happening and the old reliable D40 is just back from a month long stay at the repair shop. 

My obsession with all things Tarheel basketball has gone from taking 2 tums before each game & banging my head against the wall to a sneaky little smirky smile...b/c my boys are playing basketball in April again!  Albeit, in the "red headed step child" tournament...you know, the one no one wants to be in after being 09 National Champions!

Forget the size of the stage. The Heels finally seem to have the hang of this winning thing. Instead of sitting home and licking their wounds, they have redeemed what Williams called "the kind of year we never imagined."

So today, at 4pm PST on ESPN, Roy's boys will be fighting again, hopefully with some luck thrown in there...& Tarheel88 & Jack will be perched in front of the TV...screaming & cheering on their team!