Winter 2023

Where did the past 6 months go?  Filled with all the things.  Here are some highlights from after Christmas until spring:

We went to see a kids Cirque show at the Moss (Gabriel actually went there on a field trip in the morning and then went back with Corban and me for the evening performance)

"Caturday" at the library

Corban has really enjoyed Scouts this past year and certainly wants to do it again next year.  They did so many fun and simple things:

Outing to the fire station

Minecraft TNT themed, he worked really hard on
his first Pinewood Derby car with Taylor's help

An evening at the VT drone park

Corban and his scout buddy, Reid

A sad and memorable part of the winter was the passing of Loki.  She died just a few days before her 16th birthday.  It's hard to believe it was so long ago, but 3 years ago she was diagnosed with liver cancer.  They told us then that she could go at anytime, as her liver would compensate until it couldn't basically.  Well she had 3 years after that of living a pretty good dog life.  The past couple years she had gotten slower, went completely deaf, and took a lot of long naps, but she generally was happy to be a part of family life.  Last June she wasn't eating well and I took her to the doctor and they found a tumor in the back of her mouth which most likely was metastasis from her liver cancer.  She still seemed generally happy though so we decided last summer to put her on "dog hospice", though she never needed to pain or nausea medication that we were given.  Her last couple months it was getting hard to know what was best for her, as she was getting thinner but still seemed so happy, but I am thankful that on the day that she passed she ate the food scraps from the floor at breakfast and seemed pain free and comfortable.  So she didn't have to suffer in her last hours of life.  We came home from the day and she soon after had a seizure.  She showed some other concerning symptoms and the vet said that the cancer was probably in her brain so we let her go that day.  Gabriel was her faithful companion.  He stayed with her on the floor while we decided what to do, rode with her in the car to the vet, and wanted to be with her in her last moments.  I was so proud of how brave he was never to leave her even when it was so incredibly sad.  She was just the best dog and no one who met her could say any different.

Gabriel designed her gravestone.  He thought it should be very similar
to the once that Ramona (book character) made for her cat, Picky Picky

Working hard digging the grave

We had some flowers that someone brought over so they decorated it with them when we were done.  They actually stayed up there for quite a while.  A couple times when I've been cutting up peppers I've asked one of the boys to go and put a couple on her grave.  I miss Loki most when I'm in the kitchen and when I come home to an empty house and she isn't there to greet me.  I never would call myself a "dog person" but I was a "Loki person"

Gabriel sure loves his cloak.  Good for rangers and hobbits alike

Corban playing with his friend, Addy

One Sunday morning I found the boys out on the porch "smoking cigars" (large plastic straws) and talking.  The following sign was on the door to their room in the house:

Playing at our favorite park, Hand in Hand, before they tore the old equipment down

Seeing the Mario Movie with the Briggs.  Josh and Tim are younger than the boys but they sure love playing together.  They were the only kids at our home group for a while and they all just hit it off.

Green Valley book fair with Corban's class

Science Museum with Gabriel's class

It was a very loud car ride

Martial arts birthday for their friend Mathias.  Their mom taught them a class and
I was amazed at how she got a room full of kids to obey her every command

Egg hunt at the Rec Center (it was very rainy and cold)

The past couple Easters we have had dinner at the Blacksburg Tavern (family style food) and the boys just want to keep doing it.  I'm good with that too.  In the morning we went to an early outdoor service, had a potluck breakfast at church, and then had our regular church service.  We haven't done that potluck in a few years so it was really nice to do that again.  We went through the day and didn't take a family picture.  Oops

New Lord of the Rings trading cards for Gabriel and a new Pokemon card case for Corban
(though since I'd bought it for him he already had too many cards to fit in the case)