Keeping Up With the Dennis'

It's hard to believe that almost a month of summer has gone by. We've been having a great time here in Lind. The 14th was the annual Combine Demolition Derby in Lind. The kids decorated up their bikes and rode in the kids parade for Junior Grange. They were so excited. Then they got to catch candy and watch the "big" parade. It was a very good parade. My favorite part was the Viking group from Poulsbo that threw candy at the kids and then rushed the kids with their wooden boardswords drawn. Ben spilled half his candy and the girls latched onto our legs very quickly. It took us a few minutes to convince the kids that it was all just for "fun" and they weren't really "bad" men. Oh, how I wish I had a video of that!!! Here's a couple of pictures of the kids getting ready for the parade and a picture of my boss' wife with the Vikings.



We also had a trip to Seattle for another post surgery visit with Ben's surgical team. They took x-rays and examined his mouth. The graft looks good and he got the go ahead to eat corn on the cob! He was a happy boy! We made a fun day of it and went to the zoo after Ben's appointment. A good time was had by all at the zoo. Some of our favorite things were the birds and the butterflies. We got to get up close and personal with them. We also got to see the lions mating. Talk about an educational fieldtrip!!!
The last pictures on the slideshow are from one of our visits to the Ritzville pool. We went ahead and got season passes for the Lind and the Ritzville pools. I think the kids are part fish. They are so happy when they are splashing around in the pool. Emma is doing really well in the water. She still likes to have her tube float most of the time but has actually been jumping in and diving for things in the pool. She even got up the nerve to go down the slide at Ritzville by herself. Of course, Ben talked her into going down backwards and she tipped over and got a bit anxious but she dogpaddled out by herself. She needs to learn not to listen to big brothers. That is a lesson I learned pretty early in life. Probably the reason Dot & I are still alive - we had each other for back up against the boys!!!

Long Time No Blog

Whew! Forgive me readers for I have sinned. It has been almost two months since my last blog. To catch everyone up: Ben was released from activity restriction after 5 weeks and has been constantly on the go ever since. He was able to play T-ball the last two weeks of the season and really enjoyed it. The kids finished school this last week. They will all be going to summer school this summer. Hopefully it will help them retain all the knowledge they have gathered and it will give them something to do so they aren't always bored. They will also have swimming lessons during summer school - something cool that the school does for them. They will probably spend every afternoon at the pool as the babysitter now lives in town - just two blocks from the pool. Rod is going to get a bike rack fixed up for my van so we can take their bikes to the babysitter's every morning. They are really bike riding fools.
Emma had a very momentous day today. Her top two front teeth were very loose and she asked me to pull them out - so I did. She only cried for a minute when she saw the blood. She just went outside with the boys and got out Ben's old bike. It is smaller than her bike and is a little easier for her to control. She got on it and rode it to the end of the street and back - very straight and controlled without training wheels!!! So two teeth out and riding a bike without training wheels - can't get much better than that.

Since I have been promising Aunt Melanie that I will post new pictures, I have put together the following slide show. It shows the kids helping Dad drive the Terragator, T-ball photos, our camping trip where the kids had a ball rolling down the hill and playing in the river, the spring concert at school & riding bikes. Just another normal month at the Dennis house! Hope you all are having a good spring and are as ready for summer as we are.

1 Week Down!

Well, its been a week since Ben's surgery. I keep forgetting to take pictures of him - will have to get something tomorrow. His swelling has gone down - he looked like a lopsided chipmunk for most of the weekend. He is still showing some bruising - I'm sure it would look lots worse if he had light skin tone. Right now he just looks kind of green. He is eating really well - I had to send Rod back to the store the other night because we were running out of his special soft snacks! He is walking lots better and hasn't even been asking for any pain meds. Now it will be hard to keep him from over doing stuff. Bailey, Ethan & Emma are going to start T-ball next week. I'm sure that is going to be hard on Ben. We will have to think up something fun for him to do while they play. Only 5 more weeks of restriction for Ben!!! Hopefully they will go by quickly.

Children's Hospital

Ben came through his surgery with flying colors. The surgeon said everything went very well. He is getting some antibiotics, steroids and some pain meds through an IV so he is still tethered but he is ready to get out of here. He is really sore. We were able to get him up last night and he made several laps around the hospital wing. He was really hungry and ate almost all of the dinner that they brought him last night. Then when we stood him up, he lost it all on the floor of his room!!! After he walked around, he was starving again so I made a few trips to the nourishment room. They have a little room on the hospital floor where they keep things like jello & pudding cups, soup, juice, ice & ice cream. He ate two single servings of chicken noodle soup, two jello cups, two pudding cups, a couple of cups of apple juice and two ice cream cups. The surgery certainly didn't slow down his appetite.
Bailey & Marjie came for a visit. They had a good visit with Chris, Becky & Sarah. Bailey looked worn out. I'm sure she didn't have trouble falling asleep last night. We also went to visit Paul's brother Tom yesterday before Ben's surgery. He is at Virginia Mason. He has been in the hospital pretty much since January. He didn't look too bad. They are hoping that he will be able to go to the hotel close to the hospital in the next week. I'm not sure what his exact diagnosis is but it has to do with his pancreas and the way that the bile is draining. He also has been fighting some infections. I know it is really hard for him to be there - he has always been really active and the farm must be weighing on his mind pretty heavily.
Ben will be getting out of the hospital sometime around noon today. We just have to wait for some prescriptions to be sent in and the doctor needs to sign off on the discharge papers. There is a really cool playroom here and Ben is looking forward to trying it out. The nurses are also looking for a portable game system for him and his roommate. There is a little boy in the other bed here that had some kind of operation on his leg. They have been asking for a game system all morning!!!
Bailey & I took some pictures around the hospital yesterday. They have some really cool sculptures and decorations around the hospital. It doesn't really look that much like a hospital, which is a good thing. It is really welcoming and bright. Not scary!

Seattle

We made it to Seattle. We left Lind at about 2:00. I had a message on the answering machine to call the hospital to get Ben's surgery instructions - it took awhile to get ahold of a real person. His surgery is scheduled for early afternoon tomorrow. That will make for a long morning. He won't be able to eat anything after midnight tonight. He will be one hungry boy!
We are staying at the Silver Cloud Motel next to the UofW campus. It has a pool and vending machines. Both those things are fascinating when you are 6 & 7!!! The kids got in some serious swimming. Sometimes I wonder if they are 1/2 fish. Marjie's friends Chris & Becky are going to come visit tomorrow with their granddaughter Sarah. She and Bailey will have fun in the pool.

Recipes

Ok - I haven't posted any recipes in quite awhile. So here is a link to a whole slew of Weight Watcher recipes. I read these several years ago for the first time with my sister Marjie. I think we were both rolling on the floor by the time we made it through the last recipe. Enjoy scrolling through the pictures!

A day of driving

Ben & I spent Thursday on the road. He had his pre-surgery appointment at Children's Hospital in Seattle. The weather wasn't too bad, just a little snow on the pass. The appointment went well. The surgeon said that Ben's mouth looks very good - perfectly ready for the bone graft. The surgery is in two weeks and he will be on restricted activity and diet for six weeks after. That is going to be way too much fun. He won't be able to run and play - participate in recess or PE at school. He will be on soft food only, no chewing!!! Really looking forward to that.
I always get a deep reality check when I take one of the boys to Children's. I fuss about the kids at times and then we go there and I see the parents with the 1 or 2 year old child that has a bald head from chemo and is on oxygen or has a feeding tube and I think - wow, I really have it easy. It really puts everything into perspective. This surgery is just a little bump in the road. Ben has had his share - lip repair in China, two hand surgeries at Seattle Children's, a rhinoplasty at Seattle Children's and double hernia surgery at Spokane. It will be over soon and hopefully there won't be anything else for along time.

Future Seahawk?

Look out Matt Hasselback - looks like you have some up and coming competition. Ethan is very excited - he figured out how to throw a spiral. He is pretty good at catching the ball too. I think this is one boy that is going to be a ball player.

The Lind Diamondbacks - Minor Minor League!!!

This morning we started the day with a rousing game of baseball. Ben actually connected and hit one out of the yard!!! Everyone else got in the groove and hit quite a few. I'm sure it won't be long and we will have to start checking them for steriod use. I don't know if they will have a T-ball team here this year. Ben won't be able to play as he will be laid up from his surgery.
We also went to the Ralston Egg Hunt yesterday. The girls kind of stood around and watched - they thought it was too cold to pick up eggs! We had fun playing all the games and eating all the snacks inside the grange after the hunt. Ben ate 6 servings of fruit! I think everyone thinks that I starve my kids because they eat so much but I keep telling them that they eat like that at home too!!! In fact it frightens us to think about our food budget for the future - might be more than the mortage!!!

Love & Marriage

Emma & Ethan are in Kindergarten together. Their teacher, Mrs. Steinberger, does some really cool stuff with the kids. She puts together books of their work and does some theme books too. The kids then get to take turns taking the books home and we get a real kick out of seeing their world through their eyes!!! Today, Emma brought home the Love & Marriage book. Mrs. Steinberger asked the kids, "What does love mean to you and how old do you have to be to get married?"

Ethan said: "Love means that like you hug people. I love my Mom and Dad. I know they love me too because they tuck us in at night, they read books, they let us play video games and they take us places. I think you need to be 20 years old to get married."

Emma said: "I love my sister Bailey and my brother Ben. I love Ethan. I love my Mom and Dad. They read to me and take me places. I love my Aunt Sashie, I love Sophie and Tristian. I kissed Tristian. I don't know if I'm old enough to get married. Bailey is almost old enough. I need to ask my Mom and she will tell me when I can get married."

And that's all I have to say about that!!!

Long Time No Blog

Just a warning - this will probably be a long one! Not really sure why I have been off the blog lately. I think I just got sad and got out of the habit. We had some really bad news early in February. Our babysitter's mother Nana had a stroke and then died a week later. We were all very close to Nana. She was our back up babysitter and the kids spent alot of afternoons sitting around her kitchen table having tea. Nana was from England and was a very unique lady. Her first husband had been in the British Military and they had lived in Africa. She had amazing tales to tell about Africa, living in England during WWII and just life in general. She was a true force of nature and never afraid to speak her mind. We miss her every day.
Other news for February: Emma lost another tooth, Ben had 4 more teeth pulled and we survived filling out valentines!


We have Ben's bone graft surgery scheduled. We have a pre-op appointment March 20th and the surgery is scheduled for April 3. He will be on very limited activity and diet after the surgery for 6 weeks. We really wanted to get this over before summer. I just couldn't imagine telling him that he couldn't swim for 6 weeks! We got him a used gameboy so hopefully he won't feel too bad about not being able to ride his bike or participate in PE at school.
Yesterday, we went down to Pasco to visit and do some shopping. We hit Walmart right before we came home. There was a big display of slippers on sale for $1 ea. They were the fuzzy scuff kind of slippers. The boys were complaining because they were just girl slippers and I told them if they wanted, the girls could have the pink ones and the boys could have the purple ones. They all agreed - then when we were at the check out, Ethan piped up and told the cashier that the purple ones were for Ben and him. Ben just about had a conniption telling him to be quiet - that we don't tell people that the boys were going to wear girl slippers - that was just for home!!! Once we got out to the car - they all wanted me to cut the strings off the slippers so they could wear them. Ben took a good look at his and got all excited because he could read that they were "MADE IN CHINA" - he called out - "Hey, that's so cool - these were made in China." Then he said, "Hey, maybe Emma made these! Emma, did you make these slippers when you were in China last year!" Emma replied, "Yes, I think I did!" I just about fell out of the van laughing!!!

We cleaned up the garden a little - Rod and the kids hauled the cut up firewood out and stacked it up. Bailey was the number one helper on the project. She even went out after dinner and hauled another load. Quite the little Daddy's helper!!!


Another warning: I just got a new toy!! It's been here about 5 days and so far I've made a triple batch of chocolate chip cookies and a single batch of bread. It was so easy to mix up both of those that it was almost laughable. Can't wait to make more!!! I promise to post some recipes soon. Wish we could have smell a vision here - the house smells like fresh baked bread - yum!!! Oh, and there were 3 loaves of bread in the batch - 1 disappeared in about a 1/2 hour after it came out of the oven. Four little snarf mouths made short work of it.

Blog Fun

I recently came across this List of wonderful plans to file away for that day when your children are grown and have their own homes. I love it!!! Especially the part about the legos. Maybe we could even add some jacks to the lego mix to make it even better!

Chinese Dumplings - Potstickers

It's been along time since I have posted a recipe. Here is a yummy one. If you don't want to make your own dough, we often just use the dumpling dough from the Asian store or its also found in the fresh vegetable section of most stores. We also steam these sometimes in our bamboo steamer. It's all good!
Chinese New Year starts Feb 7 - it is the year of the Rat!!

Potstickers

Potstickers are one of the most popular types of Chinese dumplings. This
recipe includes a dipping sauce and instructions on making the dough.

Yields about 48 potstickers.


Ingredients:


* Dumpling Dough*
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 cup boiling water
* Filling:
* 8 ounces celery cabbage (Napa cabbage)
* 3 tsp salt, divided
* 1 pound lean ground pork
* 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
* 1 TB white wine
* 1 tsp cornstarch
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* Dash white pepper
* Dipping Sauce:
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* Other:
* 2 - 4 tablespoons vegetable oil


Preparation:


Cut the cabbage across into thin strips. Mix with 2 teaspoons salt and set
aside for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture.

In a large bowl, mix the celery cabbage, pork, green onions, wine,
cornstarch, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the
white pepper.

In a bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut
each roll into 1/2-inch slices.

Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork
mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the edges of the circle and
pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top
together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.

Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable
oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a nonstick skillet, add 1/2
tablespoon vegetable oil. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok
and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.

Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is
absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.

To make a dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with 1 teaspoon
sesame oil. Serve with the dumplings.

Look Ma - No Teeth!!!

Today we had dentist appointments in Spokane. The dentist office is really cool - they have video games in the waiting room and tv screens in the ceiling in the exam room - the kids get to pick what video they want to watch while they get their teeth cleaned. Wish I could go there too - they don't take anyone over 16 though! Ethan got a clean bill of health - Emma has two teeth coming in behind her lower front ones. They said she should wiggle her bottom front teeth and try to get them out on her own & if they haven't come out in two weeks we can take her back and they will pull them. Bailey needs a small filling and Ben has two more bottom teeth coming in with no room - so we need to take him back to get two more teeth pulled!
After we got home, we tried to talk Emma into wiggling her teeth but she wanted Mom and Dad to do it for her. We wiggled and wiggled on one of them until it was ready to just fall out - I was afraid that she might swallow it during the night so I pulled it! Mean Mom!! She was very proud of it though. We hid it from the tooth fairy so she could take it to school the next day. Now we just have to get the next one wiggled out!

Saturday

Today is the Outdoor Show at the TRAC in Pasco. It has been a tradition for us to go and for the kids to all catch a fish in the fish pond. We were looking forward to it this morning but Ethan woke up with a fever. Everyone else was feeling fine, so Rod took Bailey, Ben & Emma and I stayed home with the sickie. We spent the day in our pjs, just lounging. Several times he crawled up on my lap and just let me cuddle him. It was a good day. I know that before long he will be too grown up to do that. The years already seem to be speeding by entirely too quickly.
I opened my email this morning and found one from Mimi - Julian's Mom. Julian died this morning. I probably held Ethan a little too tight after I read about that. I just can't imagine the total heartbreak their family is going through. Here is a poem she posted:

Fly high…

Fly high, lil man,
The sun and you are one.
You won’t ever be cold again,

I will always keep my eyes to the skies…
Today, the sunshine was a little warmer,
Tonight, the Milky Way a little brighter.

I feel your hand in mine and your face on my chest.
I feel you looking up at me,
Begging for a kiss.

“Just one more kiss, Mama…
One more dinosaur kiss,
Because I really like you “

Come closer baby, It is ok now,
You are done fighting ,
You are done hurting.

Give me one more smile,
One more silly face,
And one more hug…

You can go, now,you can go,
The boys will be fine,
Daddy and I will love on them for you…

My heart is shattered, baby,
But so much bigger,so full of love…
I will miss you forever…

So for now, Fly high, lil man…
With your brand new wings,
Fly high, all the way to Heaven…


Good night, sweet pea, sleep tight,
Your mama, the lil one...

Friday Night Lights

Bailey got to be a little cheerleader and perform at the basketball game Friday night. She was so excited to show off her "moves"!!!

Feeling Nostalgic

Word of warning - don't activate the playlist on the side of this blog if you are at work or within the hearing of a child!!! I was skimming through Project Playlist and started to feel a little nostalgic for my misspent youth!! I know that Melanie will definitely understand. If I close my eyes I can see the Seidel Bros doing Stray Cat Strut, Billy Bear singing Turn the Page, Mike Lee singing The Rodeo Song and Joe Mama reciting the end of Copenhagen. Wow! Hard to believe that was over 20 years ago. I couldn't find Dead Skunk In the Middle of the Road - that would have been too entirely perfect. So, if you are brave and have a good sense of humor activate the playlist and enjoy some crazy tunes from today and yesteryear!!!

Ravelry!!!

I have a new obsession!!! Ravelry If you are a knitter, crocheter, spinner or any type of fiber enthusiast - check it out! It is still in beta and being tested so you have to sign up and wait awhile to get an invite. It is seriously cool though. All kinds of links to patterns and projects. It got me excited enough to pick up my knitting needles and make these fingerless mittens for Ben today. They were going to be regular mittens but he decided that he didn't want the ends on them. Bailey, on the other hand, said she wanted ends on hers so her fingers wouldn't get cold - guess it isn't such an issue for Ben.
I actually sorted through our knitting needles and got the double points all measured and in bags with sizes labeled. We have a tremendous number of size 2 double points. Maybe we should host a sock knitting class or something! Rod made me a new pair of wool socks this week too. They are nice and toasty warm.

Julian

For awhile now I have been following a blog written by Mimi. She is mom to Julian. Julian is 4 and is in the final stages from medulloblastoma. They didn't expect him to live until Christmas. He has amazed everyone but is getting weaker. Today his breathing has become weaker and he is on oxygen. Mimi wrote the following and I just wanted to pass it on because it is so important to make sure that we let our loved ones know that they are loved - that we say the words and give the time and the hugs.
Mimi writes: My little man is now on oxygen. His breathing has slowed down. He doesnt stay awake much anymore and has a hard time talking. He is working so hard on his wings but yet holding back...
Do you have kids?
Do you ever lay down by them? Do they ever crawl up in your bed? Do you watch them sleep? You probably do , BUT , do you sit there and count how many breaths they take in a minute? Julian is down to 12 . Not enough.
Could you please start doing this if you dont already do it? Have one night a week or every two weeks , where your whole family gets in PJ's and let everyone fall asleep together. I know some of you have more than 2 kids...take turns. Let them sleep by you or on you , just really close. Let them talk to you about anything and everything until they fall asleep. And yep, you might not sleep well and wake up with the sore neck, but it will be a forever memory , a priceless gift you are giving your children and yourself... Dont listen to the "specialists " when they tell you it is not healthy to sleep with your kids, they have never lost a child obviously or they would know that not only it is healthy ,it is part of life. What I remember as a child and a teenager and a grownup is how safe I felt falling asleep in my parents bed, by my mom talking to her... Dont listen to the ones who say how sick it is to have your teenage son come to your bed and lay with you for a while before bed or in the mornings. They are your babies and that never changes... And always remember as they talk to you to respond to them in a loving way... Tell them about God, Jesus, tell them about angels, tell them about life and death... If you dont know about death ,it scares you. Knowledge is power. You can deal with things if you know what they are... And as much as we hate talking about it ,kids need to know ,it is essential for us to answer them and not dismiss them and their questions.
I really dont know where I am going with this... Just love your kids and tell them you do because they are special and because they are a gift...And also because you never know what life might throw at you...