Little Moments Frozen in Time

Our 14 years with Maddie and our Journey with Euthanasia

2015-06-17T21:03:00.001-04:00

I remember so vividly almost 14 ½ years ago. I had moved to Virginia from New York to be with Russ and although I was so happy, I was really missing my family and friends and I became a little depressed.

Russ was teaching me to drive stick on a sunny Feb day. Somewhere around Valentine’s Day in 2002. I was having a hard time driving stick and we pulled into the closest parking lot. That just happened to be the SPCA of Winchester, VA.

We had talked a little about adopting a dog, to help me adjust. We love to hike, camp and fish and we thought a dog would make it so much better.

I had it set in my mind to adopt an adult dog. NO PUPPY! I didn’t want to deal with potty training and crate training. We immediately came upon a run filled with border collie/lab puppies. The lady said that they had just come in that morning. I covered my eyes and walked by. I remember saying to Russ “Nope, not even going to look at them”. I knew their puppy cuteness would just suck me in!

We walked around and there were little foo foo dogs, and then dogs not compatible with cats. Nothing seemed to fit.

So I wandered towards the puppies. I looked in, there were a lot of them! Black/white spotted puppies of fluff and cuteness. I can’t remember exactly how many there were, but there were a lot of them. Maybe 8 or 10.

I opened the door and went in. All of the puppies cowered in the back. I knelt down, and one came bouncing to me. It was like a sunlight beam shined on her and she is all I noticed. She ran to me, I picked her up and said this is the one.

We couldn’t decide on a name. We thought about naming her Chloe, it just didn’t fit, so we decided on Maddie.

That’s where it all started. When I became a dog person. I love my cats, but since Maddie I’ve been more drawn to dogs. She was our first born.

Boy was she demanding. Even as a puppy. She needed constant entertaining. Oh she yelped and cried while trying to crate train her.

I can’t remember if she was easy or difficult to potty train.

I remember when she was still a puppy. We took her for a walk in the Old Town Mall section of Winchester. We were so proud of our bouncing black and white puppy. People were walking by giving us the weirdest looks. I bent down and noticed something hanging out of her mouth. I lifted her head up and all I saw was 2 bird legs sticking straight out! She had picked up a dead bird and was carrying it in her mouth. You should have seen us trying to pry open her mouth.

She was such a strong willed dog. I remember when she was a puppy. I was giving her a bath and training her to sit good for a nail trim. She growled at me. I put her on her back to show her I was dominate over her, she fought me. I didn’t cave. I trimmed her nails and ever since she never ever fought me again over a nail trim.

A few months after we had her we noticed she was having trouble walking, running and jumping. We started seeing other puppies from her litter at the animal hospital with the same problems. Most of them were born with severe hip dysplasia. Some of them were put to sleep because it was so bad. ‘

When we had her spayed we xrayed her hips and saw how bad it was on both sides. Her only hope was to have TPO surgery (triple pelvic osteotomy) on her right hip. It’s where they break her hip, put it back the right way with pins and plates. But we had to wait until she was 6 months old.

She recovered really well from it and she was able to lead a somewhat normal life. She was always hiking and camping with us. Swimming and playing fetch and traveling to New York with us.

This picture was taken last fall

In 2002 we adopted Woody to give her a play mate.

They spent the next 14 years being inseparable.

They are only 1 year apart in age. An old man and an old lady in this picture.

Who would have thought that those 14 years would fly by at lightening speed. We were just kids when we adopted her. We were 23 years old and just starting our life together.

She was with us through it all. Our first home. Marriage. Kids. Miscarriages. Family deaths. Family events. Happiness and tears. And then moving and starting our small farm.

And here we are. Planning her death. Her hips can’t take anymore. She’s lost the sparkle in her eyes. She can’t even make it outside in time to potty. This is from the dog who NEVER had an accident in the house. I remember one time she had diarrhea while we were at work. She went into the bathroom and did it.

Relaxing with Woody nearby

Every single day he would clean her eyes and ears

I'm really going to miss those paws

She always loved giving her Daddy kisses

So today is her last day here on earth. Tomorrow morning I will take her into my work and have her put to rest. Today the kids and I took her to McDonalds, bought a bunch of food to go and went to the river. We had a picnic with her. She had 2 double cheeseburgers, French fries and part of a chicken sandwich.

I've loved getting 14 years older with you Maddie Dawg

I walked her down to the river for a last swim. That was always her favorite thing to do. Something told me to keep her on a leash. She waded around and Jaylee found her a stick. She fetched the stick a few times and played with it. For a moment I saw the sparkle back in her eyes. I thought that maybe it wasn’t her time yet. Maybe she has a little more time with us. But then she fell and she couldn’t get out of the water. I’m so glad that I listened to myself and didn’t let her swim far out in the river. She wanted to.

We had so much fun with her.

We laughed and splashed and smiled.

Watching over her kids

I had to use a blanket as a sling because she just couldn’t get up. She couldn’t get into the truck. And now 4 hours later she is still sleeping.

She’s ready. I got the confirmation that I needed that the time was right. I want her to have a little dignity left going into the euthanasia tomorrow. She’s the alpha female. All she has to do is look at the other dogs and they know better. Even in her weakest moments she still controls the pack.

She has been on 3 different types of pain medications. But it isn’t enough. I sat down and thought about the things that she can still do that she loves. Eating was the only thing. She won’t catch a ball anymore. She’s too painful to swim. The kids tried to play with her with the hose the other day. Normally she would snap and bite at the water. She went to the door to go back inside. Last summer even though she was painful she would still follow the kids around outside. She would play in the hose and catch a ball. She even went swimming a few times. Not this summer.

Over the past few weeks we have noticed a steady decline. She seems like she doesn’t hear us most of the time. She will be laying there like she is sleeping, but her eyes are open. Just staring off. She rarely greets us or wags her tail anymore.

Russ said that he cannot be there for her euthanasia. I completely understand. I on the other hand need to be with her. I don’t care how hard it is. She needs me. She picked me as her human that day, so I will be there to help her slip away into her next life.

This is our first big dog loss. We’ve put down the family dog when I was a teenager, but not a dog of my own. I sat the kids down last night and told them. They were so upset, and had many questions.

I think it was nice that we could prepare for this. It gave us all time to let it sink in, to come to terms with it.

Life will never be the same without having Maddie in our home. She had become such a presence in our family. But I consider it a gift to help her transition to the next life. A life without pain.

So this brings me to the next day. Russ and the kids went off to a dentist appointment. Maddie went outside to use the bathroom. Usually she comes right back to the door barking to come in. I found her laying in the grass. She wasn’t interested in eating her breakfast and she refused her medicine. I thought maybe she would like to eat outside; she just turned her nose.

I clipped a small locket of fur and then I loaded her into the backseat of the car. My stomach was in knots, I felt like I was going to throw up.

Her euthanasia experience was extremely peaceful and fast. I held her with my forehead pressed against her, while she fell asleep and then slipped away. She didn’t whine or cry. She didn’t fight it. She was ready.

I felt such sadness and disbelief, but I also felt relief. Relieved that she wasn’t in pain anymore. Life on earth is temporary, but she had so much more waiting for her. She touched our hearts; she really was such a sweet and really good dog.

I wanted to share this experience so that others are not afraid to go thru this experience with their pets. Even with young children, it’s important to be honest and open with them about what and why it needs to happen.

It’s truly a gift to remove them of their pain and suffering.

I want to thank my friends, family and coworkers at Inwood Animal Center. Over the past week they have all given me advice and comfort making this decision. When it came time they made Maddie and I comfortable during the process.

As a Veterinary Technician I give others advice all of the time about how you know when it's time for euthanasia. You know in your heart when it's time. There is a different look in your pet's eyes that you can't describe.

I hope that this post can help someone else struggling with this decision and bring them comfort.

End of the school year awards - June 4th, 2015

2015-06-16T15:16:00.004-04:00

Another school year has come to an end again already.

Marshall graduated from 1st grade with all straight "O's"

He won a math and a computer award.

Jaylee did fantastic again! She had straight A's for the first 3 quarters, the last quarter she got all A's and 1 B. She was disappointed, but I am forever proud of her. Next year she will be going into 4th grade!

She also received a physical fitness award, cardinal choice award, chorus award and an award for A/B honor roll.

I am so excited to spend the summer with these kids!

I cut my work hours back to 2 days a week to spend more time with them.

I can't wait!!

Peace and love....

Another Sunday on the Farmette - Sunday May 31st

2015-06-16T15:06:00.003-04:00

A beautiful sunny day, and me mowing the grass turned into a rain storm.

We took shelter on the front porch.

I love being home. Russ calls me a homebody, but it's because I just love being here.

I love my family, animals and the scenery around the house.

Sitting on the front porch and listening to the birds or a storm.

I am so blessed and lucky!

Peace and love.....

My Birthday Weekend - May 30th 2015

2015-06-16T14:54:00.001-04:00

We have a new addition to our farmette!

Dixie the Great Pyrenees. She is 8 weeks old here.

We are having a huge fox problem, the foxes keep killing our chickens. The house dogs do good while they are outside, but they are house dogs, and like to be inside when we are inside.

We are hoping that Dixie can be trained to be an all outside flock protector, home and children protector and all around farm dog!

My Mom and Grandmother were here visiting for a few days. We took them for a ride to the farm to pick up Dixie and then we took a drive to Skyline Drive to get some famous Blackberry cobbler and blackberry ice cream

It was a little chilly up there on the mountains, so Mom and Gramma had to get a sweatshirt. They chose the same one without realizing it!! I think it was a good excuse for a souvenir.

We had such a great time.

It's the first visit since my Grandfather passed away. It was very very hard seeing her without him, but I decided to be strong because I know he wouldn't want me to dwell on it. I needed to treasure the time I got to spend with them.

This is what happens when I try to get a group photograph of the 3 of them!

Notice how Marshall is holding him in with a stick!

Beautiful scenery!!

We had a wonderful time! It was a strange day though. All of these weird things kept happening.

It started with picking up the puppy, who has never ridden in a car before. She pooped and then she started vomiting, over and over and over.... She was a lot bigger then what I thought, so she didn't fit in the animal carrier that I brought.

We were on these back curvy roads, and there was no place to pull over. The kids and my Mom were all gagging. We were laughing because my Mom was acting like one of the kids. She was saying things like "Please tell me we are almost there" And "Oh I can't take it"

Then we had a lady pull right out in front of me, while I was going full speed.

I was heading right for her drivers side door. There was no way I could stop without hitting her. I pulled a stunt car driver move. I swerved to the right into a parking lot and drove right in between the back end of her car and a telephone pole.

I just reacted. I heard my Grandmother say "Ooohhhh my God"

My Mom was just very very quiet. And then she said "I don't know how you did that"

Then on the way back home Sawyer unrolled his window, the wind caught his hat and out it flew.
I saw it bouncing in the road in my mirror. Sawyer screamed and cried "My hat" My Mom thought he screamed "A cat!" She thought I hit a cat. She saw something fly by the window and she closed her eyes, thinking I just squished a cat. I turned around and pulled over. Ran out across lanes of a busy highway to rescue Sawyer's baseball cap!

At this point we were laughing at all of the weird things happening!

We got home and Russ barbecued a nice steak dinner with salad and corn on the cob.

It was such a great birthday.

They left the next day, I was so sad. It was nice sitting on the front porch with them in the evenings, drinking wine and just talking.

It's a visit that I will never forget.

Peace and love....

May 2015 - Father/Daughter Dance

2015-06-16T14:23:00.004-04:00

Jaylee's school had a father/daughter dance.

Look how adorable they both are!!

Jaylee is such a beauty! She's growing up so so fast.

Russ is such an amazing father. The kids have no idea how good they have it.

Next thing we know it will be her wedding day!!!

Peace and love....

Boy Scout Camp

2015-06-16T14:08:00.001-04:00

Marshall joined Cub Scouts this year. He absolutely LOVES it!

Russ and him went to Marshall's first ever Boy Scout Camp for the weekend.

Marshall has been having a hard time finding an activity that he likes. He's uncomfortable doing t-ball or soccer. His cub scout troop is extremely small, but I think that is why he feels so comfortable.

They camped and fished and even did archery.

Plus he got lots of one on one time with Daddy!

He met lots of new friends too.

Every once in a while I get a small glimpse of what my children will look like when they are grown.

I see it in this picture. I don't know why, but I do. He looks so grown up. I often wonder what they will be like. Will they have a happy and fulfilled life? Will they do good in the world? Will they be kind and compassionate towards others? I think so.

Marshall told me that when he grows up he wants to be a boy scout leader.

He really looks up to Tom his Cub Scout Master.

Peace and love....

Sick kids and chickens

2015-05-16T18:53:00.003-04:00

Sawyer has been fighting a cold since we got back from vacation.

He's had a runny nose and a cough, but nothing major.

On Thursday (2 days ago) I had to work all day, it also happened to be cub scout night for Marshall.

After work I met Kayleigh (our babysitter), with the kids at the school so that Marshall could attend cub scouts. I pulled up behind her and she has a small trash can in her hand. Sawyer was vomiting into it. She said that he had been lethargic most of the day and he would hardly eat. He vomited up this really thick mucous. YUCK. He was also complaining that his ear hurt.

I decided that I should run him over to Med Express just to have his chest listened to and his ears checked. Luckily one of the other Mom's offered to bring Marshall back to her house after cub scouts, she lives 2 minutes up the road.

Now let me back track to last weekend. Russ took Marshall to cub scout camp, and he had his wallet stolen there. He happened to have my ID as well, so we were still waiting for our new drivers licenses to come in the mail.

I go to Med Express with Sawyer. We have all been patients there, except for Sawyer. There are two younger girls working the front desk. I start to explain whats going on with him and she asks for my insurance card. No problem. Then she asks for my drivers license....

I explain that my husbands wallet was stolen and it had both of our ID's in it. They say that they can't see him.

Did I mention that I have a chicken in my car?

Yes a live chicken. I took her to work with me because she has bumble foot.

Now I am pleading with them. It's almost 8 p.m. I really don't want to take him to the E.R.

It would cost me an arm and a leg, and expose him to something worse!

My child is visibly sick, laying on my shoulder in tears because he just vomited again in the parking lot. They wouldn't see him. I asked to speak to a manager. Nope the manager wasn't there.

I have a minor meltdown. I worked 11 hours. Have yet to eat dinner. Am worried sick about my baby. I'm stressed because I still have a chicken in my car. I get Russ on the phone and he calls another urgent care who agrees to see us, as long as I fill out a special form.

On my way over there and it's so quiet in the car. Sawyer feels awful. I'm worried and stressed, Jaylee is worried and stressed. The chicken is even being quiet. The silence is broken by Jaylee asking me this question.

"Mom, is it weird that we have a chicken in our car? I mean, is that normal?"

As I get off the exit on the highway the car in front of me has a big old hard plastic "FOR SALE" sign on it. The wind catches it and it gets stuck on my windshield under the wiper.

The kids laugh. At the next light I pull up next to the car that lost their sign and we exchange an awkward glance. I point to the sign and he just looks at me. I unroll my window and say "Hey did you lose something" and we both laugh.

So we arrive at the Urgent Care and the Dr walks in the room.

Sawyer immediately says "Hi I'm Sawyer Jackson Lederhouse and I love you"

I just started to laugh hysterically. The Dr says "Well I'm very fond of you as well"

His chest sounds fine, he has a minor ear infection and his strep test is negative. Antibiotics and allergy meds are Rx'd and we are on our way home.

These children are the light of my world. My life would be so incomplete without them.

I love watching how they light up other people's world. I wonder if that Dr had a stressful day. We were the last patients of the day, maybe Sawyer changed his whole day around by making him laugh so hard. Maybe we were meant to go to the other office to brighten someone else's day. Maybe the universe needed us to go in that direction for a reason. Who knows. I do know that even though it was super stressful in the moment, it's something that we will laugh and talk about for years to come!

Never a dull moment that's for sure.

Peace and love....

Spring Adventure - Part 6 - May 1-2 Magic Kingdom and then on our way home

2015-05-10T20:48:00.001-04:00

Friday, our last full day of vacation. We spent at Magic Kingdom.

The kids saw Pluto right off of the bat.

It's always so neat to see the castle in person.

The kids played "Sorcerers of Magic Kingdom"

They were given a bunch of cards and a map. They had to find different locations throughout the park and use clues and their card to defeat villins.

Waiting for The Country Bear Jamboree to start. This brought back memories from my childhood!

It's a Small World! Sawyer LOVED this ride!

We all loved it!

It was really hot! We spent some time on Tom Sawyer's Island. There was a lot of shade. The kids loved playing in the forts.

I spent some time with Sawyer while Russ, Jay and Marshall rode Space Mountain.

Space Mountain is my favorite by the way!

He loved his Pluto face paint! He was walking up to everyone saying "Hey... I'm Pluto" and pointing to his face.

Another classic ride, Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

The castle all lit up at night was really neat. After the electric parade and fireworks the park cleared out so we could ride just about everything again, with hardly any wait. Sawyer rode EVERYTHING, except for space mountain. He LOVED the rides.

He was exactly 40 inches, and they would constantly remeasure him. He would say

"I'm big enough!!" It was so cute.

We opened the park at 9 a.m. and closed the park at midnight!!

Sawyer stayed awake the whole day, until the ride home.

The next day we slept in until 8, ate breakfast, packed up and headed home.

Here are the kids with all 8 beads that they earned.

I'm so glad that we decided to do this vacation. We almost tried selling it, but since Russ is back to work and things are slowly returning to normal we decided that we kind of deserved it. We had a really rough 2 years, we made A LOT of sacrifices. We made it thru stronger then ever.

The kids were so so good!! We only did 2 theme parks to save money, and we didn't buy a lot of things. When we were leaving Magic Kingdom we let them pick one thing. They never begged, cried or even asked for anything EVER. I am so proud of how well behaved they are. We had a great bonding experience together.

We ended up driving straight home from Florida to Virginia. We got home at 3 a.m. on Sunday. We were tired, but it was soooo worth it!

Peace and love....

Spring Adventure - Part 5 - Trip to visit the Nichols - April 29 & 30

2015-05-10T20:18:00.001-04:00

We headed out Wednesday to visit family in Seminole. Russ's Uncle Glenn and Aunt Cathy were nice enough to let us stay the night. Russ's Uncle Glenn barbaqued a huge feast for the family to gather.

We got to spend time with Grandpa and Irma too.

They got a kick out of the kids.

The next day Russ's cousin Mike and his Uncle Glenn took us out in the boat.

We took a boat ride to Caladesi Island. There was a really nice beach there.

Sawyer absolutely HATED the boat ride there! He was terrifyed.

On the way back he was fine.

Sawyer wasn't too sure at first, but once he got used to it he enjoyed it!

It was hard to get pictures of the other two kids. They were out farther and stayed out there bouncing in the waves.

Marshall passed out on the way back, I got BURNED!

We were so thankful to spend quality time with the family!!

Spring Adventure - Part 4 - April 28th

2015-05-10T19:47:00.002-04:00

This was a rainy day. We decided to use this day for the kids to do their weeks worth of school work. They also went down to do activities every 2 hours to earn their beads. They ended up getting most of their beads on this day.

Here the kids learned about animal tracking.

They really learned a lot participating in the activities.

Lots of animal watching from our room too.

For dinner we went to The Polynesian Resort (Hawaii)

We went to an Aloha dinner and show.

The food was so yummy. They had Hawaiian food, music and dancers.

This was getting to be too much for Sawyer, we ended up having to take him out. I could see the show from outside where he felt more comfortable.

Jaylee learned how to do a Hawaiian dance.

Sawyer was playing peek a boo with this woman. It was cute.

He was obsessed with finding lizards!!

The fire dancer was really neat! Sawyer said "WOW he could roast us marshmallows Mommy!"

We then found a nice spot on the beach at the Polynesian. You could see the castle at Magic Kingdom across the lake. We stayed until dark and watching the light up boat parade and then the fireworks.

This right here is what happy children look like!

Spring Adventure Part 3 - Epcot - April 27th

2015-05-10T19:25:00.001-04:00

On Monday we decided to go to Epcot. Being Disney Members we get discounted rates getting into the park. We saw Donald Duck right away. Sawyer was so excited!

Being in Epcot sparked all of these memories from when my Grandparents brought me here. I was 9 years old, just like Jaylee.

The gardens in Epcot were amazing!

We had lunch with the Princesses. Jaylee and Sawyer loved it..

Marshall was more interested in his food!!!

He was too shy to even look at the pretty princesses.

Sawyer on the other hand, was quite the flirt.

It was really neat going thru all of the different countries.

You could sample food, drinks and beer.

The music, decor and people were all from the different parts of the world.

China was really neat.

Sawyer finally fell asleep in his stroller, that gave Russ and the other two kids a chance to ride the "big" rides while I walked around to keep Sawyer asleep.

Such beautiful flower gardens.

The flower festival was going on.

Spring Adventure Part 2 - April 26th 2015

2015-05-10T18:47:00.001-04:00

On Sunday we declared it a pool day!

We spent the whole day exploring the resort and lounging in the pool.

Throughout the resort they have many different look out points to watch the animals.

After being brave on the kiddy water slide, Sawyer wanted to do the big one. They wouldn't let him sit on our lap to go down, so he had to do it alone. The first few times he came down sideways...

then upside down and head first....

But once he figured out how to keep himself up the right way, we couldn't keep him off of the water slide!

He LOVED it!

We got out for a late lunch and explored the resort a little more.

They had all sorts of activities for the kids to do. They did an African drumming circle.

After finishing each activity they would earn a wooden bead.

The main foyer inside the hotel.

Sawyer watching the giraffes from our balcony.

Spring Adventure Part 1. April 24-25th

2015-05-10T17:32:00.002-04:00

We are Disney club members, and have been from before we had our struggles with his work. Now that he is back to work, we decided to cash in our points that we have been saving for the past 2 years and take the kids and stay at Animal Kingdom Resort in Disney.

We decided to drive down to help save money.

We left at around 6:20 a.m. Friday morning.

After passing thru North Carolina we came to this South of the Border place. It seemed like an interesting place to stop and feed the kids lunch. We made really good time so far, with no fussing from the little ones. At this point they still have NO idea that we are going to Disney.

South of the Border was your typical tourist trap. As soon as we got out of the car Sawyer fell and scraped up his hand and arm. Oh he cried and cried. He had to show every single person we passed his boo boo's.

And then we made it into South Carolina!

We made it to Savannah Georgia, found a hotel in time for dinner.

We found this cute restaurant called Sweet Teas. It was their version of an Apple Bee's. The food was really good.

Everyone was hyper from being cooped up in the car for 11 hours!

We decided to explore the old town section of Savannah. I really liked this city.

Live music, old fashioned river boats and very old historical stair cases and cobble stone paths.

We got up fairly early, had breakfast and then got back into the car and headed to Florida.

The kids knew we were going to Florida, but had no idea we were going to Disney.

We had some fun at the Florida welcome center. They even gave free samples of fresh Florida orange juice!

The kids finally figured it out once they saw the huge sign that said

"Welcome to Walt Disney World"

Our time share is thru Animal Kingdom Lodge, so that's where we stayed.

We saved up 3 years worth of points, so we were able to do it big and not pay a cent!!

(We already paid by placing a monthly fee)

The kids all had their own sleeping areas. The balcony overlooked the animals which included

Zebras, Giraffes, Ostriches and many other exotic deer and birds.

We had our own kitchen, so we stopped at the grocery store when we were close and bought a weeks worth of groceries. We cooked most of our own meals, which also saved us a ton of money!

to be continued......

Oh Sawyer.....

2015-05-10T14:27:00.001-04:00

Sawyer is one funny kid.

The other day he came running into my room screaming "Mommy I have a present for you"

So of course I say, "What is it Sawyer"

Then he moons me.....

March 2015

2015-05-10T14:24:00.000-04:00

Jaylee decided to have a sleepover for her 9th birthday. There were 6 girls total.

My friend Coby did their nails for them.

They had fun on the farm, played xbox and watched movies.

I also had crafts for them to do, and of course cake and ice cream!!

The cake I have to add... I made from scratch!

A 3 layered chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and LOTS of sprinkles.

It's what she requested, so I did it. The first time I have attempted to make their birthday cake and it was a huge success!

A little cake smashing fun!

I think the sugar kicked in....

In their jammies...

It was such a fun experience to have them all here!

I can't wait to host the next one!

Peace and love.....

Picture Day and Fun in the February Snow

2015-05-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

All dressed up for picture day at school. Sawyer wanted to get into the picture too.

Even in his sponge bob pajamas!

Mommy had to work, but Daddy was nice enough to take the kids to the park to go sledding.

They had sooooo much fun!!

I don't care for the snow much anyways....

Peace and love...

February 2015

2015-05-10T14:05:00.001-04:00

On Valentine's Day, Jaylee was in a contest. It was called

The 11th Annual Black History Dramatic Reading Contest.

She selected Caged Bird by Maya Angelou.

She was judged on making eye contact with the audience, clear loud speaking, character and appearance. She didn't have to memorize it, but she needed to know it enough to not have to stare at her paper. It was held in Berryville at the Black History Museum.

She won the grand prize!!!

She even made the newspaper. I was so excited for her and so proud!!

Marshall's 7th Birthday!

I cannot believe that he is 7 years old.

He is my little goof ball, trouble maker, and resident wild man.

But he is so so smart, sweet and hilarious!!!

He can be a little socially awkward at times, but he would do anything to help anyone.

He joined cub scouts this year and he absolutely LOVES it!

Him and Jaylee are still so close, besties!

Marshall is still best friends with his buddy Mason!

Boys will be boys, but this one melts Mommy's heart!

Peace and love....

My Grandfather

2015-05-10T13:46:00.002-04:00

My Grandfather was more then a grandfather. He was a father to me.

He taught me to fish, camp and hike. He instilled my love of the outdoors.

He was an amazing man, who always helped others.

He passed away on Christmas Eve 2014. His death has been so extremly hard on me. Whenever I see an eagle I think of him.

He always was there for me. I have such fond memories growing up with them. I spent so much time with them when I was little. They had me most weekends and a lot in the summer.

He worked in the Adirondacks in the summer and I stayed up there with them on the campground for most of the summer.

Thru college he supported me 100%.

After marriage, kids and a new home he was there always offering advice on raising poultry and having a garden. The bond him and I had, I can't explain. I am so lucky to have had him in my life. I wouldn't be the person I am now without him.

I love you Grandpa.

Rest in peace

I miss you and think about you every single day.

December 2014

2015-05-10T13:39:00.001-04:00

December is always a very special month in the Lederhouse house. It starts with us decorating the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving we decorate the Christmas tree. It was extra fun because this was the first year that Sawyer was really into it.

Jaylee all dressed up for her Christmas program.

We always take the kids to The Lights in the park.

All dressed up to see Santa!

Sawyer actually sat on Santa's lap this year! No tears.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fun!

Christmas is a very special day for me. I like to make it as magical and wonderful for the kids as I can.

Peace and love.....

Sawyer's 3rd Birthday Farm Party - October 2014

2015-02-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

As you all know Sawyer has Sensory Processing Disorder. He has made such great progress this year after attending a few months of occupational therapy. We thought that a birthday party at home would help make it a more successful birthday party.

We had a photo booth area for the kids to put on silly gear and get their pictures taken.

Sawyer loves his cousin Morgan!

Outside we had hay bales for them to climb and a pool full of corn to play in.

The kids got to collect eggs and play a game of bean bag toss.

They even played pin the tail on the donkey.

This year he actually enjoyed having everyone sing to him and he blew out his candles!

It was a wonderful day!!

Peace and love....

October 2014 Photo Shoot

2015-02-15T20:31:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to the Arboretum to get some nice pictures.

I'm not going to lie, even though these pictures are cute, it was stressful!

Do you know how hard it is to get 3 kids to smile and look at the camera??

Life is always chaotic, loud and busy. But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Peace and love...

June 2014 - Marshall Graduates from Kindergarten

2015-02-15T20:23:00.003-05:00

They had the cutest graduation ceremony for the kids. They all were so excited and proud! They sang for us and put on a little show.

Marshall walking the stage to get his diploma from the principal.

It's tradition in Clarke County VA that the kindergartners get to ring the bell after they graduate. They when they graduate from high school they will ring the bell once more.

We are so proud of you little man!

Peace and love....

Jaylee's Dance Recital 2014

2015-02-15T20:08:00.002-05:00

Jaylee took dance again this year. She did tap and ballet.

The girls all looked absolutely beautiful and they all did such a wonderful job!

These girls and their parents have become such great friends to us. Long lasting friendships that will last long after they stop taking dance.

Jaylee is such a beautiful girl inside and out. She is so caring and sweet. She has an amazing sense of humor and she strives to do her best in everything that she does.

We are so lucky to have her in our lives!

Peace and love.....

June 5-8 10 Year Anniversary Hiking Trip

2015-02-15T19:59:00.000-05:00

This summer I have gotten really into hiking and backpacking again. I'm so lucky that Russ is willing to hike as well. We decided to take an extended backpacking trip for our 10 year wedding anniversary.

We hiked from June 5-8 along the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park.

We hiked around 40 miles total. The views were absolutely beautiful!

This was one of our campsites. We decided to camp in a campground so that we would have access to a warm shower! There were deer walking around really close to the campsites.

It's not easy carrying all of your gear and walking 10 to 12 miles, but I love it so much!!

Plus the time together was very much needed. No distractions from tv, or cell phones. Time to reconnect alone without kids pulling on us and calling us

This was a very difficult rock scramble. Very tricky with a heavy pack on. It wouldn't take much to twist your ankle and fall.

We came across many bears, but this bear was something else. She was taking a nap right along the trail. We came around a curve and didn't see her until we were right on her. We were afraid to go around her, we didn't want her to think we were challenging her. So we waited it out thinking she would move. She slowly stood up and then decided to roll over and give herself a nice old fashioned belly scratch!! We watched her for a good 30 to 45 minutes. She finally wandered off and we were able to go on.

I am so lucky to be married to my best friend! He supports me 100%. The past year has been so extremely hard on us, but it has only brought us closer together! I'm looking forward to many more anniversaries.

Peace and love.....

May 2014

2015-02-15T19:32:00.000-05:00

Marshall received the Great Kid award at school!

He has adjusted to a new school so well. The Great Kid award recognizes children who display good manners, and good citizenship towards others. We are so proud of him!

Peace and love....