Christmas Trip - Part 2 Begins Tomorrow

Well, tonight is our last night at the Hagerty home in Edinboro, PA. 

Health check:

Healthy-8

Vomiting-0

It's been a different Christmas than I ever could have imagined.  I actually spent the WHOLE day in bed with a fever, body aches and the chills.  I never did vomit thought and I'm taking that as my Christmas gift from Jesus.  

Bruce still hasn't gotten sick and I hope he won't this next week as we are heading tomorrow afternoon to my parents in NJ.  It's a six hour drive and both sets of parents are driving half way to drop us off/pick us up.  

Despite the almost daily vomiting by some member of my family here, it's been a great visit.  Rachel has really enjoyed her time with Hannah.  I look forward to seeing how Hannah, Rachel, Ben and Sarah get along as they get older.  I have a feeling they are going to continue enjoying each other more and more each year.  

As always, time with Erin is a treasure.  She loved me especially well this trip by waiting on me while I was sick, getting up in the middle of the night to take a turn with Sarah, and by making me my favorite chocolate, caramel pretzels.  

I'm continually thankful for my inlaws and feel blessed to be a Hagerty.

Update

Yesterday: We built a rockin snow man with a slide on the back. It was PERFECT snow for packing, and we had cocoa.

Christmas Eve: My mom started puking.
Christmas: Nicole is going south. We are waiting for her to blow chunks at any minutes. We did have fun opening gifts this morning. We were able to Skype Jeff in from Okinawa this morning so that was really nice.

Puke toll from before I came: Erin, Hannah and Ben
Puke toll since I have been home. Dad, Rachel, Mom, and we are waitig for Nicole.
I am trying to be as useful as I can before I go down hill.

And...Currently we are watching the movie Burned After Reading. Don't rent it.

Photo Shoot

So Hannah, Rachel and Ben got Chrsitmas outfits from Luli and Erin hooked us up with Sarah Bookhammer who is trying to start a photography business. Some of them turned out really well.

She Smiles

Some say she is too small to smile. We are going to disagree.

OK so I was going to post the smiling pictures, but I thought I would just post a bunch.

Traveling Two Weeks Postpartum

As you can see from Bruce's posts, we had quite a day yesterday. We barely made it out of Portland, we barely made it out of Chicago, and we arrived in Cleveland, OH with no bags or car seats. Thank God, truly, that we got out because as I understand it, Portland airport is closed until Monday and more storms are heading across the country.

Sarah Kate was a dream traveler. She slept and ate the WHOLE day and barely made a sound. The rest of us didn't fare so well. Since Southwest doesn't provide meals (for free or to purchase) we spent the day eating nuts, cookies, dried fruit and pretzels. For me, it was physically harder than I imagined. I thought since I'd be tired anyway it wouldn't' be a problem, but maybe flying two weeks after giving birth isn't the best idea. I'm guessing it will take me a few days to catch up on rest and have my body stop aching.

We spent the night last night at Bruce's Aunt Kay and Uncle Henry's home in Cleveland. Bruce's dad came to get us at the airport (a 2 hour drive from their home) but since we didn't have the car seats and it was late (11 PM EST) we thought it best to spend the night and get our luggage in the morning.

Please pray for us all. Bruce's dad came down with the stomach flu last night and has been throwing up all morning. I hate throwing up! And, I can't imagine getting sick and still having to nurse a baby.

On a good note, our luggage did make it and Bruce is picking it up as I type. Once we get the car seats, we'll venture the two hours to Edinboro, PA with the girls and Bruce's dad. Please pray with me that he doesn't throw up the whole ride home and infect us all. I really want to stay healthy while we are here.

If you don't hear from us, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year!

No bags.

Oh Well.

Unbelievable

Consider it an act of God. At the expense of a few travelers from Chicago. Our last chance flight to get to Cleveland tonight was delayed just long enough t turn what should have been a 6 plus hour lay over into a 10 minute layover. Mom: 'If we get our luggage, Southwest will be MY airline.'

This is a picture of Rach-11 and Mom anticipating a short flight before seeing Grampa, eating dinner, and heading home for some sweet dreams.

Holiday Travel

Last night I tried to schedule a cab to take us to te airport. There were no cabs that were willing to schedule a pick up with a minivan. I ended up renting a minivan instead. That worked well. Then today at PDX Southwest had 3 de-ice trucks all of which were broken. I have rescheduled my connecting flight twice now and it appears that we are going to have to spend the night in Chicago. I feel bad though for the folks who were scheduled to fly out after 10-45. All their flights were canceled. It is Currently 1-16 PM and we were supposed to take off at 8-30. As amazing as Sarah K8 is, she apparently is not our good luck charm when it comes to flying. To her credit she has barely made a peep.

Random Stuff

The last section of the video was shot by Rachel. It amazes me what an almost 3 year old is capable of.

Welcome Home

Here are some pics from the first couple of days at home. Kaya is SUPER intersted in Sarah and Rachel is a great big sister. She wants to kiss her before bed and loves to hold her. When Sarah crys and Rachel is holding her. Rachel strokes her head and tells her its going to be ok. Its super cute.

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Family Photos

So I am home tonight with Rachel while Nicole and Sarah spend one more night in the hospital, and thought I would take some time to add some new photos and maybe get a video of Rachel uploaded that show how much she likes her present from her big sister.

First let me say a few things.
1. Nicole is amazing. She stuck with about 3 hours of back labor before getting an epidural and then when it came time to push got Sarah out head to toe in one push. You can see the look on Abby's face in that last set of pictures which pretty much says it all. Seeing her today with both of our children reminds me of how stinkin smart I am for asking her to marry me. She is a great mom.

2. Sarah is amazing. She is already a solid feeder and takes a pacifier and is super cute even with her diaper loads of tar poopie.

3. Rachel is amazing. She took the day away from mommy and daddy with absolute ease. And when it came time for business she did her job well by welcoming every guest into the hospital room and introduced them to her "baby sister" who by the way got her a rockin present.

4. Abby Doula is amazing. Havinig her there was truly terrific. I can not speak about all Doulas, but I speak about Abby Doula. She rocked. She encouraged Nicole and was just a huge source of confidence and comfort in the delivery room. When its your turn to bring a new one into the world you should definitely give her a call.

5. Our friends and family are amazing. Special thanks to Alison Dyer who came at 3AM to sleep in our house so we could leave for the hospital, the Crawfords who watched Rachel for full day including Rachel's First Slumber party, Molly who is now 2 for 2 at Hagerty births and is organizing meals for us, Jabke who is an amazing midwife, and 85 year old Ginny across the street who let Kaya out repeatedly today even though she is undergoing cancer treatment (some people can't be stopped). Thanks to everyone who visited and showed enthusiasm by checking the blog and calling us. I do this because I particularly love my family who live across the country and know that they wish they could be here as much as much as I wish they could be here. It has been a crazy couple of days and it has been a blast to read all your comments and receive all your phone calls. Also special thanks to Colleen "good eyes" Martin!

Lastly a quote from Rachel who is currently obsessed with poopie.


"Mommy wheres your poopie, its over there in your butt. -singing- Old Macdonald had a butt and on that butt he had some poopie E I E I O. With a poopie poopie here and a poopie poopie there"..... and so on. Know that if Nicole were doing this blog that would have not been a memorable quote. However for me, it was hysterical. Note that there was no part of the quote were Mommy responds. Rachel was off playing with her new baby and talking to herself and was perfectly content to let this one evolve on its own.



A quick aside. Several times now I have had to go back and change the pronoun "she" to an actual name of someone in my immediate family. That pronoun is becoming less and less useful for me in situations where I am trying to be specific.

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Yesterday's Photos

Stats

Sarah Katherine Hagerty
11 42 AM 12/4/08
8 lb 2.2 oz
20.5 in

Picture to come....

Just a spoonful of pitosin helps the head-icine go down.

Water broke.

90 percent effaced
8 cm
Baby is low
Comment your guess for delivery time. Winner gets something.

Am I Having A Contraction?

She is a trooper. Nicole had some back labor. She tried walking it off, swaying it off, jacuzzi-ing it off and just toughing it out. We are convinced she shortened her labor by her efforts however she ended up with an epidural. Now we are hoping for a short nap.

Baby Time!

Oh I can already tell this baby is going to be a joy! Nicole Started some contractions at around 10:30 and we knew we had better get to bed quick so that we could get some sleep. Its a good thing because around 2:00 she was up and having them more frequently. Nicole is currently in the shower at the recommendation of her midwife. My guess is we will be at the hospital by 5AM. Keep checking as I will try to keep updating with photos.

Christmas Tree Hunt

So we are still waiting for Baby Sister to show up. I think our children must be brilliant because they know that in Mommy's tummy is way better than popping out into the real world. But in this case Baby must not realize that it is Christmas time which is a time worth showing up for. Rachel on the other hand was very excited about Christmas this year because "My birthday comes after Christmas!" While mommy and baby took a nap this afternoon Rachel and Kaya and I went to cut a tree.

I figured since I was in no rush I would let Rachel wander the acres and acres and pick her perfect tree, provided its about a 6' tall Noble Fir. She was hard to please and spent most of the time hopping on every tree stump in her path, while I walked Kaya with a make shift leash I fashioned with some tie downs I had in my truck (I am not known for my preparedness) in one hand and a saw in the other. Finally she found it! On the opposite side of the farm from my truck!! Perfect!!! I survived and she was kind enough to be interviewed about the adventure so that I could share it with you.

Happy Halloween

So tonight was a big deal for two reasons. It was Rachel's first time where she actually started to get the concept of Trick-or-Treating and it was also Luli's last night here. For trick or treating, we continued a generational tradition of making halloween costumes and a butterfly one at that. When we were little I believe my mom made a very sweet set of monarch butterfly wings for Erin. I when the more impressioistic route. The shape was good, but the design was fully executed using fingerpaints that Grandma Hagerty bough the last time she was out visiting Rachel. The wings didn't turn out half bad. the harness system needs a little work though.

Luli also had to pack tonight. This was sad but Rachel found a way that she could keep from having to say good bye. Take a ride in Luli's luggage. As you can see it is totally doable. She might even fit under the 50 lb limit.


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Happy Birthday Aunt Bean!!

Two Pics

These two just needed to Be shared. One is her testing out an alternative spot in the car and the second is her enjoying a tomato from the garden. From what we can gather, this tomato must be a big liar.

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More Acrobatics

So here are more pictures of Rachel's Acrobatics. Its really hard to choose which ones to upload because her faces are so much fun. These games are such a blast. I am a huge advocate for living room acrobatics.

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Baby Pics

I have been criticized by the ladies at work for my perceived lack of enthusiasm about my next child due to the fact that we have not decided on a name for the Baby. I find it hard to name a second baby of the same sex for several reasons which do not need to be discussed here. However I am sure I will add fuel to the fire becuase these pictures are just making it on our blog. Let it be known that months ago I gave these to Pat to ask him scan them in for me. He did a great job getting the electronic versions to me, but I thought I might be able to get better quality scans from a different scanner. So the delay was really in me getting the originals back. I just kept forgetting to ask, then the Ranks and Hagertys had a few misses on the hand off. Finally I got my hands on them this week and immediately got them scanned. Now you can see what our new baby looked like about ummmmm 3-4 months ago. Enjoy!

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I Need To Reconsider

So I pride myself on being a lover of vegetables. There are very few that I don't like. The ones that most people don't like I love like brussel sprouts and asparagus and others. I had declared myself an enemy of eggplant. I threw out a poll thinking that most would agree with me and the consensus was that it a relatively popular vegetable. So I am going to give it another try. So far I have enjoyed a lasagna that containted said vegetable. I will leave my mind open for 5 or so more dishes at which point I will finalize my opinion. Thanks for your input. Now take a look at the new poll. Your responses are not solicited in order to sway opinion, but to feed my curiousity.

Cannon Beach with the Osborns

So today we ceremoniously said good bye to the good weather. How great it was to have a beautifully sunny day today at the coast. We played in the sand, and on the swing sets. We enjoyed some Clam Chowder at Mos and then some of Nicole's choclate chip cookes on a blanket in the grass. Kaya had a blast and the kids loved playing with her.

Rachel had an exciting experience. I knew I would remember a story that should be shared. I am sure some of you parents have theorized an emergency situation and pictured yourself with the super powers of super awareness and super speed that would allow you to jump in and thwart tragedy. Like imagining your child running into the road and you being able to hurry up and swoop your child to safety from oncoming traffic. Well Tim, Abby, Nicole and I were standing on the beach while their oldest Ethan and Max were a ways away playing together and their almost 2 year old Owen and Rachel were playing 20 feet away. We found ourselves lacking our super hero qualities when we looked over at the two of them and saw Owen holding a 5-6 inch diameter rock in throwing position looking at Rachel and standing about 2 feet from her. Tim let out a loud "No Owen!!" and it was too late. Owen let it loose and the boulder went flying. None of us could stop it. Vertically, the asteroid was lined up to hit her square in the forehead but it was off to the side just enough to miss her by an inch or two. We all looked at each other and I couldn't do anything but look up and say thank you. I think I am giving up my illusions of being a potential super hero and truly hope that the Good Lord continues to keep a look out for my kids the way I saw him do today.

Other than this event, It was a relaxing day up until the point that Tim found out he was going to have to put a talk together at the last minute for Sunday. Then things changed a little but until then it was a relaxing day in the sun. I am still in awe at the weather. Enjoy the pics.

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2008 Labor Day Beach Trip

So we had a great trip to the Oregon Coast over Labor Day weekend. We were able to spend time with the Ranks, Olmsteds and Hintzes. We watched some fun movies, played some Wii golf, buries some folks in the sand, cooked some smores, ate some hobo pies, enjoyed some of Pat's amazing flat iron steak and on and on. Oh I can not forget Kim's breakfast of all breakfasts. We are very blessed with these friendships and are so thankful that we get time to take some time to hang out together with our kiddos and puppies.

Enjoy the Photos!

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May I Have the Coupon

So this is a random game that popped up out of no where. We had some coupons sitting on the table and we started playing the "no way, yes way" game. It was pretty funny and repeated itself a couple of nights. That somehow got combined with Rachel's "cage". There is a spot behind the love seat in the living room that has some pillows and a blanket behind it. She likes to call it her cage and play in it. I wouldn't be surprised if some day I find a stack of Daddy's nasty sandwiches back there ;) (Inside joke) Enjoy!

First Day of School

OK folks, let me tell you I have some material for you. Tonight we are going to post Rachel's first day of school pictures. Tomorrow I am going to post a fun video that has had Nicole and I laughing pretty hard and then Friday I will post some pics from our Labor Day Trip to the beach. I could do it all at once, I know, but I like to spread out the fun.

Also, I am adding a download link to the posts that have slideshows. I know that some of you like to download pictures and this way you don't have to visit our website to get them. It is password protected so that not just any crazy can get them. If you don't have a password just ask and I will tell you if you are a crazy or not. Basically all you have to do is click on the picture you like, write down the name of the picture. Then click on download and grab the picture you want.

Now onto this slideshow. Rachel began school last week. She is going to a Spanish immersion preschool three days a week for three hours. She has been loving it. I think the uniform is adorable. She has gone 4 times now and loves the kids and her maestra (teacher). I have not heard any Spanish yet but she can make a mean quesadilla!

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Earning Her Keep

Rachel is learning that it is better to volunteer than to be assigned jobs. This morning she was able to enjoy the sunshine and play with the hose all because she was enthusiastic about wanting to help daddy wash his new car after a week of rain. She did a great job. She unscrewed the soap, poured the soap in the bucket, filled the bucket with water, scrubbed the car, rinsed the car, and dried the car. None of them did she do for much more than a minute or two as she was more excited about spraying passing cars with the hose. She even coped with Daddy's frustration when he snapped at her for spraying the car right after he dried off all the water spots. Daddy is going to have to get used to this black car thing.

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Belly Flop

Rachel likes to play this game called belly flop. She makes special requests to play this game and they are usually made of Daddy. She was very cooperative in helping Daddy try to capture the perfect picture. Although that perfect shot never came to be, there were several that were quite good. Look out Summer Olympics 2024!

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Song and Dance

Here's a video of the "real" Rachel Evan Hagerty. Let me warn you, it's 10 minutes long. However, I think it's worth the time. She's hysterical. And, you get to see Bruce playing the guitar and singing. I'm telling you, it's worth it. Every second. (Okay, maybe I can't be unbiased but I really do think you'll enjoy it!)

Today's Harvest

I am continually amazed at the different things dirt, water and sunshine turn into and how good they all taste. All of them except eggplant of course.

Crafty Nicole and the Measuring Stick

My wife is crafty. She has had this cool idea of making a measuring stick to mark off the height of our children and wanted a portable one in the even that we move one day. She has had this piece of wood and some wooden letters in the garage for a while with the ambition of working on it. Well since I got my new car I have put in a special request that I get my parking spot back. She, being the amazing wife that she is, got her pregnant rear in gear and started working on it. A few short days later we were hanging the thing up and marking off our heights. The thing looks awesome and Rachel loves it. Being married is the best!

Garden Update

Just thought some of you might enjoy seeing the progress of our garden. Nicole did a great job planting it. We have harvested a lot of food already. One thing I have been particularly surprised by is the zuccini. As you pick them off the plant grows taller and taller and new ones continue to grow. This is not the way I am used to seeing zuccini grow. I thought they pretty much sent out a few fruit and that was it. This one seems to keep on growing. We have had a few really good carrots and cucumbers as well. The cherry tomatoes are about to all ripen soon which means we are going to have to start giving some away. Our snow peas, snap peas and grean beans have been alot of fun too. Nicole has already frozen a bunch for the winter.

I think throwing the irrigation in the garden and putting it on the timer was a huge plus. There has been a ton of fruit. We have yet to have any of the red peppers since they are still green and Nicole is probably going to harvest her first egg plant in the next day or so. I would imagine she will sneak it in my food at some point. She would have to as I would probably not eat it other wise. Not an eggplant fan. :(

Random Thoughts

So these days I think a lot about what it means to be a mom, what my role is, what my shortcomings are, what I actually enjoy about staying at home, etc. Not that I actually have a ton of time to even have deep thoughts about any of these things.

Anyhow, I did just hear on the radio a commentary about how U.S. culture teaches children that "prosperity" is what will ultimately make them happy. It was interesting to hear thoughts/beliefs verbalized that I didn't even know I held. I think as a parent I often think about my daughter growing up educated, doing well in school/sports/music (or whatever her little heart desires), going on to college, getting a good job and/or finding success in a career, finding a wonderful husband, getting married, living a comfortable middle class life, etc. I think more than I would want to admit I believe these things will make her "happy".

And yet, my faith teaches something different. It's not the resume or checklist of "socially acceptable" achievements that will make her happy, though they may make her life easier. I believe that God calls us to be happy and content wherever we are in life. I want my daughter to find happiness whether she's a janitor or a lawyer. I want her to be happy whether she struggles financially, living paycheck to paycheck, or whether she's swimming in dollars. I want her to be able to find happiness when life deals her the hardest hand. So how do I do this?

The commentary I heard on the radio made me really think hard about what I'll truly teach my daughter, about where I'll invest my time and resources, and the importance of my role in her life. I don't want Rachel Evan to rely on "prosperity" for life's happiness. I want her to seek God's will and purpose in her life. I want her to find true joy that comes from knowing there is more to life that what we see here. I want her to find contentment in who God made her. I pray that I'll continue to search my motives when making decision for Rachel and when teaching her things about life.

Now, on a totally different note. Today Rachel Evan said to me:

R11: "Momma, are you a woman?" (She's recently started calling me Momma.)
Nicole: "Yes, Rachel. I am a woman."
R11: "Noooo! Momma, you are not a woman. You are a mommy."

I laughed when she said this to me. I laughed hard. But, I also couldn't stop thinking about it. Even my daughter knows that we (women) give up so much to be mothers.

Hiking with Grandma and Grandpa Hagerty

Bruce's parents came out in June for two wonderful weeks and I'm just now getting some photos up. While they were here we spent a lot of time just hanging out at home, working on the yard, and drinking ice tea on the porch. However, on two different mornings, we did do some hiking. It was so great to see how much Rachel Evan loved being outdoors and hiking around. She's a great little hiker and I can't wait to do some longer hikes with her. Enjoy the photos!

Lucia Falls Lucia Falls is about 30 minutes from our home. It's got a short mile loop hike, which we did, and a longer hike to Moulton Falls which we did not attempt.

Moulton Falls

Bruce's Weekend Away

Mosaic had a men's retreat this weekend and I went with my buddies Pat and Sam. We met a bunch of cool guys and got to make fire, ride bikes, kayak, poop in pits, wash dishes with dirt and eat lots of great food. I also got a chance to outfit the golden rod (my 1999 Honda Accord) with tons of gear: 3 bikes, a cargo bin loaded with stuff and a Kayak. I almost made it to Bend and back on one tank of gas. I am going to be sad to let her go. Karen (my GPS/mistress) got a little confused the closer we got to this remote campground but her on board maps proved invaluable. We used them to "fine tune" her suggestions.

One thing I noticed was that on Friday night and all day saturday the outhouse had a wretched stench. However, on Sunday it was not nearly as bad. I figured out what happened. You see on Saturday evening I took on the stench of all the outhouses in the campground and set it free inside my tent around 12:00 AM. Sam and I are lucky to still be alive.

There is something very special about a men's retreat.

McDougall Plug

I am sure that not all of you check out the blogs I link to, but I recommend that you check out the bald eagle in this post from the McDougall blog. Fast forward through the slideshow. There are two of them. Phenomenal!

Back Home

So since our last post we said goodbye to Bubbe, Abueluli, Grandpa, Lita, Aunt Razzi, Lonnie, Aunt Rachel, Baby Ryan, Uncle Barry, all the Gourdjis and the doctor at Urgent Care. That's right, while leaving the room for the final time, Rachel got her thumb caught in heavy room door on the side by the hinges. Oh boy did I jump when I saw that. I usually avoid trips to the doc but I didn't see how her finger could have avoided being broken. Three hours later she had championed her way through her first X-Ray while sitting on Daddy's lap. I think she was intimidated by my sexy lead vest, but she made it through. As it turns out, R-11 is made of rubber and hadn't broken her thumb. All she needed was ice and Motrin. That and a stop at In N Out Burger. Razzi has a pic of the freshly swollen thumb so I will post that as soon as I can get her to send it to me.

The final stop was a visit with my Aunt Linda and Christy. We had a blast there. Rachel particularly enjoyed playing with the choo choo train, filling Linda's waterfall with rocks, picking avacados and swimming. It was a great visit and a nice way to end our vacation.

All pics are up to date in the "San Diego Trip" slideshow.

Rides and Slides

Today we checked out the USS Midway that is decomissioned and is now a museum. I am always amazed at the size of an aircraft carrier and Rachel loved being on the "big boat". Daddy took her to go pee pee on the potty and was unaware that the the phrase "hold it" expires the minute the pants hit the ankles. Most of it made it into the potty but there was definitely a wet spot on her pants. I didn't make that mistake later in the day. I added an extra hold it as the pants went down and things worked like a charm. My crowning achievement for the day was adding the words bomb and missle to Rachel's vocabulary as we checked out the planes. I also think she fully gets the concept of the airplane elevator that takes the planes from the mainentance deck to the main deck.

The Midway was followed by a trip to some place in San Diego with food, ice cream and a carousel. I was nervous that Rachel would not like the carousel but she LOVED it! Nicole stayed off and took pictures and every time we passed her Rachel would yell, "Hi Mommy!" Towards the end she even went one handed so she could wave to her. It was a blast!

After a nap we played in the pool. Rachel is now in love with the "Little Water Slide". But Daddy has to go with her. We climb to the top, she rolls her ball down, and then down we go. She is great on the slide. All in all it was a great day. Tomorrow is the zoo! As usual today's photos have been added to the photos from this post.

San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park

Today we went to the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. We were expecting a drive thru safari type thing but it ended up being a walk through situtation pretty similar to a zoo. It was definitely focussed on African animals. Rachel is learning her letters and today she learned G for Giraffe and Gorilla and E for Elephant. It was very hot and a lot of fun. How big furry lions can lay around and cuddle in heat like this is beyond me! For pictures check the second half of the slideshow on the last post.

San Diego Trip

So Rachel has a new word in her vocabulary. It's Shamu! Today we headed to Sea World. The highlights were the dolphins, polar bears, penguins, walruses and of course lunch with Shamu. Rachel made it through the day quite well. When we got home she took a nap and we headed down to old town San Diego for some Mexican food. All in all it was a good day. Tomorrow we are off to the wildlife safari park. Check back at this post because I will add photos to this slideshow.

Mommy put me in the garbage...

Here's a conversation that Rachel started in the car the other day while Bruce, his parents, and I were driving to drop Rachel off at Kim and Kurt Olmsted's home. We were leaving her there so we could go out to a nice Italian dinner.

Rach11 - "Mommy you throw me in the garbage?"

Nicole - "What?"

Rach11 - "Mommy you throw me in the garbage? (Asking me if I'm going to put her in the garbage.)"

Nicole - "I'd never throw you in the garbage!" (I was thinking, "Where the H-LL did you get this from?")

Rach11 - "Mommy, you throw me in the garbage, and then you walk away and leave." (She says this while laughing.)

Nicole - "Honey, I'd never throw you in the garbage."

Rach11 - "Yes, and then I be sad and cry. And then I fall sleep in the garbage." (She's smiling as she says this.)

Nicole - "You're silly"

Nicole (to Bruce's mom) - "Is this normal?"

Despite this conversation, she did fine being dropped off at Kim and Kurt's. She actually walked right in, made herself at home, and waved to us as we left.

Hagerty Family Mission

(According to Bruce...)

During a friendly game of GHOST with family and friends, Bruce announced a new mission for our family. I thought I'd share it with you all.

Hagerty Family Mission:
To make our home a funk hole for all who enter our doors.

What's your family's mission?

Entering the blogging world

Okay, so I (Nicole) have finally decided to join the rest of my generation and figure out this technology thing. You'd think it would be somewhat easy since I do have training in html and such, but no, it's not. And, for some reason it intimidates me.

But enough about that. I've decided this would be a good way to keep in touch and let people hear from me ever now and then. This blog is really kept up by Bruce and this is my first step towards hijacking it.

I've decided my first post will be my "I Am" poem in honor of my sister-in-laws, Erin and Colleen, and the wonderful Erin Rish. I started writing it a week ago and it has undergone several revisions. I probably could revise it for another couple years (the perfectionist in me) so I just decided to post it "as is", in its unfinished state. With it, I'm posting my daughter's first photograph. This is the real me, so enjoy...

I AM
I'm not what I appear to be.
I am still figuring myself out.
I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend.
And yet, I am my own self.

I am optimistic at heart.
I am hopeful (most of the time).
I am extremely emotional.
I am sensitive.

I am a lover of people.
I hurt for those who are hurting and I rejoice when others are joyful.
I am a philanthropist without (lots of) money.
I prefer to see and recognize the good in others.

I am happy in beautiful surroundings.
I am happy telling, hearing and discussing deep thoughts.
I am a traveller at heart.
I long to see and experience new places.

I am selfish and indulgent (i.e., what I eat, my desire for a "comfortable" life).
I am lazy, even in my faith.
I am stubborn and want to be right.
I am fearful people will see all my inadequacies.

I am glad I am not in control.
I am trusting there is more to this world than I can see or touch.
I am a believer in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...
Even when I don't understand it all.

Photo Shoot

So Rachel had a bath tonight and she pretty much emptied the tub splashing around. I dried her off and brushed her teeth and sent her in for a pull up. I got distracted by a phone call from Luli and before I knew it she was bouncing on our bed. She then crawled into Nicoles "Snoogle" and I had to snap a few shots. Enjoy!

Steak Dinner With Royalty

Friday was dinner at the McDougals. Nicole saw that "her butcher man" was having a good deal on steaks so we jumped on the opportunity. Little did we know that we were going to be in the presence of royalty. Snow White and Belle showed up and we were stunned by their beauty. They even posed for a photo. How lucky were we!

The Birdies have left the nest

As of last Friday we had one bird that had left. Lourdes and I actually watched it take off from the floor of the deck never to return. So we tried to catch the last two leaving but never did. In the meantime we got some cute video to share. Rachel definitely got a kick out of the baby birdies.

Birds and the beans

So, we were fortunate that the bird that chose to build its nest on our porch was a robin. We had some swallows build there nest at the apartment building where we used to live and those things whitened the floor beneath them. Robins are much cleaner. I think we might leave the nest where it is since we have heard that they return year after year. Here are some pictures of the birdies that we have taken over the past couple of weeks. It is amazing how quickly they grow. I believe that they will be completely out of the nest a week from now.

Next this morning Rachel got her first fat lip. I was in the bathroom shaving but she really must of mouthed off to deserve this one! Just kidding. Rachel is learning lessons in physics and this one has to do with the coefficient of friction. This is the coefficient that you multiply by a the component of a loads force that is normal to a given surface. In this case the load was Rachels body, and the two materials were Rachel's fuzzy slipper socks and the smooth laminate flooring. She face planted on the floor. Here is the outcome.



Finally, we have finished putting in Nicoles raised beds. We planted the final seeds today. As you can see it was a family affair. I believe the crop this year will include several varieties of beans, cucumbers, egg plant, zuchini, carrots, tomatoes, and Rach-11.

Life at the Hagerty's

I stepped out of my office this morning to see my Rachel and Nicole eating breakfast. I had to shoot a picture of her for you to see. Then this evening she wanted to show me the surfer girl bathing suit that Nicole bought for her today. She was super excited and was jumping on the bed wearing my hat. Again I made use of the point and shoot and shot another picture. When I went to download them to the computer I found a great picture of Rachel, Hannah and Uncle Robert so I am posting that too.

Also check out Bean's Blog because she has some sweet pictures on these posts too.

Summer Project Season Has Begun

Two weekends ago the summer project season began. The Ranks, Hagertys, Hintzes and Olmsteds tackled the a huge project at the Olmsted Household. We basically moved 2.5 tons of lawn to a recycling place and covered with bark dust. We added a gravel walkway as well. It was fun to use the truck in a way that made it happy and get to use gasoline powered toys with our friends. Here are some more pics.

I followed up that weekend by trenching my yard for a sprinkler system. I used a trencher for the first time and it did a number on me. When I returned it I mentioned that I did not expect to get a trencher with only one driven wheel. Then the appologized for not showing me how to engage the second wheel. CRAP! Even without it I manhandled that machine and got the whole front and back yard done in less than 4 hours. I will post some pictures soon. It doesnt look like much though. It looks like we were the victims of a giant mole. I am hoping to have the whole thing done by the end of next weekend. Thats the goal anyway....we will keep you posted.

I will miss you Great Grandma Hagerty! Tell Great Grampa we love him!!

Great Grandma Hagerty July 28, 1919 - April 16, 2008

Update

I know it has been a while. I found out that videoegg is deleting all my videos and is no longer hosting videos for silly users like me. So I am in the midst of changing the website and moving everything to youtube. I should have followed Ryan's lead a long time ago.

Anyway, what is new... I guess the biggest news is that Nicole is pregnant so Rachel will have that little sibling she has never asked for. I am hoping she has a brother. Of course I hoped she would be a boy too and I am very glad I didn't get what I asked for. However, this time it would be nice....

Also, in March most of my buddies from Lehigh and their families carted their rear ends to central Oregon for a reunion of sorts. We spent a week in a vacation home, skied, ate, Wii-ed and played. It was a blast. Please check out the pictures here.

And enjoy the video!

To Erin: Brandi Carlile - The Story (you're welcome)

New Photos Posted

Check out Rachel Evan's busy month. Here she helps Daddy pack down the leaves. Check out the rest here.

Message for Baby Ben

Pictures of Rachel from Jessicas Visit

One of these days I am going to post the great pictures and videos that we have taken of Rachel lately, but right now I am going to have to rely on posts like this to keep you all up to date. This was from Jessica's visit to the NW. There are some cute ones in here.

 

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Jessica's Pictures from Christmas

Hey all, I have meaning to sort through Jessicas 2 million pictures from Christmas and post them on the website but who knows if I will ever get to it. In the event that I don't, I am going to take advantage of the fact that she has. Check out her shutterfly collection. There are some really fun shots of Rachel. Click here.

Rachel's 2nd Birthday Party

So last night we had Rachel's official Birthday Party. The McDougalls provided home made pizza dough and we all were able to take part in building our own pizzas. The kids loved it and so did the adults. It was great to spend time with everyone. I held the ice cream cake hostage. The ransom was a picture of all the kids on the couch. It worked out really well. Here are the names of the kids from left to right. Lydia Mcdougall, Rachel Evan, Eli Hintz, Reagan Broome, Lilly Yamauchi, Abbi Hintz, Madelyn Olmsted, and Owen Hintz.

Following the photo we brought out the ice cream cake. There was plenty of help from Rachel's friends when it came to blowing out the candles. Lydia ultimately came through for her.

Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from the party by clicking here.

January Videos

OK folks, apparently I am going to err on the side of posting too much video vs not enough. Does anyone know if there is a limit to how much space I can use? Anyway, this first one Nicole took on Rachels actual birthday, not the day she had her party. Apparently Rachel is more entertainint when the viewfinder is twisted so that she can see her self. I say that because it explains why the shots are not always the best. Nicole can not see what she is recording. All in all though its fun to watch.

The next one is one of her reading her kisses book. Seeing as how she says hello to all of you it it, I felt I needed to included it.

Tow Zone

This is what it is. Basically Rachel getting good use out of her Christmas present. In recent days this has evolved to include Daddy in his roller blades too, but there will probably be no video of that.

Going on a Bear Hunt

Ok. I am hesitant to put this on for two reasons. First its a pretty high level of silly to have on a blog, and second its really long. So just know that you should have plenty of time 10 or so minutes set aside to watch this. This is one of Rachel's new favorite books and my new favorite excercise routine. Its not super funny, but its a moment I thought you all would enjoy.