Among the Redwoods and Elk

Today we drove some of the Avenue of the Giants just south of Eureka, CA. We did some exploring and walking among the massive Redwoods. We tried to reschedule our hotel reservations we had pre-booked that were a couple hundred miles north to try and squeeze in another day but were unable to. So we were only able to spend about 1/2 the day there. But it was a very enjoyable and fun place. Another one added to the list to re-visit some day.

Another cheezy smile, always the character.


For now, just putting up some highlights. We took alot of pictures and they needing weeding down. Not all, but most of these were taken at Founders Grove.

A group pic in front of the Dyerville Giant.


Em looking up at the tree tops.


Mom helping out with the adventuring.


Em on daddys shoulders ontop an fallen tree.


Em asleep on dads back hugging Founders tree.


Then one of the things we were looking for and farward to was Elk. Due to some flooding to alot of recent rain, we were unable to get to some of the spots where the herds are often hanging out. But we found a couple eating peacefully. Any sudden noises (like peeing behind bushes and a tree in the distance, but we would not do that) and they would lookup and stare at you. Would not want those antlers running at you with the 1200+'s behind it.

2 elk in the distance grazing on grass.


Ember always signing, here she is signing deer her way.

Heading Up the Coast through the Redwoods

So xmas is over (will post date and add that stuff in later and there is a bunch) and we are slowly making our way back home up the coast. On the road, we stopped for lunch in a park we found somewhere in the north bay. It was funny, when we had Em blow on some dandelion's, she would get some stuck on her toungue and start batting them off.

Collage thrown together after having spent many hours in the car. Notice the little seeds stuck on her tongue and her then swatting them off.


Later, further up 101, we got a glimpse at some of the redwoods when we stopped at the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree, pictures of that below. Felt like the mirrors were about to hit the inside when driving through, was a weird feeling. Strange thing people do but the tree is still living strong.

Mom and Em inside the drive through tree. That is them dwarfed in front of the tree.




Em and daddy cheesing it up.


Then once in the gift shop Ember saw a little horse. She thought it would be a good idea to sit on it (and no this was not prompted by mommy or daddy). Luckily we had camera already in hand.

Em squeezing her large behind onto the little bitty horsie.

Catching up on old pic Posting

Adding some pics to some older posts and ons that just had not gotten a chance to put up. Direct links below to the previous months.

Some November pics
Xmas Pics
Brunch At Cousins
Visiting at Granda D's

Added bunch of pics to Octobers Aquarium pics.

Teddy Bears for Xmas

Ember got to visit yesterday from her Grandpa and Peggy. Once she woke up more after an afternoon nap she opened up her xmas presant from them. Once she ripped into the wrapping, she found a huge fluffy teddy bear. She is loving going between hugging and kissing it. And we are loving posing him around in different poses.



Em going between the hugging and kissing.




Somehow not in any other photos (was playing camera man most of the time), here seen is grandpa stealing a drink of em's milk


Em caught in a pose

Heading South for the Winter Just in Time

So we were going to head to California for an Xmas vacation. The recent storm and ice had chain
requirements for going through the mountain passes on Friday morning and some of the previous days. We were going to leave the next morning, but we were afraid the next storm that sounded like it was going to be large, would make the drive even worse. So daddy left work early on Friday afternoon and rushed home to finish packing and load up the car. By the time we were
ready to hit the road at 5:30 and it was already dark.

Ember fell asleep not too soon after hitting the road and was out cold and could not be awoken. Ended up driving to Roseburg, OR and stopping for the night at about 9 pm to stay the night. Ember was up pretty late that night due to the weird late nap and had to be walked around the hotel halls by mamma and watch some signing time on the laptop. Think she was up until 1:30 or 2 that night.

The next days drive went well, we had good timing between storms. The road was pretty clear and there was no need for chains. If we ended up leaving Portland as planned, the drive would not have been as pleasant. It dumped a bunch of snow and ice. Later that day there were chain requirements just for driving around town in the Portland area.

Later on Saturday when we got to Redding and we went to visit with Great Grandma Robbins. We visited with her for that night and the next morning over breakfast and then continued on with our drive.

Great Grandma Robbins
Great Grandma and Em about to get a big hug.


Em wearing Grandmas glasses. Me thinks they look pretty good on Ember.


Em and Grandma having some face to face time.


Ember playing with the coins that Grandma gave her (yes worried Grandmas, she is supervised). She loved playing with them, stacking them, putting back into the jar and a dish, into her pockets etc.

Happy Early Xmas

Happy Early Xmas all, Ember, Seth & Ericka.
It will be nice to wish all the family in person in a week.

Snow Day - Yipee

It has been a while since we posted an update, probably a little too long. With the Xmas break upcoming and us visiting family, hopefully will be able to catch up on the backlog of pictures and updates.

Ember is doing very well after her surgery and has healed up very well.

There was an arctic cold front that moved through today. It snowed all day starting at about 8am with some cold temps in the 20's up to the low 30's. We ventured out and played with Ember in the snow. She enjoyed this much more then last December when we went to Mt Hood.

Right out of the door all bundled up, she was loving it already. She had been looking at it all day out the window since it started. She was saying "Shnow" when you asked her what was out there.


Em sticking her tongue out, licking up the snow flakes up.


She was having loads of fun running all around, picking up the show and trying to throw it up in the air (ended up just dropping it due to being all wrapped up).


After being outside for a while, she looks miserable, but she was having a good time. Don't worry grandmas, we went in a few minutes later with her practically kicking and screaming because she did not want to go in.


Later this evening, talking to Grandma Jan. She ended up putting the phone down facing out so Grandma could see the snow.


Then later in the evening Daddy was surprised to get an email that there was no work at all tomorrow. So Daddy gets a snow day at home with Ember.

Some November Pics

Some post date posts since have some time to go through pics, 12/23/08

Em fashonably playing out in the rain with mamma in her rain slicker, boots and umbrella.

Em very proud after working on her stacking of 6 blocks on top of each other.

#4 Coming Right Up

Well get home tonight and momma gets Ember out of the car and guess what FALLS on the ground....

Thats right, time for cast number 4.

EDIT 10/27/08:
So we ended up going to an emergency room that night thinking it would be a simple re-cast. Turns out they do not do casts anymore. If someone went in with a broken bone they would splint it up and have them go to the orthopedic's the next day. So the nurses there tried for a while and finally got a hold of the Kaiser on-call doctor. Ended up that they wrapped and splinted her and we went to the Orthopedic office the next day.

We ended up seeing the nice Orthopedic tech and Embers Dr between his other appointments. After all that it was decided to go with a soft wrap since the casts were not staying on her.

After a long wait in the waiting room we got into a room before getting her splinted up. Notice the time. Would not have gone through all of this if we knew it would just be a wrap up and then go see the doc the next morning anyway.


Getting all wrapped up. Em even got some stickers and a glove balloon there from the nice nurse and techs.


The next morning... Embers doctor and the Orthopedic tech re-wrapping her hand in a soft wrap, cotton and coban wrap.




So after all of that, the soft wrap seems to be staying on better. On Sunday night momma and daddy ended up wrapping her arm again since it was slipping down a little. But it is staying on a bit better then the casts were.

Third Times a Charm ?, We Will See

Well Embers second cast was not doing so hot after a couple of days. Noticed it seemed to be getting lower on her arm and her fingers at the tips slowly were receeding into the cast until finally this morning you could not reach them with your finger.

So after a couple of phone calls we went into the Orthopedics office first thing this morning. Got in after a couple of minutes. Then there was the un-pleasant task of having her current cast sawed off. She was not too pleased with the saw. It was very very loud. Once it was off having the new one put on did not seem to bother her.

Pretty confidant this new one should stay in place for the next week and a half until it would come off anyway. The very nice man who put this cast on said he had been doing it for 30 years. He said to keep the arm casts on the little ones like Ember you needed to make the hand into a lovely club. So this one is a bit bulkier then the other 2 and a little higher up on the upper arm.

We forgot to bring the camera so some shots with Momma's phone.
Embers second cast after being cut off


Already wrapped up with cotton and a sock, starting to get the fiberglass wrapped


More wrapping up while getting a couple entertaining stories


Holding the fresh cast and a bend while it sets


Someone all done with this cast non-sence and wanting some daddy love

Up till the Wee Hours, New Cast

Tonight/this morning, Ember kept daddy and momma up til the wee hours of the night. As we were winding down for the night, she ended up slipping out of her cast. After some quick phone calls we rushed into urgent care about 10 miles away that closed in about an hour.

After checking her hand it did not seem infected and stitches seemed to be OK. So she ended up getting a new cast put on. Hopefully this one she will not be able to squeeze and squirm out of.

Em getting wrapped up and padded for her new red cast.




After getting home she got to pick out some stickers to put on her diaper bin for being a good girl for the whole ordeal.


Holding up her trophy cast that momma had just started to mark up with pretty stars, butterflys, skull & cross bones and flowers.


Her new red cast is under an improvised sock the person who put the cast on improvised to hopefully hold up a little bit longer.

Ember Surgery

It was finally time for Embers hand surgery, 10/15 (see earlier post for x-rays). To give her more movement of her left hand they deepened the web space between her thumb and pointer finger. They also removed her pinky finger since it was not very functional as it was coming off the same joint as the ring finger. Once she is recovered, she should have much better use of her left hand.

She was unable to eat anything after midnight, but she was fast asleep by then anyway. We got up at 4am to get ready to get there at 6. Hers was the first surgery of the day at Doernbecher's Children's Hospital. By the time she woke up she was very unhappy from hunger.

She was very grumpy til her happy juice. She had lots of staff looking in on her and she was asking for milk constantly. When she wasn't asking for milk she was all "no, no, no". When the happy juice came she was drunk, wobbly, happy, full of "Hi"s for everyone, and had to be held.

Dr. Turker (her Orthopedics surgeon) looking at her hand and speaking with mama and daddy.


Ember post op in the recovery room. Surgery was just shy of 3 hours. Her o2 was a little low so mama was holding the oxygen near her face while she slept.


Now a little more awake in the recovery room. Still drifting in and out of sleep. You can now see her pink cast. It is above her elbow so she can not push or wiggle it off.


Later that night at home about 9pm. Was actually up and moving around a little bit. Her and daddy played with her trains. She even got in a little time chasing one of her cats. Daddy had to stop that since she was not completely balanced yet due to the meds still in her.


The next morning taking a bath with mama. She had a bag from a loaf of bread and some of momma's hair bands to hold it on.


Em washing her hair.


Em adapting very well to the use of one arm. She surprised mama and daddy when she started playing one-handed peek-a-boo.