Tissues on the Dragon Boat

{ Dr. Look & Traci May 2015 }

My sister was always stubborn and held true to her dutch blood. 

If you wanted to see her fight for something you just had to tell her, 

"No. Don't do that. You can't do that." 

Well, Dr. Look shouldn't have expected anything other than resistance when he told Traci she shouldn't paddle anymore with the fear of her breaking bones due to the cancer that continued to deteriorate her bone strength. Traci refused to accept that reality so she did something about it and created an event which showcased the benefits paddling had to a patients entire being. From physical to emotional, she wanted to prove her point and stay seated in the boat. 

With that, "Paddle with the Pinks" became an every year event where local health care providers who treat patients with BrCa (breast cancer) could experience for themselves the full-body workout and camaraderie of the teammates who meet three times a week for practice. Traci was the first captain of this incredibly special event and outreach program.

This year the team named the Provider Paddle in Traci's name:

2017 Traci Van Dyken Health Care Provider Paddle and Sponsor Recognition

Happy Birthday Super Papa

With a double excuse to celebrate, we took to the roads and tackled the ride to 

Papa and Nana's for our Birthday Super Bowl Party. 

With all things coconut and carrot cake themed along with wings and bean dip, we had plenty to munch on while Lady Gaga flew through the air and the game got underway. Thinking the game was a given win, we headed home after half-time making it home before trees fell across the Hannegan due to the ice storm and wind. Papa was thrilled to have the hours spent in the afternoon with the kids and the adults were happy to get out of the house...even though we'd be stuck inside for the next week due to the snow storm of 2017. 

Papa, we wish you the happiest of birthday's and we thank Jesus for the most 

awesome Papa a kid could have. 

A Little Family Fun

Every Christmas my parents gift us a family trip somewhere local or out of state. This years trip was camping at the Birch Bay State park for a few nights. 

What I loved most was in case we forgot something, our home was all but thirty minutes away. Such little stress went into packing this year even with little feet supplying baby food, diapers and bottles to keep things pleasant. 

The kids loved exploring on the beach for crabs and shells and up at camp riding through the bike jumps. Charlie and Talan were curious burning sticks and creating smoke trails. Addison was all about beating the unlucky one at a game of Rummy while Myriam and Ashlyn chilled in the popular hammock reading books and telling stories.

Thankfully, all six of us slept great even with a couple midnight bottle calls. Myriam learned a few lessons about consequences and lost her opportunity to go to the water slides and the C Shop. Hard times for little minds, but there must be follow through regardless of the fun to be had.

Uncle Jason and Aunt Lindsay took off in the morning to the water slides with Charlie while the rest of us trickled in once the sun popped through the clouds. The water was still quite cold which I quickly found out on my double ride down the river with Charlie. Brrr.

Nana kept Miss Bee cozy after splashing in the pool and loving it. Back at camp, Tim took Myriam for a walk through the forest and enjoyed some down time. Melissa and Michaela joined us for the day and later Mickey smiled her way into staying overnight. Yep. We piled all seven of us into the Lazy Daze 

and slept surprisingly peacefully. 

The most entertainment came after we stopped on our way out to pump the tanks of our bodies natural goodness. Everything was fine until we went to start the Lazy Daze back up and found nothing to be cranking. A quick call to Dad and an hour later of trying to fix something turned into the two little ladies and Mommy catching a ride home while the rest of the team stayed behind. It wasn't until I left that I thought about the locked up house and left behind house keys. Thankfully, not all windows were locked and no alarms went off. The other half of the team managed just fine walking to grab burgers for lunch and eventually making it back home. 

A team effort in unpacking and getting laundry going left all showered, smelling fresh and happy beds to rest in. 

Thank you Papa and Nana for another great trip and many memories for the books!

{ Charlie & Talan exploring for critters. }

{ Hundreds of pinching friends. }

{ Myriam & Ashlyn smashing shells. }

{ A sensory playground: sand, shells, rocks & water. }

{ Camp Life: hammock win. }

{ Addison & Auntie Traci getting competitive. }

{ Nap time...these two paused for almost two hours. }

{ Splish Splash it's a campers bath...}

{ Miss Bee loved splashing in the shallow pool.}

{ C Shop evening sugar highs. }

{ Our attempt to contain our mobile one. }

{ Addison was all about the win. }

{ From kites to fire the kids kept busy. }

{ That's not right. }

{ Still smiles after waiting for the mechanic & busting into my own home. }

Let Freedom Ring & Apples Pop Into Pieces

{ Happy Fourth of July }

This year was quite low key as we celebrated the Fourth of July. 

We had a lazy morning around the house, then made our way to my parents for dinner and some experiments. I clearly remember as a young girl having my Dad put gun powder in a hole in the center of our cul-de-sac and making a ball of fire go up into the sky. I'm sure now it would appear like a small after thought, but as a young child it was HUGE. Dad was always into blowing stuff up and seeing what type of reaction he could get from me and my siblings. 

So, when our kids asked if Papa would help them blow some apples up he was quick to dart outside, socks and all, and assist in the fun. 

After dinner and some black cats as well as cleaning up the apple mess, we headed home to put the littles to bed on time and attempt to sleep through the boom and bangs of the celebratory community. 

Here's a little slice of the fourth adventures...

{ Apples Pre-Papa Experiment }

{ Preparing the apples for the black cats. }

 { The experiment. The victim. The lone apple. }

{ Get ready to run...}

{ Let Freedom be celebrated and go BOOM! }

 { The end result. }

 { The kids taking cover from more of Papa's loud fireworks. }

{ Papa in his socks teaching Myriam to light poppers. }

Just 2-3 Weeks Long...6 Months Later

"Honey, it's just 2-3 weeks. That's it."

Well, Miss Bee just passed her six month birthday at a whopping 19.5 lbs. wearing 12-18 month size clothing. 

A little longer than just a few weeks as thought it to be in January... We'll take as much time with this princess as possible because it has been a joy to have her in our home and family as the baby sister to us all. 

Miss Bee is incredibly relaxed, happy, content and developing perfectly along the charts. Our nights are interrupted once and quickly back to sleep until late morning. I have nothing to complain about as Miss Bee is very easy to care for. She loves her Mommy snuggles, especially in her ERGO, but nightime snuggles are fought over for time with Daddy. Bath time proves to be the best place for funny time splashes and decompression. Miss Bee loves the water! She has now learned to sit up on her own with some soft pillow protection for the new wobbles although she's pretty sturdy on her own. And watch out, this girl can roll from one side of the room to the next. Her favorite activity is the stand up bouncer which her legs find a complete jumping workout as she talks to those around her. We've been feeding her some delicious green beans, squash and bananas and every week adding more and more to her pallet. 

{ Repeating what Charlie did around the same age. }

The kids have been amazing with Miss Bee. They all know that our time of caring for Miss Bee can come to an end at any moment, but regardless, they call her their Baby Sister and have loved her the same from the moment she came home. Miss Bee has no lack of attention, snuggles, funny faces to laugh at or people to read her stories. She is extremely loved here in our home. 

I wish I could share more pictures of her beaming smile, but for now you'll have to keep guessing what her bright smile looks like. The similarity between Daddy and Miss Bee is oddly the same making many ask if they missed my pregnancy! Oh, please, no. You missed nothing!

God has protected our family and Miss Bee as her journey continues in our care. Please don't forget to pray for her Mommy and also for those on the case. We have some amazing social workers organizing the details of those in care and we are lucky enough to have the best. 

Monday afternoon we have another case conference so be in prayer as decisions are made for the best interest of Miss Bee. 

Happy Half of the Year Birthday Chunkee Bee!

Walking Gigi Home

{ This post is long but filled with memories for our family. }

{ January 8th, 1928 - May 26th, 2016}

Grandma would be having a fit if she knew how big of a deal I 

was making of herself. 

Better known as Gigi to our kids, Grandma has been walking home to glory for the past few weeks as she continued to display her personal charm in many colors and fashions.  From her stubborn flair of not asking for help to her refusal for family to stay and care, Grandma made her walk home something I look up to as once again, her beautiful, strong personality shines through.
After falling at night while still at home, Grandma consented to a transition to the hospice house. It made these final steps home that much easier giving all of the family peace knowing Grandma has been well taken care of with daily smoothies and bedside TLC. 

Grandma has always been a no-non-sense kind of woman. Humble in her approach to most situations, Grandma was never one to make a fuss over anything. She loved to travel, serve others at the Food Bank, tend to her gardens and always asked me about our adoption and foster journeys.
She never needed the latest fashion trend or worried about what her hair or make-up looked like. Of course, I still heard every time I cut and permed her hair how she wished God granted her thicker, prettier hair, but it didn't stop her from making what she did have gorgeous.
"Can you do anything with this mess?" she'd say. 

As a little girl, I remember Gigi going to bed with her hair rollers and bed hat wrapped around her head. I never understood how she could sleep with all that business up there! It wasn't until after her chemotherapy that gray hair became noticeable. Then came the second round of cancer that I had to shave that miserable head of hair off due to chemotherapy. Grandma was given a wig, but it turned out Myriam had more use of it then Grandma! Once again, a no fuss kind of woman that found vanity a thing of the past.

I'm quite certain the same perfume Grandpa had given Grandma decades ago still stands on her dresser today and same goes for many other accessories that again, had little to no value to Grandma. It was all just stuff. 

I loved that about my Grandma as do all of the family. 

What mattered most was us; family. 

Growing up my sister and I would spend a week in the summer with Grandma and Grandpa. Hard boiled eggs in the morning with cereal or oats and raspberries with ice cream at night along with the neighborhood bike rides on the Blue Angel. We often had the occasional fresh potato from the garden and the snack from the properly labeled chip Tupperware in the top cupboard. Before the big move into town, I clearly remember the flour drawer next to the kitchen sink and that creepy squeaky door that led to the dark scary basement. The farm still holds many secrets; some that Grandma will never know! Memories of big family potlucks, explorations through the barns and swinging high under the front yard trees are very dear to me.


{ Grandma with her grandkids Christmas 2015. }

Living so close to the high school made for convenient stops before game days as a warm meal was always offered. There was the occasional night I'd have to sleep over as well which were always welcomed. 

Grandma was always baking even up to a month ago attempting to make something we could eat at Sunday coffee. I would take my cues from my cousin Trent if it was edible or not and then choose to pass as Gigi offered the sweets around the room. There was always the pre-warning from Grandma too, "I don't know if these are any good," but as grand kids, we tried to make Grandma feel as if her baking skills were still up to par. 

In the early days, we would have dinner at Grandma's every other Sunday afternoon. My love for carbs came from the perfectly seasoned garlic bread we had and the expected rice and beef casserole always made on Saturday night in preparation for family dinner.

The day would start at church when Grandma would pass out Smarties to keep us young ones from getting jittery during the message. I always looked forward to the message treat and sometimes would get a dutch mint if the sweets were running low. I showed Addison where Grandma hid her Smarties stash and noticed the same stash was still in it's place from when I was her age right next to her hand sewn purse clutch. 

{ Wrappers full of memories. }

{ Sunday's dinner. }

There's also many memories of Grandma proudly jumping in the lake with us grand kids vacationing in Lake Chelan. The tradition started the summer I turned eight and phased out when Charlie was two or three. Never was there a summer Grandma's blue and purple floral swimsuit did not make an appearance. Our evenings were caught up in aggressive games of Skip-Bo or Phase Ten where a familiar farm term may have slipped from Grandma's lips a time or two. She was known for her delicious home-made hot chocolate and willingness to hop on her bike with any of us kids. 

Sometimes taking Gigi in public made me nervous as she always spoke her mind regardless if her opinion was a popular one or not. If she didn't like my new haircut or color I would know about it. If I wore my hair straight not curly, I would for sure know about which she preferred. If we saw someone who needed a few additional articles of clothing, she'd tell me. 

There was also the moment I wanted to hide when after Addison was born, Gigi would babysit for three hours a couple times a week. I would go a little before and feed Addison when Gigi blurted out with the obvious. For the sake of not embarrassing my children I'll keep this G-rated. "Honey, isn't it amazing how a little bit of man mixed with a little bit of woman can create such a beautiful thing?" Yes, Grandma, that is amazing. 

Years later, she had a softer tone of voice when after explaining the deepest pain in my life she quickly and gently, without any hesitation, replied, "Stephie, Jesus tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven. You need to forgive him." Recently, in the quiet moments of the morning at the hospice house, Tim was able to thank Grandma for changing the course of our marriage. Thank you Grandma. 

Grandma had a boldness about her that made some uncomfortable, some want to scream and others run closer to her. Often times we saw this come out in her stubbornness to do things herself. It's what kept her feisty for so long and fight her illness as long as she did. Never did Gigi complain. Never did she mention pain. The last wish was to not be a burden to her family.
"Honey, I'm fine," became the expected answer over the last few months even though she clearly was not.
Grandma was a servant. She had a heart to bless others. She served weekly at the food bank and used her hands to serve others after natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. In the years before I was married, I volunteered monthly at a Seattle homeless shelter providing haircuts and serving meals. On one of my trips, Grandma tagged along to see what it was I did. Watching Grandma talk to the men coming to get a warm meal made my heart swell with pride as she set aside all opinions and was simply another human being talking about life. 

Addison will keep Gigi close by as they share the same middle name, Jean. Charlie will have a little bit of Gigi's house with the added Lego collection and Myriam will miss Gigi's chap stick collection and candy bowls. Grandma often times would bring home a special treat from the Food Bank resulting in massive sugar highs. So much of Grandma will be missed. The warm and inviting fire place, the book suggestions, the need to share our latest scrap booking tool or card made, the quick drop of what she was doing to help with the kids. 

No longer will we see the cactus driving through town on her antenna or have the collection of elephants greet us by the front door.
The grape vine will stop producing the popular "Grandma's Grape Juice," and Sunday coffee will be semi-retired. The memories go farther than any piece of furniture, favorite vase or frame or random dish from the kitchen.
This day is no surprise to any of us. This day has long been approaching us. 

{ Easter 2015 }

When Aunt Donna called me a few weeks ago, I quickly packed up my Little's and drove over to check on Gigi. Grandma has told me time and time again her wish to watch our Myriam grow up. She has always enjoyed the stories, laughter and surprises that little one creates and wishes she could watch Tim and I stress over chasing her through life. I reminded her of the aerial view she'd have and how much more fun that will be as we parent our live-wire! 

Grandma has also always shared many intimate details of her life with me and again did so that evening. I treasure those moments and will miss her honesty. Addison and Charlie joined me inside after I clearly saw the light of Heaven drawing Grandma closer to her eternal home. So, with all four of us holding hands, we prayed that Jesus would accept Gigi's request of going home. We asked God that He would allow Gigi to wake up in glory as we gave her permission to go sit at the feet of Jesus. After kisses and hugs until the next time, we said good bye. The kids were rock stars until we got back in the car and tears broke free of the dam. Gigi holds a special place in our kids' hearts and has been extremely involved in all our lives. 

{ Addison & Charlie with Gigi after setting her free. }
April 19th

Death is never easy; it's hard to witness and creates many questions for the young ones. With Gigi, we have been reminded about the truth of the gospel in which Gigi firmly stood on. 

"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

{ Making Gigi comfortable and keeping her company as she walks home. }
April 22nd

No longer is the cancer holding Gigi captive of misery and lack of appetite. No longer does Grandma have to sit in her chair and talk to Grandpa as she longed to see him again. There is no more time to read books twice sometimes three times over and never again will there be yard work or flower beds to tend to. 

No longer will we hear, "I'm fine."

Gigi is free.

And with little to no fuss, much like she requested, we say, 

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

Grandma, you are so loved and will be missed greatly.

{ Myriam & Mommy holding hands. Never will she leave our hearts. }
May 20th

A New Season for Dad

{ The glory days. }

After 40 years of scanning patients, Dad turned in his badge, claimed old age and now enters the season of retirement. 

There are projects to be done, lists that have been running long overdue for years and mornings to sleep in as the alarm clock is turned off for good. No more beepers, pagers or complaints of pushing stretchers around the hospital. No more politics, on call shifts, days without lunch breaks or breakfast spent in the cafeteria enjoying biscuits and gravy. Mom is now on her own, a hallway away from Dad's CT scanning room, where she'll have to adjust to working a days shift without her honey an extension away. An adjustment for both of them.

Dad had a grand plan arranged for sliding out without notice. Too bad for him, word got out and the party planning committee quickly put things into action. Thanks to Pure Bliss Desserts, there were cheesecakes for all of the X-Ray department to enjoy as the three of us kids came to celebrate with Dad. Of course encounters with the ER had to be remembered too as Dr. Dag Jensen arranged for the Cat scan cake, stubby finger fish food cake and the moment when Dad fell off the ladder on a fire call.

{ Celebrating Papa with family and grandkids. }

Prior to the hospital, Dad drove ambulance for United General where he experienced the worst call of his entire career. Some scenes are harder to forget than others as most in the medical industry can attest too. After falling in a pond and being pulled out by their mother, dad arrived to find two girls laying under the Christmas tree, lifeless, in need of resuscitation. Only one made it that day. Between the hospital and fire department, I too, have many tragic memories witnessing Dad's career unfolding before me. 

Paul started his career back in 1970, working south at University of Washington Medical Center. With the Huskie Stadium being so close, Dad certainly took advantage of the cheap seats at $4 a piece on game day. The other benefit was having access to the athletic department across the street playing racket ball for free. He then transferred to St. Luke's South Campus in 1975, enjoying the small hospital feel, knowing everybody and having limited politics. In the late 1980's, Dad made his final career move to St. Joseph Main Campus rounding out a total of 40 years of service behind the CAT scan machine.   

My best memories are from St. Luke's where my childhood McDreamy crush worked side by side with Dad. Devlin was a ladies man and a cute one I may add, even though I was not even double digits at the time. A girl can dream. Ask any women in the X-ray department today and they'll know exactly who I'm talking about! 

{ McDreamy is on the bottom left in fancy scrubs. }

Then there were the scary moments of being tossed in the red reading room through the round tunnel door and of course sitting on Dad's lap pushing buttons during scans. Probably should keep that on the down low, but I'm sure it's no surprise that times have changed dramatically since then. I will always remember picking up chestnuts in the parking lot and walking in the front ER doors, turning left to get to the X-Ray department and getting an X-ray if needed. Some Sunday's we would go and have lunch in the cafeteria; my choice usually was the egg salad sandwich. Then came the main campus where I would visit Dad with Addison sharing lunch together or sneaking candy treats and stickers from those working by Dad's side.

{ Dr. Crabo and Dr. Dag Jensen }

{ Co-workers creating a tunnel and send off to retirement. }

Paul was the senior in the group. Everyone in the department knows about our family and Dad boasted with beaming pride when sharing about his grand kids. My work ethic, commitment and ownership in work came from the years of Dad's employment giving me a solid foundation, an abundance of provision and sense of security through his countless hours of labor. I am incredibly grateful for the sacrifices made to accomplish such an amazingly strong finish in Dad's career. 

This painting below can be found near the East entrance of the hospital; a legacy of service remembered. 

Thank you doesn't seem enough for what you gave me and the endless stream of patients that entered the CT room. 

This community thanks you for serving us well. 

{ Happy Retirement Dad! }