The Canty Roots

Sooo... I guess that there have been enough questions about my referencing our little girl as the "Canty," that I thought it best to clarify a few things.

#1 Our child will not be named Canty... contrary to Paul calling her that.

#2  The nickname came at week 20 of pregnancy when we got this email letting us know how large our child was.  And since up to that point we didn't know if she was a boy or a girl...Paul called her Canty and it stuck!

Regardless of the fact that she continues to change size as the days and weeks have passed (I'm 31 weeks now!) she is still lovingly referred to as the Canty.

Spring Break "Little Apple" Manzanita April 2011

we are terrible when we try to take pictures of ourselves together.
Honestly, this is the best one we got!  Lovely, right?

Our plan for our "last trip without child,"  was to go someplace extra sunny and love it!  However, my procrastination coupled with other obstacles of sicknesses and not wanting to fly with sinus issues already in full swing, enabled us to return to Manzanita where we went on our honeymoon.

Our view from our hotel room deck!  Priceless!

We decided to stay at the "cheaper" hotel option right across the road from the beach. I can't tell you how inviting our view was!  The weather was volatile; but whenever we wanted to take a walk in our galoshes we somehow ended up with a clearing in the clouds.

Kiki investigating the sand immediately upon our arrival.

We took Kiki the pug with us on our adventure (our normal dog-sitter was on her own vaca that week!) and it was her first time to the ocean at all.  She had a terrible time on the drive down.  She barked non-stop for the first 2.5 hours.  Then we decided to take her seat belt off and then she was much more relaxed but still a nuisance.  We did contemplate finding a kennel half-way to Oregon to drop her off at to continue our trip in peace...but we knew that it wouldn't be nice to leave her there...and we both wanted to see her reaction to the ocean waves!

While we were there, we honored my Dad by going to his favorite restaurant on the coast "THE BIG WAVE CAFE"  on the date that marked a year since his passing from this earth life.  It was a good experience and I got to tell Paul about how dad was always able to strike up a conversation with anyone...including this restaurant owner.  Each year we returned he would pick up his conversations where he left off with her the year before.  I'm not sure if Marci remembered Dad each time, but she definitely was remembered by Dad.  Good food, good service...and a great atmosphere.

We also went to Mom's favorite--Marzano's pizza parlor.  It was delicious! We had calzone's a first for both of us at Marzano's.  

Since it was earlier in the pregnancy, I was struggling a wee-bit with feeling well...in addition, I had just finished my 3rd round of antibiotics and was still suffering a bit from the sinus infection.  So we didn't do a lot of our normal site seeing adventures.  Just mainly relaxed and enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean.

You'd be jealous too, I'm sure!

We did however hit the Rite-Aid on Day one because Paul was jealous of my galoshes!  

The lady there was kind of rude...but it makes for a good story now.  But the rest of the time we hung out in the room playing our new favorite game, Five Crowns, snacking on delicious goods from Safeway, watching Alias DVD's (yes we brought our own DVD player), or exploring on the beach with Kiki (yes we taunted her a little bit too!).

In the room, hibernating from the storms outside!

The baby "bump" really wasn't showing yet...
I just looked a little more chubby than normal.

It was a fabulous trip.  Of course we had the best weather, on the way out of town (see picture at right), but we still had a great time and made some fantastic memories, just Paul and I together.  I'm so thankful that we were able to go and reflect on trips past with family and friends.  The Oregon Coast always will have a special place in our hearts.  We can't wait to take our baby girl on her first adventure to the coast!

Here are an assortment of photos from our playing on the beach!

Paul, all suited up!
You can see our hotel in the background!

This adventure, prompted Paul's desire to go get galoshes himself!
Thank you cranky Rite-Aid employee!

The little girl, running after her daddy...and without a leash!
We were brave to let her venture on her own!

Kiki and I trying to outrun the waves!

She was fearless!

There is nothing better than the coast!

The fresh water drainage, aka Paul and I's favorite thing to torment Kiki with, was raging since it was so stormy while were there.  We adored dragging her into the "raging rapids" with our galoshes on to see her reaction.  Do you think she loved it?  Nah, she did everything in her power to avoid the "cliff of despair" leading her down to the fresh water stream.  It sure was fun to torment her though!

Yes I am full on pulling her into the water!  I'm a mean mommy!

Her tolerance level weakened by my ability to maneuver with the leash!

Awww..to be in 6th grade again!

So I teach 6th grade.  Pretty well known by now that it was a "shift" in my thinking 2 years ago when I was "placed here after being "misplaced," well actually, it is more like being 'rearranged' in the district due to budget cuts.  I had been teaching 7th and 8th grade, algebra, and geometry up until that point.  It was definitely a new adventure getting rearranged.

Today was the last day of school for the 2010-2011 kiddos at North Middle School.  It was a good day thanks to Math Snacks for entertaining the crew and reviewing key concepts!  I should really thank my friend Kristi Eisenkraft for introducing me to that website!!  There are some entertainingly funny math videos there and the kids loved it!

So I've been thinking about this summer..and how I'm not only preparing for a new baby, but this Fall will mark the first fall in 28 years that I haven't started school!  I calculated that and gasped!  I went to pre-school when I was 4 and the Kindergarten at 5,  graduated HS at 17, AA. at 20, and BA at 22.  Then I started teaching in Fall 2002 and promptley enrolled in my MA program in 2003!  That's not to mention that I was teaching full time from 2002 on!

So this fall, on top of having my hands and mind and heart full of excitement, joy, and a little canty bundle of love,  I will have my first September in 28 years where I won't be starting school.

I think I may need to pose with Baby Girl on the first day of school and hold an apple or something to commemorate the start of schooling...schooling of becoming a mother.  Starting out knowing nothing but sleepless nights, and drool, and cuddles and finding myself instinctively caring for another human being that I helped bring into this world!

Perhaps that is overkill.  But as I remember watching my students teary eyed and sad leaving campus today, with what they view as  'life changing event,'  I recognize that the end of the school year does mark an end of an era for Paul and I and our little family.  We are increasing by one cute Canty in less than 10 weeks!

I'm so excited to be a mother, and yet feel so inadequate all at the same time.  I'm so lucky to have friend and family members to guide me through this new adventure.  I'm so grateful too, that I have Paul to lean on.  He is so thrilled about being a daddy he's beaming!

Awww...to be in 6th grade and think that your life is changing now that school is out..starting a new adventure...hold on to your hat Canty, we are starting the ride of our lives!

Baby things!

We have several items we've procurrred for baby girl....her crib, stroller, dresser, bouncer, car seat, as well as a myriad of clothing items and blankets from friends and family.  I know I've posted a few items already, but we HAD to try out the car seat.  So we used Matilda.  Matilda is a "Build-A-Bear" from our the Christmas Season 2009 where Mom took all her grand kids for a holiday memory.  At that time, we thought mom would not be with us much longer.  Who knew mom would be with us for another year from that point!

Anyhow,  when we told mom we were "trying" to have a baby, when we were at my Grandpa Welch's funeral dinner in Southern Idaho in early November 2010, she told me that the Matilda should be ours for our baby to come.  Sewn within Matilda is filled with hearts of love from each of mom's grand kids in 2009.


I digress, but the point is, we used Matilda as a "newborn sized model" to test out the new car seat.  Here is a picture of Matilda strapped in.  (You can also get a peak at the wall color in the nursery.  (more photos to come as the projects continue I promise!)

You can see the green wall and our new dresser, plus the hideous purple chair.
The chair was inherited from my brother's dental office when he was remodeling.

She's about the size of a newborn, right?
Nah, I'm sure she's bigger, just look at those feet?
Lots of  support in the neck and back.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Paul and I traveled to Lewiston on Friday of Memorial Day.  We stopped at the top of the Lewiston Hill to take a picture since the weather was pretty nice, the view was pretty.  The forecast said it was going to be rainy/dark/thundershowers and it wasn't at all!  We had a delightful day!

The History of the hill... 

Canty's first known adventure to L-town
(technically she was there in Dec 2010..but we didn't know it!)

This is the WINDY switchbacks OLD Lewiston Hill
Paul's dad did the "I made the grade" bike ride in the 80's
We wanted to give him some pics.

a little better view....

More Switchbacks on the old grade,
 but you can see the two rivers that run through the valley!

More "Lewiston Grade" with a beautiful view of Clearwater River

 A great view of the Clearwater RIver and the Lewiston side of the valley

Clearwater River, you may be able to see the Home Depot orange sign!

Now the Action...this is the confluence of the Clearwater East /West running
and the Snake River, North / South running.  The Snake separates Idaho and Washington,.
Yup, that bridge crosses the state line!

We did a couple of things...in this order

#1 checked into the hotel...yeah, it felt weird to stay in a hotel in my hometown, but the pool was nice :)

#2  ShopKo!  Need I say more?  Although they haven't "brought" it that last few trips we've been there.  Paul always says, "it must be a memory childhood thing for you because I totally don't get the appeal...and I can't figure out what to compare it to that we have in Western Wa."

#3  Taco Time-  #1 TT in the nation baby!  I wanted so badly to get all my favorites but one meal is never enough, needless to say I'm craving it again!

#4 Lewiston ROSS-  Yeah, Paul has a thing for it...he says the "hicks in Idaho don't know a good thing"  We usually get totally hooked up on excellent goods when we visit this particular ROSS.  We didn't get a whole lot of goods but a little bit of love for the canty (aka baby girl Schultz).

#4  Hotel for a nap....zzzzzzz

#5  Drive-by ol' 1036 Ripon Avenue.  There was an identical year of daddy's truck sitting in the driveway!  It was just blue instead of green.  They'd only been there a month or so...the lawn had been cut but there was no flowers or yard improvements...like I kept imagining there would be.  I guess the house did sit vacant for over a year.

#6  Rosauers They have the ultimate in frosted shortbread cookies!  Yumm Yumm!  We went to get flowers from our family friend Catherine, but she wasn't working :(  We still bought the flowers.

#7 Met up with Darrin (my brother) and his two youngest Owen and Mallory.  My sister-in-law and their oldest stayed in Spokane because they were going to see Wicked with my sister and her 2 girls. 

#8  Took flowers to mom and dad's graves.  It was great to see how well kept the cemetary is.  We put the flowers up and chatted there for a few minutes.

The back of the headstone says:
"Families are Forever"
Our Children
Kristalyn  ~  Darrin  ~ Rochelle

Canty's first visit to Grammie and Pompa Rich's graves.

#9 HARRIS FIELD-- LCSC WARRIOR BASEBALL!  We got general admission tickets so we were out in left field....literally but we had a really good time.  Philly Cheesesteaks from Happy Day Corp. (owner of the best Taco Time in the world)  Elephant Ears and peanuts and seeds!

The TICKETS!

L-R Darrin, Mallory, Rochelle and Owen

Harris Field LCSC Lewiston, Idaho

 #10 POOL TIME!  We took the little folks to the pool (the big folks had fun too!)  I did realize I should probably invest in a maternity swimsuit about now however...mine is just a tad to "form fitting" if you will.

#11 Drive to Spokane to meet up with the rest of Darrin's family.

We were greeted in Spokane at the Rich home with a banner that said:

"Welcome to Baby World-- Congrats its a girl!"

L to R: Owen, Rochelle, Olivia, Ella, Paul, and Mallory



Ella and Olivia handcrafted the poster with all sorts of glitter and stamps etc.  It was fun.  Then we had our own private baby shower.  Holly (my sis-in-law) is totally a bargain shopper and she scored the baby girl a TON of clothes and some teenie weenie hot pink shoes!

We went to "the roadhouse" in Coeur d'Alene.  The Texas Roadhouse is a fantastically delicious BBQ place with reasonable prices and amazing food!  Unfortunately they have 0 restaurants in Washington.  I branched out and got a pork chop this time.  Yum!  (sorry no picture of the food)

We had church on Sunday and then went to the Centennial Trail to walk with the kids while they road bikes and rollerbladed.  The river was really high--high enough that trees were underwater!

It was a fun adventure!

Sorting and finding..and remembering!

So I am intimidated by my emotions.  It is a rollercoaster of highs and lows and I'm just trying to stay on the ride! 


This weekend as we are trying to meet our Wednesday evening deadline to have the "office" out of the "dining room"  I came across some fantastic memories.

When Paul and I were dating the singles ward went to the Skate Deck in Everett for an evening of fun.  I'm totally a rollerblader and Paul, well, let's just say he doesn't do well with wheels that aren't on bicycles.  (I'm convinced that he is not as bad as he states, but I will just believe him.)

I was excited and since I didn't know about Paul's hatred of said skating I was skating alone or with other friends while he watched on the sidelines.  It was still fun, but I kept insisting that he come and join me and he didn't want to.  No biggie.

Well, the evening went on and all of a sudden the roller-dj said over the loud speaker, "Rochelle R.  you have a special rose for you at the DJ booth, Rochelle R."  Now I was a bit shocked, but when I got up there I realized that Paul had decided to "dedicate" a flashing LED rose to me...how sweet!  How elementary!  Apparently he was reliving a childhood memory of when you would dedicate things to the girl you "liked" at the Skate Deck and they would always announce the first name and last initial.

It was a small gesture, but it will always be remembered.  I wish we had pictures from this evening, but alas we don't.  Here is a picture of the goodies he procurred me while I was busy working up a sweat on the skate floor!

I thought the background of the red wall made the flower look sophisticated! haha!

Yes those are disco finger lights and a flashing rose!

Mamma Bird

Yes, I'm nesting apparently...  Paul is convinced that this is the why I spent the majority of my Friday night and Saturday incessently cleaning the bathroom and kitchen.  I was exhausted...but darn it looked GREAT!

The goal is to keep it up but I haven't been feeling so great and we've been so busy (i know, i know no excuses)--so we don't have to worry about it quite as much.  It is a hard thing to fit 2 and a baby in a little over 1000 sq. ft. with little to no storage...but we are going to make it work.  It wouldn't be sooo bad if we hadn't inherted all the things from mom and dad's Lewiston house as well...but, why would we get rid of it though?  We want it and it will be helpful for us when we have a bigger place (thank you garage for storing things so nicely...sorry you won't get to visit with a car anytime soon!)

So here is the sad part.  I am experiencing some of those lovely pregnancy mood swings, and I feel like I'm totally rational in my thinking while it's happening...and then 5 minutes later I realize my emotions are real...but not necessarily rational.  Luckily Paul is understanding...

So after my super cleaning on Saturday of our entire kitchen (steamed and scrubbed from floor to ceiling) a glass bottle containing a LOAD of Dawn Dish soap fell off the counter and shattered spreading soap and glass EVERYWHERE!  I melted down in less than 10 seconds.  I had been cleaning for over 4 hours in the kitchen alone and honestly, I was so sore, tired and worn out the thought of trying to get probably 28 oz of dawn dish soap sprinkled with shards of glass was not in the cards for my afternoon plans.  I was so close to being done.  I could just rewind those last few seconds and undo the soap ordeal.

I wouldn't pose for a picture because I busted out in tears--uncontrollably probably because I was tired, but maybe because I just couldn't imagine cleaning it all up again (looking back at least it was soap and not bbq sauce, right?)  

It took like 7 or 8 moppings, dry, wet, steam dry wet steam to get all the soap residue up after the initial removal of the blue soap.  We made Kiki our dog the test pilot to determine if the floor was clean--if she acted like she was a new ice skater, skidding left and right, we needed to go back to cleaning again....

Eventually we were successful!  I guess the only good thing is that it is now Wednesday and the kitchen still looks great!

oh how I miss her...

I just ran across a note my mom had written me and tucked into a book she had returned after borrowing it from me several years ago... it just made me realize how much I miss her...everyday, but especially today when I need a hug from the one who has done it best my whole life...my mom.