RTR 2011

As you can tell I am emptying the camera this weekend, doing a little reminiscing of weeks/months ago. We took our little annual trip to T-town homecoming weekend. We always love the parade and all the excitement in the air. We enjoyed some yummy BBQ nachos from the strip! Bumped into Danny's high school sweetheart, that was nice! We also got to visit with Kayla, which was a the highlight of the day! Another fun moment was when ESPN videoed Danny pushing the boys in the double jog/stroller, we didn't see it on TV, but camera man said it would air sometime that day - the boys first few seconds of fame ;). We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The boys were tuckered out as soon as we got back to the car.

Go Giants!!

ROCKY our Rocker Doodle

Today as I write this my heart is heavy. I’m not the best story teller, I tend to leave out important parts or rush over the details, but hear it goes. Over a year ago our beloved boxer Rocky had a large mass/tumor removed that had engulfed one of his kidneys. Tumors are removed all the time from dogs, but this one was a shocker to our vet, its size was massive and the tumor was cancerous, rare according to our vet. The doctor bragged of what a tough boy Rocky was, a true miracle to have survived the extensive surgery, he proved to be a real fighter to stay alive. The mass was so large they saved it in a cooler and sent it to Auburn for vet students to dissect – they showed it to me and let me feel how heavy it was, bless his heart for carrying that heavy thing around. Rocky recovered great from his first surgery, we fattened him back up with silk balls (meat ball recipe we found on-line) and he was back to his old self, full of life. But after about 10 months we noticed Rocky started not eating and snubbing food he would normally gobble up, he got thinner and thinner and laid around a lot more, and threw up if he did eat, he became skin and bones. All the while we were being good dog parents and taking him in for his periodic x-rays to keep an eye on any growths. The x-rays didn’t show anything abnormal. The vet treated him for an infection instead. We knew without the x-ray that the cancer had come back. This past Saturday I was at the ballpark, it was Colby’s first flag football game; Danny & Houston dropped Rocker at the vet for yet another x-ray. After the game the vet called, a small mass was showing up and he couldn’t tell exactly what it was attached to, he would need to keep Rocky over the weekend to strengthen him up so that he could endure surgery on Monday. Little did I know that Saturday would be the last time I would see my sweet Rocker Doodle again. When the vet opened Rocky up Monday morning we got the numbing call “while he’s asleep I can…” the cancer was everywhere, GI track, his spleen, organs that he would need and couldn’t be removed, he would continue to deteriorate and throw up and be in pain. We had to make that tough dog parent decision to let him go. Monday ranks as one of the saddest days ever. Our beloved boxer, Rocky aka Rocker Doodle went to doggy heaven, and as coincidence or fate would have it, it was his 8th birthday. Our hearts are heavy and broken and our house feels so empty without him. As I write this, the tears still poor, my eyes are sore from crying, I know it’s just a dog, but for a dog he was the cream of the crop. But he was such huge part of our family; he even appeared on at least 2 of our Christmas cards. I keep reminiscing of what a precious soul he was. He was so gentle and happy and at the same time ferocious to guard anyone who would think about crossing into our backyard – he was doing his job and he did it well. He started out hyper as any pup would be, but as he got older wow he turned into just the most wonderful pal. The ears of our house, the greeter to the door, and the simplest of things pleased him; the mention of a “walk” sent him into a happy orbit, the toss of a Frisbee he’d eagerly fetch nonstop. The Cook’s pest control man was scared of him, little did he know he’s all bark. He did have a hunter instinct; if a creature came in the backyard he would fight and usually win (turtle, raccoon, and armadillo). The mention of “bath” sent him hiding. The word “go” made his tail wag. Danny and I had only been married a few months when we decided it was time to add to our family. We handpicked him from a house way out in the country one October afternoon. He was the runt of the litter and the cutest puppy I’d ever seen and he hung around us and seemed interested in us too. So we carried him home, our first baby to take care of, what a gem. As the years went by and the kids came into our family, he loved them and protected them too, so gentle with them from the start. The boys poked and prodded him, tried to ride him as a horse, and he put up with it and licked them in the face. He shared his backyard some days with his best boxer buddy Henry, and they became best of friends. It’s hard to even look out to the backyard right now, his memory will always remain I can picture him now galloping through the grass, so gracefully and fast, like a deer. Pets can really teach us a lot, their unconditional love is inspring, so easy to forgive and finding so much joy in the simplest things in life. It’s so hard to explain this loss to the boys, the innocent questions they ask break my heart even more. We will miss our Rocker Doodle to pieces, may he rest in peace.

Summer Part 2

I promised a part 2 of our Summer so here it goes and I suppose I'll backdate this post and pretend like I documented this in a timely manner. We finished the summer with a bang, just a few days before school started we loaded up and went to one of our most favorite place to go – the beach! Yay! We were long overdue and so glad to get our feet in the sand. What a lucky duck my eldest son was to have his best buddy G at the condo beside us (and yes we strategically planned this). The Kahns are fun to hang out with, never a dull moment. The plan worked out very well keeping the boys occupied while the parents tried to take in some rays. We played put-put twice and it was hotter than blue blazes,we were dripping in sweat, all in the name of making memories, I suppose. Daddy boy and H rode the go carts and a few of the kiddie rides. Of course each night we had to have our seafood fix and yummy it was... At the end of each day Houston was tuckered out, no nap, and hanging with the big boys, just wore this boy out! Oh and did I mention C and I spent half of one day at the emergency clinic—he had some weird rash pop up. While we were there, Danny the HD did a lot of this...he can't help it, it's in his blood. And there were many attempts of getting a decent family picture, it's always my goal to get at least one shot to last me until the next year. Someone should put a warning on boys - they do not like their picture taken, bribery is the only way to get them to stand still and smile.Our last night we made a last minute decision to try out the Sunset Dolphin Cruise and y'all it was great, why haven't we done this before? I highly recommend it, put it on your to do list next summer. Who wouldn't the boat ride with a sunset like this and with gorgeous dolphins jumping the wake - wow! That's all for now folks, until next time...bye

Summer in Pictures: Part 1

Well yet another really delayed, mega overdue post. Way to much fun and time got away way too fast! Memories were made and here's just a few...

SIX!

Over a month ago, this handsome boy turned six! Wow it makes me feel old, he’s got to use his other hand to show his age, breaks my heart! He’s my little firecracker born just a few days after 4th of July, so we pulled a family Independence Day/Colby’s B'day party all in one at Mimi and Kiki’s lake house. We had bbq and all the fixings and no lake party is complete with out homemade ice cream! Yum! I made my first attempt at a chocolate chip cookie cake - baseball—and I’ll have to say it was pretty good and really easy!

Since I skimped on a true party I wanted to make his birthday memorable, I let him choose what he'd like to do. He chose to go skating rink - what fun! Little tough for 5 year olds but wow did my skating nights come back to mind, I even got out there and showed the boys my tricks, it was a fun time. Then we headed home his next request was to pick out a snack at the gas station and then we headed home to play kick ball and eat pizza!

For memory sake:

• Every afternoon this boy can be found in his favorite spot on the kitchen counter watching TV—all Disney shows he could watch over and over ~ i-carly, phineus and pherb, Good Luck Charlie, he never grows tired of sitting on that counter watching channel 50 or 51, LOL.
• Shy about certain things, don’t dare mention a girl’s name
• Between the TV, his DSi , the computer in his room and my phone, we’ve got us a tech boy.
• Summer camp was a new experience, it worked out ok, but for some reason he would not swim, embarrassed to change in front of the other kids, so he didn’t swim any in the 10 weeks he was there, as hot as it was—ironic thing was I picked this camp b/c of the pool, go figure.
• He recently discovered that everything is a $1 dollar at the dollar store, he said "mommy, why didn't you tell me everything was a $1 at this store".
• The boy loves spending his money wisely (wonder where he got that :), he chooses his "prizes" very carefully.
• He is starting his first season of flag football! Go Giants!
• He is reading, he's a sharp cookie!
• The toy rage—bey blades, he has about 7 and thinks he needs other colors—cause they are more powerful that certain colors, love this kid.
• He still wishes that his eyes were blue :) one day he’ll appreciate those chocolate chip eyes!
• Even though he may tackle and take toys away from his younger brother he sure does love being a big brother to Houston, it's neat to watch them grow up to be so different yet so close.
~I could go on and this special boy, but that'll do it for now.

Craigslist

I heart craigslist! Sold in just a few days - at asking price. If anyone out there has any doubts, try craigslist first, why not it's free! But do bring your hubby along with you to show the vehicle just to be on the safe side :). I get all sentimental with my vehicles, I know I shouldn't but it was hard to see her go, she's been so good to me. My 3rd 4-Runner that was as reliable as ever!