Happy Birthday!

First of all, today is Ellie's birthday. Now I normally try to do something nice for my dogs when it's their birthday, but Ellie is getting nothing. She went out this morning and got sprayed by a skunk!! I know... this just happened like 6 weeks ago to the other dog. I'm telling you it is living in the country... time to return to the more urban life!

TK has officially given up the paci. After the past few months I thought she would be so old, but a couple of weeks ago she started falling asleep without it and it was just an easy transition. I'm so excited to be done with it. Now for the underwear.... we have started, but it just happens that everytime she wears them, she gets sick, which doesn't work well.

Great news for AJ!! We went back to the eye doc for a follow up and he said we were doing great with the patching and there has been great improvement. (3 lines - he said, he was hoping for 1) Thank you for all your prayers!!! I'm so glad that patching is working and we don't have to consider surgery.

I should have some pics of the house soon.... we aren't really going to do a ton, since we are just renting for this year.... mmm, where should we move next?

AJ's first day!

AJ was so excited to start preschool. I think he thinks he is so big since he gets to go to a school and TK still just goes to Michelle's house. He goes 2 days a week, while I work, so he gets there for early care and then preschool and then stays for afterschool care until 4 when I pick him up. Mark asked him what his favorite part was and he said lunch. The last picture is his happy face.... do you remember it from our last Christmas card..... the one where people kept asking me if he was yelling or screaming. That's just AJ being happy!

Louie

Our dear Louie.... Louis Pee as we loving refer to him has been sick for some time now. A couple weeks ago we thought it was the end, but after 2 different vets and 4 medications and a couple weeks of apparently no bladder or bowel control he seems to be doing better. Poor guy he can't go up or down stairs.... thankfully in our new house there are only 2 stairs, perfect for the doxi's little legs! At one point he had completely lost use of both back legs. AJ suggested a wheel chair to make his feet strong, since he has a patch to make his eye strong. Wheelchairs start at $250, which is a better deal than the $6000 surgery the vet proposed as the alternative to putting him under. Thankfully though after much help from AJ "wheelborrowing" Louie around Lou's legs are working ok. On good days he even runs around the yard a bit.

Considering the greener grass

July 22 was the date of my last post. It has been on my mind, but I had no idea that much time had gone by. I didn't have internet this last week since we moved. YES! I said moved.... finally after 6 months we moved into our own place. Someone once asked me why I didn't write more and why there were stretches of time where I didn't write. The truth is I tend not to when I am depressed and overwhelmed. I don't adjust to change well and need a lot of time before hand to get myself prepared. Once August started too many things happened and everything went out of control for me. I didn't feel like there was a calm time until late this afternoon.... aaahhh. In August Mark and I both started school, AJ started preschool this last week and I started working full time (temporary). Then we found out we were moving at the end of the month. I'm so excited we are renting. I just had such a fear about buying a house in this area. It is cemented in my mind that I do not want to stay here.... this in not where I belong. This feeling has been even more strong as I unpack and see things from friends and neighbors. Pictures. Baby clothes. Trinkets and such. I miss my friends, I miss my church, I miss that town. I can not believe it has been this long and I still feel so adamantly about it. I know most people have feelings sometime in their life about maybe it would be nice if we lived here or there, but I don't think most people pack up the entire family move and then decide, mmmm not sure that was a good idea. But here I am and that is how I feel. Tomorrow we are trying a new church. Maybe a little more time and things will be different.

sure that's what happened

AJ is getting into story telling and it has become amusing at times. Tonight after getting out of bed and I told him to get back in bed and he informed me that it wasn't him getting out of bed, but his shadow kept moving him. I had not heard that one before!

Before the kids get in bed we always read a story.... tonight TK had a million questions and AJ was getting fed up with her talking. He got up and I wasn't sure what he was going to do. He walked over to this frog toy we picked up a couple weeks ago and brought it back over. This frog has a long handle and when you squeeze it the frog's mouth moves. TK hates this toy. Anyways AJ held up and started squeezing the handle and said in his funny voice, "Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking." This wasn't really very nice, but I couldn't stop laughing.....

I love these kiddos!!

Nice Ants!

MANY months ago I drove a different car that had XM. My fav channel was 7, not the only channel, but defnintely listened too. Once, and I do mean once, AJ was with me and James Brown came on singing "Ants in my Pants". Instantly a hit with him.... he sang the lyrics to Mark that night, which resulted in a conversation in and of its self. From then on AJ has requested James Brown and asked why the radio people don't put it on.... I told him I would get him a cd. I didn't realize how hard it would be to find a James Brown cd that would be appropriate for a 3 year old. Well thanks to the wonderful people at Best Buy we have "The Ant Bully" soundtrack, which includes James Brown singing the ants in the pants song. Now we have purchased a couple of different cd for AJ and most fade in importance with him. But this one isn't going anywhere.... we have owned this cd for about a month and now TK gets in the car and asks for Brown, sing, Brown, music. So AJ asked me the other day if the ants in James Brown's pants were nice ants or mean ants and why did he let them in his pants.....

the trip

The trip was wonderful.... I could have definitely spent more time, there were so many more people I wish I could have talked to more. I was so proud of myself that I didn't cry, but then I went to church sunday and cried..... I guess being the last day and knowing it would be quite some time I just couldn't keep it together. Anyways the trip was a blast!! AJ asked approximately 2000 times when we going to be to S's house. He even told me at one point (during a traffic jam in construction) that it would probably be faster if I just let him run in the grass!! This kid cracks me up (: We ate more ice cream than you ever should in one weekend... as you can see.

Went to the farmer's market one morning and had some delicious coffee
Played in the country for hours.... AJ was sure it was the jungle. He was so proud of himself for peeing in the jungle.

And visited Lucy girl.... she is so much the same and so big at the same time.