Bedtime

Hannah LOVES to lay in Hunter's bed while we're getting ready to put him to bed. We pick up toys, get his outfit ready for the next day, turn on his music, read him a book and say our prayers. This is Hannah the last two nights after her bath. Hunter always gives her a kiss goodnight too. What a wonderful BIG brother!

Hunter reads a story to Dad. And now, a kiss goodnight.
She's so comfy
Speaking of Goodnight, that's my sentiments exactly. I've lost my voice completely today and am exhausted from trying to talk at work. I had a Tea from Starbucks that one of my coworkers bought me. It felt so good on my throat. I'm ready for bed and have an early meeting in the morning. Hope you all have a wonderful Hump Day. Wish it were Friday =)

Fun in the Park

We went to Busch Gardens Sunday afternoon for a little while and it was wonderful. Not too hot, a light breeze and lots of energy for Hunter to burn off. We had a great time and Hunter went RIGHT to bed. He must have been tired!

He always loves looking at the horses
And he likes to ride the Clydesdale ride too..
We ran into Mr. Bob, Mrs. Sutherland, Becky, Steve, Debbie and Cameron at the park and Mr. Bob took Hunter on a ride on his scooter. He loved it!!
"Look, Mom" Mike held the baby and fed her. She was awake the entire time, in her Pumpkin sleeper and seemed to enjoy the fresh air.
My Love Bug and My Pumpkin

Just wish I could get a real smile..LOL!
Hunter likes this spot in the bottom of the tree.


This was the first time I had been to Busch in a couple weeks and it was so nice. I think we would have been happy just walking around. It was good exercise for us and Hunter had a blast. He got to ride the Clydesdales, several rides in the Kid section and Dark Kastle. We were tired too but we really needed to get out and walk.

I'm hoping to get my Fall stuff out tonite. It's supposed to be cool the rest of the week and I'm looking forward to the temperature change. I've completely lost my voice now, although I feel fine. Allergies always do a number on me this time of the year. Hope everyone has a great day!!

Happy Monday

Hey, Guys!! Quick post just to say hello and that we had a great weekend. We went to Denbigh Day on Saturday, saw the Parade and had a great time walking around. Came home, cleaned up a bit, had dinner and watched a movie with Grandma. My mom spent the night since Dad was out of town. Church on Sunday, a visit with the Grandparents and then, to Busch Gardens just for a little while. The weather was wonderful and I can't wait until Fall. I think I'll be pulling out all my Fall Decorations tonite. Hannah's cough is still there a bit, Hunter's all over the flu from last weekend (just Sunday actually) and Mike is feeling much better from his Sinus/Allergy issues. I have a bit of a sore throat but I think it's just Allergies. Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!!

Poor Baby

My poor little girl had to go back to the Doctor today. She went last Friday and he said it was a Virus and it would have to run it's course. But now, her cough has gotten much worse and she is having a really rough time. It hurts me to see her so uncomfortable. She sounds as if she is choking and has a hard time catching her breath. Sometimes, she spits up. We've been sitting her up more when she eats and, from the Pediatrician's recommendation, she's sleeping in her car seat. Bless her heart!

Of course, she's NEVER too far from that thumb of hers!!

This is the Vick's Cool Mist Humidifier that we use in our room. It seems to be helping her. Hunter just has a runny nose and some Allergy issues. We gave him Benadryl and it's calming him down pretty good. He went right to bed tonite. It's been a crazy week for us. I'm really looking forward to the weekend.

Well, Have a good Thursday!!

Precious Kids

Our Little Watermelon Girl

Sometimes, she's so serious

She always falls asleep with that thumb in her mouth.

Sweet & DeliciousHannah Banana wore her little Watermelon dress on Monday and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was SO sweet. She was also very tired. I played with her and changed her clothes but she just kept sleeping. Silly Girl!
I LOVE baby feet. Unfortunately, I forgot to remove the lint between her toes before taking the first picture. I still love baby feet. Lint or no lint..LOL!

And speaking of feet, here's Hunter's feet, sticking out of the bed. Like Mother, Like Son. It doesn't matter what season it is. No socks, EVER, and feet out from the covers. Well, I guess that's it for today. Just happy it's HUMP DAY!

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Tonite, we're going to Dinner for Cousin DNK's birthday. It's hard to believe she's eight. I remember the day she was BORN. I'm getting way too old.

Happy Birthday, DNK!!

We love you!!

Whatever you do, have a great day!

More Congrats

These are our wonderful friends, Rod and Mindy, who JUST found out that they're expecting a baby in May!! Hooray for them! We wish you the best of luck! We love you guys!!

Congrats!!

Just wanted to post a picture of my best friend, Robin and her FIANCE, Drew. They got engaged Saturday and we are SO excited for her. Unfortunately, Drew is being deployed for a couple months and leaves this Friday. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. We'll be sure to keep Robin out of trouble while he's gone. (yeah RIGHT)

Anyway, just wanted to say CONGRATS to you both. We love you!!

One Day At A Time..

Well, it's been two days since we lost Bailey. Sometimes, it seems like it get easier. Sometimes it's harder. I feel like I just can't get away from his memory. EVERYTHING around me reminds me of him.

*

We cried most of the night Monday, hardly getting ANY sleep. Tuesday, I really tried to pull myself together. I didn't want to cry in front of Hunter but I just broke down again. My life revolved around that dog. I enjoyed spending time with him in the morning before work. I put him outside before I left and he was so full of life. When I pulled out of the driveway Tuesday, I saw the hole he dug under our fence. He loved to put his face there and watch as he I left. It wasn't big enough for him to get out but you could see that tail wagging. He may have been getting older but he still had some spunk. Mike and I have spent some time laughing at funny things he did and good memories.
*

Even tonite, we still looked in the Dining room, expecting to see him peek at us while we ate Dinner. But no Bailey.
*

It's not the same at bedtime either, not saying goodnight. Not having to close the bathroom door so he doesn't play with the toilet paper.

*

It felt funny to throw out any leftovers from Dinner that we, normally, would have given him.

*
I miss him being right under my feet. I miss him, waiting for me at the front door and as I got closer to the steps, his tail wagged more and more. He jumped up to get some love when I walked in. He was the first thing I saw when pulling in the driveway. I miss him all the time.
*

It's hard but I know it will get easier, and I know he's not hurting anymore. That's what gets me through the day.

*
Hunter has been taking it great. Tonite, we read a book about family. It showed a mom, dad, 2 kids and a dog. It was just like us and he named them all. He named Bailey and I asked him if he missed him. He said he missed him but he wasn't hurting anymore. He also said he was in Heaven, gone to live with God and play with Cocoa, my Mother and Father In Law's dog, who passed away just a couple months ago
*

Sorry about the sad post but it's been a rough week. I'm so thankful for the time we had with Bailey. I'm so glad Mike brought him home that day, he was outside, alone and in the snow, all by himself. THANK YOU for all the emails, messages and comments. They mean so much.

Have a great Thursday

In Memory Of Bailey

What a sweet boy!

Home Sweet Home Playing in the snow this year

Mike took Bailey to the Vet today and we heard the news. Bailey had severe back and spine damage. This is very common in Beagles and usually comes on very quickly. Surgery would be thousands of dollars, no guarantee that it would work and even if it did, at his age it would probably occur again. We decided to take him home and try to nurse him back to health with some help from the Veterinarian. She sent him home with Pain Killers, Muscle Relaxers, lots of information and Stool Softeners. He wasn't able to go the bathroom on his own, he had to be carried everywhere and doing so without a muzzle would cause him to get very upset.

When Mike got home, Bailey took every bit of energy he had to hop from Mike and hover in the Driver's side floor board of the car. He could hardly get him out. He was biting, crying, screaming in pain and we made the decision. We called the Veterinarian and were able to come in this afternoon. Mike and I sobbed the entire time. The Doctor was wonderful, explaining what our options were and what would happen. She said that this was the best decision and she was afraid that this was what it would come down to. We had so many emotions and didn't understand why Saturday morning he was fine. She said that, with Beagles, it can happen immediately. Once they have a back injury, it often becomes a question of life or death in a very short period of time. Sometimes, it's easier that way, sometimes it's not. We were able to stay with him through the end and after. It was heart wrenching to leave him. We couldn't stop crying. He's a part of us. And now he's gone. And we hurt.

*

Never again, will he lay at the foot of our bed, happy as he can be. Never again, will he sit at our baby's door and cry when they cry, always concerned about us all.

*

Never again, will he go camping with us and excitingly, jump in the car and into his crate. Never again, can he go swimming at the beach with us with his very own life jacket.

*

I'll miss that one small bark as he waits at the back door to go in or out. I'll miss his adorable little face looking up at me at the kitchen table while we eat. I'll miss him shaking so silly after a nice warm bath.

*

Never again, will he tilt that little face as if to listen to what I say. I'll miss him sitting as close to my feet as possible in the Den, just happy being near us.

*

I love when he comes running when I call him and all I hear is his collar jingle. I'll never see him laying under our dining room table again, watching us get ready for Dinner.

*

Emotions are funny. I'm so sad that he's gone my heart actually hurts. I'm mad that he was fine Saturday and now, Monday, he's gone. I want answers but I know I can't question why. I'm selfish that he's not here with me when I need him most. I'm hurt because I love him so much.

*

Only God can heal our hearts and allow us to move on. I never thought you could love an animal so much. But he's not hurting now and he's at peace. We're at peace with our decision but it doesn't make it any easier. It's the hardest thing we've EVER had to do and I hope I never have to again. *

Rest in peace, Our Beloved Bailey...

Prayer Requests

Today's post isn't really a happy one. I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to share two prayer requests with you. The first one is about my dog, our Beagle, Bailey. He's been getting up there in age and had some minor problems. He has allergies and has lost patches of hair on his chest and legs. We give him Allergy medicine for that and it seemed to be getting better. He's lost some weight but he had room to do so. This weekend, he just stopped eating. He took a couple bites but not much. He didn't have much water either, which really got us concerned. He's gone to the bathroom on the floor a couple times and not even tried to go out, which is very out of character for him. He seemed to hurt his hip this weekend and now, he can hardly move. Mike has to help him up and out, help him back in and make him drink something. When he went outside today, he crawled up in our flower bed and wouldn't come out. Mike tried to get him back in the house and he bit him. (not hard, just enough to give him a warning) He was outside for a little while today while we went out and when we got home, he couldn't get up at all on his own. He tried but his hips just wouldn't lift him. We did get him to eat a little Chicken Broth so that was a relief. Not a whole lot of interest though. He's going to the Vet tomorrow and I'm worried sick what they may say. He's the sweetest dog and like another child to us.

My friend, Kim lost her father on Saturday. Her father was really suffering but it's always hard to lose someone we love. I'm sure you can relate, we all know how much our parents mean to us. Please pray that God will give her peace right now. Her father was a wonderful person with a beautiful smile and personality. He will be missed by many people around him.

Thanks for the prayers!

Fellowship

I had almost forgot about these pictures. We had a fellowship with our Sunday School Class a couple weeks ago and it was great fun. We all brought food and shared a picnic, overlooking the James River. The sun was a little bright but the pictures are priceless to us. It was wonderful, sharing some time together. We can't wait to do it again soon!!

Well, today is the last day that Water Country is open and we're headed there with the the family. I hate to miss Church, especially since we were out of town last weekend too. But we usually always go this one day and share it. It's always like a ghost town and we can ride with little to no wait. It's our Official CLOSE to Summer =(

I hope you all have a wonderful day and God Bless!

First Day Of School

WOW...Look at my BIG BOY!

He wore a Diego outfit, with his Diego backpack and new Stride Rite Shoes. And his nametag around his neck. He just looks so tall.."Hurry, before I fall backwards"
My Baby
I made these tags using my Cricut Machine. I LOVED them, and was really proud of them. He has this bag on the front of his book bag that was perfect for a snack but not big enough for lunch. I tied a string around the handle after laminating them both. The Lunch Time Tag was glued on his Lunch bag. He loved them. I included an I love you note on his napkin, of course. He also had a new Cars Pillow and a Mater fuzzy blanket for naptime at the Kids Program. Aawww...

He did fine without me...sigh. He walked right over and started playing. I told him I was leaving and he said, "Mom, I'm fine". I guess he could tell I was nervous.
As I left school, I was so happy for him. But I was also a little sad. He's really growing up. How long will it take him to not want to hug or kiss me in public, tell me he loves me, cuddle with me before bedtime? I did get a nice hug and kiss before leaving so it really got me through the day...

WOW...who's the parent and the child, right? I know I'm crazy. Or am I a normal parent? I just love my kids A TON!! Have a great Wednesday.

No Time Today

Rushing around, getting pictures for Hunter's FIRST day of Public School so no time today. I'm SURE I'll have plenty tomorrow. I'm so excited for him but I know I'll probably cry:)
My Little Man is growing up. sigh....

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!