Lately...

Jazmyn won't leave Tony's side, making some tasks a little difficult. They are both missing their buddy.

The girls have gotten to spend a lot of days with daddy while I am at work. I wish I was with them all day every day, but I know how blessed we are that Tony is able to keep them home a few days a week. They are always busy, busy, busy. They get all those weekday errands done, bring me all the things I have forgotten at home, and simply play the day away. They have also had a couple of bake-a-thons. They are in such good hands :)

We have been Dr. Suessing our time away. Kyndra is really beginning to love to read and the big Suess birthday has her all excited.

Tony spent Friday night and Saturday at a mens' conference for church. His dad came over and they had a great time.

I have had a black eye that just won't photograph quite right. Something was wrong with my cat like reflexes the other day when I asked Kyndra to get me the phone. She decided to toss it to me and I caught it with my eye. It is a lovely shade of green today.

Kyndra has been taking clay classes and is LOVING them.

Kylee is taking a creative movement class for toddlers. She is loving it as well, but she is beginning to give her teacher a run for her money. Just can't quite follow those silly little rules.

Other than that LATELY we have just been hanging out :)

Dancing The Night Away...

FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY Tony was able to take Kyndra to the Daddy Daughter Dance. He asked if he could bring her two years ago and was told absolutely not! It was even suggested to him by the powers that be that he should just turn on some music and dance in the living room... WELL, humph. So, they waited and did lots of dancing in the living room (which was already happening well before it was suggested to him). Kyndra's most insistent response was that it was worth the wait by a mile. She had a blast... all of it, the getting ready, the dinner at Comos, and the endless boogeying. She said her favorite dance was Cotton Eyed Joe (she called it Where Did We Come From, Where Did We Go). I would have given anything to see those two busting a move on the floor to that tune. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. I couldn't be prouder of the little girl daddy that Tony has become... gulp :) I know time will only go too fast until I am blogging about that first prom night.

Kylee stayed with me and grooved to her own drummer, wait a minute that is what she ALWAYS does. She put together this little outfit and put on quite a show for me, then she and I went to a friends house for pizza and cookie decorating. Fun times for all!

Farewell Dear Friend...

Havik passed away at 2:30 this morning. He will be missed more than words can say. Now to decide how to tell the girls when they wake up. Sleep will not come easy.

Praying For The Best, Expecting The Worst...

It has been a sad 36 hours in our house. Yesterday morning when Tony tried to take the dogs for a walk Havik halted in his tracks. He was not interested and wanted to do nothing more than lay in any cozy hiding spot he could find. He would not move all day. We had to use extreme coaxing to even get him to go outside. We recognized a myriad of other symptoms. By evening we decided we needed to do the most revealing of tests... the ball test. As soon as he snubbed a game of fetch Tony was grief stricken. He was convinced of the absolute worst. He is nine years old, but we were expecting five plus more years with our beloved Havik. I'm sure Tony didn't sleep a wink and I tossed a great deal many more times than usual in my bed. This morning I called the vet right away and they got him in ASAP. Test after test came back unstartling until the blood work revealed a major electrolyte imbalance, particularly potassium. It was so far off the norm that they ran it twice. The diagnosis is leaning towards Addison's Diesease (a very, very expensive test will let us know tomorrow). The good news is while the symptoms are totally alarming and the possibilites are yucky all likelyhood is that he will start on a once monthly steriod shot (administered by the owner) and all will be well. He will need to aviod stress ??? Dog therapy, day spa, yoga??? Anyway we are much more optimistic tonight than we were this morning. I think Tony has turned the corner of expecting the most gloomy outcome.

A Rough One...

It has been quite a rough afternoon to say the least. LOTS and LOTS of tears and time outs... for all three of the girls in our home. One dinner nearly too late for the one blue-suited, tin-badged boy in our house who asks for little more than a meal during his 12 plus hour work day. One bite of dinner the youngest member (and most stubborn) of our family held in her mouth for twenty minutes. I won't tell you how we finally got it down, but it consisted of turning it into smaller portions. A long list of Valentines to complete and homework we forgot over the weekend and a huge pile of laundry are looming over my head.

So what am I doing... checking blogs, realizing it is quiet, and wondering what those two are up to. I am going, camera in hand, to check it out.

And so I found them, playing in their bathroom, happy as clams, as if there had been no drama at all this evening.

"Hi mama, we're playing in here," said the little one. "I see that," I reply with a smile, "I see that."

Kylee is lost in the land of Polly Pocket and Kyndra finished up a lovely game of dinosaur husband and wife. She is now seated at the table quietly doing her homework and I am off to tackle the laundry. The Valentines can wait yet another day. We have to make sure we have cuddle time on the couch :) with a good book or two.

Okay, so I'm not crabby anymore...blogging is good for the soul!!!

Sailor Girl...

Kylee at her finest, dressed up and ready for her belated Christmas program. She was her usual bundle of energy as we attempted a photo shoot, but she was quite shy during her program. Wasn't she a baby just a few weeks ago...GULP.

Where Did January Go?...

First baby of the year at St. Anthony Hospital, beautiful Avery Ann Pitner. Isn't she adorable!!! Grace is in heaven...She loves babies!!!

Made it outside a bit. Those bug eyed sunglasses give the facade of spring day.

Sweet Kyndra has learned to tie her own shoes...

So proud (mom and dad too)...

Kung Fu Pan-Cakes at Kyndra's sixth birthday party...
Yes I said sixth, I still can't believe it...

And one of our favorite little family tidbits that we don't ever want to forget, the weeks of finding Kyndra fast asleep wearing her Santa hat.

This was not the way we left her when we tucked her in, but she seemed to locate the hat in the dark and secure it on her head before drifting off to dreamland...

Birds & Words...

This weekend I discovered an adorable blue bird at Target. I was drawn to the bird just as I was drawn to Lindsay's beautiful nest photo (see amazing banner that will likely remain for years to come... Thank You Lindsay). Something about birds makes me smile and so I decided I am going to collect birds. Tony meekly asked if our house was going to be covered in birds like one may have discovered in my Grandma's home. I told him not to worry. I'm going for the slightly abstract bird and I won't go CRAZY in a feather fetish. The second decor I have been drawn to are words just as I am drawn to the words of my blogging friends. These two things make me smile and I am so happy to declare that I am finally collecting something. I have been searching for just such a signature for a long time.