Ode to a friend….

On Saturday February 15, 2014 we said good-by to a dear friend… our beloved Cassiedog.

We found Cassie on October 8, 2000 laying in a pen at the Santa Monica animal shelter.  She was one of many , many animals there that were dying for attention and longing to belong.  As we walked from pen to pen talking to the sweet dogs we were drawn to her for one main reason:  her quiet eyes and gentle licks through the cage.  She wasn't barking, she was whining, she wasn't bouncing around.  She simply looked at us and literally begged with her eyes for us to take her.  And that was it.  We paid the $12.00 to take her home.  From the moment we brought her home she was grateful, gentle, playful and loyal.  After several early trips to the vet we came to find out that she was very sick, but after gentle care we nursed her back to health and she came "alive"!

Flash forward to 2006 and I am pregnant with my first baby….Cassie was my protector.  She followed me everywhere and slept where Chad and I slept.  When my contractions started ( and lasted for 4 days) she was the one who stayed by my side consistently.  She NEVER left.  When we brought our sweet Olivia home she greeted her with gentle "sniffs" and "kisses". Most pictures of Olivia from birth-6 months include Cassie.  Olivia was "her" baby too…

With every child, with every change, and with every new direction our lives have taken in the last 13 1/2 years, Cassie has been there.  We noticed her beginning to age and put out of our minds that the time we had with her was dwindling.

On her last earthly day we made the choice to spend it happily enjoying our time with her instead of wallowing in the past.  We took her to her favorite spot…the beach.  We walked her slowly down the beach and watched her walk straight into the water and simply stand and watch the waves.  She pawed at the sand and greeted two small dogs that were running in the sand.  She laid on the blanket on the sand and just smelled the sea air and watched the water.  Finn fed her treats we petted her and talked to her.  At home earlier in the day, we put her paw prints in cement and decorated the stone with her picture and gems.  It was all bittersweet but gently and peaceful.

Cassie was our friend.  She never faltered.  She loved us and we loved her…and although in the end her body was old, her spirit was alive and will remain that way always.

We love and miss you girl.

NOW for the public service announcement:  Please, please , please…when you or your family are thinking of getting an animal companion…ADOPT!  ADOPT!  ADOPT!  There are so, so many wonderful and amazing animals suffering in shelters and pounds are the US.  Don't BUY so-called purebred animals for you are just perpetuating a cycle of unwanted animals….Cassie is the PERFECT example of this.  She wasn't a purebred, she was a mutt…and she was AMAZING!!!!!!! 

xoxoxo

Halloween 2013

May the Force be with you.

xoxoxoxo

Lapse...

I know, I know...there's been a "bit" of a lapse.

I promise that good posts are coming..

Just need to get our new schedule down

and more lunches made....hahaha!!

For now I will leave you with some pics from our trip to Hawaii..

They keep me floating along on tiring, busy, mommy-brain days...

xoxox

Uh...

Cuz when you're at the dentist, you gotta look cool. 

xoxoxo

Independence Day

Our 4th of July was pretty standard ...

1. Woke up

2.  Ate a yummy breakfast

3. Olivia made old fashioned clothspin dolls with Grammy

4. Ate lunch

5. Took long naps.....( this was crucial)

6.  Woke up and went for a swim at our neighborhood pool

7. Ate Dinner

8. Made a necessary trip to Sprouts for chips and salsa

9.  Made it to the mall parking lot in time to get a great view for the fireworks

10.  Watched fireworks

11. Back home for a very LATE bedtime...:-)

All this to say that Daddy was not with us this year due to a 6 day back-packing trek through the Sierras with other daddy's..( he has since returned home safe and sound and his feet covered in duct tape.)

In between all of that relaxing I did manage a quick photo shoot with my littles...and yes, cookie bribery was involved. :-)

Happy 4th everyone!!

xoxoxoxo

Time

Last Tuesday we were lucky enough to witness my niece achieve a major milestone in her life.  She is the first grandbaby to culminate from elementary to middle school.  We have been so fortunate to be part of her life since her birth and it's amazing to me how fast TIME goes.  Hadley is focused, determined, kind, loving, and fun!  It will be amazing to watch her transformation from girl, to teen, and then to woman.  She paves the way for her brothers and her cousins...most of all she sets an AMAZING example to the only other girl in the family, Olivia.  Thanks, Hadley, for letting us be a part of your life and your world.  xoxoxoxo

A Monday morning.

I'm not sure what Monday mornings look like in your house.  I know what they look like in mine. At least now we don't have the rush of taking the eldest to school ( school ended last Thursday).  BUT,  there is still the "air" of Monday.  The start of a new week...with remnants of the weekend laying around.  So, here we go..



1. Uh...I guess the emergency helicopter got detoured into the bathroom..perhaps the pilot needed a potty break?

2. Yes, that is laundry. And yes, that is only a quarter of what I have to fold today. Boooooo!

3. Cassiedog in her usual spot....seriously she has the best bed in the house. :-)

4. A quick game of "Glucks-Piraten" before Finn heads to preschool. Look it up, it's a great kids game!

5. Hmmmm...that appears to be a severed crab head...thank goodness a thin plastic bag separates it from my kitchen table....I think this poor fellow is headed off to show and tell. ( his carcass was rescued from the beach...sigh)

6.  Olivia's latest art project...she is very into using mixed media these days. 

7. Doesn't that guy look real?  Thankfully he is not but I find it humorous that he is bigger than Air Force One next to him...

Pretty typical morning around here...:-)

And just like that..he is moving on.

Finn's preschool doesn't have a "graduation"  ( thank goodness).  Although I really enjoyed Olivia's adorable preschool "graduation" a few years ago, I was very surprised that there was one. :-)  Anyway, even though Finn's school doesn't have a ceremony , they do let the little ones who are moving on leave their mark.  This year they pressed their handprints onto squares of cloth which are going to be sewn into a quilt.  They will either hang the quilt or use it in the nursery for the babies...:-)  Very cute.  I was there to capture the moment...mainly for me, and to support my middle baby, who right before our eyes is now a Kindergartner.

xoxox

A boy

Sometimes you just have to stand on a stump. 

Don't ask me why. 

You just do. 

.....at least that's what he told me. 

xoxo

My baby is 2...

So that happened.

My sweet little baby is now 2 years old.

If you ask him how old he is he still says "wum!" and holds one finger up.

If you try and tell him he is now 2, he will give ya dirty look. :-)

We had a little party on Easter Sunday, nothing major, just your standard bunny cake, cousins to play with, and a few presents kind of shindig.

Really, it was just my excuse to eat buttercream frosting. :-)

xoxox