Happy 50th Birthdays!

Mom and Dad both celebrated their 50th birthdays within two weeks of each other this summer. Julianne and Jay, Brandon and I and the kids took them out for a celebratory dinner at House of Japan.

Abby enjoyed her appetizer…

…while the rest of us had soup and salad.

Mom and Dad haven’t been to HOJ before so it was new for them. The flying shrimp tails and flashes of fire aren’t part of the normal dining experience at other restaurants.

After dinner we had some birthday cake. Yes, I know that because they don’t share the same exact birthday it should technically read “birthdays” however I didn’t trust the baker not to screw it up and I thought it would look weird. Turns out it’s a good thing I didn’t put too much trust in the baker since they didn’t make the right cake or use the right kind of icing. We ended up with marble cake and whipped icing instead of white cake and butter cream icing. Is it that hard? The cake was still very good but I was not happy that we didn’t get what I had ordered.

How convenient the staff was singing happy birthday at another table at the same time!

Of course there were presents too!

After dinner we went outside to take a few pictures.

Happy birthday!

July Wrap Up

Yes, July. I have some last pictures from July to share and then we’ll be caught up to August. We’ve had so many pictures and I wanted to spread them out a bit to allow for more frequent posting. Trying to keep things fresh around here!

We visited some metro gardens in our area. It was a beautiful place and we can’t wait to go back when it isn’t quite so humid! Gavin found this little butterfly flitting around and he was intrigued for a time.

There’s a little tree house in the children’s garden. Gavin wasn’t all that enthused. He was concerned about the spider webs and didn’t wish to play long up there.

He was much happier wandering through the paths.

As I was following Gavin around this strange fellow caught my eye. It was a little alarming at first.

Little Miss enjoyed exploring for a bit too.

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One afternoon Gavin asked me to take his picture with Mo. “Get the camera mom, take our picture.”

He absolutely adores Mo, as I’ve mentioned before. And I think that her life wouldn’t quite be complete without him either.

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We also went to the conservatory last month. I needed to get the kids out of the house for a bit. It was one of those days where Brandon was gone morning till night and I was not about to be cooped up in the house all day long. I called mom to see if she’d want to go too and she gladly met us there.

Abby tried working on the butterfly puzzle.

Big brother came along to help out.

The two of them moved on to this fun activity. Gavin has loved putting the colored pegs into the lighted board for a couple of years since the conservatory installed it. Now his sister is getting just as much joy out of it.

They were completely enthralled with the fish. Unfortunately the fish food thing is gone so no more feeding the fish but the kids still like to look at them.

Abby kept waving and blowing kisses.

The conservatory is always good for some energy expending, visiting with Grammy, and seeing some pretty flowers and butterflies.

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We took the kids to the local pool. We wanted to get them out in the water at least once this summer. We arrived on a Saturday right when it opened so we were sure to get the seats we wanted and have some time to play before it got too crowded.

We love the zero entry. It makes a great place for the short ones to play.

Abby loved the pool. When she walked in the water she just wanted to keep going. She did not understand that the further she went, the deeper the water, and that she wouldn’t be able to keep her head up before too long. She got so angry every time we had to pick her up and take her back to more shallow water.

Mr. I’m too cool to look at the camera had a great time too. He did refuse to go down the slide but he enjoyed playing with all the water features on the kid’s play equipment.

We’ve had a busy summer and it’s not quite over yet but it will be before we know it! Vacation is coming up quickly and when we get back we’ll be jumping into the school year! I am not excited for winter to come around again but I absolutely love the fall and look forward to our fall adventures.

Summer

Our neighborhood recently had a sealant put down on the street. Various streets were closed at different times in order for the contractor to do the work. One Wednesday it was our turn and we weren’t allowed to leave the house from 8am to 6pm. We heard the equipment down the street and knew they would soon be coming by our house. Gavin was very eager to watch the equipment work so we got the kids set up with snacks, drinks, and their chairs.

The trucks were up and down the street a few times.

Gavin stayed diligently by the window waiting for them to come by again.

It didn’t take long for them to come through and drag the sealant along the ground and the entertainment was over.

By then, Abby was on to bigger and better things.

We spent the rest of the afternoon after nap time playing outside.

Clearly this was before the nasty heat wave that has overtaken the area for a week now. Gavin didn’t take much of a nap so he played without Abby for a bit.

After Abby woke up she came outside and enjoyed a snack before playing in the pool.

“Hey Abby, do you think you could share your snack with me? I sure am hungry after playing in the pool!”

“Sure, Gavin! Let me share my delicious snack with you.”

“Better yet, just let me feed it to you!”

They are so cute when they’re getting along!

First Haircut

Abby got her first haircut on July 12, 2011!

We’re getting all set for the haircut.

Abby was not exactly thrilled. I was trying to hold her tightly so she would stop wiggling.

She didn’t have all that much hair to cut in the first place. However, she needed a little trim off the back because as her Aunt J said, she was getting a mullet.

Poor baby girl!

Time to make nice with Aunt J. Even with just a little trim on the back she looked so cute! Hopefully her hair will grow out a bit more on the top and sides soon. I can’t wait to put little pig tails in her hair!

Rest Peacefully

We had the unfortunate experience of having to put one of our pets to sleep on Wednesday, August 3.  Stormy had Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) and she also had worsening behavioral problems.  She was becoming increasingly unpredictable in her behavior and it became a concern of safety for the kids.  Stormy was clearly getting more miserable both physically and likely, mentally.  After a long talk with our very compassionate veterinarian, she advised that our only solution was not exactly the happiest outcome.  However, it would be a more peaceful and humane outcome for Stormy than other options.  Here a look back at our crazy cat…even if you don’t care or never liked her much, hang in there, you’ll chuckle…I promise!

I brought the cute little girl home back in May of 2006 from a litter of kittens that was sitting outside the front door of the police department.

Back then she loved to snuggle.

 

She was tiny and needed replacement milk fed to her through a syringe.

Stormy grew very quickly and became extremely playful as most kittens are.

She was our little nutcase from the beginning.  And boy did she get herself into some interesting places through her life…

…the cubby of the desk…

…inside a flower pot…

…into my scrapbooking tools tote…

I’m noticing that she may have had a secret kitty thing for scrapbooking.

She could jump onto the top of the cabinets and the bathroom door…yes I said door...

…she had a thing for sleeping inside the couches… 

…and for whatever reason every Christmas loved to squeeze herself into this garland box. 

She made all kinds of messes.  She’d unravel toilet paper and paper towels, chew apart plastic bags, and with her FLUTD she just couldn’t always get her business into the box; right outside the box, but not INSIDE the box. 

Stormy broke things too.  She peeked out the blinds so many times the slats snapped off. 

She put up with the addition of a fur brother to help her learn to be a cat. 

Jax kept her company after her spay while they watched the 6 o’clock news together.

Sometimes he’d even help her to the restroom.

Yep, once upon a time they were buds.

Stormy had her favorite things.  She loved jingle balls and jacks.  Her favorite treats were the tender ones, not crunchy.  She had her way of things and the humans dared not bother her with any other way.

There is no denying that Stormy had issues.  She was our cat and we loved her, some more than others.

She must have thought I was off my rocker on Tuesday night when I sat there taking pictures of her. 

I found her a most cooperative subject and I was grateful.

I felt almost like she was playing along.

In the natural light of Wednesday afternoon, just a couple short hours before it was time to go, I took a few more pictures of her.  I spent some time with her brushing her hair, getting her to play with her favorite toys, and giving her treats. 

She lounged “with” her brother for a bit.  She’d become increasingly intolerant of him too as of late. 

Before I knew it, we had to go.  I insisted on taking her myself.  I didn’t want the kids there for obvious reasons and because I brought her home I wanted to be the one to take her in the end.  It just felt like the way it had to be.  It is an awful feeling walking out of the vet’s office without your loved one that you brought in.  I do know that in her last moments Dr. C treated her with the utmost compassion, respect, and gentle demeanor that despite her crazy ways, Stormy deserved. 

Rest peacefully Stormy girl.  I miss you.