Hanging out with the grandkids...

Monday was a school holiday for BT and for some reason the daycare followed suit and closed as well. I thought this was strange as it would appear that parents who depend on daycare would be put in a bind and either have to to take off work, or find someone to keep their children when daycare chooses to follow the school's schedule. I thought that was the purpose of daycare, to keep kids when parents are working!!! It just doesn't make much sense to me. But, anyway, I took off work and kept the kids so Daughter would not have to.

When I got the kids, we talked about what a beautiful day it was, their weekend with their dad, ran a couple of "G" errands, and then it was on to whatever they wanted to do. First stop for them was Barnes & Noble. They love this store and the first thing BT noticed when we walked in the door was a Christmas sale table. He found a puppet, pondered a stuffed gingerbread man, and BK found a "punkin" left over from Halloween. Nothing we needed, but since it was 75% off, I gave in, again. We also purchased a balloon animal making kit and a polar bear for a school project on Friday. BT informed me he needed something that lives outside in the cold. As soon as he saw the polar bear, he knew that was it, although I am pretty sure I have purchased at least one polar bear previously and it is resting in the top of his closet.

BK was just along for the ride. She spent about 30 minutes in a chair in the kids' department listening to musical books and singing along. I think she may be a future candidate for American Idol.. She loves to sing. We stayed at B&N until they were ready to move on to something else... like ice cream, but unfortunately, the ice cream shop was not open at 10:35 A.M. on Monday morning. We then ran through the car wash, which they love to do, and then headed to McDonald's for a "nutritious" lunch of chicken nuggets, although I feel sure they were both more concerned about what chipmunk from Alvin and the Chipmunks they would get with the lunch, and unfortunately, they were out of Alvin characters and gave them some super hero character that neither one could identify. Although they do not pay any attention to the previous Alvin character they obtained with their chicken nuggets on another day, not getting one today was a bit distressing for some reason.

We then headed to Gramere's for lunch with her, and then back home to practice our puppet show and balloon animal making skills. I always try to let the kids play by themselves some because I think this is when they are most creative, especially BT. BK on the other hand, test me with "let's see what I can get into while G is not looking." She is definitely her mother's child.

I cleaned off the deck and got ready to grill hamburgers for dinner. It was another great day with the grandkids...

How about them Saints!!!!

Taz...

Two weeks before Boo died, our little black pom started losing the use of her hind legs. We took her to the vet and they were unable to determine what was wrong with her. They took x-rays, but found nothing. They prescribed steroids in the event it was a bulging disc, but this did not help, and in fact she seemed to get worse. Then she lost the use of her front legs. There are no local vets with MRI equipment, so I took off work last Tuesday and took her to Mississippi State University Vet School. This was the day after Boo died, so it was a very emotional trip. And, I had to leave Taz there, which made it even worse. I thought we would get an MRI and come right back home and they would call us with the results. The vet student that was helping me was the best. Her name was Danielle, and because of her, it was easier to leave Taz behind for a few days. Dr. Baez told me there was probably a list of 50 things that could be the problem, and an MRI would help us narrow it down.

The MRI indicated she has 3 disc compressions in her neck. She will need to go back on steroids if we have any hope of resolving this issue, but she has to be off previoius steroids for 2 weeks before she can begin new steroids. And, a neurologist (I didn't know there were doggie neurologist) looked at her and he said she has all the symptoms of Cushing's Disease. Panting, extreme thirst which leads to increased urination, dull coat, etc. If that is the case, she has had it for years and we had no idea, and our local vet never picked up on this. The Cushing's can be treated, but she has to be off the steroids she was originally taking for 2 weeks before she can be tested. So, for now, we have a dog that can't walk, but is otherwise healthy, and happy most of the time, unless we leave her sight. She eats well, goes potty, communicates with us, etc., she just can't walk. We put a sling around her belly to take her to the bathroom, and she handles this quite well. She can crawl on her belly pretty well with limited use of her legs, but she can't stand up.

Next week we will have her tested for Cushing's and then put her back on steroids in hopes of resolving the compressions in her neck, and then hopefully she can walk again. The doctor at MSU didn't give us much hope for some reason, but the vet student, Danielle, was a lot more positive. She even called me daily, on her personal cell phone, to give me updates on Taz, and then called after we brought her home to check on her. I am believing the vet student is on to something. This is one tough little dog, even at 11 years old, and if any dog can recover, she is the one.

I am pulling for you 100% TAZ!!!

RIP Boo... you are missed..

Boo, our pomeranian that was 14 years old, had to be put down November 30. He was in kidney failure. Apparently he had been sick for a while, but we really didn't notice it. He appeared to be getting frail, but we attributed it to his age. He has always been healthy and has rarely been to the vet for anything other than routine exams. But, when he finally appeared sick, the end was near. It is our understanding we could not have done anything to help him, or save him, even if we had realized something was wrong and taken him to the vet. We discussed at great length what needed to be done, and in the end, he let us know it was his time.

We had him cremated and have ordered a box with his name on it as his final resting place. We don't have any place to bury him, so we decided to just bring him back home. Hopefully he will be back by the end of this week.

I have cried many, many tears over the loss of this animal. There is a huge hole in my heart right now. I look for him every time I walk in the door. I miss his barking at "Are Not," our neighbor's dog. I miss him running after his ball in the front yard. I miss him begging for a treat. I miss everything about him.

I love you Boo..

Holidays...

I will be decorating for Christmas tonight and tomorrow. Daughter started her decorating last night. We like to have it done before Thanksgiving so we can just relax, or do a little shopping during the long Thanksgiving weekend.

My only delimma is I don't have a tree yet. I am buying one at lunch today. Fake, prelit and slim are my only requirements.

Happy Friday!

BK turns Three!!!

Blowing out the candles on her Ariel Cake at Johnny's Pizza.. We are all about some Ariel..

Posing..

My two nieces, who are sisters... 23 years apart.. I love them!!!

Posing... again.

Being her mother's child.. she loves the Iphone! And don't think she doesn't know how to use it. The girls has definitely got it going on...

Halloween...

In front of a neighbor's house.

Setting out to fill their bags.

They had a blast! And, as of today, we still have plenty of candy.

We have been busy!!!

The last half of October was busy. Between decorating for fall, fall festivals throughout the area almost every weekend, school programs, LSU football, two weeks of non-stop rain, two sick grandkids, at two different times, things have been hectic. But, when I do get a chance to sit down, take a breath, and look at the July edition of Southern Living, for the first time, I wonder what else I could be doing besides looking at a 4 month old magazine. So, apparently I like "busy." And I guess that is a good thing because it will be Thanksgiving in three weeks, and Christmas in less than 2 months.

I have started my Christmas shopping, and that is a good thing, but I still have a lot to do before I finish. I have recommended we only let the grandkids pick out three items for Santa to bring them this year. I think this made me a less popular G and Mom. Time will tell..

And, Daughter has taken up hunting. No kidding! She is anxiously awaiting the day she can shoot a deer. And, she likes to tell tales of what they have already killed by bow and arrow. I do not like to hear the details of the killings. And she knows this, but acts like she doesn't see me when I put my hands over my ears!!! The only time I want to see, or hear about dead animals is when they are already wrapped in brown paper and marked "deer hamburger" or deer sausage" or "deer tenderloin," etc.... And, BRACE YOURSELF... she has asked for HUNTING STUFF FOR CHRISTMAS!!! I don't hunt. I am not married to a hunter. How am I supposed to know what a girl needs to go hunting???? I am suddenly confused. She has always wanted a new purse for Christmas, or jewelry, or cute picture frames, or perfume, or Silver Jeans, or just cash to spend at the after Christmas sales.. but this year, she wants HUNTING STUFF!!! How do I deal with this????