AA-Arf-P Happy Seventh Birthday, Princess Zoey!

Our first born baby, our princess, with more nicknames than reasonable, celebrated her birthday late last week!

Per tradition, we celebrated with a cookout, to include a t-bone steak for the birthday pup.

At her recent vet appointment, we were told that seven is when a dog is considered 'senior.'

Zoey poo-pooed that idea!

She says she will still outrun the squirrels at Ferry park, keep up with her high energy brother, and toast any dog in a game of chase.

She was thrilled with her steak, but still managed to sit pretty while I snapped a picture.

OF course her besties joined the party! 

We had a good spread and a great time!

I am so proud of the family we have built, and the royal position Zoey has maintained since adding her human brother to our crew.  It was very important to me that she never feel displaced, and it is clear that she does not, as Potatoes is her main focus of protection and attention.

The other morning, she was outside when he woke, and coming close to the door, she heard his voice.  Knowing he was now awake, she full tilt sprinted through the dog door, across the house, and into his lap, smothering him in less than desired face kisses.

She stays on watch of her brother, but has, as of late, relaxed tremendously, no longer getting on edge when people approach him, but rather keeping a casual eye on the situation.

The birthday fun was exhausting....when we went to put Potatoes to bed, we found this adorable sight.  It took a LOT of coaxing for her to vacate...

Here's to many, many more t-bone birthdays, Princess Zoey!

We Love You, Grandmomma!

We were so worried when we heard that Grandpa had to take Gradmomma to the hospital a few weeks ago, and then to hear that she had suffered a pretty major stroke.  As soon as we were able, we boarded a plane to Tucson for a visit.

We got in late Friday night and headed straight to the hospital before checking into our hotel.  We walked right up to her room for a late evening visit.

We prepared Alexander for being in the hospital, and he amazed us with his big heart.

He showed no fear of the beeping machines, tubes, or wheelchair.  He immediately included Grandmomma in his play, handing her blocks to build with him, passing her a ball to throw at their tower and knock it over, playing toss with her.  He crawled into her lap every chance he could get.

He loves his sweet Grandmomma!

When we woke up on Saturday morning, it was snowing!  Big, fat snowflakes, where you could actually see the different shapes!  We had so much fun playing in the powdery snow!

Snow and a cactus- crazy!

After working up an appetite playing in the snow, we headed for breakfast

A special breakfast treat- Fruit Loop doughnuts

From breakfast, we headed to the hospital to see Grandmomma.  We were disappointed to find out that the hospital wasn't letting kids under 12 go past the lobby during flu season.  Apparently, when we came in the night before after landing late in the evening, the night shift had overlooked us walking past the front desk and right up to Grandmomma's room.  The day shift was not having it.

Disappointed and confused as to what to do, Daniel went up to spend time with his momma, and Potatoes and I stayed in the lobby.  Sherry was not able to come down to see us on that day, so eventually we had to head out without Alexander getting to see her this day.

With no plans for our time in Tucson other than seeing Sherry, and the snow quickly melting into mush, we set out to explore and found the Tucson Children's Museum.

We all loved seeing how high we could jump!

The trip had us all a bit off schedule, so when we woke him up from nap, he let us know he wasn't quite ready.

It was a great afternoon together, and in the evening, Alexander and I found a movie in the hotel while Daniel headed back for another hospital visit.

Luckily, on Sunday Grandmomma was allowed to come to the lobby to visit.  We had a nice side area all to ourselves!

We all wore masks to ensure we kept each other healthy and strong.

This boy loves his Grandmomma!

He did great on the plane!

We brought family photos to add to her room, which Grandpa had filled with beautiful flowers.

I cannot believe how much Potatoes looks like a young Daniel!

Though the circumstances of our visit were not the best, we were so glad to be able to spend time with Grandmomma and shower her with love, especially from her grandson.

Here's to a strong recovery, Grandmomma!  We hope to see you again soon!

Welcome Baby Billie Rose!

Take two...

I wrote this blog previously, but when I hit 'publish,' it deleted.  Took some breathers and some time away and now I will try again!

Last month, I had the joy of celebrating my cousin Laura and her soon to be baby.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the company was even better, a small group of women from our family.  It was so nice to being able to have whole group conversations and celebrate in the new life that would soon be joining our clan.

Laura is an '83 baby like me.  We have three of us cousins all born within three months of each other.  As the only male, Craig may not have been invited to the shower, but he participated by taking Potatoes to the playground while the ladies took over the home.  

He loves his Uncle Craig fiercely.

They had a blast, and Craig came home more exhausted than Alexander!

The small group was perfect to get to spend real quality time with everyone.  This was my first time seeing my cousin Audrey, Laura's oldest sister, since my wedding nearly six years ago!

We had a wonderful time playing silly games, with Aunt Rose winning the prize in Pin the Poop on the Diaper.

Audrey and Rose surprised Laura with a trip to car to see her new stroller.

My mom did an amazing job, with lots of help from Heidi, in planning a beautiful shower with great food, fun games, and perfect company.

Surprise!  

As I was driving home to Florida, my mom called me to let me know that Laura and Charlie had welcomed sweet baby Billie Rose into the world- just two days after the shower!

Weighing in at just over 5lbs, she is a healthy and strong girl, and has been helping her parents, and puppy brother, adjust to their new family dynamic at home for the past few weeks.

I took advantage of being in Atlanta to take a quick trip down to Augusta to go through a storage unit filled with items from our rental house down there.  I was blessed to have Jan and Craig along for the ride (and heavy lifting).

We diligently went through every item, Marie Kondo style, and were able to keep, trash, and donate until the unit was swept clean and ready to turn back over.

It was a quick trip earning all of us a good long nap!

Welcome to the world, Billie Rose!  I cannot wait for the opportunity to meet you in person!