Long time, no see!!

WOW...it has be way too long since I last posted! We had a busy summer, then school started and life just became hectic. Except, how is that different than usual? Anyway...

I haven't forgotten all of my adoring fans, so watch for upcoming posts!

My Peetie Poo

I really didn't think I was going to be ready to blog about this so early, but I can't sleep tonight and I figured I may as well...

Today has been a truly awful day. Let me start at the beginning...

4 years ago, we adopted my puppy, Peetie, when he was just a few weeks old. He was born around Halloween and was such a wee little thing. He liked climbing up in your lap and giving multiple "kisses", chewing on EVERYTHING, and peeing all over the house! Naughty Peetie! We aren't the best animal trainers, so he had some bad habits, but he was just about the sweetest dog ever!

Peetie started having major anxiety issues when he was just a puppy, and unfortunately, that didn't go away. He'd shake and hide under the bed...bark at strangers...growl at frightening noises...and sometimes even bite. The biting became our problem. Peetie wasn't a vicious dog, he was just misunderstood. He bit because people he didn't know got too close, or they frightened him. The trouble is, the law doesn't see it that way.

We went to a family reunion a few weeks ago, and while there, he bit 2 people. This really upset Granty and he told me he thought it was time to put Peetie down. I immediately said no...there was NO WAY I was gonna do that. The more we talked though, the more I could see it had to be done. What if the next time he bit someone, it was a child? Or we were sued and lost everything? Or the police came to pick him up, quarantine him, and then put him down. He'd be frightened and alone. I just couldn't have that.

This morning, Granty called me and told me he had made an appointment to have Peetie put down. I broke down and completely fell apart. I immediately started loving on my puppy and broke the news to the kids. For the most part, they took the news pretty well...all except for Taylor. She sobbed and sobbed asking why? Where was Peetie going to go after he died? I put my arms around my kids and told them that I KNOW there is a place in heaven for animals and that Peetie would be there, waiting for us. It may sounds stupid, but it's been comforting for me to think of him in the arms of my Papa, covering his face with kisses and being loved, since I can't do it anymore.

At the vet, the Dr explained that they would basically give Peetie an overdose of a sedative and he would just drift away. That's exactly what happened. Peetie was afraid, but Granty had his arms around him, and I had his face between my hands. I kept whispering to him, "Go find Papa...find Reggie and Roger and Toby and SuzyQ and Blackie...and go play!! They are waiting for you." His eyes quickly closed and we laid him on the table. His breathing slowed and the Dr advised us when he had finally passed. Granty and I had some time alone with him and all I could do was just hold his lifeless body and cry. I had just let one of my dearest friends die and I couldn't forgive myself.

My cousin and best friend, Dawn, told me that she has heard that sometimes pets will sense something bad is coming, and will lay down their life for their "people". I'm clinging to that right now. Perhaps Peetie knew that his desire to bite would get us into trouble one day, and he wanted to save us of that grief. Maybe. What I DO know however, is that now I have my very own guardian angel looking out for me, and will fight to the death to protect me. That is a comforting thought, no matter how silly it may be.

So here's to you, Peetie. There truly is no better place than heaven for a treasure as you. You were my best friend...my comfort when I was sad...my pal when I needed someone to talk to...my joy when things were funny...my sweetheart who loved me with the purest love. My arms can't wait to squeeze the stuffing out of you again one day. Save some kisses for me! I love you!

A date with ADAM LAMBERT!!

Okay, so seriously...there was no "date"(duhhhh...), but it was the closest Taylor and I will ever get to one! (for multiple reasons, hee hee!) Anyway...

Our family have been big fans of AI for the past several seasons--myself especially. I can't tell you why exactly, but I LOVE that show! About 4 or 5 years ago, there was a show called ROCK STAR INXS and I totally fell in love with the genre. I hate reality television, but AI is just FUN!

Taylor and I went to the American Idol concert for the 2009 season and had an awesome time! I fell in love with Adam Lambert at his audition alone...the whole season watching him perform and get better and better (in my opinion--you don't have to agree!!) was just really cool! (he's so sexy--again, you don't have to agree! hee hee!)

We had a great night, especially considering a stranger gave us ROW 20 tickets absolutely FREE! She said she had some friends that couldn't come, so she was looking for some people to give the tickets to. She thought Taylor was cute and that we might like sitting really close. Our original tickets were in the nosebleed section, so we were thrilled to sit on the floor--almost close enough that we could spit on Adam...not that we would!!

I love American Idol! Can't wait for the next season (but I'll ALWAYS be an Adam Lambert fan FIRST!!) Woo hoo and all that stuff!!

BowLiNg at FaT cAtS!!

I love summer!
I love summer and doing stuff!
I love summer and doing stuff with my kids!
I love summer and doing stuff with my kids at FAT CATS...cuz it's free!
Yippie!!!

The Manti Pageant

Holy cow! It's been a while since I last blogged! Ahhh well...it's not a bad thing I suppose--we've been busy this summer!

The end of June, we treked south to the thriving metropolis of Manti to see The Mormon Miracle Pageant. My BFF Dawn and her family were planning to go, so we all went together and had a really fun time (all except Granty & Tim...party poopers!).

Before the pageant starts, the audience is able to meet the characters in the show. Dawn and I took Taylor and Dawn's youngest, Chloe, around to talk to them. I got into a conversation with a mother who comes with her family every year from MISSOURI to be in the pageant. The more I think about it, the more I think it would be an awesome experience for me and my kids. We just might be in it next summer! We'll see...

I love going to the pageant. There is such a wonderful spirit to be felt, and my testimony is renewed every time we go. Two shouts for the Manti Pageant! Woot! Woot!

Summer Lovin'

I don't know about your house, but in the summer, our house gets a little boring. I hear the whining of my children about how it's so boring, there's nothing to do, blah, blah blah...

To complicate matters, I have kids I babysit that fall into the "whine-ese" category. Mix them up with MY kids, and you get explosions of all kinds: "That's MINE!"...."Don't touch me!"...."So-and-so kicked me!"..."Moooooooom!!...."and then "mean mom" comes out and it's a big mess.

SO.....

I decided that this summer, we needed to have some things to keep everyone busy. Several years ago, my aunt Shelly gave me some really awesome books called, "Kid Concoctions". It has all kinds of cool kid friendly projects. The kids and I went through the books and found some things that sounded fun.

Today was our first attempt at staying busy. We made "Peanutty Clay" and it turned out great! Kaleb & Cameron are at Scout Camp this week, so it was Liam and Taylor who gave it a try. They loved it!! They were able to make groovy things, like you would with play dough, and then EAT it. As Taylor said, it was an activity and a snack all in one!

If anyone is interested, I'll post about our activites as we do 'em. I think we're gonna do 1 or 2 a week. I'll give you the recipe as well as tell you if it was successful or not. For our first try, this was a hit and I'm sure we'll do it again!

"Peanutty Clay"

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. powdered milk

1 Tbs. honey

Put the above ingredients into a sandwich size Ziploc bag. "Squish" it around until mixed. Remove from bag and continue squishing for a few minutes to mix thoroughly. Then, create away and eat! Yum!

Our Little Guy

Today was our long awaited appointment with Kaleb's NEW endocrinologist. I was getting rather frustrated with our old one, so I took it upon my little self to find a new one. Today we finally saw her and I'm grateful that we found her!

At the appt, they took some blood, did an x-ray of his hand and a complete physical. Kaleb didn't really like that part (he wanted to know WHY it was SO important they know about his privates and how far along he is in puberty!) The Dr said that she is fairly confident that Kaleb is growing and it's not a lack of growth hormone that is keeping him small. She said most likely it is that he is just delayed in his growth, and there is medication to help speed that up.

So, for now, we know he is growing slow. He is a full foot shorter than he should be and nearly 30 lbs less than an average 12 yr old. Now, this part made me giggle...the Dr said that Kaleb is burning calories faster than he can use them, so we are supposed to start him on a HIGH CALORIE diet. Excuse me? Here I am trying to CUT calories, and I'm supposed to start shoving calories into Kaleb? I thought that was kinda funny!

He'll probably start on some medication soon, but until then, he remains our little guy. We'll see how long that lasts. Hopefully not too much longer!!