Neighborhood park

The key to happiness for our house is the ability for Luke to get his wiggles out. This morning after breakfast and clean up we headed for a walk to the neighborhood park.

 We love the playground. It was so nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air.

 When did my little baby start looking like a big boy? Holy cow.

 Luke is cautiously adventurous. He likes trying new things as long and mom is close to coach him through it. I made it all the way to the top and then looked down. That was it. He wanted mom to get him down.

 Sand....like dirt is a boys' best friend.

 Seriously, he's too big. Stop it. Stop getting so big.

 He decided that it was okay to climb to the top of the playground even though mom didn't. Someone has to take pictures, right?

 This is what I get from him if I wasn't ready to take his hand to slide down the slide. Patience is a virtue not easily acquired.

 Yay for slides! It's so great to have him big enough to climb the stairs and get on the slide by himself. But really, that's big enough....stop growing up.

 Yelling with excitement because he decided he could do the slides without help from mom. No more hand holding, I just had to catch him at the bottom.

 Then came the big slide. The would climb to the top, look for my face to make sure I was there, then yell OK! Go! and shoot himself down.

 We also did lots of running on the grass. We looked at plants and I showed him the leaves on the ground. I tried to explain to him that the trees had "dropped" them. So he picked them up and took them to the nearest tree and said, "Here go!" Such a helper.

I could follow this cutie anywhere. Around the park. To school. On his mission...wait....probably not....I think there's rules for that.

It's a hard life...

Apparently he needed some rest and relaxation after breakfast.

Halloween 2011

This year I was SO excited for the holiday season to start up, beginning with Halloween. But that all got side tracked with the loss of our Sweet Minnie. We kinda just went through the motions this year. But in the end, it was just what we needed. Well, that is, minus losing my super expensive smart phone....seriously, I lost sleep over it.

But I found my phone. And my holiday spirit.

So here's some pictures of what we did.

 We made caramel apples. It was our first time, and we figured out what will be the better way next year ;) But it was still good and fun. The boys couldn't keep their fingers out of the toppings. We had chocolate chips, almonds, and pecans. YUM!

 We took Luke out to our church's trunk-or-treat. He was a little put off by the fact it was dark. And everyone looked kinda weird - explain that to a 2 year old. But he had a blast running around.

 We tried to get him interested in some of the games, but he really just loved running in circles, dancing to music, and just enjoying the atmosphere.

 This is the one game we got him to play. And really, Matt did all the work, because Luke couldn't keep his eyes of the witch that was helping at the booth. Haha!

 He got his first taste of cotton candy. And it was a hit. But he treated it like a lollipop and would only give it a lick. We stayed for only a bit of the actually trunk-or-treating. I had to work that night and Luke was getting sleepy because it was way past his bedtime.

 Halloween night Luke was a little more prepared to wear his costume. We even put a goatee on him. But let me tell you, it's impossible to paint a mustache on a wiggle boy. Good thing we went out in the dark.

Luke was really unsure of the whole process at first. But once he realized people would give him stuff and tell him how cute he was...things went smoothly. He even figured out how to say "Treat!". Then he'd wave and say "Bye!" and move on to the next house. So cute! Can't wait until next year...he's going to have a blast.

What I love about Minnie...

I have written a post about why I love Bruno, I even wrote a post about why I loved Tim (before he chomped on my son and subsequently found a new home). But I never got around to writing one about Minnie.

Now seems like the best time.

We found a growth on her back leg right after Easter this year. We went to our vet and was referred to a surgeon. Through all the visits we discovered she had a form of bone cancer that was manifesting itself by an aggressive tumor. The doctors suggested amputation. After researching it, and getting estimates, we made the painful decision that amputation was not for Minnie. Large breeds don't manage well at all with amputation of limb. There was no guarantee that a tumor would not manifest somewhere else. And frankly, she might not survive the surgery. Not to mention that we would have to go into debt to pay for the surgery and after care.

We decided to manage her quality of life. With a couple medications, Minnie was able to keep her optimistic outlook on life and seemed unphased. But the tumor kept growing. And we noticed that when the tumor was in an active growth phase, Minnie would lose her appetite and get lethargic - most likely from pain. But Minnie always bounced back. We settled into a new kind of "normal" with her limitations and it was easy to think that we could go on like this forever.

What started out looking like a swollen bug bite in April had taken over her entire leg from the leg down by October. I was becoming concerned when we left for our family reunion. When we returned there was something different about Minnie. She had lost her appetite and didn't feel like doing much other than laying around. She had a hard time managing the stairs going up and down to go potty. She couldn't get comfortable....anywhere. She couldn't hop on our bed anymore.

Then she quit eating. We were able to sneak spoonfuls of peanut butter in her mouth with her medication. But even that didn't help anymore. Then she started throwing up. Alot. She couldn't even drink water without throwing up immediately. We knew that the end was coming and we called the vet and made an appointment for October 25th at 11:30pm. The day before I had knelt down in the closet and snuggled her. Her expressive eyes felt like they were probing me for relief. I whispered that it was okay, she would feel better soon. Luke came over and kissed her twice and gave her a pet. Late that night after Matt came home from work, he went to her and said good-bye. He was having a hard time with her being so sick and the inevitable, but he finally was able to give her what she needed. That must have been what she had been waiting for.

At four in the morning October 25th, I heard the dogs getting rowdy. I thought it was just Bruno because Minnie hadn't been able to get up for her midnight potty breaks in a while. But when I opened my eyes there was Minnie, her nose in my face, like he had been doing for the past 5 years. I sat up and pulled her face close and was just stroking her head. He pushed her nose into my side like she did when she was feeling extra snuggly. Then she lost her balance and fell on the floor. Bruno started hopping around and I assumed it was because he needed out. I took him down and opened the door. He just wandered around looking at me. It was like he knew what was happening and had gotten loud to wake us up. Then I heard Minnie get up and collapse again upstairs. Matt woke up. She started crying. Matt came downstairs to get me and when we got back to our room she was gone.

We were and still are broken hearted. Minnie was a huge part of our lives for 5 years. She was special. And our whole family is struggling to find our new normal life without her. I know it may seem ridiculous to feel so devastated over a pet. I honestly didn't think I would be feeling this sad. So I can't rationalize. But this is my blog and I can write whatever I feel the need to.

So today, I am going to tell you all the things I love about Minnie:

1.) We brought Minnie into our home just a month after we lost our first child. She was able to help us find happiness in our day to day lives which had been so desolate.

2.) She had window friends, just like Anne of Green Gables. It was the most hilarious thing watching her trying to get her reflection to play tug of war.

3.) Minnie loved watching TV. But only other animals. And if they got feisty, she would charge the TV trying to protect us.

4.) I loved watching Minnie run. She was always thin, and when she would let loose and really run, she looked like a grey hound. She was SO fast. And you could tell by the look on her face that it was the best feeling for her.

5.) The first time I met my sister in law Mary, Minnie had come prancing out of our bedroom with a bright red piece on lingerie on her head - looking so proud of herself. It was mortifying. But it's still one of my favorite memories.

6.) I love that Minnie always thought she was a lap dog. And when she got so big that she couldn't fit anymore, she would just back up to you and sit her bum on  your lap. She made it work.

7.) I love how she and Bruno would kiss each other every morning.

8.) I love how smart and dumb she was at the same time. She is smart enough to know how to open her kennel and turn the water spigot on outside but couldn't figure out some of the most basic things. Total blond.

9.) I remember how stressed out she would be at her puppy classes. Her eyes would be blood shot by the end of the 30 min - 1 hour class.

10.) Minnie was very in tune with the emotional energy around her. If I was having a hard day, she would always come snuggle me.

11.) I love how much she loved Luke. She would let him get away with anything. They were the best playmates.

12.) I love how close Bruno and Minnie were. Every morning they would greet each other and every night they would snuggle up together. We had to set up grooming and vet appointments for them to go together because they hated being separated. Two peas in a pod despite how opposite their personalities were.

13.) I love how she could wake me out of a dead sleep in the middle of the night just by standing next to the bed and staring at me.

14.) I love how she would sneak up on our bed in the middle of the night and snuggle up.

15.) Most of all I love how she had such an open heart. Minnie never met someone she didn't like. Unconditional love.


I could keep listing all the things I love about Minnie, but this will do. We miss her but know that we'll meet her on the Rainbow Bridge someday. And it's a comfort to know that she is no longer in any pain and is free to run again.

Walt Disney World Day 7 and extras

Day 7 turned into a last effort to do all the things you wanted to do, but ran out of time for. We spent the day in the Magic Kingdom with Ricky and Leslie. Leslie is pregnant and the rides she was able to ride were the same rides that Luke would be up for. Perfect match. We had a great time.



Inside Cinderella's Castle.



Luke was seriously pooped out by the end of the week. Plus he had caught a cold (we all had it by the time the plane landed in Phoenix). So he and I went back to the hotel early so we could enjoy some quiet down time and get packed. Matt had a 'man' date with Ricky, Aric, and Jake at a fancy Steak House. Matt said it was the best steak he has EVER had. So lucky :)

The flight home was LONG...but we made it. And Luke was so happy walking into his own house. Shoot, we all were. It was nice relaxing and sleeping in your own bed. Here are a few pictures of the souvenirs Luke brought home.



First pair of Mickey Ears




Name embroidered on the back. Love the plummer diaper. Classic :)




Viking hat.




Pirate gun. This is the best picture I could get. In all the others, he was pointing it right at me.



Walt Disney World Days 5-6

Day 5 was the Hollywood Studios Theme Park. This is a pretty cool place. But unfortunately, it was way too HOT and way too HUMID and I didn't get many pictures. I only have this one from the park entrance and a couple from lunch. The boys were pretty excited to see McQueen and Mater.

Lunch at the Prime Time Cafe. This was REALLY fun. Seating is set up as a kitchen table from the 50's. Each table has a TV that plays old clips from black and white television. The waitresses are dressed in typical housewife attire from the time period. They call you for your table by yelling "JENSEN KIDS!! Dinner's Ready!!" Then all during the ordering and meal time the waittress is giving you a hard time about manners and other behavior. It's hilarious. Jake kept putting his elbows on the table and was warned that is he was caught three times in a row - there'd be trouble. Well, sure enough, he got caught and had to put his nose to the wall and we all chanted "SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!" Priceless.

The rest of the day in Hollywood Studios was spent riding roller coasters and having a blast. I finally got to ride a roller coaster after probably 6 years. Seriously. It was the best ever!!!! Thanks Shannon for riding with me in the first seats on Rocking Roller Coaster. We are so awesome!

Day 6 was the Animal Kingdom. We had an early breakfast at the Tusker House where we could me the Disney Characters.

We also got to go on a Safari Ride that took us around an animal preserve. It was pretty cool. Luke liked seeing the animals.