Reading Evening

No bike ride tonight since it was raining. I was a bit surprised to find them all in the same chair reading!

Hidden Picture

Can you spot the dog in here?

How about now?

This is why I say my dog is one step up from a stuffed animal.

Pet Show

Today was the Children's Pet Show. Thunderstorms forced the show to be inside this year. The girls once a again wanted to enter the Best Costumed Pet and Owner category. This year we settled on the Wizard of Oz theme. Alexa was Dorothy. Chloe the lion, and Cabbie the tin man. They won third place.

Alexa also entered Cutie (her hamster) in smallest animal. She won first place again this year. Apparently no one is smaller than a dwarf hamster.

Cutie also won third place in the cutest rodent category.

A New Year

I have been feeling like a rather lazy blogger. I have lots of ideas of things I should write, but then I don't. I get caught up in the day to day and then I just don't get it done. I decided in the spirit of the whole New Year's resolution concept (of which I am not very good at) I would try my hand at posting at least a  picture each day.

I like to write about things we do each day, but the reality is I don't often have the energy for the writing part of it. I could post the picture though... well maybe. I mean it might end up a total flop that I can't keep up with but it isn't exactly a life or death matter here so it is worth a shot.

I have been trying to figure out what a good goal for me would be this year. I do like the New Year. I like the idea of a fresh start and making a positive change. This year I feel a little muddled after 2011. It wasn't that I can make a blanket statement that 2011 was a bad year. There were some wonderful things that happened. There were some rough part too though.

Rough in ways that I hope 2012 isn't . I mean I like my attorney. I do. He is really nice. I just hadn't known him at all prior to 2011, and we spent a fair amount of time together this past year. I am hoping that we don't have to chat as often in 2012. Maybe I could use that money for some other purpose.

I said good-bye to someone I care about this year too. Not in a death way but in an erase, delete, unsubscribe kind of way that comes with the new technological ways in which we are in contact with people. It was the right thing for me to do, but that didn't make it any easier. I am hoping that this coming year brings more people into my life than people leaving it.

So here we go today's pictures.

It was a home with Cabbie kind of day.

I did get a run in my first of the year so far. My newish shoes have a lot of work to do as my co-worker Katie and I are hoping that our team is drawn for the two person relay team in this year's marathon. I am shooting  for a PR in the half marathon this year.

Look at that you got two pictures! I am already ahead of the game.

Cabbie's Hat

Chloe made Cabbie a hat today. I don't know why she decided he needed one, but she did. She worked really hard on it. Being a good sport he wore it. So what do you think? Straight on

or profile?

The Sneak

I am not violating the no dog on the bed rule.

You see nothing. I am a stuffed animal.

Pets-R-Us

It was time to groom the guinea pig today.

The dog wanted to make sure he didn't get the same treatment.

Alexa's "New" Bed

Alexa and I have been on a search for a new bedspread for her. The one she currently has has been on the bed since she moved into a big bed at about 2 and a half. It is getting a little worm out. Mostly due to a small dog who has been sleeping on it with her for the past few years. We have had some problems finding a new comforter that she liked. I am happy to say she ruled out the princess ones that we came across this summer. We have found a few others that she liked, but they were all for a full or queen size (who buys a queen size bed for a kid???). Today we were out getting her a new pair of sneaker for school and came across one she loved.

She wanted butterflies to match the rest of her room and she didn't want it to be "too pink." Which I know shocked me since over half of Alexa's wardrobe is pink but that is what she said. She is really happy with it.

We also made up a bed just for Cabbie using the old blanket. Our hope is that he will learn to sleep there instead of on her bed and maybe help this one stay in a bit better shape.

So far they both seem to like it.

Cardboard Box Parade

It is costume week here this week. Today was the Cardboard Box Parade. It is part of the summer reading program through the library. The concept is simple you decorate a cardboard box as your favorite book character, everyone meets at the top of Church Street at 1 o'clock, throw in some drummers to keep the beat, and off you go. They usually make sure to get several summer camps to join as well which makes for a really good amount of kids to march. Chloe and Alexa started working on their costumes last night. Alexa decided she wanted to be Chester from the book Chester by Melanie Watt. Chloe went as Skippyjon Jones from the book Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner. It was hard to narrow down their favorite book characters so they picked some that are really fun for us to read together. They started working on them last night to allow time to dry.

Alexa had some finishing touches to add this morning. Notice her faithful assistant Cabbie is sticking by her side and catching some rays.

Here is how they turned out...
the back view (we wanted to make sure people knew what they were).

Marching along...

The parade ended in City Hall Park where the kids got watch a magician. As you can see they were really enjoying the show.

Pet Show

Today was the annual Children's Pet Show. The girls we excited to have two pets to enter this year. We entered Cabbie,of course, and even let him remove the E-collar he has been sporting for four days. Alexa also wanted to enter Cutie. Cabbie was entered in the Best Costumed Pet category. This year we were inspired by the Peter Pan play Chloe saw at school. We had

Alexa was Wendy,

Chloe was Peter Pan,

and Cabbie made a lovely Tinker Bell.

There were a lot of entries for this category again this year. The girls came in second place with first place going to a girl in the flippers, swim suit, and scuba mask. Her dog was wearing a swim suit. They had a lot of fun.

Alexa entered Cutie in two categories- Smallest Pet and Cutest Rodent.

Here she is talking to the announcer (the man in the bird hat)about her hamster. She was really nervous to talk in front of the crowd. But she did it and took first place in both categories she was entered in. She was really proud of herself.

Tough Day

Cabbie had his surgery to remove the growth on the back of his left leg yesterday. He was a good patient and came home a few hours later. I am sure that he thought the worst was over until today.

See there was the issue of licking, so now he sports the cone. Which in and of itself is bad enough except this...Cabbie loves to eat. He eats his twice a day 1/3 cup of food in about 30 seconds. Well, now... can't eat without someone holding his dish up. He can however drink without help. But struggling with his new head gear he keeps walking into chair legs and can't walk up the stairs without hitting it on each step. Thus requiring a bit of help. Poor guy. It is going to be a long 10 days until those stitches can come out. It is possible this could be more humiliating that Alexa making him play dress up.

A Dog's Life

About two and half years ago I made the decision to break down and let my kids get a dog. I had been without a pet for some time. I lost several pets right in a row and it just seemed like too much. Having to make the decision to put an animal down. When to know if their quality of life has been passed by the amount they are suffuring. I couldn't stand going through that again. The kids really wanted a dog though. And I made a decision. I decided that to choose not to bring an animal into our lives simply because I was afriad of having to say good-bye to it. Well, that didn't make a lot of sense. To miss out on all those years of fun and love because you would miss them when they were gone. It is kind of crazy. So, I changed my mind and said yes. The girls really wanted a Boston Terrier.

I worked through the Boston Terrier Rescue group and ended up adopting Cabernet Calloway. A 7ish year old dog rescued from a high kill shelter in Texas who was residing at a foster home in New Hampshire. Cabernet's name had been shortened to Cabbie by the foster family. A name that has stuck with him since. Cabbie is not a picky fellow and quite frankly couldn't care less what you call him as long as you are following up his arrival with a snack. Cabbie is a good dog. He really doesn't bark. He sheds very little. He cleans the floor with such vigilance I have almost given away my broom entirely. He sleeps every night under a pink and purple butterfly blanket on Alexa's bed. Aside from a desire to eat any piece of food that is not kept under lock and key, he is incredibly low maintenance and asks for very little in life.

Cabbie had a check up on last Friday. It was his regular twice a year (because he is considered and old dog now) check up. I mentioned to the vet that he had this odd bump on his rear leg. She checked it out and used syringe to draw some cells out to check later. She also noticed that he had developed a heart mummer. She called me later and said that the bump should be removed as it is the type of growth that can turn malignant. The catch being that to sedate him to remove the lump he needed to have the heart murmur checked out to make sure the sedation would be safe. We went today so he could see the dog cardiologist. The good news is that Cabbie has a very low grade heart murmur and should be fine to have the surgery. Although the leaky valve causing the murmur will continue to get worse as he gets older there isn't anything that we can do to stop it. They recommend a low sodium diet to slow the process. I swear you could see Cabbie cringe as he is already on such a strict diet now, there isn't much more you could take away from him.

The bad news is that Cabbie has a tumor on his heart. The tumor is common in breads such as his. It is most likely benign. It is possible that it will never grow as it is very small right now. It is also possible (more likely even) that is will grow and over time cause him large problems for his heart. This combined with the murmur mean that in the next 3 to 5 years Cabbie will likely develop congestive heart failure. That is a good amount of time. It is long time in dog years. It is still hard to think about. Having the vet give me a list of symptoms to watch for over those years makes it feel a bit like living with a time bomb. You never quite know when it will go off. It isn't something that I plan to tell the girls much about until I need to. Alexa is very attached to Cabbie. Just this morning she had a birthday hat strapped to his head and was leading him in a parade through the house. She will know when something in her life will change. Until then...
there are a lot of sticks to chew.

Garden Update

I know. I know. You have been on the edge of your seats... begging... pleading for an update on what has been happening in the world of Alexa's garden. Here I have been carelessly going on about cleaning the house and the summer reading program all the while you were thinking yes, but how about those vegetables? Well, worry no more. The sun finally came out today for the first time in like a week or something. So I took the camera out and captured the progress for you. Tah Dah!!!

Look at all that. You will notice that the tomatoes have cages. On one plant we have two actual tomatoes!!

We have sugar snap peas coming up, beans, peas, pumpkins, and cucumbers too. We have had a few set backs namely something has yanked out most of her corn. Which I am considering a good thing as I had my worries about all this fitting in here. You see Alexa's seed purchasing eyes were bigger than her garden.

We also has a squirrel or two eat all seven of our green soon to be red strawberries. So Alexa and I built this rather impressive (if I do say so myself) chicken wire and rock fortress to keep them off our plants. We want the remaining three strawberries baby and no body is snatching them before we get to sample them!!! Yes so that was the excitement here folks. Watching the garden grow now that it has some sun.

Oh yeah... the kids enjoyed the sun too.

And Cabbie... he was glad to see the sun too.

Loyalty

Alexa is sick today with a tummy bug. As you can see Cabbie is standing right by her in her time of need.

Playing Dress Up

A few days ago I was carrying a basket of laundry upstairs. When I got to the top step Alexa calls out to me through her closed bedroom door, "Mommy, don't open my door." Well, I immediately became suspicious.

"Why?"

"Cabbie and I are playing dress up and he isn't ready yet, so I don't want him to leave." Now I will admit my first thought was, "Oh the poor dog." But you know he is really tolerant and Alexa does love to play dress up which Chloe doesn't always want to do. So I was kind of impressed that she figured out a playmate. And I mean how bad could it be really? Well...

Then she added wings.

He makes a cute fairy, no?