peaceful dreams little buddy.

i was looking back on my 3 or 4 beau updates that i blogged since his congestive heart failure diagnosis last april and i realize that i was insanely optimistic and maybe in denial.  well anyway, even the vet said that he had done remarkably well and that we had done a very good job with him over these past 10 months.  but what we dreaded and what we knew was coming has come.  beau's sweet heart was sick and all the meds could no longer keep him comfy so we had to let him go.  

beau beau lucy.  9/6/05 - 2/10/14

he began to struggle last week.  his coughing and panting increased especially at night.  friday night was rough so trey took him in saturday morning and the vet confirmed what we already knew - it was time.  we had done all we could do.  we didn't want him to suffer.  trey made the appointment for monday morning and brought beau on home so that we could spend the weekend with him.  we had a good day saturday and sunday.  in fact, on saturday i laid on the bed with him and prayed that god would show me a sign that we were doing the right thing because he seemed like same ole happy beau.  of course he had just gotten a nice big shot of lasiks at the vet, but still, i needed a sign.  we played outside some and we snuggled and loved.  then on sunday evening and throughout the night i got my sign and pleaded with god to make it stop - we even debated taking him into the 24 hour emergency vet.  he couldn't breathe, was nervous, panted, coughed, couldn't get settled and even had an accident in the hall.  so at 8 am on monday morning we took him in - clearly struggling.  thankfully, my mom came up sunday night to say goodbye and to be home with the girls while we took him in.  it was such a relief to see all those struggles leave his handsome little self.  he just fell right to sleep so peacefully.  and he looked like old beau - we haven't been keeping his hair cut short so he was laying on a soft blanket on that table with his grinch-like furry feet and his long wavy ears were laid out and i could have stayed there all day long just kissing his sweet furry little face.  the cutest dog face that ever was.

this is beau on sunday by his favorite tree.  he even chased the shadows of birds all over the ground.

all of the following pics are from sunday night - just saying goodbye

talented boy!

kiss kiss. 

we are so glad he is out of pain but we are very sad.  i miss him.  i missed him today in the car line at school - he went with us everyday to school.  i went through a local coffee house drive through today and missed him - a couple of weeks ago the barista saw how much he enjoyed the milk bone so she gave us 2.  it made his day!  i miss seeing him at the door, i miss seeing him in his regular little sleeping spots, i miss him keeping my lap warm....i just miss him.

sarah kate has been prepared for this day but is still sad.  she cried all the way to school today.  at the same time she's already ready to think about getting another dog - preferably a pink one and if God doesn't make pink dogs then at least a girl dog this time.  i'm not ready to think about all that just yet.  

hayes calls for him during meals.  she's wondering where in the world the furry vacuum cleaner is!

trey's heart is broken just like mine.  well maybe not JUST like mine but close to it.  it's no secret that beau was a mama's boy.  

anyway, that's that.  i'll love him forever and ever!

i have been on a blogging hiatus.  not just because we've been busy but because blogger messed up a few of my posts that i was working on and i got frustrated - i don't have time for that!  i'll work on it soon - lots to document.  we took our blowing rock trip and i have pics from that.  beau's last blowing rock trip!  glad he was able to go!

beau in the snow

peaceful dreams little buddy.

1.5 and 4.5

a very wordy half birthday documentation for my memory's sake......

this girl was 1 and a half years on the 29th of december....

and this girl was 4 and a half years old on the 6th of january.....

both are lucys.  both are girls.  they live in the same house and have bedrooms upstairs.  and that about sums up what these two sisters have in common!  ha!  just kidding (kind of).  they both love music and they both LOVE to play in sk's room after they are dressed for bed.  sk wants to share her room with hayes when hayes is old enough.  

anyway, here are some things about these 2 to document...

sk at 4 and a half....

*cautious

*favorite food: quesadilla (preferably from moes)

*artsy and dramatic

*wants to be a doctor when she grows up or an actor....or a princess.

*favorite color: pink

*just learning to ride a bike with training wheels.  doing well!  goes very SLOW....cautious.

*loves to draw pictures and make her own art.  coloring is not her favorite thing though.

*loves to pretend like she's wearing makeup.  just loves to pretend in general!  all day!

*loves her sister and is very patient with her and kind to her.  she thinks hayes is so funny.  she gets frustrated with her from time to time but not much.

*she loves school. 

*she loves dressing up but doesn't have to do it every single day anymore like she did at 2 and 3.  

*loves beau and bella but doesn't love ON them.  she's cautious around animals but likes to talk about them.

*wears size 4 or 5.

*wears a size 9 or 10 shoe.

*sk converses in a rather proper way which is hilarious.  she answers questions in complete sentences.  for example, "would you like more apple?"  sk: "i would."  she rarely ever answers with yes or no but does now more than she has in the past.

*she is laid back and easy going about alot of things but is very particular about other things.  right now she is really against any of her jackets that zip up.  she wants to wear coats that button.  and she gets all winey about the zip up ones.  

*she can write her name well.  however, she doesn't like writing anything correctly - for example, alot of times she'll put a 4th line on a capital "E" and say that she knows it's not right but it's the special way she likes doing it.  or she'll say a word completely wrong even though she has zero language/speech problems and she'll say that she just likes her way better.  annoying.  for example, a "napkin" is ALWAYS a "wap-cume."  seriously....nobody knows what she's talking about except for trey and myself! or instead of "movie" she'll say "woovie."  i overheard dumbo and sk having an argument over this the other day....sk: "it's MOVIE dumbo!"  dumbo: "no sissy, it's WOOVIE!" and back and forth they went.

*oh yeah, dumbo is still my 3rd child, her little brother, and has a very unique accent that i'll have to video and put on here.  i don't know how to describe it.  (obviously sk speaks for dumbo).
*she loves her daddy & enjoys doing special things with just him.

pretending to be a mermaid - sc aquarium

aside from all of that: she's very kind to others, she is sensitive, she is tenderhearted, she can come across as shy & reserved (but obviously she isn't that way at home!), she is really creative and imaginative, she sleeps pretty late, she likes being outside a lot but is perfectly content playing inside for hours, she likes movies, she likes princesses alot but is not obsessed like she once was, she loves her friends, she is obsessed with ALL of her family, she's goofy, and she's cute as a button!  and those curls!  she's still my curly girly - some days it looks more like a rat's nest but some days they are beautiful.  she loves her hair everyday!!  and she loves her freckles.  and she thinks hayes is "SOOO cute!"  

hayes IS cute!  and she's 18 months!  she's really naughty, mischievous, snuggly, needy, LOUD, talkative, coy, and smart.

*hayes is not cautious at all.
*climber
*she loves animals and wants to hug on them (beau is her favorite and hayes is beau's least favorite..ha!)
*hayes wants to be outside ALL the time.  if she's inside she either wants me to be holding her or else she's into trouble (like pulling things out of our bathroom drawers or climbing on the kitchen table).  she loves slides, balls, riding toys, running, swinging, etc.  (likes being physical)
*she sleeps with her pacifiers but has to leave them in the crib otherwise.
*she likes to wear her winter hat and jacket....all the time.  i think it's because it makes her feel like she's going to get to go outside.
*she loves school.  she stands at the door and says, "cool" alot.
*she loves to go down to a neighbor's house to see the "moo." (they have a wooden cow in their yard - it holds their water hose).
*she gives kisses.  she makes the MUAH (kiss) sound after she has given the kiss.
*she loves loves loves books!  she loves to bring you a book and turn around and back into your lap to get ready to be read to.
*favorite book right now: goodnight moon (big time!!!!  she's obsessed!)
*favorite food: scrambled eggs and cheese
*she loves shoes.
*she loves to ride her sister's tricycle which is one reason why sk has started riding her bike more - sk has a soft spot for her sis and if hayes wants to ride the trike then hayes gets to ride the trike!  hayes's legs aren't long enough for her to pedal the trike just yet but as soon as they are then she'll be off!  she loves to ride the plasma car (pictured above) and the cozy coupe.
*she has a big vocabulary.  she can say basically anything so i can no longer really document her words or word count.  she does jibber jabber quite a bit....seriously sounds like she's speaking a different language. i kind of dread the full blown sentences coming - sometimes it sounds like she's telling me right off when she gets going in her jibber jabber.  she can't count yet but says the number 9 when we count the stairs.  she shouts AMEN really really loud after sissy says the blessing.
*hayes has to go to time out some.  she doesn't like it and if i ask her if she wants to go then she says, "NO!"
*hayes can throw a tantrum.  no problems there.
*she is usually not shy or reserved
*climbed & fell out of her crib during nap time yesterday.  awesome.
*wears 18 month clothes.
*shoe size: 5 - 5.5
*diaper size: 4 during the day, 5 at night.
*went through a HUGE daddy phase (like all her life basically) but is kind of a mama's girl these days.
*she dropped the sleep sack!  this was sad to me.  how could she not want to be zipped up in that cozy thing?  i tried to keep her in it but she kept taking it off.  sk would have NEVER even dreamed of unzipping her sleep sack and slept in one until she was almost 3!  sk is a mini-katie....we like to be comfy cozy.  sometimes if hayes is in zip up pj's she'll even take those off!! what???  why oh why would she want to do this?  and when she is in regular shirt/pants pajamas then she leaves them on but takes off her socks.  again....why?  i cannot relate to this child.  she is so very ACTIVE...again, why?  she is not a homebody....again, why?  she loves to see and be seen while out and about....again, WHY?  ha!
*slacker mama here waited until the last minute to make her 18 month appointment so i wasn't able to get her in until later in february.  she'll be 19 months by then but i'll still document her stats on here after we go.

we love our hayesie baby so much!  she is so lively and makes us laugh so hard!  she has a big personality and although she is naughty she is very loving.  she absolutely has mischief in her sweet eyes.

happy half birthday, girls!  love you both to the moon and back a million times.

we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year!

i've fallen behind on documenting my girls and their recent happenings, but we did have a very merry south georgia christmas (with a little trip to disney included) and a very happy charleston new year!

christmas cousins!!

christmas morning

santa baby

christmas sisters

a disney post to come! (maybe)

new years eve with great friends

tea party and bbq - the way princesses ring in 2014

a sparkly end to a fun night

someone really special (and a little crazy) turned 18 months old on december 29th!  18 month post to come!

praying all of our family & friends have a new year full of good health and great happiness.

lately.

this fierce little lady turned 17 months on november 29th...

not too many new things to document - she'll have her 18 month check up next month.  she has had a cold/congestion for a month so i took her to the dr. friday.  they think she needs meds to finally kick it out of her system since it has lingered for so long - probably started as a regular cold & as it sat it became more of a bacterial infection.  she hasn't been sick with it - just an ongoing congestion sound and a runny nose at times.
she still prefers being outside.  she is still very loud and very friendly.  loves her "sisshy."  loves climbing and playing rough.  loves her rocking horse and the playground.  no longer uses a paci unless she's in her crib (OR if she is in someone else's care - childcare providers are free to do whatever it takes to make sure she is happy and they stay sane!)

last weekend we went to 2 christmas parades.  sat night was the boat parade downtown and then sunday was the mt. pleasant parade.

watching the boats.  they were really beautiful but it started to mist & was chilly so we didn't stay to see all of them.

at the mt. pleasant parade.  hayes only tried to join the parade 100 times!  that girl is fast and coy - thinks it's hilarious to run away from me.

some of our parade watching crew

sk and alden.  sk was in candy cane heaven!

my sweet girl.  she loves a good parade!  and lights and christmas and jesus's birthday, and santa and just everything about it.

this is a collage of sk's preschool christmas pics over the years at age 1, 2, 3 and her last one at 4.  off to kindergarten we go in august!  preschool is not over for us yet so i'm not getting into that whole post yet.  just enjoying these learning center days for now....

we are festive!  i think we need some big colorful lights in the top of our palm tree next year - or we have seen a green spotlight up in palms lately that shines on the branches so maybe we could do that.

sk went to a cookie decorating party and had so much fun - she didn't want to leave!

they played a little gift game

she also sang in the children's choir performance last week at church and did a great job!

sk is in the lower center wearing a light grey dress and it looks like she's picking her nose in the picture.  i have video footage of her singing but i just don't have time to download it right now!

that's our little life right now.  sk and i wrapped gifts this afternoon and then we went to the traveler's service at our church tonight.  it was really beautiful - lots of signing, communion, scripture readings and then we lit candles and made a circle outside of our beautiful sanctuary and sang Silent Night.  really nice to just be still and receive the message of the christmas season.  we are off and running full speed ahead this week and will leave wednesday for georgia after sk's christmas party.  praying for HEALTH for ALL of our family members - immediate and extended.  praying for safe travels and good times.  stress be gone!!  time to enjoy this time, to remember what we are really celebrating and time to just whistle while i work=)

these 2!!!!  fill me up with love!

well, these 3! 

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas....

the tree has been picked out...

picking out a tree means different things to different people.  for sk it means "going through the forest to find the most perfect christmas tree in all the land."  for hayes it means a chance to run and escape - luckily sk keeps her in check.  and very luckily, hayes thinks trying to escape while sis holds onto her hood is hilarious.  we may need to get that one a leash.

and trimmed.....

first ornament hung by the big girl

hayes is trying hard not to be naughty, but i do find her throwing a round "ball" around the house from time to time...

christmas pajamas are being worn every night....

the house is decorated (in and out). no pics to share for now.

the letter has been written....

complete with a little drawing.  her list: planes, turbo, panties, sofia costume, and mermaid doll.  her elf (lilly - last year it was birdie who she says she still loves but lilly apparently wanted to be her elf this year) and her secret angel (lucy) have been watching every move she makes.  lucy does not change positions - she flies to tell God about sk's days each night and then lands in the same spot on the tv cabinet.  lilly flies to santa and changes positions but she does not do anything naughty or creative.   

we've been to the festival of lights....

roasted marshmellows for smores'.......

  

and we've seen the big man.

hayes could hardly wait to see santa.  she pushed her way through the line and i had to retrieve her a million times.  but when trey put her up there she decided that his lap was no place for her!  she is trying to get down in this pic while sk is telling santa that she would like some new panties for christmas because hers have strings hanging off of them.  awesome.

we've seen and loved the new disney flick, frozen.

luckily trey and i got to take her since mimi came to town and kept hayes...

we're wearing our christmas themed clothes each day....

we are giddy with christmas excitement, maybe a little too giddy - sk seems to be "frolicking" around the classroom at the end of the day instead of quietly lining up.  she is in trouble for this behavior.  she told me this morning - "i think i'll still get gifts from santa because if you learn from your mistakes like i have then you can still get gifts." ha! 

christmas cards have gone out to family and friends (and even more fun - we have been receiving cards from family & friends which means sk and i get to open a little bit of joy every time we visit the mailbox.)  and in a couple of days i'll change my blog header pic to the joyful sister pic that is on our cards....let's face it, it's december and time to say goodbye to the anchor bathing suit pic.

and more holiday cheer is coming.  we have the boat light parade, mt. pleasant christmas parade, parties here and there, sk's christmas performance at school and singing at church, mickey's merry christmas party at disney, etc. 

all of that stuff is fun, but i just hope we can just relax, enjoy it all and remember the reason for the season.  it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!