video.

i just downloaded a video of hayes to youtube and thought i'd put the link on our blog.  because she is so funny.  this was tuesday.  we dropped sk off for a make-up art class and went home to play outside (her favorite thing to do).  my mom was texting us to say that she wanted to come visit this week or next but couldn't so i took a video to send to her.  

some things about the video that are SO hayes:

*in the beginning she is pretending that she is going to "slide" down the rock wall.  she does this every time to get a rise out of me.  

*she says, "'scuse you mama."  ha!  i remember that sk was around this age when she started saying this, mainly to beau - scuse you beau-beau.  beau was always in her way because he was looking for her to drop something from her snack trap.
*she doesn't have socks on because in the car she often takes her shoes off, socks off and then puts her shoes back on.  i don't always feel like redoing it all!
*she has one pant leg up and part of her other pant leg is unsnapped - that's just how hayes rolls…just a little bit off.  we don't want to look TOO perfect - then people may not realize that we live on the edge, walk on the wild side, are a rebel without a cause, etc.  

*she pretends that there is a horn in the middle of the steering wheel "beep beep."

*she thinks a pirate and a bear make the same noise.

*she knows she's funny. 

video of crazy hayesie

we bundled up to go to the playground today.

sk was telling me a secret.  she's confused about what secrets are because the whole neighborhood could have actually heard this one if they were listening.  i think my eardrum is fine.  (i kid.  it wasn't that loud but a secret it was not.)

summer can just go ahead and come.  we're ready!

blowing rock 2014.

every mlk weekend we travel to blowing rock to have a little fun in the snow.  it was mine and trey's 6th trip, sarah kate & beau's 5th trip, and hayes's 2nd trip.  it was the coldest one yet!  but we had such a great time - we built a snowman, played in the snow, went sledding, went out to different fun places to eat, went to boone, and enjoyed being cozy by the fire.  

our annual blowing rock trip has become one of our favorite lucy family traditions!  

here come the pics!!!  i took a million - none of my children (beau included) actually enjoy pics so i may get about 20 good ones for every million taken;)  ha!

sweet beau boy!  he never minds the snow at all, but the altitude bothered him a little this year.    he needed more oxygen up there!  but he acclimated after friday night and slept well saturday and sunday nights.

headed downtown to play and to eat at our favorite lunch spot!

sk is a good sport and obliges hayes in whatever she wants to do.  and on this particular day, hayes wanted to feed everyone some of her puffs.

making snowballs to throw at us

our driveway!  it snowed a lot on friday night and saturday so we had a rough time with this darn driveway!

hats off to all the snow moms out there.  great for a visit but i'd hate to have to layer up so much each time we went outside!  she looks like randy from the christmas story.  

hayes kissing on her "sissy"

obligatory annual boot pic!

3 of my kids (dumbo counts).  the other was "napping" aka - playing in the pack n play before going back out to play in the snow.

he was always just part of the family!   

s'mores!  

getting started on the little snowman

mission complete!  

snow angels

proud girl!

headed down our steep driveway to our car to go to dinner.  fancy nancy book set in tow of course;)

sledding

miss sassy backward pants=)

she loves books so much!  and hats - no matter who they belong to.

thankful for this trip and for good family fun.

"our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains." - shakespeare

the day of love.

every single valentine's day we do the same thing.  we stay in and trey cooks my most favorite meal in the world - lamb chops with mint mustard sauce, orzo with feta, basil, & pine nuts, and steamed asparagus.  and we drink champagne with fresh blueberries/raspberries.

the girls had a romantic dinner at home curtesy of moes.  we usually eat there on fridays for lunch but today we had a picnic at the park so it worked out perfect for them to have their moes for dinner.

sister picnic.  hayes thinks she's so big.  

hayes is a food swiper.  she does this at school too i've been told.  little stealer.  

anyway, i barely survived the week.... but i did!  school was cancelled because of the weather.  hayes was sick anyway with a cold.  i've been battling a cold.  i'm reminded of my boy ALL the time.  my front seat passenger's side is lonely.  i think i see him and hear him all the time, but it's already getting a little easier with each passing day.

the girls got tutu bathing suits with silver hearts for valentine's day

sister love.....

SEWE is going on this weekend downtown charleston.  it was terribly windy today but we went down anyway and had a good time!  we watched the dock dogs do their jumping and that was fun.

sk had a good view of the dogs!

we went to the petting zoo as well - sk was so timid to feed all the animals but hayes needed to be a little more timid.  she was ecstatic. she loved all the animals, loved feeding them and making animals sounds at them.  any unfortunate child who found themselves standing in front of an animal that hayes was wanting to see promptly got shoved aside by our little haysie girl.  how does the shakespeare quote go...."and though she be but little, she is fierce."  

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love". 1 Corinthians 13:13

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.