Monday, May 30, 2011

Good Times

What can I say? Life has been good to us. We are still "kickin", we are relatively healthy, and we are still best friends, which is saying a lot now-a-days. Plus, Kevin gets to work from home, I don't have to work, and we HAVE work. So we are grateful... at least for another day!
Plus, we were surprised to have Kira and Michaela show up late Friday night, right during family prayers! All four of the kids took off to the Valley of Fire the next day for a fun hike and play day... and they didn't even come back too sunburned!

I am especially glad that it was a holiday today and there was no school. I think I am ready for my alarm clock to go on strike...although I don't look forward to the kids staying up till THEY think they should go to bed. But I sure love the "down" time we all get. So here's to summer, not necessarily the heat, but here's to no school!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

"Kit Love"

Today we said goodbye to Kit, our family dog that has been with us for the last 12 years. I was grateful that she stayed right at home to die, and not go off into the wild, like most dogs will. She has been battling a tumor for the last few months, and while some of you may think it's cruel - we don't take our dogs, or any other animals to the vet. We just don't have the money for it, and we feel that however long our dog can be with us, then we are blessed for that amount of time. So we said our goodbyes last night and this morning. Yes, she made it through the night, which surprised me. But knowing Kit, she was not going to leave us without letting us know that she was okay with it too. So this morning, at 5:30, Tibi went out to say her last goodbyes...she died seven minutes later.
Last night as I was taking trash out, I noticed Kit was walking very gingerly and like she was in a lot of pain. She has been deaf for the last few months, so I stroked her ear while talking to her to let her know that I was concerned. I immediately noticed blood on the back of her, on her tail and down her leg, and instantly knew that it must be the tumor finally taking over. Kevin and I got her to lay down on the porch, covered her with a blanket, and although hoping for the best, knew that she would not make it much longer. Even our cat sensed something was very wrong, and tried her best to console Kit...which I though was very sweet.



We have had many dogs at different times, but none like Kit. She was loyal and thrived on affection from us, even if it was just acknowledging that we noticed her. She would come up to you if you were sitting on the porch, and dig her nose under your arm, so that you would rub her head, or pet her - something that usually annoyed me, but that I will miss.

We actually were lucky to have Kit as long as we did. She delivered three litters of puppies for a total of 24 puppies a few years ago - which I'm sure makes her a granddog by now. No matter how old, or tired, or how much her bones hurt, she ALWAYS managed to have enough "puppy" energy to go on our walks, or a run with dad. It's like she transformed into a puppy all over again. It was the craziest thing...


Everybody loved Kit, even people that didn't "know" her. She would bark at everyone that came around (I think it was that protective "mother" in her that she never got over, even though we never kept any of the puppies she had), she would let us know that someone was around, but NEVER ever did I see her nip at anyone. As soon as you touched her, or called her name, she was your lover for life, even if you were a stranger.

I always thought I knew which kid loved Kit the most...but now I'm not sure I do. They were all so sad when I told them that she had died. Maybe it has to do with them not being here, to at least say goodbye. I do know that they are not too excited about us getting another dog anytime soon - which is fine with me. I'm not sure I ever want to go through this again.

So goodbye Kit. I will miss your barking in the middle of the night to let us know that you are keeping an eye on things. I will miss seeing you play with the grandkids, and having grandma say hello to you when they come to visit. Most of all, I will miss my "walking buddy" - walking out the door with my ipod and stretching will be pretty lonely without you jumping all over the place, knowing that we would be off on another adventure into the wild! Thank you for loving us and being part of our family...

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Two Milestones

This little guy has made his grand entrance into our eternal family this last week. Little Amar'e Willard Hill was born two days early, on April 30th to Lexie and Sharrid. He wasn't due until the 2nd of May, but Lexie was wanting an April baby since they already have Phoenix's birthday in May. So he made it by the skin of his teeth, and all 8 lbs. 8 oz. of him too! He sure is a cutie though, and grandma got to go to Arizona for a week to take care of mom, baby, boys, and dad too. So here's to the newest little sweetheart...
While I was gone, Tibi had her own milestone...she went to Prom with this handsome boy, Ty Askeroth. They had a great time with about 17 other couples going on an "amazing race", and then getting ready in their lovely orange duds and heading to the dance for a while, and then over to a friend's house for a late-night movie. Thank you Ty, for spending a fun day and night with Tibi!

A full length shot of her beautiful bright tangarine dress - borrowed from good friend Jordan Chappell. Jordan also did Tibi's hair for her. Thank you Jordan! (Ty did his own hair...)

While Tibi was off having a blast at Prom, Landon had his own party with some of his friends...the friends that didn't go to Prom. They called it their "anti-Prom party." You know...getting together at a friend's house, goofing off, eating goodies, and watching movies. Almost as much fun as Prom...

And I missed it all - including the talk on Mother's Day that Landon had to give. Hmmm....

It's kind of weird not being home on Mother's Day...but I definitely was doing "mother" things!