Toby

Right after the kids went back to school, Jon was scratching our 11.5 year old dog, Toby, under the chin and found a huge lump. We got him in to see the vet and the very was pretty sure it was some type of tumor. We decided to go ahead with surgery to have it removed and he had that done on September 2nd. He did really well, but was very mad after it was done and over with--they put a cone on him. He tried to pull that cone off, which hurt his incision, which made him cry and cry. He couldn't function with it--he kept running into things and couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. He couldn't eat or drink. The kids hand fed him and figured out that he would drink from a syringe. He loved his meds. After a day or two, he got used to the cone and was able to be almost normal, jumping, doing stairs, sleeping, running, etc. We were all more than happy when he got the stitches out and the cone off ten days later. We found out it was a large sweat gland cyst and was totally benign. What a relief!

3rd Grade

It's amazing to think that my baby is in 3rd grade. She really loves school, for the most part. She was so excited to go and see friends, speak Chinese, play, meet her teachers, and get to work. Last night, she set her alarm, laid out her carefully chosen outfit, packed her backpack, and jumped into bed. Hopefully, this year will bring a few more loose teeth--she's only lost 2 so far.

6th Grade

I can't believe that Jarren's in his last year of elementary school! I'm all for pushing on the brakes for this kid. He seems way too young to be on the verge of Jr High, but he is. He and his best school friend are in the same class this year and he seemed to have a good day and had a fantastic teacher! He was a little nervous this morning and didn't want to go. He kept combing his hair over and over and over... Silly kid!
PS--he's not wearing green! He owns 2 Reese's shirts and about 8 green ones. I managed to get him to buy one in another color. It's a miracle!

9th Grade

Wow--it's Kristen's last year of Jr High and I can't say that I'm too sad. It's been rough, but this year is looking up! I asked her this morning if she was ready to leave (she walks with a friend) and she said no. I went about my business and all of the sudden, she said bye and ran out the door. It took me a few moments to realize that I never took a first day of school picture of her! I made sure to get one after school. She had a pretty good first day, even if she won't admit it.

Ears Pierced

My baby is growing up! I told her she could get her ears pierced when she turned 8. She was going to the day after her birthday, but realized it was her party. She decided to on June 7th, but chickened out. I decided not to day anything and let her decide when she was ready. She suddenly realized at church that she never did that this summer and had been obsessed with doing it today, on the last day of summer. So, I took her in and she did it! She was so nervous! Her favorite color is blue, but she picked green. I asked why and she and is because it's her birthstone. Good answer! Only a few more months until she can wear fun ones.

11th Grade

I'm having a very bittersweet day today. My oldest started his Junior year of high school! As he walked off to school this morning, I realized that he only has one more first day of school--College doesn't really count.  :) What makes it so hard is it seems like just yesterday, he was starting school. I feel like I'll blink and be an empty nester, haha. This is a tough year! May it be a good one too.

Wicked

Kristen and I had the chance to go see Wicked a few weeks ago. Neither of us had seen it before and it was absolutely amazing! We were blown away by the singers and loved every minute of it. What a fun show with a great message!