Happy 4th Birthday, Sweet Cici!

Our sweet girl is four.  Obviously a birthday montage is required.
 Song: Happy by Pharrell Williams

Happy, happy birthday sweet Doodle-bug.  We love you so!!

**If you missed the post about Cici's amazing Frozen birthday party, you can see the details here!

 

Cici's Frozen 4th Birthday Bash!

So this week we celebrated our sweet Cici's 4th birthday!  Her actual birthday is Monday, but she will be spending it at Disney World, enjoying a meal at Cinderella's Castle... I am actually pretty jealous... but before they left town we had to celebrate HERE too! 

Our sweet and sassy birthday girl!

The AMAZING Frozen cake!  I wish I could take partial credit, but Boo did this one all on her own.

Cici's reaction when she saw all her decorations

Centerpieces

Cousins

Melted Snow bottles

Nanny and Papaw

Nanny's annual tradition... the chocolate sucker thank yous!

The party guests!

One of the games we played was "Do You Want to Build A Snowman?" 

Cutest party game ever!

There was also the annual pinata... a favorite of Cici's who was chanting "PINATA! PINATA! PINATA!

Everyone admiring the cake :)

Opening of all the amazing gifts

Our birthday girl had an amazing time! I can't believe she is FOUR!

Now for more pictures... because I took a lot.  (What??)

Me and Nick! (I look short...weird)

Boo and Chris

admiring her cake

Me and Freddy! How cute is he?

Cici's Grammy and Grandpa

Shawna and Scotty watching the opening of presents

Sweet Freddy smiles

 Her surprise face!

Love this one of me and Boo

Swinging!

Friends

First real Legos set!

family

family

friends

Cousins being adorable

There are clearly a lot of pictures I like...

I can't stop adding more!

Just go with it

I am just going to stop talking...

You all stopped reading seven pictures back anyway.

Frozen!

(THE END)

Having a Case of Old Dog Vs. Having Cushing's Disease: An Ellie Story

So Ellie girl hasn't been doing so hot lately.  I wish I could say it was just over the last few weeks or even few months, but in all honesty she has been going down hill for the last couple of years.  It's been hard and heartbreaking, but she is nearly 13 years old...

I am not sure what started first, everything was so gradual, but she had lots of things going on that both us and her vet chalked up to her getting older.  She was sleeping more, had stiff joints, was more insistent about having her dinner, drinking a ton of water, getting in the trash sometimes, having accidents in the house... stuff that was out of character, but were all things we figured came on with age.


But then a couple of odd things happened.  First, her hair was coming out.  Or actually, we cut her hair, and it never grew back right.  I asked the vet, he said that is also an old dog thing.  Bummer.  I mean, I hate for her to not have her beautiful hair, but oh well.  Old age is a bitch.  Then she started getting some actual bald spots.  Which... really strange, right? 

Then she started losing a lot of weight.  This one was more worrisome.  And with the weight loss came even stiffer joints.  So we asked about these things at the vet a couple of months ago and they once again said she was getting older, to feed her more and see if it helps, and to take this medication for her joints. They said we could hold off on blood work until we saw if that helped.

Well, those things didn't help.  Even with doubling her food she lost more weight. Then this weekend she fell when trying to get up.  It was heartbreaking.  So Monday we went back and saw a new doctor.  He took one look at her and said "Cushing's Disease"

I just looked at him.  I thought he was going to say it was time.  And instead he throws out this disease that is basically a hormonal imbalance that is completely treatable.   Two blood tests later it was confirmed.  Our girl has Cushing's.

They say she will be like her old self again. I can't even imagine.  And even though the vet had agreed several times that these signs and symptoms these last few years looked more like aging than anything treatable, the guilt is pretty bad.  Our girl, who we thought we were about to lose, was just really really sick.  Here's hoping she starts feeling like her old self again really soon.
 

Some Things Never Change...

What's really funny to me is that I took the younger picture back in 2011 and Boo took other one yesterday, and in BOTH shots things are looking pretty unsafe.  I mean, in the younger one Cici isn't even ONE YEAR OLD.  But both of our first instinct was to take a picture, THEN make them stop doing the potentially dangerous thing...

Parenting at it's finest.

 

Nicole's Bridal Shower

So this weekend I helped to host a bridal shower for our sweet Nicole!  Chris and Nicole actually live a little over an hour from us, so the shower was held at Courtney, one of Nicole's very close friends, house in that city.  Candice and I co-hosted with Courtney, and while you might assume it would be extremely difficult planning a shower in another city with a stranger at their house, it went shockingly well!  And now I adore Courtney!  (Courtney, I adore you! Let's stay friends!)   So.... it worked out well all around.

Here is our sweet bride!

And here is a picture of the food table...

I got sorta obsessed with the decorations in this room...

And took lots of pictures.

Lots.

But lets not focus on my obsession with our (Courtney's) decorating skills.  Let's look at people!  Sisters. (of the inlaw variety).  It is very rare that I am the shortest person in a picture...

Nicole and Courtney

Our vase of stones where people could write Nicole messages.  It turned out SO ADORABLE!

Nicole with two of her sisters and her mom.

Adorable Thank You suckers, made by my mama :) (Thanks mom!)

I love this picture!

Mason jars and bird cages...our random shower theme that actually come together!

Love this captured moment.

Nicole thinking hard about the 20 Questions game we played... it was a huge hit.  Best bridal shower game EVER! 

Candice and Cici

Sweet Nicole opening her gifts.

 Courtney and Victoria

Nick was involved in the selection of our gift... if that wasn't obvious. (it was on their registry, so it isn't THAT odd of a shower present)

The entire group.  I am getting pretty good at using the timer, right?

I mean, who would want to miss being in this shot?

family

hilarious.

Sweet Nicole, we love you so.   I am so happy we got to celebrate you and Chris this weekend,and we can't wait to do it again in August!