Five on Friday

I'm linking up with Darci, Christina, and Natasha for Five on Friday!

1.  I have commitment issues when it comes to home decor.  I can't seem to decide what type of frames/art that I want in my house.  I want to paint the walls, but don't feel like dealing with it.  Until I figure it out completely, I'm DIYing a little art project.  I found my inspiration from Sherry and John of younghouselove.com.  You gotta love those two!

YHL Inspiration

2. I have gotten back into running.  Little by little I am getting my groove back on the road.  I love to run, but it kills my knees.  Hopefully I keep this up once school starts!

running the track with sprinklers

3.  We have been dominating splash pads lately.  We took Evan to a splash pad before he started walking and it was just okay.  Now that he is walking around independently, it is so much fun!  He is so happy and thrilled to play in the water.

4.  This week I read The Fault In Our Stars in just 3 short days.  It was such a good read and I absolutely loved it!  I HIGHLY recommend it!  I am now looking for some other novels to read before school starts back up.

5.  Our pup, Joey is doing so much better!  He continues to hop around on three legs and is getting used to life as a tripawd.  He lacks the confidence to jump on our bed but is getting around just fine everywhere else.  We are so happy he has all of his stitches out and is a happy dog again.

I hope you are enjoying your Friday and your weekend is filled with fun!

It must be summer when...

You spend your days at the lake!  We have a lake nearby (a short 40 minute drive) with the perfect little beach.  

We went with some good friends to enjoy some wear out the toddlers time family time.  Blair and Evan had a blast wading in the water, splashing, building sand castles and being tossed from parent to parent.

The best thing about this trip was that it was FREE!  You know I love free summer activities.  We have been exploring other free options including splash pads and fun activities at home.  We better soak it up while we can because we have t-minus 26 days until we return to work!

Low Key Fourth

We spent our super low-key fourth of July with my family in Houston and Louisiana.  My grandparents live in Louisiana so we try to visit at least once a year so Evan can receive extra love and kisses.  

The drive down to Houston was eventful because Evan actually fell asleep!  I can count on one hand the number of times Evan has napped in the car on a long ride.  Usually about 2 hours in he starts the screaming game.  Unfortunately for my parents, Evan's trip from Houston to Louisiana was exhausting.  My dad (so sweetly) claims that Evan was just trying to keep him from falling asleep while driving.  That is why he screamed for so long.  Thanks for being so understanding Dad!

We spent one day in Lafayette where Evan was able to meet my Aunt Nina and Uncle Luis.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I forgot to get a picture with them!  He was given extra love from my Grandma Flores though.

playing in the kitchen with Grandma Flores

Of course we cannot go to Louisiana without staying with Grandma Winston and Grandaddy!

Evan had his first encounter with stairs!  He became obsessed with climbing up and down, up and down.  I know that some people love their two-story homes, but two days climbing made me perfectly happy with my single story house.  

The rest of the Louisiana trip was spent playing and relaxing.

Overall we didn't spend a ton of time in Houston, but we were still able to play outside.

Evan checks out the kitty

comfort from Grandma

I'm super excited because Evan and I will be flying down to Houston in August to spend 5 days with my parents.  My mom and I already have a long list of fun activities planned including the zoo, children's museum, splash pad, etc.  My biggest worry is the plane ride.  Hopefully it will go well!

What's in a Tripawd?

"It's better to hop on three legs than to limp on four."

This quote has been such a simple statement of what the past two weeks have been for us.  As most of our friends and family know, we have a beloved dog, Joey.

Hanging out by the lake 7/12

Joey spends time with the brand new Daddy! 4/7/12

I know I may be a little biased, but he is probably the friendliest dog that I have ever met.  I'm serious.  To be perfectly honest, I am not really a dog person.  Don't hate me, but I'm a cat person.  When I started dating Matt I realized that he was a package deal.  He came with Joey.  When I first met Joey, I wasn't impressed.  In fact, I wanted Matt to think that I DID like him but I couldn't bring myself to even pet him, so I pet him with my foot.  Yes, yes, I hang my cat-loving head in shame as I admit that.  My hands were too good for Joey. He only deserved my feet.  All kidding aside, I grew to love this dog beyond belief and he has made my heart grow a little softer.

examining the newest addition to the family

Marcello and Joey - best buds

While we were visiting friends and family not too long ago, Joey decided to practice his escape artist ways and jump a chain link fence.  Not his greatest moment, but I'm sure he was still proud of his ability to break free.  During his triumphant leap, Joey caught his toenail on the fence and began bleeding badly.  Matt took him to the emergency animal hospital (it was a Sunday) to have him looked over.  The vet there wrapped his paw, prescribed him some antibiotics and pain meds, and sent him on his merry way.  We were instructed to remove the bandage 3 days later.  

Thanksgiving 2012

Fast forward three days.  We were now visiting my family in Houston.  When we removed the bandage, his paw continued to bleed and became very, very swollen.  It actually swelled to TWO & HALF times his normal paw size.  We became nervous and proceeded to bring him in to my mom's vet who she has seen for years.  She informed us that the bandage was probably on too tight and restricted circulation.  She gave him a stronger antibiotic, an Elizabethan collar, and a type of bag to protect his foot but still allow room to breathe.  

We continued to check the paw and give him his antibiotics twice daily.  At times it seemed as if his paw was healing.  He began walking on it again.  Unfortunately, it started to develop a very strong smell.  I wouldn't even call it a smell.  It was more of a stench.  By Sunday night we could no longer deny the fact that something was wrong.  Joey was still the happy, energetic dog he always was, but I knew in my gut that it just wasn't right.  By Monday morning his paw had lost color.  Matt immediately took him to our local vet and we were told that Joey had gangrene in his foot.  Basically, it is a terrible condition caused by an infection in a wound that can lead to damaged organs and much more.  The vet said he had never seen a case like this one before.   His foot had to go before the gangrene spread. 
  

after visiting the second vet

The very next day Joey had his entire leg amputated.  The surgeon faced some complications, but Joey recovered very well.  We enjoyed daily visits with him while the vet monitored his pain and medicine.  Joey is finally back at home and is resting well.  The vet said he will have to be bandaged for a few more days and his sutures will be removed in about 10 days.  Now he is doing what does best....sleeping and receiving a lot of love and attention.  We are confident that Joey will make a full recovery and will continue to have the same quality of life as before. 

Joey, 3 days after surgery

I'm happy to say that Joey has maintained his sweet and loving demeanor.  My friend Holland said it best.  "If any dog can do it, Joey can."  Well, Holland was right.  Joey may now be a tripawd, but he is still the kindest dog I know. 

happy to be home!

June Recap

June brings the greatest gift...Summer!!  We dove right in to summer with a visit from Grandma.  One of our favorite places to visit is the Farmer's Market in downtown McKinney.  My mom always treats me to fresh fruits and veggies.  I absolutely love this place.

Evan is unimpressed with the dwarf goats

He wants no part in this

Baylor, Hudson, and Evan all got together for the first time since the school year.  Evan and Baylor were so excited to see each other.  They continued to hug and kiss each other.  It was too cute!

"Hello friend!  Long time no see!"

"Oh I could just hug you all day long"

"Just one more kiss"

Adorable Hudson

June marked a special summer must.  Evan went swimming for the first time!  We got together with our good friends and Evan just LOVED swimming.  We were in the pool for about 30 minutes, but Evan hadn't napped that day so he was fussy towards the end.  

Towards the end of June we went to Temple to spend time with family and go to a wedding.  I forgot to take pictures at the wedding, but I did capture our visit with the Haberer family.

We always love getting together with this sweet family.  I need to remember to take more pictures of the adults though.  I guess picture priorities change after you have kids!

It's hard to believe that June is over and we are already in to July.  That means August is even closer and school will start here again soon!!