What A Difference A Year Makes

Here is Abigail with her cousin, Aidan, last Christmas.





And here she is with him
today. LOL!





She is getting so big!! Yesterday, she pooped in the potty. Not kidding. She was trying to go and Olivia said," Put her on the potty!" So I jokingly did, she smiled, pooped and was so proud of herself. I don't expect her to do it again, but I was blown away that she even did it to begin with. She is super super smart though. You show her something one time and she gets it.

We have family in town from Georgia and Olivia really enjoys playing with her cousins. Kaleb and Olivia are both in kindergarten and such great friends! I sure wish they lived closer.

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Tobey Saga Continues

What started out as a routine post-surgery checkup ended up being an overnight stay at the vet's office followed by bad news. After his last surgery, Tobey's jaw was weakened to the point that it is now fractured. We have a consultation with a specialist in January. He will need major surgery and I just heard "plates" and "pins" and "bars." It's really not good. But at this point they are optimistic that he will recover. But, wow, will our finances? Seriously. Not sure of the cost yet, but I don't think it will be pretty.



So I picked him up around 4 pm today. He is not feeling the best. We have to be very cautious with him and take away all of the dry cat food in the house and all chances that his jaw would completely break. I have to purée all of their food so that his jaw is not having to be used. We bought some cat milk to mix in with the food in hopes to make it more appetizing. He has been losing a lot of weight. Really getting closer to setting up a Save Tobey fund. Good grief.

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Sleeping Beauty

I think we have a little princess on our hands.


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Christmas Pictures

Every year my parents take a picture of me and my brother in front of the Christmas tree.


Still do.


One of Olivia's favorite gifts was her hex bug and cage (that went upside down.). She gets really attached to those things.


Sweet baby Ivy.


This present was almost as tall as Olivia!


All of the four granddaughters were together for the first time.





One of Abigail's favorites was her big pink polka dot chair. She loves to climb on it.


Santa visited us last night as well!



Abigail got a big stuffed Abigator!


Don't be fooled by Olivia's excitement. She still didn't get up any earlier than usual. LOL!


She got a Wii inflatable Mario Kart. You connect the remote to the steering wheel and drive in the game. She's a big Mario Kart fan!





But her favorite gift today was the carrier full of 5 stuffed kitties. She has taken them everywhere! Their names are Whitey, Gracie, Blacky, Calico and Brownie.




And Abigail's favorite was her Fur Real friends kitty. She has admired Olivia's for quite sometime.


Great aunt Mary got to meet Ivy for the first time today.


And Abigail is very interested in this real life baby!! It's weird to see that Abigail is not the little baby anymore. Look how big she is!


Big sister Izzy with Ivy.


Ivy Louise



My brother and his beautiful family.



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RIP Pinky the Hamster

So, last night I saw that Pinky lost use of his back legs. He couldn't move much or reach his water bottle. I was up last night quite a few times making sure he could drink out of his water bottle. I was surprised that he was still alive this morning.


Our vet's office was closed, but we found another vet's office that was open and Ryan took him in. The vet believed that he either had lymphoma or broke his back on his wheel?!?! Either way, euthanizing him was the only real option. He was about 2 years old, which is a pretty average lifespan for a hamster. I just wish it wasn't on Christmas Eve. Just another aspect of parenting that you
never think about. . .putting your daughter's hamster to sleep. Ugh.


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Snow Day

We have snow and Olivia's been begging to go out and play. Of course, it's not even 20 degrees out so we spent longer getting dressed than actually playing outside.





And Abigail was super cute in her Santa hat!









Can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve!! Merry Christmas everyone!
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A Sister's Love

I cannot even put into words the bond that Olivia will forever have with Logan. At times I am hesitant to tell people that I have three children for fear of the story I'd have to explain to them. I don't believe a stranger wants to hear it. But, Olivia doesn't have that fear. If you call us a family of four, she will immediately correct you. We are a family of five. Her brother, Logan, is in heaven, but he is still close in our hearts. And he's still a part of our family. She points out what chair he would sit in at a restaurant or what toy he might like at a store. He is never far from her mind.

Earlier this month, they had a Santa Shop at school. The parents fill out a list of who the child gets to shop for with money and a budget for each person. One day, Olivia got off the bus and was extremely angry with me!

"Why wasn't Logan on the list? I wanted to buy him a present and YOU didn't put him on the list."

Honestly, it made me feel awful. Olivia just wanted the joy of shopping for her twin brother. It also made me feel angry. A twin sister should have the joy of shopping for her twin brother. I thought of taking her and letting her buy him something to put out at the cemetery. But I've learned my lesson. Any toy that is placed out there will be stolen. Even if it's wired down with Logan's name on it. It's a sad truth. So I've been struggling with how to allow Olivia to meet her need to buy something for her brother. She knows we can't send packages to heaven. But, she really misses her brother. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

It's been an answer to prayer though. Ryan and I no longer struggle with how to remember Logan. Olivia leads the way and shows us how. She brings him up at times when it may seem uncomfortable for us to do so. I know she will make certain that he will never be forgotten. Olivia, even at 1 lb 1.5 oz, has always carried a lot on her tiny shoulders. The love and responsibility of a twin sister will always be one of them.

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Ivy Louise

My niece, Ivy, was born yesterday ( December 20th) at 7:09 pm.





She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 19 inches long. I was lucky enough to go up to see her today (before the winter storm came.) She is precious!!











Wasn't Abigail this little yesterday?











She looks a lot like her big sister, Izzy. What an awesome big sister she will be!! Congrats to you all!!



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This Girl

Who likes to climb up on one of the floors of the dollhouse to get on top of the table?



This girl.

Who pushes her car around, stands up in it and can reach about anything?



This girl.

Who loves this kitty of her sister's so much that she is getting one just like it for Christmas?



This girl.

Who pushes the piano bench over, climbs into it and tries to ride it?



This girl.



Who really likes her bowls of fruit?



Really really really likes it?


This girl.



Who is going to be 13 months old tomorrow and is going to become a big cousin??


Yep, my sweet Abigail is all of those things and more!! Thirteen months ago, our family was given a wonderful blessing! And we love her to pieces!! Can't wait for our family's blessings to continue as we welcome my sweet niece tomorrow!! Good luck Shelley, Don and Izzy! We love you!

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Beautiful Day

Awwww, a girl and her kitty. So sweet. Tobey has yet another surgery tomorrow. Yeah I think this is number 4, but I've lost count.


Can you tell that Abigail and Tobey are best buds though?


It was a gorgeous day outside again today. In December. Crazy. We had such a good time! Abigail loved her big girl chair.





And I managed to snap one of Olivia briefly. It's getting harder and harder to convince her to let me take her picture. LOL!


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