Wordless Wednesday

This is why we finger paint in the bath tub.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, Momspective, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

SXC

So my 2 year old likes to name letters and line them up in a row. My 4 year old likes to sound out letters and short words. Sound this one out. Did you get "sexy"? Caitlin did. She also wanted to know what that word meant. I told her it wasn't a word. I can only handle so much before 7 am.

I Heart Faces-Blue

This week's theme for I Heart Faces is blue. The color blue needed to be strongly visible in the shot. I think the finger paint is blue enough to qualify. Davey loves painting. I love his expression here.Be sure to go to www.iheartfaces.com to check out all the other beautiful faces.

Weekly Winners

I having a little photography drought. Hopefully visiting Weekly Winners will inspire me and get me out of my funk. My winners are from bubble painting. I got the idea for www.picklebums.com. I'm getting an error on her site today or I'd link it. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.

Then and Now Thursday

Welcome to the Then and Now blog carnival. This meme is a chance to look back at how life has changed over the years. Hope you'll join us. Click here for more info on this meme.


Then:

I think this was summer of 2002.

We went camping and white water rafting for one of our first trips as a married couple. The rafting was scary but fun. Our raft was the only one of our groups that didn't flip or lose someone on the rapids. I'm so glad we took this trip and that we kept our raft upright. The camping was fun too. We had 3 former Eagle scouts with us. They insisted on setting camp up and doing all the cooking. It really was a vacation.That is me on the right side 2nd from the back. Dave is 3rd from the back on the right side.

Now:
August 2009.

The rapids take place at Big Bird's Lazy River at Sesame Place. Traveling in a car for several hours and sleeping in a hotel room with two small children is a different type of adventure. I loved this adventure just as much as our first rafting trip. Caitlin and I enjoying the lazy river.

Please share how things are different Then and Now. Click here for more info on this meme. Remember you do not need photos to participate. Be sure to visit other participants' posts and leave some comment love.

Wordless Wednesday

This is what I found in our fruit bowl today. Seems a little person who shall remain nameless sampled this apple and decided to save it for later. Looks like the apple is happy to be left behind.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Ticked Off Tuesday-Prostatitis

I've decided I really can't write another post about that stupid dog and stupider owner. So I am writing about prostatitis. Have you ever heard of it? I hadn't heard of it till Dave was diagnosed with it. Prostatitis is an inflammation and/or infection of the prostate gland. My husband has been sick since March. He has had a series of health issues including ulcers, malfunctioning gallbladder, and prostatitis. The ulcers are healed. The gallbladder has been removed. The prostatitis is still raging. The symptoms of prostatitis vary from person to person as does the cause. Most of the time doctors really don't know how to treat it or what causes it. If antibiotics don't work, you are kind of screwed. For Dave the prostatitis causes pain in his genitials and fatigue. Sometimes the pain is so bad that he really can't function. It is so hard to see him in pain. I wish I could do something to ease his pain. The worse part is wondering when the pain will end. Some people have this condition is years.

Dave has been searching for answers on message boards and websites. He found several men found success by drinking broccoli water (Boil broccoli for 5 minutes in 4 cups of water and then drink the water.) He is avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and most spices. For a man who loved buffalo wings as much as he did, this is no small sacrifice. Dave said he's never eat them again if it got rid of the prostatitis. He is trying to exercise more too. He is making more healthy choices than ever before. We are both hoping they pay off and the end is in sight.

I Heart Faces-Candids

I love this shot of Caitlin rocking out at an outdoor concert. It is definitely a candid photo.Be sure to go to www.iheartfaces.com to check out all the other beautiful faces.

Not Me Monday

It is not Monday and time again for Not Me Monday. It is a meme where we share all the things we did not this week. MckMama is our host at My Charming Kids . Go over there to see what other people are not doing this week too.

Maximus has not been to the vet 3 times this week. He did not tear his right wound despite the staples. On Tuesday, he did not have to have the skin debrided and re-stapled and stitched. On Thursday, he did not lose more staples out of the left side wound. He did not have to be re-stapled. Did I mention that Maximus was not on sedatives to reduce movement?

On Friday, his drain did not fall out. I called the vet after I dropped Caitlin at pre-school. The receptionist said the doctor would call back. So I went to the grocery store since I figured it would be a while before he called back. I did not pick out pears when he said I needed to bring him in to check him out. I left the grocery store without any food. I went home got Maximus and went to the vet with Davey. Going to the vet with Davey is not an adventure. He does not like to run around in circles in the spacious waiting room while I try to stop Maximus from barking at visiting cats. I asked how long the appointment would take. The receptionist said a couple of hours. The doctor would fit him in between appointments. I figure I could go back to the grocery store and then pick Caitlin up after shopping. This time I did not make it to the second aisle when the vet's office called. Fortunately Maximus did not need any surgery but he did need picking up. I checked out with the few groceries I picked up and figured I was not meant to shop today.

When Dave got home from work, he wanted to finish the grocery shopping. So I did not go on my 3rd trip to the grocery store to hopefully finish the shopping. While shopping, Davey did not pull down my shirt to give me a raspberry. He did not expose my left nipple. I really should not have gone grocery shopping that day.

Weekly Winners

e Time for another weekly winner post. This week it is all about spider webs and jumping. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.

Charlotte's Work

Jumping.

Te-Da!

Then and Now Thursday

Then: First Day of Pre-School Last YearNow: First Day of Pre-School This Year

What a difference a year can make!

Wordless Wednesday

Maximus looks sad but he really is just feeling sleepy. He is on sedatives to limit his movement and let his wounds heal. He got one of his two drains out yesterday. He is making process. Click here to read about how Maximus was attacked by another dog.


Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Ticked Off Tuesday-City's Response to Dog Attacks

I can't help but to be angry every time I look at Maximus sweet face and see the 2 dozen staples in his neck. The dog attack was horrible. I can't get the images out of my mind. They are worst especially at night as I try to drift off to sleep. That is when my mind wanders and thinks about how much worse it could have been.

I wrote about the attack before. This is not something new that is ticking me off. I venture to say it will be ticking me off for a long time. What I really want to write about is the town's response to this attack and any dog attacks. Basically I discovered that no matter how many times a dog attacks another dog it is not euthanized. Even if that dog kills another animal, it still lives. The owners will get a ticket for the animal being off leash. I'm doubting that that will even happen unless we keep following up. There is no doubt in my mind if that dog gets off leash it will attack again.

The law also considers dogs property in our state. Anyone who owns and loves a dog understands they are so much more than that. He is my first baby, my protector, and my companion. The fact that there is no guarantee that he will be safe is heartbreaking. I don't think I will be able to walk him again. I don't want to risk him getting hurt again.

It has been a week since the attack. We still do not have proof that the attacking dog has had all his shots. The owners did finally return our call yesterday stating that the dogs is up to date on shots but nothing in writing yet. No report has been filed except that the incident took place. The animal control office doesn't really know anything about this dog yet. They are waiting to talk to the dog's owners to return their calls.

Sorry if this is a bit rambling. I just needed to vent. I'm trying to concentrate on the positives like Maximus is going to be ok. He still has his drains in. He has had a sedative today to slow him down and hopefully allow his wounds to heal enough to remove the drains tomorrow. I look forward to seeing him be able to run like a maniac in the back yard again.

Weekly Winners-Maximus Update

My favorite shots this week are of Maximus. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.
Maximus has had a rough week but he is acting more like his lovable self again. He still has the drains in. They were suppose to be removed on Thursday and again on Saturday but apparently he is moving too much to let the wounds heal enough. So now Maximus is being drugged to hopefully look like a puddle on the floor. The Benedryl doesn't seem to be accomplishing that so it looks like he will need stronger drugs on Monday.

Also thanks everyone for their kind words about blogging and Maximus. I truly appreciate them all.

Quick Update on Maximus

I have been a bad blogger lately. I'm trying to make it to all your blogs to comment soon. I am not posting a Then and Now Thursday today. Things have been hectic around here since the dog attack. If you are posting one feel free to link it in the comments. I should be back to posting next week hopefully.

Maximus is getting the drains taken out of his wounds today. He seems to be feeling better. He is back to stealing food off the counter. Now if only I could get the images of the attack out of my head and that sick feeling out of my stomach.

Wordless Wednesday and Wardrobe Wednesday

To read about how Maximus was attacked click here. It hurts my heart to see him in pain. But he is going to be ok.He had to have drains put in because his bite wounds became infected.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.
************************************************************************************

This is what happens when daddy gets Davey dressed and is very stressed.

Head over to see how all the cool kids are dressing at Heathen Family Revival.

Ticked Off Tuesday -Pitbull Attack

I hate pit bulls. I know some owners claim that they are the most loving dog ever but I don't believe it is true for most of this breed.

The reason I'm ranting about pit bulls is Maximus was attacked on Labor Day during a walk with the whole family. The dog escaped its yard from the bordering street and ran towards us. Fortunately Dave was walking with us. He yelled at the dog but it didn't stop the attack. The owners were yelling but not getting to us soon enough. Dave yelled for me to get the kids out of there. I ran up the road with the kids in the stroller onto a neighbors' lawn. Dave yelled for someone to call the police. Maximus is just crying and trying to get away. Thankfully someone did call. Thankfully several neighbors came to help. A neighbor ran up with a rake and tried to hit the pit bull. I was afraid that the pit bull was not going to let go till he killed Maximus. The owner finally got there. He tackled his own dog. The dog tried to attack his owner. The owner finally got a little control over the dog. Everyone just stood still till someone got a leash for the pit bull to get him out of there. The owner couldn't control the dog without a leash.

Maximus is doing ok. He has several puncture wounds. Fortunately he didn't tear much. The veterinarian put Maximus out to address his wounds and check for internal injuries. He seems a little sore but mostly back to his normal self.

I am ticked off that people keep such dangerous dogs as pets. I am ticked off that I am not going to be able to walk in my own neighborhood again. I am ticked off that I'm going to be too scared to walk even if that dog is no longer there. I am ticked off that nothing will happen to that dog. The animal control officer said the owner would get a ticket for the animal being off leash. The only way they will put the dog down is if it attacks a human. Seeing the attack, there is no doubt this dog is a dangerous menace. If that dog attacks a person, I fear that they will not fair as well as Maximus did with his loose skin.

I am thankful for all my neighbors that came out to help. I know sometimes in situations like these, no one tries to help. I am so thankful that Maximus is ok. I am so thankful that Dave was there. I shutter to think what would have happened if I was walking the kids by myself as I usually do. I am so thankful that the pit bull didn't go after us or the kids. I am thankful I wasn't dog sitting my brother's pug as planned. My eyes fill up every time I think of what could have happened.

Weekly Winners

We went to the Philadelphia Zoo last weekend. Here are some of my favorite shots. Be sure to go to Sarcastic Mom to check out more weekly winners.

Caitlin watching the sleeping tiger.

I know this isn't a great photo but look how darn cute these sleeping monkeys are.

Pelican.

Whatcha you lookin' at?

Pretty bird.

Skywatch Friday

Last weekend, we visited Sesame Place, Langhorne, PA. It was cloudy and/or rainy for most of our visit. We had fun despite it. The sun tried to come out at sunset the last day. And yes that is Big Bird on top of the carousel.

Go to Skywatch Friday to see skies from all around the world.

Then and Now Thursday

Welcome to the Then and Now blog carnival. This meme is a chance to look back at how life has changed over the years. Hope you'll join us. Click here for more info on this meme.

Then: 1993

We were carefree. We just graduated. We had the summer to hang out before we went away to different colleges. We both had office jobs, which meant that we had weekends off. We spent almost every weekend worshiping the sun at the beach. I could tell Martha anything. We lived about a mile apart. We often walked and met in the middle. It didn't matter what we did we always had fun. Most of my favorite memories from high school involve Martha. (Martha, remember the night of unfunniness?)



Now-ish:

This was actually last year. We live way further apart now. Several states in fact. We don't get to see each other nearly as much as we use to. The visits are a little less carefree now with 4 children between us. A couple of things still haven't changed, I can still tell Martha anything and we still have a great time when we get together. Our crazy memories now involve our little girls playing together. Maybe we need to plan a girls only weekend soon to make some new crazy memories of our own.Please share how things are different Then and Now. Click here for more info on this meme. Remember you do not need photos to participate. Be sure to visit other participants' posts and leave some comment love.

Wordless Wednesday

I couldn't believe she wanted to go on this ride.

She told me after the ride, that she would wait till she is older to try it again.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Ordinary and Awesome, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.