Daddy-daughter fun

Maddie's preschool put on a "Dad's Night" for the kiddos.  Madeline was so excited to pick out a pretty dress to wear on her date with Daddy!

And thankfully Claire didn't have to feel left out, because the very next week Claire had a Daddy-Daughter Dance with her Girl Scout troop. 

Hey Tooth Fairy...

Hey Tooth Fairy - don't miss our house!  Our big-girl Madeline lost her first tooth.  It was very exciting.  And then she lost her second tooth -- ON THE SAME DAY!  Luckily, the tooth fairy was able to pull through and fill up her tooth fairy pillow in exchange for those teeth.  Doesn't the Maddie-girl look cute without 'em?

First tooth

Second tooth!

Easter at Arlington

We managed to talk some friends into coming to see us over the Easter weekend.  After Mass we decided to take a trip to Arlington Cemetery.

We saw the changing of the guard...

took a little stroll through the grounds...

and saw JFK's grave (with Robert E Lee's house in the background).

It is such a sad place, but so full of beauty in the spring.

Cherry Blossoms 2012

The cherry blossoms in Washington DC are really something to see.  We took a quick jaunt on a Wednesday evening after school and work to check 'em out.  It was really crowded - I'd hate to see the crowds on a weekend - but it was definitely worth the trip.  The tidal basin was beautiful with all of those blooming trees!

Crazy hair

The girls wore their Mexican braids for almost a week before we took them out.  Ever wonder what hair looks like when it comes out of tiny little braids like that?  Well, wonder no more:

Mexico photo montage

The slide:

The drinks (OK, it's just a chocolate milk, but it looked awesome!):

The relaxation:

The pools:

The ocean:

(photo credit to Mom and Dad D for lots of the photos seen here!)

Mexico!

Nothing takes a mind off of sad circumstances like a vacation.  If that vacation involves margaritas (for the adults) and swimming pools, lazy rivers, and water slides then all the better!

Yep, we visited Puerto Vallarta with Grammy and Grampy AND Grandma and Paw-paw AND Phil's brother Sam!  It was so nice to have an entire week to just hang out with our parents and Sam and enjoy a nice, relaxing trip.

Our days pretty much went like this:

Wake up, drink coffee on the patio
Send two representatives from our party to put towels/book on enough lounge chairs at the pool of our choice to save them
Eat breakfast, meet down at the pool
Order adult beverages from the pool bar whenever it's happy hour and the drinks are two-for-one
Eat lunch together in one of our rooms
Go back to the pools
Order more drinks, if desired
Get cleaned up
Drink margaritas
Go out to eat dinner (with margaritas or cerveza, if desired)

 Thanks, Sam, for the super-awesome photos seen in this post!

Doesn't that sound awesome?  That's cuz' it was.

And here's a big montage of beautiful Mexico pics from Uncle Sam:

Catching up

It's been a loooong time since I last blogged!  I'm going to catch this place up on our happenings, but the format for posting blogs has changed.  This is bad for my catching-up process because I've definitely reached the age at which I fear technological changes, and I confront them with both skepticism and contempt.  But I suppose I'm going to have to figure this out.  Bear with me!

Goodbye to our friend, Bailey

Today we said goodbye to our dear friend, Bailey.   He was a good dog and I truly believe he's happier now, as his recent weeks/months were not healthy ones.  It was really hard to let him go, though, and still a bit difficult to believe he's not here.

There are still paw prints on my hardwood floors.


No need to get bundled up tonight to take him outside.

The hallway looks weirdly empty without him in his poofball bed.

I got him when I found out I was going to grad school at the end of my senior year in college.  He's been around for my entire adult life and our whole married life.  Our family, minus Bailey, is going to take some getting used to.  On his last morning it was just the two of us.  It seemed appropriate, since that's how we started out 15 years ago.

I found the following prayer online, and thought it was beautiful. I said it with Bailey in his last moments here and we said it again before we laid him to rest:

In the name of God the Father,
who created you and all the animals,
in the name of Jesus the Son,
who spoke of you in parables and stories,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
in whom every creature lives, moves, and has their being,
go now in peace, dear friend.
May you find rest near refreshing waters,
may you lie in cool, green pastures,
and may you warm yourself under the sun that never sets.
You have been my constant companion,
my shadow and confidante,
my comfort and playmate.
You filled my days with life and brought me endless joy.
For this I give thanks to God who gave you to me.
Now return to your Maker who eagerly waits for you
as you waited for me at the end of each day.
In the Father’s arms, let there be no more pain.
Let there be no more suffering.
Let there be only light as it was on the day God created you.
For our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever. Amen.

All dogs go to Heaven, right?  He was preceded in death by several of his good buddies (Missy, Moki...), so it's comforting to think of him wrestling and playing again with them. We sure do miss him, and hope he's feeling better now.  We love you, Pupper-dog!