Jolie's Triumphant Exit

Today my Jolie passed away.

And believe it or not, this was an answered prayer. Jolie's condition had rapidly decreased, so much so that I had finally given in to the pressure and called the vet about possibly having her to put to sleep. I have never liked that thought. Unless she was in true pain, I couldn't imagine taking in a live, breathing dog and bringing back her remains in a box.

So today at work, after I called the Vet, I prayed that she be released from her sick body here on earth...and she was. I came home to find her forever asleep.

I couldn't help but cry and it was 3 year old Kendall who took a tissue, wiped my face, and told me it was going to be okay...she would take care of me.

My sister said it best "Faithful as always, she did as you wished."

My Kendall Bee is Three!

My sweetie pie turned three on January 20th! Yes, I am a little delayed in this posting but there will be a few other blog posts about why...so back my Kendall...her favorite color in the whole wide world is PINK (can you tell from the picture?)...her best friend is cousin Ella...she could watch Dora for days and days without ceasing if allowed...she likes sugar sugar sugar (wonder where she got that from?) but doesn't like chocolate - won't touch chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, brownies, or chocolate milk...she loves to have her nails painted (usually at least 2 colors) but hates to have her hair fixed (by mommy anyway...Aunt Maili and Grandma seem to get away with it)...her favorite song is "I need you now" by Lady A. (nothing like hearing a 3 year old sing 'it's a quarter after one and I'm a little drunk and I need you now...")...she likes to swing and climb the mini-rock walls at the playground but is still scared of the slides...last fun factoid that mommy is certainly proud of.....drum roll please....she is completely potty trained! She even wears panties to bed at night :o)

Love you Miss Kendall Bee!

Can it get any busier than this?

Our little family has been so blessed! In the span of about a month, we stumbled upon a new home that we fell in love with, put our own house up for sale, and started a new business project! We close on our new home in mid-December and will be moving in the week after Christmas...I just love the character of the new home and the gorgeous acre lot that it rests on! I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures to share with the girls exploring their new environment in early 2011. Because we weren't exactly looking to move, our own home had to be fixed up and put on the market for sale. That has been a very time and energy intensive process - it never fails to amaze me how quickly the kids can undo what I just did. Anyone that tries to live in a home with 2 toddlers and two dogs that must be ready for showings at any moment is crazy! We definitely must have been...

Last but not least...I have begun my photography business - Two Pink Boots Photography. My little 'baby' was born in late November and I've had sessions pretty much every weekend - in case all the other things in life right now weren't keeping me busy enough :) Before each session, I pray that I'll capture some of the beauty God has blessed these families with. I feel so grateful with each opportunity and I think God's teaching me about the goodness in his creation.

Hope everyone is doing well during the Holiday season...although we likely won't send out Christmas cards this year, look for "We've Moved" card in early 2011 :o)

Much love,

Kristi

State Fair...and Photo Shoot Fun!

This weekend was a busy one...we road the train to the State Fair on Friday and then I got to take pictures of a friend and her daughter the next morning. I'm taking the lazy way out...lots of pictures!

When you need a good laugh...

There are times in life when you need a good laugh...like today while I was sitting in an hour long teleconference that was running 15 minutes past...everyone was virtually bored stiff and suddenly a random participant forgot they didn't have their phone on hold and started chit chatting very loudly for all 100 plus of us to hear. I believe her conversation ended with "oh my gosh today has been such a bad day....oh no, I hit myself in the face with this door!"

The entire room of 50 or so burst out into immediate laughter...and we all definitely needed it.

Well, this picture does that for me as well...no matter what mood I may be in at the time, I can't help but laugh at this picture...perhaps it's the look of absolute terror in Leah's eyes...or perhaps its the serene bliss of Kendall's...whatever it is, I can't help but laugh, so I thought I'd share in case you needed a laugh today as well...

Update on Jolie

After a couple costly visits to a regular vet and also a specialist, we now know that Jolie suffers from congestive heart failure...she has a very oversized heart for her miniature size and is now on a number of different medications to help the rest of her time with us be as pleasant as possible.

I feel like I was blessed with a warning - to be thankful for her doggie pugnacity - because she won't be around forever. So now I am more patient when she has little accidents on the floor - after all, she is almost 12 years old - and to laugh it off when she is again digging in the trash, because at least she feels well enough to, well, be her normal crazy self.

"It rained and poured for 40 daisy, daisies..."

Okay, so not exactly 40 days did it rain, but it sure did pour this past week and the whole family realized the 'devastation' of it all this morning. Daddy was mowing the grass so I decided to take the two girls to their favorite park...or what was left it!

Kendall kept asking me "what happened Mommy?" and "oh my goodness, somebody messed up the park!"