New Year's Eve!

The new year is just a few hours away for us!  We have been so busy that we decided staying in enjoying a taco-movie night sounded best to us!  A quiet celebration just us and our "kids". 

Brad requested tacos as the last meal of 2013!  I gladly made us tacos a little while ago.  We are currently watching Texas A&M play in the Chick-fil-a Bowl.  So far things don't look so great!  Hopefully things will improve quickly! However, will not be spending the evening keeping up with the bowls!

Just for the humor of it I proposed this question to Brad earlier...."which one of us, pets included, is most likely to wake up with a slight hangover tomorrow?"  Will it be me, Brad, or Simon?  This is the one and only night of the year we let Simon score a drink!  Last year the little guy had a bit too much!  We poured him and Cody some champagne in their bowls.  Cody of course didn't drink his portion, as he was certain we were trying to poison him. He steered clear of the light gold liquid.  Simon of course doesn't have the same fear as Cody, he drank his portion and Cody's portion before we could stop him.  It wasn't long before we had a staggering pug!  He was feeling GREAT as we welcomed in 2013!  We'll be more careful this year!  Sorry Boo-Boo but your limit is one portion this year!

When I was out shopping for our little New Year's celebration I came across Cheetos and Cheez Puffs!  As a kid in AZ, it wasn't a proper New Year's Eve celebration until the Cheez Puffs or Cheetos came out.  LOL! They were my fave!  Did I pick up any at the store today?  Nope, I kept to stuff I knew my husband preferred!  Here in TX we celebrate with fireworks and in AZ they celebrate by dropping a large tortilla chip in a cup of salsa at the stroke of midnight!  So to all the Zonies...enjoy watching the chip drop!  We'll definitely be watching the Fiesta Bowl tomorrow night!  Go Baylor!  Brad is loving all the TX schools in different bowls.  Baylor definitely scored the biggest bowl of all TX schools!

Pics from Our Christmases!

 

Pics from our Christmas!  This post will be short on words.  Here's a some pics from our Christmas Eve followed by a few pics from our Christmas morning.  I love how Cody was so willing to pose with his daddy. Then notice in the last pic which was the final pic of the unwrapping session Cody-man is tuckered out! LOL! Piper kept moving so her pics all came out slightly blurry.  And as I stated previously we lost Simon to a rawhide very early on so no pics of him on Christmas morning. The little stinker avoided the camera!

 

 Me and baby Allie!

 Simon checking for anything edible!

Merry Christmas From The Vaughns!

Hope everyone has enjoyed and is continuing to enjoy an awesome Christmas.  We started our celebration by hosting Christmas Eve last night.  I believe a good time was had by all.  One of the big attractions was of course newborn Allie!  She's my first niece!  She might get spoiled...just a bit!  The other big news is that a new marriage will begin soon.  As my nephew and his girlfriend are engaged!  They will likely tie the knot very soon, as in before the new year, then have a reception to celebrate a year or so from now.

As for Christmas morning...we did our traditional thing.  Got up when we wanted to, gave the boys a short walk.  It's Christmas so they got a little break from the morning routine by only having to go on a short walk.  We then opened presents which Cody seriously loves!  He hung in there until every gift was opened.  Little Piper liked her first Christmas.  She hung around as we opened gifts but she's full of energy and is quickly distracted by other things.  She's like a bolt of lightning.  She travels around the room striking at a moments notice.  Gone as quickly as she appears!  She loves the wrapping paper almost as much as the gift.  Perhaps more than the gift!  As for Simon, well we lost him to a rawhide early on in the unwrapping session.  After gifts it was time for what has become our traditional Christmas morning breakfast...cinnamon rolls.  This year I made the cinnamon rolls from scratch.  It was fun and they turned out yummy.  I'm a rookie at baking cinnamon rolls from scratch, it was successful enough to try again for sure. However, there's plenty of room for improvement with the cinnamon roll venture!  Lol! We've relaxed all day enjoying some of our new items we got from one another and others. 

Last year I spent so much time and effort on the Christmas Eve meal I completely forgot to plan out a meal for Christmas night with my brand new husband.  I felt bad last year having to serve Brad leftovers for lunch and dinner.  I honestly don't know how I could've forgotten to plan out a nice meal for Christmas day.  Geez!  Well not this year folks!  I planned out a meal for us to have tonight....no leftovers.  We snacked on last night's leftovers earlier but will sit down to a freshly prepared Christmas dinner for two. I'll end this post so I can go finish up the preparation of that meal!

Merry Christmas to all!   

Catching Up!

Time to catch up the blog!  It's been a long and busy week!  Super busy week!  Who's week hasn't been busy this close to Christmas?  I was up extra late two nights in a row to do Christmas baking.  I took 9 packages to the post office yesterday and 3 today.  Whew!  You should have seen me trying to haul in all those boxes yesterday.  I had to make 2 trips to the car to load them up then to unload them once I got to the post office.  I was a sight, as small as I am carrying boxes stacked above my head.  Lol!

I can't believe Christmas is on Wednesday.  I feel as though I blinked and it was nearly here. We went out tonight to try to finish up our shopping.  We're still going to have to go out tomorrow.  Hopefully, we'll finish up by the end of tomorrow.  However, I'll likely have to go get stocking stuffers on Monday.  It's definitely not as easy shopping for one another now that we are married.  I know it's been harder for Brad to find time to shop for me without me being with him.  Both of us are struggling with hiding gifts from one another! I decided one day this week the best idea would be to go shopping super quick before he gets home.  My full plan was to be speedy enough to get things wrapped too before he arrived home.  I almost made it!  He came home while I was still wrapping his gifts. I was nearly done. I was in the spare room wrapping so it was easy to shut the door to keep him and his baby blues out! 

We're hosting Christmas Eve, which I'm super excited about.  I love to have everybody over for Christmas Eve.  Or actually any occasion but especially Christmas Eve. Before I started this blog I was thumbing through a recipe book reading ingredients for the dishes I'm making.  I'm trying to figure out when in the next few days I should go grocery shopping for the Christmas Eve meal. Which day will be the least busy? Hmm, that is the BIG question. 

Before ending this post....I must mention we had an awesome celebration for our 1 year anniversary.  I couldn't have asked for more!  We saved watching our wedding video for our anniversary.  There we were on our anniversary night watching our wedding for the first time.  The video was amazing!  Brad's cousin did such a good job.  The amount of content was above what I could have imagined. And yes, we did thaw out some of the wedding cake to eat it! Since the 1 year anniversary is the "paper" anniversary I got Brad tickets to the Dallas Stars and a magazine subscription.  Tickets are made of paper and so is a magazine! Last night we went to the Dallas Stars hockey game.  We had a great time.  Nice seats!  They won too!  We sat in the lower level which was a bit colder than we experienced the previous time we went to the Stars. I didn't mind though especially since we were right at center ice a little ways above the players tunnel.  All in all I don't think we could have had a better anniversary weekend!  

1st Year Anniversary!

Our first wedding anniversary!  Let's revisit some of my fave pics from the wedding time! 

 

Our Anniversary Weekend

This is our anniversary weekend!  Woo-hoo! Yes, it's already been a year!

How will we celebrate?  We considered quite a few restaurants even looked up a few online.  In the end we have decided to return to the place where it all started for us, Uncle Julio's.  We did just go there back in September but it just seems appropriate to us to revisit where it began for our first wedding anniversary.  If the Gaylord Texan where we married wasn't so completely overcrowded we would go there. Gaylord will be a madhouse on Sunday, due to all the added attractions they have on the weekends during the holiday season. Going to Uncle Julio's for an early dinner is the plan as it stands right now, however, I just realized the Cowboys play at 3:25.  Hmm, we might have to work around the Cowboys game.  Although Brad has said he's not worried about watching football tomorrow.  I want to watch some football but agree with him that for tomorrow I don't want it to completely rule our day.  We're only going to have a 1 year wedding anniversary once!  There's many football games in a season year after year!   

I sense Brad has a surprise up his sleeve for tomorrow so I wanted to do my best to surprise him with something today.  I gave him a card late this morning that gave him specific instructions to be ready for the day and ready to leave our place no later than 2:15, dressed somewhat casual. Once 2:15 arrived off we went to the Imax to see the new movie The Hobbit in 3D.  I didn't tell him where we were going until we were in the car and about to drive out of the parking lot of our complex.  He loves the Lord of the Rings movies and he loves The Hobbit.  Last year while on our
Orlando honeymoon The Hobbit was released which we went to see while in Orlando.  This is the 2nd Hobbit movie apparently there's one more in the works. I figured surprising him with tickets to the Hobbit on opening weekend would be a nice gesture, not to mention a nice outing.

Afterwards I treated him to dinner.  The movie was great.  The scenery in the movie is worth the price of admission in my opinion.  That's my favorite thing about the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, the scenery is quite exquisite.  No clue where they film at?

For dinner I told him to pick anywhere.  He surprised me by choosing a restaurant we've been meaning to try but haven't gotten around to.  We went to Carrino's...it was awesome!  We'll definitely return!  Cozy, countryside Italian feel to the décor plus authentic Italian dishes. Yum!  Highly recommend it!

When I arrived home earlier today before we went to the movie Brad had a huge floral arrangement sitting on our dining table...it's gorgeous.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I first walked in our kitchen after coming home.  Beautiful red roses mixed in with white hydrangeas and other white flowers.  Sitting beside the flowers he bought me a little sock monkey dressed in a Santa outfit.  It's hilariously cute!  I squealed with delight at both the flowers and the sock monkey. I love little sock monkeys.  My grandma made me one when I was a young child. I suppose that's when my sock monkey fascination started!  They're cute!

Woo-hoo!  I'm excited for tomorrow!  It's like waiting for Christmas!  Which is fast approaching too!   

Allie Has Arrived!

The biggest news of the week came on Wednesday.  My nephew texted me while I was out walking the boys to say him and his girlfriend were on their way to the hospital.  Baby Allie was officially on her way.  Born in the mid-afternoon she weighed in at 6 pounds and 7 ounces measuring 19 inches long.  She's a cutie!

Just in time for Christmas!  She'll certainly be the main attraction at Christmas this year!  As everyone will be clamoring to hold her. There sure have been quite a few little girls born recently!  Plus I know of 2 others that are pregnant with girls!  I'm just saying!

Return of Sunshine!

It's currently 26 degrees outside.  The sunshine returned yesterday.  The high temp stayed in the low maybe achieved the mid-30's.  So when the high temp hits 40 degrees today we will feel like we are basking in the sun! :) 

We didn't go anywhere this past weekend.  We were snowed in all weekend long.  Only exposure to the outside was when I had to walk the boys.  We all had at least one Bambi moment, where we lost our footing and went down for the count.  During one of the walks Simon wanted to go in one direction which I was not anticipating, down I went along with him.  Our balcony is still filled with a thick layer of ice.  It's like stepping out on to our own private ice rink.

I didn't mind staying home all weekend.  It was quite relaxing! I think the only slightly negative thing was that after such a weekend we feel a little behind with our Christmas shopping.  The plan is to go out tonight to catch up a bit. I'm sure the department stores and malls are feeling behind as well, behind in reaching their goal sales!  They want to hit high totals for sales, which certainly didn't happen for them last week.

I ventured out to the grocery store yesterday.  The most interesting thing to see as a result of the winter storm....empty store shelves.  I heard on the news that shipments couldn't get in town due to the weather.  I bought the last 2 steaks in the store yesterday. The produce was horrible.  I came away with only broccoli...no fruit, no tomatoes! And forget about getting Cheez-its I came home with goldfish crackers instead. ;)  The last time I had goldfish crackers in the house was for a snack mix recipe I was making for my father-in-law.  Well I forgot to inform Brad to not eat the crackers.  When I went in to get the goldfish crackers for the recipe I realized they had been opened and Brad was the guilty party!  Once again, I'm thinking about making that snack mix since we have those crackers in the house....I might have to guard them! ;)

Happy Birthday Cody!

Woo-hoo, Cody-man!  You made it to 12!  A few weeks back I wasn't sure he was going to make it to a dozen.  I was terribly worried about him.  Here we are celebrating his bday!

He's handled the cold temps like a champ.  On day one of this winter storm for the first walk of the day he was difficult.  However, since then he's just been rolling with it.  He doesn't like it that's clear but he's not having an attitude about it.  Which is good!  However, he would prefer 80 degrees and sunny for his bday weekend!

I love how he watches my every move when I walk him in the icy conditions.  I'm not sure if he's watching me out of concern.  He doesn't want me to fall or he doesn't want me to fall into him or possibly he's watching me in a more hopeful manner that I'll turn for home sooner than later.  LOL! It didn't seem as cold as they were predicting.  It's cold don't get me wrong.  The high today was only in the low 20's. It just doesn't seem as cold as they said it would be.  However, I sure have learned how to bundle up when going outside.  It's much more bearable these days then it was my first winter here.

Cody just finished opening his gifts as did our other two.  Cody received a Christmas toy as is tradition!  Piper got a cute pink owl, but has been fascinated by the wrapping paper for quite a few minutes now.  Simon unwrapped a dinosaur with some orange on it....he likes orange!  I baked Cody a cake last night.  I changed it up a bit.  Hopefully they still like it.  I'm sure I won't hear any complaints.  I planned on going to the store on Friday to get peanuts to garnish Cody's cake with but that didn't happen since we've been snowed in.  Therefore, Cody's cake has a peanut butter flavor with pecans for a garnish.  As I said before I doubt I'll hear any complaints. ;) I think the pecans might hold up better in the fridge.  Peanuts get slightly weird when chopped up and refrigerated, I've noticed.

Up next a baker's dozen, Cody-man!

 

  

Cody's Bday Forecast!

I have only bad news weather-wise for my dear sweet Cody-man.  I just read the weather report for tonight and tomorrow.  In the next few hours it will dip down to 12 degrees with a windchill that will make it feel as though it's 0 degrees out.  As far as tomorrow goes the high is supposed to be 25 with a windchill that will make it feel as though it's 1 degree.  Intense fog will set in tonight.  And by late afternoon tomorrow ice pellets are predicted.

Happy Birthday Cody....it's 0 degrees out! I'm thinking we might be stuck inside all day again tomorrow. I wish I would have gone to the store before all this set in.  Although we have plenty of stuff to make for food. But I would have liked to have gotten a few baking items to get going on holiday baking.  One web site I was just on featured tips on meals to make when you are stuck indoors and can't get to a store.  I have tonight's meal planned....chili and cornbread.  This time of year I always make sure the makings for that meal are in our pantry and in the freezer.

Well I'm off to take the boys out before it gets dark! We won't be out long.  Would like to get them out there though before it chills down even more.  Pray for Cody!                                                                    

Snowed In

I'm not sure if we are snowed in or iced in?  Plenty of freezing rain fell all night long.  Brad received a message around 1:00 AM that his work would be closed.  I think most of the city is shut down for today. Hardly any cars around when I have been outside. The high temp of the day is 27 degrees, with the wind chill it's probably feeling more like 17 degrees.  It's cold!

Neither boy was interested in taking a walk this morning.  But I still made them get up and go.  We didn't go the full walk. Too cold for the full walks today.  All walks for the boys must be shorter than usual.  The boys are struggling big time to walk on the sidewalks that are similar to ice rinks right now.  I'm sure it must freeze their little paws and legs to the point where they are likely numb.  They walk as if they are walking around on 4 numb legs.

So here's the visual....I'm doing my best to drag two pugs while remaining upright, trying to keep from slipping.  While the pugs are doing their best to not freeze to death as they walk around on chilled to the bone legs. I'm sure it's a sight to see! Me with two pugs attempting to prevent a Bambi moment where we all go down.

I'm curious what tomorrow will bring.  Brad is scheduled to work since it's the first Saturday of the month but maybe he'll get lucky again.  Then again can they close his office 2 days or what would be 3 days in a row since they are normally closed on Sunday?  Not sure! It's rather quiet out right now.  But I think the forecast calls for it to start up again later tonight. 

Below are pics I took this morning, it's mostly accumulated ice.  Lots of icicles.  Snow brings about icicles too, however, I don't remember seeing as many as I did this morning with this ice storm.

 Yes, folks the fire hydrants here are painted in Cowboys colors. Not sure if I've ever mentioned that before. LOL!

The chair on our balcony.

Christmastime with a Kitty!

Well our little kitty daughter is growing.  She's at about the age when most people adopt a kitten.  So I feel we are quite lucky that we've actually had her for a little over a month.  We've had her since she was considered a newborn.  I think she's doubled in size since that evening Brad brought her home in a box.  She was so tiny I told him right away that I wasn't sure she would make it.  But we did it...we got her the necessary stuff and nursed her along!

She's a very active little one!  She moves from one thing to the next.  Earlier today the toilet paper was hanging down quite a ways so she jumped up to get it.  She was successful, all the toilet paper was unrolled by her.  Thankfully not much was left on the roll.  She's also a napkin thief.  When we sit down to eat at the coffee table if we put a napkin on our lap she comes to snatch it. 

It's definitely fun watching her.  We were commenting last night how much fun it will be when we get a Christmas tree up.  I've never had a pet this young at Christmastime.  Since Cody was born in early December he would have been a newborn and not yet weaned for his actual "first" Christmas.  Cody was right at a year when his first Christmas with me came around and Simon was nearing the year old mark.  It was still quite interesting, rather comical to watch the boys during their first Christmas.  I'm thinking with Piper's age it will be an enjoyable experience yet different from the boy's first Christmas.  However, it's likely going to be harder to discipline her concerning some stuff because she's still learning the boundaries.

I freaked her out with a singing dog Christmas decoration yesterday.  When I saw it at the store I had to buy it just to see the reaction of the boys and Piper.  The boys were not impressed.  They're used to me attempting to freak them out.  Piper on the other hand went scampering across the room as soon as I turned on the singing mechanism.  Brad and I busted out laughing while the boys looked around to see where she went!  LOL!

Time to share some pics of our Piper!

 Her first bath!

 She loves the boys toys!  Especially Fozzy bear!

 Climbing out of the boy's toy box.

 I know you can't see her face but I like how you can see her stripes.

 Relaxing with her big brother!

Winter Has Arrived!

I've never experienced freezing rain until I moved to TX. It's still rather fascinating in a weird way to me. The freezing rain started coming down a little while ago.  Our balcony is covered in ice.

For those that are not familiar with freezing rain, mainly Zonies that might read this blog, I'll explain it.  Freezing rain comes down like rain but it's got a slightly icy feel to it.  Due to the low temp outside soon after the rain hits something it freezes.  It messes up the roads and bridges like you wouldn't believe.  Unlike snow it's not as easy to see patches of it.  Snow is more visible and accumulates in a completely different way. Snow is light and fluffy.

Freezing rain and ice is what made Super Bowl week a couple years ago somewhat of a nightmare for Jerry Jones.  You never know what December could have in store. However, this type of weather does seem a little early to me.  Usually the first snow or true winter storm occurs in late December. The last few years it's hit right at Christmas Eve or Christmas.  This year we've already had 2 winter storms.  We have yet to actually get snow, so far it's been freezing rain.  I have a feeling snow is coming though. 

Brad's work closed it's doors early this afternoon due to the weather that was just beginning to get bad.  They wanted to let the staff get home before the winter storm actually set in. Our city might be closed for business tomorrow!  We'll see how bad it gets as morning approaches.  

BRR...Another Big Chill!

The big chill has arrived!  This morning I had a lovely conversation with Cody concerning the chill.  The conversation went somewhat like this:

Mommie:  Cody guess what? I have good news and not so great news. First off it's only 2 days until your birthday.  Woo-hoo!  Right?

Cody:  A new Christmas toy and cake is what that means!  The cake or the toy....not sure which one I prefer more! And the bad news?

Mommie:  Well my nearly dozen year old boy, the weather is not pretty out. 

Cody:  How "not pretty" is it?

Mommie:  You remember when I told you to enjoy yesterday's weather because a big chill all the way from Canada was approaching.  The big chill arrived!  It was 80 degrees yesterday a bit out of the norm for this time of the year.  It warmed us up to freeze us out! 

Cody:  Break it to me gently...what is the temp outside?

Mommie: It's currently 36 degrees with a wind chill.  I won't tell you what the wind chill is making it feel like out there.

Cody: Holy cow!  I changed my mind...no cake, no toy for my birthday....someone send me a oneway ticket to Cancun or the Bahamas. 

Mommie: Not so fast Cody-man.  You would miss all of us too much!  Who would walk you in the Bahamas?  Who would play with you?  Simon and Piper are staying home.  Here's the bright side....this birthday of yours could be the first birthday you've celebrated with snow.  Another first for you!  Exciting! Your daddy is currently hoping for major ice so he can stay home from work. 

Cody:  You say all this with a smile on your face!  Unbelievable!  It's like you are trying to convince me this is great!  I'm not going to be convinced!  I've spent so long praying for good weather for my bday. I can't believe I might have to slosh around in the snow.  And I can't believe my daddy is hoping for the opposite he could be offsetting my hopes!  Messing everything up!  How long is this big chill going to last?

Mommie:  I can't help but chuckle at you.  You are so dramatic during bad weather days.  Nothing makes you happy!  The chill will last too long in your opinion!  The super cold temps will last thru Tuesday.  However, Tuesday is predicted to be super cold but should feature the return of sunshine!  By Wednesday we should be back up to the 40's. 

Cody:  Oh gee, the 40's....You say that like that's a huge improvement? It's not in my opinion.

Mommie:  I know sweet boy.  I know!  But trust me after days of 30 degree temps with a ridiculously low wind chill and no sunshine....45 degrees is going to feel good!  It always does after a big chill!

Cody:  Well, I must go review my birthday wish list.  I need a new sweater, one of those with a hood to protect my ears.  I hate it when the cold wind blows my ears upward.  I need long johns too!  And I'm still considering asking for a ticket to Cancun or the Bahamas. Anybody want to send me one?

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving with Brad's family today.  No shortage of food!  I spent last evening baking cookies, a pecan pie, and a 7-layer dip.  I made two different kinds of cookies. Both peanut butter but one was chocolate based and one was peanut butter made the usual way. 

I actually got things done in a reasonable amount of time too last night.  I went to bed about normal time for me.  Woo-hoo!  That means I woke up feeling rested! 

The morning got started early for me.  With 3 pets, believe me all mornings get started pretty early.  The boys need to be walked and little Piper is screaming for food.  After walking the boys I started on the final dish we were taking which was a green bean casserole. 

It was a great day!  Capped off by a Cowboys victory!  They certainly had us worried though, I couldn't believe the first half went the way it did.  I expected them to come out and take care of business similar to Detroit.  Oh I must add I broke a nail playing football during the day's festivities! LOL!  My husband was so proud.....proud I got out there to participate in heels! ;)

Brad doesn't have to work tomorrow so today was actually the start of a 4 day weekend for both of us! We originally thought he had to work on Friday but as it turns out they only need a skeleton crew in the office.  Yes, we'll be doing some Christmas shopping.  However, we aren't crazy....we won't be going out when the crowds are out, we usually wait until late afternoon then make an evening of it.

Hope everyone else enjoys a nice Thanksgiving Weekend! 

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

On Friday morning Brad came out to the living room ready to leave for work  as he entered the room he said his cell phone reading stated the outside temp to be only 37 degrees.  I was in agreement that it was frigid outside as I had just barely returned from the long morning walk with the boys.  Both boys walked quickly as they likely hoped I would wrap up the walk earlier than usual so they could get home to plant themselves next to the space heater.  No such luck!  We suffered through the entire walk.  Poor boys!

On Thursday it was gorgeous!  Lovely 72 degree day.  I took Piper to her first vet appointment. She was an angel at the vet office, by the way!  The temps here typically start to chill down in the late afternoon before evening sets in.  When I returned home with Piper it was early evening and it was dark out, I immediately leashed up the boys to take them for their evening walk.  While out on the walk we all 3 enjoyed the pleasant temp as it had not started to dip down yet which was a bit out of the ordinary.  By the time Friday morning rolled around....it was super cold!!!  Now think about that folks....from about 7:00 pm on Thursday to 7:00 am on Friday....a 12 hour timespan it dropped from 72 to 37 degrees!  Brrr! Oh wait let Cody add this,...."Brrr!"

Friday was the beginning of 6 days in a row of super cold winter temps.  We haven't gotten out of the 30's no matter what time of the day.  We've canceled any hope for it to warm up as each day progresses.  The hardest part to deal with is the wind chill.  The wind chill hardly existed a little while ago when I walked the boys so it was much more bearable.  The boys both shiver every time they go out.  Tomorrow is predicted to be the worst of it.  Freezing rain is supposed to begin at midnight and continue long enough to make this wife worry about her husband's morning commute. Bridges and freeways will likely be a mess.  As for later in the day, the prediction is for snow flurries around the time Monday Night Football kicks off.  Tuesday will be cold too!  I think Wednesday will provide us with a bit warmer temps, we might get up to at least 40 for a high! ;) I'm actually not sure though, weather reports have been focused on the bad prediction for Monday.  We'll see if by the end of the day tomorrow there will be a recipient to this season's first thrown snowball by me!

Simon, Piper, and the Kibble!

The morning routine is for all three pets to be fed at the same time.  On Monday morning I fed the boys then quickly turned my attention to feeding Piper.  My mom was still in town so she was watching over Piper as I tended to the next chore with the boys.

A few minutes later after all pets had been fed, Piper made a discovery near the dishwasher. Our dishwasher is one of her fave spots.  What did she discover?  One piece of kibble from the boys food.  I must have dropped it as I poured their meals into their bowls.  They don't eat in the same place where the food is prepared so that's why Simon hadn't yet discovered this lone piece of kibble.  As soon as Piper made the discovery there was Simon.  He watched her as she slid the kibble from paw to paw then delicately tried to sample it.  She didn't consume it as she was much more into playing with the new discovery.  Simon continued to watch, he wasn't going anywhere.  The 3 adults continued to watch as well!  Brad was convinced Simon would soon take matters in to his own "paws" by knocking her to the ground to get to the kibble.  Nope, that didn't happen.  She soon began to tire of the kibble which Simon took note of.  As soon as she distanced herself ever so slightly from the kibble he confidently swooped in to gobble it up. 

I must say his patience was quite remarkable.  I kind of thought he would have snatched it up long before he did, as he knows he's no match for her.  He calmly waited her out!  Simon's reaction to our new addition is quite surprising to me.  He has the patience of Job with her.  She plays with his tail, he lets her.  She attempts to jump on his back for a ride, he lets her.  Cool, calm, and collected is how he is around Piper. So far so good with the two of them!

The Differences!

There are of course differences raising a kitty compared to raising a puppy.  I don't have much experience with cats.  The most exposure to a cat I've had was Storm.  I was still learning about Storm.  However, I didn't meet Storm as a kitty, she was a full grown older cat by the time I came into Brad's world. Therefore this is indeed a new experience.

With puppies and kitties they have boundless energy at times.  Then they get themselves rather tuckered out and sleep for long periods.  The boundless energy comes at different times for a kitty than a puppy.  Yesterday I thought something was wrong with Piper as she was sleeping and sleeping and sleeping.  She's usually awake around 6:00 to be a party to the evening's activities.  But she must have stayed up longer into the afternoon which meant she needed to sleep way into the evening.  I think it was around 8:30 when she was finally up.  She was still in prime form when we were ready to go to bed.  She settled down though and slept peacefully.  She's been very good at night.  The first night Brad brought her home is the only night she got me up at 3:00 am.

Another big difference I've noticed is the "abandonment issue".  Those that have raised a puppy know what I mean about the fear of being abandoned.  Puppies will follow you from room to room then cry if they can't see you for a long period of time.  Simon is a little more of a loner than most dogs so he didn't fear being abandoned to severely.  The way Cody still has the need to be in the same room with me makes me believe he still fears being abandoned. ;)  As for Piper she is curious about other areas of the house when I go somewhere we aren't letting her access, however, she's doesn't seem to have a fear we'll just leave her to fend for herself. Cats in general are much more independent in many ways. 

I am learning her different meows.  The meow for wanting attention sounds different than the meow for food.  She also has some squeaks she makes.  She has lots of different sounds she's experimenting with.  Kitties are much more vocal than puppies.

This should be fun to watch her grow.   

Cody's Sickness

Well the worst part of the last week has been dealing with Cody and his sickness.  Last weekend Cody was not doing so well.  He was having some stomach issues.  I waited through the weekend to see if he would recover on his own.  By the time Monday came around he was really doing poorly.  His strange behavior during the day on Monday earned him a much needed trip to the vet. Good thing our vet is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I got him an early evening appointment and off we went to the vet.  The news wasn't great.  We were given two options:  at-home treatment or hospitalize him.  Having the suggestion of hospitalizing Cody after months ago being told Storm needed to be hospitalized was not a good thought.

I chose to take him home and give him the best at-home care we could provide him with.  I worried all Monday night that we would lose him.  When Tuesday arrived he was showing some signs of improvement.  The deal with the vet was that Cody had to start showing signs of improvement or else I had to take him in to be hospitalized.  I decided to make him plain rice in an attempt to get some food in him. I did throw in a few kibbles with the plain rice. The amount of food he was getting was about a fourth of what he normally eats per meal.  His eyes along with his overall appearance looked better and better as Tuesday progressed. My mind started to stop worry about him so much.

On Thursday his condition dipped down again.  He suddenly went backwards.  He was struggling a bit through Friday and the early part of Saturday.  However, the way Cody acted early in the day yesterday was the way he has acted numerous times before when he's had heartburn.  Many year's ago I was told by a vet Cody has heartburn issues just like a human.  So Cody and his heartburn is something I'm used to dealing with.  That was not as worrisome to me.  I was quite sure the meds prescribed to him was causing his stomach to not be as settled as it should be.  As everyone knows, sometimes meds can help yet hinder you in other ways...same goes for dogs!  The meds ran out on Saturday morning.  As soon as the meds ran out I was hopeful his heartburn issue would subside, which is exactly what has happened as it seems today. 

Cody ate half of his dinner early in the evening yesterday then the other half later in the evening.  This morning based on his actions I felt confident about giving him his usual amount of breakfast. Which he happily ate!

It's been a difficult time dealing with this virus he was diagnosed with.  His recovery was up and down all week, one day he seemed on the mend the next day he took a step backwards.  During this past week I cried 2 or 3 times as I prepared myself for the worst. I understand it's a much different thing taking an older pug to the vet than it was taking a young whipper-snapper pug to the vet.  It's more nerve wracking for sure!   The boys are not young ones anymore.  I accept that as much as I don't want to! 

I am so happy to report, as of today he appears to be back to being our normal Cody-man!  Fingers-crossed happy-go-lucky Cody is here to stay for quite awhile longer! Since he appears to be better his new little sister has begun tormenting his tail once again! We tried keeping her away from him while he was sick, he didn't need to be messed with. Now he's doing better so his tail is fair game again! ;)   

Mom's First Mavs Game!

We took my mom to her first Dallas Mavericks game this past week.  I had the idea to get tickets for a Mavs game while she was here visiting weeks before she arrived.  After looking at their schedule her visit coincided with only 1 home game.  I was hoping to have a bit more choice of games, but oh well.  We got tickets to take her to see the Mavs vs. the Washington Wizards.  Brad and I have only been to one Mavs game together so this was just our second time attending a live game.  

It was bitter cold night in Dallas on game night.  My Zonie mom was forced to walk through the super chilly weather to the arena. ;)  The parking at the arena is not difficult to deal with so it's not like we had to walk for miles.  It was an easy walk!  Once inside I could tell she was in awe of the arena, thoroughly enjoying the experience. We were able to get some awesome tickets for the game. We were in the first row of the Platinum section.  The Platinum section is in the middle area of the arena.  The upper level was above us and the lower level below us.  In the Platinum section you get food and beverage service, we never had to get up to go to the concession stand.  There's actually no concession stands in the Platinum section.  There's a couple restaurants and merchandise shops along with some of the nicest restrooms one could use!  ;)  In the future when attending a Mavs game we'll be sitting in the Platinum section!

My mom has always loved watching NBA basketball.  During much of my childhood I believe my mom's preference was to watch the NBA over the NFL.  Now I think she enjoys the NFL more than the NBA.  However, nothing compares to watching a game live in the stands than sitting at home.  It is a unique experience.  I know she had a great time at the game.  I'm glad they won too!  That helps make the experience even better in my opinion! I hope the Mavs game was one of the highlights of her visit, it certainly was for me!  We all had a great time!  It's more special when you don't do those types of things all the time! 

Mom will head home to Phx tomorrow.  It's been a nice visit!  I enjoyed it being as long as it has been.  We had more time to relax, no rushing to get things done.  I also liked having her here during this time of the year.  We were able to fit in a couple days of early Christmas shopping.  The weather in November is likely chillier than she would prefer.  However, the nice thing about this month is that it isn't consistently cold day after day.  We might have a few cold days then it goes up to a more "non-chill-you-to-your-core" temp.  This weekend has been gorgeous!  Perfect weather for her last few days here!  Anyway I'm rather hopeful we can make her long 10 day visit an annual November thing.  Good times!

 

 

This is the screen above the floor! Kind of a weird pic, I know!