You're Growing Old!!!

July is a huge month of birthdays for me! My dad, mom, sister, 2 brother-in-laws, several friends, and even our cat celebrate birthdays. But the one I want to mention now is my oldest sibling, Vickie. She turned the BIG 5-0 on the 27th. I wouldn't be shouting out her age if it didn't bother her sooo much. Her family left on Saturday the 25th for a trip to Vegas. I am almost certain she planned this to avoid harassment from family and friends. I don't know why it bothers her so much. She looks great for someone that is half a century old. I hope you have a great trip with your family in Vegas...but remember, you have to return someday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Grady!!!

Today is the 1st birthday of a very special little boy. Grady Wallace. He belongs to our good friends, Jamie and Jennifer. He is the happiest baby and always has a smile for everyone he meets. Hayden and I were lucky enough to be able to babysit him on his birthday. We had our own little party with cake, balloons and presents.
I think he enjoyed throwing the cake more than eating it.Now this is how you are supposed to eat birthday cake!
Sharing with Hayden.
We gave him "Sing Along with Elmo". I think he likes it.
Grady, I hope you enjoyed your birthday as much as Hayden and I did. We love you!!!

Precious Pictures...As Promised!

We arrived at Luke and Amanda's last night around 7:30 and went to a catfish place for dinner. The food was great, but nothing compared to the company. It was so good to see all three of them...but let me tell you about Kate! She has changed so much since their last visit. She is really developing her own little personality, and is such a happy baby. She has beautiful dimples, just like her dad. She lights up when Luke or Amanda come in the room. She is also mesmerized by Bandit and will stare at him for several minutes at a time. I fall in love with her more every time I see her. By looking at the pictures you will probably agree that I am not the only one. Her daddy says she has him in the palm of her hand and I feel sure Hayden would be right there with him if we lived closer. We spent time at their house this morning and then went to Mexican for a late lunch. We shopped for a short while and then headed home.
Love the expression!
Hayden, checking out the competition.
Such an Angel!
Dimples like my Dad's
Kate loved walking with Wade.

Thank you so much Luke and Amanda for your hospitality and for sharing your beautiful baby girl.

All Is Better, Now!!!

My last post seemed a bit depressing, so I wanted to let you know that life is better. We discovered that our other dog, Marley, had the same symptoms as the first and had to treat him for several days. Wade thinks they were having a severe reaction to flea collars. He has researched this on the internet and found many cases where the symptoms were exactly like Marley and Maci's. The vet did tell us that the Parvo test is unreliable and gives false results regularly. I am just glad they are happy, healthy puppies again.
Tyler tested positive for H. Pyloric, some type of peptic stomach ulcer. Seems this was his problem instead of acid reflux. He will have to keep taking the medicine for acid reflux for a while to prepare his stomach for the treatment of the H. Pyloric...a strong triple dose of antibiotics. The strong antibiotic is what set off the problem to begin with. Keep him in your prayers, please.
This week has been hectic. Monday was Hayden's dentist appt. Tuesday, Tyler and I went to Starkville to sign the lease for his apartment.
Wednesday, Hayden and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. It was great, and yes, I cried.
Thursday night was Ladies Night Out at church. Add all of this to preparations for our VBS....busy, busy. I am in charge of a game and Hayden and a few of her friends are helping me. We decided on "Deal or No Deal". Our decorations are pretty neat. Now, if I could just come up with 20 something silver brief cases.
We leave this afternoon to visit, Luke, Amanda, and Baby Kate. I'm sure I'll have lots of precious pictures on my next post. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy 75th Birthday, Dad and Mom

A Happy 75th Birthday wish goes out to my Dad and Mom this week!!! My Dad is only 3 days older than my Mom. They have both been such wonderful parents and I hope their birthdays are as special as they are. I am giving a "shout out" to them now, but we are celebrating this weekend at Dale's Steak House in Florence. Yes, that is where the marinade gets it's name...and the steaks literally melt in your mouth.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Looking For a Better Day!

My last post was about Tyler having his wisdom teeth removed, and all has gone downhill since. His surgery was on the 26th and I thought he was going to get through it with no problem...and then on the 30th he woke up with jaws swollen so huge that he resembled Marlon Brando in "The Godfather". How ironic...that is his favorite movie.
I had an appointment with my dentist for a crown that afternoon, so Tyler went with me. It turns out that he had a serious infection and the doctor gave him clindamycin. He had problems swallowing the capsule, so I told him just to eat food after taking the meds to push the pill on down. From Tuesday til Friday night he was miserable because he could hardly eat and it felt like the pills were lodged in his throat. Needless to say he was not a happy camper, because Tyler is a big guy and he really likes to eat. So he stopped taking the pill and went to the doctor on Monday. Turns out he has non symptomatic acid reflux and the strong antibiotic had caused it to flare up. He is now on medication for that. Tell me, how difficult is it going to be for me to get Hayden to have her wisdom teeth removed next summer after all this drama?

And if that isn't enough excitement for one week, our 8 month old retriever, Macy, started acting sick on the night of the 4th. Sunday morning we checked on her and she could hardly walk, so we called our vet. Wade left with Macy, and the steering in his truck went out about 1000 feet from our drive. He hit a ditch and was thrown across the road in to another yard. He called a wrecker to tow his truck and walked back to our house to get a different vehicle. Macy didn't have enough energy to walk so he had to carry her back home. Did I mention that it was pouring rain? If you are wondering why we weren't helping him, it is because we had already left for church. When they finally made it to Bessemer(about 70 miles from us), Macy was diagnosed with Parvo. This is pretty unusual for a dog her age. Luckily, because she it is older they think she can be treated and will be fine. They started an IV drip and kept her until today to rehydrate her and get the virus out of her system. Now that she is home, I am force feeding her rice in chicken broth and Pedialyte because she doesn't have an appetite and won't eat on her own. So... I have spent most of my day nursing my baby girl and watching the coverage of Michael Jackson's funeral. What a sad day...maybe tomorrow will be better.The Michael Jackson that I knew and loved in the early 80's. I know there was much controversy in his life, but he was very talented and a great entertainer.