Gracie

Last weekend we discovered a large lump on Gracie's chest. We took her to the vet today and learned that it's cancer. She is having the tumor removed on Tuesday so once they get a better look, we'll know more about her prognosis. The vet said this type of cancer runs the gamut from going away after the tumor is removed to spreading so fast there's nothing that can be done. We'll be eagerly awaiting news from the surgeon on Tuesday. I hadn't really noticed a difference in her demeanor but I swear she seems a little sad today, like she knows something is wrong. Gracie just turned 8 in January.

Uncle Jesse

My brother Jesse and sister Erin came back from Denver this past weekend for our Mom's birthday. The kids really liked hanging out with them. Chloe is particularly fond of her Aunt. When it was time for bed on Saturday, she asked for Aunt Erin to tuck her in. When I came around the corner to help her to bed she said "I said I want Auntie Erin, are you Auntie Erin?"

They wanted to be cool like uncle Jesse and wear their shades in the house. 

Parker really thought he was hot stuff, showing off his shades. He also likes to show off his new Adidas too.

Dog Door

As you can tell, my darling son has become fascinated with our automatic dog door. He loves to hang 1/2 in, 1/2 out and look around the back yard - even if it's 12 degrees outside.

Superbowl Sunday

Do you ever have those moments where you watch your kids do something and think, wow, you are so my kid? Here's one of mine: Parker loves HyVee's Southwest dip (just like I do). So much so, he decided to skip the chips and just eat it with his fingers. He also loves chocolate and will grunt as soon as he sees you grab an M&M. He also loves pickles, green olives and as I've posted before, lemons and limes. Chloe won't eat anything green (well, except for green M&Ms).


I had to show this picture to Chloe on the camera and explain that I wanted to SEE her face.


She got a haircut on Saturday. It's sort of a grown up style but it really helps lighten up the curls. She was routing for the Steelers unlike her mom & dad who were cheering for the underdogs.

4-Wheelin'

It was deceptively sunny on Sunday so we decided to break the kids' Jeep out of the basement so they could really cruise. It was still pretty chilly so we had to ride on the sunny side of the road which made it a little nicer. Yes, Parker is wearing a pink hat and helmet. I didn't trust Chloe's driving and he doesn't have his own helmet yet. As for the hat - he won't keep his on so I put this one on him and the velcro straps helped.

Chloe needs some practice at steering. In the basement she can only go forwards & backwards to the steering wheel is all new! They had so much fun.

The shady front of our house - this is why we went across the street. Plus, Ray was washing the cars and we didn't want to get wet or slip on the quickly-forming ice.