RIP Princey

I had to do the hardest thing I have ever done in life today. I had to say goodbye to my beloved Prince. Some would say he was just a cat, but to me he was my baby, my cheerleader, my faithful, everloving friend. Today as I said goodbye to my Prince, my mind replayed the moment we first met, all of his stinky kisses, his many near death encounters(he was quite the escape artist) and the way he would curl his arms around my neck like a baby does when they are carried. I will miss the freckles on his nose(that I once thought was skin cancer, but turned out to be aging), his barely there meow and the way he walked into the room like he owned it. I will miss the fact that while he loved my husband and son, I was his human and he craved my affection like people crave chocolate. This morning I knew it was the end, but knowing it would happen did not prepare me for how excrutiating it would be to experience his moment of departure. I felt his last breath and knew that there was no more pain, no more fear and that I will see my friend again someday at the Rainbow Bridge. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I will be thankful for so many things, my family and friends, but mostly, tomorrow I will be thankful for spending the last 15 years with my precious boy, Prince. RIP Prince. I will always love you.

Heart

Today, I was driving home from the zoo having a conversation with Jack as we usually do. Then the conversation took an amazing turn and here's how it went:

Jack: Mom, you think I am cute, don't you?
Me: Yes, you are cute. What do you think makes you cute?
Jack: My good heart.

Now I know I have done something right.

Because you are treasured...

As you know, Jack loves to play dress up. He loves funky hats, boots, and costumes of all sorts. Usually, it is some combination of all of the above resulting in an irresistable concoction that brings back memories of The Village People. For Christmas, our dear boy is going to get a dress up box filled with all kinds of wonderful costumes to indulge his creative spirit. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what kind of box would hold all of these wonderful things and it hit me! A treasure chest, of course! I searched high and low for a weathered old chest that could be made over to be something special. So here begins my journey.
A coat of antique gold spray paint begins the transformation(and my index finger is still numb this morning, but what is a little nerve damage, right?)
By now it is sunset and I am feverishly hand glueing on tons of acrylic jewels. If you look closely, you can still see the fresh glue!
And the finished product! A treasure for my treasure!

Fall

What will you find on a typical fall morning in my backyard? A cat enjoying the crisp morning air and sunshine, a little boy in footed dinosaur pjs with lots of 'tude and flowers blooming in a window box. I love fall at home.

Beach Boy

We visited the beach several times during our trip to California. The temps were in the mid to high 60's for the most part, but we decided to brave the surf anyway. Jack loved searching for seashells and even found a perfect sand dollar smaller than a dime! He chased the greedy seagulls that routinely crashed our picnics and tried to fly away with my sweater. We buried him in the sand and dug for sand crabs...simple stuff, but so much fun. On our last day, we walked the shoreline for a couple of hours, splashing and chasing Jackson who oohed and ahhed over every broken shell and rock that he found. We even made a grass skirt for our hula boy out of the seaweed and grass that washed up on shore. Ahhh, the memories.

Trick or Treat at the Beach

When Bryan booked our trip to Carlsbad he didn't realize he booked it over Halloween. What a first seemed to be a tough break with a 3 year old turned into a happy accident. We found the most amazing neighborhood to trick or treat in. Every house participated and each house was decorated more elaborately than the last. Swarms of happy children roamed the sidewalks looking for tricks AND treats. Even daddy got a scare in a homemade haunted house! If someone has a spare million for us, we could have Halloween in that neighborhood every year!

Seaport Village

The Saturday before heading home, I took the boys to Seaport Village in San Diego. It was an absolutely beautiful day, clear skies, sea breeze and the smells and sounds of the ocean. We walked along taking in the sites and happened upon a couple of guys with exotic birds on display. Jack got to hold a couple different kinds and was all smiles. Just when the day couldn't get any better, we discovered a Mickey lookalike and a San Diego firetruck within a stones throw of eachother. After a lunch of fish and chips, we headed for the car, but not before Jack got a ride on a 115 year old hand carved carousel. Whew! What a day!

Livin' it up at Legoland

We were lucky enough to visit Legoland for the 2nd year in a row. It is really amazing to see all of the works of wonder created completely out of legos. Who has THAT kind of time? Here are some pictures of our adventure. No story needed, the pics speak for themselves.

Snips and Snails

Anyone from California will tell you that early morning and late evening brings out the snails. Slippery, slimy little guys carrying around their homes without a care in the world. But in Arizona, we don't often see snails...something about the dry heat not being compatible with slimy little creatures. As we walked down the path to Legoland, Jack discovered his first snail. He was so excited. Glad I took the time to take a picture.