Love and Loss

We have lost two of our precious pets. Both unexpected and both missed beyond words. Kolya was 8 years old and he had torn ACL' s in both of his back legs. I had been lifting him in and out to use the bathroom, but I knew his condition would only get worse. Surgery was well over $5000 because it involved both back legs. :( He woke up one morning in September in severe pain. He couldn't move without horrible pain. Lap of Love came to our home so he could pass in peace and be as comfortable as possible. I am heartbroken, but comforted by the fact that he is running again, free of pain and we will be reunited one day. Our other little fur baby was Linus. He was a male calico born with several serious health problems. He had two ectopic ureters, and even though there is a surgery that can be successful, the surgeon told me that he did not feel it would be successful for him. Even with prescription medicine and prescription food, he still was getting UTI's. He leaked urine and that was becoming worse also. It was a quality of life decision and one that will haunt me for the rest of my life. He was only a year old. :( If you know our family, you will know that we love our pets and we have a lot. We currently have four cats and four dogs.  If you put your heart out there, you will be blessed by having a pet. With love comes loss at some point, and though it hurts like hell, it is so worth it. Their love is unconditional. Nothing compares to the love from an animal. 

August 2021

No fancy title here. Just an update of our life during the Covid-19 saga. The boys are back to their summer programs. They have all been vaccinated. Jimmy's class is still Zoom for him right now. Liam has been home all week with a fever. There have been breakthrough cases, but I'm positive this is not Covid. He appears to have a cold. No coughing. Caleb graduated from high school and is eagerly awaiting the Young Adult Program that he will attend. It starts on the 30th. Saline schools just announced that masks will be required when school starts. Thanks to an uptake in the Delta variant and because the children under 12  can't be vaccinated yet. We've done a few doctor appts. and the boys have eye appts. next week. Can't wait to get Caleb a new pair of frames! Elijah turned 15 in July. Wow! Now, all my boys are in the high school and beyond. I will be driving them to and from school to avoid the bus situation this school year. So, on to the pics of our summer this year. :)

Went blonde this summer!

Christmas in July

New electric grill.

Caleb with his new ping pong table that he got for graduation.

Almost back to normal

 So, here we are in June 2021. Over a year into the Covid-19 pandemic. We have all received both doses of our vaccine, so we can safely (hopefully) begin getting back to normal. Caleb has graduated from High School (next post) and Liam will be beginning ABA therapy twice a week, beginning next week. We are going to the lake again, and I am super excited to get into that water. A sense of freedom in a way, sent from God, is how I welcome that experience. Our family has stayed home during the pandemic, no stores, school, restaurants, theaters...... So, this is a weird thing for us to jump back into it. The boys will be going to their summer programs this year in person! I will still take precautions when I go shopping and things, wearing my mask and social distancing when I can. I will most likely try and avoid taking the boys in restaurants and stores throughout the rest of the year, with an exception here or there. I can't explain it, but it gives me peace of mind, not to wholeheartedly just throw them back into everything so quickly, while there is still so much to learn about this virus. Vaccinated or not. So, here are a few pics and hopefully we will have a fun summer with more to share this year! Thank you Jesus for all of our blessings.