If you're a Greys Anatomy fan...

Click here to start the day on a happy, crazy, heart-pounding note. Ahh... is it Thursday yet?

On a not so happy note, off to school I go... College "go to" classes are so overrated lol

The past month in pictures :)

Time is not my friend lately...so while I have no time to write about life lately (thanks to my future in maxillofacial surgery) I'll just show you in a few pictures...I promise to get back to real blogging soon!

School firsts

Lexie and Sprinkles

What happens when you take your eye off of Cooper for 30 seconds...

Ally's name is now "Sprinkles" and we have a LOT of Blues Clues parties

And most importantly... SPENCER. I'm in love. There really aren't words.

Can someone tell me...

how this little baby...


became this little pre-k 3er?


I have no words. I love this little Sprinkles (her name this week)

Puppy photo shoot

Puppy photo shoot! :) Enjoy. Thanks soooo much Courtney :)

Sprinkles and Ally

Dietrich

Runtacus

Blue's Clues

Sprinkles

Click here to see the rest.

Puppy update!

Sorry for the lack of updates. It's been super busy around here between kids, puppies, new apartment, getting ready for vacation, ect;

Puppies are doing great though! They will be 2 weeks old tomorrow! I'm going to do a mini puppy photo shoot tonight so I'll post those pictures later.

All the puppies are "named" as of right now.

Dietrich (Ruby boy)- The biggest of all the puppies and Courtney's new baby. He loves to snuggle and knock other puppies out of the way when it comes time for food. He also whines like a human baby when something doesn't go his way.

Runtacuss (Ruby boy)- he desperately needs a new name. Runtacuss was bestowed upon him at 3 AM one night when I was trying to force him to eat because he was so little. He was a little runt and he made me cuss like a sailor. Therefore he is affectionately known as Runtacuss lol. Luckily the eating and cussing paid off because he's now the 2nd biggest! He has the prettiest markings of all the puppies with a "Kiss of Buddha" on his forehead.

Blues Clues (Ruby girl)- Lexie's mini me! She's absolutely precious and if I didn't already have a ruby I'd keep her. She has the exact same markings as her mommy and much the same personality. Love bug is really the only way to describe this little princess. I thought about naming her "Lady" since that is Lexie's first name. She's the smallest as of right now.

Sprinkles (Blenheim girl)- My new baby. Lexie loves all of her puppies but she's absolutely into Sprinkles. Maybe just because she has a different coloring than the other 3. She's the 2nd smallest and loves to snuggle with her sister. We always find the girls together on one side of the box and the boys on the other. Like I said, I'd keep them both if I didn't want to be labeled a dog hoarder. She's a pretty content puppy until it comes to her dinner. Then watch out... she can't ever seem to find her own nipple so she knocks everyone else off of theirs instead. Problem child much?

Lexie is doing great also! Although I'm pretty sure if she were a human mommy she'd have hired a nanny by now. She loves the puppies, but is too nosey to stay with them all the time. She'd much rather be down with the humans and so we are constantly back and forth up and down stairs putting her with the puppies. We had some issues with getting her to eat in the beginning but a few days ago she discovered food again and is eating everything in site!

Anyway just a quick update. Pictures to come later!

We have puppies!

Around 2PM today Lexie became a Mommy (much to her own dismay)

We got the picture text of 4 beautiful babies while eating lunch at Applebees. I'm pretty sure the staff thought we were crazy when we started screaming about the baby quadruplets that had just been delivered...

2 little ruby boys, 1 ruby girl and 1 blenheim girl. They are all nameless right now except for the blenheim girl named "Addison (my choice) Sprinkles (Ally's choice)". I'll let Mom give the other 3 their temp names since she paid for everything lol.

Lexie did have to have a C-section. She just wouldn't go into labor on her own. When we went to pick her and the puppies up, Lexie was disgusted with them. HATE is really the only word that comes to mind when I try to describe her reaction to them at first. Luckily she is coming around and right now they are all snuggling. She's started licking them, reacting to their cries, and nursing without us holding her down. She'll be a pro in no time. The puppies obviously loooove their mommy and scream like little piglets whenever they are separated from her.

I'll post more later when we are all situated!

NYC

Today I made the decision that New York City just wasn't going to work out this year. I am sad, but there are so many things going on here at home that only happen once. Puppies being one example, getting my new apartment on Thursday being another. Even though I have come to terms with my decision, I will miss NYC with my friends this year :( Luckily, today I got a little taste of NYC and what I'll be missing.

The morning started out with whine...and a lot of it. By whine I obviously mean that prolonged screechy noise that leaks out of Ally and Coopers mouths when I can't magically make the other one disappear. Alcoholic? No. But it ends with the same headache.

This was followed by puke. The whine in the air had obviously affected Lexie as she felt it necessary to vomit all contents of her stomach...on 3 different floors and a total of 6 rooms.

And yes, I know what you are thinking those of you actually from the city... urine. Not to be upstaged by Lexie, the other dogs decided that it really wasn't necessary to pee outside today due to the torrential downpour (dribble) taking place outside.

I have to give it to my canine friends though, it isn't a true day in the city unless you feel like showering after every trip on the subway (upstairs).

But as always, NYC's amazing moments overshadow the bad. And the bad really aren't THAT bad, just different from the ordinary which is why people vacation anyway.

I did get to see an amazingly beautiful drag queen who had more self confidence than I do.

And "Alphalphaba" from Wicked (Ally's name for Elphaba)

Courtney, Rachel, and Michael... I hope you guys have an AMAZING time in NYC! I will miss you guys but I know you will have a BLAST without me :) Just remember...I like shiny pink things lol.

The Poop Chronicles

The title of this blog post should be self explanatory. In fact, if you have not read my previous posts about a certain Pink Pigs pooping issues, let me fill you in: Ally doesn't just pretend to be a pig. She absolutely truly believes with every ounce of her being that she is in fact a real life pink pig. That she made her grand appearance into this world oinking instead of crying.

Now logically, because she is a Pink Pig she poops where a pig would poop. All of which places do not include a potty, no matter how much we try to convince her that baby pigs ONLY poop in the potty.

Again if you haven't read my previous blog posts, these places include but are not limited too: the front yard, the back yard, the bath tub, the swimming pool, and in her underwear (because baby pigs wear underwear, obviously)

Now for todays story.

My mom and were sitting at the computer looking at the new Louis bags. Then we heard it. The unmistakable sound of a pig in trouble (or in our house...a 3 year old that has done something she is very proud of)

Ally: OOOOOINKKKKKKK! OIIIINNNNKKKKK!

Now please understand that this sounds more like a dying goat... not an actual pig. We really aren't sure why she thinks pigs make this noise... much less pigs that are extremely proud of themselves.

Mom and I both looked up after a few minutes of the disgruntled oinks.

Mom: What is that smell?

Ally: Oinky Oink (Big smile)

Jordan: Oh no... Al- I mean Pig did you poop on the floor

Ally: OooOOiIIiiIINnnNNnkkKKKkkk (nod)

Mom/Jordan: WHERE?!?!?!

Ally: Oinky Oinkers OINKKKK

Apparently pigs loose their ability to speak english when they have completed a task such as pooping on the living room floor. So those of us who do not speak squealing 3 year old pig... we just followed the scent.

I'm sure you can guess what we found beside her favorite rock rock chair without me adding details.

We didn't understand until later that the location had been pre-planned. She's been trying to run her 16 year old brother our of "her" chair for 3 weeks now. Needless to say, she's finally succeeded.

She's also managed to become alpha dog in the house. Literally, all 6 dogs now follow her around like she is God. They are probably just in sheer amazement that she managed to poop in the house without being banished to the backyard for 3 hours.

Ally and Cooper update

I haven't written about the kids in a while so I thought I'd update.

Ally

Allyisms for the week.

Ally (yelling): Dog Damn-it!

Jordan: Ally! What did you just say?

Ally: I say Dog Damn it. Like you Sessa. Dog Damn-it! I'm not hungry!

(I've never been so thankful that Ally doesn't know who God is lol. So she just assumed I was saying Dog. It doesn't help that these "words" always slip when I am yelling at a dog about something lol. Obviously I've got to watch my language better lol)

In the car driving to Gymboree.

Jordan: Hey Pig, do you know what a baby pig is called?

Ally: Oinkers!

Jordan: No, They are called piglets.

Ally: No Sessa, they are called oinkers.

Jordan: What about a baby dog?

Ally: Ruffers.

Jordan: Baby cat?

Ally: Meowers.

Jordan Baby person?

Ally: A Cooper.

In the bedroom. Ally is rolling around the floor like she is possessed.

Jordan: Pig, WHAT are you doing?

Ally: Trying to lick my butt like Lexie. I'm a dog.

Currently Ally still begs to poop in the yard on a daily basis. We don't let her but every once in awhile when I take Lexie out to the front yard to pee (she has issues getting up and down our deck stairs now) I'll look over and Ally is squatting in the yard peeing.

She also threatened Cooper last night in the bathtub that if he didn't slide over she was going to "diarrhea him". I don't even want to know what that entails.

Cooper

He refuses to call me Sessa. I'm just Jordan, which is fine. It's just funny because he only does it our of stubbornness. He waits for me to react after he calls me Jordan lol.

We learned this week that he hates music class at Gymboree. His way of coping is to sit with his head in your chest, eyes scrunched closed as night as they will go, and make a whining sound that is equivlent to a goat.

He has no fear what so ever and really prefers not to play with other kids at gymboree. I guess if I had to play with Ally everyday I'd avoid other kids too. He does love however to be given a mission to do, and he listens better than most 2o year olds. His talking is getting better and better every day, but he hasn't hit the point where I can write a whole "Cooperisms" section. He did however decide at 3AM last night with his parents out of town that he was going to kick Ally and I out of bed...literally. And not let us back in. He misses his Mommy and Daddy horribly. It didn't help that Ally told him that they were never coming home... and that they "ever lived in North Carolina now". Poor Cooper.

Any day!

We are getting closer and closer to puppies! Lexie's temperature was a low this afternoon of 98.9 (dogs usually run between 101 and 102). Once she gets down to about 98.0- 97.0 that means puppies within 24 hours! She has lost her appetite today too. I prepared her usual mixture of Royal Cannon Puppy Chow, dog food mixins, and scrambled eggs and she basically ignored it. A normal Lexie would have devoured this whole plate even though it's 3 servings worth! She's also been lying around all day. Even though she follows me everywhere, if I stop for just a second she lays down right in her tracks. Hopefully she'll have these puppies soon so she can get back to feeling better!

Lexie's dinner (made in bulk)

Puppy journal, notes, and Lady puppy

The puppy room! Whelping supplies are under the bed for quick access.

Lexie shrine

Puppy Mama hanging out in her bed :)

AMAZING Puppy Mill video by Rachel!

This is a video by my best friend Rachel for a film class. I thought it was important to post because it really captures the sadness of puppy mills. With all the happy posts about Lexie's puppies I thought it was important to remember those puppies born that aren't as lucky.

Puppy Mill Video

Puppy progress

We're getting close! The puppies ranged from 8-10 cm's today which seems huge to me. All I keep thinking is poor Lexie lol. They are all kicking and squirming around. It's a REAL party in her tummy! She loves me to hold her like a baby (on her back, stomach in the air) so it's the perfect position to feel the puppies kick. I'm not totally sure she knows what they are though because every time one gives her a big kick she jumps, then looks utterly annoyed haha. Inpatient mommy already. She's become super clingy within the past week so I've been letting her sleep in the bed with Ally and I again so she's definitely enjoying that haha.

We tried to go on our nightly walk about a week ago but Lexie only made it about 1/3 of the way before stopping, looking up at me, then whining excessively. In Lexie language that means carry me. So I got to push a stroller and carry an 11 pound dog. That is love.

What do pregnant dogs crave? Apples. She is obsessed. So much so she will stalk the kids out and take them (gently) right out of their hands lol. I've also been bribing her to eat her dog food by covering it with Spaghetti O's with hotdogs and heating it up in the microwave for 15 seconds. Can we say spoiled?

Her puppy room is all ready complete with everything a human baby would need, so we're definitely covered when it comes to puppies lol. I'll post pictures on my next post.

Everyone please cross you fingers that all goes well! We want a smooth and uneventful delivery with healthy Cavalier puppies!

AKC breeding...my opinion

I discovered yesterday that people are stricter on the birth of puppies than the birth of human babies. Why do I say this? Because it's true. No one has to be qualified to have a baby. No one has to be "Show standard and perfect". That is called discrimination.

Where does this rant stem from? I posted an ultrasound video on a Cavalier message board of Lexie's puppies. They locked it because they don't encourage discussions of breeding from people who aren't AKC "breeders" due to the fact that basically I don't know what I'm doing and I am possibly putting the entire Cavalier breed in jeopardy because of Lexie's puppies. (Possibly being a little melodramatic but thats the basic gist)

I would like to know how many AKC breeders can get 4D ultrasounds of their Cavalier's puppies to make sure everything is okay?

For those of you confused, I'll explain. In the online Cavalier community (facebook, message boards, myspace, ect;) as long as you have a Cavalier you are allowed into the group. They quietly pity you if your Cavalier isn't "Breed Standard" or show quality. I only know this because our male Max is show quality. He's perfect in the sense of the breed. When we got him and I joined this "community" I received so many messages about how beautiful he was. How he was so perfect and should be a stud. People actually told me that they didn't know why they even sold Cavalier puppies that weren't "Show Quality".

My Lexie on the other hand is considered pet quality, being under the weight limit with white markings. When I shared her pictures, the brag comments never came. Only questions like "Oh she has some white" and "You know Cavaliers are supposed to weigh between 12 and 18 pounds". I never cared. The whole reason I hand picked Lexie was because she was different. She looked just like Lady from "Lady and the Tramp". I honestly don't know why you'd ever try to purchase a puppy for any reason other than they are perfect in your mind, like Lexie was in mine.

They also criticize you for not feeding your dog the "raw" diet. You are judged for letting your dog sleep in the bed with you or run around in the backyard "like a dog". For taking your dog to the dog park and for boarding them when you have to go out of town. But all of this can be ignored and forgiven apparently. The real crime in the Cavalier community... breeding.

Before I go any further I should state the obvious. We are not backyard breeders, puppy mill peddlers, ect; We are family who love Cavaliers. We are a family who are so in love with our two Cav's, that have so many people in love with Lexie and Max that we would like to continue their good traits, their personality quarks that are important to us. Lexie and Max have had every vaccine on time. They have both been tested for every possible Cavalier health problem, and we had the okay from BOTH of the veterinarians at the practice that we go to to breed them.

So what's the problem? We aren't "AKC breeders". We don't have AKC registered show dogs. Our dogs don't have names like "Stars Happiness of Morning Dew" but go by "Pinky". We don't have 12 Cavaliers that we breed between each other constantly to create the perfect puppy.

Oops... my bad. I thought that loving and spending quality time along with appropriate health tests were enough.

When purchasing a purebred puppy you are told to look for a reputable AKC breeder. We did this with all of our dogs except for Max. AKC breeders have supposably bred the bad out of the breeds. Their puppies are supposed to be healthy, good quality, and up to AKC standard for show or pet quality.

Another thing I should mention. We consider all of our dogs except for Max rescue dogs. Funny enough, ALL of our dogs except for Max came from AKC breeders.

My mom's two chihuahuas came from a reputable AKC breeder in North Carolina. When you google this lady everything about her is what the books tell you to look for. After purchasing the boys, both came home with horrible diarrhea. They ended up having Giardia. A year or so later we found our that both of our Chihuahuas have fatal liver shunts. Liver shunts are genetic, painful, progressive, and cause horrible neurological damage after only a short amount of time. We have spent thousands as pet owners to keep these dogs as healthy for as long as possible. But ultimately they will die most likely 7-8 years before their projected lifespan.

Lexie also came from a reputable AKC breeder. When we got her she was a sickly 1 pound. Her stomach was so bloated and full of worms that she couldn't use her back legs. She was malnourished. She ate herself sick from having to compete for food her whole life. She had a abdominal hernia. She was SICK.

My sisters Papillon came from an AKC breeder in North Carolina. She was covered in flea bites. She was terrified of humans. Her ears had been shaved. When we took her to the vet the first time the vet was convinced she was at least 3 or 4 years old and not an 8 month old puppy. Why? Because her teeth were rotting out of her mouth and they could ONLY be that bad on an older dog he said. She also had a baby tooth that had abscessed, severe allergic reactions to bug bites and fatty tissue tumors.

Are these really the kind of dogs you want to pay thousands of dollars for? AKC breeders goal in life is to breed the perfect puppy. They want the perfect pick of the litter. Then they keep that puppy to show and breed for another "perfect" puppy.

Definition of AKC perfect: headshape, coloring, size, attitude.

Nothing about health. A Cavalier can still be considered "perfect show quality" even when they have mitral valve disease or SM. Here is a list of diseases Cavaliers can develop, but still be considered "perfect" in the eyes of the AKC. I'm not saying all AKC breeders condone this behavior. In fact I know there are many out there that love their dogs and only want what is best for the breed. But rules and guidelines need to be changed. And if no one is going to take the initiative... then I certainly shouldn't be judged for breeding "imperfect" but HEALTHY Cavaliers.

Back to our Cavalier Max. He came from a pet store at a mall. The number one rule when buying a puppy is to never buy from a pet store. Max was completely healthy. I DO NOT support buying dogs from pet stores because they most likely come from puppy mills. But it's kind of sad when your puppy mill dog is healthier than ALL of your AKC pedigree dogs.

The ironic part of all of this is how many breeders and message boards claim that they breed the problems out of their AKC dogs. That their puppies are perfect and healthy because they are AKC registered. If this is the case, then why worry about me breeding my two AKC Cavaliers? If the AKC dogs are perfect...there shouldn't be a problem.

More information on how you can Stop the AKC from breeding deformities and start breeding Healthy Dogs. This is a great blog that goes along with the website. Everyone should watch the documentary on this site called "Pedigree Dogs Exposed". Even with all of this proven information, the website says:

"The UK Kennel Club initially protested the documentary, claiming it was unfairly edited and inaccurate. Yet a few months later, they started making changes. So far, the American Kennel Club(AKC) is ignoring the documentary, pretending as if their breed standards don't cause the same crippling deformities in once-healthy breeds."

I do not support the AKC and I am proud to say that Lexie and Max's HEALTHY puppies will NOT be AKC registered.

Puppies part 2

Here is a quick ultrasound! Enjoy! This is just one clip of many but today we saw at least

4-5 puppies! Kind of looks like a dinosaur! lol

PUPPIES!

Yes everyone... I am going to be a "Grandma". My little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Lexie is going to have puppies! Judging from the ultrasound yesterday she's having 6 puppies! Pictures to come later :)

Boston

We're back with a super happy energetic pink pig! You can read Ally's care page for details about her surgery.

Overall we had a great trip to Boston. I got to do a little but of shopping on Thursday afternoon with my favorite 2 boys. We did a lot of walking but that was okay since I spent 8 straight hours in a hospital bed with Ally on Friday. After her surgery she had to lay flat for 6 hours and keep her legs completely still. The first hour was rough. The mixture of anesthesia, versaid, and morphine was not a good combo. She wasn't Ally. She screamed, kicked, tried to pull her IV's out, ect; then she FINALLY passed out and slept for about 2 hours. When she woke up she was back to her normal self for the most part...the anesthesia made her sick on her stomach but other than that she did amazing. She slept on and off for the next couple hours. We watched Barbie Swan Lake about 10 times lol.

By Friday night she was allowed up and so we went exploring. I spent the night with her since I usually am the one who sleeps with her anyway. Everyone thought she'd be most comfortable if I were there so we had an adventure down to get her chest x-ray then to see the fish in the lobby. Nothing too interesting to write about which in my opinion is a good thing! Everything went completely normal...

Saturday morning both IV's were out, bandages changed and we weer back at the hotel room by 10:00 AM. Then on a plane back to Lexington by 2:30.

Today's she's back to her normal self. She doesn't even seem to be sore! Definitely a brave little pig if you ask me!

She's currently in the playroom trying to send Cooper to time out...

Not the most interesting post...but definitely a happy one! I'll write a more detailed post about our trip when I'm not playing referee.

3...and 1/4

When you're little, birthdays are a big deal. If you don't understand how big of a deal then you were obviously never or kid...or your parents didn't love you enough to make your birthdays absolutely amazing. There's a reason you never meet a 6 year old or a 8 year old. They're always 6 and 1/2 or almost 9. This is because there's nothing more exciting than getting older, right? Wrong. There is nothing more exciting than cake, presents, and an entire room of people paying attention to you. So obviously what little girl would love birthdays the very most? Ally of course.

She's been planning her three and one fourth birthday ever since she realized we would be celebrating her brothers 16th birthday when he arrived from North Carolina. She suddenly realized that her birthday was gone. It was someone else's turn. And her pig cake would not be returning.

I'll let you imagine for yourself the screaming, crying, begging, and random fits that were thrown because she wanted her "birthday back". Luckily she isn't one to dwell on the word "can't". In this case it came in the phrase "You can't have your birthday back, not until March 21st". She Pink Pig got smart. Obviously her birthday wasn't going to come back... at least not until we informed her it was finally March 21st.

So she became extremely generous...and offered to share her brothers birthday with him. See, now this is where I know we have obviously done an amazing job raising her. Sharing skills are intact. She even offered to let him have a bite of his cake (a pig one of course).

And so, being the little Princess she is (and the fact that she is going to have hear surgery this week) everyone caved. Pink Pig got her birthday back. Pig cupcakes and all. And as of today, she can officially say that she is 3 and 1/4 year olds.

Seriously though, you only turn 3 and 1/4 once.

Ally's Care Pages!

Hey everyone,

Here is the link to Ally's Care Page. I'll most likely put whatever updates are on the Care Page on this blog too. But just in case, you can keep on with her progress on that site!

Thanks!

I highly recommend this book

"Little Pink Pup" by Johanna Kerby is absolutely adorable. We bought it just because it was about a dog mommy adopting a baby pig. Ally's favorite two animals so we knew we couldn't go wrong. But it's actually a great way to explain to kids (and baby pigs) to be accepting of everyone, no matter what they look like. Definitely a must buy!

Click here for more details.

Regrets

Since when are there rules about how much time you spend with your siblings? Just saying, when was the last time someone insinuated that you spend TOO much time with your brothers or sisters? I’ve dealt with this since Ally and Cooper were born.

To start, personally I don’t think there is anything more important than family. Especially your parents and your siblings. I can honestly say that I have amazing parents. I’m not embarrassed to say that my mom is my best friend. Both of my parents do what needs to be done for us kids and support us. So many things will come and go throughout life but it is your family that gets you through the change. It’s your family that helps you move on and become a great person. At least that’s how I see my family. I can’t think of one single thing that I couldn’t go to them about. Especially my Mom.

On the topic of siblings, Courtney, Michael, Ally, and Cooper are going to be my brothers and sisters for the rest of my life. FOREVER. How many things can you say that about? So why is it that some people think that I should be a part time sister with them? “As long as you are there for the important stuff like dance recitals, birthdays and baseball games” they say.

I was involved in every single aspect of Court and Michael’s youth…obviously the birthdays, baseball games, recitals, yes. But that isn’t what makes you close as siblings. It’s the time you spend in normal routine everyday life that makes you close. It’s the time you spend pretending, laughing, even fighting that gain love and trust. Talking, telling stories, realizing all that you have in common because you are family.

Courtney’s favorite color when she was 3 was yellow. She loved horses and pretending she was Megan from My Little Pony. When we would play house she hated having kids (baby dolls) but I would guilt her into having them telling her that they would be sad. She would then try to stuff them all into her dress like she was pregnant. I once convinced her that there was a little girl stuck in the drain pipes in the empty lot beside out house and that she needed to throw food down for her. We used to try and save earthworms by throwing them into water. When the sun would set at dusk and get really big and orange we would call it “Big Baby”. We used to watch ER every morning at 10 and 11 on TNT while drinking soup. (She only ever had chicken noodle and I had tomato). After we had seen every episode of ER twice we switched to Dawson’s Creek on TBS.

Michael’s favorite color was green (and still is). He was obsessed with Kirby’s Dream Land and Super Mario (Although he hated Mario, but loved Luigi). We once caught the toaster on fire trying to make cheese toast for our parents. I convinced him that there was a baby frog that lived outside our house named baby Fred and that he had to pee in the yard to make Fred happy. We have hilarious inside jokes about “calk” and “string cheese”. We use to go on Pokemon Journey’s through the apartment complex we lived in. He was Ash, I was Misty, and Courtney was either Sabrina or Erica. His favorite Pokemon was Raichu. The only thing he every REALLY wanted in life was a Vacuum Cleaner Choo Choo Train.

I did not learn any of this from birthdays or baseball games or dance recitals. These random little details are what have made them into who they are today. Tons of people have watched Courtney dance in a recital or Michael play T-ball in kindergarten. But that isn’t them. Everyone knows that Courtney wants to be an anthropologist and that Michael wants to be a physicist. But I know why.

This is what is important. Realizing that boys will come and go, but your little sister will only be convinced that she is a real life pig for a short time. School isn’t going to disappear but your baby brother will only like to dance to Barney in the playroom for a few more years. That is why I spend the time with these kids. I did it with Courtney and Michael and I’ll do it with them too.

Ally’s favorite color is pink but lately she’s been pretty into orange. She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. I think she will be. Her current goals in life include swimming with pigs, cleaning the oil off of the poor animals in the oil spill, and managing to not poop in the potty. Her favorite movie tonight is Lady and the Tramp 2. Her name changes every 5 minutes but it is ALWAYS “Baby Pig” before she falls asleep. She likes to snuggle. She’s afraid of trees, the waterfall in her pool and potty’s without flushers. She wants to go to New York City and see Elephaba dance on stage. She secretly loves witches. She likes Disney animals better than Disney Princesses. Her favorite books are Eloise goes to Hollywood and Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy. She likes me to tell her stories about daily life and often says things like “Sessa, you tell me a story about when I used the little potty at the mall and you was so proud of me”. She cries when I tell her stories about me going home to NC without her. Her absolute favorite animals are pigs.

Cooper’s favorite color is red (that’s the crayon or marker he always grabs). His favorite show is Mickey Mouse Club House but he really only pays attention to the final song, Hot Diggity Dog. He thinks Mickey Mouse’s name is Hot Dog. He will sit through an entire episode of Barney. He will watch horse racing on TV for hours. He calls his Pacy a “Ba” and his bottle a “Baba”. He loves to go into the cabinet and get the dogs treats. He is terrified of the ride on dinosaur in the playroom. He loves gluing things. He doesn’t like to read books. Bella is his favorite dog even though she is the meanest. His favorite things to play in the playroom are Wonderpets, Yo Gabba Gabba, and balls. When he is mad he puckers his lips and pulls your hair. Horses are his favorite animals. He calls them “Gee ups” or “Neighs”. He loves trains, especially blue ones. He colors with his left hand but eats with his right.

I will never regret the extra time it will take me in school. I will never regret not being dependent on a boyfriend at this point in my life. I will never regret not going out every night. I will never regret transferring out here.

I will regret waking up one day and realizing that I don’t know these kids. I don’t want to look back and regret not being their sister…their real sister who did silly dances with them, that knew all of their favorite TV shows, foods, colors, names, toys, and spent forever trying to figure out how to make chipmunk ears that looked real.

So those of you who think I am “missing out” on life and I’m going to regret it one day? I wont. Will you?

Why is it...

Why is it that things like this:

only happen on days like this:

She's lucky I love her enough to hold her down and scrub her pretty little face.

Otherwise Pink Pig's first ever dance rehearsal went AMAZING. I've never been so proud. She wore her costume without throwing a temper fit that it itched. She went backstage all by herself without needing Mommy or Sessa. She got up on stage. She screamed "Hi Sessa!" as loud as she possibly could into the audience. I obviously stood up and screamed "Hi Ally" right back. She danced. She smiled. She walked off stage the way she was supposed too.

Then she threw her temper fit. Why? Because they did not let her dance to Taylor Swift. Not that I blame her though. T. Swift is much better dance music than Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...

Back from Disney!

Minus Courtney and Michael :(

So we finally got back from Disney this morning after a cancelled flight with 2 extremely cranky children. Cranky. Tired. Whiney. Screaming. Yelling. Hitting. 4 hours of sleep. Just a few words that described our morning.

Disney itself was a blast of course. Cooper seemed to enjoy it the most. Obviously Ally loved it but it was Cooper whose eyes lit up at the sight of Mickey Mouse. I never thought I'd enjoy watching a little boy play on a water deck more than I would enjoy riding a roller coaster. He hated the characters when they got close to him, but he definitely admired from afar. And other than the bus rides we had to take to and from the hotel, universal, ect; (he has issues when he isn't in a carseat) I can't imagine a better behaved little boy.

Ally is going through a serious stubborn phase fit for a 13 year old. She apparently took the princess attitude literally and wouldn't speak to the commoners (aka everyone who wasn't Sessa, Courty, Mommy or Daddy). The Disney cast members are also sweet enough to refer to every little girl as a Princess. What little girl wouldn't love this? Ally of course. Her names for the trip were "Pig", "Lady Lexie", "Pink Stitch" and best of all... "Princess Scout" which is what she made all of the fairy godmothers at Bippity Boppity Boutique refer to her as. Scout, as in our boy Chihuahua. We definitely got some strange looks but it was worth it. She had a blast, dressed up like Princess Tiana, rode every ride she was allowed on, and bought everything she could ever want.

I also for the first time realized that I am getting old. I actually WANTED to go back to the room in the middle of the day to make a nap. It was really hot. Like 90 degrees hot. And it rained a lot. Have I mentioned how much I like rain? It cools everything down. And thanks to my Brazillion Blowout, I love it even more.

It's bitter sweet being home because I know the next time we get on a plane, we won't be going somewhere fun. We'll be going to Boston. I've wanted to go to Boston ever since the song "Boston" by Augustana came out. I even saw them at House of Blues in LA and joked with my mom for a month that we should go to Boston.

Now we're going and I'm dreading it. We leave on June 23rd for Pink Pig to get her heart fixed. For those of you who may not know, she has two small holes in her heart along with Pulmonary Stenosis. They are going to fix her two holes with a catheter through the artery in her leg. I get a pit in my stomach just typing it. It's nothing "serious". It isn't a big deal, at least that's what all the websites say when you google it. There are so many worse things she could have, I should probably be grateful that this is supposed to be so simple. And I am. I just wish that it were nothing and that she didn't have to go through this. I'm not a religious person, but please pray. Pray, wish, cross your fingers, toes, and everything else that everything goes perfect with this surgery. Please pray that she isn't in pain, and that she understands the best she can how much we love her and that we don't want this anymore than she does. I wish she were old enough to understand that her Sessa would change places with her in a second so that she didn't have to do this.

The other night she asked me to tell her what it was like when she was born. I told her like I always do about how she was in NICU, how the chihuahuas were so excited to meet her, and obviously explained how excited I was to see her and how much I love her. This time she randomly asked me afterwards "Sessa? Was your Sessa so happy for you when you was born?" I explained that I didn't have a Sessa, because I was Mommy's first baby. She looked extremely sad for a second. Sad and confused. Finally she said "Sessa, you don't have a Sessa?" and a tear rolled down her little cheek. I explained more throughly that I was the first and I didn't have a sister until Courtney was born. She thought for a minute and finally smiled and said "Sessa, I'm your Sessa. We played together in Mommy's centa (placenta) so you don't be sad. We holded hands. I love you"

I've told my mom a million times that I can't imagine loving my own children more than I love Ally and Cooper. And I honestly can't. They are my babies. I've been there for every milestone, every Birthday, Christmas, scraped knee, leg limps, blood work and split open chins.

So I'm going to be there to hold her hand through this surgery too. I'm going to play with her and do my job as her Sessa to keep her mind off of everything. So please pray for me too, and for my Mom and George because I know if I'm this stressed and worried they most definitely are too. Thanks :)

On a happier note, more Disney pictures and stories to come as soon as I upload them!

top 5 lies I told today: And the responses.

5.

Lie: You have to go potty before Shrek because if you don't you cannot be a REAL life Gingerbread Cookie.

Response: Cookie doesn't pee. It poops...candy.

4.

Lie: The Chihuahua's can't hiss like snakes because they have legs and snakes don't.

Response: I need some scissors.

3.

Lie: If the dogs eat your Silly Bandz they will turn into cows.

Response: Oh, Yea! And if they eat a pig one they will be real pigs! Okay! Here Max...

2.

Lie: Barnes and Noble does not sell drinks, just coffee mud that turns you into a Ogre.

Response: Oh, I am an Ogre! Like Fiona! A Pink Ogre. I need mud.

1.

Lie: Chipmunks really REALLY do have ears that look JUST like this. I promise.

Response: But Sessa, I'm a hampster.

Quote of the Day

Ally: Sessa, snuggle with me damn it!

How to entertain your sister...and yourself.

Since the Grey's Anatomy finale is coming on next week, my roommate Rachel and I have been more obsessed with our favorite TV show than usual.

More obsessed is probably an understatement since we are already unhealthily obsessed with the show and McSteamy as it is. I don't know that it's possible to be more obsessed than we already are. Seriously though, who doesn't love McSteamy? (Note to Grey's Gods: Lexie had seriously better love McStreamy like the rest of us on Thursday, because if she chooses Alex my obsession may be no more)

Anyway, on this rainy cold day in May. Yes, I said it. Cold day in May (being from NC I didn't know that this statement was possible) I spent the day being an AMAZING sister and building an entire playmobil hospital.

Obviously I had to set up all the people and the furniture too since Pink Toothless Dragon (Ally's name today) obviously wouldn't enjoy her hospital if it wasn't set up just like Seattle Grace. So... for all you Grey's fans out there:

Alex, Reid, and Crazy shooter in triage.

Meredith, Christina, and Derek in a trauma room

The waiting room

Bailey in the elevator

Arizona and Callie in Peds

Teddy and Owen

And of course, Lexie and McSteamy in the on-call room

Sometimes I wish I were 3 again...