Rest In Peace, Juno

Juno

April 9, 1998 - August 27, 2008

Today is a sad day for us. When I came home from work this evening, I discovered our beloved dog had passed away. Lucky for us, I got home before Matt and the girls and was able to quickly make arrangements for him.

We broke the news to Cassidy before bed and she didn't take it well. I don't know if she really got what we were trying to say, but she understood enough to know Juno is not here with us like he's supposed to be. As she was getting in the bed, she said "Maybe he's at the doctor. We'll go get him when the sun comes up." Tomorrow morning should be fun.

Bye bye, Juno. We'll see you soon-o.

Click_here to leave a comment or condolence on Juno's memorial page.

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

The craziness of Bear's House on Saturday was just the start of our fun! Isaac had a pool party on Sunday to celebrate his 3rd birthday, and we had a great time of course. Pool parties are the best!

Isaac is one of Cassidy's favorite friends from school. He's part of the small group of children Cassidy has grown up with at the center. We bought Cassidy a set of water wings just in time... she was able to swim all around the pool by herself. She never let us get more than half-an-arm's length away, but it was nice to not have to carry her all over the pool. The deep end was really deep and that would have been a pain.

One of the best parts of the day was when Cassidy jumped off the diving board by herself! Well... "jumped off" is a bit generous. Actually, I pushed her off. Before you decide I'm a bad mother, know that I was in the pool next to the board and was holding her hand with one of my hands. I used the other hand to push her. She had the water wings on, so I knew she'd be okay. Maybe a tad traumatized, but okay.

Cassidy's ready for fun!
Cassidy and Mommy
Cassidy and Daddy

The kids decorated Mickey Mouse cupcakes

And once again, Campbell slept through the whole thing!
Cassidy, Connor, and Isaac

Happy Birthday, Alyssa!

We celebrated Alyssa's 4th birthday this past Saturday! Alyssa has been one of Cassidy's favorite friends from Gymboree for years, so Cassidy was REALLY looking forward to her party. An added bonus - the party was at Bear's House [read: Chuck E. Cheese]!!

Cassidy thought it was great... she got to run around like a maniac with her friends, she got a cup full of "moneys" to spend on the games/rides, she got to eat tons of junk food, AND her beloved Bear was there in person to wish Alyssa a happy birthday. Cassidy was heartbroken when the party ended!

Cassidy in her royal chariot
2 Cassidys and a Ben

It Feels Good To Be Back in Nerdvana!!

Nerdvana: The ultimate state of complete geekiness. Geek heaven.

My maternity leave is officially over and I have returned to work at The Nerdery. It was a great 10 weeks, but I was very happy to fire up my laptop, connect the Blackberry, and re-join my fellow geeks. I find it very comforting to work with people who share my affinity for cool things like tricked-out spreadsheets, pimp-o-fied mainframe jcl, and slick project plans. When I start talking to Matt about these things, I usually get a glassy-eyed blank stare in return.
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One major change with work is that I gave up my downtown office. I still plan to go into the office at least once a week and even kept my parking place, but will work from home more often than I go downtown. I spent the last two weeks of my leave cleaning out our office and setting up my equipment.

Why did I do this? Because my employer was giving some space back to the company that owned the building I was in, and my floor was gutted while I was away. With gas prices being so high and most everybody else working from home already, it just seemed like the right time to make the change. I was going to have to pack my things up anyway, so why not bring it all home?

Here's a picture of my corner office...

I can take a deep breath and relax now. I'm back with my people, and life is good!

Princess Portraits

We had pictures taken of the princesses last night. Aren't these children GORGEOUS?!?

A Super Fun Mommy and Cassidy Day

I go back to work on Tuesday, so I thought it would be nice to have a special Mommy and Cassidy Day today. Boy, did we have fun!!! I didn't tell Cassidy about our special day until she woke up this morning, and didn't tell her what was planned at all - the whole day was a complete surprise!
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After we dropped Little C off at school, we headed to Ocean_Breeze_Waterpark. They have a nice kids area, and Cassidy really liked riding the tiny waterslides by herself. Hopefully she'll grow up to be a lover of waterslides like her Mommy!!
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Next, we went to Mount_Trashmore and climbed the stairs to the top of the mountain. What a gorgeous view!
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Then, we went to the nail salon and had our nails painted. Cassidy chose dark purple for hers, and a lighter glittery purple for mine.
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Last, we went to the store and got Cassidy a huge lollipop.
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It was truly A SUPER FUN DAY!!!!!

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Ready for Mommy and Cassidy Day to begin!

Having lots of fun at Ocean Breeze!!

Cassidy really wanted to climb those stairs... what a trooper!

The view from the top of Mount Trashmore

Waiting for her royal manicure to begin

Cassidy rocks the dark purple nails!

Her HUGE lollipop... a sweet ending to a great day!

Daddy's Beauties

Daddy took this picture of his beauties the other night...

Cheeseburger in Paradise

We bought this at the Smithfield Farmer's market over the weekend. Is it a cheeseburger? It sure looks like it, but don't be too sure...

It's a CAKE!! We ate it last night and it was absolutely delicious. I'm now a devoted fan of the lady who created this cake... it doesn't get much more creative than this!!

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A Fun Day!

Today was a great day! When we arrived at Gymboree Art Class this morning, we had a special treat waiting for us... Miss Jenny was our teacher for the day! Hooray! Today was the best art class ever. Cassidy painted a huge tree with her hands AND arms! After snack and storytime, Miss Jenny brought out real "fall" leaves for the kids to throw and crunch. I meant to ask her where she found dead leaves in the middle of summer, but forgot. At the end of class, Miss Jenny painted all the children's faces. Cassidy was THRILLED with her princess face!

After we left Gymboree, we visited the Smithfield Farmer's Market. They had a few special things for children today, and the weather made it a perfect day to be outside. We took the opportunity to stroll down historic Main Street, and enjoyed lunch at the Smithfield Ice Cream Parlor. Yes, Cassidy had ice cream for lunch. It's a good thing there are no "Mommy of the Year" awards, because I'd certainly never win!

I didn't bring the camera with me to Gymboree or Smithfield, so I don't have any cute pictures to share from this morning. I did get some good ones at the pool this afternoon, though!

Cassidy is ready to swim!

Campbell ate right after we got there and then promptly fell asleep. I did get to dip her feet into the kiddie pool right before she konked out!

Better Late Than Never

While Little C and I were still in the hospital, we threw a Big Sister Party for Big C at her school. Since I couldn't be there, I bought a disposable camera ahead of time and sent it to school with the party supplies. I tried to take a few other pictures to avoid wasting the film, and just now had the film developed. I'd forgotten how inconvenient and slow developing pictures could be... thank goodness for digital cameras!

Here are some pictures, better late than never...

Cassidy and her classmates enjoy cupcakes!

Cassidy and her best friend (Marissa) are both big sisters!

Father's Day lunch with Mama and Papa!

Back to Home Depot

Yesterday was the first Saturday of the month, so we skipped another Art Class to attend the Home Depot Kid's Workshop. It was a good decision! The project of the month was a flag holder, and Cassidy was excited to earn another pin for her orange apron. Strangely, the flag was beige canvas and not an American flag. Odd.

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Anyway, the Kid's Workshop was outside this month because lots of public service areas had been invited to participate. The Health Department was giving out sunscreen, one local police department was putting the kid's fingerprints in child identification packets, another local police department brought one of their horses, the fire department was there, and also the Coast Guard! Fun!!

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For all the happiness and joy we experienced at the Home Depot, it was all tears and trauma 10 minutes after we left. Cassidy had brought June with her when we left the house that morning, and she realized June was lost as we were walking into the mall. For those who may not be cartoon-saavy, June is Cassidy's favorite Little Einstein. This particular June is one small piece of a larger toy that Santa brought last Christmas.

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Well, we looked all over the car and couldn't find June anywhere... meanwhile, Cassidy had totally lost it. We drove back by the Home Depot and looked for June but didn't see her. Finally, we got Cassidy calmed down enough to go to the mall and moved on with our day. When we got home, I looked at the pictures I took at the Kid's Workshop, and June was sitting on the table as Cassidy and Daddy made the flag holder. NOT GOOD, because we know Cassidy didn't have June in her hand when we got back into the car. We were hoping June was hiding in the car somehwere, but no such luck.

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After the gravity of June's demise set in, I quietly logged onto eBay and bought a replacement. Luckily, I was able to buy just June and one other Einstein - not the whole collection. The plan is for June to just magically show up in the car one day. Shhhh.......

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Cassidy and Daddy making a flag holder!

The finished product!

Cassidy getting booked

Cassidy and "Max" (the police horse)

Little C slept through the whole thing, just like last month!

BBQ is Not a Verb

I've become a huge fan of Rhett and Link. This is my favorite song, but I haven't heard them all yet. I reserve the right to change my mind!!

Little C's First Day of School

Dear Dr. OB-GYN,

Thank you for putting me on anti-depressants before I left the hospital to come home with Little C. One of the baby nurses made me cry, and you decided it would be best to nip the post-partumish tears in the bud. It seemed like overkill at the time, but you're the doctor and I trust your opinion. I've been taking them just as you asked me to, even though Little C hasn't been one minute of trouble.

I'm glad I followed your directions, because today was Little C's first day of school. She did great and didn't even realize what was happening. I gave Big C a special Big Sister necklace this morning and asked her to watch out for her baby during the day, and she thought that was really cool. Big C helped me get Little C situated in her new class, and decided Little C should sit in the swing. She even turned it on for Little C. She's such a good sister!

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Leaving both girls behind was weird. I feel like I've left the house without my watch, but I know they are in good hands and will be well cared-for.

I'm certain I would have been an emotional mess today if I weren't mediciated. Thank you for your expertise, and thank you for my gorgeous babies!

Sincerely,

Big C and Little C's Mommy

Little C in her 1st Day of School outfit

Big C and Little C on the front porch, ready to leave for school!

Big C getting Little C situated in her new classroom