Buffalo Bills "Kid Day"

Alex had her first real football experience last night. We went with a group of 31 people to the Buffalo Bills pre-season "Kid Day". Bills performed in true Bills fashion ending in a loss. But we still had a great time.
Alex didn't much like the roaring of the cheers when the Bills did score....so fortunately they didn't do too much of it!

Weekend in Toronto and Canada's Wonderland

We spent the weekend in Toronto and Canada's Wonderland. Also traveling with us were Shawn's sister Amy, her husband Roger and their two children Kaitlin and Trey. Alex had so much fun with her cousins. We will make a mental note though that Bloor on a Friday night is not necessarily the most "kid" friendly area! And the traffic both ways was horrendous...between the border and the QEW, it took over five hours each way. Other than that we had a great time. Alex was so excited to see her hero Scooby Doo. I think she has a crush on Shaggy! She got a boat-load of souveniers, but her favorite thing was little rubber worm she got at the arcade. I can't tell you how many times I had to climb into the back seat on the way home trying to find that stupid worm when she dropped it! And on the way back, we stopped for a quick trip through IKEA (Alex made out pretty well there too) and then a milkshake at The Hershey Factory. I think everyone will sleep well tonight!!!

To see all the photos from this weekend, you can visit my shutterfly album.

Headed to Toronto

We are off to Toronto tomorrow to spend the weekend at Canada's Wonderland. Be back some time on Sunday.

Poor Pepper

Pepper is such a good kitty. She is so loving and forgiving. Cats don't usually tolerate nearly as much as dogs do...but Pepper is a trooper. She let's Alex do pretty much anything to her. The other night while Alex was in bathroom supposedly brushing her teeth, I walked in on Alex giving Pepper a bath. Yes, she had her in the sink and was bathing her...successfully! Pepper wasn't putting up any type of fuss, but just letting Alex lather her with soap under the faucet. She was so very proud! Pepper didn't seem to mind in the least and now we have a cat who smells like wild berry.


Pepper follows Alex everywhere. It's very cute to see them together. Pepper's newest is breaking into Alex's room at night. For the past week I have found her laying on Alex pillow at night and sleeping next to her. So sweet! Pepper is just full of unconditional love.

Bill Update

He had the Heart Cath this afternoon. Turns out he does have several new blockages, but they are not operable. They will do the best they can to treat with medications. This is not the best of news. Quite frankly, I am not sure how much more damage his heart can sustain. But thus far, he continues to defy the odds and keeps on ticking.

These pictures were taken last summer when he went to NYC and Sesame Place with us.

Gabi's Zoo Party

Alex had a great time this afternoon at Gabi's 4th birthday party. It was at the Seneca Park Zoo where the kids enjoyed hearing a story, making a craft and petting some animals. Gabi received some adorable presents and then everyone enjoyed pizza and cake! We were rushed for time and only saw a few animals, but I hear the other kids cooled off by splashing in the stream afterwards.

We later checked in on grandpa who was doing somewhat better. He is still experiencing a great deal of chest pain so they are hoping he is not gearing up for another one. During our visit, Alex kept busy with crafts and doing Daddy's hair.

Today is also the anniversary of my own's father's death. He died in the same hospital in 1995 of cardiac arrest. Brings back a lot of memories :-(

Bill's Sick Again

He's ok, but....

We got a call at 11:15 last night from my mother-in-law that my father-in-law was really sick. She said they were waiting to hear back from the doctor and wanted Shawn to come down. What she really meant was that she had called 911 and was afraid she'd have to start CPR soon and didn't want to do it herself. So Shawn flew down the street and I packed Alex up for another night at Sissy's (poor kid).

Though he has been pretty sick for awhile and quite often they never really determine the cause, this time thry know he DID have another heart attack. Couldn't even guess what number this is by now.

He was stable enough , so Shawn and I came home about 3:30 this morning. They were moving him to ICU this morning if they had any beds. As of 15 minutes ago, they still haven't been able to get his blood suger below 500. So they are contending with that too. That is likely due to the staff infection he still has from a few months back.

Alex has a 10:30 B-day party at the zoo, which we don't dare miss...so I am up and leaving shortly to go get her. I'll update again later...and have b-day pics too!

The Girls' First Pedicures

STAR Picnic

Today we attended the Annual Adoption STAR picnic. It was our fifth year in attendance and it continues to be my favorite agency activity. It is always so amazing to see all of the beautiful families touched by adoption.

As always, I planned Alex's outfit about three weeks ago (a cute but practical GAP sundress). She was all decked out with her matching purse and shoes. Picture perfect! That was...until she announced 1/4 mile before entering the park, "Momma my tummy hurts, I think I'm gonna frow up". And indeed she did, all over herself, the carseat, and my trailblazer. So we spent the next 30 minutes washing out her dress in the sink and cleaning her up. She was fine after that, just a case of car sickness. But the incident left her with only a nightgown to wear. We were already late, which is a total no-no in my book...but fortunately Grandma was with us and offered to rush off to WalMart to buy another dress. God bless that woman! Everyone should have a "Betty"!!!

After the craziness was over, Alex enjoyed playing on the playground the rest of the afternoon. She also thought she was pretty hot stuff when she got her face painted like a "princess".

And here are her two sidekicks, Sean and Gabi.

We're Back!

We got in about 8:30 this evening. We had a wondeful time and I took so many photos.

As great as it was though...it is so nice to be home!