A Dawg - G Baby - Tad Gets a Hickey

So I have no idea how many people actually read this thing. It is funny, I keep hearing of more and more people who do. You must enjoy my niece and nephews as much as I do!!

This past weekend Ryan and I went to Kelly and Erica's to babysit Alyssa (aka A Dawg) and Grayson (aka G Baby). They are so sweet. They had both been sick for a few days and weren't feeling real well. Somehow they managed to keep all bodily fluids inside until their parents got home. We went down Friday night after watching a sorry OSU men's game and stayed the night. We got another hour of sleep that way! It snowed (I know end of March right) Saturday night so Ryan and I decided to go ahead and stay the night again. The snow melted pretty fast the next day.

That is what you get for living in a bipolar state! I would not have it any other way. I love the flat land and being able to see the hills, cattle, ponds, trees, etc. for miles and miles. I love the windy days that blow and mess up your neatly fixed hair. I love that some days you have the heater on going to work in the morning and then have to turn the AC on for the way home. I love how Enid is considered a rural town in the grand scheme of things (Enid is big to me!!). I love living in a town of 800. I love all the pickup trucks and tractors. Mostly, I love the people. Oklahoma people really are friendly. Just leave the state for awhile and you will know what I am talking about.

Below are some recent pictures of... you guessed it... my niece and nephews!!

Below: Alyssa was thinking really hard about a card game. I think this was big fish little fish??

Below: Grayson is WALKING! He is so tiny so it is funny to see him toddling around. He is doing such a good job!

Below: Ryan and Alyssa were playing some elephant game. I'm not sure who had more fun!

Below: G Baby has the cutest little smile. He was so proud sitting on the chair all by himself.

Below: The horse was beating Tad up... seriously that night it was getting the best of him.

Below: Ryan and Alyssa were still playing!

Below: Such a happy little guy. Can you see the little round circle in the middle of his forehead? That is where his Daddy taught him how to stick his suction cup toothbrush to his forehead. It left a hickey. TAD'S FIRST HICKEY!!

Below: Tad better watch out now that Uncle Ben is mobile again!

Below: You can see the round hickey better here. Kind of have to look hard... but it is there!

Below: Grandpa Dale got him so rabbit ears. He wouldn't keep them on long enough for me to get a good picture.

Below: Tad pushed this table from the sitting room all the way to the living room. He thought it was time to play games.

Prayer Request: My coworker and friend is battling Pancreatic Cancer and is currently in the hospital with an infection. She is 8 months into her battle and is having a rough stretch. Her name is Theresa Ferrell.

Until next time

Ju

Tad and Uncle Jake Get a Haircut!

Ben Update: Ben had surgery on December 31. Can't believe how long it has been!! I bet he feels the same way. He is doing great. He has been off of crutches for about a week and a half. He still has the boot on his foot but is able to apply full pressure. He has had a little pain once he started walking but that is to be expected. He is healing up and is on the mend.



Louie Update: Louie went back to the vet yesterday. He is still losing quills. The fungus culture they have been incubating showed a weak positive. It takes fungus a long time to grow so they are going to check it again and they think it will show a strong positive in two weeks. They thought Louie's skin showed some signs of improvement and think we are on the right track. The little guy may need 6 weeks of medication though as fungus is sometimes a booger to get rid of. He still acts fine and his eating and activity levels have not changed. He goes back in two weeks for another check-up.



If any of you are in the Stillwater area I highly recommend the OSU Vet Clinic. They are wonderful and so thorough. The price is not bad either! It actually cost less to take Louie there than the two other places I took him prior.



Below are some recent photos:



Below: Uncle Jake said he would not cut his hair until Tad got a haircut. Below is the mound of hair that Lisa cut off Jake's head.



Below: Tad and Uncle Jake sporting their new haircuts! Tad looks older now with his shorter hair. Bryan and Ashley gave Tad his first haircut. They said he had a good time and thought it was fun. No first haircut tears for him!
Below: You just never know... :)
Below: Tad picking on Lisa. He thought it was fun to climb all over her. He would get off of her and run around with this ornery little grin on his face and then climb right back on.
Below: Tad came to Ryan and my house. He can come over anytime he wants! Every time he does he has a cleaning utensil in his hand. Is a one year old trying to give us a hint?? Here he was trying to get through the door but the sweeper got stuck.
Below: Tad was combing his hair with Beauty's brush.
Below: This picture did not turn out to well... but I love the little smile on his face.
Below: Last weekend we went to see Ryan's Grandmom (Marilee Schuler). She is such a sweet lady. It was her birthday. It was fun getting to see her and some of Ryan's other family we don't see near enough.
Below: Tad loves his wagon.
Below: Tad loves sitting on the kitchen counter helping (eating) make dinner.
Below: Love it! He is so funny sometimes.
Below: Dad and Tad were playing.
Below: Tad thinks he is big stuff now that he can crawl up on chairs (and tables). He kept stealing his Mom's dice.
Below: Tad playing dominos with the big boys.

Update on Louie

I took Louie to the OSU Vet Center last Wednesday. When I called them to make an appointment they sent me to the exotics and zoo animal section. I for some reason thought that was cool. I thought they might just figure out what was wrong with my little guy too!


Here is how it went: They did some skin scrapings to look and see if he had mites or a fungus. They do not think he has mites because he has not been scratching and has no skin irritation. We went ahead and treated him for mites as a precaution. Apparently, fungus grows slow. They took some of the skin scraping and his quills and are going to incubate them for two weeks and see if anything grows. In the mean time, Louie is back on an oral medication for fungus. Hopefully when we go back in a week and a half he will be showing some improvement and they will have the results of the scrapings.


On another note. The vet tech said that most of the time when hedgehogs come in they usually do not get to see their faces because they are scared and curled up in a ball. Louie on the other hand got out on the examination table and was all over the place. They could not believe how interested in everything he was, and how relaxed he was!! They said he was the best acting hedgie they have seen! GO LOUIE!!! They usually have to sedate hedgehogs to get skin scrapings but Louie cooperated and they did not have to.


Below are some pictures of what has been ailing poor Louie.


In November my cat Beauty went to the groomer. Once or twice a year she has to go because her hair gets tangled. I usually am able to keep it under control until she gets to a point. She also has a skin condition which can cause her hair to tangle easier. Below is a picture of her after she went to the groomer.
She had a few tangles that I thought I would be able to trim out of her after I gave her a bath last week. A Few tangles turned into a lot more than that. Needless to say... the poor cat looks like she has been attacked with a pair of trimmers. I will not be doing this again. :) She cooperated well, but this is exactly why I pay a groomer to do the job.

Ju