R.I.P. Brute

Sunday night we got a call from our neighbors who were watching Frank & Brute while we were in AZ. Brute wasn't moving or eating much, and had vomited in the kitchen the day before. He has slowly been losing kidney function over the last couple years and has been losing weight as well. The vet has warned us that he will not last more than a couple years, and since he is almost 14, it is to be expected.

We came home last night and found him in the corner of our kitchen. He was having a seizure and was laying in his own fluids. We wrapped him up and took him to the emergency vet clinic. He was still having seizures and his heart rate was extremely elevated. They gave him some valium to ease the seizures and pain, but once it kicked in, his poor body could not handle any more and he passed away.

I took Brute in 6 years ago when his previous owner was going to have him put down. He has been my best pal and has given me unconditional love. It was hard to watch him pass away in front of me, but harder to know that he won't be waiting for me when I get home or waking me up on weekend mornings.

Rest in peace pal. I'm sure you are in a better place.

Arizona

We just got back from visiting friends in Scottsdale this past weekend. It was a fun and relaxing weekend, and hard to come back to -13 deg weather. We spent most of the weekend hanging out and going to the Vikings game on Sunday. It was great to see everyone, and we want to thank Nick, Bannon & Marrya for being VERY gracious hosts. I also want to apologize to everyone I got sick. I got the flu on Friday, which spread to everyone by the end of the weekend.



Julie & V hanging out at the Rausch's



Marrya, John, Joe & Julie tailgating before the game.



Tona & John watching the Vikes hand out a beatdown.



Violet had a dry nose all weekend, so she was constantly putting her finger up it. She would sit there with a little smile and slowly move her finger into her nose. We would move her finger away and she would do it all over again. Of course she started doing it while we were trying to take pictures. That's my girl.

Mini B-Day party

John's sister Julie, Timmy, Lizz and Grant are unable to come to Violet's party so they came over for dinner this week - John made wonderful Enchilada's and Julie made this very yummy Chocolate cake. Here are some pics as a preview to what's to come on Saturday.



(*Theresa helping V open her presents from Aunt Julie & Timmy)


(*Violet recieved three puzzels - she has not stopped playing with them)

(*As you can see V thinks the puzzle pieces are yummy too)

(*V's favorite place to sit and climb and as you can see make faces at me)

(*We thought a nice big slice of cake would show well in the picture)

(*Then V tried to put the entire piece of cake in her mouth -

this was the cleanest she looked by the end of the celebration.)

(*After a quick bath - V was ready for bed)

Thanks again for all the great gifts Aunt Julie & Timmy!

Happy Birthday Violet!

Apologies to our loyal friends and family that are eagerly waiting for new pictures and updates.
I feel like we are so busy these days that I hardly have time for phone calls, let alone any computer time. So apologies to everyone!

Since our last post - Violet has mastered walking and I know it will soon turn into running .. she has attempted it a few times and it has resulted in total wipe outs. She is so tough that it doesn't really phase her - she just picks herself up and goes for another try.

She is also been very busy mastering her favorite words Mommy, Daddy , Bye Bye , Deny (*daycare lady) and still an assortment of gibber jabber. What we are enjoying the most latley are her many facial expressions it's as if she is trying out all sorts of emotions. She has been trying out her faxe whiney and sad face, I have no idea where she picked it up but we have the hardest time not laughing at her. My favorite face has been her fish lips - we are not sure if she is trying to blow kisses or just trying to see what she can do with her lips.

It is amazing how fast this year has flown by - my little girl is turning One. She has really developed her personality - my little sassy social butterfly. She is very aware of her surroundings and all the attention she can get when we are out and about running errands.
John and I still can't believe we have been blessed with this sweet little girl.

I don't have many new pics to share - but I will be taking many this weekend. We are inviting over a small group of friends and family to celebrate V's First birthday. Stay tuned for pics!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we spent our the holiday with John's Aunt Judy's family in Wisconsin. It was great to see everyone - as we get older and our own familes grow we see less of each other. It was fun to see all the cousins and see now the littelest cousins starting their own memories. Here are a few pics from that day. Enjoy!

I am normally a very positve person the type that makes you sick sometimes as I look for the good in everyone and every situatation. For many selfish reasons this year I was having a tough time trying to find all "those positive things" amongst the stress of normal life. This is a thank you to my wonderful , wise and kind husband for reminding me. Here are just a few things that I will hold onto when I'm having a hard time getting through the week and I'm sure many of you share these same wonderful reminders.

I am thankful for the home that we live in - the warmth and protection that it provides. I am thankful for family and friends that no matter the time or the distance will always be there to lend an ear or my favorite, a hug. I am thankful for the job I have and the distraction it gives me as I miss my little girl all day long. I am thankful for the simple smile and hug Violet gives me every morning as I prepare for a new day. I am most thankful for my loving husband that encourages me to do and be all that he knows I am capable of.

(*I know a little sappy - but it had to be said)

This Week She's Walking....

...and next week she will be asking for the keys to the car. She just started walking short distances the over last couple weeks. She can get a couple steps in before she falls, which she doesn't seem to mind. It's like a happy little drunken gnome keeps stumbling around the house.



She has also found a burst of energy that we can't explain. She chatters away all day while going from one place to the next. We both knew this was coming, but were surprised that it happened so quickly.

Wild Animal On the Loose

Somehow a lion found it's way into our living room. Even though she seems quite ferocious, we were able to lure her away with cookies and a bottle.

Cousin Playtime

Last night my Mom invited the family over for dinner. Violet & Lucy got to spend a little quality cousin time playing together. It has been fun watching them interact, but a little scary thinking about how much trouble they are going to get into in the future.

Somebody loves ice cream:

Here comes trouble:

We've also found out that we can get Violet to dance by singing and clapping, even though it takes a little encouragement. Here is a video of V&L dancing to us clapping. My favorite part is how excited L is the ENTIRE clip.

Joseph Gabriel Bartels

Congratulations to Joe & Christiane on their newborn baby boy, Gabe! Everyone is heathy and doing well. Violet is happy to have a new cousin to play with. Check out their website (see links on the right) for more details.

Violet's 9 month Check Up

"Look Mom - I found treats!"

"I'm sooo going to grab the camera when I get over there"

This is Violet's new "creepy/cute" smile - more teeth soon to appear.

Violet had her 9 month check up ... well closer to 10 months but who is counting. =) The Dr was very pleased with her development - she is a very attentive little girl. She enjoyed talking (gibber - jabber) along with playing with the Dr's cool new shiny toy(stethoscope). She had her first dose of the flu shot - it went well but I still hate that part of her appts. (*We get to go back for the 2nd dose next month- ya!)

Here are her stats ....
Height : 2' 6" - (95% percentile)
(*John likes to tease that she is almost 1/2 my height.)

Weight : 21.5 lbs - (84% percentile)
(*We like to call her "monster baby" -
I think she just wants to catch up with her cousin Lucy)

Head : 18" - (84% percentile)
(*Brain is healthy and growing - always good to hear)

I can't believe just a couple months ago she was just learning to sit up on her own and now she is everywhere. We have a hard time keeping track of her with her "turbo crawling" otherwise she is your shadow checking out anything you are doing including investigating the dog bowls. (*Yes she has sampled the dog food and played patty cake in the water bowl) She has learned how to open up drawers, so I've had to reorganize my cupboards and put away my fancy serving pieces. She will play with her toys by herself for 15-30min without any concern that mommy or daddy are not near by. She loves playing with other kids - especially her cousin Lucy - she will often laugh with excitement when she sees other kids when we are out shopping. She loves music and we will often find her clapping and bouncing to commercials on TV or to music on the radio. (*If you have any great kid music suggestions - please let me know) She is creeping all over the place and is so close to walking. John is greeted most days by Violet and the Dogs waiting at the top of the stairs - Violet of course waving her little hand through the baby gate. She is growing up so fast and we patiently wait to see what she will do next.

Here are a couple recent pics.... She make so many new facial expression it is hard to capture them all!

Christal & Ellie's Visit to MN

Last Wed my sister-in-law Christal and her daughter Ellie came over for dinner. It was really nice to see them - we have not seen each other since our wedding reception in 2006. It was great to catch up and for the girls to play. Violet loves her cousin Ellie and ate up all the special attention she received that night. I believe they will be heading back to Hawaii this Thursday - here are a few pics from that night. (*Chace, we miss you!)


"More Hugs and Kisses Please!!"


What a great Smile!


Chace's "Special Ladies" =)


Violet's favorite toy she has figured out how to turn it on and proceeds to bounce up and down to the Video Game music - it is very entertaining to watch.

Vikings littlest fan!

Okay here are a series of pictures we took of Violet in preperation for football season starting. Do you see the proud look in John' s eyes as his favorite little girl sports her Purple and Gold gear. (*Sorry Grandpa Wallsch - this is a battle I can't win.)

Chace has left for Iraq....

This is a very sweet picture of my brother Chace and his wife Christal. It captures their final "goodbyes" as my favorite Marine leaves for his third tour to Iraq. I will try to post occasional updates as I get them from his Christal but as you can imagine there is not alot of information that can be shared. If you are interested in sending any notes to Chace or to any of the other soldiers let me know and I will get that information to you. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

MN State Fair

We made our annual pilgrammage for fried foods on a stick and went to the State Fair tonight. Julie, Timmy, Lu & Joe met up with us and help spread the food around. Violet got her first taste of pronto pups & strawberry malts tonight.

Here's Joe & Lu at the pig barn.

Violet had a little too much to drink at the beer garden.

Here's everyone with the biggest pig in MN (he's the one wearing glasses).

We are both amazed that this picture actually turned out, with both of them smiling. It looks like we photoshopped them in.

I also ripped my pants up the middle bending down for the shot. I blame it on the cheese curds.

Froggy!

This pic was from the day of Luau - I have been wanting to get a little pool for Violet and found this adorable frog pool at Target. It was the perfect size and provided a little shade from the sun. I was half expecting her to be a little scared of this large green thing but she immediately crawled right into it.

I just had to post this series of pics - as you can imagine Violet's new found talent for exploring everything and anything... I went into the kitchen to check on dinner when I came back Violet had made her way into one of the end tables trying to see if she could reach the "Forbidden Cords" - you can tell she knows her name as she looks back at me and then you can see how she attempts to turn around - yes she did get stuck and yes I'm a bad mommy and took the pic before I helped her out ... Enjoy!!!

(*This event did encourage me to move around the living room furniture - she is so quick and sneaky.)

Luau 2008

We had our annual Luau party a few weeks ago could not have asked for better weather Luau - as some of our friends remember from last year the weather was cold and rainy - this year it was hot and sunny!

Here are some pics from that day .....