A New Year Brings Changes...Again

Our new year started sadly.  Our sweet old dog, Attley (a.k.a. Big Dog), has gone on to greener pastures.  And oh how we miss him!  We knew he was slowing down but were still surprised at how quickly he declined once we knew for sure something was wrong.  He made it through all the traveling during the holidays (barely).  But once we got home we saw him quickly declining.  A visit to the vet showed many cancerous tumors in his lungs which they believed had metastasized from another main tumor in his abodomen.  We were able to have the vet come to our house to put him to sleep and we were all there loving him up and telling him what a good boy he was.  It was very sad and we shed many tears but we were thankful he wasn't suffering anymore. 



Here is a picture of Cooper helping Attley to feel better.

 It's taken us a bit to get used to not having him around.  I still expect to hear his thumping tail on the floor whenever we walk in the door.  And every night before bed I still think that I need to give him his medicine.  Every once in a while I will sweep up some stray black hairs and miss him all over again.  He was such a good dog.

A few days after that sad event, our littlest turned 5!  It was nice to have something joyous to turn our attention to.  I can't believe our little man is 5!  I made him an awesome cake that nobody could eat because it was way too sweet.  But it looked good!

We were thankful that Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Kenny came to visit during that time.  All the kids love their grandparents!  We were able to celebrate both Cooper's and Cate's birthdays with them as well as just do the fun things that you do with Grandma and Grandpa.  We were thankful they made the trip all the way up here from Waterloo, IA!

Being that we live in the State of Hockey and live in Hockey Country, we figured we'd better go out and get some skates for all of us.  Scott was off winter camping so the kids and I all got skates and went to the local rink to practice.  It was fun!

Then in early February our oldest, Cate, turned 9!  She celebrated by having a bunch of friends out for pizza.  They all had a blast and acted very silly all night.  I can't believe she's getting so big!

The next day, my parents came up to stay with the kids because Scott and I were heading out the next day for Mexico!  But first they gave Cooper and Cate birthday presents from them.  As I said earlier, it's always a treat to have Grandpas and Grandmas come for a visit.

The very next day, Scott and I drove down to the Twin Cities and boarded a plane to Cancun, Mexcio the following morning....we had to get up at 3:30 am to catch the shuttle!  Ugh!  But we arrived to gentle, warm breezes blowing in the palm trees and a taxi driver who promptly sold us two cold beers as we drove the 45 minutes to our all-inclusive resort.  Did I mention it was 10:30 am?  On the way we noticed this sticker attached to the window of the taxi.  I thought of sending it in to Jay Leno (hint - see the bottom right corner).



We had a wonderful time there!  The weather was perfect - 85 and sunny (but windy) every day.  We spent most days lounging on the beach or hanging out by the pool.  We did one excursion to see Mayan ruins in Coba and to see how a Mayan family still lives in the old ways - completely subsitance living.  We didn't get many pictures of it because we weren't sure if we would be offending them.  We  met so many wonderful people - most from MN and Canada - thanks to Scott's ability to talk to anyone anywhere.  But we spent the most time with a couple from London, England,  Terri and Eric.  They were a lovely couple and we hope to stay in contact with them for many years.  Anyway, here are some pictures of our trip:

 

Scott heading out for a swim in the ocean


 

A view of the beach at our resort


 

We ate lunch here everyday




Scott at the pool bar meeting some Canadians and horsing around with Enrique our bartender




Our room, behind a beautiful palm tree




Complementary drinks (very small!) from a restaurant in Playa Del Carmen




Ruins at Coba - the only one you can still climb




The Mayan family compound - they still live in thatched-roof huts called Palapas




Our last day in Mexico with our friends from London, Terri and Eric




One night we ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant where the locals eat.  That's a pork leg up there on the spit and a pineapple over it.  Yummy tacos!



We also ate at a restaurant on the beach in Playa.  We were dining with other Minnesotans who were from Nicollet.



 As you can see, we had a blast!  We decided the next time we go somewhere warm we'll have to bring the kids.  They would have loved it!  I believe my liver and my bowels are finally recovered - I definitely couldn't live like that every day but it was fun.

We came home to cold temps and lots of snow.

We spent Valentine's night with our family eating heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphey's.  It is good be home.

Looking forward, our main objective is to buy a new house!  The house we are currently renting is on the market.  We've had to vacate a couple of times now for showings.  I think it's going to sell pretty soon.  So if we don't want to move twice (which I don't!), we'd better find something to buy, proto.  We were hoping that there would be more homes coming on the market this spring but so far there hasn't been much.  We look at almost everything that comes out that fits our needs but decent houses for a bigger family are just few and far between. 

Other than houses, I think we are all just waiting for the cold to go away and the snow to start melting.  But that could be a couple of months out for us yet.  Sigh.  So we'll continue on bravely and snuggle in for a while longer. 

I hope all our friends and family are doing well.  Please drop us a line, give us a call, or comment here.  We miss everyone and would love to catch up.

Until next time....