Sunshine "Sunny"...RIP...3/26/99 to 7/07/09

Sunshine, "Sunny", was born on March 26, 1999. I adopted Sunny when she was only 4 weeks old. She was taken away from her mother too soon and she did not know how to eat or drink. For the first week I fed her water and baby food through a syringe. The vet said that she had a heart murmur and that she could die. Thankfully, Sunny was a strong and determined dog and she ended up being a very healthy dog...there were some bumps along the way but she lived a long and happy life. Her favorite things to do were laying outside with Pepper in the sun, chasing anything that moved, running, jumping, eating, sleeping, and spending time with Lana. She was a very gentle dog and loved everyone! Sunny got very sick last week and started having seizures...Elbie took great care of her during her seizures and made sure that she was ok but after each one we noticed that she got more sick. When Elbie and I took her to the vet the next day...the picture was very grim. It all just happened so fast that we were in shock. They thought she either had a brain tumor or liver disease and neither one was survivable for much longer...both would have caused her increased pain, stress, and confusion. The vet thought we were doing the right thing by helping Sunny escape her pain...she passed away lying in my lap and went very peacefully on July 7, 2009. That was an extremely difficult experience but I know in my heart that we had no other choice and that we made the right choice for Sunny although losing her was devastating. It has been very sad for all of us, including Pepper. He lost his best friend of over 10 years. Lana is doing okay and she takes comfort in Pepper and Camille's dog Lucy and the book that Papa gave her written by Mister Rogers, "When a pet dies". She does want to talk about Sunny a lot and we try to focus on our many happy memories of Sunny...she was a silly, loyal, hyper, sweet, lazy doggie :) We miss her very much but we know that she is in a much happier, more peaceful place and that she is watching over us...Rest in peace sweet Sunny Bee <3

Here are a couple of her first photos:









Sunny was always where Pepper was...



Such a sweet doggie...





Lana loved Sunny so much! (And Pepper too:) )









Elbie took these photos on my phone when we were at the vet...these were my final moments with Sunny before she passed away...we had a sweet goodbye and I am thankful for that...

Summer days...

First of all...I love summer! Things have been really great...Elbie and I have been getting lots of projects done around the house including moving all of our beautiful antique dining room furniture, crystal, and china back into storage to make a play area for Emerson. I miss all my pretty things but I definitely appreciate the huge space that we created for all of Emerson's toys! He is just about to crawl, he is very close. We are also in the process of getting the house child-proofed...yikes! We are not taking any trips this summer but we have been spending lots of time together and we recently bought a big inflatable family pool for the backyard for us to play in when we don't make it over to Papa and Tee's house to swim. It has been lots of fun...I even bought a raft for it and I lay in there by myself and it's the perfect sunning set-up :) So we are being kind of lazy and at the same time getting lots of things done...interesting balance but it is working! I have recently become obsessed with yoga...there are classes at my gym that I have been going to but I bought a yoga mat and have been doing it at night at home when the children go to bed. If you have Comcast Cable...go to OnDEmand, Exercise TV, and they have everything! It is awesome and I never get tired of it because I always do different work outs...trying to get back into shape ya know...it's definitely tougher the second time around!

Elbie and I have also been focusing on spending time with our friends as a couple and have been doing a lot of fun things and meeting new people which is really refreshing! Our one year anniversary is next week and we are really excited...we have learned a lot this first year and are going strong :) We bought each other concert tickets for our anniversary...go figure...I got us tickets to Angie Aparo which was an amazing experience as always! And he got us 7th row tickets to Incubus in August...I can hardly wait I am so excited!

We have a lot of fun things coming up...MariClaire and JT are getting married Nov 1st in Hilton Head and there are many events on the rise but my most favorite is the Halloween themed couples shower on July 18th! Mc knew how unhappy I was that we would not be able to celebrate Halloween this year because we will be at her rehearsal dinner in Savannah...which is going to be fantastic! But if you know me then you know that I love to dress up and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays so this shower is in honor of me...not really... :) Or maybe I am excited about the Bach Bash...a weekend in Savannah with the boys doing the bachelor party thing and the girls going the bachelorette party thing...it is going to be so much fun and I can't wait to see my little sister get married :)

Lana and Emerson are doing great...Lana went on vacation to Virginia with my parents, Camille, Angel, and Murphy to visit my Aunt Mary and her family for a family bbq/mini-reunion. Lana was very well behaved from what I heard and she really enjoyed herself...it is amazing how she has grown up and what a beautiful, wonderful soul she is. When Lana came home from Virginia she had a surprise waiting for her...part 1...I cleaned out and rearranged her room. She was so excited when she got home and saw it...she kept saying "what did you do? I love it mommy, thank you!" You will see part 2 soon...

Elbie's beautiful sister Amy came in town a couple of weeks ago and we loved being able to spend time with her. She is such a unique and good-natured person. She has a big heart and I love her so much...I just wished she lived closer or that we had the money to go for a visit...hopefully in the spring...maybe mardi gras?? Hmmm??? Well anyway...it was wonderful to watch the bond that she had with Lana. They had an instant connection and it was like they were kindred spirits as Elbie's mom said. I am lucky to have such a wonderful extended family with Elbie's family...they are all truly amazing. I wish we could go to New Mexico and visit with Elbie's Dad and that side of the family...it is definitely one of our goals for this year or next year.

Well...I guess that is all for now...here are some recent photos...love you all!