Introducing Buster!

We really weren't planning on getting a new pet so soon, but I was browsing on http://www.narfrescue.org/ (where we found Farley), and saw this wonderful face looking back at me:








Buster is a male dachshund / terrier mix and was 11 weeks old when we got him on November 22nd.

I was dreading having a sad Thanksgiving without Farley here, and Kevin agreed it would agree to give that cute face a home! He's been a big hit here, and is great with Katie. We're looking forward to January 3 when he gets his final shots so he can go out and play at the park and dogpark!

Farley

November was a very sad months for us. Starting in October we realized Farley was not feeling well. On November 1st he was diagnosed with cancer, and we were told surgery was not an option and that he had only 1-2 months left. The cancer was in his throat and lymph nodes, and soon he was unable to eat. On November 14 Kevin and I took him to the vet (who Farley loved!) and ended his suffering. It all happened way too fast.

Farley was the best dog ever. He always had sparkling eyes and a wagging tail. He was so well loved by family, friends and the entire neighborhood. I was overwhelmed at the outpouring of love, concern and condolences - over a dog! He certainly was a huge part of our family, and always will be.

October already?

Geez, wasn't it just October last year? How time flies!

Kevin is now a regular Ask.com employee, and so far it has been great. He's received great recognition, and also will be a leader / mentor in the group.

Katie is now a Daisy Girl Scout. We were lucky to sign her up along with some friends, so her good friend Salsabeel and her little sister Tahla will be in the same troop with Katie! Should be very interesting. I will need to be at the meetings because of Katie's ADHD, but at least I do not need to be the leader!

We have found a couple of very good sitters for Katie on the Care.com site. Recent incidents with playdates and other situations have proven to me that she needs to have someone who can handle a child with ADHD and Autism spectrum issues. So Kevin and I can start having date nights, which for a long time did not seem feasible. Katie is also becoming a bit more flexible with change - Friday she didn't fuss too badly about not wearing her uniform to school. And yesterday she actually tried grits and eggs for breakfast! Those are huge breakthroughs for us.

We're planning a neighborhood trip to a fantastic pumpkin patch on October 15. It is to Uesugi Farms in Morgan Hill, and the place is fabulous. I like it better than all the places at Half Moon Bay combined! Check it out: www.uesugifarms.com

I (Margaret) have been enjoying fitting a little extra time in here and there to get some knitting done. I have finished 5 holiday gifts, and have a couple more in the queue. Kevin also got a free Nook from someone at work, and since he already had one, I have really enjoyed it. The Nook is much easier to use on a treadmill than a regular book, which give me more enjoyable reading time.

I'd love to know if you are checking in on us. If you do, please leave a comment. Thanks.

More as the holidays progress.....

School Days

Katie has now had 2 weeks of 1st Grade, and she seems to be settling in well. She is still in the Special Day Class, but is doing great with grade-appropriate learning. Part of her homework is to read to us! The longer hours at school hasn't bothered her a bit, and we love that as she goes right to sleep at night! :) She has also lost 2 more teeth! She now has 5 teeth growing in!

Kevin has been enjoying his job at Ask.com. So far he has been a contractor through another company, but by the end of September he will be hired on by Ask.com, which is fabulous.

As for me (Mom), I am enjoying the extra hours Katie is in school and am working on getting my life back. I have more time to get things done at home, and can take the time to catch up with friends.

Labor Day weekend

September already. Can you believe it??

Kevin is off at the regatta on Tomales Bay run by the Santa Rosa Sailing Club. He and his dad are camping on the beach and enjoying the weekend with their sailing friends. In the Pelican class he came in 3rd out of 6 boats. I don't go on this trip because to get to the camping spot you need to park across the bay and sail across, then you're there for the duration. Not my style. :)

My style: my bestest friend ever Mary, who I have know since 2nd grade, came down and spent Friday night and Saturday with us. She bought Katie the Pocahontas costume from the Disney Store, and we had a great pajama party! It was a blast. And while we were shopping, I had a friend who I hadn't seen in ~25 years recognize me, and now I have rehooked up with her and also another mutual friend. Wonderful.

Saturday morning we had the first full-fledged neighborhood playdate, with ALL the neighborhood kids running all over the neighborhood. It was fabulous. We have a great neigborhood with 10 kids under the age of 7, and it was fun to watch. Hopefully a sign of greater times to come. :)

Katie started 1st Grade last week - unbelievable. She's really growing up!!

Summertime!

{-- Katie and Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl!!

We're having a good summer so far! Katie was in summer school until the end of July, and also had swim lessons. August is fun time and school starts on August 29! (counting the days....). There are also now other kids in the neighborhood who are getting old enough to come out and play, so we have a great little playgroup on our street.

Katie and I (Margaret) spent 3 days up at the Mackey cabin in Mi-Wuk, just past Twain Harte, north of Yosemite. Kevin's parents were there as well, and we had a nice break.

Katie is growing way too fast for us. She lost another tooth yesterday, her 5th! She has her two front upper teeth coming in, and now has a hole on the bottom as well! She thinks it's fun, and thinks $1 can buy A LOT at the Disney Store. Ah yes, being young! :)

Our trip to Disneyland in June was great. Katie met Jessie (Toy Story), and also Mulan and Rapunzel. She has now met ALL the Disney princesses, which is no small accomplishment as there are now about 12 of them.

Katie Turns 6!

Katie celebrated her 6th birthday with a pool and bouncer party in our back yard. It was a nice sunny June day, and all her best friends came out to celebrate. The theme was Pinkalicious, and was a very girly party!!

(Noteworthy - Katie had such a great time being 5 that she didn't want to turn 6. We've taught her to say "I'm 6 but I want to be 5".)

Spring Events

We had some great stuff happen since I last posted.

Kevin ran the Bay to Breakers again this year, and had a good run.

We all went camping at Whiskeytown Lake for Memorial Day weekend. This is the big regatta, so the Pelicans were there sailing. Kevin brought home a trophy for 3rd place!

Katie graduated from Kindergarten, and had her 6th birthday!

3rd tooth to go!

Katie lost her 3rd tooth yesterday, the first one on the top! She was thrilled that the tooth fairy was going to come see her!

Comin' back!

It's been almost a year since our last posting. Things went downhill for a while (so much that we didn't even send out our usual holiday letter and cards!), but we've bounced back and are doing much better.

Kevin had lost his job, and after working a contract job, he has finally got a regular job. He is working at Ask.com in Oakland, and it seems to be a very promising job for him. The commute stinks, but we're happy to be back on track.

Katie was diagnosed (properly this time) with ADHD after school started last year, and with that and the changes of starting a full school life, we were incredibly challenged on many fronts. It took a few months to find the right solutions for her, and also for her to acclimate to regular school. At this writing, she is doing fantastic and is about to finish Kindergarten. It has been thrilling to see her go from just knowing a few letters at the beginning of the school year, to now reading and writing sentences.

With Kevin securing a job, we are thrilled that we will make our annual trek to Disneyland this summer. We're going in June, and every day Katie packs (then Mommy cleans up!).