Goodbye Big Dog!

We are incredibly saddened by the loss of our Big Dog, Kava. Today we had to put Kava to sleep and as horrible as our family feels, we're glad he's not in pain any more. "You can walk now."

It all happened so fast. Sunday night Kava came into the house limping a bit. We didn't think much about it because he's had things like that happen to him before and he was just fine. By Monday morning he struggled to get up and could barely walk. Every time we patted his neck he would wince in pain. We made an appointment with the vet for later that day. Our vet was wonderful, but not very hopeful. Kava's x-rays came back clean..., with no obvious signs of neck injury. The vet gave us a few options as to what could have happened and then gave us some options as to how we could treat Kava, none of which we liked. Kava stayed over night to be observed and received IV medications. The following morning, Kava was the same.., couldn't stand or walk..., still in some pain. He did not respond to the pain medications, steriods and cortisone shots they gave him and now his front legs appeared to be affected by what ever was going on as well. Having an MRI was an option, but all it would tell us, if anything, was that he needed surgery. With Kava's age and the likelihood that there were other complications with Kava's spinal cord, our vet didn't feel he was a good candidate for surgery. We visited with him that day in hopes to be able to take him home for one more night, but we couldn't. At that point, they were having to cath him to drain his bladder because he wasn't urinating. We spent some time with him and it was so hard to see him try and stand and not be able to. He was completely mentally there, just trapped in his big body. Through lots of tears and sadness, we made the decision to put him to sleep the following day if he continued not responding to the medications. Our vet was wonderful and though he gave us many options, in the end, after we had made our decision, he told us that was the best thing for Kava. We miss our big dog so much but we know it was best for him.

Kava was our gentle giant and the most obedient dog ever. Mason could even tell him to sit and stay, and Kava would do it. He thought he was a lap dog and had no problem trying to snuggle up his 180 lbs frame to you. We'll miss his 'bunny hop' when he would get excited, we'll miss his "winks" and his run that sounded like thunder outside. We'll miss his long stretch that spanned the entire kitchen floor. We'll miss his awesome physical presence (you always knew he was there for strength, comfort, support and protection) and we'll mostly just miss him. You are an incredible dog, Kava..., We love you!

Really Son????

Can you tell what this white paste is???
It's joint compound from our addition!?!?! I could easily taken a dozen pictures of furniture with joint compound on it.., but I thought I'd spare you all from that.

Really Son???

Can you tell what he's doing????

How about now??? I about killed him this day! I had just washed the floor and he once again grabbed my diet coke of the top of the microwave.., poured it into his pick up truck only to find it didn't all fit and not wanting to waste a drop..., licked the rest up!

Am I going to survive this boy???

I NEEEEEEED SPRING!

I NEED spring. I don't think I can adequately describe how much I truly NEED spring. I'm trying as hard as I can to bring it into my home. I think I may go insane if I don't. I've been dealing with sick babies off and on for over 6 weeks now. We've had countless doctor visits, insta-care trips and late night ER excursions. We've dealt with colds, and croup, strep and strep some more, stomach flu all around, fevers, asthma attacks and raging ear infections...., to just name a few. I want to throw open the windows and air out the house, but it's still a bit too cold. In attempts to change the atmosphere in the Ontiveros Home, I came home from Sam's Club with these. I think we all needed them. I let Mason pick the color and it was a perfect choice. The yellow adds a touch of spring to our kitchen table. I'm also painting everything I can find 'turquoise' in hopes to brighten our dark living room. St Patricks Day decorations came down two weeks ago (which, anyone who knows me, knows this is a HUGE no-no) because I needed spring eggs, bunnies and chicks in my home.I painted my kitchen this color in hopes to add cheer.After 3 coats of different color paints, tears and frustration...., my cute wonderful husband finished my project which ended with my original paint color!!!! And...., yes.., I've started to paint my kitchen cabinets an espresso color and I LOVE them! I need spring to get here soon. Please! I'm done with snow and gray skies. I'm done with cold air and sweaters. I'm done with staying inside and hot chocolate. I'm done with it all. I want sun and blue skies. I want warm air and flip flops. I want to lounge outside and drink lemonade. Until then, I will create and add color whenever and where I can to help keep the spirits up.

Really Son???

You can tell by Maya's face that she is going to be Mason's partner in crime in no time! It's diet coke, if you're wondering, in the laundry basket. I guess this one could technically be my fault for leaving the can of soda high on a shelf where Mason could stack 3 (!?!?!) boxes to reach the soda!

Life is getting easier....,

I love that I can feed my kids the same meals these days....., just cut up differently.

How did this happen???

Before I had kids I would look at my friends and their naked kids running around their houses and seriously think, 'I will never be a mom that allows my child to run around naked and dress how ever they want'. Then...., I had Mason!
Yes.., that's tape around his arm. He's into bracelets lately. I swear each morning he starts off with nice matching, clothes and shoes. Then 3 or 4 outfits later he looks some thing like this....,
..., or this.....,

And then by the end of the day.., he's like this....., How does this happen???