All County Wrestling Tournament

Well it's hard to believe it's already over, but tonite was the last and final meet and tournament. Lindsay and Madi came to watch with us and Lindsay even made Madi a sign to hold up and cheer Auntie Hailey on! It was really cute until she noticed Grandpa had Gummy Worms, then her alliance quickly changed. Hailey did so awesome tonite, it was super amazing! She had 4 matches all with boys, she won her first and third matches and lost her second and fourth matches. In the end she took 4th place overall. She was so happy with herself because she really gave it her all, it's really her thing, she's just a natural. She came home from school yesterday not feeling well and went right to bed until she got up and drug herself to school today. She really didn't want to miss tonite, I know she is glad she toughed it out. Just for reference: I had the school nurse make sure she didnt have a fever before she stayed for the tournament, in case anyone was feeling bad for her. The high school coach and assistant coach both came over and made a point of making sure Hailey planned to wrestle for the HS team. We are going to look into a wrestling camp for her this summer! Who would've thought?

Madi and her Princess Minnie ears...

Finally! I have been promising my favorite sister that I would do this for days, so here it is. Hailey brought these cute ears home for Madi from Disneyland, she really likes them and there is definitely room to grow!

Happy St. Patricks Day 2009!

Hailey's wrestling tournament at Nooksack

Well Ok it is a little strange for me, I have never had a wrestler before Hailey. I never would have thought that this could be Hailey's thing but she is really good at it. Whats more she really likes it, and has been told numerous times that she has some natural ability in this area. This match was the first time I have seen Hailey wrestle and although I didnt understand every little thing I did know the basic idea was to get your opponent "pinned" by both shoulders touching the ground. Hailey won her first match against a girl who beat her last week, and lost her second match to a girl who takes wrestling to a whole new level. Seriously I think the girl could beat me if she had to. I was so impressed with Hailey and so happy for her that she liked what she was doing and most of all proud of her to have the courage to try something new and give it 110%. Way to go Hailey! We love you! (in case you were having trouble telling the girls apart, Hailey is wearing the blue cap)

Something not depressing...

Like grinning Corgi's! Look how happy they are! So happy I'll bet it makes you smile just a little :)

R.I.P Barney 5/2008-3/5/2009 (We Will Miss You)

I found Barney on the side of the road in May last year, he was very small, we guessed his age to be around 4 to 5 weeks old. He was an awkward looking little thing but absolutely fearless. He was sweet and affectionate and we grew to love him quickly. Growing up with 5 dogs and a litter of puppies at the time I believe he thought of himself as a dog too. He was amazingly wonderful with Madi from the time he was a tiny little kitten and he and Ford had a great time playing together.

On March 4th we noticed he didn't come back in the evening like usual, we went looking for him. we called him and checked all the likely places, with no luck.
On March 5th I made a few flyers offering a reward for information on his whereabouts and Dave combed the property, including the roof and trees and even the fire station. Still no sign of Barney. We were all really sad because we missed him but also because we had no idea what had happened to him.
Around 9:15 I went outside to run to IGA to buy some milk and as soon as I went outside I heard a distinct garbled meow, then another one, and then again. It was just enough that I could tell it was coming from the roof. I scaled the hand rail and held on to the gutter and sure enough it was Barney at the peak of the roof just above the office. I knew right away he was not OK. It took about 10 minutes for me to coax him down near the edge of the roof so I could actually touch him. He was clearly struggling to breathe and he was very cold, but he laid there at the edge while I stroked him and talked to him.
I was able to yell for Hailey and she retreived the ladder from the barn. I climbed the ladder and handed him down to her to take inside. We had just gotten inside when Dave got home, he was at first thrilled to see we had found Barney but soon realized by the look on our faces it was not good. There was absolutely no signs of abraisions on the outsied but his right front shoulder seemed dislocated, it sat much lower than the left and he was unable to put any weight on it. His breathing was ragged and he was bleeding through his mouth.
We all sat with him by the fire to warm him, even the dogs, we were all sad because we knew he wasnt going to make it. At 10:15 Dave took him to the emergency vet where they examined him and ultimately euthanized him to end his suffering. They said he had massive contusions to his chest which caused his lungs to fill with blood and would have made any attempt to save him very unlikely.
We have no idea how he was injured and how he managed to show up on the roof while he was barely able to walk or breathe. We are grateful that he somehow made it home so we were able to have some peace and say goodbye.
I think he knew how much we all loved him. He was an amazing cat and we will miss him more than you can imagine.

Happy 21st Birthday Lindsay!

Even though it was not technically Lindsay's real birthday it was the last day of February which is when we have always celebrated her big day. Last night was the biggest yet! Lindsay started her evening at Bob's in Barkley Village for dinner and a few drinks before hitting the bars to flash her ID and be legal. We had a great time and Lindsay was definitely going to be in for a long night since people were ordering her shots left and right. She is one hurtin unit this morning and naturally ended her evening "driving the procelain bus"...to be young! No Thank You Very Much! We took Madi home with us last night as most of you probobly assumed so Lindsay and Jake could have a care free night and have time to recover this morning. Happy Birthday Lindsay!