Sikorski Saga

WHAT A WEEK! First an earthquake, then Goober's death, now a hurricane! Tim and Kati decided to wait out the hurricane by sleeping. Luella went to karate and then stayed awake to watch Annie. They woke up stir-crazy and decided it was a good idea to put the Barbie bed Granddaddy made on it's end, balance across and jump off it. It worked, but there were a few close calls because it's not meant to be on it's end. Too bad the Bay Bridge was closed. We were supposed to go visit the Evers this weekend in Delaware. Luckily this hurricane was just a lot of rain and no damage. We had more damage from a thunderstorm a few days ago when lightening struck a tree two houses down.

Shelly the turtle came to visit us! It rained last night, so we think she's happy in this swamp. The girls think she really did come up all the way from Westmoreland State Park. The crepe myrtle is blooming in our back yard.

This morning when we woke up, we discovered that Goobers had taken a turn for the worse. His insides seem to have liquefied and are leaving his body. He had fluids coming out from every orifice. Kyla and Tim had decided last night to see if he would make it until Saturday and if he was still worse, we would have him put down. After seeing him this morning, we decided that it would be cruel to make him wait that long. Goobers wanted to be near his family, so he painfully climbed the stairs to get to the girls' bedroom. He had to rest for a long time. Luella gave him a good snuggle while trying to make him comfortable on Kati's bed. Kyla gave him a last long hug before we went to the vet's office to have him put down. Tim came home from work and dug a grave for Goobers. We had a short memorial service for him. We shared our favorite memories of Goobers. One of Kyla and Tim's favorite memories of Goobers was while we were moving from Colorado to Missouri in the spri...

Last Tuesday (August 16 th ) Goober had a vet appointment, a check up, medicine for the fleas he brought home, and 3-year rabies vaccination. He had lost 2 pounds since the last time he was at the vet (3 years ago). Then he ran away for nearly a week. We let our neighbors know to look for him, and he was found (Sunday, August 21st). He looked very disoriented. Kyla gave him a bath a noticed he was limping. We thought maybe his trick knee was acting up. So we took him to the vet again on Monday and discovered that he lost another 2 pounds - indicating fatty liver disease, yellow ears - indicating jaundice, and bruises up and down his body - indicating he may have been hit by a vehicle during his week away. The vet office gave him an iv and a shot of vitamins to help get rid of the jaundice. We are trying to get fluids and protein in him, but even with the most aggressive treatment, fatty liver disease still only has a 50/50 survive ability rate. Since bringing him home from the...

Tim came home from work and Luella put on his hat. She wants to be like Daddy when she grows up! Or a model!

The girls were in dance camp all week. The theme was "Under the Sea" with the Little Mermaid. They ended the week with a mini recital for the parents. Here the girls are waiting to perform. Here is their first dance. They are so adorable! They got a second chance to perform and the girls did better, even with someone else's younger sister running around the dance floor. After their performance, they all went to gather their arts and crafts projects. One mom brought Subway sandwiches for the girls! Thank you! Big hugs for the princess performers! (Yes, the spelled Katja's name wrong.)

Today is Mother's Day! At least according to Luella! Three days ago she told Kyla that Thursday was going to be Mother's Day. Two days ago she told Kyla that in two days it would be Mother's Day. Yesterday she told Kyla that tomorrow will be Mother's Day and she worked on a project all day that she wouldn't let Kyla see. This morning, Luella got up early and had Tim help her make Kyla a toasted English muffin with jelly for breakfast in bed! Then she gave Kyla this picture that she worked so hard to create yesterday! It's a picture of Mommy and Daddy on a date. Mommy is wearing red, her favorite color. Daddy is wearing his favorite color, blue. We both have blue eyes, smiles and holding hands. This was the first time that Luella has demonstrated that she knows relationships between days, can count down to a specific date (without the help of a paper chain), has such an attention to detail in her pictures and can tell a whole story from what she drew! Sh...