My Life Lately

The problem with blogs is that (at least in my experience) when you have the time to actually write them, you have nothing to say--that's why you have so much time on your hands. But when you have a lot to report, you have absolutely no time to sit down and report it. Well, that's been my life the past few weeks since my last post, so here's a brief pictoral overview.

Two weeks ago, we loaded Evelyn up for her very first plane ride. Despite a mammoth poop blowout that occurred in the security line (and was discovered when I lifted her out of her carseat to go through the metal detectors), it was really uneventful. She smiled and made friends with everyone around us before falling fast asleep.

We landed in Kansas City at 5:45pm Friday evening and were at a wedding by 7pm, where Evelyn met Great Grandma Norie, Great Aunts Millie and Dorothy, her soon-to-be uncle KC, and a whole host of second and even third cousins.(Yes, the third cousin pictured with Evelyn below is two weeks older and weighs half as much. My baby is such a chub-a-wub!)

Around 10pm, we left the Kansas City metro area for a two hour ride to our hometown, where we bedded down for the night late and woke semi-early to get things ready for my sister's bridal shower the next day. Craig took Evelyn with him to his parents' house, where she met her Cousins Ethan and Kendall, her Aunt Andrea and Uncle Chad, and her Big Papa.

Prior to the bridal shower, she posed for a four-generation photo shoot with me, my sister, my mom, and Grandma Norie.

After the bridal shower, she got to meet Great Grandparents Trautwein, Great Aunts Susan and Shelly, Second Cousin Jen, and a whole host of other greats and seconds.

Then on Sunday, she and I headed to a baby shower held in her honor, where she met Great Great Aunts, Great Aunts, Second Cousins, etc. that she hadn't yet met. Other family members are currently hoarding these photographs. :)

Monday, we took her to Great Grandma Phyllis and Great Grandpa Joe's house, where she met several people, including Great Great Aunt Jean and Third Cousin (is that the right relationship? My dad's cousin.) Kathy (who didn't like having her picture taken).

We arrived back in SoCal around noon on Tuesday, where my best friend Rachel had been struggling unsuccessfully to start labor for several days (really, let's be honest, several weeks). She was induced on Wednesday and gave birth to Evelyn's betrothed, Liam Eric.

After this, our joyous string of events turned sour. Our beloved dog of almost five years, Chloe, (who has been progressively becoming more and more aggressive) escaped out of our house and proceeded to attack a neighbor's small dog. Being unable to afford the expense of a pet behaviorist, knowing we can't keep her around so many small children, and unable to find a no-kill shelter willing to take her in, we came to the very difficult decision to end her life yesterday, August 31. She was a very loving, loyal pet to our family and the house seems very empty without her, but we know that she had a happy, love-filled life and that she never suffered loneliness or pain. Here's how we choose to remember her.