Groundhog Day

The neighbor's kids ran across our yard today and down into our driveway. We went out to see what was going on and they said, "There is a weird animal behind your trashcan." The girls and I went out to investigate and found a groundhog. Brent was out of town for some meetings and I wasn't about to mess with him in case he was mean, so we just went back inside and waited a while. About 10 minutes later he was gone. Ella was very sad that he left as quickly as he came. She looked for him periodically all day long.

More Bad News

The results from the bone scan and all the blood work came back and gave us more bad news. We found out that Dad's cancer was farther along than the doctor originally thought. We were glad to find out that it hasn't spread beyond the prostate, but were hopeful that Dad would be able to do radiation and be done with all of this! Instead the doctor is recommending that Dad have his prostate removed. He said he's too young and healthy to risk leaving it in him. The doctor thought the cancer would return if he doesn't have his prostate removed. He recommended that Dad have it robotically removed because the healing time should be faster and easier. We are hoping to get the surgery scheduled soon so that Dad can focus on healing and getting back to life as we know it.

We Might Be a Little Weird...

There's really not much to say here. Ella had this weird idea to pull our hair in front of our eyes and then put sunglasses on. It was great fun for about 15 minutes and she thought we needed to take pictures of each other. The joys of being at home with a 3 year old! :-)

Back at the Park

We have really missed being at the park this winter. It seemed like the cold weather would never end. We were cooped up too much! Today we headed to Moberly to go with my Dad to the hospital for some testing. We had to kill a little time between tests, so we went to a couple parks to let the girls play. It was a gorgeous day!

More of Our House Guest

Tomorrow is Rocky's last day at the Doolin house. As much as we have enjoyed him, it is time for him to go. Rocky is a messy little creature. I think he must run laps around his cage when we aren't home, because his bedding is always strewn out onto the floor. I am ready to have the faint odor of a pet out of the house again, too. I will miss watching the girls take care of Rocky, though. They were excellent about feeding and watering him. Some day we will have a pet again and I'm sure the girls will be good helpers when that time comes.

A Bad Phone Call

My Dad called today and gave us some news we didn't want. He had a biopsy of his prostate done earlier in the week. The doctor's office called today to let him know that he has prostate cancer. They felt like they caught it early and that it would be treatable. That was nice to hear, but it still felt like a slap in the face to find out that cancer had entered our family. We knew we weren't exempt from it, but we had been fortunate to not have anyone diagnosed with anything worse than skin cancer. Cancer changes everything. It's a scary word and I hate how it has instantly changed our lives. He will have a bunch of tests done next week to make sure that it wasn't spread from his prostate. Until then, we will be busy praying!

A Little Visitor

Gracie got to bring home Rocky, the first-grade's classroom guinea pig, for their Spring Break. We get to keep him until Monday and the girls are thrilled. Ella (A.K.A. Little Miss Squinty Eyes) talks to Rocky and tries to pet him all the time!

Gracie isn't scared of holding Rocky. He's a nibbler, so you just have to be cautious. I have to admit that he's pretty cute!

Central's Alumni 5K

Somehow I coerced my friend Niki to run a 5K with me. She's not a runner, but she was a good sport and came anyway. It was actually pretty fun and she did great. This is the "before" shot. You know...before we felt like vomiting. :-)

Definitely an "after" shot. I finished slower than usual, but I'm blaming the winter running I did on the treadmill. I think I got used to a slower pace. Anyway, I still finished under 30 minutes and got 2nd in my age group.

Don't we look relieved that it's over?! Niki was only 9 minutes behind me, which I thought was great! I probably shouldn't mention the fact that she could barely walk for 3 days after the race.

The Little Beauties

I think it's hysterical when Gracie and Ella decide to dress-up. Most of the time, they are seriously trying to look beautiful, and instead their outfits end up looking over-the-top and somewhat crazy. However, they still look beautiful to me. The unfortunate thing about their passion for playing dress-up is that there are always layers of clothes on the floor. I'm working on getting them to clean up their messes a little better and to not change clothes so many times in one day!

"I Can Do It Myself"

As Ella was getting ready this morning I said, "Okay, after you are dressed we need to do your hair." A few minutes passed and I went into the bathroom to get her hair supplies out. Well, Ella was already there with several hair products on the counter top. She said, "I can do my hair." I smiled and said, "Let me help you." Ella replied, "I can do it myself." I stepped back and let her spray water, mousse and even some gel in her hair. Once it was a goopey mess she realized she needed help.
Ella is a very independent child so I knew I would have to let her think she was helping. It took longer than usual, but Ella and I worked on her hair together. By the end, she thought she had really "done it herself." I have to admit that she was quite good at some of the things she did. Our first errand was the grocery store where someone stopped to ask if Ella's curls were natural. The woman kept complimenting Ella's hair, and Ella beamed!

Emily Jr.

Gracie went to my Mom and Dad's to spend the night tonight. She took one of her chapter books that she got from the school library. They reported that she had her nose in the book nonstop until it was done. The next morning she took it in the car while they went to Wal-Mart. This is all very familiar to me, because that is exactly what I was like as a child. I would rather be reading than doing anything else. I loved spending my allowance or any other money I earned at the bookstore in the mall. I'm glad Gracie is such a good reader and hope she always has an interest in reading.

Elllllla Doollllllin

Ella has quite a sense of humor. She is famous for making us laugh because of her intentional attempt at humor. This morning she came up to me and said, "My name is Ellllla Doolllllin." She wasn't being funny, she was just really trying to pronounce the "l's" in her name. For a long time now, she has pronounced her name "Eyya Dooyin" and we had worked on the "l" sound. I finally just gave up and decided it would correct itself. Well this morning was the day it finally clicked in Ella's brain that she could actually put the "l" sound into her name. You have to understand that she didn't just pronounce the "l" in her name, it was like she was rolling the l's. Try it. Elllla Doolllllin. I laughed at her attempt at pronouncing her name correctly and had her repeat it several times. I ended up in tears as I cracked up over her new found knowledge. Once she realized it was funny she walked around the rest of the day saying "Elllleanor Paige Doolllllin!"

Our Little Experiment

My parents gave the girls these cute little lima bean plants with their birthday gifts. It's a kit where you can plant the seeds and watch them grow. This is how it starts out.

After it sprouts you can see that the seed says "I love you." Cute, huh?! The girls thought it was AMAZING!

A Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, Ella and I walked Molly into the veterinarian's office for the last time. Molly walked in calmly, almost like she knew what was about to happen and was okay with it. Usually a trip to the vet's office entailed Molly getting all worked up and making it difficult, but this time was different. When I gave the vet her leash and handed her over, she walked calmly away from us. I left the office crying and Ella left asking lots of questions. I told her that Molly would be going to sleep and wouldn't wake up again. Ella accepted that answer for a long time, but she still asks about her once in a while. She asks when Molly will wake up again or when will we pick Molly up from the doctor's office. Both girls have left Molly in their prayers. "Thank you for Daddy, Mommy, my sissy and our dog...." I don't have the heart to tell them that they should/could change their wording of their prayer to leave Molly out now. We still think about her often but I know we made the right choice, even though we do still miss her.