RIP RILEY

It has been a rough week in our house. On Saturday my mom took Riley, our dog (shared with Joanie and Jimbo) to the vet and they told her he had cancer and he was in pain. She called to tell me the news and I just started crying. When I hung up, Henry asked me what was wrong and I explained that if Riley lived, he would be in a lot of pain and uncomfortable OR the doctor could give him something that could help him die without pain. Henry looked at me and said "Wow, neither option is good ..is it?". Dead on. Monday night we had a "celebration of his life" party with Riley and my mom gave him a bowl of ice cream....Riley was in shock....he wasn't sure if he should/could eat it. We hugged him, thanked him for all that he gave to us, and said our goodbyes...and then cried the whole drive home and rest of the night. We really loved that dog - he was sweet, kind and handled all the tugs, pulls, yells and screams of the kids. Francie and Henry adored him as their buddy. Our house feels a lot more empty. Sweet Henry created this "memorial" to Riley in which he wrote all the things he loved about him. Thanks for all the love you gave us Riley - you will be missed.

Blazer Date Night with Mom

Henry and I had date night at the Blazer game. As usual, it was hysterical to be there with Henry. He has mastered his three point goggles...Rudy, Paddy, and Matthews would be so proud.

Hike in Forest Park

Spring is finally here...kind of....so we jumped at the chance to take the kids and Riley for a hike. I have to say, I think the snack midway through is the kids favorite part of the hike....wonder who they get that from?

Big 36

Markie Mark turned 36. We had a number of fun events. Gordon hosted a very special private dinner at his place that was super nummy and that my parents attended as well. The next night we played it low key and had dinner at home as the kids both had a 102 fever. Henry made Mark a "banner" for his birthday that wrote out FAMILY, all of our names, and love. Francie had the camera and documented the entire event....which is why I have no useable pictures...sorry Mark.

Sibling Moment

There are moments when you watch your children - as siblings - interact and it just makes your heart melt. Henry often reads stories to Francie and it is just magical. I happened to catch one of those moments the other day and just savored every second. These are also times that I always also have what I call the "hiccup", I was so happy watching them...and then instantly felt heartbroken as it made me miss my brother Andrew horribly. The age difference between Andrew and me was the same as Francie and Henry. I only hope they can grow to be as close as my brother I were to each other.

Shamrock Run 2010

Mark ran the 15K Shamrock Run this year to celebrate his LAST day as a 35 year old. He did awesome..he is a rock star. I was nostalgic for two reasons....

1) Last year I ran with him and we got champagne at brunch afterwards....this year I waddled to the five mile mark to cheer him on

2) My whole life I grew up with my mom driving all four kids around to cheer on my dad while he ran races. Ironically, this year it was me doing that for my kids....kind of crazy. Made me appreciate the supportive work my mom put in....getting all four kids in the car and trying to catch him in mid-race. I now "get" why she tapered out at the end. Oh the perspective you get on your parents...when you become one yourself.

Bowl-A-Rama

My work had our holiday party....in March.....at a bowling alley. My camera had NO battery (don't you love it when you bring it....only to get the warning message about no battery) and so quickly got some blurry shots before it died. The kids loved it.