The Polar Express

We just got back from a nighttime excursion to the North Pole on the Polar Express. We boarded a special train from downtown Canton with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Kathy, along with Natalie's friend Maddy Friel and Oliver's friend Madeline Gregory. It was a lot of fun! There was the reading of the Polar Express, the hot chocolate and cookies, and of course, the destination of the North Pole and the visit from Santa. Oliver was a little nervous at first, but by the time the "HO HO HO" contest came around he and Madeline were screaming at the top of their lungs!

2008 Fall Family Pictures

Here are some pictures we had taken in our yard with the help of Aunt Kathy (and Uncle Chuck who kept Oliver entertained). We were fortunate to get that done before the snow came in this week.

RIP Pounce

We said goodbye to our sweet cat Pounce today. She was 14 years old and had survived 3 cancer surgeries. She stopped eating over the weekend and barely drank any water as well. She had lost 30% of her body weight in the last 8 weeks. You can imagine how bony she felt as we petted her. Last night was the first night ever that she couldn't jump up on the bed to cuddle at my feet or on my pillow. I thought it also sounded like she was starting to have a hard time breathing this morning as well. I took her into Dr. Hunter's office today to have her put to sleep. He found her to be anemic, dehydrated, and with two more masses in her abdomen. We knew from the biopsy in August that a lymph node had tested positive for the cancer so it was probably in her chest as well - most likely causing the eating/swallowing problems. We will miss her loud "motor" and her friskey presonality around here. Oliver believes he's already seen her ghost in his room! I searched the library's database for a good juvenile book on pet death and couldn't find one so I think I'll write my own. I hope Pounce is enjoying kitty cat heaven with unlimited cat chow, cat nip, and birds to watch.

Election Day 2008

Congratulations Barack Obama! Oliver did his part in the campaigning.
We spent the day by voting and then having some family time. I went to Oliver's swim lesson and then we enjoyed a beautiful November day at the Stan Hywet Gardens in Akron. After that we got home in time to watch the elections results come in. What an exciting night!
The other album that I just posted is the Halloween party we had at our house. Enjoy!