RIP sweet Tessa

Our sweet Tessa cat went to Heaven on Wednesday. We found out months ago that she had an unusually wide trachea. She began coughing pretty much nonstop. After months of bloodwork and xrays and medication to find out what was going on, Dr. J told us he had a suspicion that she had some sort of mass on her trachea, thus making her cough. She began to lose a lot of weight. Then she started to hide a few weeks ago and would get into coughing fits any time she moved. It was heartbreaking to watch and we didn't want her to suffer. So the decision was made and I took her today :(

She truly was a wonderful cat. We had numerous people ask if they could have her (honestly!) because she was so much like a dog; she wasn't afraid of ANYTHING; dogs, strangers, houseful of kids. She would follow you around like a dog in the house and on walks around the neighborhood. And she was SUPER patient, letting the kids dress her up, and carry her around and she even let Meg gnaw on her tail a time or two :)

Ugh, I'm gonna miss her. Not just her, but having a pet in the house. With no dogs and no cats anymore, this house feels empty in that regard. When the time is right, maybe another kitty with Tessa's personality will find it's way into our hearts and into our family.

We love and miss you Tess! Go find a snuggly place in Heaven :)

Sharing lunch

a bite for me, a bite for you...

Snackin' cat

So yesterday as I was laying Lauren down for a nap, she asked if Tessa could stay in there with her while she rested. I agreed because Tessa could leave at any point through the cat door. So while Lauren's in her room sleeping not sleeping, I hear the cat door open and out walks Tessa...


Why wear fur when you have a babydoll bib?

Random Princess news

So this weekend I scored big time in finding all things girly and fitting for the new playroom! My mom and I hit a few garage sales and managed to snatch up a couple things worth noting. We got tons of awesome books from a retiring teacher's garage sale, including books on sharing, losing your first tooth and becoming a big sister (which I'm sure will get a lot of use when we add another addition to our family!). We also bought a new mini trampoline, a PlaySkool Vanity set which is beyond cute, a few toddler toys which assist kids in walking, a new cute pair of denim Snoopy Overalls, and the best find of the day was a brand spankin' new-in-the-box Princess indoor castle, which we paid 1/2 price for! Miss Annie is gonna have a playroom fit for a princess!

Speaking of Princess', I managed to find "Mural Coloring Books" that feature a few Disney Princess' (Belle, Cinderella, Snow White) and The Little Mermaid. Instead of coloring, I have been painting them in bright, girly colors and I am going to frame them in the large movie poster frames we have hanging in the movie room. This is a major step in transforming the room because I couldn't find children's posters which were cute and reasonably priced so this is a great discovery! I'll post pics when I finish the murals!

And lastly, our little Princess officially has a Halloween costume. I'm not saying what it's gonna be, but it's super cute...and feminine, which was a requirement from the Hubster. It's gonna be a very sweet surprise! I bought it off eBay and I also bought a beautiful Gymber Winter coat, which will be perfect for going to Chino to look at the Christmas lights. It's soft pink, super warm and even comes with a matching "lap" blanket (with a built in seatbelt opening) to keep her little legs warm. It's a size 6-12 month which will fit her perfectly come Winter. Yay for awesome finds and deals!

And here's a picture of the best cat in the world, just because she's hanging out with me this mornin' :)