Way too long of a week

This week has been a tough one for us, which accounts for our long stretch of silence. (I know there's always an excuse somewhere embedded in our lives now with a little monster crawling/climbing/cruising around.) We endured a couple of losses since Monday, both of which have taken a toll on us. First, S. lost her precious Meme, her grandmother who was the most loving lady around. She loved and accepted me from the beginning, and absolutely adored Theo. She was a very, very special person to everyone, and her passing hit us hard.

Then, the next day (I'm not even joking--you can't make this stuff up) .... our dog died. Yes, our doggy love, Ringo. We've blogged many-a-time about little Ringo. He was an incredibly special dog. He came from Animal Control in Brooklyn and leaped right into our life from the second we saw him in that shelter. He was the loviest dog ever--and he so loved Theo! Ringo was protective of him from the second we brought him home from the hospital--chasing the cat away, and just seeming to understand that he was a special something to care for. He never barked, he always ate Theo's food mess off the floor (the best vacuum cleaner!), and loved everyone. His heart just stopped--he was sick for some time, but the timing of it all just seems so unfair.

We are still devastated over our losses. It is strange to think we won't see Meme the next time we go to visit S.'s aunt (she lived there), and it still feels a bit still at our house with no little white fluff ball underfoot (Theo doesn't count). So, we're moving on, slowly.

I must not neglect S.'s birthday in all of this chaos, which is today. We had an impromptu family party yesterday with ice cream cake--yummmmmmmy!

I love you, doll. Happy Birthday. Sleep in as long as you want, then we're making you breakfast.