January today February tomorrow....

Can you believe that tomorrow is February 1, 2020?  LEAP year! As January comes to a close, there were several noteworthy dates to remember.....
On January 3rd, Giselle Eloise celebrated her 9th birthday.  She spent the day rocking out gymnastics as she always does and then after wards, we had a little impromptu celebration.  We ordered cheese and sausage pizza from Chesdan's and it was complete with a cake with her admirable TEDDY.  Aunt Dawn happened to be in town, so she got to enjoy the celebration with us.  Pictured below is her and Lily Bear, who is now 8 months old and filling the void of our beloved, missed Baxter.  She is a bit (ALOT) bigger than any dog I (we) have ever had....but HEY!  She has got potential.....Right?  Only if she STOPS digging holes in the yard and eating my plants and trees!

Aunt Dawn & Lily Bear

Grandpa Dale, Bear & THE Birthday Girl

Mommy!  I want my cake to have my BEAR on it!!

On January 19th, we celebrated Bobs birthday.  He had a hankering taste for homemade pizza, so he went to Trader Joe's and got all the goodies.  He made two pizzas, one with cheese for the girls and then one with everything for us.  They were super delicious!  I love when he gets in the kitchen and has a masterpiece of a recipe in mind!  Bob didn't want cake for his birthday, so we celebrated with three pieces of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory - key lime pie, double chocolate Godiva and plain cheesecake with strawberries.  We stuck a candle in each slice and each of us girls serenaded him with HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!  May the SUN SHINE on you each and every day!  We are going to Nathinal Ratliff!  YEAH!

Bob making the PIZZAS

The finished product!  YUM

3 Cheesecake Slices for the Birthday Boy with his girls!

Also, on Bob's birthday, Isabella and I took a ride with Grandpa Dale to an adoption event held by Rescue Warriors Corp held in Bolingbrook, IL.  What an EPIC day!  It was there, that Grandpa Dale fell in love with his "Fuuuuuurever" friend, who is a 9 year old female Yorkie, now named TRIXIE (formerly Pixie).  She weighs 4 pounds and loves to cuddle and be loved.  She found her match made in heaven, that is for sure.

Grandpa Dale, Trixie and the Pet "Whisperer", Isabella

Isabella & TRIXIE on the ride home

The last couple of weeks have been a little hard, Isabella was home sick with Influenza B and high temperatures for one week and missed school.  And this week, Giselle has been out of school for the week with the flu and high temperatures.

Tomorrow is February and its going to be 50 on Sunday!  Unheard of in Chicago this time of the year! Sunday Superbowl = lots of homemade snacks and food in the kitchen.  Shakira is going to be better than JLO.  For sure.

Baxter Allan (a.k.a. BIG GUY)

Baxter Allan
08-25-04 to 12-28-19

Baxter Allan, as we named him was a Dach/Yorkie was born on August 25, 2004.  On one gloomy November day, (11-27-2004 to be exact) Bob and I were dating and we ventured to Petland in Joliet, IL to look at puppies.  It was that day, that Baxter won over our hearts and we decided to bring this loving creature into our lives.........and the rest is history filled with lots of memories!! 

On December 28, 2019, we had to say good-bye to our beloved Baxter.  For the past couple of years, he had been struggling with an auto-immune disease, and later, also cancer.  He was on several medications that he had to take daily and it was becoming very hard for him to maneuver around, eat and even drink.  The weekly blood tests were not showing that he was getting any better.

Losing a pet of 15 years is very painful and never easy, however we have been actively reflecting as a family on the "Big Guy" and that provides us comfort at a time of loss.  He was one of the BEST dogs we ever had.  When I was as big as a house pregnant with Isabella, he would lay on my big belly every night at bed time.  And he did the same thing when I was pregnant with Giselle.  He LOVED to "photo bomb" any picture that was being taken - he always made his way into every picture.  The dog loved coffee, he would drink your coffee any chance he got.  He was Bobs best friend.  Isabella adored him.  Giselle was indifferent. I loved his beautiful, big brown eyes that always stared at me and his demeanor.

In honor of Baxter, our veterinarian Dr. Marcus Taylor of Colonial Manor Animal Hospital, made a donation to the Pet Memorial Program at Mizzou College in Missouri.  His gift will not only make a difference at the college, but in advancing veterinary medicine therapies for cancer and other diseases affecting animals.  What a beautiful and thoughtful way to make a difference for our future animals.
Today, we officially change the name of our blog from "Isabella, Giselle and Bax" to Isabella, Giselle and Lily.  While we are starting a new chapter in our life and turning the page, Baxter will forever be in our hearts, we will always cherish our memories with him and we are comforted knowing that Baxter's long life was a testament to the LOVE and CARE we provided him.

We love you BIG GUY.....FOREVER and EVER!