Oooohf ! That's Gonna Leave a Mark...

On Tuesday, during her weekly tennis lesson, Maddie suffered an injury. Seems there were stray balls on the court. While Maddie was running backward to grab a shot, she stepped on one of the strays. Ankle 'POP' was heard by all as the blond beauty collapsed.

Three years ago I would have been panicking. But now, I have accepted the fact that my lovely daughter has inherited my weak, but large, ankles. Check out the swelling on the left:



Now she has 'cankles' just like her Mom!!!

Finally, here's a side view of the damage. And yes, the objects in the photo are larger in real life...Maddie is a size 10.5 shoe!



Maddie is doing fine. She was in pain for the past two days but she seems to have turned the corner. She's putting full weight on it today. She will play next week, but this time she won't neglect to wear her ankle brace!

My Favorite Thing...

...Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes.











Our other 'snow angel' was in school during the snow storm. The snow has since melted, but it was a nice 'first snow'!

A Belated Christmas Gift

This is SoCo, my younger sister Claudine's baby. When I say 'baby', it is not an exaggeration or term of endearment - it is the truth. SoCo is the gentlest soul one could meet. If you sit down, she will come over, sit down next to you and use her nose to nudge your arm over to caress her. She is gentle with Josie - who is at eye level with her.

This summer, our whole family was distressed to learn that SoCo was diagnosed with heart failure. Claudine was beside herself with worry over SoCo's health. She found a canine cardiologist (yes, really) who was able to treat SoCo. Over the course of 6 months of treatment, SoCo has returned to near perfect health.

In the November issue of Rachel Ray's Magazine, in the section called "Make it Yours", I found a small feature on a company called Best Friends Studios. Rachel Ray had been given a pillow with a handmade design of her dog, Isaboo, on it made by BFS. I thought that a pillow of SoCo would make a great Christmas gift for Claudine. By the time I contacted MaryAnn at BFS, she was booked for Christmas delivery. However, mid January orders were being taken.

The process was easy and Mary Ann was an absolute delight to work with. She is a compassionate person who fully understands the connection that we 'dog lovers' have with our canine companions. Mary Ann kept in contact with any and all questions regarding design, so nothing was left to chance. I was thrilled when she sent me a photo of the finished applique. I just love it, and I hope Claudine does too! Here's one of the photos:

Her Faithful Protector

Since the day Josie arrived home, Carson has been her loyal protector and playmate. When she takes her nap, he sits outside her door. If she cries, he runs to where ever she is. He allows her to pull his tail, his ears, his collar and his nose without a peep. He has never snapped at her or even shown the slightest bit of bother.

It's raining here today, so Josie is confined indoors. She has grown tired of her mother as a playmate and has moved on to have some fun with Carson. Today was 'dress-up Carson' Day. From the photos you can see how patient he is with her... and how much she loves her "Bubba"!

A Timely Foto Challenge

Lissa, the Mom of Lydia (link to the right...), took over the FFFF (the Family Foto Fun Friday) some time ago. Her theme this week was "Time in a Bottle". I love to see the challenge photos and I try to participate if the theme fits photos that I have on hand. Well, the theme this week was very fitting for us here at Buddalicious - As it was exactly 2 years ago TODAY that we first laid eyes on Chong Si Li. We all know her now as Josie.

We had to wait 5 agonizing days from the time we received our referral call (Dec 30, 2005 9:39AM) until we could meet with our social worker, the awesome and incredible Janice. January 5 th, 2006 just couldn't come fast enough for all of us.

Now, 2 years later, I still am in awe of the beautiful little face I saw that day. I'm also just as in love with the twinkle in her older sister's eye as I was the day I gave birth to her. EVERY DAY I am SO thankful, SO thrilled and SO overjoyed that these two incredible lovies call me 'MOM'. They are the WORLD to me!!

Happy New Year

I'm sorry that I didn't update this blog over the holidays, for those of you who actually check... Our holiday was very low key. We travelled to Philadelphia on Christmas Day to share dinner with Suzanne, Greg and the boys; Mom & Dad; and Claudine. We had a very nice time and I was excited to see all the upgrades Sue & Greg have made to their house since purchasing it over the summer. Dinner was fantastic - Rib Roast and Yorkshire pudding. My Mom's Yorkshire pudding was absolutely perfect - a feat I have yet to accomplish. Yummy!!!

Anyway, we headed home around 7:30 Christmas evening. By the time we arrived back in Virginia, Josie was running a 104 degree fever. I had noticed the small cough she had the previous day was getting more pronounced and 'tighter'. The morning of the 26th found Josie and I in her doctors office, while James took Maddie to the airport. Maddie spent the 26-Jan1 at her friend Leah's house in Michigan. Josie's strep test was negative so the doctor advised us to just 'rough it out' with the virus that Josie had contracted. Thankfully, the chest cold that Maddie had caught was done with her. However, James and I found ourselves susceptible to both the viral and bacterial "tiny little germs" (as Josie calls them). I was able to take care of all of them until I finally succumbed on the 27th. Being sick is just the worse. I had a fever for 3 days and it still feels like I'm breaking ribs when I cough. Yuk!!

Anyway, I hope to provide some photos of our Christmas once I get them downloaded. I want to thank all of you who sent us Holiday greetings and wish everyone a very Happy New Year!