Rest in Peace Jasmine

Princess Jasmine Weidaw-Arnold

March 23, 1993 - May 31, 2008

On a warm Saturday morning, Jasmine left this world to enjoy her version of heaven... where every day is 60 degrees and sunny, the season is always fall with lots of leaf piles to play in, and pizza is served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She is survived by her original Weidaw family (mom, dad and Blake) - and now her more recent Arnold family of "mom" and "dad," her loud and tail-pulling younger brother Frankie, a step-brother Chuey (from the wrong side of the tracks - who is in Chihuahua bliss at his new home with EIGHT other Chihuahuas), and the soon-to-arrive younger brother or sister. Her cousins Brewster and Rufus also must be listed here - as beloved Bichon Frise counterparts in other parts of the country.

For those of you who only knew Jasmine during her retirement in Arizona, I am sad for that. The first ten years of her life were much more robust (and friendly!) - with many people thinking she was just a puppy for most of it. What should have been the sunset years for Jasmine in AZ were far from it... she endured several desert attacks - a jumping cholla cactus, a King snake, a near Coyote massacre, and a terrible brown recluse spider bite that disabled her for months.

I prefer to revel in her spunky youth of running through Ohio grass, loving to snuggle, her disdain of men, serving as a pillow for a teenage girl's tears, and always, always greeting those she loved with complete body-convulsing happiness.

Some lessons that we can learn from my sweet Jasmine:

- No matter how much pain or suffering you may be enduring, pizza helps.

- Any place can be a vacation, even if that is simply hiding under a bed for eight hours.

- Fight rarely. There's very little that is worth getting that worked up over.

- Love fiercly, but be selective with who gets to be on the receiving end of that love.

- No matter how terrible your day has been, joy can and should always be found in spending time with those that you love.

- Even in old age... with few teeth, no vision or hearing, arthritis in both hips and very few "good moments" - you can and will be appreciated and celebrated by somebody.

I will miss you, Jasmine.

Spiritual Leader?

For those of you who have only known Keith and I since having a child - the thought of us being spiritual guides to a young impressionable child might not seem so far fetched. However, for those who have known us BF (before Frankie) - you're probably getting a good chuckle out of the fact that we are now the Godparents to our new niece Kamili. It was a beautiful ceremony in San Antonio last weekend... and in this long weekend trip out there, we've come to appreciate extended stay hotel rooms, the beauty of a child that sleeps the entire leg of a flight, and the help of a 10-pound dog to keep an 18-month-old entertained! Thanks, Rufus! Enjoy some of the pics from the weekend... good times.

Looking like mom?

Tell me he isn't starting to look a LITTLE bit like me... I think so (or maybe that's the pregnancy lack of brain talking.) You can kind of see the big birthmark on his left cheek in this picture - that the sun has helped enhance over the past few weeks. One of his little girlfriends was trying to pick it off his face this weekend!

Belly Bumps

Life is so crazy these days with everything everyone else is dealing with too (I don't claim to be the only one suffering from it!) - kids, kids on the way, work, personal commitments... but, I do have to say that everything feels very rewarding at the end of each exhausting day. Life may be crazy, but it is good. Very good.

I went for the "super ultrasound" today and everything is going really well - the baby on the way is very healthy and still due Sept. 2. Of course in the lobby of the doctor's office, a woman said - are you due this month? Um, no. I wish I had a camera when I told her I was only 4.5 months along. Yup - totally overachieving in the belly growth category per usual. :)

Easter was great and we had Keith's family in town for a week. It was a blur - but they were able to spend lots of quality time with our little terror, Frankie. And, they said they really enjoyed it... I think they're telling the truth!

His new name at daycare (we've been told) is "Frankie NO!" We're trying to determine if he's willful, hard of hearing, or just going through an early case of Terrible 2's (it's certainly not OUR fault!)

My mom is here for the next few weeks before heading back to Ohio - so our "second wife" will be gone soon and date nights will decrease... the good news is that Frankie started saying "GG" last week - not a moment too soon!

Work is really busy now for both Keith and I... but we're enjoying what we do and the crazy schedule that is our life. Big hugs to everyone!

Kamili's Visit

There's a phenomenon that happens when you have a child... no one cares any longer about the parents - and everyone says things like, "Frankie came to Ohio." Our friend Emily calls she and her husband the "Natalie transport system." Well, I'm continuing the vicious cycle... because Kamili came to visit us this weekend. Oh - and so did Blake and Emeka. :) It was great to see them and to get to hold a baby girl! Keith was a natural (and a total sucker for her big brown eyes). Frankie really didn't take too much notice of her, even when I was holding her... so maybe he won't be so bad with another baby in the house after all. Maybe.

The Stats

We had the 15-month check-up today at the pediatrician's office and learned that Frankie is still tall, but is actually slimming down. He's 33 inches tall (95th perecentile) and 26.2 pounds (75th percentile). I'm home sick today and taking care of him... being sick (and pregnant - did you know?) and taking care of a 15 month old is about the most exhausting thing on the planet!

Peek-a-Boo

This blog is as much for Keith as it is for the rest of the world. With him working so many hours, he's missing out on some of the fun "everyday" things that are happening around here. While Frankie is always a huge fan of peek-a-boo, it reached a level of hysteria when he realized he could play it with the shower curtain in his bathroom.