Happy Fall!

Fall has officially arrived here in Upstate New York! The trees are becoming more colorful and vibrant each day and we have a pumpkin and a mum and have enjoyed some cider and donuts so yep it's official! :)

We've been trying to enjoy getting outside as much as we can before the weather turns. Mathwon and Demani go 'sledding' on the hill in our backyard. The two of them enjoy countless walks and trips outside. Last week Mathwon took Demani to the zoo here in Binghamton...they went to IHOP first for breakfast! We also went to Endicott Cider Mill with friends and Demani enjoyed some apple cider! We went to the Apple Fest and to Apple Hills with Aunt Linda.

We recently enjoyed a visit from Aunt Tiffany, my Aunt Linda and Aunt Nene, and my Grandpa and his sister-in-law Ada May! As well as from Dave, Shelley, and Jaime who were on their way home from seeing Trevor in Boston. It's been a fun month!

And believe it or not, Demani's second birthday is just around the corner....

I think I recently turned a corner ( I hope so) regarding finding myself in Binghamton, NY. This week a bunch of my family is vacationing together in Myrtle Beach. As I texted back and forth with my sister who is there, she texted, I wish you were here. I paused just for a moment and looked at my cozy home, where 2 little angelic faces looked up at me, my hubby was enjoying some well earned football watching, and my oldest was fast asleep in his crib and I thought to myself, I am right where I want to be. It seems so simple and maybe silly but I feel like it is a big step and is progress in the right direction. Nothing feels more right than to have a peace about where you are in life. So though a walk on the beach and hanging with family sounds like a lot of fun - the hills of Bing and the color that is bursting from them is beginning to feel 'right'. Soak up some sun for me Kendra!

Seren and Mekai are all smiles. And Demani has had a lot of tears this week...teething. ;( No fun for a little guy. He is faring well though. He sure dotes on his siblings - he is always hugging them, wiping their faces with a burp rag, or making them smile. He enjoys copying what he sees mom and dad do and has taken to diapering, feeding, and swaddling....his puppy. He puts him in the swing too and pushes the swing...it's just too cute. The babies are growing so fast and will be 4 months old Oct 12 and Demani will be 2 Oct 25!

My conversation with Demani

I went to get Demani out of his crib this morning and he had his puppy and his blanket in his arms ready to start his day. I asked him if we could leave the blanket in the crib and he said Nooooo - a long drawn out no. Then I asked him if he wanted to take the blanket with him and he said Please. I was so proud of my little boy!

I will try to get some pics up soon....

The Greatest Cat Ever

Our much-loved cat passed away Sunday night at 7:30pm. He was likely 14 years old. Tiffany was here which was fitting because Panda was her cat too. He had been to the vet several times because we had been concerned about him and he just continued to get worse which was just horrible to watch.

He just hadn't been himself for the past few days so there were definite signs. He just seemed to be struggling so much and it was so hard to watch that we began to pray that he would just go ahead and go so that he wouldn't be struggling anymore. At probably 7pm he came out from the guest room, after spending all day there (totally not normal), and Tiff and I heard him behind us. Mathwon came up from downstairs and said I think I'll put him in the laundry room where everything he needs is there (cat litter, food, bed, water). We all thought that was a good idea. When he took him downstairs things really went downhill fast and Mathwon said that he thought this was it. And in a few more minutes it was. Mathwon was holding Panda Bear when he died. We all thought that it was quite remarkable that after avoiding people all day Panda came out to be with us before he died. Remarkable and quite fitting for the most loving, cuddly, and people-focused cat ever. He was absolutely amazing with Demani, so patient and loving. He was one of a kind, there's no doubt about that.

We are very sad but relieved that Panda is no longer suffering. We've been sharing stories of Panda Bear this evening and there are many more and I am sure we will keep sharing stories in the following days. We will be going about our day and one of us will sigh and get sad or begin to cry when we realize again he is gone. It just seems there is something missing in our home...can't really describe it...sniff...but I miss my Panda Bear.

I wanted to post another picture, it shows Panda in front of Mekai when we brought the twins home from the hospital but I couldn't get it to work for me.... The picture above is with Demani.