Happy Labor Day!

Our grill has been broken so we have not had the opportunity to grill out all summer,which is highly unusual for us. Jeremy got a new tailgate grill for Christmas so since football season is here he finally opened it up and we broke it in with a cookout! We grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob, mushrooms, and my infamous zucchini,onions, mushrooms (and added squash this time too) medley. I also baked potatoes in the oven. Mom brought some fresh fruit for dessert. The weather was absolutely perfect so we got to eat out under the fan on the screened porch. Riley and Ava-Reese got along really well and Papa Cliff said it was the best corn he'd ever eaten! Riley got to show everybody how he dances to the Gamecock fight song and Sandstorm. Garnet got to show everyone how much improvement she has made. Ava-Reese got her toes painted pink by her Mommy and Aunt LaLa. We got to show Papa how Riley and Ava-Reese love taking wagon rides too! I believe fall is turning into my favorite season...perfect weather and football season, doesn't get much better than this! We are so truly blessed with a close family and 2 sweet cousins who get to grow up together.

5 Years Already!

I just can't believe it has already been 5 years since I married my best friend!! I must say it has been a roller coaster for sure. That first year was kind of tough getting adjusted to living with a man. And owning our first home 7 months into marriage was alot of fun too. Then a year and a half into our marriage we decided to get a puppy, our sweet Garnet. We thought potty training and dealing with a puppy was hard work...little did we know how it was preparing us for a child. 3 years into our marriage we had our first child, our son Riley. We matured alot that year as we learned about parenting! Now at 5 years we begin to wonder if we're ready for Riley to have a sibling or not.

5 years later I love Jeremy at least 5 times more deeply than the day we married. He has shaped into such an honorable, hard working, devoted, loving husband. He not only does the yard wark but he also does our laundry too. And he's known for having the dishwasher unloaded before I walk in the door to cook dinner. He'll also rotate washing dishes frequently. I always knew Jeremy would be a good dad one day but I had no idea he'd be the best daddy I know! He helps with Riley in so many ways, from usually giving baths, putting Riley down at night, feeding Riley while I cook. We are truly a team and I am loving every minute of our journey! He balances me out in so many ways and I'm so blessed to call him MY Hubby! I love you Jeremy Brent Register!

Summer Vacation #2: Garden City, SC

This year we were blessed to take our own family vacation to Arizona and our extended family vacation to Garden City. The first night we went to dinner at Ultimate California Pizza. After a day of traveling we felt like the kids had some energy to burn so we took them to the Springmaid Pier and then let them run around on the grass.

Uncle Trent throwing Riley up in the air!

On Sunday it rained so we, along with the Painters, set our for a shopping trip and ended up at the outlets and had lunch at River City Cafe. That night we went to Admiral's Flagship, where everyone enjoyed the buffett and Trent and I enjoyed All-You-Can-Eat Crablegs, yum! The following night was Trent and Carly's date night so Mom, Jeremy, Riley and I went to one of our favorite places, Gulfstream Cafe, for their Early Bird Specials. We lucked up with a table on the water with a great view.

Dinner at one of our favorites, Gulfstream Cafe

Trent left the following morning because he had to be back at work. But Aunt Joan came to visit and watch the kids play on the beach!

One of Riley's gazillion treks back and forth to the ocean and back!

Like Father, Like Son

Sweet feet crossed

That night we enjoyed dinner at Nance's. The kids LOVED the hushpuppies there! We took a photo op behind the restaurant and then did a little shopping. Then Wednesday was date night for Jeremy and I so we tried Sea Captain's House for the first time and loved the atmosphere but the food wasn't excellent. On Thursday evening we met Uncle Dennis and Aunt Joan at Carolina Roadhouse for dinner. Riley loved sitting next to "Den-ne" at dinner. Then we went to their condo and took some pictures on the dunes. The last night we went to Market Commons and at dinner at Roy and Sid's.

I'm so thankful that we are blessed with our sweet family.

Garnet-1 Month Post-Surgery

Garnet is starting to show improvement! She stayed at PetVac for the week while we were on vacation so she got some much needed therapy (at no additional charge) while she was there! They did some massage therapy as well as some water therapy and began walking her holding a towel under her. She is now started to lift her back up on her own and take 3 to 4 steps at a time before losing balance! She is going to the bathroom on her own. If we take her out often enough it is mostly all while outside too! We are praying these improvements continue so our life can reach some sort of "normalcy" again soon. It would be one thing is we only had Garnet to take care of but it is hard to work in the extra attention she needs when we're working full time and parenting a 21 month old full time! Garnet has her next followup visit scheduled for this upcoming Friday with the specialist. I'm hoping he'll allow us to being water therapy at home.

On a sweet note, all week at the beach Riley kept saying "Gah-net" and calling dogs we would see "Gah-net" as usual. We rushed to get home in time to pick Garnet up Saturday afternoon and when we got home Riley would not pet her. Instead he got in the floor and did everything she did. When she would "roll over" he would lay on his back with his feet up in the air too! He's a mess!

Garnet--10 days Post Surgery Update

Garnet had her 1st check-up today at Upstate. She was very anxious once I pulled into the parking lot. She had her staples removed. While waiting on Dr. Morrison she used her right back paw 3 different times, lifting it to move so I was in shock! We're all still cautiously optimistic. She did have good leg tone, some hip movement, and she wagged her tail. And the best part was she had some pain sensation today! She whimpered once and looked back but didn't squeal and jerk back as we had hoped. I feel bad getting excited about her being in pain but it means she's hopefully getting it back! Bladder control will probably come back much later. Now we have a couple of new exercises to do in addition to the old ones and we're gonna start taking her outside to try to let her drag herself around so maybe she'll start going to the bathroom on her own. We also are going to start letting her practice standing on carpet so she can get a better grip instead of sliding around so much. And I touched base with our regular vet at Pet Vac. Even though Garnet will require more attention than we had expected, they have agreed to let us still kennel her there for our vacation!! So now we know she'll still be getting the care she needs!

And Riley is doing pretty good. Once I fix Garnet's food bowl I let him carry it to her. Jeremy snuck up on Riley yesterday very hesitantly walking up to Garnet then very gently petting her head and backing away! He's just TOO cute!

A big THANK YOU to those of you reading this for your prayers and concern. Everyone has been so kind to call and check on Garnet and send us encouraging messages, etc. We really appreciate it!

Riley's 1st Prayer

Every morning on the way to drop Riley off at school I say our prayers. Most of the time I do not finish the prayer until we're pulling into Bo Peep and when I say Amen, Riley will say "Mamen!" He does the same thing with the blessing. Well this past week one of the first things I prayed for was for Garnet's healing since she has been in such bad shape. One morning Riley said, "Gah-net, Gah-net, Gahhhh-net, MAMEN!!!" I could've cried. It was so sweet to not only hear his first prayer but that he prayed for Garnet! He is 20 months old and oh how special these little moments are to me!

Garnet Diva Register

Garnet was born on February 23, 2007 to Carter and Foxie Harvey, both owned by Jay and Kelly Harvey. We got to see her on her birth day following my birthday dinner with Jeremy! She fit in Jay's hand that day. Then she got to come home on Jeremy's birthday, April 13, 2007! She is now 3 years old and so loved. We named her Garnet because we are huge Gamecock fans. Her puppy days were trying to say the least. She was so hard to train that we actually paid for a 3 week intensive training program in Easley. Garnet was our baby until Riley came along. When I was pregnant she became so protective of me and would sit above me on the couch or lay her head right on my belly. Garnet is so much more than a best friend. She licks my tears when I cry, greets me with tail wagging after a long day, cuddles with me in the evenings, and patiently waits for me in the mornings. She is loyal, loving, gentle, sweet, patient, and true to her name, a diva. I never realized how much I loved her until a week ago. I cried my eyes out all weekend and have been an emotional wreck all week. I feel so helpless. We have done what we can do the rest is in God's hands. Now I will share with you the journey of Garnet's Surgery:

Telling Garnet "goodbye" Saturday morning

Garnet blew a disc in her back Friday night 7/9/10 at 9 p.m. She screamed the worst howling scary noise I've ever heard and headed for her crate. We got her out as she was just shaking and panting and she could not bare weight on her back feet. I started crying and called my Mom to come stay with Riley as he had just gone to bed. Jeremy and I took Garnet to the emergency vet on Asheville Hwy and it just so happened that our vet, Dr. Cudd was the doctor working there. She gave Garnet an adjustment and a steroid shot. All of this was $110 with it being after hours and an emergency clinic. All night Garnet shook and panted and by morning had lost bladder function and was completely paralyzed.

Saturday morning 7/10/10 we followed up with Dr. Cudd at Pet Vac and she referred us to Upstate Veterinary Specialists in Greenville. Dr. Cudd was kind enough not to charge us for our visit with her. When we got to Upstate it was about lunch time and Dr. Morrison was ready for us and answered a gazillion questions and gave us time to make our decision on surgery verses putting Garnet down. She had a 50/50 shot, we were within 24 hours of her injury, and she is only 3 years old so we ended up deciding to go for surgery. During surgery, which began by 3 p.m., they removed bone to relieve the pressure on the spine. They also removed a lot of debris from the disk as well as fluid from where it blew. Dr. Morrison said this was one of the worst spinal injuries he had ever seen; however, the blood flow to the spine was immediate and looked healthy.

Sunday morning, 7/11/10, we were able to visit Garnet. Pictured here you can see where she had her IV in her left arm and the bandage covering her incision on her back. Her back legs flopped like a ragdoll.

Post surgery Garnet had a little tone in her legs and pelvis. We prepared for her homecoming by borrowing a larger crate, buying puppy pads, and rearranging furniture in the breakfast nook to make room for the larger crate.

Riley was extremely excited to see that Garnet was at home!

Garnet has now been home for 2 days and she has had a decreased appetite. I now know it is because at Upstate they were hand feeding her canned dog food instead of dry food. So I had to go out and buy some because she needs to eat to regain her strength. However, it was hard to buy it because we've never ever let her eat canned food! We have not had alot of change. She seems at times to have some type of control going on with her bladder then at other times she doesn't have any. During her daily exercises last night she squeezed back on both back paws when working her toes. She is on 4 medications 4 times a day (Famotidine, Tramadol, Prednisone, and a muscle relaxer). We must express he bladder at least 3 times a day. And she must have exercises done for 15 minutes 4 times a day. As you can imagine between attempting to do all of this for her, keep a 20 month old son away from her but happy, and work full time we are being stretched. We are going to do what we can for her for the next 6 weeks before having to decide whether to put her down or not. I pray that she will come around...slowly but surely!