Most of you are probably aware by now that we’ve received some devastating news about Kiwi.  The surgery on her leg had to be abruptly aborted when her oxygen intake suddenly plummeted and she nearly died on the operating table.  The doctor couldn’t figure out why Kiwi wasn’t breathing properly under anesthesia, so she did an x-ray on her lungs.  And that’s when the giant cancerous mass in Kiwi’s chest cavity was discovered.  When we picked up our dog later that day we were told that she only has a few weeks to live.  Heartsick doesn’t even begin to describe how Tim and I are feeling.  Kiwi has been our baby for nine years, and we don’t know how to face losing her as a family member.  But for now, we’re just taking it day by day, and we’re spending as much time with Kiwi as possible.

We all have our fingers crossed that Kiwi’s surgery will go well today.

Last Wednesday our weekly play group met at our house.  Lex got to show off all his favorite toys to his friends, and we had a great time playing upstairs in the bonus room.

This morning Lex gave his daddy the best birthday present ever…he actually slept in until 7 am!  We call it a birthday miracle.

Tim took the day off of work, so we all got to relax together.  Of course the boys watched Lex’s favorite tractor dvd:

And then after we all had a leisurely lunch and took an afternoon nap, we planted some flowers and shrubs in the back yard.

Lex took care of the watering for us:

Then tonight we met Becky and Dayn at Tim’s favorite Thai restaurant for a celebratory family dinner.

All in all it was a great day.  The only downer was our mid-afternoon vet visit for Kiwi.  She’s been doing so well and has seemingly recovered from her pancreatitis, but a few days ago we discovered a growth on her leg and today we got it checked out.  The doctor took a needle biopsy and says that it appears to be malignant.  Soooooooo…as if we haven’t had enough vet bills lately, Kiwi’s scheduled for surgery on Monday to have the growth removed.  I’m trying not to panic about it being cancerous until they remove it and give us an official update.  But keep praying for our dog!  She’s definitely giving us a run for our money (or lack of money now).