Merry Christmas!

Rest Easy Sweet Jack Dog

This year Thanksgiving was bittersweet for us.

I was able to spend the whole week catching up on chores that needed to get done around the house. Sarah and I had a good time making some crafts. Evan crawled around everywhere so I could chase him.

Jack had been moving a little slow for the past few weeks. We thought it was just his age, he's 10 and from what I've been told that's old for a lab. The weekend before Thanksgiving he progressively became worse. His bed was the only place he wanted to be and when he had to get up he would whimper.

That Monday Aaron took him to the vet to get checked out. I had a really bad feeling about the whole thing. I laid on the floor next to him that morning and tried to talk to him. I would talk to him and he would move his eyes to meet mine. This was not my sweet Jack dog. The Jack I knew would have been up and wagging his tail like crazy. His tail was still that morning.

Aaron left to take him to the vet and the kids went with me to run errands.

I got a call a few hours later that brought tears and sadness. The vet had found a mass on Jack's spinal cord in his neck area. It was inoperable and although they could give him medicine to ease his pain, they couldn't fix him. The medicine was only a temporary fix for what we knew would eventually come and it would not have been fair to make him suffer.

My brave and strong husband stayed with Jack until he left this world and entered heaven. I can only imagine how fast Jack ran into the gates of heaven and how hard he wagged his tail when he saw Jesus. I could never have imagined missing an animal as much as I miss him. His dog bed has left our home but we can't bring ourselves to take away his dog bowls.

Sarah misses him so much and talks about him almost daily. She knows he's in heaven but asks when he can come home or when she can go to heave to see him.

Thank you Jack for being a loyal companion, guard dog and a member of our family.

New Pics!

Here are a few new pictures of the kids. Life has been VERY hectic lately with school starting. Sarah really likes school! She hasn't mastered the concept of nap time yet but we are practicing daily. So far she has learned to cut, hold her crayons correctly, and say a mealtime prayer. I am very excited about this experience and hope that she continues to do well.

Evan just continues to amaze us with how fast he is growing. He is doing the "frog sit" very well now and tries really hard to sit up by himself. He pushes himself up when he is on his tummy. You can see that he very badly wants to crawl or get moving. So far we have tried the following foods without any complaints from him: green beans, peas, carrots, and squash. He is wearing 9 month clothing, even though he will be only 6 months this week. I can't believe it!!

Evan asleep with his favorite monkey

Daddy's Future Red Raider

Sarah asleep on her new nap mat

Cuddling at bedtime

The first of many first days of school...

Yesterday morning Sarah started Pre-Kindergarten. We spent all weekend talking about it so that she would be excited about going. This plan actually worked! She couldn't wait to get to school and asked to go about every five minutes. It was really nice because there was no struggle to get her ready.

When we arrived to school I sat in the car for a moment and truly thought about just taking her back home. Then I realized that she would have to start school sometime and that I can't keep her my baby forever. So, Sarah and her entourage (me, Aaron, Evan, and my mom) walked inside.

Her classroom was kid friendly and the teacher had laid out some coloring sheets and brand new crayons so the kids could color. We put away Sarah's backpack and lunch box (filled with a peanut butter sandwich, cheddar bunnies, and grapes) in her cubby. The teacher led us to her seat and she began to color.

We waited about 5 minutes and then kissed her goodbye. Then we waited around a few more minutes until she was distracted again before we left the room. All three of us waited in the hall so we could have one more peek inside the classroom to make sure she was okay. Thankfully she was doing great.

5 months old!

Evan is now 5 months old and I can hardly believe it. He's probably close to 17 pounds and seems to be growing bigger by the minute. He can roll over with great ease anytime he wants. He loves to play with his toys and put anything and everything in his mouth. We've been feeding him cereal and green beans, peas, and carrots for about 3 weeks now. Evan is such a happy baby and for that we are very grateful. Here are a few new pictures, enjoy:)

Big Girl Haircut

Yesterday I became brave and decided it was time to cut Sarah's hair short. It's a little above her shoulders and it turned out really cute. I'm still learning how to fix it. She now looks like a big girl who is ready for school!

4 months old today!

This has been a big week for us! First Sarah turned 3 on Wednesday and now Evan is 4 months today. Aaron and I just can't believe how big he has gotten in what feels like such a short time. He is constantly munching on his hands as you can see in the first picture. In the second picture you can see how he can not turn onto his tummy...almost.