Doggy Day Care

Kevin, this post is for you:

Todd and Ryan have been enjoying Magnum as he spends time at our house. It took him a couple of days at first to settle down, but Magnum now seems to feel quite comfortable and at home here. Jen has been staying busy at work, so Magnum has been spending most workdays at home with us. The boys have enjoyed having him around and will miss him when he goes back to you, his real master.

I can't really say that I will miss his shedding hair--Ryan snuggles on Magnum daily, so his shirts always carry some of Magnum with him. But Magnum has been such a sweet and patient dog to put up with all of the loving he gets from the boys. (I don't know, but he might even enjoy it.)

(Yes, that is fake poop on Magnum's back. Ah, the humor of grade-school boys--and their dads!)

Just wanted to let you know that we're doing our best to help take care of Magnum in your absence, and thought you might enjoy seeing the photos. Hope you're doing well.

Love, Becca and the boys.

Loyal

Copper is Brett's dog - one hundred percent.
He always has been.
Copper loves to play Frisbee with Brett. Brett can throw the Aerobie for Copper from our back yard clear across the golf fairway, and Copper chases after it with top speed. Copper loves that game, and it has proven to be the best and easiest way to exercise him. He will keep on chasing the Aerobie throw after throw. Afterwards, he'll sprawl out on the kitchen floor panting so loudly that I can't hear myself think. However, he only wants to play with Brett. If I try throwing the Aerobie for Copper he might trot out to retrieve it. But his heart isn't in the game, and he usually gives up after one or two throws.

But, I know Copper loves me too. About halfway through the school year I started bringing Copper to the bus stop every morning. Copper starts getting excited as soon as I put Todd's lunch in his backpack and zip it up. Nothing distracts Copper from coming with me--even Brett. There were a number of times in the afternoon when Brett would be home working in the garage when it was time for Todd to come home from school. Brett would try to trick Copper into staying with him rather than coming along with me. I won every time.

It was also evident that Copper loves me a week or so ago when we had a strong thunderstorm in the wee hours of the morning. Copper has become more sensitive to storms with each passing year, and I woke up to find Copper climbing all over me. This is not behavior that I generally tolerate. Though Brett tried to call Copper over to him (and off of me), Copper would not budge. He was determined to find comfort from the nurturer of the family--Mama. Although he woke me up from a good sleep and it took a little while for him to settle back down, I will admit that it warmed my heart that I was the one he looked to to calm his fears.

So, maybe Copper is not 100% Brett's. Maybe he's 15% mine, too.

More Silly Faces

Todd asked if he could take some pictures with my camera this morning. What followed was a little modeling shoot with Ryan. Ryan was making a very serious face-bordering on a scowl. Todd directed him to make a silly face. Ryan asked, "What's the matter with this face?" In the end, Ryan gave Todd what he wanted: silly faces worth shooting.


Todd also managed to capture the reason why the dogs aren't so crazy about Ryan.

Goldens are a great breed, but even they have their limits. Ginger is staying with us for a few days. While she loves the boys (and they love her), I don't think she fully appreciates the head-lock Ryan has her in.

I have also noticed lately that Copper has become a little less tolerant of Ryan. In that way Copper has reminded me more and more of his momma, Sandy. I have tried to teach Ryan the proper way to show attention to dogs. But Ryan prefers to pat rather than pet; he likes to hug the dogs; he gets in their face a little quickly and loudly when they are resting (sometimes in cramped spaces). I can't say that he is extremely rough or hurtful to the dogs. But he is just rough enough and erratic enough to make Copper not trust him completely. Perhaps Ginger is more tolerant of Ryan because she doesn't have to live with him every day.

Ryan's Good Dream

I know I've been talking about dreams quite a bit, but there's another dream from this morning that I had to share. Ryan shared it with us as I was making Todd's bed.

"Oh, Mom. I had a good dream last night. Sandy was alive. We were in the new house that I drew in the computer room. Not our old house, but a new house with two spots. One for both of them [Sandy and Copper]. And Todd saw Sandy and said, 'That's not Sandy,' because he didn't know that she was alive, but she was!"

Yes, Ryan, that was a good dream.

Ryan has not been having a hard time dealing with Sandy's death, but he certainly has been thinking about it more than Todd. He often brings up the fact that he misses Sandy and that he wishes she was still alive.

Sandy was a good dog.

A Perfect Last Day

On Saturday, before the cold front moved in, Brett proposed taking the dogs for a swim in Rocky Bayou. Although it was cloudy, it was relatively warm. The sun peeked out of the clouds a few times, and it turned out to be a very pleasant morning by the water.

The boys had spent the night at Oma's house the night before (the night of Brett's work Christmas party). I knew the boys would want to come with us, so we called them in the morning and told them to hurry over and join us.

The six of us (Brett, Becca, Todd, Ryan, Sandy, and Copper) loaded into Brett's truck and drove down to the State Park. The dogs were in the water before Brett reached the bottom of the stairs. And it didn't take long at all for the boys to take off their shirts and start wading in the water and digging in the sand.

Todd and I walked along the shore looking for pirate treasure, with no success. Later, Todd tried digging for water, with good success.

Brett threw a "dummy" for Copper and a bright yellow Frisbee for Sandy. Occasionally the boys gave a shot at throwing the dummy as well.

No, this is not some new dance the boys are trying out. They are just animated in the cheering they are doing for the dogs. "Go, Sandy!" "Go, Copper!"

We tried to capture Copper's running jump into the water when he goes after the dummy.

Ryan played at being a retriever, and did a pretty good job of it.

I'm sure this next photo looks cruel to those who were not present. Actually, it was quite funny and did not produce the tears that one might expect. Ryan was bending over to get his hair wet. Brett lightly tapped Ryan's bottom, sending him off-balance. It produced a nice laugh from us all, including Ryan.

Todd was really getting into his hand-digging.

Sandy also enjoyed digging in the sand. In fact, Sandy enjoyed everything about the day. It was easy to forget that she was ten years old. Brett threw the Frisbee rather far, and she swam out and retrieved it every time. Brett said he thought Sandy would have kept going longer than Copper that day, and I think he was right.

While at the park I thought what a perfect day it was. It is not often that our family enjoys a nice outing all together. Everyone was happy. Everyone had a great time.

Sandy died late that night. Looking back, we feel blessed that we had one last perfect day with her doing something she loved more than anything else.

Showing Her Age

I had to take Sandy to the vet this morning. A couple of weeks ago we noticed a lump around her rectum. I was hoping that it would simply be a swollen gland that needed to be drained. However, the vet confirmed that it was a growth and would need to be surgically removed. She will go in on December 9. It does not seem to be bothering Sandy right now, which is good. Hopefully, the lab results will not bring further bad news.

It is so sad to see Sandy getting older (she turned 10 in April). Her face is quite gray. Her fur has lost most of its natural oils and gets matted easily; it takes constant attention to keep it under control. For some time she has been moving more slowly. She has not been able to jump into Brett's truck or onto the bed for a long time. And it seems to take longer and longer for her joints to warm up after she has been laying down for a while.

But she still has energy in her.

She still gets excited when Brett brings out the Aerobie. She still jogs to retrieve the Aerobie when Brett has thrown it. She still barks at passing walkers, joggers, bikers, and dogs. She still likes meeting new people (grown-ups), doing her happy growl with a toy in her mouth--not because she wants them to play with the toy, just because she wants them to notice her. She still likes getting her dog biscuit from the UPS guy. She still does her happy moaning (her version of purring) when she is especially enjoying a good petting session. She still likes laying out on the grass on a sunny day. She still likes going wandering two doors down, tapping on the back door to get a treat from our neighbors who also have two dogs. She still goes wandering over to Brett's parent's house occasionally when she wants a day away from home. She still comes running (okay, trotting) into the kitchen when I open the peanut butter jar getting ready to give her her Heart Guard medicine, a tradition we started who-knows-why when she was a puppy. I still don't understand how she knows when the peanut butter is for her and not a sandwich for Todd or Ryan the other twenty-nine days in the month. She still tries to hide by me whenever she hears thunder or the bombing on Eglin. She still loves chasing squirrels up a tree, waiting by the trunk for an hour to see if the squirrel will come back down. She still gets excited when I pull out the leash. She still hates taking a bath, but loves the drying-off game with the towel; she was in such a playful mood after her bath on Monday afternoon.

When we came home from the vet this morning I left the door open for a few minutes so Copper could go outside. When I looked out to check on the dogs this is how I found them.

Are they related, or what? Sandy is on the left; Copper is on the right.

Ryan wanted to get in on the pictures, too. He went right up to give Sandy a little hug. Though Sandy is still a little hesitant when it comes to Ryan, she has grown quite tolerant of him. Sandy has never been very fond of young children--something we attribute to the first eight months of her life spent in the family with a young toddler who did not treat her well. Sandy has learned that although Ryan's movements may sometimes be more erratic than she is comfortable with, he does not try to hit her (anymore) and usually just wants to give her a quick hug or petting. She used to give a quiet growl any time he walked by her to let him know that she really didn't want his attention. Now, although I can tell she is a little tense sometimes when gets down beside her, she will usually give him the benefit of the doubt and relaxes when she sees that no harm is meant.

Logically, I know that we could lose Sandy at any time. However, it wasn't until I went to the vet this morning and started writing this post that it hit me again. I have always know that Brett would have a hard time when that day comes. Although Brett had a dog growing up (Brandy, another Golden Retriever), Sandy is Brett's first dog.

Today I know that I will be crying when that day comes too. I'm not ready to say good-bye yet. Let's hope I don't have to for another good year or two or three....

Some Things That Make Me Smile

a "NIE"-inspired post:

1.

Rather than coming to Mom when he first got out of bed, Ryan went straight into my closet and climbed into the dirty clothes basket.

2.

I'm so happy when the dogs get attention during the day from the boys, because they certainly don't get much from me.

3.

Brett had put the boys to bed while I attended a music practice. This is how I found Todd when I came home and checked on him.

I love taking photos of my sleeping beauties - such innocence and peace.

4.

Dear Todd and Ryan,

I love you. I love your sweetness which is displayed in so many unexpected moments during the day.

Dear Stephanie, a.k.a. NieNie,

Thank you for sharing your creativite talents and faith with the blogging world. And for showing us how you take care of your family in such loving and beautiful ways. You inspire us. We are looking forward to hearing your blog-voice again soon.

Dear Courtney, a.k.a. CJane,

Thank you for sharing your thoughtful and heartfelt words with us. Your love for your extended family inspires us. Your posts make me cry more often than I care to admit.

Love, Becca

Poetry and Comparisons

I know it's not good to compare ourselves with others, but sometimes I can't help it. I think we're all guilty of it at times. I don't try to compare myself with others to prove my superiority over others or to be judgemental. Nor do I compare myself with others to the detriment of my own self-esteem. In fact, sometimes when I compare myself with others I see ways that I can improve and am encouraged by those I admire--or rather by those whose qualities I admire.

This is true as I read about mothers who do a great job of making a happy home life for their families and who are creative and artistic in the process.

One such mother is Stephanie Nielson, a mother whose blog I started following a few months ago. She was in a plane crash about a month ago, along with her husband, and suffered serious injuries. I miss reading her posts, but have been uplifted and amazed at how many people she influenced for good. Her sister has been helping to take care of Stephanie's children and has been a great example through her blog as well. Both of these women seem to make a point to make good things happen for their children.

We had a nice day at home. All were generally happy. No one had a time out today. The children were fed and bathed. The boys have plenty of toys to play with and plenty of space to play in, and they seemed to enjoy playing to their fullest today. But aside from letting them help me fill up the birdfeeders and bringing the Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark and school bus down from the attic, what did I do to make it a special day? . . . Nothing. With the exception of our 10-minute scripture time this morning, I didn't even read to them! I wish that I had that knack of taking a few minutes out of my chores-and-to-do-list time to focus on doing something with them. I know that it doesn't take much, and the more I read about what things others are able to do, the more I am encouraged that I should be doing the same.

On the other hand, I watched Nanny 911 for the first time today. My sister-in-law is gone for the night and asked me to come by to take care of Dixie. I thought I would enjoy a few minutes to myself flipping channels and got stuck watching. So, even though I had Brett finish up with the last 10-minutes of the bedtime routine tonight because I was kind of worn out [read: didn't even kiss my kids goodnight(!)], after watching the two families featured on the Nanny 911 show I was feeling like the Best Mom in Town!
Note: I'm not anxious to watch the show again. Yikes! I actually found it kind of depressing and very frustrating at the same time. And, rest assured, I will be stopping by the boys' rooms on my way to bed (as I always do) to give them their goodnight kisses.

Finals results after comparing myself to others: I may not be Stephanie Nielson, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job in the long run.

And speaking of being creative, this almost sounded like poetry (albeit depressing poetry) when it left my lips this afternoon as I hand-picked clumps of hair off the carpet. Be sure to compare this with the poetry of a two-year old rather than that of someone who actually has talent.

Dog hair
Dog hair
Dog hair
I'm so sick of it!