I get by with a little help from my friends.....

Hi


I have been quiet here on the blog lately- Thank you all for the sympathy and kind words about Jo. We are still missing her, but I know, as time goes on, our sadness will turn to the great memories we have of her and the years she was with us. Thanks Kris for the card and the supplies for a memory album of Jo.

We are looking into the future and Rob and I have accepted the fate we have and are going with the flow regarding the sale of our house and our eventual move. In the meantime, we are spending our days and our "free time"- that is, time away from work -and enjoying family time and trying to live in the moment!

Here are some recent pics- I bought some sunflowers the other day- just to brighten up the house- it has been a little gloomy . I found these really big, sunflowers with purple stems and leaves- never have seen those before. Anyhow, I put them in a vase Rob bought me a few years ago- that I love- it is purple with melted colored glass within the vase. I put it on our dining table. Andrew Weil always said you should have fresh flowers in your home- and I couldn't agree more- there is something happy about that!

Jake was helping his bud, Owen, share his ice cream- too cute - thought you all might enjoy that- Jake being a nice BIG brother.

Owen's room is very colorful, and has all his toys and books in there, yet, he seems to always wander into Jake's room- I think it is due to his race car bedspread from his Grandma Gus, or the CARS bedspread we use as back up. I guess "the grass is always greener" in the other bedroom.

For my birthday, from my parents, I got a Haiku bag ( thanks Paula for the inspiration) I love it- it has all these pockets and is a crossover bag so it is HANDS FREE- great with the kids!!!!!

GoodBye our loyal companion

Jo


You were our first "baby". We brought you home when we did not have any children and you were our practice run, so to speak. People always say, you should get a puppy before you have kids so you can ease into it.
We had you for 9 years, and you have been through many moves with us, local and cross country- never "batting an eye" and always happy to be part of it all. You were there when we brought home Jake and Owen and you always have been a loyal companion. We never had to worry about the kids as babies around you. You were gentile to them, and over the years, you were climbed on, stepped on, pulled, whatever, and you never reacted.

You never once ran away and even when Rob took Jake for a bike ride in the neighborhood- you wanted to follow- Rob told you to "stay and go home" and what did you do- stopped, turned around and came back to me. Through the years, we had to endure some noxious smells, your talking/whining when you wanted attention, but that is all apart of the give and take of dog ownership.
Rob always said you made him feel better when Jake was a newborn and he had to care for him alone the nights I worked- he said there was always comfort in knowing that he was not completely alone- and that you were there when Rob wasn't quite sure what to do those first few months of Jake's life.
I always felt comforted when Rob worked nights and I was home alone with the kids for those years, that you were there with me- I knew if something happened you would protect us. ( this was proved by the one time a "lawn man" came to our door when I was here alone and you growled at him- the first and last time I ever heard ANY aggression from you).
We could always count on you looking out the window when we would leave, as if to say "goodbye" in your way.
When we would come home from being out, you would always be there at the back door, waiting and excited to see us.

In the last few months, especially after your eye surgery- we knew our time would be limited. You were not running or playing much anymore- every now and then you would surprise us by running and "doing laps" -but for a very short time. You wouldn't come to the door much anymore, and sometimes you wouldn't even get up when we left or came back. We knew.
It would be difficult to go up the stairs and some nights after we put the kids to bed- you would stay up there for the ease and take your time down.

We hope that you had a great last day- riding in the car with the windows down and the sunroof open going for an extended ride, getting to sit outside at a Starbucks- the three of us- like we use to do- and enjoy the whip cream off of our coffee.
We hope we gave you a good life, Jo.
We will miss you Jo and the joy and companionship that you brought to our family.

Decisions

Well, we will be having to make a decision pretty soon about Jo-
She has been having accidents in the house, and it is way too frequent. We have an appt. with the vet this coming Monday, but we pretty much know what we are going to have to do.
I am not sure if there is medical reason behind all of this, or just her age.
For all of her annoying habits- the noxious gas ( she can't help it- this is a Boxer trait I hear), her whining- she has been a very good, and loyal dog.
We have had her with us for 9 years and although, I can not tolerate anymore of these accidents, I still feel sad.....

Enjoy !

Birthday Weekend

I had a great Birthday weekend- even though it went way too fast!! My actual birthday was Monday - but we started the party early!

We went to the Farmers Market and this year, it seems as if they have more vendors. It isn't very large- just a couple of streets- but it is enough to get some great local produce. This year, I have so far bought garlic, sugar snap peas, a couple of lily plants for the yard, and last weekend they had some fresh green beans and carrots. It is good to support local farmers. It was Rob's first visit too.

This year I also bought some handmade soap- Eileen- I will be sending you a bar for your collection : )

The boys are both growing up so fast- Owen is now feeding himself and doing a great job! Jake and Owen enjoy each other's company sitting at the table and I can't believe how fast this is all going!! Owen is not an infant anymore and it kind of makes me sad. Although, in some ways, it is nice to see him be a little more self sufficient- so I am torn. On one hand, you want them to grow and be independent, but on the other hand- I wish he was a little still.

Such is life! Enjoy ~

Happy 4th of July

I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July- I can't believe it is already July- time is flying!!!

Summertime

Summer is here and we have been busy havin' fun. The Gus Bus is in full swing and it isn't slowing down anytime soon!

We purchased one of those temporary pools- we feel a little bit like hillbillies- but it sure does the job in cooling us off! We get in the pool, lounge, and toss our empty beer bottles into the grass- it is great- just like the red necks do!! LOL!! ( I can say this, as my dad's side of the family is from the south- so I am part red neck)

The kids are having fun riding their bikes, swimming ( although Jake is really only "walking the pool") He is so excited that he can stand in the water and it only goes up to his chest.
Owen, well, he is still a little afraid to be in the pool- he usually wants his mama to carry him. I love that anyways- so I don't mind.

Happy 4th everyone- and will post some more pics of the 4th activities!!! Be safe and have a great weekend!

Rainbows, flip flops, and Starbucks- life is sweet!