ALWAYS WAG YOUR TAIL

ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS WAG YOUR TAIL. This is what our dog Sandy has taught me over the last 11 years. If you remember she was the lovely pup we adopted from the shelter. And literally from that day forward, I have been a different person. Different in how I look at unconditional love, different in how I see that even the smallest things can make a huge impact, different in that she taught me to be joyful.

It was often noted at the veterinarian’s office during an office visit just how happy Sandy was…..even while having her temperature taken or receiving a vaccination. She would constantly wag her tail. And I mean constantly. We all know that a dog wagging their tail means they are happy. Well Sandy must have been elated for the most part of her life. I can only remember one time in her life when she was not wagging her tail.

We lost Sandy unexpectedly this morning and she is deeply missed. But we must focus on the positive aspects of this situation. She is in heaven now and resting comfortable….no pain, no suffering. She had a fantastic life….rescued from the pound, rising above some uncertain circumstances, learning how to live life to the fullest and giving all of us unconditional love beyond what was expected. Sandy was one of those dogs that left such a lasting impression on those around her….this makes it harder to say good-bye.

There are many things that Sandy has taught us over the years (mainly the entire part of our married life!) and we will be forever thankful for these things. She seemed like one of those dogs that had an old soul….wise beyond her years and very intuitive. She knew when Miles was sick and kept watch of all our babies….literally. Her first favorite spot was behind the rocking chair in the nursery after each child was born (she even wore a spot in the carpet!). She would be found here constantly for months following the birth of each child. As the kids grew, her favorite spot migrated to our closet where she slept on a fluffy blanket. She would often greet us nightly and each morning in her favorite new spot.

Sandy was unique, this is for sure. She LOVED to climb on the back-yard swing-set equipment and you could often find her hanging out on the 8 ft high tree house with the kids. She even liked to slide down the kids slide. Her favorite outside spot was the picnic table on the patio- she sat there watching and waiting for whatever the world brought to her next! She loved the very hot weather and brutally cold winter mornings. We often could not convince her to come in during either weather condition. She loved to give kisses and was there to welcome love whenever anyone wanted. It is very hard to describe, but she was like no other dog I have ever known. And her most notable trait was her tail wag. She wagged her tail when she was hungry. She wagged her tail when she was sick. She wagged her tail when she needed to go out. She wagged her tail when we came home. She wagged her tail when it was time to eat. She wagged her tail when she needed to go ‘home’.

So I ask each of you. Do you wag your tail? Are you taking in all life has to offer? Are you making the most of every day? Are you living life the way God has intended? Ask yourself these questions and if you answer no to any of them, remind yourself that you should ALWAYS WAG YOUR TAIL!

THESE DAYS......

THE KIDS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES DEMANDING
ATTENTION
AROUND HERE!!!!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY SMOKE BOMB!!

WOW! That is how I feel when I think about you and this past year......starting kindergarten, learning to read, becoming a math wiz, loving school and maturing right before our eyes! You are such a fine young man and we are so proud of who you are.....to us, to your siblings, to your friends and family, to everyone around you. You are a genuine person with such a huge heart. I love how passionate you are about many things. This is evident by how much you love your brothers and sister and what a great big & little brother you are. You are always helping someone or speaking kind words to others. I can't even count how many times I have heard you whisper sweet words and compliments to your sister, or reached out to help someone in need. You have grown so much this year.....physically, academically, spiritually and emotionally. It has been amazing to soak it all in and watch you develop. My favorite part of you turning 6 is the super-awesome bear hugs that you give us! I love you Smoke Bomb- you are very special to me and Dada! We are so proud to me your parents!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

Check these out:

The kids were given a "jumpy thing", as they call it, a few years ago. It is an indoor, blow up bouncy center they love to use. The older boys are technically too big for it, but that does not stop them. Somehow they all 4 manage to hop in and have a ball!! It is a super fun toy to have! We took it out for Sparkler's birthday to help celebrate and she loves it! She especially likes when her brothers "launch" her. The funniest part is their hair. As you can see it is cold and dry around here lately. Perhaps even with a few snow sprinkles this weekend! Hope you have a great weekend and make some fun memories!

A TRIP IN THE WAYBACK MACHINE!

There are trips my family took as we were children on a regular basis- to the beach, the mountains, state parks, to visit family, etc. I loved going on these trips......packed in with my sister and brother in the station wagon, sitting in the back seat (the ones that faced completely backwards and you were staring at the driver behind you!), playing cards, reading, saying cheese for pictures and being carefree. We made some great memories of those times. I love to go back and look at old pictures. It is always fun to reminisce. MacGyver and I both love to share childhood memories such as these with our children. In fact, quite often at night you can hear MacGyver giving a detailed account of stories from his childhood. He has such a vivid memory! We love to take them back to see the neighborhood/homes we lived in as children and the schools we attended. It is a fantastic way to shed light to our children about our youth and experiences we had. Not to mention how much fun it is to recollect ourselves!

Now, having children of our own, it is fun to see the kids creating memories of their own childhood. It makes me wonder what they will retell to their children as parents! Since we still live in the same area where we both grew up for the most part, we visit some of the same places. It is a unique experience to see your own children taking trips you enjoyed at the same age some 30+ years ago. It seems as though things are so much the same, yet so different at the same time. These are pictures from a recent trip we took to a local military state park. The kids had a blast! Bottle Rocket loved reading each of the informational signs and learning about the battles that took place along the path. It was neat to see the various levels of development on the trail. Sparkler was way too young to understand and to her we were taking another nature walk on a beautiful Fall day. Fire Cracker milked his Uncle for all it was worth- claiming to need a "ride" when in fact he simply loved some one-to-one-time with him! Or perhaps he was taking after his own mom who once exclaimed on the same trail that her legs "were only this long!" Smoke Bomb asked lots of questions and took many clues from Bottle Rocket since he was able to read. There were informational posts all along the trail which told the story of the Revolutionary War. Bottle Rocket thoroughly enjoyed reading each one. It took some convincing for both of them that this happened 200 years ago. They kept expecting to see actual war trenches and red coats up on the hill! I think they finally began to understand by the end of the walk. I have to admit it was neat to see things through their eyes- imaginative, creative and literal. It was also neat to be the 4th generation of family that had walked the trail!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPARKLER!!

2!! It seems like just yesterday I was having a routine non-stress test to assess your heartbeat and health. It seems like just yesterday we were told you would be born in just a few hours, a couple of weeks ahead of time! We were so excited to meet you and introduce you to your brothers. You have grown so much over the past couple of years and we are so proud of you. You are such a joy to be around- funny, adventurous, witty, intelligent and really just down-right charming. Your brothers love you to the moon and back and we do too, Sparkler! Happy Birthday sweet girl!

She loved all the decorations, especially the balloons and noise horns. She tries to steal Fire Cracker's big wheel each day, so we figured she would appreciate a nice pink girly one of her own. She was not too keen on blowing out the candles on own- she kept saying fire!- so all of us pitched in to help. The only part of the cake she ate was the icing....can't blame her there!! She loved when we sang happy birthday and grinned from ear to ear. She would also tell someone happy birthday each time they said it to her. It was fun to see her so excited!