Friday, October 28, 2011

Another reason I am too busy...our "half" child

Not only has family sickness prevented me from being the great housekeeper that I am...but our new addition to our family has too. He is a Jack Russell terror-opps, I meant Jack Russel Terrier that we finally named Jack. 

Before I introduce him, let me tell you about a sad day back in June.  Our sweet dog Max died.  We had Max since Joshua was  a baby.  We were NOT expecting his death, so it was really sad.  Really, really sad. Here he is doing what he did best-taking a snooze.

If you look back over the years through our family pictures, you find many with furry little Max in the background.  That is how he was, just always there, always in the background.


One day I was trying to do a photo-shoot with Sophie. I thought it would be cute to put her in this big bowl, so I got it all ready with some soft blankets. I went to get the camera, and look who was in the bowl posing for the photoshoot!  

Max seemed invincible. Last summer he was attacked by two German Shepards while we were in California.  The vet said it was a miracle he was alive. This was the least graphic picture I could find of it.  He was so sweet through the whole thing and made a complete recovery. 

Later that winter Luke was out waiting for the bus and a moose was nearby in the yard.  Max charged it full speed and almost got trampled to death.  ("I ain't scared of no moose!"-that is supposed to be in the Ghost Busters voice)


Then in June Max got sick and before we knew it, he died.  We had a little "viewing" and funeral.  We did it in my parents backyard. We all wrote Max letters and then put them in a jar to bury with him.
 Here is the family at the viewing...
 Ryan and the boys dug a very deep hole on the hillside.
 Everyone helped fill in the grave.  He was burried in his bed with a cozy blanket and our letters.
Okay, fast forward five months....

I am in town and we see someone selling puppies and decide to just take a "look".  We find Jack and of course he was SOOO cute.  However, he is not our mellow OLD dog.  I forgot how much work a puppy is! 

The Garzas were in town when we brought him home. Here he is with Holden. The kids had a great time with him those first few days.



He is sure cute and he is good going to the bathroom.  He is great with the older kids, not so good with the little ones.  If I could "rehome" him at this point I would.  Probably not the best fit!  For now though...he is our new dog and he is the reason I don't get anything done!  My sister told me I might as well have had another baby! 

4 comments:

  1. So, I was totally crying reading about Max!! He was the best dog!! I love the funeral that you guys did for him!! The notes were such a good idea!!!

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  2. Hey Natalie, this post brought a tear to my eye as well. I remember meeting Max at the MTC. You guys were kind enough to bring me a pizza and introduce me to the newest member of your family! :) He was so small and cute. It's amazing how dogs can change your life... for the better!

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  3. Your blog looks great, Natalie! You have such a cute family too! Wow, six kids...I don't know how you do it. I can barely handle three! The funeral and notes that you guys did, was such a great idea. What a lucky dog to have had such a great family! I'm sure that Jack will also be a great dog too....but if you change your mind, call me, k??? Take Care!

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  4. Tearing up...just like in Marley and Me. Can't ever get a dog, it would be too much of an emotional commitment. Rock on with the blogging, someone in the family needs to do it!

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