One year ago!

One year ago, we adopted Patrick. It's been  a great year and I'm so glad that he is officially part of our family.

Tonight, Maggie and Patrick went to Raley's with me. I told Maggie that it was one year ago that we adopted Patrick.

Maggie said, "really, we adopted Patrick today last year?".

Patrick raised his hands and shouted, "yay me!".

Isn't he awesome?

Weight loss

On Friday, Steven and I were enjoying our Starbucks deliciousness and I asked him if he would be able to fit into his suit for Nikki and Jerry's wedding at the beginning of next month.

You see, Steven lost a lot of weight last year. I lost some weight, too. But, it's slowly creeping back on. I've gained about 10 pounds back this year and I didn't need to gain it. 10 pounds is a lot when you are 5 foot 2.

So, he said, "I guess I need to lose about 15 pounds before the wedding."

I almost spit out my Starbucks. But, I didn't. Cause that would be evil.

He was going to lose 15 pounds in 20 days?!

And the  crazy thing is that he probably will do it and I decided to join him in this crazy journey right before Christmas. I need to lose it and I really need to lose it before Lori's wedding. I have to get fitted for my dress at the end of January.

So, here we go. We're on day 2 and still feeling okay. No sugar does make me a little grumpy. But, the scale is already going down so that helps.  Wish us luck!

Willie

We made the decision to euthanize Willie on Friday. He had a horrible night on Thursday where he couldn't breathe. I realized that it was like he was suffocating and it just wasn't fair for us to let him hurt.

It was a horrible decision to have to make. I had seen it performed many times when I worked in a vet's office in high school. I knew what to expect. But, it's different when it's your dog.

I put Willie up on our bed on Friday during the day and I fed him his favorite foods. I didn't know what to do about Maggie. We decided not to let her go. When we told her, she begged us to let her come and we decided that it was okay. I don't know that it was the best decision, but I just don't know if there is best decision in a situation like this. We just tried to do what we felt was right with this.

I dreaded his appointment all day long. I felt such anxiety. I mean, I really felt like it was the right thing to do, but it was such a bad thing to have to decide.

We took him to the vet and we were there when he died. Maggie and I talked about our favorite memories of him when he took his last breaths. We wrapped him in a large blanket and took him home.

Steven put him under the tree in our backyard. We said a prayer and Maggie came up with the idea to make him a special stepping stone.

I miss him terribly. It's hard to deal with just him being gone and forgetting that he's not here anymore.

I went to bed last night and was sad that he wasn't following me to bed. For ten years, Willie's followed me to bed and snuck onto the bed somewhere in the middle of the night. I was feeling sad as I crawled into bed.

Then, Mickey (who never wants to be inside at night) jumped on my chest. He laid down next to me and stayed there all night. It was comforting to have him there.

Willie T. Johnson

This is a picture from a few years ago when Maggie was trying to teach Willie how to talk like Martha on "Martha Speaks".

Willie is really not doing well and it's breaking my heart. I know that he is "just a dog" and a lot of people don't understand. But, I love this stinky, silly dog. He was initially doing better, but now it's setting in that he's not going to be around much longer.

I watch him breath to see if his chest is still going up and down. Sometimes I wish that he wasn't breathing anymore. I know that he would not be hurting anymore. That is hard to write down.

He has been through so much with our family. He was supposed to be put down as a puppy and he was given a chance. He's taken that chance at life to extremes. He survived a house fire, a cross country move, he was hit by a car, he has put up with 4 different cats and he has loved Maggie and Patrick.

My favorite thing about Willie is how protective he is of babies. If there is a baby in the house, he goes and sits by it.

We used to live in a busy neighborhood with a fence that wire fence in the backyard. He would jump on his hind legs all around the fence to see all the people walking by like a very large rabbit.

He has been a great dog and I already miss him.

This girl

This girl is about to explode if Christmas doesn't get here soon.
and literally jumped down every aisle in Target.
and told me how she wanted every single thing in the store.
and loves her new puppy.
and is excited about the family that her classroom is adopting.
and went through her room looking for stuffed animals to donate.
and wants to buy the family more stuff at Target.
and wonders why we can't go buy it all right now?
and wonders why it isn't Christmas yet?
and told me I was the best mommy in the whole world.
and I love her.

This boy

He's adorable.
and silly.
and dances.
and says "huh" about 500 times a day.
and loves to hug the dogs and cats.
they don't appreciate his love.
and wants to touch the Christmas tree.
and crashes his toy cars.
and says "hi" to random strangers at the grocery store.
and has the most beautiful eyes in the world.
and drove me crazy today.
and I love him.

Polar Express

Last weekend, we went on the Polar Express. Patrick absolutely loved it. This was our conversation on the train:

Patrick: Mommy? TWAIN.
Me: I know, Patrick, isn't it great?
P: Mommy! TWAIN!
Me: I know, a train.
P:MOMMY! A TWAIN!
(repeat)

We went with Patrick's grandparents and it was such a fun trip. The tree lighting in Old Sacramento was going on after the train trip so we got to see the lights and then we went to Chick Fil A.

And....

there. was. a . TWAIN!!!