Adventures of Woofy: Dog Dog's Demise

Yesterday morning Lydia woke up and after greeting her pet fish went and picked out a book to read to Woofy. It was titled, "You are Special!" I relished in watching her "read" to her fish.

This morning I woke up to Dan saying, "I hope you didn't spend a lot of money on Dog Dog!" After asking why, he told me he had gone down stairs to find Dog Dog dead in the fish bowl with a bloated stomach. I felt awful, maybe the bowl wasn't big enough for him, or maybe he didn't get enough food . . . too much air? It hadn't even been twenty four hours, how could he already be dead? Everyone had joked that they thought Dog Dog would eat Woofy and yet Woofy was happily swimming around while Dog Dog was dead fish. Maybe Woofy isn't such a wimp! I have a feeling Woofy knows something the rest of us don't!

Suddenly I stopped worrying about the fish and started worrying about how Lydia would react. I told Dan we should run to the store and buy a new one before she woke up and he said "No Way!" He thought we should just tell her the truth and she would learn the proper way that fish go. He of course had already flushed it down the toilet and was on his way out the door to work, leaving me with the responsibility of breaking the sad news. Luckily it went better than I had thought.

Mommy: Lydia I have some sad news.
Lydia: Why Mommy?
Mommy: This morning when Daddy came downstairs for breakfast (pause) Dog Dog was dead.
Lydia: How did he get out?
Mommy: Well he didn't actually get out, he was just dead in the bowl this morning.
Lydia: Oh
Mommy: Maybe he just needed his fish tank and the bowl wasn't big enough, or maybe he was just sick but he's gone to fishy heaven now.
Lydia: Oh, Woofy will miss his friend.
Mommy: Yes, he will.
Lydia: Mom, maybe we can go to the store and buy Woofy some new friends?

So Long Dog Dog You'll be Missed!

Adventures of Woofy: Woofy meets Dog Dog!

Hooray! Woofy made it through the weekend alive! So Monday night we went on an outing to buy fish food. Lydia and I dropped Dan and Emmett at Sportsman's Warehouse while we went across the street to buy the fishy food. Lydia also coaxed me into buying a ridiculous little florescent cave so that Woofy would have something to swim around in. When we went to pick up the boys they were outside the store petting the most ADORABLE little puppies. They were cute little hound dogs with big floppy ears and were so sweet and gentle. Lydia and Emmett were petting and poking them (Emmett really loved their little tails) and they didn't seem to mind. Actually I think most of them were sleeping through it but they were sure sweet(or as Lydia would say "so dawhling!"). Dan finally said we had to go because the more we sat there the more he wanted one. We got in the car and he looked at me with the face a little boy makes for his Mommy when begging for a dog!

We started to drive away and suddenly I said, "Honey if you really, really want one of those puppies you can go back and get it!" I said it but after I did I couldn't believe that those words had come out of my mouth. Even weirder was that I wasn't taking them back. I mean I would love to have a pet dog someday but I have always said I wanted to wait until the kids are older so they can take care of it and I'm not the one stuck caring for it all the time. I also insist that it be an outside dog. I have been firm in my stipulations so I was shocked to hear myself actually willing to have a puppy right now. Long story short we drove a little ways and then pulled over and talked about whether or not it was a good idea for at least fifteen minutes. The kids were getting restless in the back seat so we started to drive again and only pulled over once more to discuss before finally heading home without a puppy. We figured this was a big thing to get into and we should probably read up on how to care for and train a puppy before we actually get one. We also thought it would be wise to wait until we build a dog run and not do it during the summer when we'll be on vacations and such. We spent the rest of the night thinking about it and Dan spent most of the next day researching the best kind of dogs etc...

The kids and I thought about it a bit more the next day too and when we went to Sue's Pet Castle to buy a bigger fish bowl(the florescent cave wouldn't fit in the tiny bowl) we decided to surprise Daddy with his own pet! We bought him a fan tailed gold fish that was four times the size of Woofy!

 

When we got home Lydia put the fish in their new home and decided to name Daddy's new fish herself. "Um, I think Dog Dog would be a great name for this fish!" Dog Dog? Really she came up with this all on her own and her Daddy hadn't even prompted her! Do you think they're trying to tell me something? So "Dog Dog" it is!

 

When Dog Dog first entered the bowl Woofy hid inside the cave and we assumed he must be either shy or scared. Luckily Lydia informed me that they were swimming together a few minutes later and she thinks they must be friends now! Woofy meet your new friend Dog Dog!

 

Lydia spent much of her afternoon watching, talking to and feeding her fish. She recognizes size to food ratio and after sprinkling in the fish flakes said,"Now Dog Dog don't eat all the food you have to save some for Woofy!" Lydia isn't the only one who loves her new pets. After Emmett's nap I put him in the chair to look at the fish while I got him a drink. Literally in less than five seconds I hear him jabbering at the top of his lungs and turn around to see this!

 

He was so excited and pointing at the fish. I'm sure he was saying something like, "Here Fishy Fishy!" He just kept pointing and squawking and although he's not allowed on the table I let him sit there enjoying the fish just long enough for me to take a few pictures!

 

The fish were clearly the focus and entertainment of our day. Lydia even asked if we could make some fish cookies. So thanks to my friend Catherine (she's the cookie cutter queen) we were able to borrow a fish cookie cutter and made some very delicious gold fish sugar cookies. We even took some to the funny neighbor girls who gave us Woofy to thank them for providing Lydia with her first pet! Before Lydia went to bed she climbed up on the chair and said good night to Woofy and Dog Dog. She reminded them that it was now bed time and not play time and told them to sleep tight! She is a great pet owner . . . maybe I should start considering a puppy!

Woofy the Fish!

Last night the children were asleep in bed and Dan and I were relaxing in front of a movie when suddenly the door bell rang. We paused the movie and Dan went to answer the door. When he opened it there was no one there, only a crystal light can filled with water and a tiny baby gold fish. We assumed it had been left by the funny group of young neighbor boys who spend their summer nights out playing night games around the neighborhood (we later learned it was actually a group of funny neighborhood girls who were just bored)!

Dan put the poor gold fish into a little bowl and filled the bottom of the bowl with lovely little rocks (so thoughtful)! In the morning Lydia was ecstatic to now be the proud owner of her very own gold fish. I realized this was the first pet she'd ever had (besides the Lady bugs she put in a jar earlier this summer and managed to keep alive for a week)! She tried to feed him some of her cereal at breakfast! After I scooped it out I reassured her that we will go to the pet store first thing tomorrow morning and buy it some fish food. For the meantime, we sprinkled some crushed crackers in the bowl and shredded tiny bits of celery leaves. Hopefully he won't starve or be poisoned by our attempts before morning!

The best part about having a fish for a pet is seeing how much Lydia loves it. We asked her to name it and the name she picked was "Woofy!"

 

The Big Number One!

Every now and then you experience some sort of event that just makes you take a moment and pause in life. You know that silent stare you get where you are so focused no one can distract you and somehow as time freezes before your eyes the last 27 years are recalled in a rapid fire memory slide show of events and times in your life? That is pretty much what I experienced a couple weeks ago when my sweet baby boy turned ONE YEAR OLD! I seriously can't believe that a year has already gone by and now my little baby is not so much baby and so very much Boy!

Emmett celebrated his first birthday on June 25th and it is as if he knew that along with turning one comes all sorts of rights and privileges! He started walking a couple weeks before his birthday and now he's all over the place. Once he decided he could walk he thought he should climb (or attempt to climb on everything)! He now does stairs by himself and he even sits his high chair up to the table, eats off of plates and loves to use utensils. I wanted to do something cute for his birthday but figured I'd have plenty of years ahead for trains, trucks, cars and sports stuff. Right now Emmett isn't really "into" anything or I guess I should say he's into Everything! My dear friend Catherine helped me come up with an "E for Emmett" theme and I had a blast with it!

 

When a baby turns one he is introduced to his first taste of Sugar much to his excitement and his mother's dread! Dan had a great idea to bake a carrot cake from a recipe book he'd been wanting to try. It had plenty of sugar but hey at least it had carrots! Dan did a perfect job baking the three layers of cake and then I compiled them, made the frosting and decorated the cake. It was a group effort and turned out delicious! It was almost all eaten that night.

 

When we first started singing Happy Birthday, Emmett just looked uneasy at the candle and I wondered how it would go. We then recruited Lydia's help in blowing out the candle!

 

I had assumed Emmett would dive in and take handfuls of cake, but no he preferred to poke at the frosting politely and lick his finger. Then he finally pulled off one of the star cookies and sucked on it for a moment. We finally cut him a piece of cake and put it on a plate in front of him but even then he really wanted a plastic fork before he finally dug in and ate it. What a well mannered little man!

 

We were joined by family for his first birthday party. Auntie Em and Uncle Burke were there from my family and only Dan's brother Mike and his family could make it from the Riding side. We were also joined by our good friends and neighbors Matt and Lyndee Rowley (Catherine was at Girl's camp). Emmett loved all the company, especially their singing Happy Birthday to him!

 

Everyone was also very thoughtful in bringing him gifts. He loved the wooden sea horse sent by Grandma and Grandpa Riding in Guam. He thought the sports balls from Lydia were great and was already hiking the ball and running it for a touch down. He was also a riot with the clothes Aunt Kriss and Auntie Em gave him and just walked around carrying them for a good five minutes!

 

The unforgettable gift was naturally given by his Daddy! Dan grew up playing in the dirt with Tonka trucks for most of his young childhood and so naturally he decided that for his son's first birthday he'd have to have a Tonka truck! When he excitedly told me that he was going to buy him one I pictured a small little matchbox tonka or small soft baby sized toy, but no, no, I was wrong! This is what he had in mind and came home with:

 

A Tonka dump truck big enough for our son to not only play with, but to ride in! Turns out he knew his son well and Emmett was beyond excited to see the dump truck. He LOVED it and spent the rest of the night playing with it and "sharing" it with his sister(she was just as excited about it and we kept having to remind her who's birthday present it really was).

 

It was a grand first birthday party for Emmett and although I can't believe he has already completed his first year, I am so grateful he is a part of our family and can't imagine life with out him.

Emmett is the happiest, easy going, loveable, cheerful little one year old. He can say Dada, Mama, Moo and Amen. He also loves to babble and try to imitate you. He signs More, Thank You, Bye-bye, Ball, Eat, Drink, Outside, Please and All Done. He attempts to put keys in the door, toilet paper in the toilet, run with out tripping and he gives the best hugs and snuggles, open mouth kisses and even blows kisses when asked nicely! He loves to wrestle his big sister every night before bed and is his daddy's little shadow! He is a rather obedient little boy and learns quickly. He loves to try and sing along with Mom and Lydia, swing on the swings and empty all of the pots and pans out of the cupboard. Our load seems lighter and our lives are brighter because Emmett is a part of our family! We love you Little Man, Happy Birthday!