Sam

After a long and wonderful life, we said good-bye to Sam at the end of June.

We knew the end was coming.  Sam was having difficulty getting up and moving around.  Even though his food bowl was filled frequently by the boys, he couldn't keep weight on.  A few weeks ago, Craig had to jump into the pond after him.  After years of swimming and diving to retrieve rocks, Sammy just couldn't do it anymore.

Boy, did our guys love him.  He showed up as a stray...and just never left.  (He even pooped in the field so we didn't have to clean it up!)

We couldn't have gotten a better dog if we'd paid top dollar.

He was loyal to the end.

Connor took it the hardest, I think he was the only one who knew what was going on.

We told him Same would fall asleep..and when he woke up he'd be in doggy heaven where he could run, and chase rabbits, and swim in the pond.

Connor sobbed.

Then he asked if he could watch Sam disappear and go to heaven...

I wasn't ready for that one.

We took a few minutes to say good bye. 

As a mom, I never worried about the boys with Sam.  They could pull his ears, grab his tail, lay on his back legs...he never minded it.  He would just get up and walk away when he'd had enough....

Our friend and vet Jeff came over.  He took a few pictures of our last few moments as a family.  After we said our last good byes, he and Craig took Sam.  Even Craig had some tears in his eyes. 

It is hard to look at these pictures.  I pray Sam is out of pain...and enjoying doggy heaven. 

We've told the boys we will get a new dog...we're just not quite ready.  Connor keeps asking to go to the animal shelter.  He wants two dogs...both yellow labs, both named Sam...so they can have puppies.  

We'll name them...Sam.

We miss you Sammy.

Birthday-palooza

So, we drive 7 hours home from the beach...the boys wake up...and Connor is eager to open his birthday gifts....

We tried not to disappoint.  About a month ago Craig ordered a wii from a points catalog we had been saving up for.

So, we got him a Sonic racing game...it came with wii sports and music!

We think it was a hit.

On Sunday, July 4th...we had our families over for a birthday/4th celebration.

It was a nice evening and we ate outside in the shade.

We had lots of good stuff to eat...Connor's request was corn on the cob!

The kids had a great time on the swing set.

What cute cousins!

To cool off a little, Craig made water balloons...

So we hosted a party...and a water balloon fight broke out....
Sawyer was armed and dangerous!

Aunt Lynn got nailed...

and was eager to return the favor!

Lindsey and Seth came prepared with bathing suits.

The birthday boy gots lots of nice gifts.  He was tickled pink.

Thank you all!

I made an ice cream cake...my first ever.

It was mint chocolate chip with fudge and chocolate cookie crumbs!

YUM

Then we did some fireworks.

(Note the chocolate faces...they really like the cake!)

Jackson wasn't so sure about the sparklers.  He didn't want to get burned.

So sweet! Jackson and Seth are only 7 months apart.  Seth will start Kindergarten this year, but Jackson has to wait another year since his birthday is in November.

The fireworks extravaganza....

yep, that's my husband using a torch to light fireworks.  Safety first, right!

Sawyer got some help from my dad...

an added bonus...Sawyer was so tired the other day.....he fell asleep in front of the computer...while sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen.  (I was using the computer to get a recipe.) 

Yup, more beach....

As you can see, I took a ton of pictures at the beach.  Mitchell does not appear in as many as I'd like...he was not a huge fan of the ocean...so I'd usually be holding him or playing with him...not taking pictures.  So, once he was down for a nap, I  tried to capture the action.

At the end of the week, there was this big sand lip.  The boys loved it, they would run on it, slide over it...you name it...it kept them occupied for hours.

I love the subtle hug Connor is giving to his brother....

When we weren't out at the pool or beach, we spent our time here.  In front of the CABLE, BIG SCREEN TV!  You'd have thought we hadn't seen a tv before.  The boys especially loved the Disney channel and the Cartoon Network.  (Tom and Jerry - 1-2pm daily!)

To wrap up the week, the boys had a pillow fight with Austin and his friend Berto.  (Not his real name, but the name Sawyer called him all week...)

I wanted to try to get a family picture...I got the boys matching shirts...Craig and I coordinated....all I wanted was for 6 faces to look at the camera at the same time.  Yup, I don't live in reality! 

Did I mention that Jackson had fallen asleep on the sofa...and we woke him to take the picture.  Mistake...big mistake.

It just so happened that our last day at the beach was Connor's 6th birthday.  So we celebrated at the ocean.

We got an ice cream cake from DQ.

Connor did not want us to sing...he was embarssed you know.  I told him if he wanted to blow out candles, he had to let us sing!

Everyone helped to blow out the 6...can you believe it...candles.

(Check out Mitchell, he's not quite sure what's going on!)

Friday night at 9:45 we hopped in the car and headed home.  It was a great weak.  Lots of fun for all.  It took us 7 hours to get home.  We were beat, but it was all worth it!

P.S.  Two more failed attempts at a family pic...

we did a little better here...

though I just noticed houw sour Sawyer looks...and Connor still has remnants of a black eye!

More beach stuff....

Jackson was a champ at the beach.  He worked on filling his bucket and building in the sand so much.

I love this picture....he always sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating on something.

Teamwork...

Ouch...his shoulder do look a little red, don't they.  I promise, he didn't get burned.  Just a little pink.

Gabby's friend Livvy was a big part of our vacation too.  She played with the boys...and put up with their almost constant nagging to play tag.  What a good sport!

This is Jackson's version of jumping the waves...looks more like walking from the waves.

My little bull.

The boys had a heated game of tag going on...Jackson was running for all he was worth!

The builder works...

By the end of the week, Sawyer was loving the waves.  He got so brave, he would go down on all fours and wait for the waves to sweep in.  A couple times he got a face full of foam!