I told you there'd be more to this story...

So... the dog is already gone. Sad times. We actually loved the dog very much, and everyone did great with her. I think we only cleaned up 2 or 3 puddles on the rug. But then... we had her vet check-up to make sure she was okay and keep our warranty with the pet store intact.

I had been worried that something was wrong when the dog started coughing on Wednesday. I could feel things rattle in her chest when she breathed. Then on Friday, she spent most of the day sleeping and didn't want to do much. I was glad that we already had a vet appointment scheduled for Saturday morning.

The vet checked out poor little Martha, and said that she was a very sick puppy. We would need to do tests to find out what exactly what was wrong with her ($$$), but the vet was very concerned about her poor health. The vet heard fluid in her lungs and a nasty cough, and she had discharge from her nose and, uh, other areas. Aidan immediately started sobbing, and Gresham alternated between sobbing and hitting things. It was not a pretty picture.

Jordan headed off to the pet store with her, because they had said that if the vet check revealed anything that they would take care of the problem. That turned out to not quite be the case, and the shop wanted to argue that she only had a slight head cold. So Jordan ended up getting a refund on the dog.

The boys are very sad, and want another cavachon, which they plan to name "Martha" as well. We have found some good options of breeders (not pet stores. ). Unfortunately, none of them are local or cheap, but Jordan has some offers to do some yard projects for some neighbors, so the boys said that they would like to help and we can earn the money for a healthy cavachon. I also have some violin lessons I can do. It will be a fun family project. At least I hope...

In other news, the Obeying Olympics was a disaster. Aidan did show some improvement. The other two... not so much. Gresham earned three stickers the first day for eating neatly at each meal. Then, after breakfast went bad the next day, he pretty much gave up and has been putting his silverware in his drink, licking his plate, etc, etc. **Side note to Gresham's future wife: I'm sorry. I tried.

No, really, we are going to keep trying. We just need a new plan.

One thing that has been successful is our "Christian Soldiers' Club." Gresham doesn't like Bible time (basically, he doesn't like to be told what to do by God or anyone else...) so I decided we would call it Christian Soldiers' Club. I bought them club notebooks to write their verses and prayer requests in. We have been studying the armor of God, and we traced Gresham's body and made a life-size soldier with all of the armor on.

Never a dull moment around here...

Martha puts life into perspective...

When we brought this dog home on Sunday, I knew that we would be living in "survival mode" for a while. We already live in survival mode because of the amount of time it takes to feed Owen and keep him from getting into things (his favorites to get into are shampoo, remote controls, shoes, and any paper that he can get in his mouth...), so I figured that it was as good a time as any to do a puppy too.

Things like adding a dog (or even going out in public with the kids) reminds me of how diligently I need to be in training them, because it becomes very difficult for me in those situations when they won't obey. They were born sinners just like the rest of us, and they don't automatically obey! Their hearts are continually tempted by selfishness, laziness, pestering and fighting, and failing to obey. I need to be more consistent in discipline. I also need to teach them what actions and attitudes honor God. Ultimately, they need to be pointed to Christ and realize that only through a relationship with Him can we have the ability to do anything good.

In the interest in making this task a little more fun, we are having the "Obeying Olympics" this week. Each child has two goals for the week. Owen's are to not touch the dog crate, and to not touch the dog food. Gresham's are to eat with good table manners and to not whine. Aidan's are to do a good job at each task he is asked to do and to not say or do things that stir up fighting. Both of the older boys have a jar of marbles to help track their success. They each get 15 marbles at the beginning of the day. Gresham has to take one out every time he whines, and Aidan has to take one out for a job poorly done or a rude comment. They can also earn marbles back for doing things well.

So far we have seen some progress. We have more to do. It's just as hard for me to keep at it as it is for them! It's easy to be distracted by the things that seem like they have to get done - meals, dishes, laundry, etc. and forget the value of training my children.

It we can keep it together until Friday, we're going to have a medal ceremony. We'll keep you posted...

Martha

This is Martha - our newest addition to the family! Aidan named her after the PBS kids show "Martha Speaks," which is about a talking dog.

Yes, we are crazy to add a puppy to the all the craziness that already goes on at our house, but in a way, I figured it might be good to get our crazy stage all done with at one time. We already have to keep toys with small parts off the floor for Owen, so we might as well do that for the dog too!

She is a Cavachon - a mix of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frise. Not a likely mix, but we liked her for the Cavalier laid back personality and ease of training (our next door neighbors have one, and he is a great dog). The Bichon mix makes it a good dog for allergy sufferers.

Isn't she adorable?

Do you like this last picture? I thought about cropping out Owen and Gresham, but it's a good snapshot of what life is like at our house. Owen is licking a gun (a toy gun!), and who knows what Gresham is doing!

Aidan is the perfect age for a puppy. He can take her outside by himself, and he can already tell when she is about to go... He is old enough to be responsible, and young enough to be completely amused by having someone to be in charge of. Hopefully he keeps having fun, because he is going to help care for her even after the novelty wears off...

Martha thinks that Owen is another puppy. When he crawls, she runs after him and nips at his feet. He is not a big fan, but he'll be walking any day now, and then she'll probably leave him alone more.

I'm sure that this new acquisition is going to lead to lots of stories in which you can laugh at our expense, so stay tuned!!

Baby Owen is 1!!!

Owen turned 1 on May 18th!! We had his party last Friday night. It was a fun time with lots of friends and family here to celebrate! This picture is Owen watching everyone singing to him.

Daddy blew the candle out for him with perfect timing as he reached for the flame...

Hmmm... what is this?

Aidan and Gresham are really into Buzz Lightyear and have been wanting Owen to have his own Buzz for quite some time. When I found some Toy Story duplo legos that were released to go with the new Toy Story 3 movie, I knew I had found the perfect thing for the boys to give him!

He took his first couple of steps this week, but is still pretty content with crawling. His standing gets better every day, though. It won't be long!

Late to bed, early to rise...

Every year, as we approach summer, the sun starts getting up earlier. And every year, my children feel the need to do the same.

Gresham has just discovered bedtime stalling, and along with getting up with the sun, he is getting very little sleep. Tuesday morning was the worst. Gresham came in at 6:20 a.m. to ask me to wipe him, which means that he probably got up to go potty at about 6:00 based on how long he'll sit there hoping someone will come wipe him before he gets up and goes to find someone. By the time I got up for good at 7:00 a.m., the boys were fighting in their room and had woken up Owen. Such a refreshing start to the day!

I gave them a firm reminder of the morning rules. I told them that they had gotten up at the ridiculously early hour of 6:00 a.m. They are not to get up until 7:15. Once it's 7:15 (so thankful that Aidan can tell time!), they can read in their beds until I come get them. After my lecture, I asked Gresham to tell me what the rules are.

He said very seriously, "Don't get up before A.O.M!"

Owen's Silly Faces

Owen has this silly new "wrinkle up his nose" face that he does. None of these pictures quite capture it perfectly, but they're still cute...

Aidan

Aidan: Mom, I need something to cover up my feet while I'm watching the movie.
Mom: Why? Are you cold?
Aidan: No, my feet stink.

A few minutes later...
Mom: So what are you using to cover up your feet?
Aidan: One of the couch pillows...
Mom: WHAT??

Owen Update

So, Owen's full test results are back. We got enough data from the pH study that we don't have to do it again! Boy, was that a relief. The test showed that he still has reflux. No surprise there.

The biopsy showed that he has gastritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach lining. We switched medications to better treat the gastritis (he was already on an acid reducer, and now he is on Nexium). He seems to be doing better!

His dietician came on Saturday, and his growth looked good. The biggest issue now is that he is turning one in two weeks (!!), and he is not doing super great with solid food. His chewing skills seem to be delayed, which is not any surprise since he has hated to eat for so long! This seems to be an issue that he will grow out of soon. Granted, we've been saying that about this whole adventure for months.

Bottom line is... he will probably always be a small eater, and consequently a small kid. But he's healthy, growing, and developing just fine. Hopefully we can continue to get his GI issues under control. We are thankful for God's provision of such good professionals to help us with all of this!

My Suh-weet New Camera

So, my wonderful husband let me get a sweet new digital camera! Ours has been a frustration for quite some time. It's about 5 years old, and digital has improved a lot since then. After much research, I got the Canon Rebel T1i. It's a digital SLR. I know almost nothing about photography, so reading the manual was sort of like reading a foreign language, but I am starting to figure some things out! It has an auto mode, so I can still take good pictures despite my lack of photography skillz. Why are these words underlined? I have no idea. My computer skillz are about as bad as my photography skillz. Anyway, here is Owen during his 24 hour pH study.

Aidan got his second book award for Sparks on Sunday night.
Here he is with one of his good friends.

Dad and Owen

Let me out! Let me out!

Isn't this a cute picture?

Too bad the camera didn't come with an automatic posing feature! It takes pictures blazingly fast, though, so I can keep up with my monkeys. Or try to at least.

More from Gresham...

Mom: The Bible is...
Gresham: True!
Mom: What does true mean?
Gresham: sin and death.
Mom: No, it doesn't mean that...