Rewind to July 30, 2005

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Here is a montage of some wedding photos!

Happy hump-day!

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Lately...

Dani went to the Dr. on Friday for her 3 month check-up. She's growing like a baby, weighs 15 1/2 pounds and is about 26 inches long. My dad said he's probably not going to be able to lift her by the next time they see her! :o) The Dr. said she looks great, and has a nice round head...that I knew!

Zac had his Scouts meeting on Monday and they went tobogganing here in town. Afterwards they had hot choccie and wagon wheels, so he said he had a blast!

Here is a mish-mash of pictures taken in the past week or so...

Dani has discovered her thumb. We've been trying to give her her suther instead, but if she loses it, she gets her thumb. See it sitting next to her head? The suckie we can take away eventually, the thumb - not so much.
Zac got home from school and had to check on Dani, who had just woken up. So I grabbed the camera for a quick shot. Zac looks so old here! I can't believe he will be 9 in less than 6 months! Also notice how Dani is looking at her big bro. She adores him!
Here is Zac after he got home from toboganning. Nice cheeks! PJ time! Snuggling siblings...
And here's Dani and Abby, having some cuddle time.

Becky and her kids came over on Saturday. Here is Jacob (1 day younger then Dani). What a cutie!Jacob and Dani, sitting in a tree...
Roxie having a snooze. She has a heating pad in her bed - I think she likes it.
Dani's pretty in pink dress.
She got a new exersaucer. She loooves to watch "ah-gee" (pronounced "ho-ckey") in it! Note the new magic princess wand Gramma Yvonne got her. She likes it. And it really does work magic. Dani cries and you say "baby no cry", turn it on, tap her belly, and she's quiet!
Baby rolled over! Only on the couch, and I had to help her over her arm, but she did it! And later the same day, she did it for Daddy too!

And Dani held her own bottle for the 1st time too!
Baby Rox!
Dani fell asleep in the sunbeam on the livingroom floor. So sweet...
My beautiful baby!

Peek-a-boo little Dani toe!
Princess in the sunshine!
Go Flames Go! Dani in Dads hat.
1st time in her jolly jumper! She's getting better every day!
Zac can make some awesome structures with the Tinker Toys Auntie Cara and Uncle Paul gave him for Christmas! This is an airplane with accessories.

"Just a Dog"

By Richard Biby


People have said to me from time to time things like “lighten up, it’s just a dog” or “that’s a lot of money for just a dog”. They say to me they don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog”. Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog”. Many hours have passed and the only company I had was “just a dog” but I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog”, and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

For those of you who do not understand the whys and wherefores of “just a dog”, then you will probably understand phases like “just a friend”, “just a sunrise”, or “just a promise”. “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out in me the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. “Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being just a man. So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog”, just smile, because they - - -“just don’t understand”.


Just a thought,

Richard Biby

http://www.albertaanimalrescuecrew.com/just_a_dog.htm

Getting a grip

Sorry it's been so long, I didn't mean to have our bad day posting up as the 1st thing you see when you open my blog. I've been working on a montage of Suki, to kind of come to terms with what happened. It's a much better way of remembering her, and I hope you enjoy seeing what a fabulous little girl she was. We didn't get to have her in our lives for long, but we will cherish what time we did get.



“To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment, which excludes the ability to experience happiness”

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horrible very bad no good day.

I don't really want to share the following, but feel like I should. I'd rather share happy news, but don't think we will be too happy around here for a bit. Last night something terrible happened. I feel sick writing this. Suki passed away this morning. I'm so sad. Last night, Amy and I took the dogs for a nice long walk, and just minutes after we got home, Okee snapped at her over a bone. I was in the living room with them, and jumped up to see Suki having a seizure in the middle of the floor, and her eye had come out of her head. It was so scary. Chris was there too, feeding Dani, and we both jumped up and screamed for Amy who was in the kitchen. She scooped her up and we rushed to the car. We actually had to drive around Okotoks for a half an hour looking for an open vets clinic, rushing to liquor and pizza stores to use their phones to call after hours numbers. We ran out of the house without cells or purses or even shoes for Amy. No one would help. We had to drive Suki into the hospital in the city. We couldn't believe no one could help us. No one. The vet thought the eye was secondary to the shock she was in, and gave her fluids, morphine, and oxygyn. They covered her eye and put her in an incubator, to try to stablize her before dealing with the eye. They took an xray of her head (which was bitten on the top) and said that there seemed to be nothing wrong, beside some swelling of the wound site. We were sent home around midnight, thinking she would pull through ok, after she relaxed they could sedate her and put her eye back in. She made it through the surgury inthe middle of the night, but didn't last much longer after that. Amy is having a terrible time dealing with this. Our pets are like family, and hers are her kids. Okee has gone to our brother Jeffs house for the time being, as we can't trust him in the house, but are having a hard time deciding what to do with him. I hate this. We can't stop crying, and it feels just sick around here. I wish yesterday never happened. But, since it did, we will be doing our best for the next little while to comfort Amy and to deal with our losses. I may be back on updating soon, but if not, hopefully I return with us (and mostly Amy) feeling better.

Birthday Bash 2007

So we celebrated Amy's 28th birthday this past Saturday. Chris's mom came down from Edmonton along with her boyfriend Dave, and Kaitlyn. Gramma Yvonne babysat Zac and Dani, and Kaitlyn came out to celebrate with us. After we grilled the new bf of Yvonne... just joshin'! But it was the 1st time we met him, and we seem to approve. :o) Since it was such a blast (but very busy), I'm just gonna toss up a bunch of pictures, and tell you that this was one of Amy's best birthday's yet (her words!). Amy and Kait, getting ready in Amy's bathroom - champagne anyone?On the phone - of course! On the way to Joyce on 4th. Seatbelts!!The goat...Amy got presents - Rene gave the funnest ones! And even cake! yum yum!

Julie Fehr, friends since high school, and Becky Cambell (Sen), friends since grade school.
Travis Arnold (Amy's Man-Friend) and someone I don't know cheersing.
Left to right: Amy, Kate, Friend, Jeneva, Chris, Friend. (all friends from high school. Except the "Friends", I don't know who they are...)Krista Davies and Meaghan Kennedey. High schoolers too!
Chris Poppit (jr. high friend), Amy, Alana (friend met in apartment she lived in on 17th Ave a few years ago), Cheryl Lysak (Amy's bff since kindergarden!)
Amy and Cher

Skye Lawrence (high school), Amy, Jaime Lawrence (Skyes bro, my ex-bf from 10 years ago and we're still friends too!)
Me and our cousin Kristi - who happened to be in town from BC!
Amy and Alana
Large group.
Drew, Lucy, and Cameron. No wait... That's Charlies Angels! This is Amy, Vicky and Krista! Lookin' good Ladies!

Amy and Becky!

It was tons of fun, and I think everyone else there thought so too. All through the night, I would say there had to have been about 40-50 people that came for her bday, so that was super cool. She has a great group of friends, and these are just a few, so if I missed anyone - sorry!

Better get off the computer now, so have a good day!

A Nice Little Story About Best Friends...

As read in the local Okotoks Western Wheel Newspaper -

"Pauls Place" By Paul Rockley, Publisher

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occured to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like a fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in too?' the traveler asked.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven." he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates?

Nope.

That's Hell"

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."

Pringles!

So, not a lot to post today. Just waiting here excitedly for my new washer and dryer that should be delivered this afternoon! Thought I'd toss up a couple more pictures, of us just hanging out in the livingroom. I think the puppies like the kids at least just as much as the kids like the puppies! Dani watches wherever they go too!
Suki was named Pringles for a short amount of time... anyone see why?
Zac got back safe and sound from his trip to Saskatchewan this past Saturday afternoon. He had lots of fun there as usual, but was happy to be back. He even had extra Christmas gifts to open still! Here he is all ready for the hockey game to start. He was showing me how he could pet both Maggie and Roxie at the same time.
Baby D and the puppies - snoozin' and snackin'.Abby Fat Cat seems to be sooo stressed out lately. Can you tell?I look over and she's all sprawled out on the chair, so it's just not like me to pass up a photo op!

Ok - I did it.

So for the past few months, we have talked about getting another dog. We struggled with the combination of Amys pets and Maggie for quite a long time, but we have settled into a routine that's working out for everyone it seems. Murphy the cat has moved on to his version of heaven on earth and is living at our Aunt and Uncles farm out by Edmonton. Amy is taking her dog Okee to work with her everyday, and we have hired a "pooper scooper" service, to help out in the back yard! She is planning on moving out at the end of March as well, so that will cut our family down by half. Well, that sounds pretty terrible, but I guess I should've known she's going to want to leave the nest sooner or later! ;o)



I have been looking into breeding, just as a hobby type thing which will generate a little bit of cash flow, since I am home with the baby. And you know how it is... once you start looking around a little bit, soon you want to go look - then before you know it, you're sitting on some strangers kitchen floor, with Chihuahua puppies crawling all over you and there's this one that just seems perfect...

Meet Roxie. She's the sweetest thing!
And this is Suki... did I mention Amy was on the kitchen floor and this one was just perfect too?
Zac is in love. He thinks they are pretty cool!