Family
87/365
Today we packed up the whole family and headed to the beach with Bailey. It was her first visit to the ocean and she loved it! You'd never know it from this photo, but she just wouldn't quit bringing the frisbee so I could throw it in the water again.
The kids had a great time and thankfully we brought extra clothes for the boys. They came in handy for enjoying ice cream and for the long car ride home.
59/365
She loves going hiking, pulls harder on the leash when going uphill, isn't quite sure what to do with rivers yet and weighs 32 pounds.
24/365
Bailey just finished up the last of her vaccination shots this past week, so she is now clear for more public interaction and trips to places where other dogs might be. We took her on her first hike at a short, but muddy and wet favorite – Elowah Falls. She was a trooper, had lots of fun and said hello very politely to every dog we met on the trail. It also completely wiped her out for the rest of the day and night.
1/365
I think this is probaly Bailey's 2nd walk on the leash. She's wasn't quite sure what to think. I took her out twice today and it went much better. One of our goals with training her is to get this walking on a leash thing down a little better than we did with Cooper. She won't be nearly as big and strong as he was, but it would be great if she wasn't a puller.
This is number one of a daily photo project this year. No particular theme yet, although I might introduce some monthly or weekly themes later.
If you've been following along on Facebook or Twitter at all, you already know that we surprised our kids with a new Chocolate Lab puppy named Bailey on Christmas eve. She's a sweetie and 2 days in, has stolen our hearts and made us her pack. She is ferocious in her play, snuggly with her rest and generous with her kisses.
Welcome to the family little one!
Mixing two of my favorite things in this one; the Landscape style family Portrait. This is the image that's on our Christmas card this year. It was taken just a few minutes before Sunset Crashers. Per Emily's orders, I had to hang on to this one just like I do every official family portrait until after the cards are mailed.
We were so unprepared to say good bye to our friend, and family member that I'm not sure I have the right words to express what it's like now that he's gone. Cooper is so wrapped up in the last few years of everything for us.
He was here before our daughter was born and patiently endured the pushing, pulling and tackling of two toddler boys. Then when Aisy was big enough, he became her best friend, playmate, pillow and constant companion. He barked ferociously at anyone walking by or even vaguely near our house, then licked and wagged his tail in play when absolute strangers entered the house. The barking and his 105lbs kept anyone unfamiliar with him on alert and made Emily feel safe when I was out of town. The truth is that he was totally submissive to even the smallest of other dogs and never bit or growled at anyone. He thought he was a person.
He left white hairs on everything, snuck onto furniture when we were gone, stole food off the counter when we weren't looking and ruined many sets of sheets on our bed with his crazy circling before laying down. We had to keep the bedroom door closed when we were gone. We also had to put a rubber band on the cabinet door guarding the trash can so he wouldn't liberate the strangest of trash items and spread them throughout the house. Sometimes he would drink water so fast that he'd throwup. We got pretty good at managing that.
I wouldn't change any of it. He was happy-go-lucky, loyal, goofy and perfect.
A couple years ago when we first saw the movie Marley and Me, Emily mentioned how much it felt like our own family. She couldn't have been more right.
My kids (and wife) have asked when it will stop hurting and I honestly don't know. Having lost a dog before, what I do know is over time, the raw pain of loss fades and becomes a small part of the joy and memory of their life.
Cooper, we miss you so much and our lives are so much better because of you. Thank you for being part of our family buddy!
