Wordless Wednesday | Just Because

Before you know it, you go from this…

to this.

Where does that time go?


Happy Wednesday.
More Wordless Wednesday here.

Carl

It was an instant connection. Harrison spotted him from across the tent area and was immediately drawn to him. He had stopped to talk to a couple others, spending a few minutes with them and listening intently to their needs; but when he saw Carl, he stopped in his tracks.

Carl was different. He was patient, quiet, kind and gentle. The perfect blend of a personality to draw someone in immediately. And he was handsome too, with jet black hair and deep brown eyes - even I took a liking to him.

The two of them sat together, Harrison would gently talk to him and rest his hand on him. They just sat there together for a good 45 minutes just looking at each other, sometimes talking, often not as they also watched the crowd swirl around them.

Harrison didn't want to leave but we had to, we still had a full day ahead of us. he said good bye and turned away. We were stopped momentarily and Harrison turned to look at Carl again.

"Mom! Carl's gone!"

"He's probably on a bathroom break," I responded.


Harrison ran over to where he had been sitting. sure enough he had gone a bathroom break.

Even handsome little dogs need potty breaks once in a while.

Just a few faces of the other new friends he made.

  

How can you NOT love those teeth!

 

My grandma, what BIG ears you have!

Unfortunately, {as much as I quickly} wanted to, we couldn't take Carl home with us that day. And  underneath him his was his father, an Australian Sheppard - sadly, their owner lost her home and she and her children are living with friends who wouldn't accept the dogs so she had to give them up and now they will be split up probably. Carl is only 2 years old,  I wish were in a place to take him.

There were so many dogs needing a good home. If you do think of getting a dog, I implore you to consider adopting - especially from your local pound, as they have a much shorter life span as opposed to the private non-profit agencies. Mr. Teeth and Big Ears above are both from Los Angeles Animal Service, adorable little Carl (who yanked at our heartstrings) is from Doggies 911/ Paws With Needs. Just a {very} few adoption agencies in our county include Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue,  Chihuahua Rescue, Downtown Dog Rescue, Large Foundation, Life for Paws, Los Angeles Animal Care and Control, Paws L.A., SPCA L.A.  And here is an extensive list for L.A. County. Just Google "dog adoption" for your local area and you will find a lot of agencies, even those who specialize in certain breeds. And if you are looking for purebred, check out your local animal shelter because about 25% of dogs in the shelters are purebreds. Another reason to check out the city shelters/pounds first; approximately 4 million dogs and cats are put to sleep yearly due to overcrowding so you truly are saving a life!


Duke-the-Dog was a rescue dog and he was one of the best dogs I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

For us, I know the day will come when we can and will introduce another dog into our family.

It will be well worth that wait, I'm sure.





Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

WW | So Many Pencils, So Little Time

Honestly, I don't recall Big Brother getting so many pencils in school and I think I collected maybe this many pencils during my entire school experience including high school!

Yet, just over half way through the year he already had a Fist Full of Pencils.

I think when all is said and done tomorrow, he will have averaged about three pencils a month for the last 10 months. (This is why I added a pencil sharpener to Harrison's party goodie bags.)


And that was only Kindergarten.


More Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Did You Know | Visiting the Tide Pools

In February we were blessed with a visit by old friends from South Dakota. I absolutely adore this couple and their family, I’ve known Him since high school and He started dating Her about the time I started dating the G.I.D. and they were married only months before we were. Anytime we have opportunity to travel back to SD we try to see them; so what a treat to have them with us for a change!



Seriously, it had been WAY too long since Harrison and I had ventured down to the tide pools and they are so close. I forget all the hidden beauty in the big city we live in. After three days at Disneyland, I know our friends {nature-loving} were delighted to spend the afternoon in and near the ocean.

As were we.




It really was a perfect day.

Did You Know Week | Turning Six

It's crazy to think that the boy is six already. And amazing how fast his kindergarten year went. As it is, we only have seven days of school left this year. (insert spinning head here). 
{Hopefully} Over the next week as we are swirled about in our end-of-school-year, kindergarten graduation activities, I will have a few “did you know” posts catching up on the first half of 2011. (yikes)

Before my previous desktop computer died, I had started a post about Harrison turning six.
I’m sure it was filled with my usual sappiness that accompanies each of the birthdays in his short life thus far.  Alas, that post got lost in the chaotic shuffle of life these last few months. So I will forego the sap and get right to the story… in pictures.

Backing up, I wanted to give Harrison his first real birthday party on his fifth birthday; but that became impossible with the upheaval in our lives last year.  This year I was set to make it happen and Harrison was SET on having it at…

CHUCK E. CHEESE

Fortunately for us adults, Chuck E. Cheese wasn’t so bad on a Friday night.
 
Of course, fitting 20+ kids into the frame of a 50mm lens,while trying to crop out other camera-wielding adults was next to impossible. I threw in the towel. (hey you parents, send me some of your good group shots!)


Then I found out that six years old is NOT too old to go to Build-a-Bear with a gift certificate for a free animal. Meet, Hootie – born March 12 and joins Bucky and Fuzzy Bear (a white bear with a golden cross on her foot, born March 4, 2010 – apparently, Bucky needed a girlfriend. Although her gender changes occasionally…).

Finally, to finish off Harrison’s birthday festivities, Aunt C sent him a Star Wars Captain Rex Helmet – oh yeah – that rocks!

Thank you once again to EVERYONE who helped make Harrison’s sixth birthday extra special! We are so thankful for all of you.

Who Knew

...that saying goodbye to a silly blue rocking chair could pull so many emotions from our entire family.

We all have sat in that chair, read to Harrison, held him when sick, cuddled with him, slept in it or just, plain, hung out on it.

I suppose we're a little sentimental around here; but even Big Brother, back from college, let out a little sad, "aww" and voiced his own memory when I told him it was being picked up.

Maybe we just weren't ready move on from it yet; but sometimes life dictates those things.

And it was a sacrifice we needed to make for a growing boy {who happened to inherent just a few legos...} to get from the baby room above to here:



The silver lining is that we know it's going to a wonderful couple who are about to become a happy family-to-be through adoption. I hope it will be as much a blessing for them as it was for us.


 We'll miss sitting in that rocking chair.

...That{well loved} silly blue rocking chair...


After all, for us, it was home.






Hosted by Cecily and Lolli