My little fireman (and fire dog)

Nate had a Fall Party at preschool the other day and he dressed up like a fireman! Before school Nate and Bo posed for a picture and Nate called Bo his 'fire dog'. I think Bo was pretty proud of this! Daddy ended up going to the Fall Party to help out and said that it was pretty chaotic, but a really great time! Lots of food, fun, and games! Since Nate was dressed up like a fireman I stopped by the fire station on the way home to surprise Nate with real firemen! The firemen showed Nate all the trucks and Nate LOVED it. He really loved sitting in the driver's seat and seeing all the lights go off!

Our trip to the Omaha Zoo!

A couple of months ago my brother moved to Omaha for temporary business. We had heard that the Omaha Zoo was awesome, so it was a perfect opportunity to go check it out while Scott was there! My mom, Grandma DeeDee and our best friends, Bill, Rachel, and Hudson, went with us and we all met up with Uncle Scott. The Zoo was amazing! And, just as fabulous as we had heard! There was so much to see and it was a beautiful day out!

Our new addition! Bo George Dulin

Well, this is a little unexpected to be posting, but as you can see...we got a new puppy! Unfortunately, Copper (the older dog that we had adopted after Maverick passed) ended up biting Nate and we had to take him back to the owners. Copper was a gorgeous Golden Retriever, but he was just too old for Nate. Thankfully Nater was not too hurt, in fact, he was ready to play with Copper after about 30 minutes of the incident! Nate needed a dog that he could play with, run around with, and grow up with. So, we sucked it up and got a puppy. (Ok, it really wasn't that hard to twist each other's arm...I found Bo on Craigslist and Jeremy said "YES! Let's go look at him tonight!!!"). The owners who had him were sweet people who just could not take on a puppy right now due to their family circumstances. They had named him George but since he was only 19 weeks and probably not TOO attached to his name, we decided to name him Bo. But, so he was not confused, we have been calling him Bo George (which I think may just stick)! We told them that it will be an open adoption and they will certainly be getting updates and pictures on how Bo George is doing!

Besides several sleepless nights, Bo is doing great. We are really enjoying having him in our family! We can't wait for you all to meet him!

I am eating my words...

Well, this is actually still a shock for me to be writing this but...we have added another 4-legged addition to our family! After Maverick passed, I told everyone that I did NOT want another dog. At least not for a long while. But, I have to admit...even with Nate, the house has been awfully quiet with Maverick gone, which has made me miss him even more. I still didn't want another dog yet but my heart changed when I met Copper. Here is the story. (Sorry, you know me...always a long story)!

About a week after Maverick passed I found out from a friend that someone she knew was going through a divorce. She had 2 kids and pretty much had to start making huge changes in her life, including a possible move, and getting a job, since her husband was the sole provider in their family. She was looking at cutting costs and unfortunately, that meant finding a home for their family dog. When Jeremy and I first talked about it I could not even imagine having another dog in the house yet. I was still emotional about Maverick and Jeremy knew that. So, he had a good idea to 'foster' the dog from afar and we offered to pay for the dog's food, treats, and bones every month. I went over to their house last week to drop off the food and treats. Well, the lady was much appreciative about this arrangement but in conversation mentioned that she still wanted to find a home for Copper at some point. They had already come to terms that they had to find another home for Copper and she knew that financially and emotionally the dog would be better somewhere else.

I cannot really explain how I felt when I met Copper. I was happy and sad all at once. I was happy to meet this incredible dog, but sad because I didn't want to disrespect what we just went through with Maverick. I could not stop thinking about Copper after I left, which told me that we had to further discuss the possibility of taking him in. So, Jeremy and I talked again and we agreed to go see the dog together.

Jeremy was in love with him as soon as he saw him and said that it was 'fate' because he was named after his favorite kids movie (The Fox and the Hound) and low and behold Copper sported a KU collar. Jeremy was stoked about that. But, he let me make the decision as to whether or not we would be taking him home. We gave it a day to think over and I actually started getting excited about Copper. Not only would he be a good transition dog (he is 9 years old, so he is not a puppy), it would be our first official dog together as a family. Maverick and Graham were certainly family to Jeremy and Nate but when it comes down to it, they were always MY babies. :) Maverick, Graham, and I spent many years together as a little family, so Copper would be more of an extension of me, Jeremy, and Nate.

We certainly did not seek out getting another dog and had not planned on this happening. But, as always, God knows what He is doing and we are excited to have Copper in our family. I knew at some point we would have to get another dog for Nate's sake for sure, but I was just not ready for a puppy. We might think of a puppy when Nate is older and can help more with the training and responsibility. Copper is certainly NOT a replacement to Maverick or Graham but it is just nice to have a dog around in the house again. Jeremy said he would have taken Copper sight unseen! I am so blessed to have a husband who is a dog-lover as well.

Copper is a little older than what Maverick was...he is 9 but still has a bit of a playful side to him. Nate has already been running around with him, which is fun to see again. Copper is a golden retriever and is very sweet and docile. He is about the same size as Maverick was. We look forward to all of you meeting him!

Memorial Stone for Maverick

I spent quite awhile looking for the perfect memorial stone for Maverick's grave. I went to several sites online for something special, meaningful, and affordable. Well, they were all special due to the personalization of the stones, but affordable...they were not. I was pretty bummed out because even though Maverick meant the world to me, I could not afford to go all out (there were some stones that were almost $700)! After telling Jeremy about my dilemma it hit me to try the craft stores. After all, I love to make things, and there just had to be something I could MAKE for Maverick! And, thanks to Michaels, I did find something. A kit that had everything included and I could design it however I wanted to. And, it was just the right size. PERFECT. I had never worked with cement before so it was definitely trial and error but here was the end project. I finished it just before the month anniversary of his passing and on that day, October 5, Nate and I headed to Garnett to put the stone on Maverick's grave. It was a sad but special day. It is still very sad that Maverick is gone and that he is no longer with me, but it has helped me to create all of these special things for him. And, it is such a blessing to have him and Graham buried at my in-laws, a place that I will be able to visit whenever.

So, to my baby boy Maverick...I hope you like your stone. It is special like you were to me.

Now, I am off to the store to buy another kit for Grahamy. :)

Nate's First Day of Preschool!

OMG! I cannot believe that we are already talking SCHOOL!!!! Nater started preschool on October 1st. He was such a BIG KID and was very excited to go to school! He is going to preschool at our church and it is called Little Blessings. We are so thrilled about this program and the teachers involved here. Nate's teacher is Ms. Angie and he seemed to bond with her very quickly. When I picked him up and asked him if he had made any new friends he said, "Ms. Angie". I was told that he had a pretty good first day and so we celebrated by getting ice cream and heading to Daddy's office. We are so proud of our super BIG KID!!!!