Greetings from Nevada! I hope it’s been a great week.
What a week! Analise and Antonio officially turned 12 on Tuesday, February 5. We celebrated their special day by going to their basketball games at a school in Las Vegas.
I was able to grab Isaiah from school a little early and head into Vegas to get to the game on time. I had threatened him that morning that I was going to pull his crazy wiggly tooth that night when we got home! When I picked him up, I noticed immediately that it was gone. Apparently, he had tripped at school and hit his tooth so that it was barely hanging on. So, he pulled it himself! He was pretty proud of himself.
We stopped at Target to grab a couple of necessities before the game, including a pair of pants for Isaiah. He had worn his usual wardrobe of shorts and a t-shirt to school. He had a jacket on him, but it was snowing and barely above freezing. I finally convinced him that he needed a pair of pants! Small victories.
After their basketball games, we went out to dinner with a friend who lives in Vegas to have a celebratory dinner. The food was great and the company was even better. It was a great night and a nice end to their birthday.
Unfortunately, the next day was pretty much the worst day ever! I woke up to Ben coming into the bedroom telling me that Champ, our 14-year-old Golden Retriever was having seizures and was having a hard time getting up and keeping his feet under him. We had been discussing that it probably wasn’t too far off before “the end” but it definitely took us by surprise that morning.
The truly horrible part came when I had to wake up the kids and tell them if they wanted to say goodbye that they had to get up and do it. It was probably the saddest thing I have been through as a parent. Champ had been a part of their lives for their entire lives and they had to say goodbye. It was truly heartbreaking.
We pulled through and survived the rest of the week. It wasn’t easy. The kids still have sad moments and I have to admit, I still expect to see Champ when I go into the hallway for any reason.
It’s hard not to have him here. Ben and I got him right before we got married. He has been a part of our entire married life so far and it’s really sad that he is gone. Pets really do become a member of your family and losing a pet, while different and not quite as devastating as losing a human family member, it is devastating in its own way.
We will miss Champ, but we are happy he is no longer hurting and hope that he is running around playing with our Angel!
Until next week, make it a great one!
Amy
