My Christmas tree is not perfect, but it's perfect.

It's a new phenomenon for me to share Christmas tree decorating duties with anyone. I used to be really picky about how it all went together. I would spend hours as a child re-arranging the family tree, and have really enjoyed having my own tree as an adult. The kids were mildly interested in helping me last year, but I did most of it without them, then let them add a few ornaments around the bottom at the end. They were fine with that, I think. To be honest, in the past I didn't really care if they were fine with it!

This year, we did the whole thing together, and WOW, was that ever fun.

They were so enamored with the process; delighted to look at each ornament and find the perfect spot for each one. Anna said to me several times, "Mama! This is SO MUCH FUN!"

I agree, Darling.

Louie was quick to inhabit empty ornament boxes!

A sad moment for me came when I pulled out this rottweiler ornament. Our friends Pete & Karen gave it to Brian and I the Christmas after Kato died. It looks a lot like Kato, in fact.

The weird thing about that ornament is how the front leg broke off. The same front leg that Sancho lost when he first got bone cancer. So now the rottweiler ornament is a tribute to both K-Doggy and Sancho. Sweet memories.

Eric, being three, got tired and crashed on Brian before too long. As did Louie, but Louie will take any opportunity to crash on Brian.

 Anna was with me until the very end. She had a little melt-down when I wouldn't let her put up my Swarovski snowflakes. I've been buying one each year since Brian and I got married. They are very expensive, and very special. As a compromise, I laid them all out and we talked about each one. Important things that happened each year, what the snowflakes represent. Even why 2001, 2002 & 2003 are each a little bit broken because Sancho knocked over the Christmas tree in 2003. She was especially interested in 2005 and 2007, as those were the years she and her brother were born. (I'm kicking myself now for not buying an extra one those years so they could each have the one from their birth year!) I finally agreed to allow her to hand me the snowflakes, one at a time, and I put them on the tree. It seemed like a good compromise to both of us.

2005 Swarovski Snowflake

It was so much more fun for me to share this experience with the kids, and I couldn't be happier with the final result.

I love that the ribbons we use as garlands are unevenly clumped together. I love that Eric wanted to place all the animal ornaments, and Anna only wanted to place "The Pretty Things."

It's not perfect, but Wow, is it ever PERFECT.

 

And we only broke three bulbs.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Jack

Welcome to the new member of our family, Jack.

What do you think of our new little family member?

I'm ready to open my heart again

We lost a beloved family member last year on Thanksgiving. Sancho, the Best Dog Ever, lost a 6 month battle with cancer.

We've always known we'd get another dog, but the pain of losing Sancho remained so fresh, we just weren't ready to dive back in to doggyland. Periodically, the kids would ask "When Sancho is coming back from Heaven," or "Why don't we have a dog?"

When the Girl started preschool in September, one of the kids brought a picture of his dog for show & tell. When asked who else has dogs, her reply was, "I have a dog named Sancho. He lives in Heaven."

Oh, so heartwrenching!

In addition to not being ready to try to fill Sancho's pawprints, I haven't been pushing very hard to get a new puppy because Brian is at home with the kids all day, so he's the one who will have to deal with a puppy. Also, quite selfishly, I've been enjoying the lack of dog hair.
Here's Brian and Sancho at the beach, and Girlchild & Sancho, about a month before Sancho died:

But Thanksgiving is coming in another week or so.

I realized yesterday that I just can't bear it. I don't want Thanksgiving to be about losing Sancho. It will be, to some extent, forever. But if I at least know there is another dog on the horizon, I think I can take it. While looking at pictures all over the interwebz yesterday, I sobbed my heart out for Sancho, and it was just as fresh and devastating as it had been when he first died.

I've been watching PetFinder.com and visiting several area shelter websites on and off for about 6 months. There just haven't been any little puppies at the times that I've been watching. Of course, as I mentioned, I wasn't really focused on the search then.
I'd love to be able to adopt a dog that really needs a home, but Brian & I really think we need a small puppy.  We have little kids, 3 cats, and a neighborhood full of kids and cats! I can't take a chance on a dog with a mystery history.

We had great success introducing Sancho to the kitties, because even though he grew to be 125 pounds, he started off smaller than the cats. He never once did anything aggressive towards those kitties.  Oh, he was such a good dog. I'm crying as I write this. :(

So we went and looked at a couple of 10.5 week old Rottweiler puppies yesterday. I thought, there's no way we go look at puppies and don't bring one home!
But you know, we just didn't seem to have a connection with either of them. Maybe it's because their tails had been docked. I don't know. Brian and I were hesitant, but then Girlchild clinched it. Brian asked her, "Do you think we should invite one of these puppies to come home with us and join our family?" and she responded, "No, I don't think one of these puppies is our dog."

She then changed her mind, for the record, as we were leaving, and then changed it back again -- so I don't know how much stock we should place in her opinion here. She remains convinced, however, that we did the right thing in not getting one of those puppies.
So do I.
We'll find our dog. I sure hope we find it before Thanksgiving, but I feel a little better just knowing we're ready.
No dog could ever take Sancho's place of course, but we can make room in our life for another dog.

"Who's a pretty boy??"

"A Fine Specimen"