The loss of our best friend

January 25 is a day that I wish I wouldn't have to write about. After 10.5 years, we said goodbye to our best pal. Bentley came into our lives in 2008 on a hot summer day. We had picked him out of the litter just two weeks before, claiming him as ours. We always joked over those 10.5 years how funny it was that we picked him because that sweet boy had quite a few random medical problems. But oh, what a perfect boy he was for us; we never regretted picking him for even one second! We knew he was ours from the second the breeder brought him out and he quickly ran to Seth and clung to his leg while all the other puppies huddled together with each other. Bentley sort of picked us! And LOOK AT THAT SWEET PUPPY!

 

He was honestly just the most perfect dog - we can't believe how lucky we got. Aside from the occasionally eating of crayons, he never had accidents inside, didn't chew anything and was so obedient. And PATIENT. Oh, was he patient. We saw that big time when we had kids. He was never super playful with the kids but was always exactly where they/we were, being as tolerant as ever while we dressed him, made him dance, wrestled him, kissed him, put crowns on him, and more. 

He also loved himself a good nap. His favorite spot was on the couch, right on top of my pretty throw pillows. What a sweet stinker! He loved the car, playing with the laser light or flashlight in the hallway, chasing (and sometimes killing) bunnies, and going for walks and car rides.

He also LOVED Christmas because he loved to open presents. He would go nuts when we told him it was his turn to open something! We had a feeling that Christmas 2018 may be his last Christmas. I'm so glad we spoiled him like we did. He HATED the vet and would get so nervous his knees would be wobbly whenever we had to go. So it is a bit of a cruel irony that the precious pup would be plagued with so many tumors and bumps in his life. We always took them off, and did so as recently as November 2018. He was doing so well after that surgery which is why we began to get confused when he started refusing the food he'd been eating for over 10 years. It began gradually but then got to the point where we were trying a new food each week. We naively thought he was just being picky because when I started making him homemade food (with beef, chicken, veggies, vitamins, etc.) he would gobble it down.

But even after two weeks of that, he started to refuse. The vet had told me that she suspected he had cancer or some sort of gastro tumor. The barium swallow test for it was super expensive so we had originally declined, but when he continued to lose weight and throw up, we decided to go for it. The vet called me within 30 minutes of dropping him off, so I knew it wasn't good. She advised us that he had a very large abdominal mass and that there is nothing to be done for him at this age and with the tumor at that size. She could tell it was also aggressive in its nature because it was not on his November 2018 scans. :( She told us in her professional opinion, she would put him down that weekend (we found out on Friday). So as not to delay it or make him suffer any longer, we decided it would be best and most humane to put him down that evening.

We spoiled him that day...big time. We got that stud a cheeseburger, a sundae, took him on two walks, played lots of flashlight chase, and more. We told him how much we loved him and how much joy be brought us. Seth and I were with him when he passed away. 

What a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching experience for our family. Bentley was the epitome of loyal, patient, loving, and the all-around best dog a family could ask for. Life isn't quite the same without him. It's quiet and weird and it's going to take some time to adjust. It'll take some time for us to know if another dog is in our future. I think yes, but that pain was deep and raw and it's hard to imagine loving a dog that much and losing him again. So, we wait and we let our hearts heal. 

The kids asked a lot of we'd seem him in heaven, and I don't know the answer to that. But I do know that when God created the animals he said it was good and I think heaven will be FULL of those magnificent things. God gives good gifts to His children, and He gave us the perfect one in this dog, and we're so thankful we found him in July 2008 and for all the joy he brought to us, our neighbors, our family and friends in 10.5 years. We love you, Bentley! (aka Bubba, Bubs, Snoop Dog, Muffin, baby doggy, and all the other ridiculous names we called him)

Bentley "Maximus" Ran
June 7, 2008 - January 25, 2019

Professional family pictures

It has been YEARS since we have done professional pictures as a family, and this year, I pulled the plug and scheduled it. A wonderful photographer in our area was offering "mini sessions" for a reasonable price, so I snatched one up and I am SO GLAD I did. I will cherish these!

Fall fun (catch-up post!)

Phew, it's been a fun and busy fall so far. On October 20, Carter, McKenna, and Eli all had soccer games at the same park back to back, so we watched a lot of soccer and then went to Paulus Orchards for apple picking. It was chilly and windy but that didn't stop us! The kids played on the playground, we got some snacks to warm up, went on the hayride and picked apples. Then we went for pizza afterwards!

We also carved pumpkins with friends, which is something we actually hadn't done in a year or so. Both kids loved it! 

And, of course...trick-or-treating! Carter was a soldier and Addison was a snow queen. (Thank you, Target, for the last-minute costumes!) They got a ton of use out of their costumes. We did Hersheypark in the Dark, Street of Treats in downtown Mechanicsburg, and regular trick-or-treating in our town. Let's just say they were LOADED UP on candy!

Fall school pictures

First grade and third grade. I just love this year's pictures -- and these sweet kiddos!

Bacterial pneumonia for Carter

We had a health scare with Carter last week. Thankfully, we are on the upswing and he's doing great. He had been complaining of belly/chest (sort of in between) pain, back pain, and being tired for a few days. We actually took him to urgent care on Labor Day when he came down with a fever while at my parent's house for the day. He was so miserable and lethargic that day and kept falling asleep everywhere. Urgent care called it viral (in other words, they did nothing and gave us that as a diagnosis to send us on our way.) He missed school on Tuesday but went back on Wednesday. He seemed okay on Wednesday except still that occasional back pain comment. Then, on Thursday, I got a call from his after-school program that he was in severe pain and was laying on the floor, complaining about belly and back pain. Seth got there as fast as he could and I left work immediately.

As soon as I saw him, I knew he was sick. I took his temperature and it was only 99.5. But he was really crying and in pain. I called his pediatrician who clearly didn't feel the need to squeeze us in that night. They suggested that with the back pain, we "put a heat pad on it." I was livid at their lack of concern because, by that time, his fever was up to 101. Within 1.5 hours of getting home, his fever was 103.5 and I told Seth I was heading to the emergency room. He COULD NOT stay awake -- he fell asleep on the 10 minute drive to the hospital, and was out cold in the lobby of the ER. Thankfully, because he was pediatric and looked so pitiful they moved us through the registration and triage quickly. 

We pretty quickly got put into a room and the doctor came in within just a few minutes. I was immediately glad I decided to bring him to the ER because the doctor began ordering fluids, meds, tests, etc. We had actually suspected it was his appendix, but she requested chest x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound as well. He fell asleep so quickly when he got into the bed and got tons of blankets to keep warm. He was even so brave when they took blood and placed a pic line. But the poor boy was so miserable! 

We were there for about four hours, and for a section of about 1.5 hours, we did not see anyone or hear any results. He fell sound asleep once the meds kicked in and the fluid was pumping into him. But waking him up for a urine sample was interesting. He was in a full, deep sleep and he was hard to rouse. When I was able to rouse him, he flipped out and tried to rip out his IV and was screaming and delirious. The nurses were looking a little panicked and were discussing admitting us but I was able to convince them that this is just what happens with him when you try and wake him!! 

Welllll, once I got him awake, he got the FULL sillies. He was deliriously happy and out of it. He farted and laughed with tears running down his face for like 30 minutes (which then had me rolling with laughter, too). He said he was starving so I went and found a vending machine and got him a few snacks. It was so hilarious to watch him laugh at things. The doctor came in and said he had a clear case of bacterial pneumonia but his appendix was totally fine. So....I guess the good news is no surgery! Bad news is a brief break from soccer and some meds to take care of it. As of today, he is doing so much better already. 

A trip to the zoo!

This weekend, we headed to the Smithsonian Zoo in DC for an end-of-summer trip as a family. Gramma and Maw-maw came along, too! We also met our friends and their kids there as well. We love this zoo! First, free doesn't hurt, but the kids just love the variety of animals there. The highlight is ALWAYS the orangutans, which go across the entire zoo outside of any sort of enclosure on the "O-Line". So cool. 

It's hard to see here, but the mommy orangutan was at the glass tapping her finger with ours. I wanted to get a cute video but there was a huge line of people behind us waiting to see her, so I snapped my picture and got on my way. 

Seeing the panda bear was also so fun. We came to this zoo about two years ago but we did not get a chance to see any pandas. They weren't out the day we were there. Seeing them this close on this trip was really fun. 

Even though it was a pretty hot day, so many of the animals were out and visible, so that was nice and unexpected! 

We had so much fun and made it more hours than I thought we might in the hot weather! The kids didn't really sleep at all on the way home, which made two hours feel more like four. Thankfully, Gramma and Maw-maw were in the back with them! ;)