Bailey is 15!

Bailey is 15-years-old today! He's old, can't see or hear very well and tends to be crabby, but Belle tries to keep him young. They're more foes than friends, but, every once in awhile, they'll lie together. They can be ornery, but they're definitely a blessing to our family.

A BIG Puppy

Belle is almost 8-months-old now. She sure is a BIG puppy!

Dirty Dog

Belle was naughty today, but she had fun and made us laugh!

The Farm

We've been in Nebraska at my in-laws' farm with lots of family for the last week where the boys have had fun traipsing around with grandpa looking for work to be done. They've become really good at spotting and digging up musk thistles (or carduus nutans), an invasive weed, in the pastures. J can even drive everyone around on the Polaris Ranger for this task. The boys had fun taking a break from farm work to play with their first, second and third cousins but, as usual, were anxious to return to the farm for their favorite pastime of riding and driving tractors. J even learned how to drive the '62 Ford 2000 which is a nostalgic tractor at this family farm.

It's Belle's first time at the farm and she has had fun here too. She likes jumping in and out of the cattle tank to cool down . . . well, except when the cattle are in the corral. She keeps her distance from them and barks a lot. Most of all though, she likes the fresh air and wide open space.

She has been just as tuckered out as the boys at the end of each day!

Oh, Belle!

Belle is almost 4-months-old now and still growing like a weed. She's coming along with housetraining and starts a basic obedience class soon. She's a cute, loving and fun but ornery puppy. I couldn't keep her from running through our driveway culvert today. It's halfway full of water, so it made me nervous. She definitely needs to learn to sit and stay!

Bailey

Our miniature Dachshund, Bailey, is 14-years-old today. I remember bringing him home when he was just eight weeks old. He was almost three when I met Kent, but, over time, he became more Kent's dog. During Kent's illness, his loyalty to Kent was very evident and was often found nestled along Kent's side. Since Kent died and even moreso since our 13-year-old yellow Lab died recently, his age has caught up with him in that he looks and acts like an old dog; although, our three month old Lab puppy gets a rise out of him every once in awhile. For the most part though, this old dog is low-key and prefers lounging around on the floor soaking up the heat from sunlight beaming through a window or curling up next to me on the couch in the evening.

Growing Like A Weed

Belle sure is growing! This is her at almost 12-weeks-old.

Belle

This is Belle, our new loving and playful nine-week-old yellow Lab. Her name means beautiful and she represents it well. It's been an entertaining week of watching her explore and settle in at our house. She certainly doesn't replace Hank, but she's definitely a healthy addition to our family.

Hank

We put Hank, our 13 1/2-year-old yellow Lab, down a week ago today. Even though he was blind and deaf and had severe arthritis, this was a decision that was made with many tears. He was Kent's dog and reminded us so much of him. He was a faithful friend to him and us. We don't know for sure if dogs go to Heaven, but, because animals were a part of God's original plan for Earth and mankind and the Bible tells us He'll remake both, we want to believe they do. He'll be missed, but it's comforting to think about him and Kent playing fetch again.