I tried. I really tried. But I just can't keep Kiara. It's me. Not her. Even if she does steal my yogurt cups. She swears she doesn't but I think we can all see what is happening here... But that really isn't why. It's just that Kiara does not suit her. Yes, I am renaming her. What did you think I was talking about? We tried calling her that for 4 weeks. I never liked the name but the kids really wanted it. I was at an event the other night for Goose Island Beer and we were painting this... And I made the comment "SOPHIE! I don't know why I didn't think of that for Kiara. It's perfect" But of course....too late. Which I don't think was the point at all of the PR event but hey, now they have a good story. I came home and oddly enough Bob was talking about Kiara and made the off the wall comment that he really didn't like her name. I casually said "You know? I thought the same thing today and actually found the perfect name." He agreed! I thought we must be crazy. We asked the boys who so wanted the name Kiara and BOTH of them said they liked Sophie for her much better. "It just fits her mom. Change it" they said. So we tested calling her by Kiara and ...
Summer Is California
We made the decision not to travel far this summer due to the surgery Carter needed to have. It was, obviously, the right decision and things going forward are going to be so much better for him and us as a family. But it's depressing giving up your summer to a hospital. It's also one of the first summers in a long time we haven't made it to California. To me, summer IS California. As a kid I would pack up and head to northern California to spend time each summer with my cousins in Marin County. My cousin Jenny and I would visit Santa Cruz to Fisherman's Wharf. Float down the Russian River and catch tadpoles at Lake Elizabeth. I'd spend a few days touring the big city (San Francisco) with my Uncles Guy and Stan and always always had to ride the trolleys and go to Ghiradelli Square. As I got older, summers meant Southern California beaches-La Jolla and Mission Beach seemed to be the two hot spots our friends split their time between as we were all what is unaffectionately called "zonies"-people from AZ that take over So. Cal in the summer. I think Bob and I are maybe 17 in this picture taken in La Jolla. As we got a bit older we would do silly things like fly to San ...
Meet Kiara: Our Leonberger Puppy
The newest member of our family, the much anticipated Leonberger puppy, arrived Monday safe, sound and happy into Denver International Airport via Delta's Pet First program. We anxiously awaited her plane's arrival and I was ready with water and her puppy formula and picked out a place for her to go to the bathroom as soon as she landed. I figured she would be stressed. She wasn't at all. She hopped out of the crate enough to say "I'm HERE!" Her kennel was packed by her breeder with a soft rug, a fresh meat bone, her favorite toy and her next vaccines safely ice packed to the top. Karen, her breeder, waited with her until the last second possible and I was there waiting on the other end. It worked out beautifully. For anyone considering using this route for transporting your furbabies, I would suggest you look into either freezing a block of water or securing the water dish to the crate with something because that is the one thing that came loose. Luckily it was a short(ish) flight since we don't know where it came off. It took us almost 4 days to come up with a name. But we finally settled on Kiara. Officially registered as Irresistible Princess Kiara of Serengeti. For those ...
Confirming the Rumors, We ARE Expecting
As many of you know we lost a dear member of our family a bit ago. Nala passed way too young and too quickly and it will take a very long time for the six of us (including Floyd and Emma here because they miss her just as much) to heal. But we are thrilled to be sharing some good news! We are expecting a new 18 pound-ish baby any day now. Our new baby is just 8 weeks old and will be joining our family next Monday if all goes right with Denver's wacky weather. Leonberger pups from reputable breeders (members of the LCA)are hard to come by. There just aren't that many born a year. So we feel very privileged to have Karen Zedeker of Leos of Serengeti entrust Pink Girl to us. If you are looking for a Leo pup, we have had a stellar experience with her so far. Leo's have many health issues so if you are interested in one that is just one of many reasons to make sure you purchase one from a LCA breeder. Please, please, please don't fall into a puppy mill trap. People advertising lots of litters are very suspect. Reputable breeders only have one or two a year depending on how many females they have. If you aren't sure, leave me a message and I will help you do some ...
Well, May Sucked But June is Looking Good
I wanted to send a quick update for those of you friends that are not on Facebook and haven't been privy to all our ups and downs of the last few months but I'll be vague about Carter since he really hates me talking about his health publicly. Early May was full of promise and quickly turned to crap. Sounds much like the Denver weather this spring. Connor had prom on May 4th and went with a lovely girl he has now been dating a few months. It was a great night for him and his friends. Connor is living life large as the new incoming Senior class. He has the world in the palm of his hands right now and I couldn't be happier for him. We had friends over to help us pass prom night and while we had a nice time it was very obvious Nala was not feeling well. Unfortunately she had been diagnosed a few days prior with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). We had her on every pain med we could to keep her comfortable but it was very obvious as my friends left that night that Nala needed me. I laid with her all night as she continually cried in pain and as the vet opened (thank god ours is open on Sunday) it was very clear we would be saying goodbye. Still as I write this I am bawling. If you knew ...