my Mother's Day...

I spent yesterday with Doug and Paula...

and today with Craig...

this morning, he helped me move the deck around...

we had a storm come through last night and it rained all the way in, leaving everything soaked and covered in seed pods...

and after a lot of sweeping, they kept falling...

the deck is used by all of us and now the neighbor kids...

LOL

this is the $2 baker's rack Craig spotted at a garage sale and talked me into getting...

it works well here...

Craig had big plans of taking me out to eat today, but DH had to work all weekend...

and after this week, I was just beat...

so I picked a local place...

Casey's!

I like the chicken tenders and we split some potato wedges...

and then we headed for our town park and ate on the bleachers...

over looking all the play ground equipment that my boys grew up on...

and we talked about coming there so many years ago...

the day was wonderful and Charlie had a good time, too...

I love moments with my kids like that...

no distractions...

just us...

Charlie likes the deck and was checking out the yard...

then we came home and played catch up on all the things that kind of slid by me last week...

I did 3 loads of laundry...

we made goulash for supper and have a ton left over...

got a few walks in today, too...

and let Charlie just walk around the yard...

he is doing so well on the leash now...

the harness is working much better than the collar...

and he is learning fast...

he seems happy...

so much for him to learn...

and we do know he is having trouble around men...

breaking through that...

slowly...

he had his first encounter with the vacuum today, too...

he's not sure about that or the monster under the sink...

(garbage disposal)

but he is good with the washer and dryer going...

and he waits for me when I am in the shower and jumps all over when I come out...

big improvement there...

he gets excited a little, but doesn't know what to do with it yet...

and...

this is really big...

he wags his tail now!

they left a stitch in when they neutered him...

and Craig and I got that out today...

he was at the vet on 3-25...

that's a long time to leave that in...

he is eating good now, too...

its a scary thing to change homes...

animals get so stressed when they do that...

at least he doesn't have to do that again...

;)

hope your mother's days were special...

love both of my boys...

and all the furry kids, too...

loved my time with Doug...

we ate pizza, I made it...

and had this wonderful chocolate cake, too...

I showed them were Bebe was buried and he approved...

;)

such a special time with my kids...

well, off to bed...

been a good day...

;)

love and miss you, mom...

;)

got a big day planned...

the clematis opened after last night's rain...

it was dreary this morning, but the sun popped out later and it wasn't so bad...

more rain moving in all the way through Thursday now...

Doug and his gf are coming in the morning and spending the day with me for Mother's Day...

DH is working both days this weekend...

and Craig goes in at 11 tomorrow morning, but will be off on Sunday...

and we have talked about what we are going to do, but have come to no conclusions yet...

he wants to take me out to eat...

I hope you all have wonderful Mother's days...

and that you enjoy the whole weekend...

the iris got a lot taller with the rain, too...

they will be open pretty soon...

we have some bigger leaves, too...

and lots of wishes!

we are making progress with Charlie...

he is taking all of this in and starting to check things out...

so many things to smell!

more grooming today and another bath...

got his face washed really good this time...

and I dug through Bebe's clothes and found this onsie to put on him...

he was a bit cold this morning...

he had a fun day...

and even ran through the house a few times...

and he cuddled so good when we took our nap this afternoon...

yeah, he sleeps with me...

this blanket is beside me right under the edge of the kitchen table...

his safe spot for now...

and he actually walked a bit with the leash on...

when we go for our walks, he rides...

I think he likes it...

Craig and I decided today that he looks so much like an ewok....

LOL

too cute...

hugs and smiles your way!

;)

its been such a week...

I had no idea a week ago that our world would be turned upside down...

or how fast things can change...

but we are adjusting...

and some are willing to help with that adjustment...

while others are just taking it all in...

our first iris bloom...

87 yesterday for a high...

its 2 am and its raining now...

up with Charlie, who apparently likes the rain...

he finally peed!  

poor guy, and he tried to poop but only farted...

its hard to do on a leash with an audience...

and Mr Wiggles photo bombed this one...

he is really good at that...

so much for a little one to take in...

I can't imagine being in a cage all my life...

at times, I know he is overwhelmed...

peonies...

almost everyone in the neighborhood has met Charlie now...

the kids next door really like him and he likes them...

they are being very quiet and slow with him...

we have talked about puppy mills and how his life was before...

and how scary all this new is for him...

but in time, he will be more open and happy...

he is so quiet and reserved...

and the cats don't quite know what to make of him...

waiting for him to play and it hasn't happened yet...

I did get his ear hair pulled today and his ears cleaned out...

its a wonder he could hear anything at all...

small dogs have ear hair and with floppy eared dogs...

the ears hanging over the ear prevent them from staying dry...

the ear hair has to be pulled and the fur under and around the ear trimmed short...

to stop ear infections from happening...

it doesn't hurt them at all to pull it...

its like a real fine, fuzzy hair...

I don't think the rescue knew to do that...

they normally deal in big dogs or smaller dogs without the ear hair...

so that got taken care of...

he also has tartar build up, so he needs the dental stix to chew...

;)

one thing at a time...

he is doing better on the leash and we need to use a harness with him...

Craig will bring one home today...

but I am thinking we will have to get a cat one to fit right...

he is using the collar one right now...

that came with him from the rescue...

we took it and a leash with us, but hers was smaller and fit better...

so we just traded and she can use those on another dog...

I still need to sort out Bebe's favorite toys and put them up...

and a couple of his outfits...

then Charlie can have the rest and we can get him new ones, too...

I still have my moments of tears...

its hard not to...

and I took Charlie to Bebe's grave this afternoon and told him about him...

how one little furr ball can change your whole world amazes me...

and I keep learning its all in God's timing, not mine...

I would have liked to have put some more time in between...

but, if I would have waited, I might have missed Charlie...

this was meant to be...

to unfold like this...

I trust Him...

I don't always understand...

if you have lost a furrever baby...

and you are waiting...

because you don't think you could do it again...

don't wait any longer...

someone out there needs you...

and you might miss your Charlie...

and a dear friend told me that another one will not replace the one you lost...

that they just expand your heart...

that we are all capable of loving more than we think we can...

and that I have learned that compassion cannot be contained or measured...

its endless and the only limits that we have with it...

are only what we put on it...

so happy Friday...

and have a most blessed weekend...

;)

I would like for y'all to meet Charlie...

he is very shy...

remember when I said never say never?

well, we adopted Charlie last night...

it was a whirlwind of a day...

that's for sure...

and before I knew it, he was ours...

he is a teacup poodle...

3/4 poodle, 1/4 yorkie...

and he had a very sad start in a puppy mill...

neglected and uncared for...

he is 1 1/2 years old...

and he needs so much work and time to learn  what he needs to know...

but he cuddles and stays right where you put him...

I suspect he was kenneled from birth, but not any more...

he slept with us last night and did very good...

5 others had wanted him...

he has been available since March 25th...

they never last that long and the chance of getting a smaller dog are very slim...

he only weighs 5 lbs...

he is smaller than Bebe was...

he doesn't know what a leash or toys are...

he just needs some time to learn all these new things...

I was instantly approved from doing the bottle feeders...

I had seen his picture listed before Bebe died and thought about checking into him, for a Bebe buddy...

but then went on to do other things...

then his photo came up again yesterday...

Craig was home and I showed him, and he said check into it...

one email later, and a phone call...

another phone call and plans to meet up...

somewhere between 2 and 7, we became parents again...

Craig paid the adoption fee...

I will try to get better photos soon...

he doesn't understand any commands, like come here or anything like that at all...

so this is how I will be spending my days this summer...

discovering who this guy really is...

thank you for every single kind word and prayer for us...

and for loving Bebe like we do...

there will never be another one like him, ever...

but I trust God...

and Charlie needs me...

;)