missing jax

As many of you know, Jax was our baby before Macie came along. He went everywhere with us, was an incredible companion, and probably was one of the smartest dogs you'd ever seen. We always joked that Jax never really realized that he was a dog. He was just part of the family.

Late Sunday night, Grant and I were getting ready to go to bed and let Jax out to go to the bathroom one last time. It was our little bedtime routing. About five minutes later we heard Jax crying from the backyard and immediately knew that something was very wrong. Grant ran out to see what had happened. We never expected to see the horrendous sight that was waiting. Two black dogs had gotten into our backyard, attacked Jax, and were standing over him. They had bitten him on the back and probably shaken him. Grant chased the dogs out and rushed Jax into the house. I stayed with him while Grant went out again to see if he could find the dogs that did this. It was so dark that he really couldn't catch up to them. Back inside, Jax wasn't able to stand by himself and had a few puncture wounds on his back. We gave him a warm bath and tried to see if he'd be okay until in the morning...it didn't look good. Grant called the emergency line at the vet and got to the office around midnight. I stayed with Macie and he texted me all the updates. At first, the doc thought that Jax would be able to bounce back but soon realized that he was losing the color in his gums and eyes. The doctor put Jax on an IV to see if he could be stabilized enough for surgery the next morning. Grant came home around 2 but didn't have a good feeling. Monday morning Grant went back to the office around 7:30, but Jax hadn't made it through the night. His little body just couldn't recover from the night's trauma. Later that morning we took him to my parent's house in Scurry to bury him. We picked a beautiful spot. This week has been extremely tough for Grant and me. We miss him terribly! It is really strange at our house without him running around. He was always right there beside us... no matter what. We thought we'd have him forever. I was looking forward to watching Macie dress him up in her doll clothes. It was so cute to hear her call his name. He loved us unconditionally. He met us at the door each time we came in with a little wet kiss. I never realized how much food we dropped on the floor for him, until this week when he wasn't there to clean it up. He slept right behind my knees each night and barked when we tried to tickle Macie. I am glad that she is not old enough to really understand what is going on. She's said his name a couple times, but quickly moves on to something else.

I never thought I was a dog person, but I sure loved him! Anyone who has a dog knows how much we miss him.

Jax...bud, I hope you're in heaven chasing rabbits and eating lots of treats!!! We love you so much and miss you!!! Our house just isn't the same without you.

enough of the depressing posts...

Here are a couple of new pictures. Macie's been keeping cool in her pool! Hopefully after this weekend I'll have a lot of 4th of July pictures to post! Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!!

never without a paci

guess she's sticking her leg out to get a tan...

first pb&j...I'm thinking this is a hit!

update on mom

The test results came back for my mom, and the tumor was malignant. This is not the news we wanted to hear, but she is going to be strong and fight it with treatment. Next week she will start two types of chemo...one is given by iv and the other is just a pill she can take. She will also be doing radiation along with the chemo. She qualified for a study drug that the doctors think will be a good match for her. So far, she has been in very good spirits and is feeling much better than before the surgery. Keep her in your prayers for the next six weeks...

Crazy June

So June was a crazy month! You would think that the first month of summer would be fun and exciting. Don't get me wrong, there were days that were great, but for the most part I was ready for July to get here. June 1st my mom had brain surgery and was in the hospital for a couple of days recovering. Macie was sick with strep and pink eye. June 3rd my mom got to come home. A few days later, the battery on my car died and we had to get a new one. The next week, there was a huge storm that came through and knocked out our power for 16 HOURS!!! Luckily it wasn't too hot and all the food didn't spoil. In the midst of all this worrying, I broke out in some kind of rash on my arms and legs. I ended up going to the dermatologist and he told me it was from all the stress in the past few weeks. He gave me a prescription lotion and it cleared up in a couple of days. It's pretty strange how your body can work against you too! So, that takes you through the 18th...my sister's birthday. That day was fun! We cooked out and swam and had cake and ice cream. Friday the 19th at 5:15 I notice that water is pouring from the hot water heater closet. All plumbers are closed for the weekend by this time. We called and left a message with a local guy. He ended up coming the next day and replaced it with a much bigger heater. I sure wish I could have used that money on something else for our house besides a water heater! I guess I'll be thankful in the winter when I can take a long hot shower!!! So July....please be good to us!