a beautiful season

 

Oh October, you came and went so fast, but you treated us so well.

I, as always, am ready for the change.

Soccer is coming to an end. This week is the last of practices and games. Four kids on four different teams was too much this season. The little ladies were not as interested this fall, and we were all over scheduled. But, it's almost over now. Come next week our extra curricular activities will be zero and I couldn't be more excited.

I imagine you might be wondering about the little fur ball in so many of the pictures above. She is our newest family member and we are absolutely in love with her. After Ezra left it didn't take long for this family to realize we really wanted a dog in the house again. But this time, a dog of our own. I learned so much from my experience with Ezra. I learned a great deal about what would realistically work for this family, and how important a dogs breed can be. I also realized that we wanted to raise our dog from a puppy. So that I could make sure it would be comfortable with children, raise it to fit with our family (poor Ezra got completely freaked out by our family dance parties), and mostly for the connection that I saw between Ezra and his owner. A family bond.  So, after lots of research about the many different breeds, we decided that a golden retriever was the breed for us. Then I began looking. I checked shelters often to see if something (even remotely close to what we wanted) would show up, and I checked the Oregonlive Retriever Classifieds. That was actually an incredible resource. I looked for two months before I found this family. It was crazy, but I knew this litter was the one. I drove up to Washington and lost sleep over "picking out the right one". I laughed at myself later. They were all amazing dogs. Her parents were so beautiful and gentle. Her father is a deep red (the deepest I have ever seen in a golden... almost burgundyish), and her mother was a perfect white. Puppies were jumping all over me. Chewing on my purse, sweater, and hair... then I looked down and this little sweet heart was laying on my feet... perfectly calm. Of course, she was just tired from playing before we arrived, but at least she was worn out for the long drive home. 

She is actually asleep under my chair as I type this. 

This month has certainly been a busy one. More than a busy one. A full on pedal to the floor, every second counts kind of month, but luckily, the race is almost over, and it's time for some rest.