Saying Goodbye to a Special Family Member

Yesterday was one of the hardest days that we have had in a while. We had to put our dog Bailey to sleep. Damon and Madison cannot remember a time without her. She was 12 years old (which is very old for a large dog) and finally developed arthritis so badly that she could hardly walk, and it was causing some other issues with the nerves that run along her spine. Unfortunately, all of these things don't make it easier to let go. So, as my way to deal with it and to help Damon and Madison cope, I have decided to post a few pics and some goofy things that she would do.

Bailey was like having a bear skin rug on the floor. You could almost step on her and she would just lie there.
She was so mellow, the kids could do just about anything with her and she would just smile and wag her tail. This included dressing her up, using her as a pillow, having her pull them in the wagon, and trying to get her to play house with them.
She loved to go out and play in the snow.
She sat near (took care of) Great Grandpa Larson when he lived with us and let him pet her and talk to her. I think it was good for both of them.
One year she downed two Easter baskets worth of candy that the kids left sitting on the floor when we went to church. (including the chocolate rabbits and the bubble gum)
She would wrestle with our other dog and then take off running out the door so that he had to chase her down or she would wait until the other dog set the dog toy down (because he was waiting for her to play) and she would grab it and take off.
She liked to swim in everything from the lake to the kids wading pool.
Last, but not least, she loved to be around the kids, including all of the neighbor kids. She was content to just be around them and watch them play and laugh.

Not that I think that dogs can use the internet in heaven, but just wanted to say:
We love and miss you Bailey

Finally, a free moment!

Okay, I think that the roller coaster, that we call life, has slowed down enough for me to hop off for a minute or two. I am not even going to try to catch everyone up to speed. Just know that things have been crazy as usual with jobs, school, jr high school, Mike's schedule change, and everything else in between. However, we have been very blessed this year and would like to share some of the latest events with you.

The kids and I are currently on spring break. We decided not to go anywhere too far because we have a lot of things that we need to get done, and we need to slow down for a day or two (hasn't worked yet but we try). We took the kids to baby animal days at the Jensen Farm in Logan. Even though it snowed like crazy for the day or two beforehand, we still went up to see the animals (Madi would never have let us live it down if she missed the babies). At least they had moved the animals inside the barns. (Pics: The kids holding bunnies, One of the baby bears being rocked to sleep, The kids petting one of the wagon horses that was tied to one of the trees, and The kids petting the pigs)

This last picture is for Grandpa Larson. (Not one pink flamingo but an entire flock) I am not sure what flamingos have to do with the farm on a nice day, but they looked very funny standing there in the snow! I think we may have to call the number and have a flock delivered to Grandpa.

Mike promoted to Lieutenant in December and we were able to go to the promotion ceremony on Tuesday. It was neat to have an actual ceremony. It was worth the wait. He loves his new job and is now experienced. He has almost four months under his belt. (That makes him an expert right?!) We are so excited for and proud of him!


Today we took the kids snorkeling at the Homestead resort in Midway, UT. You snorkel inside of the crater. We all had a wonderful time and really didn't want to get out of the warm water. It stays around 90 degrees which is a big jump from the 40 something degrees that we had today. I didn't take any pictures of the kids snorkeling because we have not had luck with digital cameras and water; we decided it would be safer to keep it at home where it was dry. (I don't feel like replacing another camera. Ha ha)

We are doing well, busy as ever. The kids are gearing up for summer and already planning the activities that they want to do. Mom is counting down the days until she actually can get more than 4 hours of sleep and doesn't have to fall asleep with red pen and papers to grade. Mike is looking forward to getting home earlier because he doesn't have to drop the carpool off before he goes to work.

For now, Damon is finishing up his 7th grade year and loves it. He has done well in his classes and really likes the variety that he gets to take. He is taking orchestra and enjoys the chance to play his violin with other kids, they went to a orchestra festival a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. He is taking algebra which is unusual for 7th grade but he and some of his friends were ready. He really likes the class and I like that it challenges him.

Madison is finishing up her 3rd grade year. She was sad to see her teacher leave for health reasons a couple of months ago but likes her new teacher, even if he is a boy teacher. She is doing very well in all of her classes and has beautiful cursive handwriting. (She could teach Damon and Mike a few lessons). She is still dancing but taking hip hop this year instead of ballet/jazz. She likes the attitude that hip hop has (I know you are all surprised by that). She is also still taking violin lessons and really likes her teacher. She has even passed off her last set of "Twinkles" and is excited to move on to other things.

We send all of our love to all of our family and friends. We wish we could see all of you all the time!

Love ya,
Michelle