Denali

We had some sad news yesterday, our beloved dog, Denali, was run over on the interstate.  She had been staying with my parents out on the farm since we didn't have a lot of room for her in our duplex.  She really needed a back yard, and we didn't have one, so we knew she would have much more fun out on the farm.  She did.  She loved running around and exploring everday.  She was looking so healthy and strong and just happy.  We went over to the farm yesterday and my parents said she hadn't come home last night and was still missing.  She's done this before, so we weren't too worried, but when Blake and my dad went out looking for her, they found her in the ditch along the interstate.  Blake and I are so heartbroken and sad to lose our friend and companion of 5 years.  We got her just a couple months after we started dating, and she went through a lot with us.  It seems so silly in the big scheme of things to be so tore up over a dog, but she truly was part of our family.   We feel so bad she wasn't with us more these last few months, but we know she was happy on the farm.  She will forever be in our hearts and memories.  She was a great dog and we look forward to the day when we can bring home a new dog for Brooks to grow up with. 

So needless to say, we've had a rough week with things be hectic and busy getting the store ready for the grand opening, our assistant manager putting in her two week notice, (so we're having to hunt for someone to fill that position, not a stress we wanted to deal with right now) and now Denali being gone.  However, we did have a joyous event in our family on Saturday with my brother getting married! The wedding was beautiful and I'll post a few pictures of that in a later post when I get the pictures uploaded and I'm in a happier mood!

For now, here are a few pictures of Denali and some happy memories we had with her.... 

Playing on the farm in the snow...

Riding in Blake's old pickup on the way to Nebraska...we had her in cab instead of in the truck bed because it was a blizzard

 

She loved playing with her toy duck

She loved being outside

 

She loved kitties...especially Yukon and Cornelius when we had them

She was with us when we got engaged

She was with us when we bought our first home

She was there when we brought Brooks home from the hospital

 He won't remember her, but they would have been fast friends :)

We'll miss you so much.  Goodbye, Denali

Work

Not much has really been going on this week besides work, work, work at the store.  Blake's been working most weekends and several 12 hour days during the week to get ready for the grand opening. It's starting to wear on all of us, but we hope there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The store is looking great, but there is still a lot to get done before March 25.  I'll post some updated pictures once it's all set and the interior paint is finished.

So the only thing to post pictures of is what Brooks has been up to these past couple weeks.   He loves to dig in the tote for his books, and I caught him one morning surrounded. :)

He also got his first bath in the big tub last week.  We would have moved him to it a lot sooner, but the bath tub in our duplex has those annoying glass sliding doors on it, so it's difficult to maneuver around them.  But we were tired of trying to keep the water contained in the kitchen sink, so we made it work.  He was a little scared at first, but after Blake got in with him, he loved it!

Back!

We finally have internet hooked up at our house, so I hope to update on here more frequently.  A lot has been going on in our lives the past 6 months, but I'll just put some pictures up of the highlights.

We are successfully converting our True Value store to an ACE Hardware (check us out on facebook under York ACE Hardware!)  Blake has been really busy at the store and putting in a lot of time, but the store will look great for our Grand Re-opening March 25-27.

Brooks has been doing good and changing so fast.  Here are a few pics of our active boy:

He loved Christmas, especially ripping away all the paper.  He got so excited about the new toys!

He also loved the Christmas lights!

 

But he didn't care too much for Santa

He still loves laughing and playing with his daddy

But he still wants mommy when it's time for sleeping

The first night I spent away from him since he was born (I went to a Women's retreat hosted by area churches the last weekend in January) he passed one of the big milestones with dad.  He learned to crawl! So needless to say our play time is much more active for him and me! This picture was taken the week before when Blake's parents came to visit, but you can see he's ready to move!

He gets into everything now, his favorite being laundry baskets full of clothes.  He loves to pull them out piece by piece (especially if mom has already folded them so neatly)

He's started to drink some from his sippy cup, but he still isn't real good at it

Brooks also loves to pull himself up and stand against anything and everything.  One of his favorites is waiting by the stair gate for daddy to come home from work.

 Well that's a brief summary of what has been going on in our lives the past 6 months! Hopefully it doesn't take me another 6 months before I post again....