Irreplaceable

Although our Lily Bug is completely irreplaceable and will never be forgotten there has definitely been a hole in our hearts since her death. The kids, being kids, have already been asking for a new puppy. Mike and I went back and forth...were we ready...should we be grieving...is it too soon? We looked around and found some puppies that resembled Lily. We didn't want anyone that looked exactly like her because like I said, there can only be one, but we did want one that had some of her traits. She was part Jack Russell, so that's what we went for. We found a beautiful litter of Jack Russell puppies only 7 weeks only 2.5 hours away. The trouble was that Mike has had a grueling schedule lately. Soooooo the kids and I decided to drive up there ourselves, since we already knew which one we wanted, and pick her. We wanted it to be a happy surprise for Mike! Surprise it was, especially when we came home with TWO puppies!

I couldn't resist...I'm telling you! We went for the brown one, but the little black and white one caught our eye. They were both so darn sweet the kids and I found ourselves in a bind...a tight one. So, I made the tough decision of getting both puppies. My rational is that if I'm looking to surprise Daddy with one puppy, then wouldn't he be REALLY surprised if there were two. Plus they were twins...I mean they came from the same litter and they were both girls, come on...you couldn't resist them either. = ) So, on the way home I made a bet with the children on what Daddy would say when he saw them and I WON!!! He said "...there's two! ASHLEY ROY!!!" So, not only did I win the bet, but I definitely surprised him! At first he said one would have to go back, but within minutes those precious babies won him over.
The kids absolutely love them and are taking such good care of them...when they can push Mommy and Daddy out of the way. The babies are gentle for the most part, but we have to constant remind them to be kind. Put it this way, they're never left alone with the pups...just to be on the safe side. : )
I'm proud to introduce to you Hannah Bell. Her name was chosen by Daddy. Hannah was Lily's birth name and she has the same type of spunk that our girl had. I love the name, not only is it pretty, but it fits her personality totally!
Here is Ginger Snap Roy. Here name was chosen by Christian. We originally thought she looked like a Buttercup, but then one day Christian said "you know what? I think Ginger Snap sounds better. Then we can call her Ginger. Because she looks just like the color of a cookie." Crazy, but my 6 year old hit the nail on the head! It's perfect for her!!
Here is just a parting picture of the girls tuckered out after playing tug of war. You can tell they're still babies because as soon as they're tired they just drop where they are. They're so cute...if I haven't said so already : )

Tragedy Has Struck

This is our sweet little puppy, Lily-Bug Roy. She's 6 months old and the fastest dog we've ever seen...Mike reminds us all of this every day. We all love her so very much. She has been the greatest puppy any family could ask for. She took no time at all to potty train, kennel train and as quickly as she won her way into our hearts she won her way into our beds. Her nickname Lily-Bug came from the fact that she's such a snuggle bug. It never mattered how tightly Mike would hold me, she would find a way to wiggle between us. Simply precious.

I came home today only to find a message on my answering machine from my termite company saying that Lily had jumped and gone crazy at seeing the termite man on the porch. (That's perfectly normal, considering she's just coming into her own and realizing that her job is to protect the family) The next statement came as a complete shock... "somehow your dog got herself hung on the screen door and by the time Eric could get to her it was too late." I dropped my soup can and ran to the back door. She looked as though she were just sleeping. Banging on the door I realized my precious pup had indeed passed.

I went outside to sit with her while I called Mike, knowing he would be devastated. He was. We decided it was best to bury her before we told the kids...to spare them the sight of her lifeless body. Since we didn't know exactly what happened we stuck with that when hammered with questions. The kids were crushed. Tears were flowing and and hugs were flying. Needless to say it has been a very emotional day for our family. We have decided to all take the day off tomorrow. We can all be thankful that, although Lily was only with us for a short time, God's plan is perfect and although we don't see it now...we can trust in Him.

The day we got our sweet baby.

Our baby just about to fall asleep.