Dog Free to Good Home!!

Let me just start by saying I love Bruiser very much! If I had more money or a bigger house, than keeping him would NOT be a problem. I just can no longer deal with his phobia. He is absolutely terrified of thunder! Currently he is an outside dog, but was raised the first 2 years of his life as an inside dog. From what I have heard from others, he must have been nearly struck or struck by lightening in order for him to be this terrified. He has places to go to get away from the weather outside, but insists on making his "own" safe place.

This photo was taken today. Bruiser is 5 yrs old.

He is wonderful with kids....just a little big. 93 pounds to be exact

A little background info on him - Bruiser was born February 23, 2004. We adopted him from the PetLand store in Pensacola, FL when he was 3 1/2 months old. ( $485 -What an expensive dog! ) He was an inside dog and was crate trained for when I would have to go to work (He was a puppy afterall and puppies like to chew!!). He has been walked with a leash, so that is not an unfamiliar thing for him. He LOVES to go for rides. He is a big baby and always has to have a pacifier in his mouth. He still thinks he can be a lap dog. He is not super lickey or bouncey. He just paces alot. Like I mentioned, he is 5 yrs old and 93 pounds as of July 6th. He has very recently had all his vaccinations and has always been up to date on vaccinations. He has a clean bill of health. He is non-neutured. He has papers, but I never paid the money to register him since we didn't plan on breeding him. He LOVES people and LOVES LOTS of attention. The only reason he was made to be an outside dog was because our house we live in is too small for a 3yr old, an 8 month old, 2 adults and this big dog. He doesn't bark a lot and doesn't dig a lot. The only time he will dig is to get to some cool dirt to lay in and he tends to like the same spot once he gets it dug. He was a wonderful inside dog and housebroken. He has already gotten past his "puppy" stage. He doesn't mess with shoes or the kid's toys. He has had some basic obedience training and thrives as long as you are dealing one on one with him. He has "sisters", so he gets along well with other dogs. Both of his "sisters" are medium to large size. He tolerates small dogs well because my mom has a pomeranian and they get along. I think Bruiser thinks that her dog is actually a cat. LOL. He also does well with cats. He lets the cats lay on him from time to time. He has no problems with bathtime, nail clippings, or ear cleanings. He is a wonderful dog that just needs a home where he can be kept indoors most of the time, especially when storms are around. If you or anyone you know might be interested please leave a comment or email me at devilyoda@yahoo.com. Thanks!

A few happenings

Two Sundays ago we FINALLY made it to church for the first time. The kids behaved (of course my mom was with me to help). I have been putting off going because it is just me to wrangle a very wild 3 year old and a baby. I enjoyed the service and hope to make it back soon. I had every intention of going back for Wednesday night service, but things were just too crazy. We

got a call on Monday from family to tell us my Aunt Sarah had stage 4 liver cancer and was not doing well. This was the first we had heard of this. She was admitted to the hospital on Monday and never made it out. My mom, my Aunt Carol, the kids, and me all drove through the night on Thursday and made it to see Aunt Sarah Friday morning. She passed away around 2pm Friday afternoon (July 31st). We stayed until Saturday evening visiting with family and then drove through the night (I drove) so my mom could be back to work Sunday morning. I was SOOO tired that I slept through most of Sunday (as much as the kids would allow). Of course, we got home to my siding ripped off the front of the house. Thank you my ever so wonderful giant scared lab!!! He is TERRIFIED of thunder! I should have had him boarded, but didn't have time when we got the news about my Aunt. So, now I have an even more trashy looking house since they don't make that siding and Bruiser decided to eat half of the siding. *sigh* If anyone wants a FREE chocolate lab just let me know!!! (5yrs old, recent shots, pure breed, non-neutered) Since there was not much I could do as far as siding repairs we just played video games. Then I got adventurous and decided we would do our grocery shopping. Of course, I should have known better because both kids had meltdowns in Wal-Mart. LOVE IT!!! Jason should be home very soon!!! Just a few more days and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! We have our 4 yr anniversary coming up in a couple of weeks. Hopefuly everything will work out so we can at least have dinner - kid free.

Christian's Updates

Christian doesn't have a lot of milestones going on right now. He can finally spell his first name. He can identify letters and some numbers. He is so full of life and ENERGY! He never slows down and is always questioning things. One of his favorite things to do is to ride his truck. I snapped this picture with my phone. Catherine loved the ride with her big brother.

Christian shared his truck and took Catherine on her first ride. They both had so much fun!

For the 4th of July we took a trip to Tennessee. Here are some photos of our trip:

Me and my sweet boy

Swinging at the park in Shelbyville, TN

Swimming during the 4th of July BBQ

Christian at the bottom of the big water slide.

Climbing the big slide

Christian riding Lightening

Feeding Lightening

He loves horses!

We had such a good time on our vacation, but after a week it was back to reality. Christian will be starting 3 yr old preschool on August 20th. He keeps saying he is excited, but I bet he changes his mind when we drop him off for the first day. Jason will be home to go to the open house for preschool. YEAH!! I am so happy he will get to take part in this milestone for Christian. As far as health, Christian seems just fine. We have a chest X-ray to get done in the next week or so and that is it until April of next year.

Catherine's updates

I just realized it has been a while since I posted anything and that my blog is in DESPERATE need of a makeover. So, I think I might blog....it just might take some time for the makeover.

Catherine, Jason, & me - Christian was with G. G. Peggy

Let's see....over the past 3 months lots has happened. Today Catherine turned 8 months old!!! I can't believe it! She has cut her first 2 teeth. She got her bottom 2 in at the same time. That happened over the 4th of July weekend. We went on our first family vacation with Catherine over the 4th of July. We first went to visit my Aunt Carol in Shelbyville, TN for a couple days. Then we went up to Gallatin, TN to visit with Peggy (Jason's grandma). We had such a wonderful time with the family. Here are a couple pictures:

Catherine's new earrings

Catherine's first horseback ride.

Chillin at the 4th of July BBQ

Taking a break from the pool.

Aunt Carol and Catherine at the park.

Catherine crawling.

She is crawling and pulling to stand. She wants to walk so bad! She can stand unassisted for a few seconds at a time and has attempted her first step. She claps and waves bye-bye. She is a very curious and happy baby. She LOVES to play with Christian. She just cracks up laughing at him all the time and he loves to entertain her. We are so fortunate with Catherine. She is a wonderful eater and just so content all the time. I got her ears pierced 2 weeks ago and she didn't even cry. She doesn't seem to mind her earrings because I never see her messing with them.