A new addition: Harley

Time heals all wounds, this too shall pass, when you're ready-you're ready, all things we hear after a loss. No matter what kind of loss there is always some sort of anecdote to make us feel better. But the reality is grieving is an individual beast. It is different for everyone. The day before Jagger was gone I was grieving. The week before for that matter. Every day since, so many times a day I can't count I have thought of him, missed him, called out to him, wished he was here. I realized quickly that no amount of time was going to make me miss Jagger less. I maybe won't cry every day as I was for the first couple weeks, but I will always miss him and always wish we had more time with him.

That said every day, several times a day, I have hated the feeling of my house. I think I mentioned before how odd it seemed to have a house full of people especially with 4 kids, feel empty, but it has. Jagger was part of the heart and soul of our home. And just as when you have a new baby, you don't love your other kids less, you just have more love to give. I knew that regardless of how much we miss Jagger Boy, even though we can NEVER REPLACE HIM, that we could still love a new addition. 

So the search began. It had to be a dog we could all agree on. One that would entice Joe in jumping into the puppy game again, and a dog that would hopefully be great with kids. Joe's favorite dog growing up was a Golden Retriever named Macy. She was his 1st dog. He adored her. So I started investigating. I researched the breed, breeders and talked to people I knew that had Goldens. The result was my getting in touch with a super knowledgeable AWESOME breeder. She wasn't interested in just handing me a dog. She wanted to get to know us and our kids and what we were looking for in a puppy and then she would let us know if she had a puppy for us.

After talking with her several times last week and meeting with her on Sunday night, we left with a decision to make. A) Were we ready B) Did we see a dog that could be a part of our crazy family C) Were we ready...REALLY! SO we talked. Thinking about entering into Puppyhood again, was a scary thought but I felt like now's as good a time as ever. When you spend your days bathed in crazy, what's one more :)

When we arrived Sunday night she started out the meeting with this: She had a puppy that was so great and special and though she loved him dearly she wanted him to have a FAMILY! He was sweet and friendly as well as adorable (as any puppy can be.) But my favorite part was when she let the rest of the litter out to meet us, he was the best big brother! Attending to and playing with siblings. The perfect mixture of curiosity, concern and chaos! The perfect mix for our family. We left and both agreed we loved him. I called her right away to see if he could join our family. She answered with an overwhelming YES!

We spent Monday getting ready. Talking to the kids, preparing the house, "puppy-proofing" I forgot how much that entailed! YIKES! But after getting everything ready, it was time. I picked up my sister and then we picked the kids up from school. They knew we were getting the puppy but weren't sure when. They were ecstatic when they got in the car and realized that today was THE DAY! We were on our way. It felt like the longest drive ever but we finally got there! The kids unloaded the van and ran down the path like they running downstairs on Christmas morning, but reeled themselves in when they hit the porch. Keegan had said on the way there..."Hey guys, we better be better then usual or she might change her mind :)" And they were...GREAT...Perfect in fact! Glad to know that it can happen if need be :)

He was SO cute! Waiting for us all cleaned and fresh. The kids fell instantly in love. Playing and frolicking with their new buddy. They never knew Jagger as a young pup. He was grown before they were born. So this is a new deal for them. I am sure eventually the novelty will wear off but for now they are pumped! We brought him home, he spent the evening playing and chasing and now he is getting ready to spend his first night as part of the family.

It was so sweet as we started driving him home. Cam said to all of us in the car, "Raise your hand if you miss Jagger:(" Of course we all did. We only hope that Jagger is up in heaven. Looking down on our new little buddy. Maybe ready to be his guardian angel. Ready to help him navigate life in this Crazy Wonderful family. Knowing that we aren't replacing him, just making some more room in our hearts and love to give. Thankful that he taught us how.

Harley, you have some big paws to fill. But we are sure you can do it! Welcome to the family!