Bye-bye Brodie

Yesterday was a really tough day. Yesterday we had to say to goodbye to our 9 1/2 year old dog Brodie. 

About 5 weeks ago he was diagnosed with lymphoma with an estimated 1-2 months to live. So we brought him home wondering how it would go. But he was still Brodie. A little more tired and much more spoiled but still very himself. Over the last few weeks Brodie lost weight and in addition to the extra tiredness he was also having some trouble eating (due to the swollen lymph nodes in his neck). Sunday, still in good spirits, Brodie gobbled an ice cream - his favorite treat - and a can of dog food which I'd bought because his dry food was giving him a problem. But yesterday he had just taken a bad turn.

I was worried that we wouldn't know when it was time. I was worried that we'd be the people that let their dog hang on too long because they can't let go. But one look at that face yesterday and we both knew that Brodie was telling us it was time.

Brodie was our pre-baby baby. Brodie hated to ride in the car, hated to swim, had very little manners and preferred to drink running water (out of the sink). We were worried when we had Grant that Brodie would react badly. But it was quite the opposite...he just sort of stayed away. Until he couldn't anymore and just had to be around Grant. And then they became friends. Brodie was so good with Grant that it amazed me. I managed to catch some pictures of some really sweet moments that made love Brodie even more.

Sharing a popsicle

Hugs

 

Two nosey guys checking out the neighborhood

Joint napping session

More hugs

And lets forget kisses too.

I loved watching those two interact. It was great seeing Brodie's transition from wanting nothing to do with Grant into being a "big brother". And it's really sad today answering Grant's questions of "Where's Brodie?" or "Oh! Where his bowl go?" but I'm dealing with it and Grant seems to be understanding that Brodie isn't coming home :(

The loss of a pet is so difficult. It always breaks my heart when I hear of other people going through it and so many people have expressed sympathy over what we're going through. Brodie wasn't just a dog, he was family and it takes time to get over a loss like that. Husband and I have been together for 11 years so very little of our time together has been without Brodie. We're going to miss that boy, especially our night time cuddles!

Mama's Kitchen Helper

A little over a year ago, I did a similar post about how Grant loves to be in the kitchen with me. Only now, he really is my little kitchen helper. This past Christmas my sister and I recruited his help in making our Christmas Eve meal and Grant has just been increasingly more curious about what goes on in the kitchen. 

Lately if he hears my stand mixer going then he comes running to see what's in there. 

Last week when I was making dinner, he saw me grating cheese and told me "I need some of that". So he got a little bit and then wanted to know what was going on on the stove - where I was making the macaroni & cheese that I was grating the cheese for. So I pulled a chair over and Grant proceeded to help me stir the pasta, add the salt, and then mix in the cheese (while sneaking more cheese to snack on). 

He was so excited to help. And got a little mad at me when I added a little more salt, telling me "Hey! That's my job!"

I love this one because he looks like he got
caught taste testing!

One night this past week while prepping some potatoes for the next night's dinner, Grant saw me slicing and wanted to know what was going on. So we pulled the chair over - and strapped on a tiny apron - and he helped again. After I sliced the potatoes and dried them, Grant added them to bowl for me, put in the pepper & parmesan cheese, and then helped me mix them up before we put them in the pan. When Husband walked through the kitchen, Grant told him "We making matatoes, Daddy!"

And so I now I have a real little helper and I love it. My mom never had a problem with us being in the kitchen while she was cooking and I've always hoped that I'd be able to teach my own kids at least a little something about being in the kitchen. I'm so glad Grant's curious about it and that I'm able to find things for him to do that help him learn some and make him feel helpful too. When we're done I tell him thank you for being such a good helper and he tells me "You welcome, Mama!"

Monster Jam 2013

Last year around this time we took our monster truck obsessed little man to his first Monster Jam event. At that time he'd been into trucks for much longer than I thought a 1 1/2 year old could be "into" something. But a year later, he still loves them. So of course, we made it to Monster Jam again this year. Unfortunately, we didn't make the Pit Party but Husband found out they had some trucks on display last week around Raleigh. So we arranged to get Grant to one of those locations last Thursday night. 

This actually worked out better. First because both of Grant's favorite trucks were in one location AND there wasn't a huge crowd so we were able to get really close and even sit Grant on one of Grave Digger's wheels. He loved it - and it was a surprise...even better :)

So on Saturday we went to the actual Monster Jam show. Last year we were only able to stay for about half of it. And we were expecting about the same this year. Just because he's older doesn't mean the trucks were any quieter!

First they did a wheelie competition.

That's Maximum Destruction...he won.

Then they did a "race". It's not much of a race in such a small space but Grant still enjoyed it.

I don't remember who won the racing part.

Then they did the "freestyle" competition. Again, it's a small space so they couldn't do all the super impressive back flips and stuff they do in the big arenas but they did manage some pretty cool jumps.

Raminator

Maximum Destruction (with some cool sparks that come out of his underside)

Blue Thunder

And lets not forget Grave Digger!

Grave Digger won freestyle!

So the best part was that we got to stay for the whole thing. The whole thing! I was so proud of Grant. He did sit in one of our laps for the whole show...a little because he was scared and a little because he just couldn't see well from his own seat. But he wasn't scared and I think he really enjoyed the show. When we left he told us "That was really fun!" 

Hugging on his new Monster Mutt stuffed toy.

Snow!

I. LOVE. SNOW!

Probably because I only see it once a year now, if that. Growing up in upstate NY, winter meant snow. Sometimes even fall meant snow. I remember my mom having to buy matching gloves for our Halloween costumes. 

A few weeks ago, while I was on the way home from a business trip, we got a good snow (ok, a few inches...but here, that's a decent size snowfall). I was SO excited that it was a Saturday and Grant would be home when I got there so we could go out and play. As I was pulling into the driveway, Husband and Grant were just coming outside to play.
 

He was happy to see me :)

Since it almost never snows here, Grant is pretty much without snow gear. It doesn't make much sense to buy it. However...good parents would at least have gloves/mittens for their 2 year old (please try to keep the judging to a minimum). So, Husband had Grant in three, yes three, layers of clothes plus his adorable little Hurricanes hat. Aside from the lack of mittens, he was good to go.

This wasn't the first time it's snowed since he was born, but it was the first time he was old enough and well enough to go out and play in it. And he LOVED it. I first showed him how to make snowballs and that he could throw them.

Love this one.

Target practice with Daddy's car.

Husband eventually went inside. He was cold or wet or both. Grant and I ran around in the yard and were throwing snowballs at each other. He found his trampoline around the back of the house and got distracted, telling me "I need go in the bounce-house!" I thought better of that and steered him back to the front of the house where were playing. With the temporary lull in fun Grant realized how cold his tiny hands were. "I cold. I need go inside." So that was pretty much that. Since we didn't have any mittens for him we decided not to go back out once he warmed up. 

He was sorely disappointed the next morning when he woke and the snow was pretty much all gone. 

Catching snowflakes...my favorite picture from that day!