October 23rd, 2012

I am no longer the only one to tie shoes in the morning.  We made each of the boys grab one of Dusty's shoes, and we worked on it for about 20 minutes.  We started with the two bunny ear method.  It sucks.  I never could grab both those ears.  Neither could they.  So we switched to the way we do it, and BAM!  They both got it right away.  Thank God!

They crack me up how differently they learn.  Bodey will just keep trying.  Over and over and over and over and over again.  And never get frustrated.  And he's so happy to be trying and learning!  And over the moon that he mastered it.

Booker tries once, fails, gives up, pouts.  He's just like his daddy.  :)

Cliche?

I think not.  I honestly have the two best friends in the world.  Sorry, world, but it's true.  One is my leader, the other is my mentor.  And I'm lucky enough to have them both part of my life.

Jen, you are a born leader.  People want to be like you and do as you do.  You inspire me to be better.  And cleaner.  And more organized.  You laugh, because you think I'm making fun of you... but I'm not, I admire you!  You are a person blessed enough to have a natural knack for new ideas, organization, and crisp cleanliness with everything you touch.  I love craft days, because I get to come into your world, and learn from the best.  I also value your values.  How much you love your family and friends.  And I love learning frugality from the best of the best.  It's so nice to walk side by side with someone who I look up to, and share values with.  And inspiration?  I have to thank you for getting me where I am today.  A marathon would have never crossed my mind, much less two.  And without being a witness to your pure determination and will, I wouldn't have succeeded.  You amaze me every day.  You are also my 3rd leg in triathlons.  I can't even imagine the number of triathlons I would have given up, just thrown in the towel, if you weren't there along beside me.  You are my #1 cheerleader and motivator!

Cori, you are my mentor.  I look up to you more than you will ever know.  When I have parenting questions, I come to you.  When I have medical questions, I come to you.  But, most importantly, you started my journey to a relationship with Jesus.  I knew you had something I didn't, and I wanted a part of it.  Your model of spiritual wisdom, unending faith, and unfailing love for Jesus is the best gift I've received.  I constantly seek your advice, your common sense, and spiritual outlook.  And, like Jen, you are a girl of determination!  I have watched you go through tribulations in running that would have stopped me in my tracks, searching for a new hobby.  But not you!  It is honestly healthy for me to witness this.  I mean, you ran a half marathon with a fractured leg and pneumonia.  That's hardcore!  And it is always lurking in the back of my mind, making me dig deeper, be stronger, and accomplish more.  I am a better person because I've learned so much from you.

I'm blessed.  I have the privilege of seeing both of my best friends almost every day.  They push me beyond my limits.  We share so many values, and that gives us a bond that is hard to break.  I don't know what I did to deserve you two in my life, but obviously, God just knows what's best for me!

Dog vs. Bodey

Yesterday was a rough day for all of us.  Dusty was outside at the neighbor's house helping him on his boat.  The boys headed out there with him.  A few minutes later, Booker sprinted inside, clearly flustered, but I couldn't really understand what he was saying.  I heard "Bodey", "crying", "dog", "dad".  I ran outside just when Dusty was rushing Bodey inside.  All I saw was blood coming from Bodey's head.  I don't do well in these situations and started to freak.  Dusty gave me the stink eye so I had to check myself.  After about a 30 second examination, we decided he needed to go to the emergency room.  As we were heading out, our neighbor ran up to the car to give us his phone number and told us his dog was up to date on all his shots.  When we got to the hospital, the lady at the front desk asked if I already filed a police report.  AreyoukiddingmeIjustrushedmykidtothehospital!  That was all I was thinking about.  I wasn't making phone calls!  So I stepped outside to call the police department.  The dispatcher told me they already sent an officer out there, the dog owners had reported the accident.  Not two minutes later, our neighbor's wife came in with her dog's shot records.  She said they just couldn't stand the thought Bodey might have to get shots he didn't need.  A few minutes later, a Basehor police officer came to the hospital to get Dusty's statement, check out the injuries and take pictures of all of them.  The doctor looked at everything, said they don't stitch dog bites (traps germs and infection inside), ordered x-rays for Bodey's left shoulder and right elbow, got him some Ibuprofen, and gave us an Rx for an antibiotic.  Bodey finally started to relax and finally moved his arms and was showing us his muscles, so we cancelled the x-rays.  What helps a little boy more than a slushie?  So we headed to Quik Trip where the boys got 32 oz slushies including every flavor known to man mixed together, a hot dog, and some Rolos.  When we got home, we washed all the blood off Bodey.  The hospital didn't clean ANY of it off of him.  Oh well.  And then Bodey went out in the cul-de-sac to ride his bike.

Bodey's red hair he is now proud of.

Bite #1

Bites #2 & #3

Bite #4

Bite #5 and possibly #6

Guessing just a scratch from nails?

Raw elbow from his fall to the concrete.  This hurts him the worst.

You might be wondering about the dog.  Well, he is a 148 pound Bloodhound.  It is very unusual for this breed to be aggressive.  Dusty and the owner were within 10 feet of the attack.  The boys had been petting this dog the night before and the owner said he was watching them pet him just before he attacked and everything was just fine.  We don't really know if Bodey did something to trigger the dog.  Booker said the dog laid down and Bodey went over to pet it some more.  Dusty had to pull Bodey away from the dog, and it kept trying to attack.  The City of Basehor did not take the dog, initially because the kennels were full, but then later found that they didn't have to because the dog was up to date on it's rabies shot and not showing signs of being rabid.  The family has made the decision to give the dog back to the Humane Society where they got him, and he will be evaluated and either released to live out on a farm, or put down.

I just have to say how even though this was a very unfortunate accident, it has opened my eyes to how blessed we truly are.  God had his hand in all of this.  I'm so thankful that there were adults around to pull the dog off.  It could have been deadly if not.  I'm thankful that I didn't have to witness this, because these are the things I replay in my head for years.  I'm also thankful that I wasn't the adult there because I don't know if I would have been strong enough to pull off the dog.  I'm thankful that the dog hadn't gotten the 3 week old baby that lives in that house.  But mostly, I'm thankful for how helpful, and honestly concerned our neighbors have been.  In 8 years of living here, we've never really spoken to them.  And they have turned out to be truly great people.  Take note of all the bold sentences above.  Who does that?!?!  And to top it all off, they sent Bodey a bouquet of cookies today!  My heart goes out to them, because I think they are suffering more than we are.  We were scared and shocked, but we know Bodey is ok.  They feel so guilty.  And they have to deal with getting rid of a family pet.  UGH!

Bodey is just livin' life like nothing ever happened.  He doesn't seem to be scared of other dogs.  And, he bravely walked down to their house today to tell them thank you for the cookies.  The dog was still in their backyard, but he did so well!

He breaks my heart though.  Tonight he said two things that just made me melt.

"Mom, since those nice people got us cookies, can we make them some tomorrow and take them to their house?"
AND
In the smallest, quietest, voice, "Mom, I really liked that dog."