A Heart More Focused

Hearts Unleashed 2014: Week 3 {Catch The Moment 365}

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This week flew by.  They all do lately, but this one especially.

This week feels like a blur because, we brought a PUPPY into the mix!  It’s kind of like having two toddlers around!

We’ve talked about getting a second dog for a few years now and especially over the past few months since moving into a larger house.  Happily, the opportunity kind of fell into our laps.  My friend Ashley’s neighbor informed her last week that she had boxer puppies for sale.  She knew we were looking for a puppy, so she called to let me know.  She loves boxers, so we’ve talked about the breed a lot and I’d actually considered the breed before we got Rue.  Not to mention, I have a couple of friends who have boxers and love them.

It didn’t take us long to make up our minds.  We did our due diligence and read up a little on how protective they are and how they are with kids and decided a boxer was the perfect dog for us.  We went and picked up our little boxer and named him Riggins – Riggs for short.  If you ever saw the show Friday Night Lights, you probably know why I picked that name 😉

It’s been interesting trying to crate train and housebreak all over again.  There were a few days of complete frustration and wondering if I was doing everything wrong.  But then he just… well, got it.  It was like, all at once, everything just clicked for him.  He still cries a little when he doesn’t want to go into his crate and has occasional little accidents, but the progress is amazing.  He’s so smart!  He’s gone into his crate to nap a few times all on his own already, which makes me so happy.

He’s also quickly becoming a part of this family.  I can’t believe it’s only been a week since we got him!

You’ll see that the pictures from this week are pretty puppy-centric.  That’ll probably be the case for a while now.  Probably forever…

Here’s week 3:

15/365 ~ Wyatt’s double ear infection hung on for a few days after we started him on antibiotics.  I guess it was just a really bad one.  I felt so bad for him.  He just wasn’t himself at all.
HeartsUnleashed2014_15

16/365 ~ This is Abby, our Siamese cat.  She’s 6 years old.  She was our first baby.  She’s both really sweet and a huge pain depending on how much attention she decides she wants.  The kids are completely fascinated by her and of course she hides all day until they go to bed!  We’re really lucky, she’s incredibly gentle and sweet with them, despite the accidental abuse when they do manage to find her.
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17/365 ~ Sometimes the boys get along and help each other.  Of course, this moment lasted about the amount of time it took to catch the shot.
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18/365 ~ Meeting the puppies on Saturday morning.  Dylan wanted to hold them all.  He was so disappointed when I didn’t let him hold Riggs in the car.
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19/365 ~ Riggs got right down to business getting into trouble.  I thought the look on his face was priceless.  It’s like he knew he shouldn’t chew on it, but couldn’t help himself.  Poor Rue was a little jealous at first, but she’s getting used to the competition.  They get along really well now and play all the time.
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20/365 ~ Daddy Story-time.  Andy reads to both of them every night.  He read an article on boys not thinking reading was “cool” or a boy thing because moms so often do most of the reading.  He’s a big reader, so he’s made a point of making story-time his thing.  I love watching them read together.
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21/365 ~Dylan and his best friend.  They have so much fun together.  Elli’s made the transition after moving cross-country so much easier for him.  I think they were pretending the stones were for dinner.  Yum!
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I should be able to get into more of a routine this week and, hopefully, post more often.  We’re all, thankfully, healthy now, too.  Thank you for all the well wishes!  xxxooo  Have a great weekend!

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Comments

    • He’s trouble! 🙂 I didn’t really mind that he was chewing on that bag, but the look he gave me was so funny. He definitely has a personality! He’s terrible about crying in his crate and he still doesn’t get that he shouldn’t pee in the crate in the morning before we let him out, but it’s hard to stay mad at him. It’s a good thing he’s so cute!

  6. Yes, adding a puppy to the mix is just like having a second toddler. We did the same thing when we got our shepherd mix. They fought just like siblings and got into each other’s things all. the. time. Still it was a blessing to have him grow up with the kids and I wouldn’t trade it (although I don’t know if I would do it over…LOL!)

    He’s a cutie!

    • LOL, I know exactly what you mean. Some days I think I’m crazy, but I think it’s worth it. The kids love him so much. My parents have always had a dog, but the golden retriever puppy they got when I was about the same age as my boys will always hold a special place in my heart.

  7. So glad you guys are feeling better. It was a great week in photos though. I’d love to know what article that was Andy read. Wesley reads constantly – and he reads to jonah a lot too.

    • Thanks Stephanie!

      I think it may have been this one: http://www.todaysparent.com/family/education/boys-and-reading/ I’m not 100% sure, but I just glanced over it and looked for sentences I remember and I think these are the ones: “At least three recent studies have found that boys who viewed reading as a feminine activity were less motivated to read. In a 2003 Canadian study, 24 percent of second-grade boys said that reading was ‘a girl thing.'”

      At the same time, Andy loves to read and it definitely has more to do with his mom than his dad. His mom is a librarian and I know she did most of the reading to them. They do both read a lot and I’m sure they saw reading modeled by their dad, too. I’m sure our boys will grow up loving books 🙂

  9. These are all fantastic (as usual!!) Erika! I have loved the photos of Riggs on FB!! I would love a boxer! We miss having a dog a lot sometimes! But I do remember those puppy days well 😉

    • Thanks Emily! I’ll try that. haha, yeah, with a terrier and two boys, what’s one more bundle of energy, right? 😉 Rue and Riggs play almost nonstop lately. Between Rue and the boys, he’s been exhausted every night, thankfully