A Very Special Doggo Named Jax

Jax was the best of doggos. He was an absolute perfect fit for our family. Yes, it was super annoying that he liked to escape and run as far as he could until some very sweet person would catch him and give us a call so we'd have to go get him. He frequently ended up at Casey's (I think they fed him). The phone caller always said, "he's the sweetest guy!"

He took the best pics

Yes, it was painful when he smacked you with his tail because he just had no idea how big he was or how strong his tail was. Yep, super annoying when he'd get so excited in the car that he let out this high-pitched whimper and paced through the whole vehicle, refusing to lay down no matter how much Benadryl he'd been given. 

And who could ever forget the skunk-hunting adventure he went on with Steve and G? 

But he taught us so much too. He brought so much joy. He'd always greet you at the door, well less frequently in the last few months because when he lost his hearing, he couldn't always tell that you had arrived. He loved popcorn and as much as we tried to teach him not to beg for it, it was pretty hard to tell him no when he was standing right in front of you, sitting and just waiting for you to toss him a handful. 

He was a really important lesson in trust. When we got him, shortly after Anitra died, Ariez was terrified of him and we told Ariez that he could trust us and that we would never bring something into the home that would hurt him. This boy, who was crying and cowering in the corner when we brought Jax in, was best friends with the dog by the end of the week. 

He was ridiculously patient. He was not a huge fan of Rileigh when she first arrived and was less excited about her when she got mobile. Many times she chased him around, bopped him on the head and sat on him. While he did his best to get away from mobile Rileigh, he never once growled at her or nipped at her. 

He LOVED bones. When Jax had a bone, of any sort, you knew to let him have his space. The one and only time a child ever was bitten was when Trey dropped a chicken bone and tried to retrieve it at exactly the same time Jax discovered it. He really only got into it with the other little dogs if there was a bone involved. 

Jax loved to run. Even as he got older and it would hurt. He would come home with his legs shaking because he'd run so hard at the dog run. Some of his ashes will go to the dog park because that was truly one of his favorite places to go. He also liked to run out the door if he got the chance. He had his very own license. It looked like a driver's license and had his contact info so that whoever was quick enough to grab him could call us. 

Jax was loyal, his favorite people being Gordon and Steve. He will be so very missed.

They say all dogs go to heaven but I think there is probably a really special place for the really good dogs. Jax took his last breath on Wed night around 6:45 after collapsing at home about an hour earlier. We knew that we would be saying goodbye sometime. At his last vet appointment about 3 weeks ago they gave him some pain meds so that we could keep him comfortable. He was surrounded by love in his passing as Steve, Gordon, Reyanne and I all petted him as they administered the meds to help him rest peacefully. 

Saying Goodbye

Thank you Jax for always being exactly what we needed, when we needed it. Thank you for all the lessons that you taught us and for all the memories we will carry with us. Thank you for your unconditional and unwavering love. Run in Paradise big boy. 

Love Grows Best...

 The quote is, "Love grows best in small houses". I sincerely hope that's not true because we have moved into a HUGE house! It's kind of a dream house. The kitchen is huge with double ovens, a gas stove, and a big island. There's also a space in there for a "breakfast nook" but I think we have decided that less is more and we won't be putting a table in there but stands with plants. There's a basement apartment, two living rooms (one has been turned into an office), and a gigantic dining room. It has plenty of bedrooms for everyone and 4 1/2 bathrooms. That bathroom thing is a saving grace for sure if you're going to have 9 people living in one house! 

A couple of reasons for this big house at this point in our lives. The first one is pretty non-traditional. Tai, Jake, Steve, and I all decided that it would be great if we all lived together. We weren't sure this would ever be a reality because while we all wanted to live together, we all also wanted some of our own space. I realize that in today's society, it's not very common for this type of multi-generational living, but see, WE are not really all that common. :) 

The second reason is that I have realized that I am NOT the mom that can just boot her kids out. I don't think I ever will be. So while we should be downsizing as our children get older, we are upsizing because the bigger they get, the more space they need. We have some kiddos with some pretty significant needs. Those needs make it mostly necessary for them to live at home right now and for the foreseeable future.

Steve and I are here for it. This is the path that God has pointed us in, and this is the path that we will follow. We both feel like we are exactly where we are supposed to be at exactly the time that we are needed. We always want to be a safe place for our kiddos to land. We also want to be comfortable in that safe haven. :) 

We also didn't think that we'd be raising any of our grandchildren but here we are. It is a choice we made, just like we made the choice to grow our family when Anitra died. It CAN be absolutely exhausting but it is also so rewarding and we certainly feel blessed. It also made me realize that I don't want to miss anything with Wyn. So far I have gotten to see him learn how to come up the stairs and got to feel his first tooth poke through! I absolutely love getting to say goodnight to him each night and love that he, Rileigh, and the dogs typically greets me at the door when I come home from work. 

Here's to hoping that love also grows in big houses because I cannot wait to see the memories that we make in this beautiful new home.