Tired, but Happy

We are having a wonderful time with our new puppy.

However, it's not all fun and games.

Puppies can make you tired.

Arkhon is a great pup, but at this early stage I have to be paying attention to him all the time, or we end up with accidents. The crate-training will hopefully help, but it is a process, not an instant solution.

Like babies, puppies need near-constant care. If you don't pay attention for two seconds, you look back to find the puppy chewing up your son's pants, chewing on the couch, or urinating on the floor. It happens. It doesn't mean you're a terrible owner or you have a bad dog, it just means you have a puppy.

Toddlers are similar. Kevin can be playing nicely and suddenly, it gets quiet. When you are a mom, you know it isn't the noise you have to worry about, it's the silence.

You run and check to find that your son has discovered a book and is delightedly ripping the pages out. (This doesn't really happen anymore, Kevin's gotten past the point of destroying books. Now he just likes to read them.)

Regardless, always having to have your mind and attention on a couple young people can be tiring. The mental fatigue can make you want to run and go grocery shopping as soon as your husband gets home so you can relax for a moment.

Don't let this discourage you from having children or puppies, though.

It is also very rewarding.

I get to see those minute improvements that Grig doesn't get to see. I get to see the pup start responding to "Drop it," and feel thrilled when I have a whole day without an accident.

I get to see my little boy affectionately rest his head against his puppy's side while he calls it his "Baby," over and over.

I get to see my old, grumpy dog sneak a quick, tender lick on the puppy's head that she doesn't think I see, and I get to see her move protectively in front of him when another energetic dog is getting too close.

I see my son learning to be kind to both dogs and learning to reward them for good behavior.

We get more exercise as a family as we try to keep the energy levels in our home down.

We are so blessed. I am so grateful for my family, including the canine part of it. They aren't people, and they never will be treated the same as our son, but they do enrich our lives by being part of it.

Kevin has learned a lot about how to be gentle by owning dogs. I hope he can apply that to other children as well.

I am so grateful for a hard-working husband who earns enough for us to support ourselves. Sometimes there isn't a lot extra, but there is always enough.

So, yes, we've lost a little sleep by having run a puppy outside in the middle of the night, but we are happy.

Currently, both dogs and Kevin are asleep. I finally get some quiet time to do whatever I want!


I might take a nap.

A "Short" Walk

Yesterday, Kevin, Dakota, Arkhon, and I went with our next-door neighbor on a walk (this is the neighbor who received Arkhon's brother). We were walking her daughter to school, but seeing as we had two small puppies, we decided to leave at 10:30. School started at 12, and we didn't want to be late.

Even with the two pups, we made pretty good time and got there about 11:50. We would take frequent breaks and make the puppies ride in the stroller after a while. We were trying to be very careful not to over-exercise them.

Even so, by the time we got back at 1:20, the pups, Kevin, and Dakota were all exhausted. It didn't help that it was pretty warm.

It was really fun to see the differences between the two brothers. Arkhon is a little thinner and less fluffy, but he has a lot more energy. He also is a bit stubborn. Loki, his brother, on the other hand, is calmer and easily tired. It was funny. We walked about ten minutes and Loki wanted into the basket under the stroller. Once he was placed inside, he instantly fell asleep.

Arkhon on the other hand, did NOT want to take a break inside the stroller basket. He continually tried to jump out. It was only during the last half an hour of the three hour trip that he finally relaxed and went to sleep. That was nice. We'll have to keep working on that.

They love each other a lot. They're always excited to see each other, but neither one of them listens very well when they're playing. When the sidewalk was too narrow for both strollers to be side-by-side, the brother in front would try to get to the brother behind, and the brother behind would be straining to reach the brother in front. They were getting better at ignoring each other and walking though.

We had a great time, and I'm really grateful that my neighbor invited us to go. I like walking with her. We get along well.

The only downside of our "short" walk was that I missed the UPS guy so I had to wait until today to get our crate. It was totally worth it though.

We are planning on walking most days, but so far, we've only managed to do two day in the last two weeks. No worries, we'll get it!

Arkhon's first veterinarian appointment is set for Friday. I'm excited for him to start getting his shots so that we can take him to the dog park.

It's fun to see how quickly he's learning.

He already loves his crate. Just a moment ago, he started whining because he couldn't get into it. I opened it up, and he went right in, laid down and fell asleep. Hooray for successful crate-training!

We started off by putting his favorite toys, his water bowl, and couple of treats in there. When he would enter, we would praise him. After a few times of him going in on his own (it is important not to force them in), we started shutting the door. We lengthened the time that the door was shut, praised him when he was quiet and calm, and ignored him when he started whining. It didn't take long for him to feel relaxed.

Ideally, the crate is supposed to be seen as a safe place. I think he is starting to quickly recognize that. We don't let Kevin bother him when he's in there, and I think he enjoys finishing his naps. (Kevin doesn't like it when people or dogs are sleeping when he wants to play.)

He and Kevin are doing better at being nice to each other. Last night, Kevin would run over, pet him, and run back with a huge smile on his face as we praised him for being so gentle. Arkhon had this look that said, "I endure this because I love you." It was pretty funny.

We have a good time.

Day Four of Life with a Puppy

Some of you may be wondering how things are going at our home with our new arrival.

Honestly?

Things couldn't be better.

Arkhon already feels like part of the family. He and Kevin are best friends (though we do have to continually remind them to be gentle with each other). We try to monitor, but all it takes is a second for Kevin to hit Arkhon or for Arkhon to nip Kevin.

They're learning though. I think they'll understand how to play better soon.

Kevin loves his dog.

We ordered Arkhon's crate Thursday afternoon. It is supposed to get here today. Meanwhile, he's been sleeping under our bed. We'll start crate-training as soon as it gets here.

Arkhon has been picking things up quickly. He is already pretty good about not coming in the kitchen, not getting on the beds or couches, and not urinating in the house. He hasn't pooped in the house once, but he has had a couple of urinary accidents. Fewer every day, and usually if he does have an accident, it is simply because we didn't move fast enough when he was giving signs that he needed to go. The crate should help eliminate accidents all together.

Meanwhile, Grig tried to make Arkhon a bed out of a box. At first Arkhon didn't like it, but when he saw Kevin playing in it, and Grig cut another hole so Kevin could get out, he suddenly loved it.

He doesn't sleep in it, he just plays in it.

Aw, isn't he cute?

Kevin and he play a fun game where Kevin will run and look down one hole, and the puppy will pop out. That usually results in a lot of laughter from all involved.

Sunday we tried to trap the dogs in the hall, but our gate hasn't arrived yet either, so while we were at the temple dedication, they got out.

The damage wasn't very bad. One small accident and one chewed up pair of headphones (that Grig wanted to replace anyway) were the main casualties. Dakota, of course, was excellent. Also, Arkhon evidently helped himself onto the couch, because we've had to correct that a couple of times in the last couple of days.

He loves people, especially kids. Every time he sees someone, he wants to go say hello. He is doing really well at learning not to jump on people and walking on the leash. We all love taking walks together. He is really fast too! If we run with him, he can pretty much keep up already. He tends to run at our sides and not to run ahead, which is excellent.

He is playful, but calms down quickly. If you can't tell, we are very pleased with him.

It's been great to have his brother next door too. They're always happy to see each other, and they enjoy wrestling. Usually, his brother, who's been named Loki and is slightly bigger and heavier, pushes him over and ends up on top, but last night Arkhon got the upper hand.

I couldn't be prouder.

It made Loki mad though.

The other day, Grig put him on his lap, and then they both proceeded to fall asleep. It was pretty cute. Of course, as soon as I got out the camera, Arkhon woke up and jumped off. I did manage to snap this picture though:

Photo-bomb Dakota in the corner.

As for Dakota, does she love the puppy?

Not yet maybe, but give it some time. She's learning to tolerating the puppy.

She's starting to come around.

After all, he loves her, and that's what friendships are made of.

Mormon Monday: Temple Dedication and the Spirit

Yesterday, we attended the Ogden Temple re-dedication.

When we build a temple, we try to make a building fit for our Heavenly Father to dwell in. That's why we try and make it beautiful and use the best materials possible. We want to give the Lord our best.

It was a beautiful event, and the Spirit was very strong. The Ogden temple was dedicated before, but after renovations, it was re-opened to the general public for tours. We weren't able to attend the open house (where anyone could enter), but they broadcast the re-dedication in our area.

When a temple is dedicated, it becomes a House of the Lord. It is meant to be a sanctuary from the world and all outside influences. This is why is it so important to be keeping the commandments and as clean as possible before you enter the building. This is why it is so restricted. The feeling in the temple is a very calming one. As the scriptures say in John 14:27:

 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Often times, people may claim that they've never felt the Spirit of the Lord. This may be true for some of them, but you'd have to try awfully hard to never be in a place where the Lord's Spirit can dwell. I think more often, people just don't recognize the Lord's Spirit when they feel it. Galatians 5:22-23 say:

 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

When we feel peace, love, and joy, we are feeling the Spirit. He will testify of truth and guide us and strengthen us.

When we are baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are baptized and confirmed or born of water and of the spirit (John 3:5). To be confirmed is when you are given the gift of the Holy Ghost through proper authority. This is a promise from the Lord that when you keep His commandments, always remember Him, and take the Savior's name upon you, you will be accompanied all your days by the third member of the Godhead. Previous to the confirmation, you can feel the Spirit occasionally, but after the confirmation, He is with you always.

When I was a kid, I was baptized and confirmed at the age of 8. However, I went through a point, where I thought that I had lost the Spirit through wickedness. I was about 11 at the time. I remember being really concerned about it, but I continued to try to do my best.

I would get reassurance from time to time that the Spirit was still with me, but I thought that I had never felt Him really powerfully.

Then, one day when I was 18, I entered a building where the Lord's Spirit could not come. Suddenly, inside of me, I felt a hollow feeling. I felt almost sick. I was only in this building for a short time, but right afterward the group I was with went to one of our church buildings. As I walked through the doors, it was as though a great wind flooded back into my heart and I felt peace. I realized that I had never lost the Spirit. I was just so used to having Him with me, that I didn't recognize the feelings when I felt them. I couldn't identify the Spirit in my life.

Since then, whenever I teach lessons at church or in my home, I try to point out to those around me when the feelings that the Spirit kindles are present. It has helped me notice how frequently I feel Him, and I think it also helps those around me learn to identify Him.

I am so grateful for the blessings of the temple. When ever I enter the Lord's holy house, I am flooded with peace and calm. There are very few places like it in the world today. The world is so noisy, that unless we stop to listen, we often won't hear or feel the still, small voice of the Spirit.

I encourage everyone to listen. I'm still learning how to know when He is speaking to me, but I know He does. I am so grateful that the Lord cares enough to take notice of our lives. I know He loves all of us, regardless of the choices that we have made, and He wants us to return to Him.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

And introducing....

This morning started out great!

It was like Christmas. I woke up at 6:30 a.m., and as soon as I remembered what was happening today, I could no longer sleep. So, I began to deep clean my oven. Isn't that what everyone does when they can't sleep?

I was half-way through the racks and the bottom of the oven when Kevin and Grig woke up at about 7:45. We were planning on leaving at 8:30, but with the mess I made, we didn't manage to take off until 9:00.

We drove the hour and forty minute trip with our GPS giving us bogus directions, and we found our destination with no problem (it helps that we had been there only a month before.) We did, however, have a miracle on the way.

Since my sister's wedding, I haven't been able to find my wedding ring. We've prayed and searched everywhere. However, as we were driving to pick up the pup, Grig was searching for snacks for Kevin in the diaper bag. Suddenly he said, "Hun, guess what?"

He pulled out my wedding ring! It evidently had been in the diaper bag the whole time. I was so grateful. We immediately said a prayer, and after Grig had cleaned the sticky-candy-juice off of it, I was able to put it back on. Heavenly Father is very kind.

As we drove down the driveway to my aunt's home, we could see the puppies running in a field to the side of us. They had grown quite a bit and were quite fast. They raced us to the house and all six (mother included) greeted us with happy faces and wagging tails.

There is still one (maybe two) puppy(ies) available. She's the whiter one. There may also be a boy with similar coloring available too.

We said hello for a few minutes, and then we went and knocked on the door. My aunt answered, and we spent the next couple of hours fawning over our puppy and talking to my aunt. All of her kids were at school, so we didn't get to say hello to them; which was too bad.

We had a scare at one point. We had been playing with our boy, when suddenly he wandered off and disappeared about the time that my uncle drove in with his truck. We couldn't find him anywhere!

Visions of him lying crushed under a tire floated through my brain, but luckily, after half and hour or so, we found him in the den where his mother had given birth. He was pretty far underground with some boards covering the entrance. We had worn him out, so he just went to take a nap.

What a relief!

After that, my aunt was kind enough to fix us some lunch, we packed up our pup and the other dark male, and loaded everything into the car. The box we had brought was far too small for both puppies (though it might have fit them a month ago), so my aunt also supplied a new box. It was still a bit small, but it was big enough. They were cozy all the way home. Also, they were very cute.

The one on the right is our neighbor's pup. The one on the left with the broader white blaze is ours.

Kevin was pretty excited about the puppies being in the car. He kept wanting to play with them, and would get mad if his dad (who was in the back seat monitoring the situation) would touch them. He was tired and needed a nap. Grig was sure that he wouldn't fall asleep because he was too excited.

I guess he wasn't as excited as he was tired.

The puppy crashed too.

Other than a little car-sickness from our new pup (he threw up four times), things went really well. (Our neighbor's pup wasn't sick at all.) The pups slept most of the way. Grig thought he had the better end of the deal by sitting in the back while I drove, but at least I didn't have to clean up puppy-puke. :)

We reached our home and introduced Dakota to the new pup. We took them both outside so they would be on neutral territory before we brought him into the house. He was a little scared of her, and she didn't really care about him. She gave him a casual sniff and went back to what she was doing.

They've warmed up a bit, though Dakota still isn't sure what to think about the little guy. They'll get used to each other.

A long day for a little guy.

Next we brought him in and gave him a good bath. He did really well, and seemed to enjoy it. He seems to be a water-dog. He loves to splash in his bowl and in puddles outside. There goes the bath.

Oh well.

The pup is doing really well with house-training. He has only had two spills, and we caught both before he got very far. He finished up outside both times and has also defecated only on the grass. We have high hopes. He seems to catch onto things quickly.

Our neighbors seem to really like his brother and they were pretty happy to see each other when we ran into them later. We have plans to get them together and let them play.

Finally, we have officially picked our pup's name. We'd like to introduce:

Arkhon

After his long and exciting day, Arkon has spent the majority of it sleeping.

I'm tired too. I think I'm going to head to bed. I decided that I've been living off adrenaline for the past week, and when things got peaceful and I relaxed, I became exhausted.

Good night, all. It's been a good day.