Sammy was mystified with the dog. Here she poured a bit of water, and during the meal, she would take a bite of a biscuit or anything else, and then she would feed the dog.
"How's that taste?" Her voice was clear. She basically said what her mom said to her, whenever she gave her anything solid to eat, and Lydia had said that since Sammy was old enough to eat baby food.
It was hilarious to see the fuss Sammy made over the dog, but even better was to see how the dog let her hug, pat and stroke her--especially in between sitting on the small beagle mix.
The look on Sammy's face was pure wonder at being able to fuss over something that fun, something besides one of her dolls she occasionally carried about the house. Sammy ran about yard, enjoying the cut grass and the shade.
Jack and Tommy fuss over the dog too, while Mary Rose watched and coached them a bit. Neither boy has really been around dogs that much, although Kristin had a little dog for a while.
I'm still trying to talk Ann into getting one, but it's a tough sell. Ann watched me react to my Springer Spaniel, when his hip dysplasia forced me to take him to the vet one night to have the dog "put down."
I sat in a chair immediately after in the dark. Ann and I watched TV together, and I sobbed in silence like a little girl. Ann let me talk her into a second dog--an English Bulldog. We had fun and loved the dog like one of our children, and during the worst part of my cancer, I had to give him to family.
That was not easy either, but I knew it had to be. Ann can't deal with the kind of sadness that you feel when you get so attached to something so magnificent, so loving. A dog loves unconditionally, expects little, entertains constantly. To live in a vacuum again after a pet's passing is something Ann refuses to do.
But I'm working on it.
Brent and Mary Rose sit in the center. My mom is at the right, and Jill's twin boys Jess and Dan sit at the left of center beside Zach's wife ShaNae. It is frustrating to me that I didn't get everyone in a picture. I walked about with two different cameras taking pictures, but I didn't want to be a best, so I stopped after taking a few.
Jess Blaisdell sits beside Kevin Keller, my sister Ann's husband. On a day like this everyone realizes just how important it is to drop things and meet for a few moments as a family. Keven, while driving down a canyon in Northern Utah, fell asleep at the wheel. His car plunged off a steep embankment. Kevin walked away from the accident, but he injured his neck and wears a brace, until doctors clear him and eliminate the recurring problems from the initial accident.
Life is a blessing. People don't realize how fragile the whole thing is, until of course something like this happens.
My sister Ann is at left of center, sitting by her husband Kevin. Addie sits next to her, and my mom is at the far right.
Tommy sits next to Sonny and Whitney's little boy in this picture. I'm embarrassed that I didn't get a picture of Jill and Keith or Whitney, although I will continue looking on my other camera.
The boys relax a bit here in the shade, after playing about in the large yard.
My sister Jill went to a great deal of work to put this together. It was a beautiful day.
Keith sits at the left, and Jill is at the right in this picture. Mary Rose is talking to them here.
Jill's twin boy Dan sits here. He is a championship wrestler, and he and Jess played on Malad's baseball team this year. For Dan, it was only seven months after a severe injury during a wrestling match, where he broke his arm. It prevented him from another chance to win an individual wrestling championship, but the twins played well on Malad's team that took first place at state this year.
This is the only picture I have of Sonny Blaisdell, Jill's oldest boy. I didn't get a shot of Mandy either. And Sonny's wife was not in one of my pictures on the camera. I'll do better next time.
It was a great day for Kristin and Jack.
And for me, it was exciting to have Lydia home for a week or so. Ann felt the same way, she shows the joy of having more grandchildren at home. It's the noise you miss after they leave--the squawks, the giggles, and even the occasionally fighting when little ones come together. Tommy and Anna were here as visitors early, but my son-in-law and our little Anna would not arrive until the next day.
It was a great day, a time to celebrate memories and to enjoy new additions to our family.
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