Enjoying the Boys

I'm enjoying the boys getting older. It's a fun age where we can have good conversations and eat at more grown-up places. Case has been wanting to try sushi so I took the boys out for a sushi/thai lunch one day. I told them it was a treat to eat here and they had to have good manners. They did pretty well. 

Well, chop sticks gets anybody excited.

 Turns out C loves sashimi. I was surprised. He loved it so much, he insisted on bringing home some for H to taste. Miss Expensive Taste loved it of course.

L Child preferred the Thai noodles. I forgot to order it mild so he would take a bite, gulp a bunch of water down, then take another bite. He loved it, but kept saying, "Wow, it's hot!"

This is my favorite current picture of L Child. He asked if he could put on a tattoo. We have a drawer of them and really don't supervise them. They know how to put on tattoos.

I learned that I have to clarify exactly where they can put a tattoo. He looked like he had spaghetti sauce on his mouth for a few days. Good thing it was Fall Break. I only got judged at my school, not his school.

The boys still love OnCue. Their Aunt Sissie got them a gift card to buy a treat after school.

This is their Happy Dance while they wait in line.

Finally, Pokemon is all the rage at our house. I gave them my old phone so they can play Pokemon Go.

They only can use Wi-Fi though so OC was the most fun they've had in a long time. They even talked Pokemon with Mr. Chris in Physics Lab.

The funniest part (for me) was when they would go into a Dead Zone (no wi-fi) and have to back track quickly to find more Pokemon. The boys didn't love that part, but they're getting a lesson on boundaries, people.

I'm thankful I get to start and end my days with these boys. They keep me thinking and laughing.

                                               

 

Remembering Newman

We knew over the last year that Newman was nearing the end of his life. After 12.5 years, he was nearing the life expectancy for Brittany spaniels. He was deaf and his eyesight was getting worse. While he slept more, he still moved around well.

Then he got a cough that was getting more frequent. The vet told us he has congestive heart failure, and that it was just a matter of time. Last week, Newman got worse. His cough only stopped if he was sleeping, and he was looking bad. We knew it was time.

So all of us told him good-bye yesterday before school. We had been talking about Newman getting old and dying with the kids. While they were sad, they weren't surprised.

Josh was the brave one and took him to the vet. My dad built Newman a coffin so Newman was laid in there afterwards. The kids and Padme got to have a viewing/memorial time after school. I think it's helping with the closure. Padme seems to understand that he's gone; she's not looking for him or crying like she tends to do if they are separated. She does seem sad though so she's getting a lot of extra attention this weekend.

The kids are sad but are doing okay. Haddie, the most verbal one about her emotions, has talked a lot of Newman dying. She told me a lot Friday, "I'm sad that Newman died." Then at bedtime, she exclaimed, "I'm mad at Newman!"

Lessons about life and dying can be hard.