Welcome Hank!

After months morning the loss of Rocco, we decided it was time to add a new member to our family!  Searching for a dog that could fill the hole left in our hearts was hard work but after lots of leg work and much internet scouring, we were able to adopt a black lab (mix?) from the Monterey Lab Rescue Group.

We picked up our 3 month old 38 lb (yes, you read that right) lab three weeks ago and it was apparent from minute one that he was meant to be in our family.  He was enamored with the kids which is one characteristic Chris and I really wanted in a new dog.  He also loved Adriane and since she has been so sad the last few months, we hoped that adding a second dog would add some spunk back into her life.  It has.

Hank has so may wonderful personality traits.  He is docile and sweet.  He has energy at play time but otherwise he is happy laying at our feet or on our laps.   He plays for hours a day with Adriane but he also plays with the boys.   He has a gentle wine that alerts us to a problem and he has a great big bark that is sure to alarm even the most dog-loving solicitor.   He is soft as velvet, kind of looks like a baby seal when he is wet, and just so very sweet.

We knew that this next animal was really going to be the boys' dog, a relationship that is very different from the one that Rocco and Adriane had/have with them.  That image of a "boy and his dog" kept flashing in our mind as we met and introduced ourselves to other rescue animals. Some were really intrigued with the kids and others did not seem to really pay much attention to the boys.  We wanted a dog that was going to be very connected to them and we certainly got that.  In fact,  he is so in step with the boys that he have started calling him "Triplet".  There is no doubt in any of our minds that Hank thinks he is the sibling of Brady and Brody.  He takes his cues from them, he eats when they eat, naps when they nap, plays when they play and hates it when they play slightly out of his reach (e.g. up in their playhouse).  Hank has jumped into the bath every night with the boys.  He climbs into their bed to nap with them and on our very first day, he followed them up a slide and tried to slide down it just to copy them!  Brady and Brody get up every morning and say "Where's that baby dog?", give Hank giant hugs and kisses, and every time Hank grabs a toy that he is not supposed to have Brody turns his hand to the sky and says "But he's just a baby".  They understand that Hank is learning to navigate his world just as much as they are.

We have good reason to think that Hank is a Lab-Great Dane mix.  He gained 10 in two weeks, in fact, he looks like a completely different dog than he did two weeks ago.  Some days I get up and look at him and insist that only his back legs grew because he looks somewhat more lopsided than the day before.  Chris and I have fun calling him a Labradane and a Daneadore.  Whatever he is, he is a perfect fit for our active loving family and we will love him forever.

This was the family picture the Monterey Lab Rescue Group took of our family when we picked up hank.  This was (very literally) the best we could do!

First Day of PreSchool

Brady and Brody have finally begun their school journey!  They are attending a local preschool three mornings a week and we are all very excited and enjoying the new experience.

A few days before the actual first day of school we had a preview day.  The boys got to try out all the game, toys, costumes, instruments, and scooters before the actual first day of school.  I could tell that they were going to be a little apprehensive about being at school alone but after a bit of time, they would love it.

Attending preschool has given us a view into the boys' personalities and relationship  (especially into the "twin" relationship) that I have not been able to witness at home.  First off, Brady was introduced to the concept that his full name is Bradyn---and he loves it!   Contrary to my exception that he would ask to be called Brady at school, he insists on being called Bradyn.  Upon hearing that Bradyn was his brother's full name, Brody immediately became sad and insisted that we call him Brodyn.  In keeping with this, when the boys were handed slips of paper with their names typed out for a name tracing exercise, Brody insisted that his teachers hand write an 'n' at the end of his name so that it would appear "correct".  I almost died of laughter when I pulled the slips of paper out of their bags and saw "Bradyn and Brodyn".  To take it one step further, Brody has also started calling Chris "Dadyn" and me "Momyn" to ensure that all of our names end in 'n'.  Next, it is amazing to me how inseparable the boys are at school.  Brady and Brody have such distinct personalities and really seem enjoy very different things at home.  Contrary to my expectation that they would gravitate to different actives during discovery time, they seem to want to stick together and play exclusively with each other.  Brady and Brody get sad when they do not get to eat snack at the same table and their teachers keep telling me that they keep encouraging them to play at different stations but the boys want to stick together.  In keeping with this idea, Brody has come home sad that other kids do not want to "play" with him.  When I mentioned this to his teachers she told me that Brady and Brody (like a lot of twins) play together in a more complex way that most 3 years olds and they cannot quite understand why other kids do not want to share and interact with them as intricately as their brother.  This too was a surprise to me because the boys seem to play really well with their twin and triplet friends but there may be more nonverbal (or mom) communication going on that I thought.  I'm sure this experience will force them to have to interact with their classmates in a different way than they are used to.  Last, I love how imaginative their play has gotten since going to school.  They come home with all sorts of different scenarios that they try to reenact with their own toys.  They have gone from building Magna-Tile towers for the sole purpose of knocking them down to building intricate cities and villages.  They are also really into collecting all of the pieces of every game and puzzle and storing them in their play house or random "treasure" boxes for "hiking" or "camping" trips.  It makes cleanup painful but it is so cute to see them applying new meaning to old toys.   I am looking forward to how these dynamics will change over this year as they continued to be exposed to new and more stimulating situations.

Summer 2015

I have neglected my updates so here comes a doozy, likely lacking in detail but as I have shamefully let the summer go by without blogging, I need to just get these pictures published and off my computer!  I know I will regret the length of this post when it comes time to putting together my "blog book", but here it goes!

We had a great summer. It started in the begining of June with a visit from Nana.  She came to help out while I had some minor surgery.  They boys hardly noticed I was in laying low while she was here! That had a ton of fun and we were so thankful she could come and help!

Over the 4th of July we headed to the beach and then road tripped down to SLO for a quick visit with our great friends the Hagobians.  We had so much fun seeing fireworks, going to the farm and playing at their house.  It was an easy and relaxing trip, we will certainly be back! One great memory from our trip was driving back home on the 4th of July.  We stopped in Monterey to play on the beach for a bit and strectch out our legs.  We left around 8 pm to drive north to our house and we managed to hit every single fireworks display up the peninsula. Everywhere you looked, either directly out the passenger windows or up into the distance, we were able to see fireworks.  It was magical and so special.  We partied like rockstars over the weekend, so hard in fact that the boys each had injuries that required a good soaking.  Play hard, recover hard, that's our motto!

We spent much of the summer participating in a wonderful "science camp" that was put together by my friend, Georgea.  She planed out the lessons and expeirments while we took turns hosting.  There were typically 9 kids in attendance and it was so much fun for moms and kids!  The boys really likes exploring the inner workings of structures, parachutes, pullies and balances, flow rates, chemical reactions, solutions, water dynamics and bubbles.  I jokingly coined it "do all the Pintrest actives you intended to do but likely was never actually going to do".  Thanks to Georgea, we got to experience them!

Next we headed to Colorado for Tina and  Patrick's wedding.  There were lots of family in attendandance and we had a great time.  We hung around Golden and Boulder, visited with family and partied hardy.  It was fantastic.  The boys loved the whole idea of a "wedding" which to them is a place to dance and party with the people they like the most (Nana, Auntie Ray Ray, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Sam, Aunt Lynn, Cousins Kyle and Chloe as well as new favorites such as Kate, Kelly, and Baby Hellen).  They partied like rockstars, tearing up the dance floor and staying in great spirits until about 10pm.  Chris and I made the strategic decision to take the boys home before they lost 'that loving feelin' and they were asleep before the party bus started its descent down the large hill towards our hotel. It was a terrific night and one they still talk about in great detail.

In Mid August we were lucky enough to have Granny and Papa come for a visit!  It was great fun to play and share some California sun with them.  We were having a heat wave so we used the opportunity to travel down to Monterey for the night.  We spent lots of time on the beach and even swam in the frigid water.  They got to visit the boys' pre-school a few days before school started and got a real feel for what we have been up (and will be up to) to on the West Coast. Chris and I escaped for several dates and that was lovely too.

Speaking of swimming, the boys took swim lessons this summer and gained some important skills. I am happy to say they love the water and are joyful swimmers.  It seems that their main motivation for learning to swim is to be able to get a snorkel mask and flippers... I am not sure where they got this yearning but I'll use whatever carrots I can to get them to become early swimmers!

In addition to lots of other fun outings, we have done a lot of bike riding this summer.  I love seeing the progression from being timid or slightly weak to being fearless and strong on their bikes.  It is almost getting to the point where I could run with then while riding.  That would be super fun (assuming I don't trip over one of them and meet my demise).

The rest of the summer, at least according to my Instagram account, was a montage of fun!  I'll be happy to remember it that way!

Brady and Brody v3.5

The B boys hit their half year milestone and I could not help but savor it.  There is something so nice about acknowledging all the advancements that happened in 6 months.  Maybe it is because their actual birthday is flanked by holidays and often feels like such a "busy" time of the year or maybe I am just overly sentimental in my advanced age....  whatever the case,  I feel like I can really savor the small moments when their half birthday comes around in June.

This year I decided to do a small interview, mainly because I think they are cute and will probably giggle when I reread their answers when I'm seventy (who am I kidding, I reread my blog posts at random all the time.  I will probably reread this next week!).
Here are the interview questions and answers from my special boys.

Brody Louis
1. What is your name? Brody
2. What is your favorite color? Blue
3. What is your favorite toy? blue airplane
4. What is your favorite fruit? Apples
5. What is your favorite TV show? Batman (though he has never seen that so I have no idea what he is talking about)
6. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? poop (thanks for that, son.  Dare I tell him he actually did eat poop, once?)
7. What is your favorite outfit? 'It’s outta here' baseball shirt (which is currently wearing)
8. What is your favorite game? Connect 4
9. What is your favorite snack? crunchy balls
10. What is your favorite animal? zebra
11. What is your favorite book? Look and find, Flash Gordan
12. Who is your best friend? D
13. What is your favorite thing to do outside? tricycles
14. What is your favorite holiday? no answer
15. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? kitty, ellie
16. What do you want to be when you grow up? hammer things
17. Where do you want to go on vacation? no answer
18. Who do you want to come over for a play date? Nana, Auntie ray ray and Tickle grandpa
19. Who do you love? Nana, Brady, Mommy, Auntie Ray Ray, Tickle grandpa, dad
20. What’s your favorite drink? lemonade (we recently made lemonade with lemons off our tree.  it was a big hit).  

Brady Oscar

1. What is your name? Brady
2. What is your favorite color? blue
3. What is your favorite toy? rocket ship
4. What is your favorite fruit? blueberries, because i like blue
5. What is your favorite TV show? Jake and the Neverland
6. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? milk
7. What is your favorite outfit? Brody’s blue shirt
8. What is your favorite game? connect 4
9. What is your favorite snack? sticky bar
10. What is your favorite animal? zebra
11. What is your favorite book? There's a monster at the end of this story
12. Who is your best friend? Brod (his nickname for Brody)
13. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play tickle
14. What is your favorite holiday? christmas
15. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Baby Dougie, Brody’s big bear
16. What do you want to be when you grow up? Mommy (this kid is so sweet to me)
17. Where do you want to go on vacation? the park
18. Who do you want to come over for a play date? Nana, Tickle grandpa, Auntie Ray Ray
19. Who do you love? YOU (and I cry)
20. What’s your favorite drink? lemonade

And here are some other funny sayings from these boys.

One afternoon I was dancing around the kitchen singing "you make me feel so young" in beat with the music and Brody comes in and says "But mom, you're not young".-- Thanks, kid.

One day I come into the bathroom and Brady asked to brush my hair but it was in a ponytail. I said "you can't brush my hair while it's in a ponytail" and he says "But Mom, you're not a pony you're a donkey".  --I wonder what he is really trying to say by this statement?

Brady says "I want to tell Nana about everything. We went to the beach and then home. The end". --We have unlimited calling these days, kid, take your time....

The morning we were leaving (bright and early) for a trip, Brody come running out of his room at 5 am, all smiles, saying  "I ready for my trip!".

Instead of the right words, my kids sing "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't feel like a nut".

Chris took the kids shopping for ingredients for a Mothers' Day Breakfast.  Brady came home excitedly saying "Mommy, we bought you flower at the grocery store. The blue kind. (then in a sad voice) But it's not organic". It's okay, Brady, we will survive.

"Mom, do you like tight hugs? I love tight hugs." Brody

In memory of our beloved Rocco

Movie and book characters like Lassie, Marley, Rin Tin Tin exist because some dogs have personalities so big that entire stories can be centered around them.  The same is true about our Rocco.  Rocco was a true companion and friend and the hole that has been left by his absence will never be filled.

Rocco was a founding member of the McLean family. Chris adopted Rocco from the humane society in 2007.  Rocco was in the lonely hearts club and had been at the Humane Society for some time.  The story goes that Chris met Rocco and one other dog but could not decided which to take home.  He figured he would leave to think about it and come back in to adopt one of the two.  As Chris was leaving he heard a distinct and persistent whine  (a trademark of Rocco's that he consistently and frequently used to get his way).  Once Chris heard that plea, he turned around and took Rocco home immediately.  There was no doubt in his mind that Rocco picked Chris just as much as Chris picked Rocco.  Based on Rocco's paperwork, he was three when Chris found him and he had been adopted two times before.  Chris promised Rocco that he would never have to go back to a cage again and that this would be his forever family.  

I met Rocco in 2008 when Chris and I started dating and we hit it off immediately.  He has alway treated me like his mom, coming to me for protection from baths and nail clippings if Chris was in charge but letting me care for his needs whenever I saw it necessary.  He was an incredible protector, alway guarding us and our house.  I ALWAY felt safe and secure when Rocco was around because I knew there was no way he would ever let anything happen to us.  I will really miss that safety and security.

Rocco sitting on my lap to evade a bath

Rocco had so many quirky habits and idiosyncrasies that made his so funny and special.  In the beginning of his life with Chris when the were just getting to know each other, Chris would wake up with Rocco (110lbs)  lying fully on top of him-smiling and panting in his face.  Rocco once noticed that Chris was going to be late so he picked up Chris's alarm clock and dropped it on the floor to get him out of bed.  When I was pregnant and throwing up all the time, Rocco started putting tennis balls in the toilet for reasons that I can only guess were that he saw me depositing something into the toilet on a daily basis so he thought he should too.  Once when my mom was staying with us to help me with the babies while Chris was out of town, Rocco awoke her from a deep sleep in the middle of the night to tell her that both boys were awake and I needed help.  In the time I have known him he has only pooped in the house once and when he did, he pooped right next to the toilet.  It was as if he tried to put it in the right place and since he could not, he got it as close as possible.  Chris and I always joked that he was raised by cats because after going #2, he always kicks dirt and grass with this hind legs as if he was a cat using the liter box.  This was especially insulting when we were picking up his poop with doggie bags because we would get pelted in the face with small stones.  Rocco once saved Adriane from a pack of wild coyotes in Arizona.  She had inadvertently run into a pack of coyotes hunting the same rabbit she was chasing and they surrounded her.  One bit her in the hindquarters and she was in trouble until Rocco came sprinting over the hill and chased off the entire pack to save his sister.  

Rocco loved to ride in the truck and go on adventures.  He has driven across the country through 16 states.  He has swam in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego and in the Bay area.  He has frolicked in snow in Flagstaff and Tahoe.   He swam in lake Michigan, lake Tahoe, and Echo Lake and has seen Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. He has been to the University of Michigan, Manitou Springs, and Sonoma.  We planned our vacations around Rocco's favorite actives.  We included him as much as possible and made sure he experienced as much of life as he could. One of Chris's great goals was to own a lakeside cabin where Rocco could go and swim whenever he wanted.  I am so sad we were not able to pull that together before died.

On our way to Papago park (you can see me and my mustang!) about to get engaged.  I'm sure Rocco knew but I did not.

The smiles I would get when Rocco was riding in my mustang with the top down are indescribable.  I t brought pure joy to everyone who saw us.

Manitou Springs

Night swimming in Lake Michigan

Scratching his back on the UM grass

University of Michigan

Sledding in Lake Tahoe

Sledding in Flagstaff

Top of Camelback, Christmas Day 2009

Rocco loved to swim. He did not know how to swim when Chris got him but after a couple of attempts teaching him, he quickly figured it out.  He loved to fetch balls in the water.  In Arizona he did this at a dog park that had a lake or in Tempe Town Lake (an illegal maneuver).  In California all of his swimming has been in the ocean and he LOVED it.  The cold water, endless space and waves were heaven for him.

Rocco loved that our pack grew bigger when Brady and Brody came along.  The relationship between Rocco and the boys can best be described by a U-shaped curve.  When the boys came home from the hospital, Rocco guarded them reverently; he was at their side 24/7.  Once the boys became mobile and unpredictable Rocco was more wary of them and gave them more space (but not too much space because he always wanted to be around Chris and I and since we were with the kids he closeby).  At some point Rocco figured out that the boys were going to be constant snacking machines and that he was privy to all of their food.  This coupled with Brady and Brody learning how to throw a ball improved their relationship back to one of love and mutual respect.  The icing on the cake was when the boys learned how to blow bubbles.  Rocco.loved.bubbles!

Part of me has always felt so selfish for not sharing Rocco and his abilities with the world.  He was incredibly smart.  He understood more english words than I could count and almost always answered us with a sing-song moan or a grunt when we asked him a question.  He was an amazing toy finder.  When he was younger we used to always bring him to PetSmart for a toy or treat.  Instead of grabbing toys from the bins on display, Rocco would pull with all his might and make us let him dig underneath the display units so he could retrieve the lost toys that were hiding under there.  When the employees saw him doing this they would always ask if they could hire him!  He had an incredible memory. If we took a toy away from him and placed it up high, he would guard that area around the toy for weeks and whine for it until he got it back.  He could fetch rocks.  Once we were someplace without a ball so we thew a rock for Rocco to retrieve.  The rock landed in a pile of other rocks and he managed to bring back the exact one that we thew.  We thought this was so amazing that we kept the rock!  He was persistent and his memory was incredible.  He did not mind cats, hatted most other dog, (except for Adriane) and loved all people, especially the ones that would pet him.

Rocco was ever present.  He was right with us at all times and can be seen in the background or foreground of so many pictures.  That was just his way; he wanted to be part of everything that we were doing. He was even there when Chris and I got engaged.  In fact, I was holding a bag of his poop right up until Chris was about to pop the question!

After reading everything I wrote about Rocco I am struck with the urge to delete it all for it does not even being to capture what an amazing creature he was.  I keep up with this blog because it serves as a family journal and photo album that I can refer back to to jog my memory when I begin to forget all the fun things that happens as life goes forward.  I'm afraid that no matter how well I try to capture the essence of Rocco, it will never do his memory justice.  It's not really what Rocco was per se but more how it felt to be around him and how utterly empty if feels without him.

He was Chris's best friend, probably his soul mate.  They had a bond that was indescribable.  Chris credits Rocco for readying him for husbandry and fatherhood.  He commiserated with Rocco over allergies and anxiety.  He talked to Rocco all the time and it is going to be very hard for him not to have that ear that was always tuned in for him.  They were sympatico.

Rocco did not show any signs of sickness until the very very end.  In fact, he was playing frisbee with Chris and the boys hours before he started showing us signs that something was not right.  In his last remaining hours, we showered him his favorite things: love, affection, food, and attention.  He was an incredible creature full of love and loyalty and protection. His passing is one of the saddest events of my life.  Rocco, we will love and miss you always.