Last week our family said a tearful goodbye to the sweetest dog ever. Our poor Lottie suffered from a brain disease, seizures, and multiple orthopedic disorders, and that’s just scratching the surface of her problems. Having loved this dog as much as we did, and having lost one of our bunnies over the summer, I was concerned about how the kids would hold up when her time came. However, I was the one who sobbed and sobbed when she passed. Yep, me. The mom. (We each cried. Mine was the ugly kind.) Despite the numerous pains and discomforts she experienced on a daily basis, our Lottie girl loved and protected our family fiercely. Joel and I never worried about the kids when Lottie was ... Read more

Our family has two dogs, two bunnies, and a leased horse (and would totally add a cat if one of my kids wasn’t allergic). Our newest pet—a puppy we gave Incredi-Boy for a very special milestone—joined the family this summer! If you have pets, you know all too well that pet care is one of the many works of our hands in any given day, and this new puppy has kept our hands quite busy! Meet Barney. I know, he looks pretty adorable, doesn’t he? Well, I have another name for him: The DESTROYER. If you can just look past the beautiful chocolate coat and those mesmerizing eyes, you’ll notice a plant hanging out of his mouth. That plant was just one of MANY he has dug up from my yard. I don’t know ... Read more