Jenna has to keep reminding me we are only 2 weeks into June. It already feels like summer is flying by us!
Close to home
Since we moved to our house when Noah was little it seems we always had something on the horizon that was going to make our location even better. We bought the house knowing Wagon Wheel was going to 4 lane and the road behind our house would no longer be the main east-west avenue for the north side of town. After a few years it seemed like it has always been that way with local traffic only. Several years back the Northwest Arkansas Greenway was announced. A lot of proposals later and then we found out it would literally run within half a mile of our house. Now the new East-West 412 bypass is under construction. It will run a few miles north of our us and should ease a lot of the traffic problems we have trying to get across town.
The bypass is still several months from completion but the main greenway is finished and now all the spurs are under construction. One of them recently completed. It's a new mountain bike trail with the trailhead a mile from our doorstep. Where the pavement ends though is a really cool bridge over Spring Creek with a deep pool at the end of some rapids. The kids like to play there but it's become Oliver's favorite spot. He chases fish and it's about the only place he'll just jump in and swim around. Plus it's absolutely beautiful. Did I mention it's right down the street?
He may be spoiled but...
...at least he's not allowed in our bed.
Oliver + Bee =
We actually don't know what bit/stung him but a quick trip to the emergency vet fixed it. Why does this never happen during our vet's hours?
Settling into spoiled
There are moments when a puppy is about the last thing you want to deal with at the end of a long day. Then there are these moments.
Sullivan's Oliver Duke
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. Helen Keller
This weekend was pretty great. We have been shopping for a new puppy for awhile. We've talked about it as a family. We've talked names and we've talked breeds. Jenna and I were finally set on either a Brittany or an Aussie. Looking for local breeders we found a good Brittany breeder not too far away, Valley M Gundogs. I contacted the owner and got a good feel about him and his pups. At this time he had a litter just born so it would be awhile before they were ready.
We really wanted it to be a surprise for the kids at Christmas but the breeder sent us a picture at 4 weeks old that melted our hearts. To sum up an epic negotiation, we went to visit last week, just Jenna and I. He had two from the litter left to choose from and we fell in love with both.
We took pictures while we were there and that night we played a game with the kids looking at pictures of dogs on the internet. "Do you like this one or this one?" We snuck in the a picture of the two puppies and they both chose the same one.
So Saturday afternoon, the kids were told we were going spelunking at at private cave south of Fayetteville. We drove up to Valley M and told them they needed something extra for this adventure.
Obviously they were crazy beside themselves. It's funny how the name came to be. We have talked for a long time about a dog and we've had the conversations with them. We were all agreed we like the names Rex, Ollie, and Duke. Jenna wasn't crazy about Ollie but she liked Oliver with Ollie as a nickname. So Rex, Oliver, and Duke were all on the table without any real resolution. Then BAM, it's time to get a puppy and the only word that comes out of their mouths was Oliver. Go figure.
So we drive up to the house and this follows.
How timid they were in the beginning was pretty comical but they warmed up quick. The ride home was crazy. He was everywhere but there was no way he wasn't going to be in the back seat with them. Finally Jenna had to get back there to bring some calm to the madness.
We took him to PetSmart and lavished him with everything a puppy could need or want. Noah read to us that night from his new Brittany book. It was a pretty awesome day.
Oliver settled in easy. He has zero fear of his crate and mastered the doggy door on his second day. I've been nominated as full time night watchman but that's okay because Jenna wakes up an hour before me so she has to deal with hyper-Ollie :)
The kids? Well the kids are in love. We all are.
