Monday, January 25, 2016

Family Yearbook 2015

We finished our 2nd Family Yearbook and since most of our blog readers live out of town I thought I'd post a link to it here so you can see it. It highlights so many things that we did throughout the year. Maeve loves looking through them which makes Eric a little nervous because we only have 1 copy of the book and unfortunately we can't save it electronically. She loves looking at pictures as much as her mom does!!

Link to Family Yearbook

Enjoy :)

Friday, January 15, 2016

Memories of Sadie

1 week ago we lost Sadie and after Dad/Ed wrote such a nice eulogy, we thought we better compile some of our fondest memories before we forgot about them!

Here's some things she loved and we loved about her:





  • Coaxing her to eat by rewarding her with a "w" or walk

  • Loved belly rubs and running off the deck

  • Pawing everyone for attention

  • Loved her first toy from Aunt Anne - a duck

  • Galloping around the house when she knew she was going for a walk - she looked like a puppy again

  • Treats from Maeve - check out this video here 

  • Loved sitting behind Maeve's nursery chair - so protective!

  • The winter booties that we made her try on and she walked like a horse and they fell off right away after taking 20 min to put them on - check out this video here 
Some typical (or maybe not so typical) dog pleasures:
  • Eating the whole package of cooked bacon at Thanksgiving when Eric was busy preparing the other food

  • Eating the ham at the cabin and leaving the wrapper

  • Sitting on the red couch and snoring loudly - check out the video.

  • Licking the deck near the grill

  • Didn't bark that much - only when the gate or a door moved that she didn't like

  • Eating Kate's warm gloves at the cabin - that's the only thing she every destroyed besides her first stuffed animal that she eventually got the stuffing out of

  • Getting food off the baby's tray - check out these videos here  Sadie licking food tray and Maeve feeding Sadie.
Things she hated:
  • Hated football and loud yelling

  • Not taking pictures very well - only for Aunt Anne

  • Wouldn't fetch

  • Didn't like the water

  • Hated thunderstorms - hid under and behind the bed

  • Scared of the toaster
Some things that scared us:
  • She ran away when Eric had a lot of people over working on the house. Our neighbors found her but she was probably missing for 30 minutes

  • Getting her face caught in the window on the first day we got her - we rolled down the window too much and thought she was going to jump out so we rolled it back up and scared her. She wasn't a very good rider in the car 

Ragom, Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota, the rescue organization where we got Sadie posted a tribute of her on their website. Here is background information about their Rainbow Bridge memorials.

"Just this side of Heaven is a place called the Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together. . ."

Here is Sadie's specific memorial (Sadie's Rainbow Bridge Memorial) where you'll see the posts from pre-adoption and then the write-up that Eric submitted along with pictures. The first person that fostered Sadie was actually our grad school friend Stephanie's mother-in-law. When we adopted Sadie it was funny to put it together that our friends had already met Sadie. Unfortunately Sadie didn't get along well enough with the resident Basset Hound and puppy so another foster mom took her in and that's where we went to meet Sadie in June of 2012.

We will miss her dearly!

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Sadie K - our dog angel

Yesterday we had to say goodbye suddenly to our 11 1/2 year old Golden Retriever, Sadie. Sadie ended up developing bloat last night (literally came on last night after work), essentially a twisting of the stomach.  Given her age, we did not feel the emergency surgery was appropriate given the potential risks.  It is always tough, but extra tough when it happens so suddenly.

She lived a great dog life over the past 3 1/2 years since we've rescued her. She loved sleeping on our red couch, playing outside, going for walks, and eating ice cream. She was such a wonderful pet and brought so much joy to our lives. When we welcomed Maeve to our family a little over 2 years ago, we couldn't have been more pleased with how Sadie treated her. She was always gentle even as Maeve grew into the toddler years.

Trying to explain to a 2 year old that Sadie is gone is hard. She's asked about her all day and thinks she is outside (since that's the last place that she saw her last night) but we told her that she died and isn't coming back but that we will always be able to see her in pictures. Our pictures are our memories and even though Maeve won't remember Sadie when she's older, Eric and I will always remember the special bond that we shared with Sadie and that Sadie had with Maeve.

Sadie Kirchner

8-20-04 to 1-8-16

"Love is being owned by a Golden Retriever"

















Friday, January 1, 2016

Unexpected New Year's Eve Guests

We had unexpected guests for the week after Christmas this year. Grandma and Grandpa Edmonds were on their way back to Chicago from Boise and their plane got diverted to Minneapolis. After a 10+ hour ordeal at the airport including 3 hours on hold on the phone, 3 hours on the tarmac, 3 hours flying, and 3 hours in line, their flight was officially cancelled and they couldn't be rebooked until Friday (4 days later!). We enjoyed having them here. We finished our house projects that we planned to do and putting away our Christmas decorations with some extra help. Maeve stayed home from daycare for 2 extra days to play with Grandma and Grandpa.

Our big news this week was Maeve's transition to her big girl room. We're using the furniture that Grandma Brigid and Aunt Anne grew up with. We added a reading nook and Maeve has done great so far. She woke up 3 times the first night but only once the last two nights. She hasn't attempted to get out of the bed just yet. She also enjoyed a 2 hour nap in her bed yesterday so we'll consider all of that a success!

On New Year's Eve, we rescheduled time with some friends to make pizzas at home with Grandma and Grandpa. I (once again) failed to get my pizza off the pizza peel and onto the pizza stone to cook so I made a calzone. Maeve enjoyed helping toss the dough and put the toppings on her pizza - most of which made it in her mouth before getting on the pizza! We also picked up our favorite treats - puppy tail cinnamon rolls - from Isle Bun and Coffee and Maeve tried a few bites. She preferred "more fruit" over any pizza or sweets.

Here's a video of some of the action -


Our unexpected but wonderful guests left this morning and are hoping to be home in time for ND vs Ohio State in the bowl game.