may good times be the jingle in your pocket

And time will tell your story 

and we'll listen once again 

Your song will have its moment 

Leave a sign on the forehead of a friend 

-Joe Wise

Our little boy is not so little anymore.  This picture is his first experience with a peanut butter filled Kong.  Clearly he loves it!

Brutus got to meet Great Aunt Buffy this past week.  She was a little wary at first.  After all, she is a very spoiled pup (as it should be) and had to make sure that Daddy wasn't going anywhere.

Brutus loved his Opa!  This moment was one I have been waiting for.  It is tradition to take a new puppy over to Grandmama & Opa's and I am so glad we got the chance to take our puppy over.

He even got to go inside to visit his Grandmama.  They were sweet together.

He explored the kitchen for a few minutes.

And then it was back outside.  He loved the big yard.  He and Daddy played ball while Buffy watched.  She was still a little curious about the little intruder.

Then Brutus and Buffy decided to play!

Buffy loved chewing sticks with Brutus...

And playing tug-of-war...

Then Buffy decided Brutus needed a babysitter, and she wasn't the one to do it.  Brutus loves his Grandmama & Opa.  The visit was a great one.

Aaron and I had the honor of hosting Eric & Ashleigh's engagement party on Friday.  Brutus helped Daddy grill the burgers and brats.  Soon after the guests started arriving and the party started.  We had lots of food (provided with the help of the guests) and toasted to the soon-to-be newlyweds.

I tried out some new pie-making skills.  Notice the B in the center of the apple pie for Bouselli; the last name of the groom.  Ashleigh was simply glowing.

Eric was happy there was lots of apple pie.  It happens to be one of his favorites. (Yep, the bride let me know in advance.)

Brutus made friends with Ashleigh.  They had many cute moments throughout the night.

Ashleigh and Eric were sweet enough to bring Aaron and I a housewarming gift.  There were two bottles of wine and even a toy for Brutus.  He was already making good use of it at the party.  It is still one of his favorites.

Cutting the...pie...?

Yes, I know, I couldn't help myself.  They needed a practice run, right?

The bottles of wine they brought both had really cute labels.  This is one of them.  I thought it was appropriate for the evening's festivities and for my upcoming anniversary.  The night went very late and ended with a trip to the bar down the street.  Brutus was even awake late, he went on a very energetic walk to see everyone off to drinks.  The party was a success and we could not have been happier to host it.

And then it was back to life as usual.  Brutus has been exploring his new home more and more.  He enjoys hanging out in the kitchen.

Jill and Jordan came to visit Brutus.  I could not stop taking pictures, Brutus thought Jordan was another puppy and Jordan could not stop giggling while he chased her around.

Jordan was cute as can be in the sunset.

She was loving New Town.

Mommy Daughter pic.

Uncle Aaron even got in on the action.

Aaron got Brutus to calm down a little and then Jordan decided to "pat" him.  It was adorable.

Jordan insisted she was Rapunzel all evening.

Uncle Aaron and Jordan got to discuss some serious topics; like her flip flops and which stuffed animal she wanted to play with when she got home.

Brutus has gotten very curious.  He perches on the couch whenever Mommy or Daddy are doing anything in the kitchen.

On Sunday, my beautiful sister Cassandra Jeanne Anastasia Delicath graduated from eighth grade at The Academy of the Sacred Heart.

She received her diploma.

And her alumna certificate.  She is now an Academy alum, just like her sissy and brother and lots of relatives before her.

After Graduation, she participated in the Academy's traditional Maypole dance.

She looked beautiful.

And she didn't miss a step.

I could not have been more proud to call her my sister.

Not to mention how grown up she looked.

Time really flies.  I still remember when she was born and I got to wear an out-of-uniform "I'm A Big Sister!" t-shirt to school the next day.  I was so excited to have a baby sister.  Now she isn't so much of a baby anymore.  I am so proud and excited for her to continue on at Villa.  She is the best little sister in the world.

Brutus got bigger too!  He is really growing fast, as is his curiosity.

This is the second bottle of wine Ashleigh and Eric gave us.  It is a particular favorite:)

I have been spending most of my break from school enjoying time with my two favorite boys.

One of them refuses to stop growing and the other is just so darn spoiled.

I am excited to take this picture in a month and see the difference in how big Brutus is.  Aaron and I love our little boy.  It is a joy to care for him, train him, play with him, and cuddle him.

It is also fun to introduce him to everyone in the family.  He got to have some playtime with Uncle Tad yesterday.

Tad is really just a giant puppy to him.

Tad tried to steal Brutus' bed.  Brutus wasn't having that.  Tad stayed for dinner and a movie.  It is so nice to have him over to our place to hang out and Brutus loves playing with him.  I am so lucky to have such an amazing family!

Well, I can tell you that being a puppy momma has caused me to take 5Xs as many pictures and has pushed my average wake up time to 7 or 8 AM.  Ah, the life of a parent.  And so, I will leave you with this picture of a tired pup because this tired puppy momma is going to kick back and relax with my hubby.  Goodnight all.  Happy Memorial Day weekend!  Let us all remember all those men and women who have and still fight hard for our freedom.

Our Little Boy

When you feel lousy, puppy therapy is indicated.

-Sara Paretsky

It's official!  We are puppy parents!  We brought home Brutus Norman Weir on May 16th!

We got up at 5:30 in the morning (bleh!) to drive 3 hours away to Canton, IL to pick him up from the breeders.  The Chapai's are a lovely family who breeds Boxers, we could not have been more lucky to have had Brutus spend his first weeks with such a loving, caring, responsible family.  They even started his potty training and called him by his name for a few weeks.  We got there, put his adorable new collar on him, and we were on our way.

Yes, that is a picture of our little boy howling.  He spent the first half hour trying to figure out how to escape back to his mommy and his little sister.  My heart was breaking for him, but I knew that Aaron and I were his new parents and that he was going to be the most spoiled pup in the world.  

And then he was asleep.  This is a continuing trend (as a matter of fact as I write this he is asleep in his bed) that he gets very energetic and then crashes.  Isn't he adorable with his snugga wubba.  He slept for most of the drive like this.

We had to stop for a potty break and we got some playtime in too!

Cuddling with Daddy!

Classic picture of my two favorite boys.  Brutus loved watching daddy drive.

Once we got home, Brutus wanted to explore his new home.  We went down to the lake, a few feet form our house, and he enjoyed looking out on the water.

There were lots of new things.  Including his first meeting with Aunt Cassie.

And his Papa.  My Dad LOVED Brutus, even though he claimed not to like dogs with short tails.  Brutus loved when he got down on the grass with him.  It was definitely a Kodak moment when they were playing on the grass together for the first time.

Daddy got lots of kisses.  Mommy was jealous...

Actually, I loved that they were bonding so well.  They were enjoying the view together.

He loves his fluffy bed.  Aaron was worried it was too comfortable compared to his crate and he wouldn't like sleeping in his crate.  Ends up that he likes his crate too.  A tip for any new puppy parent who is crate training:  Have your pup eat his meals in his crate.  You don't have to shut the door, but making the crate a positive environment helps the dog realize that it is their space and it is not a negative experience to be in his (or her) crate.  BUT be prepared for a few sleepless nights.  Brutus cried for a full hour before sleeping for six hours the first night.  We are proud parents, though, he is down to ten minutes.  However, he doesn't sleep all the way through the night.  He lets us know when he needs to potty around 1AM and then again at about 5AM.

We allow Brutus on the couch, and he loves sleeping on the blanket Mommy made Daddy for his birthday.

After we had been home for a few hours, Daddy played puppysitter while I went to Villa's Maypole.  My beautiful cousin Sydney graduated from Villa last Sunday (I am so proud!  It is my alma mater too!) and I was so grateful to see her perform in the traditional Maypole dance.  He white dress was beautiful.  She looked like such a grown-up.  There have already been some tears about how much of an adult woman she has become.  Family members can probably guess who those tears came from...

That night Brutus met his Grammy.  He sure loves her.  He was cuddling with he like crazy.  It was adorable.  She is so proud of her little grand-puppy.

The next day Brutus took his first trip to the vet!  We brought along his favorite toy.  He needed some comfort from Daddy at first.

He got over his fear quickly upon meeting our family vet Dr. Mike.  They even posed for a picture.  We'll see how Brutus does next week during his first round of shots.

Brutus took us on a little detour before returning home.  We passed by a firehouse and he got to meet a real live fireman.  It was a special experience and the firefighters were very generous and caring.  They even had a water bowl out for the neighborhood dogs.

And then it was time to meet Penny.  Honestly, I was nervous.  Penny is my sweetheart and I was worried that after moving, once she found out that Aaron and I had gotten our own puppy she would be very upset.  She was tentative at first.  She went to my Mom for protection at first.

And then she did this.  It was playtime!  She was so sweet and loving.

She pawed at him and pounced around him.  She did step on his paw at one point and I have never seen her jump that high to get off of him.  It made me want to cry that the pup that I grew up with, who holds a really special place in my heart take on a Grandma role with my brand new baby.  She was better than I ever could have hoped.

Marely met Brutus too.  He acted scared and was drooling like crazy.  He ended up going inside shortly after the introduction.  I don't think he's used to dogs who are smaller than him.

Puppy kisses.

Brutus even got to meet the neighbors.  We love the Kulmas and we were so happy they were home so they could meet the newest addition to our family.

My hubby was very happy to have his favorite dinner, Stuffed Shells, that night.  He was also very happy to have a pup who doesn't beg for food at the table.

Mommy was tired...so was little boy.

I was very excited that Sydney came over to visit her new little cousin the next day.  We had lunch and talked graduation and college.  She got some cuddle time in too.

He was a sleepy boy.

Not for long though.  Right around the time Daddy was leaving to come home from work he woke up and decided he wanted to play.

And then he crashed again.

I just want to thank God for giving Aaron and I this perfect puppy.  He is such a joy to have and is so well-behaved.  He hasn't even pottied in the house.  We are so blessed and so lucky to have him as our own.

I don't think I have ever taken so many pictures before.  He is always doing something cute.  Even when he is just sleeping.

We are lucky to have such a sweet pup.

Welcome Home Brutus!  Mommy and Daddy love you so much and we will spoil and love you for the rest of your life.