Are We Friends Now?

So Dora and Copper have been having a "ruff" few weeks as they've had to adjust to getting to know each other and learn to live together peacefully. They have been playing well but struggle in the mornings because Copper isn't used to playing at 5 in the morning like Dora is. He's 9 and she's going on 3 months...they obviously struggle with sleep schedules. On Saturday before we headed out for a family outing, Richard and I were sitting on the living room floor playing with Dora and watching a movie while Copper took a nap on the sofa. After a few minutes, Dora wanted on the sofa too. She was kind of tuckered so I thought it wouldn't be a big deal if I put her on the opposite end and made sure she stayed away from Copper. If Copper has one rule in the house its not to bother him when he is asleep. I put her on the sofa and went back to watching the movie. A few minutes later when I went to check on Dora I found her laying next to Copper curled up and ready to fall asleep. I proceeded to watch and captured the following pictures. After watching this, we know they are finally forever buddies. I love my dogs!

Dora, wondering if Copper will notice...

Ogden BBQ Contest...

What started out as a friendly family BBQ cook off ended up being just another fun loving family BBQ! Richard decided he wanted to have a BBQ cook off with his family. He planned a night at his sisters where everyone could gather and cook an item to share. There was a ton of amazing food. We had three BBQ grills, several dutch ovens and a smoker all busy cooking delicious food. We ate and savored the flavors of dutch oven baked bread, dutch oven potatoes, different choices of grilled chicken and steak, smoked sausage in three flavors, Mexican salsa, green salad, baked beans and even hot dogs for the kids with picky tastes or just happened to love hot dogs. The adults gathered around visiting and the children played on the slip and slide. We had a wonderful time! What started out as a competition of sorts ended with us just spending an amazing night together...the competition never took place. WE ALL WON!

Richard setting up the table and Emmy wishing the food was ready
Sabrina and Abi playing with the camera

Karen, John and Suzanne preparing plates

smoked sausage...yummy

the SWEETEST steak in Utah

Grilled chicken in a Soy Sauce and Sprite marinade

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Richard and I were able to spend some time this summer serving at the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple Open House. While Richard worked security and spent late nights cleaning the temple I had the opportunity to serve inside directing people to various places. One of my favorite locations was at the top of the double staircase just outside the Celestial Room. My favorite time was on a Monday night after the last guests had vacated the building. Our group was allowed to explore the temple and visit all the rooms on our own. It was the most amazing night of my life and I knew then that this was MY temple; a place I want to always make time for. On Thursday, August 6, 2009, I was set apart as an ordinance worker by the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple President. It was a beautiful blessing and I am thankful for the opportunity to serve. Today, August 21, 2009, Richard and I attended the first of nine dedicatory sessions. We sat in a room just down the hall from the Prophet. We laughed at his jokes and became teary eyed during the dedicatory prayer. It was another amazing moment in our lives and we will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be present as this wonderful building was dedicated. We truly are a blessed people...never forget that!

Dora's First Shots

We took Dora to Cottonwood Animal Hospital this week to start her series of shots. We decided it would be best to start them over, because the breeder couldn't give us any specific information and it seemed unlikely that they even had any completed. Dora now weighs 6 pounds 10 ounces! She's eating well, playing hard, getting along better with Copper and mastering the doggy door. Here are some pictures of our adventure...Here is Dora hanging out next to Richard in the exam room while waiting for Dr. CarpenterCopper came along for moral support!

Dora decided the wait was too long and took a nap. She's sooooo cute!

This is Dora getting a shot-they distracted her by giving her treats. She didn't feel a thing.

This is Dora with Dr. Carpenter...we love her and think she's the best Vet in the world!

We are hoping to have her completely potty trained soon. It started out great and then turned south this past week. Now that she understands she can get in and out of the house on her own-we hope to speed things up. I hope to have a video to post soon-she's fun to watch play!

It's A Girl!!!

Look, everyone jumps the gun at some point in their life. In our attempts to make things normal we sometimes just don't think things through, right? Or is it just me? Well, whatever it is you do or don't do in your life, jumping the gun was the case with me when only two weeks after the death of Macy, I went out to "look" at some beagle pups in an attempt to bring normalcy back to our home. I really only wanted to "look"-but looking can be hard when they're just so darn cute and cuddly. And what about our attempt at normalcy? It's anything but that! Our nights are now filled with potty training and our days our filled with potty training and avoiding this puppy's new teeth. Copper, now known as, "the other dog" doesn't like her much and never misses a chance to let her know. Richard spent the first few days telling me she was "my dog" which translates into: I'm not helping with any of the training! It's been a little overwhelming-but...I'm blessed with a wonderful ward family! More than one person has offered to come into our home twice a day to play and help potty train my little girl. She's not stressed, we're not stressed and the transition is starting to become easier for everyone. Although, the tension still exists with Copper, our Vet said it will be just a few more weeks before they're the best of friends. She says that, Dora (Richard named her) will make a great addition to our family! I think so too and hope to keep you updated on our progress. Little Dora was born June 2, 2009 and currently weighs only 5 pounds! I love her!

Dora likes to sleep on her back...
she also likes to snuggle with her blanket!