“Good night Sadie.”

That’s what Everett is saying at the window looking out to our backyard as he moves around the house, saying good night to everyone and everything.

Our dog Sadie is buried out there, in a spot soon to be marked by a new bee hive for Harrison.

We all worked on digging the grave just a couple of hours before, even Everett. Especially Everett. He’s a tenacious little bug when he has a mission.

As a family we talked to her, stroked her back and cried as she was given the final injection.

And now, as we float around the house—sad, relieved, and in shock—together as a family we say “Good night Sadie”.

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We promised Harrison a new room in time for his birthday. It seemed plausible at the time.

So, when I’m not working or otherwise in-charge of someone or something, I’m working on the house. It’s quite a sense of accomplishment when some part of the project reaches a milestone. It’s also incredibly overwhelming to think about what still has to happen.

For those of you asking why I haven’t been posting, this is my excuse. I will begin posting on a regular schedule soon—I promise.

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halfway-there

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Life is good. At least that is the feeling I’m left with. This morning when I dropped off the kids at school I happened to see Harrison holding the door open for a woman and child at school. He had to wait for them since they were nowhere near the door when he first saw [...]

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This is the Year

Sadie & Dakota in 2000

I expect a lot of good things to happen this year: we’ll finish the addition to our house, Everett will finish with preschool, Oliver will come out of first grade a voracious reader and enthusiastic artist, Harrison will successfully compete in school-league soccer. I also expect some bad things: our property value will continue to [...]

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Entering The Wizarding Age

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This morning I found Oliver sitting on his bed looking very confused. “Did I dream?” he asked. “It looks like you did. Do you remember what was in the dream?” He thinks for a moment. “I was learning to use a wand. How to cast spells. The right way to move….,” and he trailed off, [...]

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