Bye Bye Beckham

well... almost.

If you read this blog, there is a great chance you already know we found a GREAT couple that lives in Denver who will provide a loving home for Beckham.  You would think that would be the end of story.  You would be wrong.

It's my fault.  I may have gotten a teeny tiny bit emotional when he was leaving with his new owner.  I didn't cry or anything!  I was just really happy and relieved that he was going to a truly good home and would get so much more love and attention than we were able to give him.

So the new owner says she'll send me pictures of Beckham to show us his new home.  That's sweet, I thought, it would be nice to see where he is going and show Kyla where he is going to live now.

And she did.

End of day 1:

End of day 2:

Voicemail - I wish, wish, wish I knew how to put that on here for you to listen to, but I don't :(

"Hey Liz!  I was just letting you know Beckham and I had a great day, he's an awesome, awesome dog.

We're so happy!  Just wanted to let you know that by 10:30 this morning we had gone on a 30 min run, then we went to the farmers market, we walked there and hung out.  Umm, we just got back from the bark park, we went there again, just got back again because his friend he met there was there, we're gonna have meetings and get together.

Everything's great, he's great

gonna try to send pictures throughout the week

bye!

End of day 3:

email:

Beckham is doing great! We LOVE him! He is so well mannered and polite, people in town keep asking me where we got him.... I tell him from a wonderful family we met :) We have a routine where we walk to the bark park in the morning at 6 am and then again at 6pm. He has met so many dog friends! You were right about him being fine in the apartment without needing  a crate. I left him today for a couple of hours and came home to a perfect, happy dog! (no accidents or chewed cabinets haha) I think we bought out walmarts selection of toys! Our living room has become Beckham's play area where he has his own lounge bed and selection of sqeakies and bones. He went to the vet today and got updated on shots and a check up. He was very good! 

Talk to you soon !

Day 4, Recognizing that we are becoming fast BFF's, I send 3 pictures of Beckham from when he was a puppy:

Hey Liz, 

Thanks so much for the baby pictures!!!! He is adorable! He looks so different!!! Like a big poof ball HAHAH I can't wait to scrapbook them in a Beckham book ;) We love him sooo much, I really think he is the most perfect dog in the world.

Today, I think we hit our limit LOL We went to the bark park three times and a 40 minute walk downtown in between....I had to carry him home because he just stopped walking....ahahah poor little guy....... We made it home and he passed out in front of his doggie fan.

Talk to you soon!

Later in the day, day 4:

Hey Liz!

Here are some pictures over the last few days! He fell in LOVE with a small dog at the bark park.....he would lick her and follow her around like he was protecting her...it was sooo cute! He loves to people watch from the balcony.....we are right above a bus stop so he gets a lot of attention! He also really enjoys baths! When we get back from the bark park I just say....."Beckham bathtime and he runs into the bathroom ;)

So yeah, it's still day 4.  How fun is this??  I just wonder if she's trying to make me want him back??  Haha!  Not going to happen ; )

July News Update

We've had a more eventful than usual past few weeks, which is probably only 'slightly eventful' in normal peoples' lives.  This doesn't include Stephen, he's always busy, I wouldn't want you to think that he wasn't constantly busy.  

1.  Okay, so right after the 4th of July weekend my friend from college, Candice came into town and stayed at our house for a week!  Even though I visited Candice in D.C. in May, I still don't get to see her enough and was so sad to see her go : (  We also spent time with Julie Foster another friend from college (and high school for me) who also lives in C. Springs, but I don't get to see her enough either!  It was fun to get together almost every day and have dinner or get ice cream or hang out at Julie's house.  We went to the park, hung out at the mall, ate Chick-fil-A and went to the pool.  I'm afraid Candice's trip here was not nearly as amazing as my trip to D.C.  ; )  Welcome to my world, Candice ; )  Anyway, the real reason she came out in the first place was to meet up with her parents and sister.  They are biking across the United States for the school Candice's sister, Gwen, teaches at in Morocco!  You have to check out their blog, Gwen updates daily and posts a little slide show of each days' ride - amazing!!  They ride about 100 miles a day!  Since Candice was in school until the end of July and wan't able to start with them in the Pacific (literally), she met them here in Colorado so she could stop by for a visit first and leave with them after their rest day here.  Fortunately, for me, the team was running about two days behind so she got to stay longer than we had originally planned, yay!

Here they are packed up to drive to Pueblo where they picked up on their route across the country.  They left Kyla here ; )

As I am writing this, Kyla just said, "Doesn't Candice look cute??"  Haha!  I wonder if Kyla is saying that because she picked out Candice's outfit for that day?  Either way, Candice, you look totally cute!

2.  The lease on our townhome is up in August, this is always the scariest time of the year because if we can't turn the place around and get new renters we lose money, fast.  We were super fortunate that last year the guys living there wanted to resign the lease and stay another year, we were super UNfortunate that the guys, who started out so responsible have totally trashed the place.  It's not a huge deal, so far we have done a deep cleaning and repainted after every renter anyway... but this is on a different level.  Oh. my.  One of the guys wanted to stay another year while two moved out, but he couldn't find new roommates.  This is very good for us!  I listed the rental on several different websites and two days ago two different parties wanted to go see it.  No big deal?  No, we hadn't seen the place either.  So Stephen shows it to the people massive carpet stains, an empty liquor bottle collection to rival the world record, and *ahem* posters all. over. the walls included.  They both LOVED the place!  ?!?!?!?  One couple, a military family, called that night and wanted it!  We got the deposit yesterday and they move in the 1st of August.  Can you believe our place was considered well taken care of compared to the other places they saw??  Well, now we can breathe, but the second the guys move out we have a LOT of work to do, including NEW carpet.  The new renters are such a nice couple, the husband just returned from in year in Afghanistan and they are in love with the townhouse.  She literally wanted to stay there the night they saw it!  She loves the view, the trail by the house, the park and the brand new Kohls up the road.  I'm so happy that it is perfect for them! 

3.  Colby has been taking a few steps now for the past several weeks, but just within the last couple days he is walking more than crawling when possible.  Here's the video taken last night with Stephen's phone.

Hope you turned your sound way down, if not, I now know why 1.  Colby constantly says "what's that?"  and 2.  why Kyla loves to act like she's walking like a baby and cuts Colby off before he can get to us - attention hog!  ; )  So yes - Colby is 15 months old now and has redefined "late walker" for me  : D  Kyla was a late walker at exactly 14 months, but the first time she walked, she walked across the entire room, then back again and never really fell down much at all once she started.  This is not the case, as you can see, for Colby!  I remember being to anxious for Kyla to start walking but with Colby, not at all!  At this point it has been bit easier for me, over all, if he is not walking all over the place, looks like that might be changing!  He had his 15mo. appointment this week at weighs 21 lbs 6 oz. (13th %ile) so he's gone up from 5th %ile!    All that eating like a garbage disposal has paid off!

4.  Stephen and I are officially going to my friend, Shelby's wedding in August, and Kyla and Colby will officially be staying with Grandma and Grandpa!  It will be a 4 day/3 night adventure for all!  I'm excited and I think that everyone will have fun!

5.  I am looking for a flower girl dress for Kyla to wear in my sister Laura's wedding at the end of August.  Laura is feeling pretty... carefree about the entire event, so the options are almost endless, I even have like 6 colors to choose from!  Any great ideas??

4th of July Parade

Last year Stephen decided he wanted to put his business, RML (Rocky Mountain Landscaping) in the Monument parade.  Over a month ago we figured out how to enter and I went to the dollar store and bought everything we used on our float for $10!  I went back this week to get more but they were fresh out!  Good thing I stocked up early!  Since going to the Monument parade is a MAJOR tradition of my family's and because 99% of Stephen's clients are in the Tri-Lakes area we thought it would be fun.  Then about two weeks ago I started getting nervous and embarrassed and didn't want to do it anymore.  Oh well, I did it and didn't die!  I mostly avoided eye contact with the crowd 1.  because I didn't want to see anyone I knew and 2.  we ran severely low on candy and I couldn't face the crowd  ; )

Our float

Thank goodness my sister Sara was there early to help us set up and feed my kids donuts and bananas ; )

She was there so early, in fact, that she saved our place in line before we showed up!  I should also mention that she ran 4 miles from Palmer Lake just before the parade, way to go Sara!

Colby

Stephen and Colby

Hogan thought he was a rockstar.  I could write an entire post on how 1.  People love dogs more than kids.  2.  People love dogs more than America.  3.  People love dogs more than anything.  4.  People LOVE dogs with stars and stripes on their hair.  5.  People think it's abuse to put stars and stripes on dogs' hair.  6.  People are MUCH more concerned that dogs have shade and water than if kids have shade and water.  MUCH.

But I won't.

cousins Carson and Preston

Our friends Rob and Sarah came to help throw out candy and pump the up the crowd with their two girls Julianna and Claire

Kyla remembered that she got a toothbrush from the dentist last year so when we saw them in line Sara walked her down and asked for one.

Me, cousin Jack, Sara, Carson, Stephen, Kyla, Preston, Nini (Terri) and Colby

Jack

Colby waving the flag

Papa and Colby

'

Here we are!

Ready to wave and throw candy!

Rob, Stephen and Josh (who came with his wife Amy and their 3 kids!)

We were in front of the El Paso County Queen and the Kit Carson Riding Club Queen

(on horses)

Josh and Gideon.  Gideon loves John Deere tractors more than anything in the world.  He felt SO COOL that he got to drive the mower, he could have cared less that it was in a parade!

Sarah and Claire

Kyla waving to the crowd like a real princess

There were a LOT of people, the pictures absolutely do not show the overwhelming sea of people on either side of the street.  You know, this IS the second largest small town parade in America.  I KNOW!

The home stretch!  Definitely out of candy here ; )

I am SO glad the parade was on the 3rd this year so we can relax today and the kids can be well rested for fireworks tonight!!  Not to mention I would gladly celebrate Independence Day, my favorite holiday, for a week straight!


Oh!  AND Stephen's sister, Kelli, had her baby, Samuel Jefferson Hawkins on July 2nd!

Congratulations Kelli, Sean and new big brother Jack!