Collin at 3 months

In Memory of Our Beloved Skipper

Last night we lost our dog Skipper to a horrible accident involving two neighborhood dogs. We tried to save him but the internal injuries were so extensive we had to put him to sleep. Anyone who knows us, also knows that our dogs are like our children so this was a very difficult experience and we are trying to be grateful for all the blessings we have as we face this trial.

Skipper has been a part of our lives for the past 4 1/2 years since we rescued him as a stray. He has brought us so much joy and we are going to miss him dearly. So many of his daily rituals are going to be missed. Below, a reminder of the sweet, loving dog that we have truly enjoyed.

This was Skipper when we first got him.

The one thing Skipper was known for most was how cuddly he was. He loved to snuggle!

Mark and Skipper were buddies. Most of Skippers days were spent laying in a dog bed under the desk in Mark's office. Almost every morning Mark and Skipper would snuggle in bed before getting up. The other dogs would get up when I did but not Skipper, he would wait until Mark was ready to get up. He would always run downstairs and I would know that Mark was getting out of bed and hopping in the shower.

Do they get much mellower than this? If he was being held, Skipper was in heaven.

He loved laying in the sun. If we hadn't seen Skipper in a little while, we would often find him laying in the back yard sunbathing.

Skipper was also known for his sweaters. He loved the wintertime. Skipper came to us just before Christmas, he was like a gift.

We feel very blessed to have had skipper as part of our family.

Mother's Day

So this will be my first year to celebrate Mother's Day. A couple days ago I got a card in the mail from Collin! It was really sweet (written by my mom of course) and I got a surprise yesterday from my thoughtful adopted grandpa (the flowers above). They are beautiful, thank you John! This is the start of a special holiday.

Newest Photos of Collin

After his bath last night. Trying to stick his fist in his mouth.

Tummy time yesterday afternoon.

Dad took a quick brake from the office to give his boy some words of encouragement, "You can lift your head Collin, good job!"

A little tired...that was hard work.

Our First DBacks Game as a Family!

You've heard of the 7th inning stretch but are you familiar with the 4th inning nap?

Aah! Their first sports moment together!

This Friday game had fireworks at the end and Collin was in aw!!

Our New Friend

The last couple weeks we have participated in our friend, Holly's missionary discussions and her baptism last Saturday. This has been a great experience.

Mark baptised Holly and I was privileged to give the talk on the Holy Ghost.