Saying goodbye to our puppies

Last week it was time for the puppies to go to their new homes. All the homes were found through the breed club so we didn't have to do any advertising and the prospective owners were all known to the club secretary. We then invited the families to come and visit their puppy once they had turned 7 weeks and this gave us an opportunity to meet them and talk through care of the puppies and issues such as feeding a couple of weeks ahead of the puppies actually leaving. The children also found it easier once they had met the new owners and saw how loved the puppies were going to be.
We then had a major paperwork session writing contracts, advice sheets, feeding plans etc and organising all the papers from the vets and kennel club. It was a big project but luckily we have a couple of girls who are a whiz on the computer...

What we can't get over is how we went from this....

to this....

 in the space of 9 short weeks!

Fortunately we are keeping this lovely boy as there is no way we could have said goodbye to all of them. All in all it has been an amazing experience and the guys have learnt so much and met lots of new people, all of whom share our love of this wonderful breed.
If you would like even more of a puppy fix Anna has also put more photos here.

Paradigms

This was the view out of our window this morning.

In true adult style my first thought was 'Ugh, fog, winters coming'.
Paradoxically, the children then got up and with a shout of 'Wow fog, come on guys before we miss it', threw on wellies and coats and ran outside.

Reflecting on this later, it brought home to me again how so much of how we experience life depends on our attitude. Change your paradigm and you can change your life.

The children embraced the foggy morning.
Thank you guys.

Early mornings

It's been a manic weekend. The puppies are getting very busy, we've had three sets of new owners visit and we were also minding Skye, an assistance dog we fostered as a puppy. Sleep is a rare commodity at the minute as the puppies need their last feed late in the evening and then start calling for breakfast sometime around six in the morning. Having helped with the puppies I then found myself walking Skye at around 7.30 each morning.

I am not a morning person but having made the effort to get up early I am always so glad that I did. There is something about being out in the very early morning, with the light on the mountains, that is uniquely uplifting. Somehow then, whatever the day throws at me, I'm better able to handle it.

Study resumes.

As it's now September we decided, (ok, I decided!), that we ought to resume a bit of a study habit after our free flowing summer. A few weeks ago Justin adapted our work table to make 6 individual study carrels and now on weekday mornings, after their chores, the guys settle down at their desks to do some work.

However, there is still a lot of puppy loving to be done....

They are so much fun now.

We are making the most of our last week or so with these 6 beautiful bundles,

and worrying a little about letting them go...

Although we do get to keep this wonderful boy...

It's been an amazing experience for us all,

 so we'll worry about just how much studying gets done another time.

Eoin turns 8

My beautiful boy turned 8!
I remember the moment the ultrasonographer told us we were expecting a boy!
At 6 weeks old he was pale, fretful, obviously in pain and losing weight. I still well up when I see pictures of him from that period. Various diagnoses were suggested, including cystic fibrosis, and he was admitted to hospital . 24 hours later he was diagnosed with severe, silent reflux and was started on medication. He remained medicated for the next 10 months, threw up constantly and continued to be painfully thin, but was okay. He is now smaller than his siblings but he is well and for that we are thankful.
He and his brother bring balance to our family. I would not be the mother I am without the experience and challenges of raising boys as well as girls. We hope too that being raised together, the girls will have a better understanding of boys and visa versa. Our family is busy, noisy, chaotic and wonderful.

Each day I am in awe of the blessings in my life.

Puppy update

 Our puppies are now 5 weeks old and growing at a rate of knots. This weekend we moved them out of the whelping box and into a pen in the living room so they have more space and are in a busier part of the house for socialising. We also take them into the garden for short periods which they love.

Berry

Candy

Sky

Chocolate

Lime

Fuchsia

All adorable!

Cousins Visit

The last couple of weeks we have had cousins visiting from England, first my brother and his family, then Justin's brother with his family. This has given a chance for the children to catch up with their cousins and some friends who were visiting with them.
We have been fortunate with the weather so they have been able to play outside most of the time, always good with a big crowd!

For most of the time the guys had a ball. There were inevitably a few differences of opinion or occasionally a child felt left out of the group but all in all they got along fine. Our lot are a pretty close pack, rarely seeking extra's to join in, so it was good for them to be part of a larger circle and to make the various relationships and different dynamics work. With the children playing Justin and I also had time to linger over the odd cup of tea with our brothers and sister-in-laws. Good times.