Beautiful Day

Lars had a friend stay over last night. It is so nice to see how they play. They are 11 and 12 years old both of them are in middle school. What I love about it is that they actually still play. We have a field near our home with a small wooded area they and other boys from the area play all through there. They both take their Nerf weapons out and have many battles all through the woods and field. I was happy that they were able to take the battles outside and out of my living room. :) It hit about 60 today but now it is pouring rain and it seems I also hear hail. So I am glad that they were able to play outside while the nice weather lasted.
I think that at the middle school level can be a real challenge for kids so I am thrilled that there are times when Lars can step away from all that and just have fun. We are truly blessed to live where we do, that there are boys to play with, and that Lars is still interested in playing the way they do. I hope to preserve his childhood as long as possible.

The sworn enemy

Last time I shared how we are trying for a baby. This has been a very painful issue for me. Each month it is like going through a mini grief and loss cycle. It is something I try to take to God each day. However I try not to completely dwell on this all the time. As I have shared I am so blessed. I have a fantastic husband and one wonderful boy. I also am blessed (most of the time I think of it as blessed) with two dogs.

These two dogs are very interesting. One is a full blooded beagle the other is a mutt of some sort. They are so funny to watch. Ranger is the mutt he is a rather big dog he is about 50 lbs. He is also my sworn protector. He follows me all over and when I sit he sits right beside me. He will stand between me and any danger. When a person comes to the house to work or read a meter ranger keeps himself between me and this assumed threat. He also barks to alert us when anyone even attempts to pass in front of our house. He seems to bark the second they cross in front of our property line until they get to the other side. Most do not dare approach. We feel safe with him around.

However, I have found one area he seems to be at a total loss. This is when we run the vacuum sweeper. He thinks it is some mortal sworn enemy. The problem is he us such a protector that he seems to have the need to save me from it as well. So when I pull out the vacuum he is torn you can see the look on his face. "Do I run for my life, or save my human?" The result is that he dances in front of the vacuum barking at it and looking at me imploring me to go to safety. After a few minutes of this he gives up and runs into the other room. If I am not going to run for my life he will run for his. What really gets me is that we have used a vacuum most every day for 5 years now (Did I mention he sheds?) and it never changes. I can only imagine what goes through his head when he passes the closet the vacuum is stored in.