When it rains it pours.

When it rains it pours.
Yet, God remains faithful.

This past week has been a trying on in the Keethler home as it feels like we are hemorrhaging money.
I needed a new dishwasher. The other mostly worked, but our dishes were not getting clean and the tines on the racks were rusted out and broken. So naturally after 4 years we finally bit the bullet and picked out a new one.
She is pretty.

However, after a long ordeal just to get her installed last Saturday our good friend BW and Chad got her up and running. We leave for church {yes on Saturday} at 1ish to get my kids to my parents so Chad and I could serve all  5 services. I sing, he does tech. We didn't get home until 830p-ish that evening and as soon as I walked in I commented how hot it was in our house.

If momma is hot, it is hot. I looked at our thermostat it is reading 81*, well no wonder--I started to walk away and then I realized wait! That isn't right, it should have NEVER gone about 78*. Period. I mean it is the end of September, not July when it is 100*+ and leaving a door open for 2 seconds would cause that sort of jump.

Yup. The AC was broken.

I do what I do best google search and watch youtube videos on what could be wrong and Chad does what he does best and watches Top Gear and says he will call the repair people on Monday.

Thankfully, it is September/October and temps aren't too bad. Matter of fact the last few days this week have been downright perfect. I even woke up freezing. HA! So we had some wiggle room. PRAISE.

One company came out and thought it was a bad fuse. Nope.
The next said we need a whole new unit. That is stressful because AC units aren't cheap. But God worked in some details that are making it less expensive. Still expensive, but slightly less. PRAISE.

We still don't have AC yet, but at this point I don't care. We may not turn it on once we do if the weather keeps up like this. Hello Fall!!

Oh, and did I mention in all of this mess Tucker our first fur baby had to have eyelid surgery for some janky growth on his eyelid. I have been putting that off for 2 months to see if it would get bigger {like the assured me it would}. It did and it was time to get that taken care of.

Poor baby--Post op {bandage was from the IV}

So good times, but again that bill ended up being nearly a $100 less than we were told and well I am going to Praise God for that too.

In full disclosure I have had several meltdown moments over all of this hitting at once. However, one evening my son told me his Bible verse he learned this past month in church. Phil 4:19. "MY GOD will meet ALL YOUR NEEDS." In his cute little boy voice. It just struck me that we have never gone without. God has always provided. And in the most unexpected ways, which He likes to do to make sure you know it was Him.

So while it is hard right now, these present sufferings are nothing in the grand scheme of life. {Rom 8:18} God has always been faithful and that is all we can rest in right now.

I do pray we are on to sunnier times, but if we aren't we will just dance in the rain.

{Via}

Turning Pain into Joy

Still so many emotions running through my mind.
I am still sad that Toby is gone. For the first few days every time I closed my eyes I saw the doctor bringing him in on a warm blanket. He laid there relaxed, his eyes searching, looking at me. When the doc asked if we were ready I wanted to scream NO! I will never be ready and then scoop Toby up and run as fast as I could. By God's grace I stood there, tears pouring down my face as Chad nodded.
I held Toby tight. I whispered in his ear "I love you." And then I heard the doctor say "He's at peace."

He's at peace has been blaring in my ears for days. DAYS. It is all I can hear. The words sting. Because they are final. But they also bring peace to me, us. Now Toby is free of his pain. Waiting for us to re-unite one day in heaven.

I didn't think I would want a new dog so quickly. But something made me feel like a new puppy would help. Chad being the tender-hearted, smart husband that he is agreed. We tried the pound, but couldn't find what I was looking for. I needed Toby back. His kindred spirit was out there. Chad had me contact our breeder. I guess I can call her that since we are now on our 3rd dog and 5th overall as a family...she just so happened to have a black, toy, boy poodle. One that was lazy, cuddly, and easy-going.

I still wasn't sure because what if...something happens to him?
he isn't like Toby?
I was betraying Toby?

We drove up/over to Hays to go meet him. Chad kept telling me he would not be Toby and I can't let what happen to Toby keep me back. He was right. Sometimes he gets to be right. Just once in awhile, we don't want to upset the balance of our marriage. :)

2.5 hours later I was snuggling with a precious baby poodle. He just laid there, just like when we got Toby. He snuggled Lo, he snuggled Chad. He was perfect. He came home with us.

It has been barely 48 hours and he is Toby's kindred spirit. Actually, he is the re-incarnation of all of our favorite dogs! {Roscoe, Moeka, and Toby}. He has taken to the kids so well. LOVES Leighton. Snuggles me and just wants nothing but love.

So I introduce you to Thatcher Beau.

And while the pain of missing Toby is still raw, he is healing all of our hearts. He will never replace Tobias, but he is definitely is filling in the void.

Watching the kids with a puppy is so fun! So glad it isn't a baby! Holy Cow. Lo has completely taken over and I can let her with a puppy. A baby not so much! HA!

 Tucker THRILLED we have a new puppy! What can I say about Tuck. He is high-maintenance, OCD, yappy and fairly un-loving. He doesn't really care for the kids. He just goes around livin' life and doing his own Tucker thing. He isn't mean. Just absent. So you can see why I wanted another Toby {a pup who even in his last days let the kids snuggle and love on him!}...someone the kids could love and squeeze and play with.

Nap time reading. Thatch already learning the ropes. In bed with sis.

Thank you Chad for once again sacrificing the dog of your dreams to fulfill mine! I love you!

Good-Bye My Friend, Good-bye

I didn't wake up this morning expecting today to be the day.
The truth is I was just starting to believe the day wouldn't be for many more years.
I guess my blog about Toby recovering was just one big jinx. Part of me had been putting off saying how well he was doing for that reason, I guess I was right. Shortly after I hit "publish" things took another nose dive. I have no idea what went so wrong, but they have. He is no longer responding to meds and back on all sorts of narcotics, muscle relaxers and pred to keep him comfortable?!?! I use the term loosely since I am not sure if that is true. He has taken to crying out in pain all the time. Even when he is just lying there still. I wish  I could convey the cry he makes, it is shrill, it is heart-breaking, it pierces your heart, your mind and your soul. It is a desperate, painful cry. I want to make it stop.

I love this dog so much and because I love him, I must choose to let him go. I am not "more" ready this time, but I grieved hard 3 weeks ago when I thought that was the day, and now I have the peace that I was waiting for back then. I KNOW I did EVERYTHING I could physically, mentally and financially do to make it better. And I failed. I failed. My heart is broken.

This morning as he slowly and cripply walked into my room to greet meet, like he does every morning because he still loves me so much in spite of his tremendous pain {my God what love a dog gives!!} I picked him up and held him. I looked deep in his eyes and his eyes said "mom, I love you, but it is time. You have to let me go. I hurt and I want peace and rest. But if you need me to stay I will."

I cried. I told him how much I loved him.
Toby, you were the BEST dog. Your love got me through some rough times. Your snuggle kept me warm at night. I loved how you loved the kids. How you let them pull your ears and your tail and never once got grumpy. I loved how every night you would go to sissy's room to protect her while she slept. You were good to us. I hope you know how much we all love you. And now we offer you your freedom. Freedom from pain and suffering. I believe that all dogs go to heaven. And there is a big fluffy chair with a cozy blanket waiting for you to snuggle up on, with a big beautiful picture window for you to look out of. You deserve it buddy. We won't ever forget you!

Love your family.

Then I got up and told Lo the news. She was devastated and cried and cried. She is a planner and possess ingenuity  well beyond her years. She was planning ways to "fix" Toby, what we could do better so he could get better. That was heart-breaking.

So tonight we grieve.
We grieve a loss of a family memeber.
Thank you all for your love and support during this time. You have NO IDEA what it means to us.

Farewell my love puppy! You were simply the best! {even if you did pee on stuff.}

 

4 Stops, 3 Poodles, 2 Adults, 1 Toddler and a Honda Pilot

Did you know it takes 6.5 hours to get to my sister's house in Iowa? 7.5 with 4 stops. Wow! That is a LOOOOONNNNGGG way! And while it was completely worth it in the end, it was completely miserable enduring the trip.

This is Lo. She hates riding in the car as of late. Not sure what the change is, but we can barely make it to Target somedays (which is less than .5 miles from our home). It is frustrating. For weeks we had been dreading the long trip to Iowa. Not because we didn't want to see my sister's family, but because we didn't want to endure 6 hours in the car with Lo. Boy were we right. This child screamed at the top of her lungs no less than every hour for 10-20 minutes. It was awesome. Nothing worked, not snacks, not toys, not silly songs, not mommy sitting in the back, nothing.

Here she is looking content after our lunch stop at Chick Fil-A. Which she did not enjoy. I can't blame her. I mean it was good, but so are Wendy's chicken sandwiches...what am I missing?! I guess I don't get what the big deal is.


To make matters more fun we got to tote up an extra poodle. My mom's dog, Moeka. He ranked #2 worst car rider. He was all over the stinkin' place. He would not sit down and be still unless he was in my lap! Annoying.

Of course here is a pic of him and Toby "sleeping." That lasted 2 minutes.


Then there was Tuck coming in at #4 worst car rider (Chad said I ranked#3). :) He too was petrified and would only remain calm as long as he was in daddy's lap, mine would not do.

The two best car riders:
Toby and Chad. :)

This is actually Tuck and Chad

Here we are at stop #4. Aren't we a sight!

I about kissed the farm house when we arrived. I was so thankful to be done in the car. Lo was very happy to be re-united with her cousin and run around on the farm.

Day 2: Auntie Misa put her hair in piggies. She looked so much older, it made me sad.

Up next Day 2 of our adventure on the farm.

Toby 2.0

You know people always said "when you have your 'real' babies you won't love your fur babies as much..." Well, skeptics, that couldn't be further from the truth. We love our first fur babies every bit as much as we love Lo. Now while the love is obviously different, it is still strong.

Today our Toby bear (aka the middle child) turns two! When we were pregnant we decided we needed to get another poodle to help ease Tucker into this transition, and while some times I question my hormone levels during that decision, we couldn't be happier. Toby adds so much joy into our home in his own little puppy way. (He is a little puppy, trapped in a slightly larger puppy's body :) ).

Toby is my lap baby (he must be on someone's lap at all times), he snuggles and cuddles me all the time...he is the pup I always wanted!

Toby loves to play with Lo and treats her so nicely no matter how she pulls, tugs, yanks and love pats.

Toby keeps Tucker entertained and on his toes. He is just like those ornery little brothers that like to antagonize their older ones. Toby is a nice compliment to Tuck's obsessiveness.

Toby has a bunch of quirky little routines. Every night he has to crawl under the covers AFTER I get into bed, which only lasts for 3 minutes and then he has to crawl out...so annoying!

Toby always helps us clean up all the crumbs Lo leaves behind, even if that means crawling up onto the table and into her highchair. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it!


We love you Toby and we are so glad we "accidentally" ended up with you!

Happy 2nd Birthday Tobias!

Tucker James Day

Today is not only Valentine's Day, but my "first born's" birthday.


Tucker James you are 4 years old today!
You are our fur baby and we love you very much even though your little sister is stealing all your birthday thunder.
We love your cranky attitude. We love how you have to sleep right between us and if Toby so much as breathes on you the aforementioned cranky attitude appears. We "love" your love obsession of balls and kongs, well all toys really.


Overall, I love how well behaved you are...can not say the same for Tobias...ah, second borns, it is never the same.
Even though you are not a fan of our latest addition to the family, you have been really good and tolerant of her.
You will always be our "first born" and we will always love you!

Happy Birthday Tucker James!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Show Us Your Life: Pet Edition

This week at Kelly's Korner it is all about the pets!

I love dogs!
When I went away to college my heart was so sad because I couldn't take my poodle, Buddy, with me.

Then I got married and DESPERATELY wanted a dog, but all the dumb apartments had a NO PETS ALLOWED rule. (I think it is dumb...I am sure it is proven that college kids are more responsible and do better in school if they have a pet! :) ).

Anyway, Chad promised me that when we moved back home we would get an apartment that DID allow pets...and we did!

I was then able to bring my beloved Buddy to come live with us. Those of you who know Buddy know he was a very mean and aggressive dog most days of the week. We tried so hard to break him of his aggressiveness, but after 7 years nothing was changing. Where was Cesar Milan when I needed him!! Sadly, we had to put him down. This was and still is a gut wrenching decision for me. I am tearing up just thinking about it. Matter of fact I hardly EVER think of Buddy because it can still bring on uncontrollable tears. The decision had to be made because we wanted to start having babies and Buddy and a small baby would not mix.

In Loving Memory
Buddy James
March 1999-April 2006

A few days later we got Tuck! Another poodle! He is loving (well towards balls) and a great companion. Tuck is under the impression he is part human and really wants nothing to do with other dogs per say. HA!
He was our baby forever. We had no idea it would take us so long to get pregnant. Then when we did we feared Tuck would be overcome with loneliness. (Stupid perhaps, but we truly believed it!)

Our 1st "family" photo

Tuck with his "Mini-Me"

So when I was 8 weeks pregnant we picked up another phantom poodle, Toby! (they are actually 1/2 brothers).

Toby is night and day different than Tuck. Toby is the dog I always wanted. He is my lap puppy and snuggle bunny! (Not even Lo let's me snuggle her...a mommy needs snuggles.) Toby is also THE BEST pup with Leighton, he lets her pull his ears and "pet" him all she wants and never "complains!"

Meeting Tobias he fell asleep on my shoulder and it was LOVE!

Toby LOVES the outside even when it is SNOWING!

While there are plenty of moments I question where my hormone levels were at when I made the choice to get another puppy, I have never ever regretted it! We are all one big happy family!

Tuck even secretly loves his baby brother!

Now if you are an animal lover then hop on over to Kelly's Korner and check out others pet stories!

Show Us Your Life: Halloween Edition

I dressed up every year as a child and "trick or treated." However, my mom would have most of those pictures, so sadly I can't include them. Mostly I was a 50's girl in a poodle skirt practically every year. I liked it so I stuck with it. It was more about the candy then the costume for me! HA! My mom always made our costumes which makes them extra special...perhaps one day I too could learn (don't hold your breathe though :) ).

Anyway as a dog mother I felt that I should dress my fur baby up. So here is Tuck on his first Halloween! (Lovin' every minute of it by the way ;) ).
P.S. That is NOT my costume those are my work scrubs! We don't dress up currently since we have no place to go!

Halloween 2006

And here is fur baby #2, Toby, in the same costume a few years later. (I am cheap and it wasn't like we were really going anywhere!) He did much better in it than Tuck. Tucker was just glad he didn't have to wear it this year. He thought 2 years was enough!

Halloween 2008

If you look closely you can see they have on festive scarves that they wear for the whole month too!

Now this year I finally have someone to dress up and hopefully be able to take trick or treating next year! Halloween is fun and I sort of miss it...kids are so great in helping you get out there and re-live your youth!!


I think she is the cutest Minnie Mouse ever!!
I just used what I had and made little mouse ears to attach to her headband. We aren't planning on doing to much but seeing the G-parents, aunts, uncle, and cousin since we are usually past out and in bed by 7pm, but it will be a fun start to holiday season!

Happy Trick or Treating everyone!
BOO!


P.S. Chad dressed up as a Nerd today for school. I wasn't able to get a picture of him before he left this am :( So you may check back later and see if I can get one uploaded!