Hamilton

 For the past two years (or more), the kids have been begging for a dog.  I have had multiple reasons and multiple excuses and thought that we could go on for another several years without getting a dog.  It's not that I don't like dogs - I do - and I loved Everest for a very long time.  I just wasn't sure that I was ready for that kind of commitment again.  Jami has been "team puppy" for a long time and always points out how happy Luke and Ruby are with they are with any dog.  I guess she decided that I needed a little nudge if it was ever going to happen.  She texted me one afternoon to tell me about a litter of puppies born to one of the dogs from Lola's first litters.  She had a connection to this litter and told me that one of the puppies was extra great and that we should get him.  I told her I would talk to Tim but assumed that he wouldn't be interested.  Ha!!!  He immediately was excited and said to tell her we wanted the puppy.  He and I talked about it for a few days, and even though I was still not quite sure, eventually I agreed.  Then we had to decide when to tell the kids.  We thought about waiting and surprising them when the puppy was ready to come home, but decided that it would be more fun for them to know right away so that they could watch the puppy grow.  So, one Saturday afternoon we showed them a picture and told them we were getting a dog.  Ruby was immediately excited, but Luke was cautious.  He asked us several times if we were joking and said he was just too worried that we weren't serious.  We finally had to call Jami so she could confirm that it was really happening.  Seeing my kids so excited made me feel like we really had made the right decision.  Once everyone knew the secret, now it was just time to wait.....

The first time we met Hamilton and his litter mates.  They were all so tiny and sweet, me and the kids had so much fun cuddling them all.  At this point it still seemed a little unbelievable that this pup was actually going to be ours.

Of course the other puppies got plenty of loves.

Since she was so close by, Jami would visit and send pictures and Face Time.

The owners were also great at sending pictures and updates.

At our next visit, we couldn't believe how much he had grown!

Tim finally met his new best friend.

Every time we saw him, it seemed like he had changed so much.

After a lot of visits, research, shopping for supplies, and so many discussions about the puppy, it was finally time for our new little one to come home.  We had planned to pick him up at some point during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but then Ruby got sick and our Thanksgiving plans were all canceled.  So, I contacted the breeder and asked if I could come pick him up.  We all needed a little extra sunshine that day, and bringing home Hamilton was the the perfect way to brighten our lives. 

The kids wanted me to send a picture as soon as I had him

Clearly they were excited to finally have their own puppy.

We are all just so in love with this little buddy.