Acie & Abbie

We decided to name the puppies Acie and Abbie. Kyle liked the name Acie (after Acie Law - Texas A&M basketball player) and we just liked Abbie to go with it. Acie is on the right and looks more like a lab. Abbie is on the left and appears smaller and has more white markings. They both have a touch of brown in their black coats.

They had their first visit to the vet yesterday and did pretty well. We were told they aren't quite 4 months old - only about 3-1/2 months. They are two peas in a pod, and are always together. So far, they aren't potty-trained, so that is our main challenge. But they have learned to sit. We are also working on "stay" and "shake", but it might be a while before we see them catch on. We have already enjoyed them so much and know they will be wonderful pets.

The Puppies are Home!

We picked up the puppies today, which was exciting. They seemed happy to see us, but are still groggy from their surgery today. They slept in the car, and were zonked all evening. We know that once they get back to normal they will be quite a handful. They are so precious!! By the way, we haven't decided what to name them yet.

We've Adopted!

We thought it would be fun to go to the Houston SPCA - just to look! The process of finding another dog would require time and patience. And guess what we found - two adorable puppies who remind us of Brandy. They are 4 month old sisters who seem to be well-behaved and sweet. So we made the commitment to adopt them. They had to stay there to have surgery, so it will be a few days before we can bring them home.

We have a Niece!

Kyle's sister, Kimberly, delivered her sweet baby girl, Madison, on February 16th. We were able to be at the hospital to get the news and see her in the nursery. The next morning, we had the chance to visit longer and hold her. We are so excited about being an Aunt and an Uncle and about having such a precious addition to the family.

Safari Mural

Many of you have asked to see pictures of the safari mural that Melanie painted for Kimberly and Mark's nursery. Here are some pictures of the mural itself (click the images to enlarge). To see pictures of the room all finished just click on the link to their blog, under the "other blogs" section.

In Loving Memory

It brings us much sadness to report the loss of our dear dog, Brandy. On the morning of December 31st, we discovered that she was very sick and rushed her to the emergency animal hospital, where they kept her for 36hrs. She received excellent care, but unfortunately she had ingested something toxic that caused intestinal bleeding and fatal damage to her liver. We had to put her to sleep on New Years Day - a very depressing, bumpy start to 2007. It is a mystery to us what could have happened to her, and our hearts are broken.

Anyone who knows us well knows how much we adored Brandy. Her personality was darling - unlike any other dog we know. Everyone loved Brandy because she was such a joy to be around. She was loving and affectionate. She was energetic and loved to play with her toys. She was always happy and would almost come out of her skin with excitement to see us in the morning, and when we would come home. She loved to go running with us, riding in the car with us, and getting to go wherever we were going. She was smart, obedient, and aimed to please. She was everything we could have possibly wanted in a pet, and was more than that - she was a precious member of our family who we miss terribly.

Please pray for us as we cope with her loss and grieve for her.

Melanie's Birthday

Melanie's 26th birthday was a fun day. We went to Melanie's parents' house to celebrate, and continued the family Christmas Eve tradition of going to dinner and a movie. That evening, we exchanged Christmas gifts since Kyle had to work on Christmas day.