Affectionately, a good friend has nicknamed Cooper, "Grandpaw Dog."

Our seven year old Golden Retriever is definitely starting to look his age, which gets Paul and I thinking about mortality and pets. We don't like it, but it's inevitable. Paul has never really had a "family pet." His family had pets growing up, but he never really considered them his. Cooper is Paul's first "in the bed, on the couch, in the car and everywhere" dog.

 

Cooper is a gorgeous dog, and he wouldn't show his age save for the white fur on his face. I feel like getting some doggy fur dye to help him look younger! 

He's always been a precious boy. He has a total golden retriever temperament, except for his lack of love for other dogs. He'll walk on a leash with other dogs just fine, but he likes his personal space. (Can you blame him, I wouldn't want someone sniffing my nose either.) 

I had the rare opportunity to take pictures of him because Emmie was entertained and Cooper was just laying on the picnic table. 

 

He always looks forlorn. Kind of like Eeyore. When he's running around like a crazy dog outside he has joy on his face, but he doesn't really like to run all that much. He prefers a steady paced very long walk.

 

I love his nose the most! It's so perfectly black and has the cutest "Rhett Butler" style mustache underneath it.

Lately Emersen has taken an interest in Cooper, wanting to help me brush him and making sure he's "okay."

Some Emmie-isms I've heard about Cooper lately:

Emmie: "You okay Cooper? You hurt your toes? I kiss it."

Emmie: "Good night Cooper [hug] Mmm"

Emmie to a friend of mine: "My dog is so shiny!"

Emmie holding his chin up with her hand: "You need a snack Cooper? Okay, I get it for you."

Paul and I always look at each other and snicker, because she's already become such a little mama. Taking care of every little thing. This morning, Cooper's nose brushed her face, and it was clear he needed it wiped because it was wet. She grabbed a paper towel and started wiping his nose with it! Completely adorable. I mean, seriously! When I told her his nose was supposed to be wet, she started wiping his feet and his fur. He is so patient with her, never once has he even thought to look at her crosswise.  Even during the "lets crawl all over the dog" phase she and her buddy Jordan went through around 14 months ago!

The same day I took the pictures of Cooper, I took a few of Emmie playing on the playground just outside our home.

I think I caught her mid-sentence!

 

Here she is marching to the stairs!

 

She loves to drive the playground! This day, just like the day outside right now is absolutely stunning. The sky is clear and a perfect blue!

 

She loves going down the slide too. She'll only go down the left side, because the right side is for Jason. I think she's still waiting for him to come back. It's so sad to hear her talk about Jason being in Caro-whine-uh. (South Carolina) She misses him something fierce.

Well, this episode must come to an end. It's about time for me to wake up the kissing baby from her nap and take her on a good walk in the sunshine. 

Happy Sunday!

Edelweiss

The Sound Of Music is my absolute favorite movie of all time. 


Wednesday night, Emersen had a tough time going to bed. This happens once every six months or so, when she feels like she needs just a little bit more snuggle time. 


I got her out of bed, because after two attempts per parent...sleep was not being achieved. 


(Without going into a diatribe about any certain parenting style, we do not let her cry in her crib. Her crib is a safe place, where she can fall asleep safely with her zebra and her sleep sheep and her blanket. She has never had to "cry it out" a training tool some parents use to help their children learn to self soothe. We know our daughter, and know she doesn't cry unless something is actually wrong especially in her crib.)


She hadn't eaten much dinner that night and was probably hungry. I got her a milk and sat her in my lap. Paul was in the shower, and I was flipping through the channels on the television for something other than Caillou. We came across The Sound Of Music. Swoon.

 The Lonely Goatherd was on, and it was so awesome to watch her watch it! She was genuinely interested in the puppets and the singing. 


My favorite part was coming on, where Captain Georg* is begged by his children to sing for them (amongst other guests, including his love interest and Maria). He sings Edelweiss. I love the song, I love the lyrics. I sang it softly to Emersen while she lay her head on my chest and sweetly listened. I mean, she was still. (She's two, this does not happen!) 


I have a fear, that netbooks and e-readers and mp3 players will take over the universe and that so many people will have the means to get "their stuff" out there that the truly amazing works will be lost or even worse, unappreciated. 

Sharing this sweet unexpected moment with my daughter, all the frustrations of her not going to bed drifted away. I now understand why my mom pulled me out of school once in a while to go shopping, and spend the day together. It was the best day, and if it had just been another regular routine day we wouldn't have had the moments we did. 

If Emmie had just gone to bed and I had just sat here played on the internet while Paul took a shower, I wouldn't have gotten to experience my daughter watching The Captain (Christopher Plummer) and Maria (Julie Andrews) waltz with each other, and realize they were in love as evidenced by the gaze with which he bestows her, and the ruddy pink her cheeks turn.


It's so easy to get disrupted by an errant blip in the routine. I am still learning to cherish these moments because they are heavenly instants once they come and they as fleeting as they are rare.