Baxter 3-31-98 to 4-17-2010

We lost a very dear member of our family this past weekend. Baxter has left this earthly life and has moved on to the doggy parks in the sky. Adam got Bax when he was just 8 weeks old. Bax turned 12 on March 31st. He lived a very full life and did a lot of things most people cannot say they have done. For instance, Baxter swam in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in Redfish Lake in Redfish, Idaho. He hiked along the Appalachian Trial, Mt. Timpanogos, Millcreek Canyon, Grandaddy Lake in the Uintahs and countless trails throughout Virginia and Utah. I would swear that Baxter hiked three times as far as Adam and I. I am a very slow hiker and while Adam would be ahead of me, Baxter would be running up and down the trail in between the two of us to check and see where I was. Baxter would go off and blaze his own trails and then sure enough here in this cloud of dust would come Baxter running up the trail. That dog LOVED hiking.

Bax would dive for rocks thrown into the water and retrieve them in his mouth. This is at Redfish Lake.


On our trip to Grandaddy Lake in the Uintahs, he ate some "magic mushrooms" along the trail. We had to stop hiking at one point along the trip because it began to rain. While Adam and I and our friends, Jeff and Kelly, were under trees taking shelter, Baxter was running around so crazily even Adam hadn't seen him behave that way. By the time we made it to the Lake and made a fire, Bax was still running around. Shortly before going to sleep, he was OUT! He wouldn't move he was sound asleep - or so we thought. Baxter was allowed to sleep in our tent, on Adam's side of course, a decision I'm sure Adam regrets. It seems in the middle of the night, Baxter got sick from whatever he was eating along the trail that day and threw up IN THE TENT, on Adam's side of course. Looking back, I still get a chuckle out of that!

Bax flew in airplanes,traveled across the country in a moving truck from Virginia to Utah and then Utah to Arizona.

Bax with a Lincoln as a kitten.


Once the kids came along to our family, he became even more near and dear to my heart. Bax would let the kids sit on him, poke him, tug on him, have things tied to him, and on and on and on all without doing anything other than laying on the floor and allow it to happen. He was also a great protector of the kids. I never let the kids outside without letting Bax out with them. I knew that if something were to happen, Bax would start barking until I came out to see what the commotion was about.

These are probably 2 of my favorite pictures of Baxter with Owen as a newborn. Immediately he was Owen's friend and protector.


It was not uncommon to have Baxter asleep with the kiddos climbing all over him or even sitting on him.


There is nothing that dog wasn't willing to do. He loved life and loved new visitors at the door. There are so many stories of Bax and what he did or what happened to those in the story that this post would go on for many pages. There is definitely a hole left in this family without Baxter there to fill it. No, we won't get another dog for a long time, if ever. This hole is way too big and won't be filled with another dog or another pet. We will cherish Baxter forever.

Caroline Turns 3!

Happy Birthday to my Biggi! Oh my sweet girl, I can't believe you are three today. It seems like just yesterday you were an infant and I had just had you. (Maybe the fog is lifting from the blur of the first 6 months of your life). You are such a sweet little girl who can definitely give me a run for my money. You will, at the drop of a hat, do anything I ask you to do and are always trying to please others. You and Owen are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. He'll tease you and then you'll do something that will make him more mad at you. You have such a tender heart and side to you - you got them not only from your daddy, but from mom and Grandpa Robinson as well. You're doomed, what can I say. You've got a sharp sense of humor and are quick to display it as well. You are good to your friends and are concerned about their feelings and constantly try to make them happy as well. There is not a day that goes by that you don't say or do at least 1 thing that is absolutely hilarious and absolutely frustrating. But, each night when I give you a kiss good night and tell you I love you, in your kind-hearted, tender voice which brings tears to my eyes, I hear you say, "I love you too, Mommy." We love you our "Sweet Caroline" and nothing will ever change that. We hope you have had a wonderful birthday. ~Mommy & Daddy~

Yep, this girl is three. We started off the day by going to get her free dozen donuts at Krispy Kreme. Then we headed off to Costco for pizza (her choice) where we met Karina, Clark and Agnes. Boy, did she love seeing them come down the way to us. After your nap, she insisted on a bean and cheese burrito for dinner, so off to Rubio's we went. Next stop, Wal-Mart to pick up the much anticipated and much wanted (and needed) bike for this girl. She had been asking for quite a while now and, finally, we decided she was ready for this purchase. Needless to say, she hasn't wanted to get off the thing since we brought it home. She took off peddling away - complete with her new "fairy princess" bike helmet courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Grimsley. Every present was accompanied with the usual ooooh's and aaaaah's and "this is my favorite toy ever", until the next present was opened.


She's been spoiled beyond belief by friends and family. So, even though she's 3, she definitely thinks she 23. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. Happy Birthday Biggness!

Impending Day of Doom

When Owen was 2 years old, his pediatrician suggested that I have him evaluated for his speech. I do so and was glad I did. He was delayed in his speech. A short 9 months later he was done with speech therapy having caught up and, in some cases, passed, peers of his age group. Owen has come such a long way with his speech. It still isn't perfect, but it has improved leaps and bounds.

This past New Year's we spent at my parents' house in California. It was on that trip that my Dad said to me that he thought Owen's adenoids were enlarged. He had a very nasally quality to his voice, much like someone with a cold sounds, he breathed only through his mouth - regardless of him sucking his thumb - snored, and no matter how much we brushed his teeth, had bad breathed (because he breathed with his mouth open). I told my Dad that I thought he was getting a cold and that's why he sounded so nasally or stuffy in his nose. My Dad told me to watch it and see what happened over the next 10 days to 2 weeks.

At his 4 year appointment, I mentioned something to the pediatrician and she suggested that I give him 1 teaspoon of Zyrtec once a day at night for a month and see if that helped. It did. Only slightly though. Not to mention that when I ran out of the Zyrtec, the same stuffy sounding voice came back.

Needless to say, I took Owen to the ENT that did my tonsillectomy in December to get his opinion. He asked me several question and looked at Owen. At the end of the exam and having answered all of the questions, it was his opinion that Owen have his tonsils and adenoids removed. I knew that answer was coming, but I didn't want to hear it, really. I could have set the surgery right then and there, but decided to push it out a few weeks and think it over. Long and hard. The surgery day was set and then the waiting began. The impending day of doom was looming closer and closer.

Not knowing whether or not I should say anything to Owen, or better yet, how to explain it to him I, once again, made a phone call to my Dad. He suggested that I tell Owen that he would go see the doctor to fix his nose. He would be given a little bit of medicine to help him sleep and, then, when he woke up, I would be there.

That's exactly what I did and we didn't have any trouble with him at all. He walked back to the OR holding his "little blankie" in one hand and the OR nurse's hand with the other. He was such a brave little boy. The surgery was just 20 minutes long. When Owen was done, the ENT came and talked to me. He said that Owen's tonsils were normal or average sized, which I expected. Then he told me that his adenoids were "huge", "enormous". I was kind of shocked to hear that, but also relieved. I was relieved to know that I just did subject my baby to a surgery that could have been for not. I knew it wasn't, but to hear the confirmation was even better. I just had to wait for Owen to go to recovery and then I could go see him.

He didn't cry going into the surgery - it was coming out of the anesthesia that was the hardest part for him. Owen, the usually mellow non-combative boy, became very combative, alligator rolling, IV tangling, screaming, crying little boy. It wasn't until he saw me that he began to relax, if only a little, so the nurses could unwrap the IV line (that was still attached to his hand mind you) from around his body due to his constant alligator rolling. Once he figured out that I was there and wasn't going anywhere, he started to cry and just kept asking to "go home". He dozed off to sleep and when he would wake he instantly looked to see if I was still there. I felt so bad for him. Almost guilty for doing this.

But, knowing that the enlarged adenoids were affecting his speech, after working so hard to get him caught up to his peers, I knew it was inevitable and that it was a necessary procedure. My impending day of doom has now turned into impending DAYS of doom as Owen cannot run, jump, play, ride his bike or scooter, go to t-ball or anything else that may be deemed strenuous for fear of bleeding. THAT is going to test my parental competency to its maximum. Regardless, I'm glad I made the decision and that it wasn't so bad afterall.