It's been nearly two weeks since we lost Hailie. I've wanted to write a little something and put up some old pictures of her but, because of her death and many other reasons, it's been a busy and difficult time and I haven't yet had the chance.
Last night we scattered her ashes in the mountains near my mom's house and it seemed like as good an occasion as any to motivate me to finally write up her digital eulogy.
When the dogs were younger I'd let them run and play in clearing just outside my mom's place in Silverthorne. One winter Bowen jumped into an icy lake but that's a story for another time. The three photos above are of the dogs playing in the same area where we scattered Hailie's ashes. They loved playing there so hopefully it's a fitting place for the scattering. We always said Hailie looked like a little deer when she'd run though tall grass because she kind of jumped and bounced. So it was somewhat fitting that we saw a young deer bound though the woods last night shortly after we had our little ceremony.
The boys have definitely had a hard time with her loss but it's hard for them to articulate it at their young age. The day after Hailie's passing LT wanted to do an art project for her. It was the sweetest and most heart wrenching thing I've seen in a long time. I guess he gets that sentimental streak from me - when it started to become clear that the end was near, I grabbed my camera and tried to capture a few final photos of our sweet girl. The shot above with Kari and LT is one of the last pictures I have of her (Adler was asleep and probably wouldn't have sat still for a photo anyway).
Bowen came over while I was taking pictures and laid down next to Hailie and, it's probably just a silly coincidence, but they put their paws together like they were holding hands.
Kari wasn't a dog person but becoming a part of my family has changed that. Hannah and Daisy, our family dogs from my childhood, started to change her. Then my dad got Molly when he was living in Texas. Molly was an ugly but unbelievably sweet little Boxer girl and I think she really won Kari over. Trevor, a friend of ours, had a wonderful female Boxer named Baylee and fate was sealed when Kari found out that Baylee's sister was having a litter of pups.
Kari's more impulsive that I am and I never would have gotten a dog at that stage of life. But once I realized she'd made her mind up, I embraced it fully. So while Hailie was really Kari's dog, I treated her like she was my own. I helped Kari chose Hailie from photos of the litter of pups and by 'helped' what I mean is that I absolutely insisted that she get the one little girl. She is #2 in the photo above with her three brothers.
This is Trevor with Hailie as a puppy and above that is a picture of Hailie with his dog, and her aunt, Baylee.
I'm biased, of course, but I think she was a very cute puppy.
The summer we got her, I'd just been laid off so I became the stay at home puppy parent. Despite it being the second time I'd been canned by the same boss, we were still friends, so one day I took Hailie on a playdate to play with her dog Gizmo. Giz was nice enough to let her win some of the wrestling matches.
She was also very good buddies with Cory, my mom's dog at the time. I did eventually find a job so when my stay at home parent days ended, Hailie would sometimes go to 'daycare' at my mom's house during the day and hang out with Cory.
Going to the park one day with Hailie puppy and a little girl that Kari was nannying for, I think, was the first time I realized that I'd probably marry Kari and someday have a family with her. I also think it was the first time I realized that that was okay (a big realization for a guy in his early 20's).
And some years later I would have that family and this picture of LT with Hailie always reminds me of the one above it and that transitional moment in my life.
She and Bowen were with us when we got engaged in Estas Park.
Before we got Bowen I'd let her run off leash in the parks and play with other dogs. Which she loved and people always referred to her as "the happy Boxer."
The addition of Bowen to our family defiantly changed life for Hailie (as would LT and Alder some years later).
But they were good buddies.
Hailie had already 'graduated' from puppy class but got to do it again with her new brother. She was a star student while Bowen wasn't exactly at the top of the class.
She did love to run and play but maybe more than anything she loved to snuggle.
Here she and Molly (who I mentioned earlier) are snugging with my dad.
Cory, like it or not, was one of her favorite snuggle buddies. Shown above after a fun day swimming and playing at a dog park.
But just about anytime was a good time to snuggle with Cory.
She, like most dogs, also liked windows - especially this floor to ceiling window at my old apartment.
And she's aways been kind of a princess. We had a terrible time getting her to use the dog door when we finally moved to a house that had a yard. It was such an accomplishment when she finally started using it that I took a picture as proof or commemoration (can't remember which).
Speaking of being a princess - I took her skiing one day at Mt. Evans. She was very happy on the hike up but didn't want to come down where we skied. I thought she'd eventually follow me but she stood at the top and cried and cried. I skied about half way down but eventually I had to hike straight back up the chute to get her and come back down the long way.
The next summer when we tried it Kari went with us without skis so Hailie could hike the part she liked but not the scary part.
Anyway, if you've made it this far, thanks for letting me indulge with all these old photos of my baby girl. I had a hard time just getting down to this many - I have tons and tons more.
I don't know a better way to memorizer her than to celebrate her life. She was a wonderful dog and I think she had a happy life with us. I know we were happy and lucky to have her in our lives.
I hope that, wherever she is now, she is being met with the same gentle love and kindness that she brought into our lives.
We love and miss you, Hailie.
We went to Steve and Madeleine's block party on Saturday. It was really hot and there was a little baby pool as well as a mister to cool everyone off. Adler instantly said, "stip down!" as he proceeded to take off his clothes. LT followed in his little brother's footsteps.
I love seeing them play together so happily!
LT decided that the pizza should be Christmas tree shaped.
Probably the highlight of the night was when LT wrapped and wrapped and wrapped the dough around the rolling pin and then ran around the kitchen with it. This might have also been the point where most of our dinner was lost.
The boys and I went to the children's consignment store the other day to sell all our old winter clothes. Sitting right in the kids path was a huge fire truck. We had some money in our account from things we've sold and so I told the boys they could get something (Adler wanted a 200$ ride on golf cart, which I have to admit was adorable). They agreed on this fire truck. It desperately needed to be cleaned. Given how much the boys love taking showers and cleaning things, I put both boys with the truck in the shower to get it cleaned before I let them play with it.
Its not technically a ride on toy, but its big and strong enough to hold one of them at a time.
The day before I had a lot of work to finish up for a project I have been working on for work. The boys were so sweet and played amazingly well together. They created a restaurant where they cooked pancakes for 2 hours. They served them over and over to each other. LTs pancake making carried over to the art museum. He decided to make a pancake out of his clay. The way he did this was pressing his hands down on the clay, placing his chin on top and hanging out for 20 or more minutes.
Eventually, I'm not sure how he knew, his pancake was finished and he was ready to move on to making a dog on a skateboard.
Civic Center is directly across the street and so we went after the museum to have lunch at the food trucks. I got a 12 inch pizza for the 3 of us to share, or so I thought, I didn't get any. Not a bite. I let them split a cupcake for dessert (Adler ate none). LT ate the bottom part of his half and took the frosting off to make it into a clay ball like he was given at the museum. It was 95 degrees, not the best time to make frosting into a ball, but luckily mom always brings lots of wipes.
We got there a few minutes early and I let Adler play in the fountains outside the museum. He was soaking wet by the time our friends arrived, so we went shirtless the rest of the morning.
The Mud exhibit has potters wheels and clay with all kinds of tools for the kids to mold and play with. Ambrose spent most of his time putting tools inside each other, it reminded me of something LT might have done at that age.
Adler poked every tool into his clay ball until it was a big spiky ball of tools.
Isis, being almost 6, was able to manipulate the clay into amazing things. Adler and I went across the street afterward to Civic Center Park where they have the food trucks from various Denver restaurants.
Her hair was priceless.
His face was in rare form.
And Sofi, precious in her little glasses and flower bows.
Renee had to go back to work this week (Ofelia goes with her to daycare at her school). Sofi didn't start school until later in the week, which left them needing help with Sofi one day. Happily, we took her in for the day. LT and Sofi get along so well. They literally played all day together, no arguing.
While I put Adler down for his nap, I gave them some books to read to each other. When I came back down, I offered to read Sofi a book, she said, "LT read me that one already". Adorable is the only word to describe them sitting on the couch reading together.
Phoenix took Adler over to the side of the park to watch all the construction happening on Tennyson St. LT and Tino continued driving trucks in the sand. After an hour or so at the park, they all started breaking down and saying they were hungry. We began packing up, putting on helmets and getting ready to leave. As I was trying to get LT on his bike, Tino crashed and split his lip and scraped his knee. He's such a tough kid, he cried for a minute, then stood up ready to ride his two wheeler (no training wheels) home. We were on our way. LT can be pretty stubborn and earlier in the day I had showed him Tinos bike, saying that if he learned how to ride a bike with pedals he could go super fast. LT took that as a challenge that he was going to beat everyone on his running bike. He took off as fast as he could from the park and down the block. A few minutes later, crash! He was down, crying and screaming. I pushed Adler as fast as I could to get to LT and as I got close, I let go of the handle on Adlers bike and he crashed too. My two were crying, Phoenix was the only one left not bloody. Eventually we made it home, ate a good snack and decided to move on to toys in the basement.
After lunch, they wanted to go outside, so we went out back. The day before we had a playdate at our house. I had the water table open with dishes to be washed. These four found all the scrubbies and decided they needed to "clean" the whole backyard.
The table was washed really well, but only in places 4 and 6 year olds could reach.
Adler was as happy as can be with all these big kids to follow around.
Despite all the bike crashes earlier, they were determined to convince me to let them bike again. On went the helmets for the rest of the playdate.
Phoenix really wanted me to take a picture of Adler hugging her, this was the best I could do.
Happy crew, helmets on.
Adler loves swings of all kinds.
LT has mostly given up his afternoon nap but some long fun summer days wear him out.
LT had been cranky that day and so I insisted he take a nap. They each have a pull out couch with a sleeping bag over there. I think they are so cute sleeping on their little couches.
LT loves being read to and Papa is one of the better story tellers. 
Adler said, "no books, hungy, cheeeios", so he ate cheerios during story time.
On Saturday, Brian played golf with his parents and the boys and I met up with my college (and post college) friend. We took the boys to breakfast and then to shop at the outlet mall. Adler was so happy walking across this bridge. The only problem is that the water is exceptionally high this year and moving very rapidly. As usual, he never wants to do the safe thing and this particular day he was trying to scale the railings and wanted to "jump" into the water. We had a little altercation when I insisted that this wasn't a good idea.
LT strolled across watching the fishermen and rapids.
I'm not sure what Adler was doing here, but he reminds me of Frankenstein.
Carissa and I right before the race. 
Adler showing off the hole that makes the car run.
LT, a proud penny holder, for the moment.
Its difficult to get four active boys in one picture, but we captured a few that morning.
When the dogs were younger I'd let them run and play in clearing just outside my mom's place in Silverthorne. One winter Bowen jumped into an icy lake but that's a story for another time. The three photos above are of the dogs playing in the same area where we scattered Hailie's ashes. They loved playing there so hopefully it's a fitting place for the scattering. We always said Hailie looked like a little deer when she'd run though tall grass because she kind of jumped and bounced. So it was somewhat fitting that we saw a young deer bound though the woods last night shortly after we had our little ceremony.
Bowen came over while I was taking pictures and laid down next to Hailie and, it's probably just a silly coincidence, but they put their paws together like they were holding hands.
Kari wasn't a dog person but becoming a part of my family has changed that. Hannah and Daisy, our family dogs from my childhood, started to change her. Then my dad got Molly when he was living in Texas. Molly was an ugly but unbelievably sweet little Boxer girl and I think she really won Kari over. Trevor, a friend of ours, had a wonderful female Boxer named Baylee and fate was sealed when Kari found out that Baylee's sister was having a litter of pups.
This is Trevor with Hailie as a puppy and above that is a picture of Hailie with his dog, and her aunt, Baylee.
I'm biased, of course, but I think she was a very cute puppy.
Going to the park one day with Hailie puppy and a little girl that Kari was nannying for, I think, was the first time I realized that I'd probably marry Kari and someday have a family with her. I also think it was the first time I realized that that was okay (a big realization for a guy in his early 20's).
Before we got Bowen I'd let her run off leash in the parks and play with other dogs. Which she loved and people always referred to her as "the happy Boxer."
The addition of Bowen to our family defiantly changed life for Hailie (as would LT and Alder some years later). 
But they were good buddies.
Hailie had already 'graduated' from puppy class but got to do it again with her new brother. She was a star student while Bowen wasn't exactly at the top of the class.
She did love to run and play but maybe more than anything she loved to snuggle.
Here she and Molly (who I mentioned earlier) are snugging with my dad.
Cory, like it or not, was one of her favorite snuggle buddies. Shown above after a fun day swimming and playing at a dog park. 
She, like most dogs, also liked windows - especially this floor to ceiling window at my old apartment.
And she's aways been kind of a princess. We had a terrible time getting her to use the dog door when we finally moved to a house that had a yard. It was such an accomplishment when she finally started using it that I took a picture as proof or commemoration (can't remember which).
Speaking of being a princess - I took her skiing one day at Mt. Evans. She was very happy on the hike up but didn't want to come down where we skied. I thought she'd eventually follow me but she stood at the top and cried and cried. I skied about half way down but eventually I had to hike straight back up the chute to get her and come back down the long way.
