A Sad Day at the Martin House

Truman passed away today. He has been sick lately and then quit eating and was mostly just lying around. He fell asleep in the garage and didn't wake up. We got him when he was 8 weeks old and Rylee was 18 months old, he would have been 13 next month. He has been a part of our family for so long, the kids don't remember life without him, so it is going to be rough around here. He was Mike's sidekick, he was always close by when Mike was working in his garage. He has been our protector, sometimes too much so, barking at things that aren't really a threat. He had a nice loud, deep bark that usually scared people, but he was so sweet and timid he wouldn't hurt anyone. Mike's dad use to call him his black grandchild. I was trying to find a picture of the 2 of them together, but too many picture to look through with no success. The kids were saying that Truman is probably playing with Grandpa tonight, I sure hope so! We love you Truman and will miss you a ton!

Here he is on Christmas morning one year, he always got a big bone
from Santa. It didn't matter how big the bone was, he would have
chewed it all up within a couple days.

Here he is with Cole on a walk. The kids loved taking him on walks,
they would fight over who got to hold the leash. He was so strong we had
to be real careful or he would drag the kids away.

Here he is with Jenna, he was fascinated with babies, but especially Jenna. I have so many pictures of him following behind her while she crawled around or licking her face after she ate. Jenna loves doggy kisses and always has. She would let Truman (and Moe)
lick her face all the time. Just yesterday she came in from seeing Truman and had to wash the dog hair and slobber off her face.

Time...

has been on my mind lately...I was looking through some old pictures of the kids like the one here and pondering how fast time flies. My kids are growing up and I am worried about the time I have wasted or the time lost with them. I think the last 2 or 3 years (while I was going to school) I have missed out on some valuable time with my kids and Mike. I know going to school was the right thing for me and our family and I am so grateful I made it through, but I am feeling a bit guilty lately. I think there are lots of little things that have happened or that I have noticed that are causing these feelings. I know I need to get over it and make the time now so I don't feel that way again in a few years. I like sitting and talking with my kids one on one or taking them individually to do something fun. I have been reading to Jenna each night and enjoying the few minutes alone with her. Last night I sat and talked to my boys for almost an hour about life. They made me cry and laugh and I loved it! I think they enjoyed it too, they didn't want me to go do other things after, they wanted to keep talking. I have been picking Rylee up from school each day lately and enjoy the few minutes with her to find out how her day went and what is going on at school, with her friends, with boys, etc. A few people have asked me how I like my schedule and working nights and they are usually surprised when I say I love it. I am a bit more tired and it can be hard to stay awake or feel like I have energy to do some things around the house, but I am home when my kids come home from school and we get to have dinner together as a family before I leave. I know it's better for me to be here for my kids, especially the ages they are right now. They need their mom and I like that my schedule allows that more than working everyday. I love my kids, more than life itself, and I am trying to be the best mom I can. I pray for them (and me) each day and look forward to all our time to come...