How Much is that Doggy in the Window??

I don't think I mentioned it here, but my mom's beloved dog, Patty the pachyderm, died almost two weeks ago. She had cancer and we knew for a while the end was coming, but it was still so sad. Patty was an amazing awesome dog. She was HUGE, like 125 lbs huge, red haired and sweet as could be. She thought she was a lap dog and would constantly try to climb on the lap of whomever was sitting at the moment. She adored my kids and they climbed all over her and played with her and loved her deeply. My mom lives alone and Patty was a great companion for her. She's very lonely without her. When Patty first died, my mom said she thought she really wanted to wait to get another dog because she was so sad, but she's found it difficult coming home every day to an empty house. So, today the kids and I and my mom and brother are all off to search for a new companion for my mom. It's very important to her that the dog get along well with the children, which is why we all go together. My brother goes as the naysayer. My mom and the kids and I picked out Patty without him. She was really too big for my mom to handle alone, particularly at the end, so my brother feels like he must go this time so we end up with a "reasonable" dog! Hmph!

On another completely unrelated note...in a testimony that children really do learn from what they see you do...One of the things my husband does to surprise me sometimes is this speed cleaning of the house. Say, I run to the store or whatever, he'll get the kids together and they get everything done as fast as they can before I get back. I always love it, of course! This morning while I was in the shower? My kids did a speed clean of the house and car, including making MY bed! When I came out of my room, the house looked wonderful and there were no kids to be found. They all jumped out of the kitchen and yelled "surprise!". Very cool kids!