It’s been a busy, crazy, unpredictable year. We’ve been dealing with the challenges of maintaining sanity and staying above water through, as the blog’s title implies, parenting, productivity and quarantine. We learned about Henry’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and have been working hard with therapists to get him the early intervention he needs. We’ve had lots of ups and downs, plenty of sleepless nights and no shortage of general insanity.
So how do you deal with a house filled with chaos and frenetic energy? Lean in! Wethink maybe a little more youthful energy might be just the thing. That’s right…the Schneider family is getting a puppy.
Quick bit of background, we got Asta last summer and she has been an amazing dog. So laid back and so great with the kids, she has been a perfect fit for the family. She is a Norfolk Terrier, which isn’t the most common of breeds, but Erin found a really sweet retired couple south of Denver who started breeding them. They did a great job socializing Asta and we’ve kept in touch with them over the last year.
Erin recently took Asta down for some help with grooming, and lo and behold, Asta’s parents just had a new litter. Two female puppies. Discussions began about adding one to the mix. As it is with most things that involve change, I was initially hesitant. “ANOTHER dog? Hmmm. I dunno.”
But I heard the kids swoon, “AAAaaaaaawwww!” every time the would see videos of the little pups. And my icy heart melted. They ARE really cute. And if we are going to get a second dog, it felt like going back to Asta’s breeders was the thing to do.
So we decided to give it a go, and Saturday was the day we got to go down and meet the little fur balls. They are only a couple weeks old, but it’s amazing how much their personalities were already showing. We got there right at feeding time.
Erin is a dog trainer, and is trained in canine behavior, so she already had some ideas about which pup might have the best temperament for our family. There are rare times in life when decisions are easy. It was that way with Asta…when we met her litter, she immediately came up to us and we knew she was the one.
It was also like that with the one they call “Green Puppy.” Thusly named because she has a little green ribbon on. She was social, friendly and toddled right up to each one of us. Her sister was a little more shy and anxious, but Green Puppy was happy and content being held by the kids.
So there we have it. We had a nice visit with the dogs and the breeders. Such lovely people. Henry talked their ears off and we soaked up the cuteness of the little puppies. And we were also amazed at how much Asta looks like her mom.
We said our goodbyes for now, and we are planning to pick up the new addition just after Thanksgiving. It’s been a wild and crazy year, and throwing a puppy in the mix will add some wild AND crazy, but I think it’ll be a good wild and crazy. We are all really excited and I think Asta is going to really love having a playmate.
After that, we came home settled in for the evening. We are getting a ton of tomatoes in our garden, and they have been amazing, so I picked a bunch and made some very yummy spaghetti sauce.
After dinner, we had a nice walk around the neighborhood and then had Uno night with Auntie Kallin Chicago! It was great to see her, and the kids had a blast.
Amelia is a super sweetheart, but don’t be fooled. Where it comes to Uno, she is merciless with those Draw Fours.
When the kids were down to bed, I enjoyed a nice sit-down on my front porch, taking in the crisp autum air, and watching my very favorite movie, Rushmore. It’s my favorite movie any time of year, but there is something bittersweet about it that really evokes Fall for me. Asta joined me for the viewing.
Maybe she senses change in the wind, and also enjoyed a nice bit of relaxation before things change up a little next month.
