In Memory of Our Brutie Man

As I write this, I literally cannot find the words.  I have been paralyzed every single time I come to write this tribute.  I mean, look around, this entire blog IS Brutus.  I feel like I'm unable to express how thankful we were to have Brutus in our lives and now heartbroken because he is gone and we were unable to say goodbye.  I'm going to miss everything about him and our routines.  But most importantly, I'm sad Charlie will not get to grow up with him.  We know he would have been the most perfect big brother.

Brutus, you came into our lives at the most perfect time.  You completed our family by making it a family of three.  We had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into when picking you up on Valentine's Day weekend.  I always knew I wanted a yorkie, and Brutus, there could have not been a better pick than you.

Derek and I always talk about the first night leaving you.  We went to watch a UFC fight at BWW's and had to leave early because we missed you so much.  That is the only fight we've ever left early.  Between learning how to give you independence and discipline, we owe all our parenting learnings to you.

One thing we learned quickly was your love for running.  You were absolutely amazing to watch.  Derek was upset from the very beginning that such a little dog could beat him.  He even put on his cleats and we had an official race.  You won every single time.

One of the things people noticed and commented about you was your stance.  You were the most proud dog anybody has ever seen.  In fact, anybody that got to know you, fell in love with you.  Both of your grandparents ended up getting a yorkie because of you.

We loved that you were the perfect dog for us.  Mr. Cuddly with me and oh-so-playful with Derek.  Exactly what we both wanted out of a dog.  You were the best and always wanted to please us.  You'll never know how much love and joy you brought into our lives.  We were so incredibly lucky to have you in our family for the last 4 1/2 years.  You will be missed more than you will ever know.  We love you!

It’s Me, Brutus!

Hello ladies! Yes, that’s right…it’s my 4th birthday.  The picture above was not edited by me, but by my mom.  She made me post it.  I definitely wouldn’t put a party hat on myself if I had the chance.  But, as my dad taught me, it’s just easier to let my mom do what she wants.

So, a lot of things have changed around my house since the last time I’ve posted.  I’m a big brother now.  I’m not sure what that means, but there is this thing that occupies my mom and dad’s attention NONSTOP.  She cries a lot and it used to upset me but now I’ve taught myself to sleep through it.  Speaking of sleep…I’m doing a lot of that lately.  Before she came to stay at our house, I used to play all the time.  Now, I just lay on the ground and sleep my day away.  Sometimes my mom or dad will grab me to sleep by them on the couch or chair, but I’m most comfortable away from my sister and sleeping on the ground.

When I have the chance to get away, I like to spend a lot of time outdoors.  When I’m let out, I’ll stay outside for 15 minutes or more.  My parents get worried about me because sometimes is less than 30 degrees outside.  But I don’t mind…hey, it’s my only alone time I get during the day.

My mom wanted me to share the few photos that she has taken of me in the past 6 weeks.  I’m used to have my picture taken at least once a day….lately, it’s about once a week.  The modeling skills I learned growing up are getting a bit rusty.

In the beginning, I was extremely curious of my little sister.  I would sniff and look all the time because I was so unsure of her when she was brought home from the hospital.




I couldn’t believe this swing…I mean, how did I not have one of these when I was a puppy?!  I love standing on my hind legs and checking on her.  Sometimes I think about jumping up in there because it looks so cozy.




My mom ordered matching chevron bandana/headband for my sister and I from TheLinebyAleMulcahy.  I took the opportunity to teach Charlie how to do the modeling “look” of not looking at the camera….she is a quick learner.




Well, she didn’t get the memo that there is no crying in modeling…too bad I’m the only one that got a treat ; )

Oh Baby!

Get ready for an entire post devoted to all things baby.  Seriously, this is all that has been going on in my life lately!  Just to catch you guys up, I’ll be 36 weeks this week.  In fact it's exactly one month away from our due date today…I’m feeling a bit of heck-ya / yikes, it’s go time!  So as you can imagine, the baby is on the brain every second of my days!

A couple weekends ago, we traveled down to Athens and spent time with Derek’s family.  This is definitely our last road trip before baby girl comes.  Traveling in a car (especially Derek’s car for some reason) is pretty torturous for me.  Saturday night we enjoyed a pre-shower dinner celebration with Derek’s parents.  Sunday was the big shower with Derek’s side of the family.



The theme of the shower was ribbons and buttons…an extension of my gender reveal party.  Basically, it was adorable!!  A lot of the décor that was used was made especially for our daughter’s nursery.  It was so nice and thoughtful to have all these decorations to take home to fill up the nursery!









Our little girl got her first pair of pink Uggs and to say I was excited would be an understatement!!  Oh ya, and Derek came….how adorable is that?!  He’s such a trooper.  And so helpful to have him there to write down the gifts we received and carry everything out to the car.  The shower was right next to the local pizza place we would always go to after football games in high school.

After the shower when I was getting in the car, Derek surprised me with a large pizza from there.  Seriously best.idea.ever!

A huge thank you to Derek’s family for such a great shower.  Every detail was perfect!!  Plus, now the little girl is set so she can come any time now, ha!


Basically, every week night is filled to the brim.  We are either doing some type of date night (trying to get in as many of these as possible before she comes) or I/we are working on our to-do list.  I have been feeling a major sense of anxiousness of getting everything crossed off of our list.  So, Derek and I sat down and made a priority list and stuck it on the refrigerator.  This made me feel better for for about 2 seconds.  For some reason, Derek doesn’t have the sense of urgency that I do.  On one hand, I keep saying that our little girl is welcome to come early.  On the other hand, there is so much to get done before she gets here!  Eeeek!




I continue to work on my “bump book.”  This is something that I’ve worked on since we found out we were pregnant!  I have included things such as how I told Derek, ultrasounds, weekly bump pictures, thoughts about each trimester, baby showers, decorating the nursery, maternity pictures, etc.  I think it will be a great way for me to remember this pregnancy and look back it!




And lastly, everybody wants an update on Brutus…am I right?  Well, he doing great.  He absolutely knows something is going on…I’m sure he has no idea though!  We have started putting all the little lady’s stuff out in the house so he is able to get used to it…



He is extremely skittish around these things.  He really doesn’t want to check them out and if he has to go around them, he is very unsure.  For example, I set up the pack n’ play the other day and put it in our dining room.  Well, his dishes are in the kitchen right next to the dining room door frame.  He became very frustrated after I poured his food because he wanted to eat but thought the pack n’ play was going to attack him or something.  Once I plopped down beside him, he went to town on his food.  Thank goodness I was there to protect him ; )


That’s about all going on in our lives.  Hope everything is fabulous with you ladies!

It’s Me, Brutus

Hey ladies, I’m baaaack!  It’s been a while since I’ve taken over this blog.  I thought today I would do one of those “if you really knew me” posts.  My mom did one last year all about my dad.  I’m not sure why she left me out…and I’m sure you all want to know a lot more about me, right?!

-Well, I think you already know I work out.  So I won’t even go into my workout regiment.  Let’s just say, I’m pretty hard core.
-I love to chew up all my toys.  It’s pretty much my most favorite thing to do.  My mom has a huge problem when I chew things up and then try to swallow the pieces of material.  Jeesh, it’s got to be protein or something.

-My parents think I’m a genius or something because I have made up my own game.  I sit up on the couch, put my toy at the very edge and push it off the couch.  I try to catch it before it falls on the ground.  I’ve basically perfected it and my Mom says 8 times in a row is my record.
-I love to steal socks and make my mom or dad chase after me.  Well, don’t tell my mom this, but I really prefer my dad to chase me.  My mom is so slow and gets tired too easy.  It’s way more fun when I can get my dad to run after me!

-My mom calls me cat-dog.  Supposedly, I do things like a cat.  Psh, I’m not even a dog (human here, duh!), so I’m not sure how she compares me to a cat.  I guess I have “cat-back” when I’m stretching and I also like to lay on top of the back of the couch.
-I won’t wake up until at least noon.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I get up really early to eat my breakfast and do my business.  But you better believe it, I’m running upstairs right after that to go back to sleep.  And then I like to snooze until noon…aka when it is time for me to eat my lunch.

-I’m going to be a big brother, I guess this winter….whatever that means

Weekend Recap!

My Friday night was spent resting and recouping with this little guy.  If you haven’t seen my Instagram, Brutus got in a little tizzy Wednesday at camp.  I received a call in the middle of the day and after seeing their name flash on my caller ID, I knew there was a problem.

I guess he escaped, which isn’t a big surprise.  Some day I’ll write about Brutus’ Houdini escapades….they happen quite frequently and in situations we still have no clue how he gets out of it.  ANYWAY, in the midst of escaping, he tore his entire body up.  When I picked him on Wednesday, his whole body, especially his little head, was bright red from all the cuts and scrapes that he got from digging and going under a fence.  And, his back left paw was bleeding.  As you can see, he couldn’t put any pressure on it so he walked around with 3 legs.  Surprisingly, he can get around pretty well.

Saturday, I had lunch my friend Emily.  Afterwards, I shopped until I dropped.  I haven’t gone shopping for so long, for a very very long time!  I had the best time.  Nothing big purchased, but I did pick up these beauties!

Source

At first, I didn’t love the look of Toms.  But they started to grow on me.  Now I’m so excited for the weather to cooperate so I can wear them!

Saturday evening after Derek got home from work, we went to J Alexander’s for dinner.  If you have been there and haven’t experienced their carrot cake.  GO NOW!!

This picture does absolutely nothing for the carrot cake, but I promise you it is the best!!  They serve it warm and gooey and wow I could just eat a plate of that cream cheese icing!

Sunday:

Besides grabbing McDonald’s for breakfast (so excited when I made it there at 10:56, just in time!), I watched a lot of crazy March Madness games.  Seriously, heart-attack!  I also went to a neighbor’s 31 party, which I swore I wouldn’t buy anything and then of course purchased something.  But hey, at least I limited myself to just one thing, right?


We enjoyed tacos and mango margaritas for dinner!  And lastly, I worked on a quick project I’ve been wanting to do forever!!



I have seen a few of you ladies make this and I just feel in love with the idea.  I can’t wait to see if Derek actually uses it!

Hope you had a great weekend!!!

Linking up with Sami today!

It’s Me, Brutus!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday….Uh, sorry I didn’t know anybody was reading yet.  But since you caught me singing to myself, I might as well announce it: today’s my birthday!!  Yup, I’m the big THREE years old.  Well, my Mom is telling me I’m turning some big birthday number like 21 or something in dog years.  But since I’m a human, I don’t know why that counts.  Still, I’ll take an adult beverage now if you have one.




So, what am I going to do on my special day you ask?  Well, today is my Dad’s day off….so, that means I’m going to make him play all day with me.  I’ll have him chase me around the house, maybe steal a sock or two, chew up all toys I can find, and eat the special treats my Mom got me.  I get very excited for these treats…they are amazefest.  Err, I mean amazing.  Sorry, I’ve been watching too much Giuliana & Bill with my Mom and sometimes I pick up these reality stars’ phrases.

Another thing I may do today (while taking it easy of course) is work out a little.  I’ve got to keep up my guns.  In fact, yesterday when I finished getting my hair cut, the barber told my Mom I’m the most muscular dog she has ever seen.  See, all this time I’ve been pumping the iron is paying off.  My Mom calls me Thunder Thighs sometimes because I’ve got the quads of a UFC fighter….Pssh, like that’s a bad thing.


Well, thanks for letting me take over again today.  I’ve enjoyed catching up with you ladies!

What I’m Loving Wednesday

Holy crap, it’s the end of Wednesday already?!  Jeepers Creepers.  Who’s ready for What' I’m Loving Wednesday?  Link up with Jamie here!


I’m loving that our Christmas décor is now up!  Yay!  Doesn’t Christmas decorations just make everybody happy?





I’m loving Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble”!!!!  Seriously can’t stop listening to this song!

I’m loving the Michael Kors’ original perfume.  Such an amazing scent that lasts for so long.

Source

I’m loving this conversation I had with my sister today.  Seriously cracked me up!




I’m NOT loving that NBC removed The Sing Off.  Seriously one of the best reality shows out there for talent.  Hmph!

Source

I’m loving that Derek works this weekend and I’ll actually be home!!!  For the past couple of months, I have been spending time with family and friends on the weekends that Derek works.  It’s been a lot of fun; but, I’m really looking forward to doing some organization projects throughout the house.


I’m loving next week I’ll officially start my link-up.  Tuesday…mark it on your calendar!



I’m loving the Redhead series.  The series has definitely made its way to my favorite book list!  These books are a great chick lit read.  I read a rumor that a third book is in the works!




I’m loving being back home with our Brutus!  We missed him and all his craziness!




Hope you are having a great week.

It’s Me, Brutus

Hello blog friends.  I’m taking over the blog again today.  Let me start off first by sharing a little secret…

My name is Brutus, and I have a shopping addiction!

 

You think I’m joking?  I love rocking me some new outfits.  You probably think it is all my mom’s doing…so, I thought I would put on a little fashion show for all of you to show you the looks that I’m sporting. 


You see, it all started out when I was very young.  My mom put sweaters on me from the first day that I came home with her.  See?



That is when my fashion obsession began.  Nowadays, I like to mix it up a little more than just a blue cable-knit.  Lets start with game-day attire.  I mean, my name isn’t Brutus for nothing!

We begin with the classic jersey.  This jersey is perfect because it can continue across seasons.  I’ll be able to wear this sucker for the rest of my life.  The material is very breathable and easy to move in as well if I want to take a little run during half time.

Now this, this is a little t-shirt I would like to call “Where’s Brutus?”  I feel a little silly in horizontal stripes, but my mom likes it because it says my name on it.  No offense mom, but is your memory going bad or something that you need to buy me a shirt with my name on it?

 

 

Last up for game-day attire, is the hooded sweatshirt.  This may be my favorite all around piece of clothing.  Why, you ask?  Well it is super casual and great for those fall days.  Plus, it has the versatility to wear on days other than game days.

That concludes pieces for game-day.  Now, let’s move along to what my mom calls my stud-muffin shirt.  I mean, I know I look pretty fly in this polo but it’s a little hard to move in.  That is why it is reserved for dates with the ladies.

Next up, a t-shirt that I really don’t wear all too often.  Honestly, it’s a little tight on the guns.  I really like to show off the money makers, but I can only wear this little article for short periods at a time.  I mean I know what it says and I offered to get a tattoo that has my mom’s name in a middle of heart.  But, she settled on this so I wear it for her.

Lastly, we have a classic sweater.  I love wearing this thing around the holiday season.  In fact, this is exactly when my mom pulls this beast out.  I can only wear it for so long because I get hot running around in this thing.

Well, that concludes that fashion show.  I have some more pieces in my collection, but my patience was running extremely thin with trying all of these items on they are sooo last season. 

I’m around all weekend to take fashion questions ; )