In loving memory

So it was a sad weekend for the Carlile Crew. I woke up Saturday morning after Trey let me sleep in...did I mention that he is a sweet guy to take care of the girls so I could get some extra rest...and started doing a few things around the house. I knew the dogs had been out to go potty and most everything was taken care of. Earlier in the week we went out to some friends land to let the dogs play and to go on a "safari" with the kids in the woods. We had a great time but the dogs were super tired. When we got home Gus, the golden retriever, didn't move for 2.5 hours. I knew he was tired but I had no idea he was that exhausted. So the rest of the week he laid low and didn't do much. I kinda started to worry and we even called the vet to make sure everything was fine. They assured us it was going to be okay and he was probably just worn out. So back to Saturday morning, after noticing that Gus wasn't in the house and I didn't see him at the back door I went outside to look for him thinking maybe he was behind the shop digging again. When I couldn't find him outside I came back to the door to ask Trey if maybe he was inside and I just didn't see him. While standing in the doorway I noticed my buddy laying in the flower bed which he never lays in. I stopped in mid sentence and knew right then he was gone. Trey saw it all over my face and I went running over to him calling his name and hoping his sweet little eyes would meet mine. It was picturesque because we have one azalea plant in the backyard and Saturday was the first day it opened in all its glory. Gus choose to lay underneath this beautiful creation for his last moments. It looked like he just laid down and went to sleep. Trey tried to wake him while I bawled like a baby. I rubbed my buddy for a few strokes to comfort him and my heart and said goodbye. Hoping there was no pain in his passing I tried to pull myself together so I could tell Maddie her best buddy was now in heaven. After she got the news she really didn't seem affected by it which made me relieved. We had a make shift funeral for our friend out on our friends land where we had been earlier in the week. We made a cross headstone and put Gus' collar around it and also laid flowers out for him. Everything was so sweet and nice and we all said something nice about Gus. After about 5 minutes after we left Maddie finally understood what it all meant and broke down in the car. We pulled over so we could all just cry together and love on one another. It may have been the hardest thing as a Mom I have had to experience with Maddie. She was so brokenhearted and there was just not that much I could do but just hold her. We loved on each other which seemed to make it better and then spent some time telling about all the funny and cute things Gus had done while we had him. I know we are all still missing him and I keep thinking he is just going to come walking through the door. It is a little quiet too around here but I am hanging on to good times with our Gussy. We miss you boy and we love you.


One of the best things about Gus was that he just followed Maddie everywhere. He could care less that she would dress him up. He wagged his tail with happiness and just enjoyed her presence. There is just not that many dogs that are so kind and gentle with little kids and Gus was truely one of a kind. He is going to be missed so much.

Gus finally got his curls back and in this pictue he just got a shower so he was nice and clean.

He was massive almost 85 lbs. all love and licks from this big guy.

I definitely didn't know I was getting my picture taken but look how sweet my little buddy was.

First day when we got Gus...his hair was shaved because of the hot summer weather but you can tell he was a cutie.

Applause please!

Mollie started clapping today. She does it like a pro and she smiles super big when she does. Isn't it funny how proud you get of silly little milestones your babies make even if it is my second.

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I snapped these pics of Mollie the other day and I just thought they were so sweet. I actually took like 15 but these two were some of my favorites. In my opinion, she has the prettiest blue eyes and she smiles with her eyes. She is growing so fast and I can hardly believe she is already 7 months old.




This is Maddie doing what she loves, helping and cooking. At our house we have what I like to call a "one butt" kitchen. This means really there is only enough room for one person (hence butt) to move around freely. We manage to squeeze more in but to be effective it is best if just one person does the cooking at a time. Needless to say Maddie helps cook a lot at home but it is not like Nana's kitchen. They have a massive kitchen maybe something like a 10 butt kitchen so she gets to get right in and help. Here she is cleaning potatoes. Doesn't she look so big and grown up. By the way we were at a birthday party earlier and that is face painting on her cheek.

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth

Even as an adult I have always found swinging to be therapeutic....much like a rocking chair. For some reason when you go back and forth in the wind all those worries and carries get blown away for awhile. It also reminds me of the book "I'll Always Love you" where the mom rocks her son back and forth back and forth back and forth. Maybe that is why I truly like it because it takes my subconscious back to by baby years when my Mom rocked me. Anyways, enough babble, with the weather getting nicer we have been able to all go outside and do some quality swinging together. Now our swing set has had a workout all winter too because Maddie could care less if it is 10 degrees or 100 degrees, she is my outside girl. When it is freezing she just bundles up and takes it. She loves it and it loves her, the outside I mean. So now that I feel more comfortable taking Mollie outside in the warmer weather we are getting to do more together...it is great. Mollie loves to swing especially next to her sister and Maddie likes to remind Mollie that she is going higher than her. It is so fun to watch them interact and I know it is only going to get better.