The Forgotten Child

Some of you (especially any newer readers of our blog) may not know that we have another child. You don't hear much about him and we, unfortunately don't talk about him as much as our other children. And I am sad to admit, this child is sometimes forgotten in our busy world. Isn't that awful? Who forgets one of their own children?!

His name is Chase. And he is turning 5 in just a few days. It's hard to believe he started out looking like this just a few years ago...my, how things have changed for all of us! He has gotten a LOT bigger. Our family has grown a lot too!This sixth member of our family used to take up a lot of room here on our blog. In fact, it was the time I spent a few nights ago, reading back on our blog archives that sparked this post. Seeing those days just a few years ago, before our other children were born, when Chase was THE child in our family -- our only child, the one we doted on and spoiled and bragged about. He is our oldest child, our only boy.

Some of you may be reading this and thinking, seriously, you crazy woman -- Chase is a DOG! To you, yes, he may be just a dog. But when you have a pet like our Chase, he is NOT just a dog. He is 100% a member of the family.

I have felt bad over the years as the kids have come that our time with Chase has gotten more and more limited. But then I had this huge realization as I was sitting here thinking about this sweet dog. Yes, OUR (meaning Chris and I) time with him has become more limited. BUT, we are being replaced somewhat by Chase's girls -- his Kaiya and his Taylor (and someday in the future, his Avery) as they get older. And it's such a beautiful thing to see that Chase is now being doted on and spoiled by these girls who are apart of his family too. Even though Chase is still our dog, he is now becoming more and more of their dog and I love it! I cannot even begin to tell you how our girls love Chase. I mean, to the point of obsession, really! As I sit here and write this right now, they are out on the deck, laughing in hysterics as they throw the ball at him and he darts around trying to catch it. On most nights, you can find us outside hanging out while Kaiya throws the ball endlessly to her dog until HE, not she, gets so tired that he has to go and just plop down in the grass! And when we go on walks, they always make sure that Chase is coming with us.There is something really special about what pets, especially such good ones like Chase, do for our spirits, for our children, for our families. Chase brings such joy to all of us and it breaks my heart to think that one day, he won't be here with us. He is honestly such a gentle giant, arguably the best, most loving dog ever to grace a family. He has NEVER once hurt any of our kids, but loves them and is protective and soft with them. He is so obedient and eager to please. He is careful and kind to strangers, especially the endless numbers of kids who very timidly want to come up and see what he's all about. He has never bitten or hurt anyone, but I also know that if any one of us were ever in danger, that would be the first time we saw the ferociousness in our dog -- he would defend us to his end. I love that soooo much about him. The most dangerous of his weapons, when it comes to us, is his huge tail, that wags like CRAZY all the time and just so happens to be at head height of our kids when they are right around Taylor's age. He has knocked them over a time or two with that big tail, but even that doesn't seem to bother the kids too much! He is such a GEM of a dog and we are so thankful that he is so easy to have around!

So, to our sweet, adorable, BIG forgotten child...don't worry, bud, you are still and always will be such a huge part of our family -- and not just because of your size, but also because of how you fill up our hearts with your gentle nature and charm! You filled a void in our lives when we were waiting for these little girls to come, and now they thank you by loving you as much as we always have! You are a very special piece of our family's story and I know you will continue to be a big part of the memories we make together -- always there, always eager, but patiently awaiting some attention! Hopefully we always give you enough! We love you, Chaser!