This is Molly. Joe and I got Molly 8 years ago and she became our baby. I remember when she was a pup how she used to run behind us and try to bite our toes and how she used to chew on everything, including socks, shoes and other unmentionables!! As a pup she would whine all night because she wanted out of her kennel. Eventually we gave in and let her sleep with us occasionally. She always laid by us when we would watch tv, she loved to be close to people. Molly was always very hyper, she would bark at people outside and she would jump on people inside, but as she got older she calmed down a lot....people didn't always see that because she would still get very excited when people came over. But she usually just laid around all day, running away from the kids.
She was there when each of the kids came home from the hospital. She would sit by them and guard them from anybody who was visiting, like she was making sure nobody was going to harm them. She has been in a lot of family and holiday pictures through the years.
On September 26th, 2008, Molly died. She was always running around town if the kids left the door open to long. On this particular day she didn't get across the street fast enough and a car hit her right up the road from our house. It was very hard on Joe and I, we loved her like a child and it is hard to forget someone who has been there everyday for 8 years. Not a day has gone by since she died that I haven't thought of her. For the sake of the kids we told them that she got old and went to sleep. I know that someday they may read these blogs and they will wonder why we lied, but it was so hard on us and we didn't feel that they needed to know how it happened only that it did. We didn't want anyone blaming the others for letting her out in the first place.
I am writing this blog more for my kids than anyone else. I want them to know about Molly someday, because she was a huge part of our lives and she is missed very much.
The above pictures are of Dawson's 2nd birthday. When it came time to open presents, he opened the first one and it was cars, he refused to put them down to open the next present. Needless to say he ended up sitting on Great Grandma Marilyn's lap to open all presents and we had to eventually pry the cars out of his hands so he could open each present. He got LOTS of cars, trucks, tractors, and trailers and has had a blast playing with them ever since.(Note: Rylie is in the dragon costume, she found it during the party and wore it the rest of the time)
October 11th was Dawson's 2nd birthday, so we took the kids to Sioux Falls and did family pictures and Chucky Cheese. Family pictures took way longer than we thought they would and the kids were getting VERY crabby, as well as Joe!!! Despite the long wait at pictures the kids were excited to get to Chucky Cheese. Above they are waiting for our pizza to come. Mason told me to stop taking pictures because we just did them!! 
Dawson was fascinated with the mouse on the wall, he kept going up to it and putting his face right up next to it.
As I have said before, Dawson LOVES Cars and Trucks. There were a few of them that he spent lots of time in. This particular car had a man sitting in it and he was just loving him up!!! He would sit in the cars and I just kept putting coins in, he got really upset when other kids wanted to have a turn as well.
Needless to say the kids were worn out by the end of the day. Dawson was out in less than 3 minutes, and Morgan made it about 5 minutes!!
