Search results for 'victory'

Nov 9

Victory: A Birthday Celebration — 11 years

October 12, marked nine years since we adopted our sweet dear little Victory! The time is going by much too quickly! We decided to make October 12 Victory’s birthday — the day we went to Michigan and adopted our sweet fur girl.

As such, we recently celebrated Victory’s birthday marking her ninth year with us since her adoption! This also marks five years celebrating as a ‘big sister’ to Alex! This year, for Victory’s birthday, we did a personalized fall themed and pastel themed birthday! (As shown below, last year, we did a personalized theme and a pastel theme; two years ago pink theme with gold accent; three years we did a pastel rainbow theme with a silver accent; four years ago we did pastel theme with a gold and silver accent; five years ago we did a gold and champagne theme; six years ago we did a light pink and gold themed birthday; seven years ago we did a pink themed birthday; and eight years ago, we did rainbow themed birthday for Victory!) For this double-digit birthday, we had another small cake made with Victory’s likeness, with a fall twist — Victory peering out of a pumpkin! It turned out beautifully! We also purchased some fun decorations and balloons, along with a light pink sweater for Victory, a tradition, in honor of her birthday! Victory also enjoyed a Snake River Farms steak prepared by Doug, along with her very own cupcake (with no icing, of course!) Victory looked absolutely adorable and beautiful on her birthday, as always, shown below! This is the fifth birthday that Victory celebrated with her sidekick, Alex! It is wonderful to witness their relationship blossom as Alex grows older. Alex loves giving Victory treats and hugs (with supervision!) Victory had a fun birthday and she truly enjoyed being over fed and the center of attention! I sincerely believe Victory knows her birthdays are all about her!

We are truly the lucky ones to share our lives with this wonderful, loyal, and loving being. Victory has been such a source of comfort to us all. She is always by our side, and I have enjoyed working from home full time with her since COVID. Victory has also fully embraced her ‘big sister’ role! Victory is very attuned to her little sister and loves to greet Alex in the mornings and evenings! It melts our hearts! Victory continues to join us each morning and evening for play time and story time, in addition to all feedings! We also do our best to keep Victory fully integrated in our outings as well, and we had a fun fall together with many outings together! We are so very grateful and thankful for our Victory. She means the world to us and we love her very much.

For Victory’s birthday, we gave her: a Snake River Farms steak; a customized Yeti water bowl with her name on it; treats; and a new light pink sweater! Additionally, Alex also made some art for Victory!

(All birthday decorations are via Sweet Lulu.)

Here is a video of the girls celebrating our fur girl, Victory!

A look back at Victory’s birthday celebrations over the years…

Here is a look back at Victory on her birthdays!

If you are considering getting a dog, I hope that you consider adopting a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in need of a good, loving home, especially now. As shown below, Victory, a rescue, has changed so much physically and emotionally over the years since we adopted her, pictured on the left (image from Victory’s foster mom via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue). You really can save a dog’s life, while simultaneously enriching your own life/lives. We cannot imagine not having a rescue dog in our lives!

Oct 12

Victory: Blessing of the Animals

It is Victory’s birthday today, and she is eleven years old! It is difficult to believe that we have had our precious Victory for nine years! October 12 is the day we adopted her from the Michigan Sheltie Rescue. This past weekend, we had a wonderful fall birthday celebration with a custom cake with a fall themed three-dimensional rendering of Victory on top of the cake, balloons, and decorations for our fur girl, Victory! (When I get a chance to edit these photos, I will share, more, soon!)

Importantly, we recently attended the Blessing of the Animals at Alex’s school. We have never attended such an event, so it was really fun to witness Victory receive a blessing. Doug also gave a reading, shown immediately below. And, we were given a certificate to take home with Victory’s blessing. Victory did well, and I am certain she knew that this event was all about her!

Reading: But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the planets of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of God has done this? In God’s hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.

Here is a video our Victory getting ready for her blessing.

Here is a video our Victory receiving her blessing.

The Blessing of each animal: Victory, we give thanks for your life and companionship. May you be blessed in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that you and your family may find joy in your life together. Amen.”

Shown below are a few photos from the Blessing of the Animals.

May 27

Victory’s Bedtime Routine

Our fur girl, Victory, has a urinary tract infection (UTI). Thankfully, she is on an antibiotic, that seems to be working. Victory is integral to our bedtime routine in the evenings. We typically turn Alex’s bed down and Victory happily hops onto Alex’s bed and waits for Alex to finish her bath and getting ready for bed. After Alex’s bath, we have been reading and playing games like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Bingo. Victory stays on the bed, during this time, and she occasionally gets off to get some treats, which we keep in Alex’s room. Alex has a butterfly pillow that she shares with Victory so that she can put her head down on it to rest, she’s so thoughtful! Victory and Alex usually play together, and Victory is so tolerant. Right before bed, Alex and I usually cuddle and talk, Alex is a pro at stretching out her bedtime, so she does not have to go to bed, and Victory stays with us until Alex gets into bed. We feel so grateful for Victory! She is a great fur sister, and our bedtime routine will never be the same without her!

Here is a video our girls together before bed.

Nov 4

Victory: A Birthday Celebration — 10 years!

October 12, marked eight years since we adopted our sweet dear little Victory! The time is going by much too quickly! We decided to make October 12 Victory’s birthday — the day we went to Michigan and adopted our sweet fur girl.

As such, we recently celebrated Victory’s birthday marking her eighth year with us since her adoption! This also marks four years of being a ‘big sister’ to Alex! This year, for Victory’s birthday, we did a personalized theme and a pastel theme! (As shown below, last year, we did a pink theme with gold accent; two years we did a pastel rainbow theme with a silver accent; three years ago we did pastel theme with a gold and silver accent; four years ago we did a gold and champagne theme; five years ago we did a light pink and gold themed birthday; six years ago we did a pink themed birthday; and seven years ago, we did rainbow themed birthday for Victory!) For this double-digit birthday, we had a small cake made with Victory’s likeness. It turned out beautifully! We also purchased some fun decorations and balloons, along with an embroidered peachy pink sweater for Victory, a tradition, in honor of her birthday! Victory also enjoyed a Snake River Farms steak prepared by Doug, along with her very own cupcake (with no icing, of course!) Victory looked absolutely adorable and beautiful on her birthday, as always, shown below! This is the fourth birthday that Victory celebrated with her sidekick, Alex! It is wonderful to witness their relationship blossom as Alex grows older. Alex loves giving Victory treats and hugs (with supervision!) Victory had a fun birthday and she truly enjoyed being over fed and the center of attention! I sincerely believe Victory knows her birthdays are all about her!

We are truly the lucky ones to share our lives with this wonderful, loyal, and loving being. Victory has been such a source of comfort to us all. She is always by our side. Victory has also fully embraced her ‘big sister’ role! Victory is very attuned to her little sister and loves to greet Alex in the mornings and evenings! It melts our hearts! Victory continues to join us each morning and evening for play time and story time, in addition to all feedings! We also do our best to keep Victory fully integrated in our outings as well! We are so very grateful and thankful for our Victory. She means the world to us and we love her very much.

For Victory’s birthday, we gave her: a Snake River Farms steak; and a new peachy pink embroidered sweater!

(All birthday decorations are via Sweet Lulu.)

Here is a video of the girls celebrating our fur girl, Victory!

A look back at Victory’s birthday celebrations over the years…

Here is a look back at Victory on her birthdays!

If you are considering getting a dog, especially during this difficult time, I hope that you consider adopting a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in need of a good, loving home, especially now. As shown below, Victory, a rescue, has changed so much physically and emotionally over the years since we adopted her, pictured on the left (image from Victory’s foster mom via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue). You really can save a dog’s life, while simultaneously enriching your own life/lives. We cannot imagine not having a rescue dog in our lives!

Feb 16

Victory: Integral to the Bedtime Routine

Our very sweet and beloved fur girl, Victory, is integral to our bedtime routine, and it would never be the same without her! Ever since Alex entered our lives, Victory has been right there with us, every step of the way. We are now at a point where the girls are truly bonded and Alex understands she needs to be gentle with Victory!

So, after dinner, Victory usually heads up to Alex’s room and lays down in her room until Alex is done with her bath! (I still remember initially setting up Alex’s nursery, before she was born, and Victory was a bit nervous to go into the nursery! How times have certainly changed, thankfully!) Then, after getting lotion on, teeth brushed, and pajamas on, the girls go up to see the trains with Doug, which Alex affectionally refers to as the “choo choos!” Victory usually only stays upstairs to get a few treats; then she goes back and waits for Alex in her room, as Victory does not care for the noise of the trains! Doug recently got Alex a Lionel Mickey/Minnie operating box car, which she loves from the 1990s! (A sweet video is shown below). When Doug and Alex are finished doing the trains, we all end up in Alex’s room and we play together and read books together. Of course, we all feed Victory treats, which she loves! Victory also loves licking Alex’s clean skin after her bath! At 8:00 p.m., the Hatch turns on automatically, with ocean waves, for white noise, indicating it is time for bed! Alex then immediately says, “It’s time for sleepy time!” Then everyone cleans up and Doug and Victory say goodnight and head downstairs. Alex and I read a few more books together, cuddle, whereby Alex gives the best hugs and kisses — ever, and then Alex goes down to sleep with no issue, usually!

Victory, Doug, and I usually get an hour of uninterrupted time together, and then we head to bed as well, where Victory gets lots of belly rubs before she goes to bed with us in our bed! Victory is such an integral family member, and we love her so much! We are so very fortunate that she came into our lives; this little rescue dog has stolen our hearts forever, and we fondly refer to her as, “our older daughter!”

Oct 26

Victory: A Birthday Celebration — 9 years!

October 12, marked seven years since we adopted our sweet dear little Victory! The time is going by much too quickly! We decided to make October 12 Victory’s birthday — the day we went to Michigan and adopted our sweet fur girl.

As such, we recently celebrated Victory’s birthday marking her seventh year with us since her adoption! This also marks three years of being a ‘big sister’ to Alex! This year, for Victory’s birthday, we did a pink theme with a gold accent! (As shown below, last year, we did a pastel rainbow theme with a silver accent; two years ago we did pastel theme with a gold and silver accent; three years ago we did a gold and champagne theme; four years ago we did a light pink and gold themed birthday; five years ago we did a pink themed birthday; and six years ago, we did rainbow themed birthday for Victory!) We purchased some fun pink-themed decorations, party hats, balloons, and a pink sweater for Victory, a tradition, in honor of her birthday! Victory also enjoyed her very own cupcake (with no icing, of course!) Victory looked absolutely adorable and beautiful on her birthday, as always, shown below! This is the third birthday that Victory celebrated with her sidekick, Alex! It is wonderful to witness their relationship blossom as Alex grows older. Alex loves giving Victory treats and hugs (with supervision!) Victory had a fun birthday and she truly enjoyed being over fed and the center of attention!

We are truly the lucky ones to share our lives with this wonderful, loyal, and loving being. Victory has been such a source of comfort during this pandemic. She is always by our side. Victory has also fully embraced her ‘big sister’ role! Victory is very attuned to her little sister and loves to greet Alex in the mornings! It melts our hearts! Victory continues to join us each morning and evening for play time and story time, in addition to all feedings! We also do our best to keep Victory fully integrated in our outings as well, and she has gone on some fun, fall outings with us, as always! We are so very grateful and thankful for our Victory. She means the world to us and we love her very much.

For Victory’s birthday, we gave her a new: leash; and a new pink sweater!

(All birthday decorations are via Sweet Lulu.)

Here is a video of the girls celebrating our fur girl, Victory!

A look back at Victory’s birthday celebrations over the years…

Here is a look back at Victory and Alex on Victory’s birthday!

If you are considering getting a dog, especially during this difficult time, I hope that you consider adopting a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in need of a good, loving home, especially now. As shown below, Victory, a rescue, has changed so much physically and emotionally over the years since we adopted her, pictured on the left (image from Victory’s foster mom via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue). You really can save a dog’s life, while simultaneously enriching your own life/lives. We cannot imagine not having a rescue dog in our lives!

Jan 21

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Victory: Trusted and Loyal Fur Sister

I do not have a blog post prepared this week. Sickness hit our house recently, and Alex has been quite sick for almost a week with a terrible cold, double ear infection, and fever. And, I caught strep and Doug is not feeling well either. We have been in full caring and healing mode here. Alex is getting better on her new antibiotic, thankfully. Victory, as always, is always there for us. During this time of sickness, there has been a silver lining — Victory and Alex have bonded. Victory has given Alex lots of love to include licking all of the wet and dried mucus off of her nose and face. (A short video is shown below.) Alex does not seem to mind all of Victory’s affection. Alex now holds her hand out gently for Victory to give her licks, ‘kisses,’ and she thinks it is great, which always brings a big smile to Alex’s face. Alex is giving Victory loads of treats and she is now petting Victory gently on the head.

Victory means the world to us. It is amazing to me how she always knows what is going on, even if she cannot express it in words to us. She must know Alex is not feeling well. (Typically, Victory is a bit timid about getting too close around Alex who is constantly in motion.) Victory is such a smart, loving, loyal, and protective creature. We are the lucky ones, and we are so glad that Victory is a part of our family. Victory is such a great fur sister to Alex and she is always teaching us something about life.

Here is a video of Victory being such a loving fur sister.

Oct 15

Victory: A Birthday Celebration — 8 years!

This past Saturday, October 12, marked six years since we adopted our sweet dear little Victory! The time is going by much too quickly! We decided to make October 12 Victory’s birthday — the day we went to Michigan and adopted our sweet fur girl.

As such, on October 12, we celebrated Victory’s birthday marking her sixth year with us since her adoption! This also marks nearly fifteen months of being a ‘big sister’ to Alex! This year, for Victory’s birthday, we did a pastel rainbow theme with a silver accent! (As shown below, last year, we did pastel theme with a gold and silver accent; two years ago we did a gold and champagne theme; three years ago we did a light pink and gold themed birthday; four years ago we did a pink themed birthday; and five years ago, we did rainbow themed birthday for Victory!) We purchased some fun pastel rainbow decorations, party hats, balloons, and a cream sweater for Victory, a tradition, in honor of her birthday! Victory also enjoyed her very own prime rib that we got for her while on our anniversary dinner! (Here is a brief video of our fur girl, Victory, on her birthday enjoying her prime rib!) Victory looked absolutely adorable and beautiful on her birthday, as always, shown below! This is the second birthday that Victory celebrated with her sidekick, Alex! (These days, it is really difficult to get the girls to sit still together; however, a few candid images of our sweet girls together are shown below.) Victory had a fun birthday and she truly enjoyed being over fed!

We are truly the lucky ones to share our lives with this wonderful, loyal, and loving being. Victory has also fully embraced her ‘big sister’ role! Victory is very attuned to her little sister and loves to greet Alex in the mornings! It melts our hearts! Victory continues to join us each morning and evening for play time and story time, in addition to all feedings! We also do our best to keep Victory fully integrated in our outings as well! We are so grateful and thankful for our Victory. She means the world to us and we love her very much.

For Victory’s birthday, we gave her a new: large sherpa blanket to use for her naps on our bed, one of her favorite places to rest; a cream sweater; and a gift card from my parents!

(All birthday decorations are via Sweet Lulu.)

A look back at Victory’s birthday celebrations over the years…

Here is a look back at Victory and Alex on Victory’s birthday!

If you are considering getting a dog, I hope that you consider adopting a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in need of a good, loving home. As shown below, Victory, a rescue, has changed so much physically and emotionally over the years since we adopted her, pictured on the left (image from Victory’s foster mom via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue). You really can save a dog’s life, while simultaneously enriching your own life/lives.

Oct 15

Victory: A Birthday Celebration — 7 years!

This past Friday, October 12, marked five years since we adopted our sweet dear little Victory! (The time is going by too quickly!) We decided to make October 12 Victory’s birthday — the day we went to Michigan and adopted our sweet fur girl.

As such, on October 12, we celebrated Victory’s birthday marking her fifth year with us since her adoption! This year, for Victory’s birthday, we did a pastel theme with a gold and silver accent! (As shown below, last year, we did a gold and champagne theme; two years ago we did a light pink and gold themed birthday; three years ago we did a pink themed birthday; and four years ago, we did rainbow themed birthday for Victory!) We purchased some fun pastel decorations, party hats, confetti, and a new pink sweater for Victory, a tradition, in honor of her birthday! Victory also enjoyed a smoked beef tenderloin that her daddy made for her on the big green egg! Victory looked absolutely adorable and beautiful on her birthday, as always, shown below! This birthday was a little different in that Victory celebrated with her sidekick, Baby Alex! She had a fun birthday and she enjoyed being over fed! We are the lucky ones to share our lives with this wonderful, loyal, and loving being. Victory has also embraced her new role as ‘big sister’ and ‘Mamma Victory!’ She is so attuned to her little sister and loves to lick Baby Alex and show her loads of love and affection. It melts our hearts! Victory keeps busy checking in on her little sister along with joining us each morning for play time and story time, in addition to all feedings! We are so grateful for this special bond of our ‘children!’

For Victory’s birthday, we gave her a new: water dish (to use in my office) from one of her daddy’s favorite stores; a pink sweater; and a gift card from her Grandma and Grandpa Carver!

(All birthday decorations are via Oh Happy Day and Sweet Lulu.)

A look back at Victory’s birthday time over the years…

If you are considering getting a dog, I hope that you consider adopting a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in need of a good, loving home. As shown below, Victory, a rescue, has changed so much physically and emotionally over the years since we adopted her, pictured on the left (image from Victory’s foster mom via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue). You really can save a dog’s life, while simultaneously enriching your own life/lives.

Sep 25

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Update: Our Fur Girl, Victory!

I thought that I would provide an update on our fur girl, Victory! Victory is now officially a ‘big sister!’ It is very difficult to believe, at times! We are so grateful! We are all doing better overall with more rest, and a little time together under our belts! We have been giving Victory lots of love and reassurance! The first month was a major adjustment period for all of us, including our fur girl, Victory! (We are still adjusting; but our new normal feels more normal!) I wrote this post to help prepare other similarly situated dogs welcoming a human sibling! Victory, along with us, is doing pretty well. In addition to the items/ideas contained in that post, we have been doing the following, below, to help Victory during this big transition.

We have transitioned baby Alex into her nursery in her Dock-A-Tot, which has been helpful for all, especially Victory — baby Alex is a noisy sleeper, often times at night! Victory now has Doug and I to herself in our bed, the way it had always been, which she loves along with her tuck-ins at night — a favorite time and ritual with her, which Victory loves! Before bed we have been staying up a little later with just Victory to give her some time by herself after putting baby Alex to bed. This has really helped Victory.

Our house now has just the four of us, which is the way Victory likes it — she prefers not to have visitors! This has helped Victory as well! We are now able to consistently implement her morning routine, which she likes, which consists of the following: potty; back to bed to rest; potty again; breakfast; teeth brushing; and then she goes up to my office and waits for me, just the way she likes it and she rests for the remainder of the day with more potty trots! She is now giving me my morning ‘feet washing,’ while I sit at my desk, the way she always used to do prior to baby Alex!

We have been taking Victory on outings with us, which she loves, even though the weather has been extremely hot and humid along with a lot of rain recently! We have been going out for ice cream and a few dinners together, which have all gone well! This has definitely helped her morale, immensely! (We are looking forward to the fall, which has officially arrived, filled with cooler temperatures and fun outings planned with our girls!)

When I feed baby Alex, I have started to give Victory some treats to keep her feel included, which she likes! Victory even licks baby Alex’s little feet and legs — it is quite adorable!

When we read to baby Alex, we include Victory in story time, and she seems to enjoy it! Victory is even coming into the nursery on her own more often now!

During the day, I make sure I talk to Victory and tell her that we love her and that she is doing a great job, and her little sister is going to absolutely adore her when she gets a little older and discovers our fur girl!

We are making progress on this front and we are doing our best to keep things as normal as possible for Victory; somedays are easier than others! Overall, Victory is doing quite well and she has been a great ‘big sister!’ We are very grateful for our girls!

Below are a few snapshots of our girls, Alex and Victory!