We're still alive!

Yet again, things have gotten away from me and I've been remiss at blogging, both posting and reading others' blogs. I'm going to try to make the rounds today to see what everyone has been up to!

To catch up...... Echo is now 4.5 months old and weighs somewhere in the 68 pound range. She is not as 'nippy' as she used to be although she has replaced that with jumping. I swear she has springs in her feet. My two 5 year old daughters hide when Echo is running around the house because they know they'll be knocked over and trampled on. We're working hard on this but as with everything else so far, it is going to take time! Echo started her puppy kindergarten class a few days ago and not only is her sister, Sky, in the class, so is a labradoodle, greater swiss mountain dog, golden retriever, lab mix, as well as a few smaller pups. It's a great mix of dogs/sizes and they focus heavily on socialization so I'm excited for this class. She loved it...

Willow has slowed down in her growth. Last weigh-in, she was around 125 pounds and she's 10.5 months old. I think she's much bigger than Kai was at this age, so I have a feeling she's going to be a bigger dog than he is. Not as tall, but "wider." Although you can't tell in the pic above, her lines are really nice and I'm so pleased with her overall build. After dealing with a lifetime of problems with Kai, this type of stuff jumps out at me right away! Also, in the picture above, you can see Kai's back legs. If you notice, there is no "bend/curve" to his back legs. They are straight; this is what has caused his orthopedic problems. He has to stand on his tippy toes and it has caused damage to his knees and now arthritis. I'm amazed that he's still getting around as well as he is. The above picture cracks me up because not only can you see the difference in their sizes, but you it looks like they are all grazing! ha ha

My old man...yes, he's hanging in there. I just can't believe he's doing as good as he is. He'll be 8 years old the end of this month. That's getting up there in age for a giant breed dog. But not only that, given his health problems, it's truly a miracle that he's still here! He is loving the warmer days we've been having and wants nothing more than to find the sunny spots outside and sunbathe!

And the LWT is finally getting some jowls...I love it! I was practicing taking pics with my new camera and thankfully I've got great subjects with the dogs and kids!

I think I need to hang this picture on the fridge so when she's really misbehaving, I can remind myself that she *can* be sweet! ;)

And the biggest news is that I have finally switched the dogs to a raw diet. Well, I should say I'm in the process......I still have about $100 worth of kibble left and I don't have the finances to just throw it away so they are getting kibble in the AM and raw at night. Once the kibble is all gone, they'll be on raw only. So far they all LOVE it! A friend from work has a freezer full of deer meat that she doesn't want, so it'll be nice to save some $$$!

And I love this picture showing the oldest and the youngest of the crew! It's not often the LWT sits still long enough for a picture like this so this is a keeper! :)