Big Brother Jackson

Big Brother Jackson, here.  Yes, that's right.  I now have two little sisters.  If you've been around our home lately, some of you may have heard Mommy complain about me, yell at me, or shut me in the bathroom.  All very commonplace things in the Schoolfield household.  So commonplace, in fact, that Abigail also complains about me, yells at me, and shuts me in the bathroom. 

So, I thought I'd give you an update on how I'm doing with two little sisters.  In all honesty, I love having them around and am usually excited to say good morning to them in their rooms when they wake up.  Some may remember my affections towards Abigail the first week of her life.

So when news came that Mommy and Daddy were having another baby, I was happy.  The more people, the merrier.  That's my life motto.  I looooooove people!  Here's a picture of Mommy telling us that she and Daddy were going to hospital for a couple days.  I think she has a weird expression on her face because she was having a contraction.  I may have been listening to Mommy or trying to steal a few pieces of cereal from Abigail.  I don't remember.

And when Claire was brought home from the hospital, I was busting at the seams to introduce myself to her.  For some reason, Daddy found it necessary to hold my scruff pretty tightly.

I think I got to lick her pinky.

Overall, I am still the same friendly dog and am so incredibly gentle with my sisters.  Not so much the rug or doorframe, but all I have is love and kisses for my sisters.  The biggest change for me is that I have become an emotional eater and have to eat super expensive dog food so that my stomach won't get upset.  It's just my little way of reminding Mommy and Daddy that I'm important too.  Important enough to shell out a pretty penny for my food every month or so :)  That's my way of sticking it to the man.  Oh, and this too.

That's what they get for not making their bed.

The Sad Saga Continues

This is my sweet puppy, two days after we brought him home.  This picture is about 5 years old.

I need to burn this picture into my mind.  Why?  Well, because he struck again and I need to constantly remember how much I love him.  If you've been following Jackson's sad saga, you'll know his neurotic tendencies that result in complete destruction of our house.  Here's my lovely attempt at a temporary fix to our office carpet that he tore up after locking himself in the office.

And this is what happened to the carpet and my fix-up job when Jackson locked himself in the office again a few weeks ago.

Needless to say, Matt and I were speechless.  So speechless that we didn't even punish Jackson.  Now, if he had destroyed that pink bag and coupon binder you see sticking out of it, this post might have been about Jackson's funeral.  I guess the bright side to this is that we got our office recarpeted with beautiful, new carpet yesterday.

Just keep staring at this picture, Kristin.

An Update from Jackson

This is Jackson.  I've snuck on the computer while my family is out to give you an update.  Since my last post, things have gotten worse.

First off, I've developed strange habits.  One of my new-found comforts is to trap myself in the office.  At first, my family thought I kept getting trapped accidentally, but I've been caught nudging the door shut with my nose.  And if they are home, I just sit there and wait for them to discover that I am stuck.  I like to be rescued.  If they are not home, I try to dig myself out and create masterpieces like this:

Mommy and Daddy were none too happy about my attempt to get out.  Mommy covered the hole up with duct tape until they decide to replace the carpet.  She said it looked classy...

...but I think she was being sarcastic.  Another habit that I've developed is to eat...ummm...stuff that I'm not supposed to eat.  Non-edible things.  Yes, I admit, I've been doing that.  I don't know why I do it, as it certainly does not taste good, but Mommy diagnosed me with a form of OCD and I trust her because she is a therapist.

Oh, if you thought I moved on from my old habits, you are wrong.  I still gnaw on the master bedroom door frame and leave pools of drool (Hey, I rhymed!) that stain the carpet every Wednesday night when Mommy and Daddy have people over for their weekly Bible study.

While they learn about Jesus, I remind them of total depravity and the effects of the fall.  Hey, someone has to do it.

Lastly, I've been getting comments lately on my weight gain by friends, family, and the veterinarian.  I am self-conscious and feel rather embarrassed when Mommy calls me Triangle Butt.

I guess looking at this picture, I can see it in my hips and thighs.  And stomach.  And pretty much my entire torso.  It probably doesn't help that I'm eating extra non-edible "snacks" throughout the day.  How does that work anyway?  Can I still gain weight from eating non-food?  Am I thinking too hard?

Please, someone save me before they take more picture of me like this:

They claim they still love me immensely, but sometimes I wonder...

SOS

Jackson, here.

As many of you know, I was the only child for a good couple years before my sister came along.  Don't get me wrong, I was excited for her to come along.  I gave her kisses from the beginning.

But then things changed.  And we went from this...

...to this.

Mommy and Daddy got so tired that they didn't even get mad at me for napping with my head on their pillows.

They told me that having a sister would be fun, but do I look like I'm having fun?

So, I do this a lot during the day.  Mommy says she can't walk me because she's too weak to hold me back when I see another dog coming my way.  She just doesn't understand that I'm just trying to show off my male dominance to the neighborhood.

I mean, you have to put a little bite in your bark if you were once made to parade around like this:

So, please come over and play with me!

Thanks,

Jackson

Donate Your Stuff!

Usually when I have a picture of food on here, it's a picture from a recent grocery trip where I scored an amazing deal.  Well, this is one of those, but I'm posting for a different reason.  Using three coupons from last Sunday's paper, I was able to score 15 cans of dog food for FREE!  So, what did I do with them?

I donated it all to the SPCA of Wake County, a place that does a ton for animals.  Before Abigail came, I used to volunteer there, exercising the dogs and loving on the ones that were up for adoption.  Sometimes I snuck into the puppy room to cuddle with the little fur balls before the center was open to the public for the day.  There is nothing like puppy smell!  It was something that I looked forward to...and something that I want to be able to do again in the future.

In the meantime, I'm donating food and supplies that the SPCA needs.  Kroger (on Six Forks and Wake Forest) has a collection bin in the front, which makes it easy to donate.  So, why not donate the free or cheap stuff that you score?  What a great way to help out!  And, by the way, if you're thinking about getting a dog or cat, check out your local SPCA or animal shelter.  There are so many animals that need homes!

And now a little video showing how much our family loves dogs :)



The next donation stop?  I'm collecting extra personal care items to donate to the Raleigh Rescue Mission...join me!

The Best Dog in the World

There is one member of the family that has definitely been a trooper lately...Jackson. He's endured much less attention and much more impatience from me since Abigail's been born. And with Matt being so busy with church stuff, he hasn't been able to walk him on a regular basis for quite some time. Sometimes I feel so guilty, watching him mope around the house. He doesn't complain, though. He just continues to ask to play or finds new ways of entertaining himself, such as sunbathing. Although he is still quite persistent in getting attention and finding someone to play with him, it isn't an annoyed persistence. Thanks, Jackson, for being such a great dog!

The Dog Walk (Choose Your Own Adventure)

I just came back from walking Jackson around the neighborhood and remembered why I have to be strategic about timing our walks. Unless I take him between the hours of 10:00am-3:00pm on weekdays and NEVER on weekends, I will inevitably run into this problem:

1) Jackson starts out walking well, staying next to my side and walking in a straight line. I spy another dog walker coming towards us, but Jackson has yet to see him/her and the other dog. I can either:

A) Turn around, avoiding having to walk past the other dog walker. This can only happen if the other person hasn't seen me yet. Or else I would appear to be quite rude. I mean, what would you think if every time you saw me walking around the neighborhood, I would turn around and run away without even acknowledging you? (Continue to #2)

B) Be brave and continue walking towards the dog walker. I do this all the while tightening up the leash and trying to remain calm, as Cesar Milan advised on an episode of Dog Whisperer that I once watched. So, in other words, I try to trick Jackson into thinking nothing is the matter. How stupid am I? (Continue to #3)

2) Now that I've either escaped without embarrassment or thoroughly offended my neighbor, I hurry back the other way. I do have intentions to continue walking Jackson, but am too paranoid that the person saw me run away from him/her or scared that we'll bump into another neighbor that I simply cut the walk short and go home. This sometimes happens after walking just 200 feet. Oh well. THE END

3) As we walk towards the other dog walker, Jackson sees the other dog and begins pulling on the leash and barking furiously. Since I have already tightened the leash to about 2 inches, there is no slack to pull. Therefore, he pulls me and I lean back to try and counterbalance the weight. I am such a avoider of conflict that I try to remain friendly looking towards my neighbor and try to continue walking. I probably look really stupid. The closer and closer we get, the crazier Jackson gets and the more I try to smile at the neighbor, apologize and offer a weak "Sorry!", and yell at Jackson at the same time. By the way, the yelling is less for Jackson (he never listens to me anyways) and more for the neighbor. I want him/her to think I at least try to control my dog.

A) The dog walker gives me a dirty look and hustles past with his/her perfectly well-behaved dog. I swear the dog always ends up giving Jackson a dirty look too. I walk away, arms sore from holding back a 70 lb. dog, and thoroughly embarrassed, wishing I never bump into that neighbor again. (Continue to #4)

B) The dog walker gives me a dirty look and picks up his/her little toy dog, shielding it away from the onslaught that is Jackson. The little dog either cowers in its owner's arms or gives Jackson a dirty look. I walk away, arms sore from holding back a 70 lb. dog, and thoroughly embarrassed, wishing I never bump into that neighbor again. (Continue to #4)

4) Jackson and I hurry home. I even contemplating cutting across some yards to get home faster and avoid any other dogs that might be out for a relaxing stroll around the block. But I don't. Jackson is not embarrassed, only proud that he showed himself dominant over the other dog (and me). I amble up the driveway and, defeated, enter my house, trying to make a more strategic plan for our next walk. THE END

Ok, maybe Jackson is getting back at me for making him walk around the neighborhood like this Halloween 2007. Jackson, it's almost been 2 years! Please forgive me!

Meet Froggie

Hello, this is Jackson Schoolfield and I wanted to introduce you to my very good friend, Froggie. He is soft and squishy and very green. I love to carry him around the house and he keeps me company when Mommy and Daddy are at work and running errands. We do sneaky things when they are away, like sit on the couch.

Froggie is a great friend, but he doesn't have any eyes. I decided to bite them off. Mommy caught me, but I think I swallowed one. I don't know why I did that, but Froggie doesn't mind. He is a good friend.