The children were invited to go through a “mock deployment” deal today. I thought it sounded lame, but everyone else was going so we checked it out too. It was not lame. The kids go to go through the different stations their Daddy will go through before he deploys. They got dog tags and signed a Power Of Attorney for the care of their teddy bears while they were away. (One more job for Mommy)

They tried on Kevlar.

I think it weighed as much as Reese.

Even big kids like to play soldier.

They put on camo face paint.

You can hardly see him, right?

They fooled around with weapons.

There was even movie-style fun.

Just like the bad guy from Transformers.

Did you see The Hurt Locker?

I’m going to borrow that for John’s bedroom.

It was a fun day. But, the best part came late this evening…

Reese needs some clarification on the term “dog tags.”

The ongoing saga of the stupid dog’s bloody urine should be coming to an end.

On Thursday she had surgery to remove four very large bladder stones. She let me put a muzzle on her without incident. She squealed like a little girl when they gave her the sedative shot. Then she passed out.

She passed out so deeply that the techs had to bring in a gurney to carry her away. It was a pitiful site.

I cried a little.

Shut up. I love her, leave me alone.

These are what they pulled from my puppy.

Worst. Pet Owner. Ever.

To see what the stones are made of will take 30 days. In the meantime she is on special food that costs more than our weekly budget to feed the human children.

Getting a limp 60 lb. dog out of  the minivan was a challenge. We managed. She spent several hours like this.

I think similar photos of me are floating around. Only without all the fur and with a box of wine for a pillow.

Reese was very concerned. He thought she might need some toys to cheer her up.

Awww….

Poor stupid dog. She’s fine. Milking it for all it’s worth.