Dogsick (no - it's not what you think)

I just finished reading Where the Red Fern Grows with Drake, and it made it even worse. I even felt guilty when I brought him to see my friend's puppies, because it makes his need even deeeeeeper. Moping around the house, begging me with a sincerity that brought us both close to tears, and promises up and down about the care he would give a dog. . .

In the end, Jason and I really had no other choice. With his eighth birthday only days away, we decided it was time. But getting a dog for your family is a big decision - and responsibility. I spent all day online, researching breeds. I was in the Tae Kwon Do parking lot, thinking about it and praying that I will find the right dog for our family, when I decided I would drive through Jordan Landing (a nearby shopping center) on my way home. With Zander and I in the car, we were rounding a bend, and there, on the grass strip between the road and parking lot, were the cutest puppies I have ever seen. You can guess the rest of the story.

It was thrilling as Drake closed his eyes in the middle of his birthday party and had the puppy placed in his lap. His eyes flew open and he hugged and beamed and almost wailed his happiness. . . But the best part was that evening, seeing them lounging together on the couch, boy and dog; I can't help thinking, "This is the way life is supposed to be."
Okay, maybe I'm bragging a little by posting pix of his doggy cupcakes, but they just turned out so dang cute!