LIFE... Well, it was a pretty good weekend before it turned into a pretty darn awful weekend. We spent most of Saturday at the Charm City Folk & Bluegrass Festival, which was fantastic. Great bands, great setup, and the rain held off. Then Sunday came, and with it the unexpected and heartbreaking decision to put down our beloved Rocco. Despite our shock, we tried our best to give him a great final day on Monday. Jared and I took off of work, and after the kids said goodbye to him, we hung out just the 3 of us - like it was in the beginning. We gave him eggs for breakfast, took him on a really long walk, played fetch, and loved on him something fierce. He died in our arms as we told him how much we loved him. Needless to say, Jared and I aren't doing so well but we're trying our best to focus on the good times we had with our crazy pup over the past 9+ years. As much as this hurts, we know we are infinitely better for having had the honor of loving our sweet Rocco.

ALLIE... Heartbroken.

JARED... Heartbroken.

EMMA... The heart on this kid is something else. She's been amazing through this whole thing, drawing a bunch of pictures of Rocco for the scrapbook she decided we should make for him, and being impossibly brave as she said goodbye to him. This is her first real experience with death, and she's handled it remarkably well.

JONAH... It's so funny how differently kids rise to the occasion during times like this. Jared and I were such a mess Sunday night that we were struggling to get through the bedtime routine. Jonah was basically like, "uhhhh... so I guess I'm getting myself ready for bed?" Without even asking, he went potty, brushed his teeth, picked out his PJs, and was trying to put his nighttime diaper on when we finally came to. He may not really understand what's going on, but he apparently knew we needed a break that night. And on a far less depressing note, he has taken to removing his pants and underwear whenever he feels like it and running through the house naked. So there's that.

FAVORITE IMAGE...