Sibling Chronicles: Part Deux

Well, today is Betsy's birthday and it has been quite a while since I added a Chapter to my Sibling Chronicles, so today is the day, no more procrastinating looking for pictures. My scanner really got a work out with this one. It seems Betsy and photos have always been great friends. So, Chapter two, my Sibling #8 (of 10) is:

Elizabeth Lynn Godsey Sass (Betsy)

August 17, 1979

Betsy was born at Hood River Memorial Hospital, the third of three siblings born there. I really truly believed (according to my memory and the diary I kept in 1979, at age 16) that Betsy would be my last and youngest sibling. Maybe that was why I loved taking pictures of Betsy, or maybe it was just because she was so "Gerber Baby" Cute. The round face, big blue eyes and sweet sweet sweet disposition made for a pretty compelling combination. Babysitting Betsy was a pleasure and Kim (holding Betsy here) hardly ever put Betsy down long enough for anyone else to get a chance to cuddle her.
I remember this day literally like it was yesterday. On my weekends in Hood River, I got to share a bedroom with Betsy (the youngest and the oldest, as it were). Dad owned a carpet/interiors store in Hood River and he let me pick out everything for the room Betsy and I shared. Karen even made me a quilt out of matching fabric (identical to the wallpaper)... everything was pink and blue. I dressed Betsy up in this baby blue dress and took tons of pictures of her. She was the best model. In the room next door Tiff, Kim and Jill had game carpet with huge versions of popular games on it--but mine and Besty's room was the coolest. She was too young to play the games and I was really too old, so it was a perfect match!
A little Angel.

Betsy really had the sweetest disposition. So happy.

Awww, she loves Oregon... and we love having her back in Oregon.

This picture was taken at a park in Arizona.

Helping Mom make cookies: kitchen, Mesa Arizona house.

One of my faves. Camping and diet Dr. Pepper go great together.

That pose looks pretty good to me.

The crimped hair look was all the rage in 3rd grade.
The blue eyes have turned to green.... ?
Fifth Grade.

And everything comes full circle. Betsy as a teenager helps babysit my kids on a trip to Crater Lake with the Bath family. Here we have done a little kid friendly hike on

the "wildflower trail".

And Betsy with her adorable family. Obviously I stole this one from Betsy's blog...

I love this picture.

Happy Birthday Betsy!

Hello Lily, Our New Addition

Name: Phoebe Figalilly Lubitz

Born: June 13, 2008

Joined our Family: Saturday, August 9, 2008

After a long drive out to Washougal, WA with Papa Skip and Grandma Karen, we now have Lily safe and sound at home in Portland. She had a busy first day with us traveling all the way into Portland, then driving out to Beaverton to meet as many Godseys as she possibly could at Logan and Bridget's birthday party. She even got to run around with her cousin Mei Mei (sorry no pictures of that... but I do think we were the only ones without a camera). She started the day with the name Anna and ended the day with the name Lily. She slept almost all the way through the night... just waking up once at 5am for a quick potty break and then back to her bed (kennel) until 8:45am, that's my kind of kid.

Little Lily: size perspective

Shocked Lily... she cries, no more paparazzi

Tired Little Lily: tuckered out from playing with

her new friend Keshet Melnick

Precious Little Lily

Good-Bye Kelsey

Photo courtesy of Andy taken in our backyard

with his then new camera, December 2006.

Kelsey Abigail Lubitz

November 17, 1996 - August 1, 2008

Joey wanted to name her Percy (after the pug dog in Pocahontas, Sammy wanted to name her Abigail--don't ask me where that came from, and I wanted Kelsey, so we compromised--leaving the pug Percy out altogether).

It took me two days to get the courage to write this post. I won't belabor the point of how miserable it is to lose a pet because I know most everyone has had the experience. So, I will celebrate the life of a really special dog. We had almost 12 great years with Kelsey and that is, apparently, about all we could have hoped for. She was a puppy to the end... Thursday night she jumped all over Joey's friends, begged for food, happily went on a walk and slept by our side. Friday, she was gone from cancer--the curse that takes most Goldens. Here are some of my favorite pictures of Kelsey...

We brought Kelsey home shortly after we moved into our house on Parkhill Drive. As everyone knows, the house was a real fixer... not a bad thing for a rambunctious little Golden Retriever puppy. The boys were actually scared of this little 9 week old, 10 pound ball of fluff. She would chase them around and they would scream and then jump on our bed. She would go all about the house and collect little treasures and then settle with them in our bedroom, which was already a huge disaster, so she felt right at home.

At one point her coat was so thick and fluffy, like a little lamb.

Tied to a rhododendron out front watching

the boys play.

Kelsey's "teen" years were mostly spent outside as she was a very unruly dog. Here she is sporting a crimped hair-do on one of the many rainy Portland spring days. As you can see, her little stool is still out there with her, but she can no longer fit under it. When we let her in the house, she would dart into the kitchen and plant her front paws on the counter and just make her way around the kitchen counter eating everything in sight. She would then chase the kids around and grab their clothes in her mouth. This was when she wasn't chewing up their toys, or the furniture. We tried many training solutions, but the only thing that worked was sending her to Tracy "the crazy rototilling guy" for three months.

She came home a mostly changed dog.

Here she is enjoying taking something away from Riley.

Riley stayed with us for a week when he was a puppy and although Kelsey barely tolerated him, she definitely enjoyed dominating him.

Kelsey is enjoying a nap on the sofa, of course, under one

of Grammy's quilts.... just like everyone else, Kelsey loved Grammy's quilts.

The boys made a bed for Kelsey in their room, complete

with lots of Beanie Baby friends... she looks kinda miserable actually

And, finally, majestic Kelsey almost always sporting

a trendy bandana... her final bandana (a lovely purple & hibiscus print)

rests here next to me at my desk, where her spirit will always be!