Our Fabled Nest

Our biggest brother bear turned 5 on June 8! Atticus is the full embodiment of what a “big” brother is. Not only is the “odd man out” at a staggering almost 85 pounds while his sibbies are closer to 40 pounds. He is almost very blonde and looks night and day different from his chosen sibbies. The other three could potentially pass as true siblings…. it’s funny how that worked out! Atticus is also very protective of us. All of us – even his mama. Many walks, if he sees a strange dog, he immediately scoots right beside me almost in front of my hip. He never acts out aggressively or lunges at the dog – goodest boy! But he keeps a watchful eye and then after we pass the pooch, he resumes his Eeyore meander. It is something he learned on his own and I love that he watches out for us like we do for him. He has done this for Forrest too! He will scoot right next to Forrest and his wheelchair, on either side, and make sure nothing happens to him. Atticus also has a habit of “perimeter searching” most nights. Around bedtime he requests to be let in the yard. He never potties but rather walks the perimeter of the fence and checks the gate. Then hops back in the RV for snuggles and bedtime. It’s fascinating! I can’t help but brag on his sweet demeanor!

Atticus is seriously the best boy! We did buy him from a breeder, and I love that we did. No regrets! I love that we knew what kind of temperament he would most likely have and the size he could potentially reach. We were able to meet his mama and two brothers. The breeder was lovely and after our deposit at five weeks, she sent us weekly updates with videos and photos. Kytana was the reason we loved Maxi so incredibly much and we knew how much Maxi loved her huskies. Maxi tragically passed two weeks after we picked up our fluff ball. She was one of a kind, both as a breeder and a person. Atticus was a whooping 15-pound nugget at 10 weeks when we picked him up. She mentioned he was scratching one of his ears in the past day or so. At his first vet appointment later that day we realized he had an ear infection. This must be an “us” thing because I swear our tribe is notorious for these! He was such a baby with his first round of shots but since then he is just happy to be with people to love on him. I’ve never met a happier dog than Atticus! He is the life of the party in a mellow way. He loves to give hugs and will happily pin pawpa down for a bunch of slobbery kisses. Gross but sweet -amiright?!

Birthday weeks are all about you! This one we decided to celebrate Atticus’ famous nickname: Turtle. Endearing and he seems to get a kick out of us calling him Turtle. Plus, the RV Park kids yelling turtle is pretty freakin cute! He is also the resident ocean lover…. jumping waves, finding shells, digging or simply laying in the sand. The whole nine yards! He lives for beach trips! My favorite thing with him and his sibbies is wandering along where the sand meets the tide as it softly rolls in. I agree with him, there is something inherently magical about the ocean. He will stand still and seem to be in awe of the ocean. We always bring back one too many shells on our trips simply because “wait he found another!” This Turtle theme is the epitome of Atticus, and it was the perfect way to celebrate his fifth birthday!

Everyone gets a birthday week even if it looks a bit different. Hubs has his new promotion and is out of town more often than not. I’m still adjusting from our loss and not one hundred percent okay but that’s okay too! A day at a time! So, me and the kiddos are holding down the fort and celebrating the best we can. I don’t typically eat a lot – if I am hungry, I will eat and I love my breakfast and dinner! Especially, Saturday morning pancakes! Leftovers are my jam, and I am more than happy to enjoy dinner leftovers on repeat rather than turning on the stove with these muggy days we’ve had of late. We decided that we would make a weekend of his favorite goodies, but he would receive his typical gift everyday leading up until the eighth! Friday, we started strong pizza! He is a veggie lover – thank heavens! A veggie pizza seemed like the perfect way to kick off the Atty Celebrations! Marco’s Pizza to the rescue – a completely customized sauceless veggie pizza with ham, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. Topped with mozzarella and light feta. I think the humans and his sibbies liked it too! Saturday mornings are for pancakes! Plus, pancakes are the way to his heart… add puppy safe carob chips and fresh “cool whip” plus his beloved raspberries? Delicious! Sauteed pork tenderloins both seasoned and plain (leftovers for the husky mama!). He loved the chopped sauteed asparagus and cauliflower then we added baked sweet potato fries. With sweet potatoes. he goes nuts! So, Sunday morning we made another crowd favorite. Breakie Hash! Chop up a few of your favorite veggies – we love yellow squash, mushrooms and sweet potatoes. Sauté a pound of ground meat (both turkey and beef work well!). Add your chopped veggies and cook until those veggies are tender. For the humans, you could add some onion powder and Dijon or leave plain. Either way is delicious! Then biscuits. He requested fresh biscuits… of course, you know those needed fresh butter and local honey – it’s a southern thing!

Our cake, we kept minimalist, but I don’t think it was missing any flavor. A simple vanilla cake with buttercream icing. Being honest, it was a tad too much on the sweet side BUT no complaints from the tribe! I had a blast decorating this thing! I purchased a sea life kit at amazon for the cake toppings. Way too much fun! I found some cute sea life serving platters at our local dollar tree, and a lot of “sea” inspired things at Target. His banner also from Amazon – so freakin’ cute and the turtle plates? Amazon but they are made by Meri Meri! P.S these are small! Mama should have been payin’ more attention but at least they are pupper sized! Since our crew seems agreeable with making art, I found two options for Atticus’ artsy craft… magnets and little sea creatures. Time slipped away this weekend, but we will hopefully be finishing these cute crafts next weekend! One of his gifts was Whimzees. He loves the gator shaped ones! There were three days of different flavored Fruitables. Apple and pumpkin are always a hit around here – even Magdalene! Beef tracheas, as gross as these sound, three of out the four recommend them! Four chuck it balls, one of which is football shaped. Atticus loves that and no one gets left out! Then he received a backpack. As an adventurer, and the husky helper, we thought he’d love the concept of carrying items on hikes. Quite bummed that I didn’t inspect it when it arrived, it was torn, and the straps didn’t line up. Chewy was amazing and started our refund rather quickly. So, he will be picking out something special on his next date!

If you’re ever so lucky to have the love of a companion as sweet as Atticus, I hope you cherish every moment with them. It’s hard to believe five years have come and gone. He is one amazing pup. We are fortunate to have so many beautiful memories of him and watching him learn the world around him. Cheers to our next adventure!