A New Member of the Kutscher Family

Sunday, May 31 the Kutscher family grew...by four little paws.  Augustus 'Auggie' Meister Kutscher became one of us.  :)

Back in April getting a puppy became a daily thought in my head.  At least every other day for as long as they could talk, one of the boys would ask for one...and I would always say no.  But after a rough year of unsuccessful treatments attempting to add to our family, the idea of getting a puppy transformed from something overwhelming and a commitment I wasn't ready to make, to an alternative way to add to our family.  It also was a perfect family gift to celebrate Landon's release from Children's...in my mind.  ;)  Chad (God love him) always goes with the flow, and he shrugged off his doubts and gave the green light, in a conversation that went something like this:

Me:  So have you thought anymore about the puppy thing? (It probably was only the 11th time I'd asked him in 2 weeks)
Chad:  I've thought about it, but I'm not sure. (not a direct quote...but direct quote-ish)
Me:  Well, I told the lady I talked to that I would call her back by the end of the week, to let her know what we had decided.
Chad:  You're not asking me are you?  You've already decided.
Me:  (loving smile, batting eyes, then pouty lips)  I love you.  Pleeeeeeeease?!?
Chad:  Ugh.  Yeah.  Let's do it.  Call her.

So we drove to Roodhouse, met Miss Tracy, a breeder, groomer, and Miniature Schnauzer super fan, and it was love at first sight.  (of course...I mean who doesn't love a teeny tiny sweet little puppy).  When we got there, we had three puppies to choose from, two females (one all black with a little white patch on her neck, and one all white), and one male...who was the runt of the litter.  I immediately was drawn to the male because of his cute little markings....but when all three were on the table and he seemed to be the most chilled of the three, it sealed the deal.  I held him most of the time we were there (about an hour!) and before we left we made a deposit, took this picture, and put a lock on my phone that made it impossible for the boys to stumble upon our fur baby...this was going to be a BIG surprise.

As time got closer for him to be ready to come home, we set the date of May 31...which just so happened to fall as the day AFTER the girls won the state tournament.  Mom and Dad came up after church and kept the boys, while Chad and I "went to run some errands."  Chad's Mom and Dad "dropped by"  before we came home and then it was time for the surprise.

The boys were playing in the backyard when we got home.  I told them we had presents for them to open and had them come in, while Chad hung out in the laundry room with Auggie.  Landon opened a box with a stuffed squeaky turtle and a WOOF picture frame.  Grant opened a box with a stuffed squeaky duck and a Kong binky toy.  Their response was utter confusion of course for a few seconds.

Then Landon said, "Are we getting a dog?"  a few times, and all of the grandparents and me said 'a dog?  of course not....that would be crazy..etc, etc.'  And then Chad walked behind the boys holding Auggie.

The reaction was a very quiet one.  I'm not sure what I expected, but it was a little anti climatic.  I think they were in shock!  Here's the first ever picture of Landon holding Auggie.

...and the pass off to Grant.  

...and. they. are. smitten.

I decided on his name...but of course it took me forever.  Chad thought it would be a good fit to choose a German name.  I was stuck on Walter for awhile, but even though it was technically German, it didn't sound it really.  So there were other names thrown around....Hans, Sebastian, Fritz, etc.  But when Augustus popped into my head...Auggie Doggie had a very nice ring to it.  When the first picture was posted on Facebook, someone commented wondering if we named him Champ, in honor of our weekend...enter the decision of his middle name...Meister (German for Champ).

Augustus Meister...welcome to the Kutscher house...aka....Puppy Heaven.  :)