She's here!
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Molly is in the house! She is such a good girl! A very stinky girl I must say but I'm hoping that will subside after a few more baths. Ha. That's probably the most negative thing I can say. Aside from that she is really wonderful, so sweet and obedient and easygoing! She does need to lose some weight, and she does snore (as I'm writing this she's sawing logs)! Overall though I'm amazed at how she's eased right in to our family without a hitch. We bought her a big pillow and she's sleeping on that, she doesn't need to be in her crate and she doesn't wander off and get into anything. When we are eating (or I'm cooking in the kitchen) she stands in the other room, gives us our space, and just observes from afar. At the same time, she also wants to be involved in whatever we are doing and LOVES affection (as the bottom picture shows)! It's been great so far. We'll see, our "trial weekend" officially ends Tuesday but up to this point she has been a dream! Go girl!:)
What a beautiful weather week! It's been so nice to have the windows open and enjoy the perfect temps. Last weekend we took the kids to Maize Valley Farm, always a nice way to ring in fall! They have the giant corn maze, a pumpkin launcher, hay rides, a little train and the best apple-themed food. I love this time of year!
So tomorrow is the big day when we get Miss Molly! We've named her "Molly Parton"...don't you just love it!? Ha ha. She is such a little cutie patooty and we are all getting really excited. After looking at her picture every day, and preparing the kids (and ourselves) we can't help but feel anxious to meet her! She'll be here Friday evening and stay for the weekend. If all goes well, she'll stay permanently. If not, they will take her back next week, but I have a feeling we'll have a new little family member. I will post lots of pictures over the weekend!
I also wanted to post a great website I found. I can hardly listen or read the news anymore because I get depressed at the state of things. From the economy, to the presidential race, it's just been ugly. I told Jim I have "political fatigue"...I'm just tired of it. So it was a huge boost when I ran across this site. I made me cry thinking about how blessed we are as a nation, and what a gift that FREEDOM is! It's been a long time since I had such a warm, happy feeling about our country as a whole. It's called: RealAmericanStories.com. Click on "Be Inspired" to see the video!
Well, I'm about to write about something I never imagined...at least not for a good 10 years! We are seriously considering getting a dog. There, it's out there. If you are a long-time blog reader you might remember our miniature Schnauzer Daisy. We had her for a few years but ended up giving her to an older, single woman who was looking for a companion. Please don't e-mail me about what horrible people we are because we did what was in the best interest of Daisy at the time (we were moving, I was pregnant, she wasn't getting the attention she needed, etc). After that I said the only pet we could handle would be a fish until the kids were teenagers! I just didn't want to go through that again and I know my limits. So...how could we possibly be in this position?! Ha. Life is funny. The kids have been wanting a dog for ages, but then again, they also want to move to Texas and become real cowboys.....some things just aren't feasable!:) Still, Jim and I started to joke around about it, then slowly start to really contemplate the benefits (and drawbacks) of getting a dog. We went over the last situation (Daisy was an impulse buy, we never really prepared or talked it through, Jim didn't even like that breed of dog, etc).
We made a long list and sat up late one night talking about all the ways a dog would change things (good and bad). We would have dog poop in our yard, she may wake us up early, or keep us up late with bathroom calls. The expense of dog food, heart worm meds, and what about taking vacations? Plus, dogs are a long-term addition, would we be prepared to take care of her until Gabriel was 17 or 18?! With all of those points duly noted, amazingly enough, we still both kind of wanted to look into the possibility...not now, but maybe 1 or 2 years from now. Jim always grew up with dogs and we agreed our boys would love, and get some great memories from having a furry buddy around the house. Plus it would be a good safety addition and thankfully we do have a good yard and neighborhood for an animal.
The bottom line is, we knew IF and WHEN we ever got a dog, only one breed would make the cut. It was the same breed of dog we both fell in love with 8 years ago as a newly married couple in NC. Our neighbor had an English Bulldog and he was sweet, laid-back, and very well tempered. Well, come to find out, those dogs are not cheap! Yowzers!! I looked them up and thought "okay, that was a fun idea...now lets get back to real life"! No how, no way could we afford an animal that costs more than my first car! BUT...just on a whim I e-mailed the local breeder and asked if they had any other options......and I figured that would be the end of that. Well, not so fast! Come to find out, she had an opening for a foster family where you take a dog (in this case, a pretty 10-month old) and when it comes time to breed her, they take her back. After she has her babies they spay her, and she's ours to keep for good! So we would get her for free, AND they even take her when we go on vacation! HOT DOG!:) Plus, if for any reason it doesn't work out, we can give her back at any time. However, we look at it like a marriage...you never go into it thinking about divorce, so for us that wouldn't even really be an option again. So, it looks like our 1-2 year plan has been drastically moved up! After so much talking about it though, we are all getting really excited. We've seen her picture and she's coming this weekend for a "trial" to see if we are a good match. We've just about sucked the Internet dry of information (from health concerns, to temperament, to life span, etc) so really do feel prepared. This is a big step for our family and I'm very anxious about Friday. I will keep you posted! Here is a picture of a bulldog...how can you not love this!?
Thanks again to the great people at Channel 3 for inviting me to co-host Good Company! Friday was a bit abbreviated due to President Bush breaking in but that was fine by me! I still got to munch on good Italian food and visit with a cute doggie from the APL...not a bad day!:) Here is one clip from former SNL comedian Dean Edwards. Be advised one part is not very family friendly but overall he was a PG and very funny! Here is the clip!
Today was such a fun day! I co-hosted "Good Company" on WKYC and thankfully I didn't blow it! (ha ha). I was nervous because you basically have to memorize everything (guest names, information, etc) and I didn't want to get anything wrong..plus you have to look natural while concentrating on the details, and try to see entertaining! I know, I know, it's not brain surgery but I will still a little shaky at first until I got used to it. Here are a few segments from today! First with Kristen and Jaxon Lee and then with the people from Gemtown USA I'll be on again Friday from 10-11 on channel 3. Fun times!
The new school year is off and running and so far the kids are doing great. For one thing, Gabriel is reading like a champ! I am really glad we did the weekly library trips and book clubs to give him a strong foundation with reading because it's paying off already. He's excited about books; history, fiction, even joke books!:) We also started something at the beginning of this year that has helped to motivate him. I made up some rules for him to memorize and I write them on napkins, we say them before bed in preparation of the next day, etc.
Here are "The Rules":
Be focused, be kind. Serve God with my heart,body and mind!
They are short and sweet but I think it sums up everything, if he does that, he will be a success! The funny thing is, Grant has memorized them too (because he's heard Gabriel) and even Garrett knows them now!! So it's been a neat, positive thing for me to see. By the way, Gabe also really likes his Laptop Lunches! It was a bit of a splurge for us to buy the system but it's been a good investment. Here is the lunch I made him yesterday:
I like that I'm not wasting bags and throwing stuff away, I just wash it (or throw it in the dishwasher) and it's good to go! Thumb's up for sure.
Well I guess that's it for today. We are already gearing up for a crazy week. My mother-in-law is coming from Florida, it's Gabe's birthday, and I am the keynote speaker for a MOPS event! It's a good kind of busy though, it should be a fun few days!
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