Family Fun in the Sun

The kids wanted to spend the evening outside Thursday evening, so we roasted hot dogs for dinner over the new firepit. Then we went for wheelbarrow rides and played on the swingset.

Savannah's New 'Do!

Tonight after dinner at Grandma's house, Jennifer cut Savannah's hair for me. She did an amazing job. It looks so cute! Jeremey was a bit surprised at first. I don't think he knew we were cutting it! We washed it and blow dryed it a little bit with a round brush after we got home, but we haven't fully styled it yet. I think she looks adorable! Now if only Izzy would let me cut her hair...

A (nother) New Addition

No, the baby isn't here already. (I'm only 16 weeks.) We adopted a beautiful, sweet 16 month old St. Bernard from the animal shelter yesterday. Are we crazy you ask? Well, we might be. Who knows. I didn't really know we needed another dog, but I've been hearing a lot about dogs lately. Gina and Ryan are looking for the perfect dog for their family, and my friend Pauline volunteers at the animal shelter, so she's been on the lookout for a dog for them. And she was the one who told us about our other dog, Boof.

I went to see Pauline's greenhouse the other day and she was telling me about a couple of the dogs at the shelter that might or might not be what Gina is looking for. So I came home and looked up one of them - a 10 year old Rottweiler who is very mild, housebroken and needing a good home. When I told Jeremey about him, he immediately said no. We don't need a decrepid old dog who is going to die shortly. Then yesterday, Jeremey and Ryan were in town helping some friends move and Jeremey decided to go to the shelter to check out this dog. He was afraid I'd come home with it. Well, Roscoe wasn't there anymore. They sent him to the extended life sanctuary to live out his days. But Jeremey did see Lily, and he fell in love with her. So he took a picture of her and emailed it to me. He said he wasn't allowed to bring her home unless I brought in Boof and all three children to make sure we were all compatible. (The very first dog we adopted was a golden retriever who we ended up returning the same night we brought her home due to her biting my nephew - she had a problem with men. They actually had to put her down because of it.) So the people at the shelter remembered us, and wanted us to all get along with our possible new dog.

After Gavin and I got our afternoon nap, I loaded the kids and Boof up in the car and we all went to the shelter. I wasn't too sure about Lily at first. She's HUGE. And she sheds (but what dog doesn't), and she's kind of slobbery. But she's a short haired St. Bernard, and she's also a dry mouth breed. Which means she does drool occasionally, but she doesn't constantly have 6 inches of drool hanging out either side of her face! She is also a purebred. Her previous owners had to bring her and another dog to the shelter because one of their children developed an allergy to the dogs. So she wasn't abused or neglected or anything, which is a BIG factor in adopting any dog.

I asked Jeremey if we could take the long weekend to think it over, but he just looked so heartbroken that I gave in and said maybe we can try her out for the long weekend. Well, of course we're attached to her already. We can't take her back now! She is very sweet and obeys well. She still needs some work, but I think she'll be a really good dog for us.

Lynzie's husband, Miles, with Lily

Lily and the girls

The Elmo Sprinkler

It was barely above 50 degrees the other day, but Savannah really wanted to run through the Elmo sprinkler, so why not? It's not like it's going to be 80 anytime soon. Might as well let her have some fun. Gavin and Izzy suited up as well, but Izzy only ran through one time before deciding pajamas were warmer. Gavin and Savannah took turns sticking their booties in the spray of the sprinkler for about 15 minutes and then followed Izzy's example.

Savannah's Pre-K Graduation

This past Thursday, Savannah's Pre-K class had a "Step-Up" Ceremony. The each got a little diploma and stepped up from Pre-K into Kindergarten.

She is very excited about going to Kindergarten, even though she has to wait all summer before she can go. Jeremey took half a day off work so he could be there. Grandma and Lynzie came as well.

Savannah and Emilee

No More Training Wheels!

Jeremey took Savannah's training wheels off the other day. It took her a few tries, but then she was up and speeding away. To celebrate her success, we went to her school today so she could go to the Bike Rodeo and get a new bike helmet. Yeah, Savannah! We are so proud of you!

12 Weeks Along!

I went to the Dr. last week and she did an ultrasound because I wasn't too sure of my dates. Sure enough, I'm 12 weeks along instead of only 8 weeks! YEAH!!! I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I knew I couldn't be only 8 weeks. So my new due date is Nov. 8th. Woo Hoo!!! Only 186 more days to go!

Underwear Models

My children have decided to be underwear models. After watching the girls for a few minutes, Gavin ran into Izzy's room, grabbed a pair of green and pink underwear and shoved them on his head. Then ran around chasing the girls while roaring at them.

Did you do this when you were young as well? I know I did. I remember putting underwear on our heads and standing on the edge of my parents bed yelling "I'm going to Hawaii" and falling backwards. Only to get up giggling and do it all over again, traveling to many different parts of the world. I remember one specific time when Ryan and I were doing this, only Ryan didn't move and I landed on top of him. Gave him quite the shiner. I think he was three years old at the time. Ah, fond memories!

Visiting Wendy

I went down to North Dakota for two weeks to see my long time best friend, Wendy. We've known each other since we were 5 years old. She's one of those friends that you can not talk to for a few months and pick up right where you left off. The kind of friend who understands you - all your quirks, your faults, your insecurities, your joys and doesn't ever think differently of you. Still loves you no matter what. Those friends are hard to come by. And they're the kind you never let go of.

We had a lot of fun. We drove to Fargo (5 hours away) for three days to do some shopping. We stayed at the Radisson Hotel - Bon Jovi was actually there one of the days we were, but we didn't run into him. We shopped from morning till bedtime and gabbed the whole time. We forgot to take our turnoff on the way home and ended up driving an extra 2 hours to get back on track.

at the hotel - talking to my hubby

We just hung out a lot, played cards, watched movies and played with the kids - and Tommy. :) It was really good to get away and rest. I kind of feel bad, because I slept in until 9 or 10 every morning and still took a 2 or 3 hour nap in the afternoon. And I was constantly eating. I thought I'd gained at least 5 pounds while I was gone. I only gained 2, so that's a plus. I probably would have gained 5 if I had eaten as much chocolate as I wanted to. I am a chocoholic. But the thought of chocolate makes me nauseous, so I don't indulge as often as I used to.

napping - yet again

The only bad part of the vacation was flying. I had to fly overnight on the way there and that just about killed me. I can NOT sleep sitting up. I was trying to limit the amount of water I was drinking so I wouldn't have to make the two people next to me get out every 30 minutes - because somehow they both managed to sleep. In doing that, I was more tired and nauseous than normal, so one of the times I got up, I almost fainted. I started sweating and getting light headed. I had to squat down and put my head between my knees until it passed. How embarrasing! Needless to say, I took 2 naps the day I got to Wendy's. The flight home was during the day, but I had to take 4 different planes, so I was once again exhausted and over it. I made it to church the next day, but just barely.

Ashlyn and Mayzie

Ashy, Wendy, Tiff, Isaac and Mayzie

I had a great time visiting Wendy, but I'm also glad to be home. Two weeks is a long time to be away from my husband and kids!