Worth the wait!

I am beyond thrilled to say that Stella is going to be a big sister! It took longer than expected (again), but I'm thrilled we all get to experience this together. Doesn't it look like she's saying, "YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!" We're due March 22, and I can't wait to have a spring baby this time around. Watch out for lots of little bare arms and legs, YUM!

I have a lot of thoughts about our issues (and the issues of many others) getting pregnant, but I'll wait until another post - I don't want to put a damper on this darling pic!

What really matters

So, not much has changed except that as Luger grows so is his energy level. Jim laughs on the phone because I spend most of the conversation yelling, "Luger NO, stop biting, OW, drop it, LUGERRRRRR!!!!!" Murphy and I had special relationship. He ADORED me, and the feeling was mutual. I really think now that it might be a one time kind of deal. It's definitely not that way for me right now with Luger. I do see huge amounts of potential in him though and I'm hoping that he'll get more snuggly when he outgrows the constant chewing.

Anyway, as I was going to write in this post, what is really important is that he and Stella are crazy about each other. We've been careful to make sure she's the dominant one and I think it's working. He does freak her out sometimes when he won't stop biting her (he's almost as big as her already). But she can take his food, lay on him, and when he bites her she grabs the skin on his cheek to pull him away. She can pet him, chase him, brush him - things she never could have done with the other dogs. So, if I have to choose between me having a bond with a dog or her, I'll choose her in a heartbeat. That is, after all, why we him.

She is so sweet, she hates if he cries, gets in his crate with him, feeds him, and sweet talks him. We really are blessed. (I'll have to remind myself of that next time I'm home alone with them both, I'm in the shower, she's crying, and he's peeing on my bath mat!)

He loves to sleep on the mantels and she gave him a pillow, her blankie, and her babies. Awwww

Maybe before summer is over I'll get around to posting about a few of the other things we've been up to!

I'm exhausted and I think we're idiots!

After all we went through with our other 2 dogs we were happy to go without any pets for "a while". I was really enjoying it and had no intentions of getting another. Well, we did miss having a dog and the security you get from one and realized if we didn't get one NOW it was going to be a long time before another opportunity arose. So... we got a sleepy, chill, fluffy black 8 week old German Shephard. Jim named him "Lugar" and he really was (ok, is) darling.

BUT - now I'm exhausted and thinking I made a huge mistake! I'm the dog person, but Jim is crazy about him, and I'm not sure I am. It could be because he's SO MUCH WORK! I don't remember it being like this. All he does is pee, poop, and chew on EVERYTHING. I spend my entire day and night chasing him and yelling "no"! (Jim claims he comes when you call him - I haven't had that happen yet). He has to get up in the middle of the night, he screams in his kennel all night, and have I mentioned the chewing? On us, furniture, shoes, boxes, EVERYTHING!

I really hope he chills out soon, I'm just not up for this. I'd upload a pic so you could see just how adorable he is, but I don't have the energy to get up and get the camera. Maybe next time.

The house is coming along slowly. My mom and I finished painting kitchen cabinets yesterday (which now make the counters look infinitely WORSE). Maybe I'll feel like it's suitable for posting pictures before the year is out.

Hope some of you are finding some time to relax, I'll live vicariously through you!

Busy but good

Wow - almost 3 months without a post. Sorry, Melissa - I think you're probably the only one who may still read this thing.

We're slowly getting moved into the "new" house. It's so different from last time. Our last house was brand new and we got to pick flooring, counters, etc. This house was built in 1980. The guy who we bought it from (who I happened to go to HS with and is C.R.A.Z.Y), did a LOT of work on this place. The neighbors said he quit work to go back to school, but then didn't go to school and just pretty much worked on it. Some of the work he did is AMAZING and is part of what sold us on the house. He put in wood floors upstairs, new windows, a new roof, new doors, and did a fantastic job putting in trim throughout. However, he (or they possibly) had awful taste in some things. The bathroom vanities are very nice quality, but not even a little bit our style. They're very frilly. His paint choices were pretty shockingly bad too. I'd try to tell you, but can't convey it. When I tell people they are still surprised at how bad it is when they get here. So, the painter is coming next week I hope, I'm going to do what I can with the kitchen until we can save enough to redo it, the floors, ceilings, and built ins around the brick.

We're SO happy here though already. We're not in a mass development, we have a much bigger back yard, and the commute is 1/3 what it was last year. It's 7 glorious minutes to get Stella to the babysitters! Living in the apartment was much tougher on her than I'd expected, so that's another reason we're thrilled to finally be in.

Hopefully I'll get some pictures posted soon (Melissa - there's a moving announcement headed your way).

Other than the house, things are great. And I mean REALLY REALLY great! :)

Updates

Apparently it's been a while since I've visited and it's been pointed out that a few things have happened that may be noteworthy.

The first is that we sold our house. I was prepared (expecting) for it to take about 4 months. We worked our BUTTS off for two weeks trying to "stage" it. I spent more money than Jim wanted, we took several loads to the Goodwill, Jim's friend took a load to the dump for us, we rented a storage unit and loaded it up. It also involved, painting, mulch, light fixtures, planting flowers, and more. It's nice to know that it all paid off because even in this market we sold our house in EIGHT days! I'm so grateful, getting kicked out of our home so often was really taking a toll on the little one.

I thought that looking for a new place would be the fun part, but so far it's proven to be much more frustrating. I think we'll be renting a place to give ourselves plenty of time to find the perfect place.

I guess the other "news" is that about an hour ago Jim had our dog Annie put to sleep. She was the sweetest ole thing you can imagine. I always joked that she could go home with anyone and she'd be happy if they'd just love her. It was a sudden thing - this time yesterday I had no clue it was coming. In 4 months we went from 2 dogs to none, such a shocker!

So, in memory of our first dog... I love you Annie!

Quite possibly the cutest puppy I've ever seen:

And her happiest moments - camping and a stuffed animal.

Hmmm...

Jim and I were watching The Pacific last night. A woman was talking about her daughter: "Stella is our only blessing. I asked prayed for more babies, but God said 'No'. There's nothing you can do when God says 'No'."

We just turned and looked at each other. Whoa.

Ever since it's been echoing in my head, "When God says 'No'"

I Heart Faces - Baby Love

This is my entry for I Heart Faces "Hands Week". One of my favorite pics from Stinker as an almost newborn! Photography-wise it may not be the best picture ever, but I adore it!