Crazy Dog

In just a few short months, look how big Minnie has gotten!! We got her in August and by January this is how big she is! She has about grown out of her kennel and we will need to be getting one shortly!! She has been a pretty good dog, although, she isn't the indoor dog we thought we were getting. She is so hyper that she really needs to be outside all day to get her energy out, not destroy things in the house, and not jump all over the kids. She comes in and sleeps at night, and luckily, we have a little gated side yard where we put Minnie when the kids play in the backyard. She barks at all the neighborhood dogs, barks at kids on the path behind our house, and takes naps in the sun. And when Maddy left her doll outside once, it became Minnie's favorite outside toy! She has chewed off the hands and it looks disgusting and heinous but she plays with it everyday!! The cutest thing is that right when we brought her home, Maddy gave her one of her stuffed animals and she sleeps with it every night! She usually cuddles it between her paws or rests her head on it! I can't believe I have 3 "kids" who need their stuffed animals at night!!
She has "run away" 2 times, but luckily we got her back. Our gate broke and she got out, but once Tad went and got her in the car, and another time she came back to our front porch!!
She loves our local dog park. We hadn't been for awhile, but recently we went and had her run on the "big dog" side, which is huge, and she loved it! We have a medium-sized, fenced-in backyard, but it is nothing compared to the fenced-in dog park!!
Tad is going to start running with her, as he has been getting into running again and Minnie has tons of energy!! They thought she was a terrier/lab mix but we aren't totally sure. She is all puppy and a sweet dog, just a little much for this super pregnant momma to handle sometimes!! Like yesterday when she got ahold of my slipper when I was getting her food. I did not want to chase her all over the backyard, thank you very much, and I was not happy as I watched her feast on one of my new slippers in the backyard all morning. Tad rescued it when he got home from work, and now I have a slightly dirty slipper, but it still works!
One day, I hope to have a more mellow dog who will lay around or just walk casually around the house without mauling the kids, but in the meantime, she is a crazy, hyper outdoor dog! But we love her!!

Fun Christmas Present!

The kids got such a fun Christmas present this year! Grandma and Pops found this swingset at the local thrift store for a really good deal! And since we have a nice little fenced-in backyard, it is perfect for the kids! Minus the fact that it is freezing outside right now! Judah loves the slide and Maddy loves the swing! I even saw Maddy when she climbed up onto the swingset and was singing like it was her own little stage!! Even the dog has been hilarious as we have watched her check it out and try to get on the slide! We have been wanting a swingset since we moved in, but hadn't gotten one yet...a little pricey even for the really cheap ones! And our thrift store has had only one other swingset we have seen and by the time we went to get it, someone had already bought it! We were really bummed!
All our time in Chicago, we had to get the kids ready and pack up the stroller to go out to a park or playground. It was always such an ordeal! But now, it is so nice for the kids to be able to go right outside in the backyard and play until their hearts content while I clean up the kitchen or house and watch them from the windows!! And of course as the dog barks at them from the side yard!!
Thanks Grandma and Pops!

A Birthday, and Puppy, and School!

Well, I haven't done so well keeping up with this 'ole blog! I apologize!! Life has been so busy and writing a post gets pushed to the bottom of the list! I have actually had this post written for a couple weeks and have had problems uploading pictures to the blog, so that took awhile to figure out! So sorry! I feel so behind in writing about all that has been going on with us!! We have had a lot going on!!
Maddy had her 5 year old birthday at the end of August! It was extra special that my grandparents from Ohio came to visit and got to be here for her birthday party! We had a wonderful visit with them, and they enjoyed seeing the new little town where we live! Anyone else brave enough to come visit us down here in Oklahoma? Grin :)

(Maddy, hidden behind the pony, with her friends at her birthday party!)

(My Little Pony birthday party!)

For her 5th birthday present, we decided to get Maddy a puppy. The long-awaited puppy she has wanted since she was old enough to voice it. We promised her we would get one when we had a house in Oklahoma. And finally, it happened!! We have had Minnie for a couple weeks, and the kids have really enjoyed her! She is a sweet, hyper, crazy puppy and fits right into the mix, especially for my sweet, hyper, crazy 5 year old! We have enjoyed getting to the dog park where all 3 little rugrats can get their energy out! Judah thinks the dog park is for him! He plays on the dog stuff more than Minnie does!
(The day we brought her home!)

(Headed to the playground, with Minnie riding in the stroller!)

(Lovin' on the puppy.)

(Tad is so happy to have a dog!)

And finally, Maddy had her first day of kindergarten. Once again, we are homeschooling this year and building on what we did in preschool. We had a good first day, and I enjoyed turning Maddy's room into a little makeshift school room. Hey, it works! It also works out perfect that Tad works the afternoon shift, so he can watch/entertain Judah while Maddy and I get some special, important one-on-one school time. She has a great attitude about school, and is doing really well!
(Maddy's first day of kindergarten!)

(Working at her desk on schoolwork.)

(Little corner nook for school.)
(Luckily we had room to move some stuff around so that her room is her school room too. She loves it!)

So hopefully that catches everyone up on our most recent big events around here! We are finally having an awesome break in the weather, which has been so nice. Especially since that means that we can get outside more! We had up over 100 degree days for over 60 days and someone told me that this is the hottest Oklahoma summer in Oklahoma history! A great first summer for these northerners!! We were melting! But now, with these cooler nights, school starting back up, schedules coming into place, and Fall quickly approaching, I am a happy lady! Not to mention I'm finally in my second trimester, so I'm feeling much better! Hope you all are doing well!