Back to our one...

Back to our one dog, that is. All four puppies (new names: Charlie (curly), Floyd (golden boy), Duffy (big boy), and McEwan "Mac" (Magellen) have been taken to their new homes. Their new owners all so excited to scoop them up and take them. I have to say, we were excited as well! In the last 2 weeks, they've gone from being no problem to being lots of work! It was easy to spend an hour in the morning getting them outside, fed, and bedding changed out and cleaned, then repeat the process later that evening. But they were so worth it! Katelyn cried today when the last one left (Curly). Tears came to my eyes as she watched him drive away then yell and cry, "Curly! Come Back!" I didn't want to cry in front of her, but I felt like I could've easily lost it. Bryan was away at a softball game, so I had to be the strong one. I managed to calm her down and get her in the bath and we said a special prayer for all the puppies. The new owners have all been wonderful and e-mail us frequently with updates and pictures. All pups are adjusting well (except night time) and the new families have fallen in love with them. It's a great to have that peace of mind. We'll have another litter of puppies in a year and look forward to doing it all over again. For now, we're just happy to be back to our one and only golden, who has been the very best mommy in the world.

Big Girl Bed

Katelyn will turn 3 (gulp!) next month. She sleeps in a full size bed at my parents' house with no problems and has had the side of crib down for months. Bryan's boss was upgrading his daughter's bedroom set and mentioned this to Bryan. We purchased the outgoing bedroom furniture from him and Bryan set it up in her room this weekend while she was in Tampa with my folks. We took Katelyn to Target and helped her pick out some neutral bedding. Didn't want to have her pick a character bedding set and be sick of Mickey Mouse next month. So, she has a pink comforter and pink floral sheets and the first day went well. K was a bit surprised when she returned home and saw her room had changed so drastically, but was excited. She did fall out of bed at the end of her nap and then was crying last night when her pacifier had fallen out of bed. I know, I know...the pacifier is the next thing to go. She loves her "big girl bed" and new room. I'm having a tough time looking at the crib, laying in pieces on the garage floor. Seems like yesterday we were setting it up, anticipating her arrival. Where has the time gone???

Going on a Trip

Katelyn and her BFF DJ were playing here the other day and emerged from the playroom in these outfits. I said, "It looks like you're going on a trip!" and they said they were. DJ looked like a little businessman with his briefcase and Katelyn looked like the typical tourist in Hawaii. As usual they were having a great time together.

I was about to go on a trip of my own to the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) convention at the Gaylord Palms Conventions Center in Orlando. This is a national convention, with over 4500 other MOPS around the country. With the convention being in Orlando, it was very convienent for me. Thanks to mom and dad taking Katelyn for a long weekend and Bryan for staying home with our four puppies (more on them later). I had an amazing time and learned so much. It was great to get away and really get to know the other women in my group and also to catch up with fellow MOPS from Gainesville. I left there feeling very inspired and uplifted. It was wonderful!

Is the weekend over already???

How can it be Sunday afternoon already??? No, no, no. This weekend has gone by so quickly. It is so true....time really does fly by when you're having fun. My sisters Jenny and Michelle, along with her fiance Andy, came over Friday evening. We had some pizza after K hit the hay and then Andy put in a DVD he wanted us to watch. I think we all rolled our eyes a bit...oh no...a British TV show that none of us will understand. He had introduced me to a soap on BBC America called "Hollyoaks" and I really enjoyed it when I watched it with him. So, when I got home, I decided to tape it and Bryan and I watched it together. For the entire episodes, we kept saying, "Do you know what he's saying?" or "What does that mean?" or "Did you understand that?" etc. We had NO CLUE what the actors were saying, so I gave up. We needed subtitles. So, Andy's new show made us a little nervous but it was hilarious!! It's a tv show about celebrities...actors play various celebrities...like a spoof of True Hollywood Story. I particularly liked the George Michael story. We stayed up late watching all the episodes on the DVD. Good choice, Andy!

Saturday morning...we took our four puppies to the vet for their shots/exams/etc. They enjoyed their first car ride and were excellent patients. They now weigh 9.1-10.5 pounds. As the vet says, "they're hefers!" All of them passed their exams and were given the green light for adoption. They have 2 more weeks with us until they are allowed to go to their new homes. After running an ad in the paper for a few days, we received several calls about the pups and one couple came over Sat. afternoon. We talked with them for a long time, they went back and forth between two, and decided "Big Boy" was the puppy for them (see picture above). So, that's one puppy sold. I think Big Boy will be v. happy with them, although it's hard to imagine life without him. After they left, I was a bit sad, but I know it's a good thing. We have another family coming over tonight. Keep your fingers crossed!

We watched the Gators kill the Vols (yay!) and Katelyn created her "Number One Dance" in honor of their victory. She runs around pointing one finger in the air. Our friends from Gainesville came down to watch the game and spend the night. Katelyn had a blast running around and playing with their two boys, ages 3 1/2 and almost 2. We all headed over to Downtown Disney this morning, and although it was terribly hot, we enjoyed walking through the shops, watching magic tricks, taking a water taxi, and playing with Leggos at the Leggo Shop. One thing we did NOT enjoy....lunch at Rainforest Cafe. I suggested this as a lunch place, thinking the kids would love seeing the animatronic animals. The restaurant has huge aquariums, and is set up to look like you are eating beneath the trees of a rainforest. Well....the service was awful, the food was way overpriced and not very good at all, and worst of all, the kids were TERRIFIED of the animatronic animals and a fake thunderstorm every 20 minutes. Not one of my best ideas! Katelyn covered her ears and sat on our laps for a while and I had to carry her to the restroom so she could "hide" from the animals. We couldn't get out of there fast enough!!

So, now the Browns are actually beating Cincinnati (who knew!) and K is finally napping. The Emmy's are on tonight (can't wait!) and we await the arrival of the family looking for a golden puppy. Will keep you posted....

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

On Wednesday, Sept. 12th, Katelyn and I drove down to Tampa to surprise my dad on his 29th (again!) birthday. He wasn't expecting us, so he was really surprised and happy to have us with him. Michelle, Andy, Jenny, Jeff, and Mom were also there to help celebrate. As usual, we had yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Some things never change. I commented I had seen a picture in his scrapbook from 1980 and he was eating yellow cake with chocolate frosting on his birthday. Hey, when you know what you like, why change it??? Katelyn was looking forward to her cake, so Mom cut her a piece before bed. She sat down to eat it (we were waiting to sing happy birthday until Jenny and Jeff could get there after work) and she stopped. She looked up at the cake and said, "We need candles!" So we put a candle on the cake, sang happy birthday, and she dug in. She made my dad an art project at school earlier that day... a tracing of her hands (new favorite thing to do) and painted them orange (starting to become her next favorite color next to yellow). Getting her down to bed after the cake and excitement of the day was a challenge and when she finally did fall asleep, I found all sorts of knick knacks in bed with her...shells, a hairclip, Dad's humididty reader, etc. Lots of fun was being had in that room! We had a great time and were so happy to be part of this special day. We look forward to yellow cake and chocolate frosting next year, as we celebrate Dad's 29th birthday again :-)

Welcome to our blog!

This is our inaugral blog! I've been wanting to start one for a while now, and Bryan just rolls his eyes when I mention it. I feel so Doogie Howser, M.D. (remember he closed each show by typing in his thoughts). I think this blog is a great way to connect with our friends and family all over the world, from Chicago to South Africa to Cleveland to Germany and beyond. I'll do my best to keep it current and encourage you to post comments. I look forward to keeping in touch!
Check back every now and then :-)