A New Puppy

It has been many years since we have had a dog living under our roof.  Ten years to be exact.  And while I certainly haven't been counting the days, months, or years since we had to have Max put down, like I have with the loss of my dad, there is something about the loss of a pet that stings more than you expect.  It took us some time to be able to even consider getting a new dog.  And then some time for our son, and then our daughter, to get on board with the care of having a dog around.  But, when they finally DID get on board, the count was on.  We researched and signed up for a waiting list and when we finally got the call, our girl was over the moon.

We had known for a few weeks that we would be getting her, so we had been slowly gathering items.  The bed, however, was something that seemed fitting to make a special visit to the pet store for.

 After picking up food, a bed, and a couple of chew toys, we made sure to get an exact weight (a big 3 lbs) before heading home.  Then, it was time for a little bath and some snuggling.

It surely felt like our new addition was over me taking pictures, so I tried to limit how much I hovered.  I let the kids get to know her and and her to know the house.  She has taken to Emma and followed her around every where today.  Lots of playing and petting, which is so exciting to our girl.

By the end of the day, she was pretty tuckered out.  At dinner, we finally agreed on a name - Nani (pronounced NAH-nee, which is Hawaiian for beauty) - and I got a few opportunities to chill with her.  I know once everyone returns to a regular schedule, I will have TONS of one-on-one time to cuddle with her - and clean up after her as we go through all the stages of puppy training.  It's a good thing she's so dang adorable.

Until next time,

Trick or Treat

Trick or treat.  That place in the midst of fall, where the weather has a hard time deciding if it is already winter, or still has a bit of fall left.  This year, our area had a cold spell and it left us scrambling for what out plans would be.  Thankfully, our church had a trunk or treat the weekend before and our girl had a great chance to wander indoors and get a good fill of candy.  So, when the freezing temps hit, we decided to look into some other indoor alternatives.

We found out that our local mall was having an indoor trick or treat before Halloween officially began, so we decided to give that a shot and see if it would fit the bill for this year.  Unfortunately, everyone in our local area decided on the same idea, leaving stores empty handed and a line that wrapped around the entire mall.  After about 20 minutes of standing in line and 2 pieces of candy, we sadly decided to call it a flop and head to a second indoor option at the police station.  With what seemed like more people, we had worse luck there, where the parking was already gone and people were standing in a long line outside.

So, home we went.  We decided that we would try just our street.  It is pretty short and we hoped that it would give a good feel for the weather.  Of course, my husband had plans a brewing.  He talked Emma into "just one more" and before we knew it, we were on our way!

 While we had a short time out this year, we still managed to make it to a well known cul de sac and some fire pits to help us warm up.

We even made it to a friend's house close by before turning back and making our last stop home.  While trick or treat isn't quite the same without the big kid along anymore, I think he has a good time passing out candy to everyone, so I still call it a win.  The bitter chill may have stopped us from showing off the fanciness of the mermaid costume this year, but it didn't stop our girl from stocking up on lunch candy for the rest of the season.

Until next time,