Our New Arrival

Our new puppy is a hit! We have renamed her Alli, Sunny just wasn't working for us. So far she has only had two minor accidents, knock on wood! She is so sweet and listens incredibly well for being so young. Nicholas calls her Jabu, who is actually Markie's dog. Hopefully he will figure out that she is not Jabu but for now it doesn't really matter because she doesn't know her name anyway! Nicholas loves to go out in the backyard and throw the ball for her. She brings it right back to him and then he thinks about throwing it again. If he takes too long she lets him know by bumping into him! They are just too cute!

Nicholas' New Best Friend

After a year of debating the positives and negatives of every breed of dog possible, we have finally chosen one. Last night we bought a beautiful Golden Retriever and we named her Sunny. We are picking her up tonight and our baby girl will be spending her first night in her new home with us. She is so gentle with Nicholas it is incredible. She does not nip or chew on him, she is just as sweet as can be. Maybe by the end of the week I will be singing a different tune but for now I am excited and so is Nicholas! Luckily, Nana and Pop will be here on Sat to help out with their newest grandchild! I'll keep everyone posted on how her training goes and how Nicholas likes her!

Nicholas' First Crush

I don't know if he is old enough yet but I would definitely say that Nicholas has a crush on his new babysitter. Our new sitter, Loren, recently turned 13. We had just lost our regular babysitter so I was eager to ask her mom if she would be interested in sitting while I am at the Y. We worked out the details and her first day arrived. Nicholas was cautious and cried just a bit when I scurried out the door. By the time I returned, it was as if they had known each other forever! The next time came and as soon as she came in the house Nicholas pushed me out the door! Never in babysitting history has this happened! In the past we had to bribe him with toys, food, drinks, or video tapes to make it to the car. Each day she comes I tell Nicholas that she is on her way and he rushes to the window to watch for her. As soon as she is in the front door it's almost as if I don't exist. A quick kiss is all he has time to give his mom! When it is time for her to leave he walks her to the door and then to the corner of our street so we can watch her walk home safely. He waves good-bye to her as she walks away and looks up at me as if to say, "Thanks mom for leaving me with such a great sitter!"

Favorite Shirts

For as long as I can remember I have heard stories about my cousin Melonie and her favorite frog shirt. The gist of the story is that my parents went to Puerto Rico and brought home frog shirts for everyone. Mel became extremely attached to hers and it was the only shirt she would wear. Unfortunately for my poor Aunt Wendy, it was not possible to run to the store to buy more. She had to continuously wash this shirt for Mel. This story was never very significant to me until Nicholas became obsessed with trucks. We are now living the same story with only a few twists. Luckily, JCPenney has several different patterns so I was able to buy a few hundred allowing me to use the washing machine far less than my aunt. Also, although Nicholas can distinguish between brands, he will allow us to put him in the red, green, or gray truck shirt from JCPenney. I can now sympathize with my aunt and I truly see what pain she must have gone through. At Markie's graduation, my mom, dad, husband, and I all tried to put Nicholas in a cute outfit but to no avail. He was insistent upon his truck shirt for his uncle's graduation! I am just happy that he is not obsessed with only one shirt with one frog on the front!