"Let Sleeping Dogs Lie"...

We got some more snow yesterday... I love new snow!

My Man had the day off of work, and we spent some quiet time together at home.

The dogs really loved playing in the new snow...

And when they weren't playing hard outside...

they were sitting inside wishing they were outside.

And when they weren't playing or day dreaming about playing, they were wanting our undivided attention...

And on rare occasion, they would take a nap with us...

And thats when the expression comes in "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie"

The Teenager in Seattle...

Looks like the Teenager is having a good time in Seattle...

The Grandparents pulled the classic Mercedes out of the garage! How Fun!

A Special time he will remember always.

(I can't believe they let him sit behind the wheel of this car, even drive it!!!! ... I would get "the talk" if I walked by it too close going through the garage... I can't wait to be a grandparent, and turn into that person my child never knew, it sounds fun)

No more sulking...

So far so good on taking care of myself... a healthy start to my day! I hope it starts working fast so I can get to feeling better really soon.

Because when I got my head out of the fog, I realized how busy I was going to be while the teenager is out of town...

Who will unload the dishwasher...
And who will be feeding and watering the dogs...
And who will put away all the shoes that pile up by the front door...
And who will be putting away all the clean laundry...

I guess I will be busier than I had ever imagined! Boy do I miss having a teenager around... I need to be more grateful when he is home...

Note to self ~ tell teenager how much you love and appreciate him!

The Public Library...

After trying to pull myself out of my slump yesterday, I couldn't stay focused on work, I was wanting to eat everything in sight, and it was soooooo quiet without my Teenager at home.

I decided to take a drive (yes a walk might have been better, but I didn't have the energy)... I ended up at the Public Library. I forgot how fun it was to find books to bring home and read. I am not a big reader, but I like to skim through them and pick out things that pertain to me. I found tons of self help books, dog training, photography, meditation, cookbooks. It was fun to spend an hour just roaming and looking, and reading. It was almost therapeutic, and I am not necessarily a book worm, I can't imagine what it would be like for someone who loves to devour books.

What an awesome, uplifting, peaceful, free place to go!

The Library... what a nice surprise!

The Teenager goes to Seattle...

The teenager left for his Grandparents house this morning... we had to leave our house at 4:45am. After an almost sleepless night the night before, and not much naptime, I am exhausted! It was bittersweet letting him go, I know how much fun he will have with his Papa and Nene, and he drives me crazy between knowing it ALL, and asking me EVERYTHING (I know it sounds like a conflict, but the questions are only those I don't know the answers to, or ones he has already asked a BILLION times!).

However, the very minute he walked away from me at the airport... I missed him terribly and cried all the way to the car and home. My Man being the nurturer he is, reminded me how much harder it will be to "send him off on a mission and not get to call him in an hour after he leaves. And then when he returns, he will leave me again and head off to college, only to come home once, and then announce he is getting married and won't be home the next Christmas, they are going to her house. This is just preparing me for the times that could lie ahead." Yeah, that helped.

So after I got him off to work, with all his words of wisdom.

It started snowing... (yep your going to get allot of dog posts now that the teenager is gone... I have to get a life! just kidding, I love my dogs)

(I can't wait until I know what I am doing with this new camera... the learning curve is huge, I have forgotten allot more than I ever knew)

Somehow these sleeping dogs just know when its snowing outside...
Because they don't stay asleep very long....
We hope Taylor gets to be as fun at frisbee as Morgan is...

of course Rudy is nestled snug in his warm bed still.

WEEEEHOOOOO!!! ITS SNOWING!!!

Christmas 2007

We had our traditional Hoagie Sandwiches and Root beer floats last night. It is my husbands family tradition, and it is a really fun one to keep going. They did this growing up and I think all the kids still do it with their own families... it was one of the only traditions he came with when I married him. I was the high maintenance spouse! (but he has been training me well over the years, I am slowly learning to simplify my life)

I woke up at 2:30am to let the puppy go outside... and the light was still on in the teenagers room. I opened the door and he was watching a movie, he can never sleep on Christmas Eve. But he informed me he would stay put in his room and the movie should be over right about 5am, the hour in which his Dad gave him not to wake him up before that time. I told him I didn't think Santa would come to a house with lights on... and "he knows when you are sleeping and awake".

So he made it until 430am before he came in and woke us up to go see if Santa had come!

It was an early morning, crazy, but lots of fun. I am always thankful for a dvd in the stocking to be able to go back to sleep while I pretend to watch it.

Nobody got coal or soap this year... we were worried about the teenager and his smart mouth even up until the night before. But Santa did come, and he was really really good to all of us.

The teenager totally scored with a new set of Nike Golf Clubs (thanks to Santa and his many helpers this year) and a new golf bag and golf towel.

This is my two goofy boys trying to take pictures the night before with my new Cannon EOS Rebel Digital Camera they got me, they didn't know how to use it but looks like they had fun goofing around. Our Kodak is a great point and shoot camera, and this one will let me have fun creatively, so now I can really get back into my photography... I am so excited!

My Man got some camo gear and a gun case to go with the gun he bought himself before Christmas... we won't go there. But he is really happy, so that counts!

We have some of the greatest neighbors... one of our favorite ladies next door brought us an angel food cake with cinnamon swirl and peppermint frosting. YUMMY!

And this cute little mouse is a chocolate dipped cherry (the stem is his tail), with a kiss head, and slivered almond ears. Super Cute... I even get it... "not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse"!

(sorry, I get really excited... I am usually kind of slow at symbolism stuff)

Feed the Sheep...

Over this Holiday Weekend Two J's is feeding our friends sheep again.

So we all went out today to help... well we actually just watched him work

and offered moral support.

But we were together... so I took a self family portrait, I'm getting much better huh?

Keep them in our prayers...

Our Nephew Devin is currently serving in Iraq. And while I won't be able to write it as eloquently as I feel it in my heart... I wanted to at least post a note to remember our military soldiers in our prayers. They are away from their families and the freedoms we enjoy here at home, and serving, sacrificing, and enduring everyday. They won't be enjoying a winter break like we are.

Devin finished 8 months of military training in February, and was hoping to be home for a while, when he left for Iraq two and a half months later. He won't return until June of 2008!

He has a wife and daughter who will be 2 years old in January at home. In their Christmas letter, she sounds very positive and is keeping busy doing really good things at home, and taking great care of their little girl. The pictures she captures of this kid are hilarious, she is a doll.

Today I saw this picture of Devin on her website and just started bawling! I hadn't seen him in action, and honestly couldn't imagine in my mind where he was and what he was doing. I tend to block out things to keep from being affected by them.

We love these kids, will keep them in our prayers as they serve and sacrifice!

Blondes, Brunettes, and Red Heads...

Our Blonde...

Our Brunette...

And Our Redhead (turning grey)...These guys are so fun at Christmas time... it's like they know something is going on. The smells, the treats, the new toys! It's all so exciting!

In the meantime... it's PLAYTIME!!

I promise no critters were injured or hurt in anyway when taping this video.

Can you hear all the panting and the grunting and ripping of the threads? Really it's not her teeth coming out, I promise!It's amazing our tree is still standing, our little house is not nearly big enough for all the roughhousing that takes place here between the boys and the dogs.

He knows when you are sleeping...

Trevor Patrick

My SIL's nieces new baby... was born12/13/07 and had some complications with his lungs but is now doing much better and will probably get to go home tonight or tomorrow morning.

(What a wonderful Christmas gift)
Here is his first picture with Santa… his Mom saw Santa roaming the halls of the hospital and asked if she could get a picture of him with her baby.

Isn't this the sweetest picture ever?

My New Favorite Post Office...

Unbelieveable!

That was my reaction when I realized I would have to be going to the post office again... I really wanted to get some letters off to our missionaries, and I had one last address located for a Christmas Card. I could have just put them in the mailbox at the house, or done the missionary letters through dearelder.com... but I had some pictures to send with them, and I didn't know what the postage would be on them going out of the country and all.

So I waited until the end of the school day and went and picked up 2J's.

It was pouring down rain... and he needed some driving experience in the rain...
He was REALLY not happy getting his picture taken again, and when it took me 3 tries because it kept coming out blurry... he was really really not happy, but compliant and forgiving of his mother.

So here is my driver in training, still doing well. It was really nice to have someone drive me out to try and find the little post office in the boonies that I had heard about.

When we clocked it, only 6 miles.... well worth not having to go to the busy one in our town with the grumpy stamp guy and crowds.

As we drove up, I could see the house next door with their manger scene and lights all of the old little farmhouse... too cute.
It is one little tiny building with standing room only inside, but we were the only ones there at 4:15pm on the busiest mailing day of the year... the very nicest little lady you could ever meet, with the most helpful sweetly given shipping tips to guide you along if you don't know what you are doing!

So quaint, so homey, so small town... I love it!!
She even put out little train lights outside to decorate the Post Office!

I am in love ~ and so excited to find my new mail stop!

Yipeeee!!!!! Thank you for all your support, I was trying really hard not to have only puppy posts this month, and ended up with more Post Office posts than anyone ever needs... sorry, still working on balance in my life.

SPT...

SELF PORTRAIT TUESDAY - Lelly's Challenge

"THE CHILDREN WERE NESTLED ALL SNUG IN THEIR BEDS"... 'twas the week before Christmas, are you up late at night getting ready for Christmas? are you surprised, as an adult, how much effort it takes to make the holiday *magical?* if you're already "ready," do you take time to sit in the glow of the tree and the candles and really enjoy the spirit of the season? is there a favorite Christmas movie that you watch, or favorite music that you enjoy? are you rested and relaxed? or a tad frazzled, like me?

The dark circles under my eyes are not from being frazzled about the week before Christmas... me and Morgan are sleepless wishing we were in Seattle. (and you can see our little "monster puppy" squiggling out of my hands to get away and go play).

Don't get me wrong, our little Taylor is precious, we love her so much already... but puppies are so much work. We are feeling ready for Christmas and WANT to sit in the glow of the tree and candles and enjoy the spirit of the season....

but little Taylor is up and down, outside, and tugging, and chewing, and drinking, and running and eating and the few precious moments she might drop off for a nap, are so short and few in-between now. My Man has been so good sharing getting up with her during the night, but I try as much as I can to cover it, since he has to get up and go to his job, and I don't want 2J's all tired and grouchy going off to school.

We pack up all of our Christmas movies to pull out and watch during the season, but we haven't had time to watch them during puppy training and all. I did buy a new DVD called "Stalking Santa" thinking it would be a cute comedy... but it is horrible, don't buy it, I will send you ours.

There is usually a new Christmas movie under the tree for our traditional flick after we get up in the wee hours of the morning like 3am, barely missing Santa's departure and going through our stockings. Then we snuggle up in blankets for the movie and a nap under the glow of the tree before we get up at 5am to open presents and eat breakfast to balance out the sugar kick.

I find it gets harder to make "magical" moments as my son grows older, but we have had some wonderful "meaningful" moments this season together... I have dubbed them them "Momeries" because as he gets closer to leaving home, they seem to be more precious to me than him, but I am hanging on to each one of them!

Elders Quorum Social...

The Elders Quorum at our church planned a spoof off of the ladies "Super Saturday" where we get together and teach each other crafty stuff, and had a "Super Man Saturday" where they got together and worked on cars and did other "fix it" projects together. I have to say they were very productive and it worked well because there were some who knew things they could bring to the day, and others who needed that knowledge who learned. And they were able to trade talents with each other.

Then they invited the wives to come around noon and bring side dishes to add to a pig they had roasted the night before at an overnight fire pit.I stopped by to pick up 2J's the night before, it was held at his friends house where he had been hanging out, and the men were there cleaning out the pig, I didn't get pictures of that.
But they did a great job cooking him up and getting the meat ready for lunch.
It was held in a shop, so we were bundled up, cold, and not frilly table clothes, but the food was really good.
And the best part was the men cleaned everything up, spic and span as we stood and talked...
and watched the kids eat...
or watched the kids play with the puppies...
or took pictures of the puppies...
A good time was had by all...