One Proud Doggie Mom!

Just a very short update for bragging purposes! This being our family blog I of course spend much time on my two beautiful children. But today I'd like to talk a little bit about my furry son.

Rudy (Rutherford B. Dogg) is our adorable Shepherd/Beagle mix who will be 4 on April 23rd. He is absolutely the best dog ever. He barks madly at the mailman who he thinks is an evil home invader but loves most people. Ok, so he doesn't really like our neighbor Earl either. But besides that he is just an easy going dog who's biggest fault is that he is almost too affectionate and loves to french kiss.

Yesterday he had an appointment at a new groomer's where my mom takes her dogs. He looked so sad when I dropped him off but was a good boy and didn't make a sound when they led him to the back. I didn't pick him up until much later in the afternoon but the woman who helped me said he was FANTASTIC! That he never made a sound and was such a good boy. She asked if he ever barked!? Then she added that, "Rudy is welcomed back anytime!"

Well...I just received a phone call not 10 minutes ago letting me know that Rudy was one of four dogs picked this week to be featured on their website. I'm as tickled as if Jacob or Mena were nominated for a Nickelodeon slime award! We mother's always know how special our little ones are, but it is so nice when others see it too...LOL!

The site is:
http://www.groomerscorner.com/Pictures.htm
they said his pic will be up after tomorrow, January 31st until February 6th

The Widget - 12 weeks...

So most of you had read my post on November 2nd about my chances of getting an insurance covered pregnancy had ended. That was as true as I knew it at that time. Then four hours later I doubled over in pain with what ended up being my appendix but at the time I thought I was dying and being punished for not appreciating the children I had. OK! OK! I SERIOUSLY thought I was dying and my mind went all over the charts because I have never been in that kind of excruciating agony in my life.

Then...two weeks later a new little life was introduced. Now most of you know this by now by word of mouth even though my husband swore me to secrecy until 12 weeks. Which little by little that promise deteriorated. The vomiting, 20 hour sleep days, and extended stomach also gave me away. I'm 5'2, even being a bit round, there's just nowhere for my uterus to go!

But the promise was made with good intentions. We've had 3 miscarriages that we know of. The last being in July. We didn't want to get too excited until week 12 because of obvious reasons especially after trying so hard for the last year. We really didn't want the kids to know because how do explain miscarriages to a 5 & 2 year-old who just love babies.

But I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and I'll have my first doctors appointment at 11:30 a.m. I'm finally allowing myself to add the baby widget I see on other friends' blogs. I'm finally getting excited!

As for insurance....here's the kicker. I'm due August 7th, my maternity insurance runs out July 31st, but because I have to have cesareans I will be delivered between July 26-28th. I will probably walk out those hospital doors just hours before my insurance runs out! The jokes on you, legal organized crime purveyors!!

Simplify - 09!

Phil and I have been talking for a couple of months now about pruning the excesses of our life. We've become so crazy busy since moving to Ohio. And the whole point of living in this sleepy little town was to enjoy a slower and more serene family life.

So we've taken inventory of some of the things that we're making us crazy. Mostly it was busy schedules with us passing in the night with our school, work, church and family responsibilities.

Then I found this quote by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the LDS Church, "Sometimes we feel that the busier we are, the more important we are- as though our busyness defines our worth...We can spend a lifetime whirling about at a feverish pace, checking off list after list of things that in the end really don't matter. That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls...is essential."

So after thinking about it for sometime, and a month of panic attacks, I've decided to turn off the cable. WHat!? you cry! How does that help anything? Well, my kids addiction to cartoons was driving me nuts. The constant mindless happy noises were grating on my nerves and making me cranking when I was home. Plus, they would fight over shows. Now they are forced to play with one another and be creative. Phil and I cut the umbilical cord to our DVR which was just another to-do list that we never felt we could keep up with. We still have very basic $5 cable which gives us the broadcasts channels, two local channels and PBS so the kids still have some cartoons before school and we can still watch primetime television. BUT, now if we aren't able to watch a show when it's not on we just miss it...how revolutionary!

We also kept our internet for shows if we want to log on and we still love the hulu. Funny, I was so anxious the day it all went away, what are we going to do with ourselves? But then when it was gone it was like a huge weight was lifted off.

Now I don't think everyone has to go to this extreme, we were extreme t.v. addicts and needed a little moderation, but just look at these cute photos of my wee ones building blanket castles...isn't that what childhood was meant to be about it?







Now what's next to be pruned this year? Cable was just the beginning...