Before and after pics..

Here is GG's favorite wall before: And after:
We had pictures of the great-grandkids framed for the new white wall.

I need to go back and take some pictures of the completed walls so I can show more comparisons. This wall was the most dramatic.. everything else went from dingy yellow to white. The house looks beautiful! :) More later..

Puppy learning to walk..

Here is our boy at one week old :) Just learning to walk...

Puppy loooove..

As in, I am in love with our puppy. We now know which one we get -- the dark brindle. Here are some pictures from yesterday:
It is nice knowing which one is coming home.. but terrible how it happened. :( The other brindle boy got sick and died with some virus or bacteria. Poor baby. If you remember right, we were the SECOND on the list for a male brindle so should have lost this cutie pie.. BUT the lady ahead of us decided she wanted the fawn male THANK GOODNESS! Now tell me he isn't the cutest thing EVER?! :) :)

On to family news.. GG is back!!! The kids have been sooo excited to see her. It didn't take Jonathan remember how much fun GG is. The day she got back (Saturday before Easter) Matt and I and the kiddos took her out to Dallas for an Easter surprise. While she was gone, the mysterious family project was painting the interior her house. It was a dingy yellow color before and now it is offwhite. Also, she had this gold, half shiny half fuzzy wallpaper (seriously) in her foyer and we got rid of that. I have before after pics but no time to upload them right now.. I'll try to post them later.

PUPPY UPDATE!!

Oh man oh man, ready for some melt your heart pictures?!
That could be our baby and his momma.. here are the two boys -- one is ours!! A light and dark brindle!!
Here is a face shot..
Ok ok.. I will make a separate puppy blog soon or he is going to be all I talk about here!! :) :) Sooo excited..

On a sad note.. one of the fawn boy puppies died yesterday!! One of the dangers with large dogs -- he got stepped on by his mom!! Yikes.. poor baby had internal bleeding and didn't make it. :( I was just thinking that could have been my boy!!!!! Thanks goodness they are both ok.. anyhow.. I'm off.. I have a TON more Easter pics from Grandma's house to upload.. I will try and get to that tomorrow. Until then..

HAPPY EASTER!!

What a wonderful Easter we have had so far!! :) Alissa woke up before us, found an egg hanging suspended in the middle of the hallway with a pair of ears and when she opened the egg and found a note she decided to wake us up so she could find out what the note said :) We quickly got dressed and put on the ears and woke up Daddy so we could find out what the Easter bunny had to say!! This is Alissa grabbing some eggs the Easter bunny left in the living room, but the fun was just about to begin!! And Jonathan grabbing eggs as well..his were ball eggs (basketball, football, etc) and Alissa's were princess eggs. All were filled with candy eggs.
Now for the fun!! We have a tradition carried over from my family that to get your Easter baskets you have to work for it. There are a series of clues and riddles you have to solve on your journey to your basket.. each clue leads to an egg and each egg contains a clue, get the picture? :) Last year we did this for Alissa for the first time and she needed lots of coaching to figure things out -- this year she was a PRO!! She got through all the clues and found her basket pretty quick! That Easter bunny will have to make things more difficult next year.. but the way, in the pic one of the clues is missing.. in all the post-Easter chaos I couldn't find it :)
JACKPOT!! :) The baskets were hidden in the linen closet. Here they are checking out the goodies. Now.. the Easter bunny couldn't forget about Matt.. so he found a great big egg (painted like a police car) and surprise surprise there was a note for him..and a clue. Here is what he had to solve:
Poor guy wasn't awake yet so I had to give a few hints to him (the Easter bunny had given me a cheat sheet to help him out knowing he is getting old and all). He trudged his way through the clues and found his basket!! I didn't get a chance to take a picture of his basket before he tore into it.. but it had a couple movies, candy, and misc. goodies for him. I will have to have a talk with that old bunny and make sure he makes Matt's clues a bit easier next year.. that OA is a killer. (Old Age) :)

After all the hunt fun Papa came over to take us to The Red Lion hotel for breakfast buffet.. we got there and were told that without reservations we would have to wait two hours for a table.. WHAT?! Umm.. no thanks. They were pretty rude about the whole thing to.. so if you are ever thinking of going there -- DON'T. It was very aggravating. (there is more to the story but it is long and I don't want to get into it.. just trust me when I say to stay away :)). So we went across the street to Almost Home and ate a yummy brunch there.

Now I am home, Alissa is playing with Papa and her new toys, Jonathan is sleeping.. and all is well on this Easter Sunday. :) Hope you had a great Easter!!!!!

How fast can YOU type? :)

61 words

Speed test

A little comic relief.

A gift from God.. :)

Ok.. I spoke too soon last night. We were told all the puppies had been born.. umm.. 1:30 in the morning out of nowhere pops a beautiful BRINDLE baby boy!!! Oh my oh my.. it was sooo meant to be. Here he is:
Now again, there are two brindle's so not sure which one will go home with us. The one pictured has beautiful light brindle markings and the other boy is a very dark brindle possible apricot. I am beyond thrilled by this news!! We are getting the exact puppy we want. Could life get better?? Probably not.

:) :) :) Thanks for all the BOY thoughts!!

It's a BOY!!!

Well.. we ordered a brindle but God had other plans.. here is our new boy:

So far he has a face only a mother could love.. but you just wait!! :) :)
Actually, this is a picture of one of the two fawn colored boys so he may not be "the" one but they both look the same at this point. There was a brindle male but he was already spoken for. Oh well, it's only color.. we are finally getting our English Mastiff! I couldn't be happier!! I might have to create a seperate puppy blog.. hehe.. guess there is no 'might' about it.. otherwise I will bore most of you!! :) Updates soon!!

The puppies are coming!!!

I just got an email from the breeder -- she is in labor and so far has delivered 1 brindle female!!! Everyone think BOY thought for us!! She has to have 3 males for us to for sure get a puppy. We are second in line, but one gal who got in before us thinks she might change her mind and get a male if that happens we are third!! YIKES!! Please please please be three boys in there!! hehe.. I'll update as soon as I get word and pictures. I wish we lived closer so I could go see them be born :( Oh well.. BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY BOY :) :)

Almost puppy time.. and more..

I am so anxious for the birth of the puppies!! She is due the 20th so any day now!! I am becoming obsessed with checking my email for any word.. as soon as she goes into labor we should be notified.. my poor nerves. :) The is bad enough I can't imagine waiting two months to bring him home..ach.. Here is a picture of momma dog one week ago.. notice the big belly? :)

In other news.. Alissa had swim class tonight and we signed her up for another 10 week session. She will continue to go Monday and Wednesday 6:35-7:05 in Dallas. I can't believe how well she is doing and how fast she is growing up.

Matt is enjoying the new job so far.. he had some excitement today.. man oh man this whole law enforcement thing is nuts. I really don't understand why anyone would choose the profession.. much be excess testosterone.. in any case I am very proud that he does what he does, if it weren't for men like him we would be in a lot of trouble.

Jonathan is as cute as ever.. growing too fast of course. He is still nursing and on target for the two year mark. Woo-hoo. After that I will be more than happy to reclaim my body. Here is a short clip of Jonathan.. he figured out how to make the ball go round and round..joy of joys. :)

Not much else going on really.. except I will be babysitting full time starting in April to earn the extra income we need during Matt's training. It should be interesting..

"I LOVE YOU"

Jonathan's first sentence -- "I love you". He was saying it all morning and it melted my heart! :) He also sings his first song -- Happy Birthday to you. Yep.. the whole thing! It is so adorable. At Grandma Davis' house they have a birthday cake balloon with a candle on top and he sings Happy Birthday and then you have to blow out the candle on top. Over and over and over again. I will try and get a video of him soon to post.. just wanted to share!! :)
Oh, Alissa's new thing.. if you give her some food and she tried it and doesn't like it she says, "Oh, I'm just not impressed with that." Mahaha.. such a kid.

The kids are staying with Grandma Davis today while Matt and I go to finish up our little project.. I still haven't told about that yet have I?? Soon.

Until then...

It's raining, it's pouring..

and Zena is snoring. :) We have had such great weather it's a bummer to have a rainy day. Oh well, those trees were thirsty.

So Matt has started his new job.. nothing too exciting yet -- mostly admin stuff for the first two weeks. He is working 8-5 and it is wonderful, but I know better than to get used to it. :)

Alissa got accepted into Creative Discoveries preschool for next year which is a HUGE relief for me!! It is a co-op preschool so I will be in class with her at least 3 days a month and actively involved with all aspects of the school. I like this sooo much better than the current situation where I feel really disconnected with her school. The best part is her best buddy Sasha will be in class with her as well as a few more friends from the MOMS Club. It has been a little rough for her at her current school because we joined at the end of the year so all of the kids had already established friendships with each other and she is the newcomer.. she comes home and says she just played by herself and it makes me sad that the other kids don't include her. Next year will be SO much better!! She did receive a birthday invite from one of the girls in class and is excited to go to her Strawberry Shortcake party. :)

While she was in school today Jonathan, Zena, and I went to Petsmart and browsed around for new things for the puppy.. Jonathan LOVES the birds and could stand there watching them forever. He thought the gerbils were pretty funny too. Zena enjoyed all of the attention as always.

Here is a quick video of Jonathan.. he was so proud of himself figuring out how to get the ball to spin around and around..

You know.. sometimes I think about how much time has flown by since having kids and it is kind of sad. It really hit me when Alissa started school that my time with them while they are young at at home is so short and precious and I am afraid to waste one minute. The kids are such a joy and inspiration I don't know what I would do without them. Do I really have to let them grow up?? Sigh. The older Jonathan gets the more I miss having a baby around.. that's why Matt is buying me a dog. Hehe..

I'm off to see the wizard.. ok, not really.. just Mr. Clean. Close enough right?? ;)

Deputy Davis

So this morning Matt took the oath. Here he is being sworn in by Sheriff Isham: Right after he was sworn in I was asked to pin on his badge.
Here is our group shot.
My favorite one of Matt and the kids.
Overall it was a very nice ceremony. A lot of guys showed up to support Matt and there was a real sense of camaraderie. Of course my favorite part of the cerempony was when Matt first walked in and Jonathan pointed and yelled, "Daaa--eeeeyy!" :)
It is late.. and I am pooped.. g'night.

Where NOT to go to eat..

So Matt and I went out to dinner tonight and picked the WRONG place!! Grrr.. we decided to go to Thompson's.. we arrived at 5:15 and got our food at.. not 6..but 7:15!!!! ARRGGHH!! Does it get much worse? Hmm.. nope I don't think so. Very frustrating and the food wasn't all that great. Sigh.. live and learn.

On a lighter note, we just got done preparing for Matt's big swearing in ceremony tomorrow morning. I am so proud of him!! He has worked hard and come a long way. I promise to get pictures to post as soon as possible.

Thanks to daylight saving time we jumped the clocks an hour forward yesterday meaning tomorrow morning is going to feel reeeeaaaall early for us. I have to have everyone fed dressed and ready to leave the house at 8:30..this will be quite an undertaking for a family used to waking up at 8 o'clock at the earliest!! (Except poor Matt who has to be at work at 6am). It's worth it ;)

Here is a quick pic of Alissa before school last week.. I loved the outfit she picked.. very Punky Brewster! :)

A boy and his cat...

Yep.. this is how I found Jonathan yesterday morning. Snuggling with the cat and fast asleep. He is really turning into a little man. Repeating everything verbally and signing back everything. His newest accomplishment: opening doors. That's right he figured out the intricacies of a doorknob. Funny thing is with Alissa I never bothered with those child proof door knob covers.. I never worried about her escaping. Jonathan on the other hand.. he might escape. So I have a trip to Lowes due here soon. It is so cute how he discovered this new talent. He wanted in the bathroom to brush his teeth (he would brush his teeth ten times a day if I let him) and I said no. He was fiddling with the door knob when BAM-O the door opened.. and he looked at me with the most triumphant face I have ever seen. I could almost hear the trumpets going off in his head. He was a very proud and happy boy.
Alissa is doing excellent in school! They have a "take apart table", and have she has discovered what is inside all sorts of fun things, v.c.r's cell phones, cameras, phonograph player, computer keyboards. She has even learned the difference between a Phillips and a flat head screwdriver!

The teacher told them NOT to take things apart at home without permission...so far so good. Alissa said she tried to cut some wires but they were too hard..lol.

More later...

Tattoo's and pet sitting..

I just wanted to let everyone know that the tattoo blog has been updated. Matt went in today for treatment #4! Also, if you are interested in my pet sitting adventures you can visit my new blog at http://checkmypets.blogspot.com/. I will post more later!!

School and drool..

So lots to update.. first off we found out that Matt is being sworn in on the 10th to enforcement. Fun days.. This will be his third swearing in. He swears a lot. :) Anyway.. the ceremony will be at the courthouse and I am really looking forward to it.
Alissa had school today. She is doing great with her rhyming worksheets, letters.. pretty much everything. Today they made pinwheels (that I know of). I have been having an issue getting Alissa to tell me about school. She usually says, "I'll tell you later mom" or "Nothing". Grrr. Stubborn kiddo.. Oh well, I love her anyways (even if she did inherit a ton of her father's characteristics hehe).
In puppy news - we are due on the 20th!! Found out that this will be Percy (momma dog)'s first litter. She is only two.. and is will be Zeus's last litter (he is 9) so very exciting for the breeder and of course myself. She promised to let us know as soon as Percy goes into labor and then as each puppy arrives. I am ridiculously excited.. it is going to be the longest 8 weeks of my life waiting to take this puppy home.
Jonathan news -- Jon is saying about everything now.. not much he doesn't repeat. I notice he is using his signs less but still uses them regularly. He loves to climb and loves balls.. of any size. His favorite book is The Animals of Farmer Jones.. the funny thing? This was Alissa's favorite at the same age. The poor book is covered in tape but still hanging on. It is a daily read.. over and over and over. :) Speaking of Jonathan, I had to get this on video because I think it is the cutest thing ever. It started about a month or two ago that every time you ask him something instead of saying "yes" he says "Ha-HA!" with varying levels of enthusiasm. I hope he doesn't stop doing that anytime soon.. so sweet.

As for myself, I am working hard on getting my pet sitting business of the ground. In the process of putting together a brochure and advertising. My official name "Hamsters to Horses Pet Sitting". Speaking of names.. back to the puppy.. we need a name!!!! Any suggestions? Oh!! I also got a letter from our adoptive soldier and he sounds like a great guy!! That was a pleasant surprise.
I think this is all for now.. the picture button isn't working again so I will have to make up for that later! Until then...

We are going to have a BABY!!

I am so ridiculously excited. Matt is teasing me that finally we will have a baby that looks like me. Pfft. Our baby is due sometime this month, not sure the exact date. Oh, before you start getting the wrong idea (hehe) our baby is a English mastiff puppy!! We won't be able to take him (yes, IT'S A BOY!! Hehe) home for 8 weeks :( But the breeder will be sending us photos and video every week. Now I understand how adoptive parents feel as they wait for their baby to be born. I will post more on this later.. I am off to work on that family project I mentioned awhile back. More details to come!! :)