In case you're one of the 147 people who have expressed their opinion on how I shouldn't have gotten a dog, or how I must've lost my mind, or how if I haven't lost it yet, I will soon.... Ben and I decided that we wanted our kids to have a dog, and that we wanted one too. Ben loved having a dog, and I felt a bit lame for never ever having one ever. And although it will be more work, more money, more whatever, we decided that was ok because we wanted a dog. Is that ok with everyone? Maybe we can discuss how many children we should have next since that also seems to be a juicy topic. Feel free in the comments to decide how many children you think I should have.... especially now since I have a dog. ;) HAHHAHA. I'm cracking myself up. But really. I don't care if anyone gets a dog. I don't even care if anyone gets a SHEDDING dog. I might even come over and sit on your couch so long as you have a lint brush in the vicinity. So if you get a dog, and really really hear about it, we can start a support group together. Also, we can have a support group for those of us who have many children close in age. It's really not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I think you're completely exhausted if you have 2 or 5. You just learn to handle (or not handle) whatever you have. That's life. Amen? So don't say, "I could never do that" because you could. You just didn't. And that's ok too.
In case you aren't a dog hater, and want to know how our dog is doing, I'll fill you in! He's a chewing monster. So we yell "no" a lot. He's getting much better at paying attention to us, and better at not playing tug of war with everything we own. And, the other good news is that he's nearly house trained. I'm SO proud of him! Sometimes the girl's feel really bold and go under the table with him. I'm pretty sure this particular instance ended in him knocking them down.
Anna and Kedzie are total BFFs. It's the sweetest. I'm actually regretting not getting a dog sooner because then maybe Caleb wouldn't be such a crazy lunatic with the dog. He's really good with the dog OUTSIDE but he's horrible inside. I think it's because his body is protected outside-- you know, big boots, snow pants, gloves, a heavy coat. He's less vulnerable. Maybe the solution is to wear outside clothes inside. Interesting.
The other day it snowed, and my kid's loved watching it. They don't seem too disturbed by the Winter/Spring/Winter/Spring weather we've been having.
I loved the last time it snowed because it was fairly warm outside. That's SO perfect for little kid's playing out there. Also, notice Grace's green mittens. These mittens are the best thing of my life. They are Snow Stopper mittens. Sorry to be telling you about them so late in the year, but they are AMAZING. HERE is a site, so you can see them. I actually can't remember where I bought them, but I know they weren't ridiculously expensive. They never come off... my kid's cannot get them off. And, they never have snow on their wrists or have cold hands. BRILLIANT I tell you. I should really get another pair because all three of them will need them next year. They are a worthy investment, and although I rarely ever buy my kid's anything new, I never regret buying these. Of course, if you could find a used pair, that'd be ok too. HA! ;)
There's one thing I've wanted a lot of during this pregnancy, and that's bacon. I made this DELICIOUS BLT sandwich for myself the other day and boy did it hit the spot. I tend to favor articles like THIS which don't make me feel bad about consuming bacon. Think she's crazy? Maybe a little, but then again, so am I.
I just finished a parenting book called "Childwise" (since I'm passionate about the subject if you haven't noticed. I just feel like parent's are drowning and obedience is a thing of the past even in the church) It's one of the Babywise series books. I think most people think there's babywise and then it's just done-- but really there's babywise 2, toddler wise, preschool wise, child wise and so on. The author's are Christian and have a whole class for Christians, but these books are really for anybody. I like them because they are super practical, and I've read so many "christiany" books on parenting, I feel like I can easily combine them. Anyway, it's a quick, easy and helpful read. I'm glad I read it.
Since I did a lot of snuggling yesterday with the girl's since they are sick, I was able to finish that book and work on my James' memorization. I found a few other pastor's wives who also wanted to try and memorize James with me. It's been fun, and we're almost through chapter one! I want to make memorizing more of a priority, so I needed some accountability. When I lived in Jackson, MS, a few friends and I decided to memorize 1 Peter. Ever since then, I've wondered why I haven't done more of it. Memorization is for everyone-- it's not like you have to have this superb memory in order to be able to do it, you just 1. have to want to, 2. be disciplined. God gave us amazing minds, and why not use them to memorize his word?! Plus, it's a good mental exercise. It will keep you sharp. I think. ;)
Alright, I better go let the dog out. I'd like to say I'm going to go have a snickers, but we ran out. DRAT!
Melanie
