These Are The Days.......

(My title for this post is not referring to the soap opera music. Think opening song from the movie, Cheaper By The Dozen.)

I have not been very consistent with my blogging. I started thinking about blogging yesterday and how I don't blog very often because there isn't a lot of exciting stuff happening in our life. Most days it just feels like the "same old stuff, just a different day".

I also don't take the camera with me very often because I don't think there is anything exciting that is going to be going on. However, after we got back from a Marine Corps function at a park yesterday, I wished that I had taken the camera with me. Not because anything exciting happened, but because this is our life and I want it chronicled.

It really has changed my perspective on blogging and keeping a record of what we do. The truth of the matter is that my kids are growing and learning every day and THAT is exciting and worth blogging about. I want my kids to be able to have something to look back at and see what they did as kids, the funny things they said, and just what our day to day life was like while they were growing up.

So the next several pictures aren't exciting - in fact I look horrid in them! However, this is our life and these are the days......

1 Dog + 2 Puppies = TOO MANY DOGS!

We have had our Golden Retriever, Chester, for about a year. Joseph's parents own Chester's sister, Ginger. They live on 10 acres with no fences and Ginger wound up pregnant. She had 7 puppies.

We happened to be over there visiting and Joseph fell in love with two of the puppies. I thought that it would be fun to bring one home so that Chester had another dog to run around with. I kept asking Joseph if he had picked out the puppy that he wanted to bring home and he would just hold up two fingers because he wanted to bring two home.

I finally caved and we brought home two puppies - Turk and Duke. It was only on a TRIAL basis. They were adorable and we loved having them. A few days after we brought them home, Joseph had to leave for 8 days with the Marine Corps. It was so much work trying to house train two puppies, watch the girls, clean the house, etc., etc. Then, I had some health issues and that was the last straw! The puppies went back to Joseph's parents and they were able to find them alternative homes. I was kinda sad with the puppies leaving but in the long run, I can't handle that many dogs!

P.S. Chester LOVED the puppies and they loved him. I think the hardest part about giving the puppies back was separating them from Chester!

Family Day in New Plymouth

Several weeks ago we headed out to New Plymouth to watch Joseph's cousin, Cody, wrestle at Districts. He placed high enough to be able to go to State tournaments the following weekend. It was fun to go and cheer him on. The girls would even yell, "Go Cody!", during each of his matches.

After the wrestling tournament, we headed to Parma to hang out with Joseph's Uncle Aaron, Aunt Karen, and cousins. Joseph's uncle and cousin train and fight MMA (mixed martial arts) and so the "boys" decided to have a wrestling match of their own.

Then, after having dinner at Aunt Karen's sister's house, we watched a UFC fight on t.v. It was a late night (I don't think we started the hour drive home until well after ten at night!) but we were so glad that we were able to spend the day with them! Thanks Aaron and Karen!

Joseph and his Uncle Aaron

Uncle Aaron and Little A (he's not so "little" anymore)

Joseph and Little A

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

I finally uploaded pictures from the camera to the computer today and there were quite a few. Enjoy a glimpse into our life the last several months....