Welcome to Miss Maya

All the way back when Andy & I were dating in college, we would talk about what kind of dogs we would get, how many, what color, and what names we would name them.  

Most couples talk about kids, houses, even cities they want to live in...not us. 

We would go to the book store and buy dog magazines, read about the best way to train them and the best way to introduce them to our future kids.

It was always a dream of ours to have 2 dogs at the same time...and now we do.

Say hello to Maya.

She is the perfect mixture of sweet and spunky.

She loves the kids and will fall asleep in their arms immediately...Marie is the puppy whisperer.

Gus is curious and so interested in our new little pup.

He is patient so far and even allows Maya to sleep curled up next to him.

Maya is the daughter of Gus' brother, Gunner. 

Gunner and Lady had the perfect little pups and we are so thankful to Chris & Mindy.

Maya is at home and we are loving the new addition to our family!

Residency Graduation

Andy & I were able to enjoy a rare evening out just the two of us to celebrate the graduation of our 3rd year family medicine residents.

The night was complete with dinner, many laughs, and dancing. 

Below are a few shots after the dinner at the country club.  

Melissa is a dear friend of ours who watched the kids sometimes, helps with the puppies, and also works with Andy. 

It is so hard to believe that in 1 year these 2 will be done with residency and we will be moving once again. 

 

The kids also had a great night with one of their favorite babysitters.  

They were literally pushing us out of the house because they were so excited to play with her!

I guess that means Mom and Dad should go out more often!

Happy Birthday, Mama

 After a hot summer day playing outside, riding bikes, and watching soccer games we enjoyed a delicious ice cream cake to celebrate the last of the summer birthdays.
Andy also surprised me the next evening to a dinner out while the kids were with our friend, Melissa.

With this birthday, I am so excited about all the wonderful things that will be happening in the next year for our family!

Bennett turns 2!

On Friday morning, Bennett awoke to a big bag of chocolate donuts just for him!

He chose to eat them in the living room laying down on the book box while watching "The Croods."

He was so excited to have breakfast as a picnic and watch a movie...so much so that he wouldn't stop stuffing his face to even smile for his mom!

After Marie woke up we spent a few hours at the park.

Bennett loves the park and gets very excited when he hears we are going to go play.

He is very adventurous and is getting better and better at climbing through the different obstacles.

We were pretty hot and hungry after the park so we grabbed a smoothie with lunch to help us cool down.

Later in the afternoon, we surprised the the kids with a movie at the theater, "How to Train your Dragon, 2."

I wasn't sure how Bennett would do with a whole movie, but he did awesome!

Bennett sat with his popcorn just enthralled with the big screen.  During a few of the fight scenes he was pretending to punch the bad guys!

It was such a fun experience for us as a family.

Afterwards the kids played with a few arcade games before we went for Bennett's requested "tacos" dinner.  

After dinner we opened a few gifts.

Bennett was so excited to see his brand new big wheel bike!

 Bennett, you are a loving, kind, and sweet boy who has two very opposite sides. 

You love to cuddle and you can be a quiet observer.

But, you also love to run, jump, climb, scream, and play.

You love ice cream, hummus with veggies, multiple bowls of cereal in the morning, and popcorn.

You talk, talk, talk!  Just as predicted, you were waiting to share all you had to say until all of a sudden and now you are talking in sentences!  We love listening to all you have to say.

We can't imagine our home without you buddy - love you so much!

Father's Day

After a busy 24 hours on call, Andy finally fell into bed at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday morning.

 The kids let him sleep and we enjoyed a relaxed Sunday morning reading books and putting puzzles together.

When Andy awoke at noon we made him one of his favorite breakfasts complete with coffee, scrambled egg skillet with sausage, and toast.

After a bike ride we decided to go to Sheldon to visit the puppies. We are only 2 weeks away from taking our little Maya home with us. 

We put the 3 little girl puppies out on the grass and let them run around. It was so much fun watching them explore Gus, the kids, and the outdoors.  

We have narrowed down our choice to 2 of the girls but it's so difficult to pick one!

While on the farm, Andy got to drive the tractors around with Bennett while the kids played outside with the dogs. 

It was a simple and fulfilling Father's Day for our family.

We are so blessed to have such a good Daddy in our home.

He works so hard at his job and still finds the energy to be Dad.

8 years

Today is our 8 year anniversary.

What an 8 years it has been!  

We have 2 children who have brought us so much joy.

We have loved, raised, and trained our dogs to be members of our family. 

We have experienced adventures and trials with school, careers, homes, and new cities.

Once again we face a year that is ahead of us which will bring us change and new adventures.

And once again we will make it through with love and humor.

 

Happy Anniversary to Us! 

Happy 5th Birthday, Marie Beth!

Marie is 5!  

She woke up this morning claiming she felt older, bigger, and taller. 

She requested french toast for her birthday breakfast and wore her brand new maxi skirt and tank top to school - an outfit from Grammy & Papa that she had been wanting for soooo long.  

What a big girl.

During breakfast I gave her a birthday interview and here are her answers:

Favorite color - "blue, no pink, no yellow, well really I love rainbows so I guess rainbows are my favorite color!"

Favorite food - "pizza, no tacos, no watermelon. Well I like all of those things, and cheeseburgers."

Future career - "a mommy...but if I want to do 2 things like you do then I should be a speech teacher and a mommy because it looks like you are having fun, mom"

Best Friend - Alissa, Abby, Lauren, Bella, and Sophie.

Favorite Movie - Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Frozen, and Despicable Me

Favorite Toy - Baby Aurora

Favorite Dessert - Ice Cream

Favorite Summer Activity - swimming and boating

 *******

For her birthday she invited 6 friends from preschool. They had a blast at our house doing an obstacle course designed by Dad which included throwing water balloons at him.

She picked out a castle birthday cake which was constructed by dad, mom, and Marie. 

It turned out well with help from all of us.

 

******

Marie, you are such a sweet girl who truly cares about others feelings. You have such great empathy for your family, friends, and animals. You are bright, silly, humorous, smart, inquisitive, and kind. 

We can't wait to experience age 5 with you as you continue to grow!