Our New Family Member

Last Saturday, we adopted our new family dog!

 

Heeeeeeeeere's Jeter!

Brian and I have been going back and forth on the idea of getting the kids a dog.  Because Noelle was so amazing, he was pretty committed to the idea of another black lab.  I started looking into breeders last month, but didn't pursue it with too much enthusiasm.

I really wanted to adopt a dog that needed a home, so I joined a local "Rehoming" site on Facebook.  Right after Christmas I saw a female lab who was nine months old.  I couldn't believe it when Brian agreed to go meet her.  Even though we had talked about it, I wasn't entirely sure he was on board for getting another dog.  The dog we met was a lovely pup, but she wasn't quite right for us.  So I kept checking sites, waiting to find the right match for us.

I came across a local Pet Rescue, and I noticed that they had a litter of black lab puppies up for adoption.  I showed Brian, he said yes, we completed the paperwork, and then we snuck away in the middle of a crazy Saturday afternoon to go adopt one!  While I was trying to find out where she was, Brian saw a new set of puppies arrive and he went to check them out.  It turned out the dog that we came for was being adopted by her foster family, but Brian had already found another dog.  This one!

 He was there with his brother, and the best guess on their breed was "lab mix." We held both of the dogs and observed them, and tried to figure out their dispositions.  Jeter was calm but happy, and I couldn't resist his white markings.  Jeter also really liked Brian, so our decision was easy.  I didn't put him down until Brian came back from the ATM with the adoption fee!

Brian and I made our way home with this little guy, and I was able to get him used to our house a bit while he went back to the kids' basketball games.

He found a nice sunny spot to rest.

I recorded their reactions, but they are in love.  We let them in one at a time, and each kid was over the moon about this guy.  Brian and I made a list of names, and then let them choose from our list.  If we'd let them throw out names, the boys would have voted against the girls, their would have been pouting, and the whole moment would have been less fun.  They also chose a middle name for him from our list: Ezra.  It's pretty clear that they all love the Yankees and Star Wars Rebels!

I didn't doubt for a second that Wyatt and Reese would love him, but Hudson and Finley have both been skittish around dogs. They are both in love with Jeter, though.  Hudson walks around saying, "Come here, buddy.  Give me a lick, Jeter!"

And Finley is his favorite treat giver.  She also likes to have him on her lap. He likes to snuggle, so he loves it!

He is growing FAST.  Brian took him to our vet for his first check up last Monday, and he was 12 pounds.  We put him on the scale today and he was 15!  I need to get as many pictures of our puppy as I can because he is going to be HUGE soon!

 

 He is almost house broken, and he does wake up like a newborn at night to go out. When he is feeling upset about being crated at night, he barks.  When he barks, watching Friends cheers him up and makes him stop.  As soon as he hears the theme song, he relaxes! 

He also loves his big backyard!

We all love our puppy, and I'm pretty sure he loves all of his people!  I'm excited to watch their relationships with Jeter develop over time. They are going to be best friends!

 

2014 In Review!

I figured it would be fun to do a little review of some of our 2014 "highlights." 

January: Our New Year started off with stitches after Hudson fell down the stairs.  He was such a brave kid while we were in the ER, and he recovered quickly.  And then it started to snow.  And snow.  And snow.  The kids missed a lot of school, but Wyatt did still have basketball!

February: It was a somber month that included Brian selling his Jeep.  No one was very happy about that little fact, but I will say that Brian having space for more than one kid in his car has made a world of difference for me!  We visited the aquarium, and went to Richmond for Mason's third birthday party.

March: Spring sports were back!  Wyatt played soccer and baseball, and Reese started her first season of t-ball.  Wyatt continued taking ice skating lessons,  and he also turned SEVEN!

April: We celebrated Wyatt's birthday with his friends.  Hudson and Reese each had their Spring programs at school (Reese's last program of preschool).  We spent Spring Break dying Easter Eggs, and running a 5K, and the Easter Bunny brought their baskets.  And Finley was our family MVP with most time spent in a stroller watching her siblings play sports!

May: Wyatt tried out for and made the All Star Team, we had a really fun Mother's Day weekend, and Wyatt and Reese both got the game ball at baseball.  We went to see the Big Duck when it was at the local art museum, and the kids and I found a fun way to kick off summer.

 

 

June: Baseball season ended for Reese, but our well rounded girl kicked off her cleats for tap shoes and ballet slippers for her spring recital.  Wyatt had so much fun at his first Field Day, and then school was out for summer! 

 

July: I retired from the blog while we shuffled Wyatt all over the region for his All Star tournament.  We were thankful that the big tournament was at our fields!  His team had a really fun party to celebrate their season! Hudson started his first (much anticipated) baseball season at the Y.  Swimming lessons are a summer staple, and it was fun to watch Wyatt and Reese get into "real strokes" this summer.  We also had a fun visit to the waterpark!

 

 

August: There was swimming.  There was more tee ball.  And more swimming lessons.  The kids and I had many adventures getting out of the house. Wyatt went to a really fun baseball camp with the Tides.  We went to Busch Gardens. Everyone got ready to go back to school. And Reese turned SIX!

 

September: The kids went to back to school on the same day that Finley turned two!  Wyatt, Reese, and Hudson started fall ball, and we found a little time to go to Busch Gardens with the cousins!

 

October: I didn't blog much, so I threw almost everything together in one post (including Wyatt's entire soccer season.  Oops).  Hudson had his Pumpkin Patch Parade at school, and we went Trick or Treating!

 

 

November: Hudson turned four and had a really fun party at the zoo! We voted, Hudson got his first Phonics book, and Reesie's Reflection entry got her first place!  We celebrated Thanksgiving with our families. We also went to the Military Aviation Museum to see the Planes and Trains!

 

December: After rushing around like a mad woman for the first week of the month, we spent 8 days at the Happiest Place on Earth!  We made it home in time for Hudson's program and Wyatt and Reese's class parties!  And Santa came!

 

 

 

 

Hudson's Christmas Program

We got back from Disney World on Sunday, December 14th.  On Monday, the 15th, Hudson's class had their Christmas program - one of the biggest reasons we left early was because we knew there was no way to add any days on at the end of the trip - we didn't want Hudson to miss his program and party.

 

I had him tell me that songs he was singing, and then Reese helped him remember the words while we were on vacation.  She's such a teacher!

 The grand finale was "Feliz Navidad," as usual.  Wyatt and Reese helped Hudson with the Spanish.  Not because they speak Spanish, but because they have years of experience with Christmas programs! 

 I don't think this boy came down from a sugar high the entire month! 

 He and his friend Noah had matching Christmas shirts.  Because Christmas is awesome! He has the sweetest group of friends at school.  He would flip out if he found out that I called them sweet.  Because they're not sweet, they are cool boys.  But he loves his friends Noah and Fletcher and Mason.  I'm so glad some of them are staying together for Pre-K next year! 



School Excitement

It's already January and I haven't done any school updates!  I shared in November that Reesie entered the Reflections contest at school.  The theme this year was "The world would be a better place if..." 

Her teacher called me in November to tell me that our kindergartner girl won first place for art!  I was so excited to call Brian and tell him, but I had to keep it a secret from Reese!  Brian was also in Florida the week of the ice cream party, so he had to miss it (actually, he missed all of these things). Fortunately I recorded the moment she found out she won, and sent it to him immediately. Reese was so surprised, and we are so proud of her! 

The Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast was also that week.  I was lucky enough to sit with Reese, Emma, and their friend Hanna.



 Me and my girl chowing down on Thanksgiving food!

 

Hudson also brought home his first Phonics book that week!  He was so excited.  Reese was explaining to him that he had to get his Phonics book and write his letters, and then he will get his first reader.  He is already trying to read like the big kids.  He brought his math book home right after Christmas break.  I can't believe he will be in Pre-K next year (thanks to his November birthday)!

All three of the big kids with their first Phonics books!  Wyatt was 4 and half, Reese was almost 4, and Hudson got his the week after he turned 4!

 

Wyatt' also had his big second grade field trip to Jamestown that week - it was a crazy week!  I wish I had a picture of him in his class shirt before they left - but the girls all voted for a pink shirt, and he refuses to be photographed in pink.  Boys!

Disney World Day 8: The Magic Kingdom

If you're actually reading this, you're probably thinking, "Finally!  She's almost done talking about her trip!"  Sorry, but we're finally down to our last day.

 

I hate the last day.  I hate it so much.  Because I totally agree with my kids.  It would be really, really fun to live at Disney World! 

 We had a few more characters that we needed to meet.  And if you look at Finley's face, you'll see her excitement about finally meeting Donald Duck.  She is obsessed with that guy!

 We went to visit Mickey, and for the first time ever, he TALKED to them.  You can see the pure joy on Wyatt's face.  He was so excited!

 And so was Hudson!

 We took one last ride on Space Mountain.

We stopped to visit with Merida.



Hugs included!

 

Peter Pan cracked these kids up.  The boys thought he was hysterical!  He picked up Reese's autograph book full of princess pictures. and kept pointing and saying, "EW! Girl!  Are they kissing?  Oh gross!"



Then he offered to have a "falling on the floor" contest with the kids.  He won!  Ha!

 We stopped at the sword in the stone so that they could try to reenact Wyatt's great feat of 2008.  Unfortunately, there was no movement this time!

 

Brian managed to get us an early reservation for Be Our Guest for dinner.  The lunch was so good, and we figured it wouldn't hurt to ask about dinner! We were able to sit right by the windows with snow falling, and it was a great experience.  I honestly preferred the food at lunch, but it was still really fun!  And we were able to meet the Beast after our meal!

 After dinner we rode a few more rides - but the park had gotten really crowded and wait times were ridiculous!  We went on the People Mover one last time - it really is one of everyone's favorite rides!

 

We stopped on the way out to take a few more pictures and pick up a few packages.  Brian was able to take these from the train platform on Main Street/

 

I always like to stop and take one last look at the park before we leave.  It really is the most magical place on earth!