Time flies when you're having fun...

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of me living in our house (sorry the picture is a little hazy, I didn't think of taking it until almost dark). When Brad and I bought it and I moved in a year ago I had no idea how much my life would change in only 365 days.

Over the last year, I lived alone for the first time in my life, Brad and I got engaged (in the house, actually), we got married, added Oliver to our family and so much more. We had an exciting year of "firsts" in our house. We celebrated our first Halloween there (which is an entirely different story, but I definitely wasn't prepared for the chaos that erupted in Letson Farms that night), we've hosted our friends and family, made new friends, decorated "our first" Christmas tree (a hand-me-down from my parents, but still, our ornaments) and really began building a life independent from our respective families. The last year truly has been a whirlwind of ups and downs (more ups than downs--I'm incredibly blessed) and I can't help but realize just how quickly time passes by. Who knows where we'll be in our journey this time next year?

I am excited to see where our paths lead and even happier knowing that I have a wonderful companion on my journey. Brad is an awesome husband and I am so happy that our house not only sets the perfect scene for our story to begin to unfold, but that the characters that surround us are so fantastic. We are blessed by the opportunity to love and be loved by so many wonderful people!

Happy Father's Day!

This could quite possibly be one of the worst pictures of dad ever, but it's funny!

Our Father's Day weekend was rather uneventful (in a very good way). Brad and I were fortunate enough to get to spend some quality time with both of our families and each other, so it was nice. Friday night we relaxed together with dinner at Taziki's (a Friday night favorite) and trips to Target and Best Buy. We finished out the night watching Evan Almighty curled up on the couch with Oliver, it was perfect! We haven't had a lot of opportunities to just hang out lately.

Saturday we celebrated Father's Day early with lunch at my grandparents' in Jasper. We had a really great time. They always have incredibly funny stories to tell and everytime we go we come home saying we should definitely visit more often. I wish they lived closer to us!

We spent most of Saturday night at Allie's house. Fortunately, she let us bring Oliver with us because he had a present for my dad too. Dreamland is one of dad's favorite so we had ribs, bbq chicken and banana pudding and showered him with presents. He always says he "doesn't need anything" but gets as excited as a small child when you give him gifts. Allie and Brian introduced Brad and me to Rock Band. I was surprised by how much fun we actually had playing. Our ridiculous pictures are below. Mom and dad were also very into it--it was hilarious and so much more fun than I'd imagined!

Real Rockstars!

Such a dork!

He was very intense on the drums!

Sunday, after Oliver and I celebrated Father's Day with Brad, we had Brad's dad and sisters over for lunch. Brad cooked excellent steaks--everyone was impressed with his grilling skills (fortunately, I benefit from them almost nightly). Brad's dad stayed for much of the afternoon; it was nice having time to hang out with him at our house. Unfortunately, Dawn and Rebecca had to leave early, but at least everyone got to be together for a while. Brad insists we have to do it more often.

We don't have too much lined up for this week, hopefully just some down time. I started a Jan. 1 yesterday for healthy eating, so I can't wait to see how long I last this time around. Oh well, it's worth a try!

We've officially been "parents" for a month now. Yesterday was Oliver's one month anniversary at our house and I'm happy to say we've at least made some progress with the training and biting. We're definitely not all of the way there yet, but he's getting better. I can't believe he'll be 12 weeks tomorrow!

On Monday we took him for his check up and he's 100% free of coccidia, so we're very excited about that. I think he's a little disappointed that he won't be taking his butterscotch medicine anymore, but he'll deal. He has also gained a pound since our last visit three weeks ago, we're up to 3 lbs. 12 oz. and the vet was very happy about that. He said he's on track and looking healthy (I think it's because of his good parents, haha).

Monday Brad and I also had our first real "proud parent" moment while we were waiting at at the vet. This very sweet gentleman kept looking at Oliver and asking us questions and then typing away on his blackberry. Not long after he had been sitting idle waiting on his pup, he sweetly asked if he could take a picture of Oliver because he was just "too cute!" We of course said yes and loved every minute of it, Oliver was super excited about all of the attention he was getting. Yes, he was by far the cutest puppy at the vet that night and he knew it!

We've had a super busy week and the weekend is shaping up to be equally packed. We'll be celebrating Father's Day with my Grandad in Jasper, my dad at Allie's house and then with Brad's dad at our house. I'm excited about another opportunity to use all of the fantastic wedding presents we have (sorry to disappoint but I don't serve dinner out of our nice stuff every night). Hopefully today I can get out at lunch and finish up shopping. I really need to get on top of everything!

Time for another work week!

When I sat down to write this blog, I realized that I don't really have much to report from the weekend. We were pretty low key. Girls Night and a dinner date are about it. However, I am quite grateful for weekends like this--not a lot of stress and fuss, plus I actually had the time to completely clean my house--top to bottom and actually enjoy it for a while. It was nice; I'm easy to please.

We started my "long" weekend (I took Friday off to get a head start on cleaning, I'm a nerd), with Oliver's second bath. He did much better this time, or maybe having Brad's help made it seem easier? Either way, it was much less painless for me and he seemed to be far less traumatized. He's growing like crazy, but he looks like a little rat when he's all wet. I'm proud of him, we've had far fewer accidents over the past few days and when we were home just the two of us on Saturday, he actually behaved himself--no crazy biting binges or accidents, which is always a plus. Today wasn't quite the same story, but I think we're making some progress.

Girls Night was fantastic! We had a fabulous dinner (and even better drinks) at Bonefish and then headed to see the new Sex and the City movie. The movie was good, but the company for the night was even better. I'm so glad we were able to get together--I have to remember to plan these nights more often. I have the best friends in the world! Below is Sissy's excited face--she counted down the minutes until the movie came on, which took great patience considering we had to get there nearly an hour early to get a seat. Can you believe they actually had a policeman guarding the doors before they opened? Yes, people were CRAZY about this movie.

Nothing much else exciting, off to prepare for the week!

Memorial Day Weekend!

The funny thing about holiday weekends is that although it's great to be off work and have the time to hang out with people you don't see as often as you'd like, many times you spend so much time socializing that you return to work even more tired than you would have been after an ordinary weekend.

Our weekend was packed with festivities. Friday night we had dinner at my parents' house with my grandparents. Nana and Grandad met Oliver and everyone had a great time! Nana and Mom even had surprises for him. Nana had bought him this adoreable bumble bee harness and leash and mom bought him his new favorite chew toy (which Grandad called his cigar), some treats and his very first "Pawda" bag. He was too cute with all of his new gear.

He loves his fancy bag!Little Bumble Bee!

Grandad really wanted him to look like he was smoking a cigar too!

Saturday was much calmer. Brad and I spent some time around the house hoping to get Oliver into a potty routine, but needless to say, we were rather unsuccessful. We needed an afternoon break so we took a trip to Toys 'R Us to find Kathryn the perfect birthday present. The Cabbage Patch Kid I wanted to get her so badly was unfortunately not in available in the light skinned variety, so I had to settle for a "Mommy Make Me Better" doll set. We met up with Kathryn and Brad's other nieces and nephew and their mom's at McDonald's Saturday night to celebrate Kathryn's big day. Happy 4th Birthday Kathryn!

Sunday we had a fantastic time at Lake Martin with our neighbors, Carl and Nicole. Carl's family was so hospitable and their friends couldn't have been nicer. We had a great time and regretted having to leave early to get home to Oliver (BIG thanks to Mom for watching him all day--he wasn't very well behaved). Monday was filled with more family celebrations--lunch at Mom and Dad's and dinner at Brad's dad's house. We took Oliver and he got to meet his cousins for the first time. I wish I had taken more pictures of him and the kids--they were adoreable! I was very impressed by how well they all played together.

Oliver and Kathryn

Oliver's Adventures

Playtime!

Aunt Allie helped with his first bath...too bad he already needs another!

After a long night at the vet...sweet boy!

He's getting bigger already... 4 lbs. maybe?

Oliver's first week

We've officially had Oliver for a week and a half and to be honest, I had no idea how much work he would require. I also had no idea how quickly I would fall in love with him. I love it when he snuggles up next to me and gives me kisses, or when he decides to take a nap on my feet. It's nice having him to look forward to coming home to (not that I don't look forward to Brad, that's not what I meant, it's just different). We've gotten into a nightly ritual of the three of us cuddling up on the couch and watching episodes of Two and a Half Men until we can barely hold our eyes open (which isn't too late, obviously). It's so so nice--Brad and I laugh "it's our family time."


I realized on Monday just how in love with Oliver I've become. We had our first big scare. I got home from work and he clearly wasn't feeling well (I'll spare you the icky details); he looked absolutely pitiful. I knew he needed to go to the vet, so I decided that even though Brad wasn't home I was going to take him myself. This would be a good time to point out that I'm usually quite afraid of dogs and don't do very well with animals in general, so a room full in random pets and loud barks and meows is not my idea of an even mediocre evening. However, I stepped up, like all good mommies would, and took him immediately to the vet. We waited for over two hours (he was miserable) and they finally took us back. They ran some tests and had to watch him for another while--the end result, he has coccidia, a parasite that is potentially life threatening for puppies his size. The source can't really be known, it could have come from his breeder's kennel, or simply from grass or dirt. I was terrified and did not expect anyone to use the phrase "potentially life threatening" when I took him to his first vet visit. Fortunately, Brad had arrived in time for the news so he was there to comfort both me and Oliver. Sweet, sweet, Dr. Wilson sent us home with strict orders to watch for behavior changes and to give him a big dose of antibiotics every night. So far, I haven't noticed anything major. He definitely isn't acting sick.

Speaking of not acting sick, Oliver is a bit of a mischievous boy. He's into EVERYTHING! He chews bedspreads, rugs, the couch anything he can get his mouth on before we tell him "no!" We constantly have to watch him and are trying to learn how to read his "signals." We officially had ZERO accidents this morning, so I'm feeling optimistic. Brad will get home early today, so if there are any surprises to be found this time, it's his turn.

I'll post more pictures soon--he needs a haircut. Perhaps that will be our Memorial Day weekend adventure, Oliver's first hair cut--wow, we're exciting aren't we?

Hangin' Tough!

Okay, today, driving to work I realized just how excited I am that New Kids on the Block is making a comeback. It took nearly twenty years, but I'm super pumped! I've heard the gossip, but it wasn't until I heard Rick and Bubba play their new single and callers phone in about their love for the group that I remembered just how much I liked these guys--talk about the good old days!

I was a New Kids obsessed kid. I had the sheets, Barbies, t-shirts, school supplies, pretty much anything I could convince my parents to buy me. My mom even took me to the concert! That considered, I had to call her this morning and reminisce about the good old days of New Kids on the Block. She of course remembered that I absolutely adored Jordan (I wonder if he'd still be my favorite now?) and how Allie thought Donny was super cool (I think it was the rebellious rat tail that drew her in). We would play with those dolls for hours and then sing their songs into hairbrushes in front of the mirror--yeah, we were cool.

I'm pumped about a reunion. Let's hope we can still call them the New Kids on the Block--I'm not a fan of the NKOTB idea. Gracious, I surely hope I like them as much this time around as I did back then! Even if I don't, simple nostalgia will keep me interested.

Thew newest Stripling...just in time for Mother's Day!

When Brad and I woke up yesterday morning we had no idea that by the time we went to sleep last night we'd be new parents!! We had been thinking a lot lately about adopting a puppy and last Wednesday we thought we found the perfect one. It was a baby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Georgia that had been rescued from a puppy mill and we applied to adopt him. Late in the day Saturday we found out that he'd found a family closer to home and we were so disappointed. I wasn't going to be a mom for mother's day after all.

However, you never know what's just around the corner. After a fabulous day of celebrating Mother's Day with my mom Brad found our new baby in the classifieds. We had been looking at different breeds online all afternoon and I was laughing showing Brad how cute malte-tzus were and I told him we should start looking for one. Not even five minutes later, he found one in the classifieds. We called the sweet family in Cullman and they offered to let us see him immediately. We didn't arrive at their farm until about 7:30, but it was well worth it. A little over an hour later we were on our way home with the newest addition to our family. We haven't decided on a name yet (suggestions are welcome), but we're sure we'll find one that fits him perfectly. We love our sweet little boy!

Look at that face!

Happy Mother's Day!!

So sweet!

Fiesta Ball Pictures

So glad these girls were there!