Dang dog....but thanks!

Back in April we got a little 8 week old Yorkie-Poo and we named him Charlie. David and I didn't really want to have a dog but Kylee REALLY did. So we decided that since she was turning 5 in a couple months, we felt she was responsible enough and ready to have a puppy. And considering that she is currently an only child, she needed someone to love and have. So a puppy was very fitting at the time and we were all excited to have him join our family.

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Well....with puppies comes consequences!!! Within the first 2 months of having him, he chewed up about 10 pairs of sandals, a variety of toys, damaged dresses and various articles of clothing, and left many pee and poo surprises around the house. Oh man......we were ready to give him back or accidently leave the back yard gate open!!!!! The carpet was by far the most frustrating...as you can see here....

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He chewed the entire border of our carpet along the tile. Everywhere carpet met tile, he clawed and chewed at and left the nails exposed for our lovely toes and feet to puncture.

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We debated replacing the entire carpeted area with new carpet or all tile....but found that it was REALLY expensive. But then one day, my good friend Jamie Williams came over and saw it and suggested we get a tile border done. I didn't realize these even existed! But lo and behold...they do and they are WONDERFUL! We had our good friend Colton Grant (who owns his own tile and carpet business called Majestic Carpet Care) and he came out right away and did some "majic"!

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I absolutely LOVE the finished product. So to you Charlie.....I curse you for making us spend money that we don't necessarily have....but thanks for making us bring this beautiful change to our house! I'm in love with it!

Fun Weekend!!

David worked 11 days straight, starting Christmas night, so it has been nice having him home and doing fun things together. We are currently in the middle of his 7 day break from work and I'm so glad we have this time together, and as a family.

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Last night we went to an 80's murder mystery and dinner game with friends. It was so much fun and we are already looking forward to attending another one! David and I were detectives. I was more of an "under cover" detective, and David....well....it was pretty obvious what he was! He rocks the stache!

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This morning I ran a 5K with my girls! It was FREEZING and I was so nervous that the cold was going to slow me down....but within the first mile, my blood was flowing and I started to warm up. We had a blast and I just love my girls!!! Brunch at the US Egg afterwards was delicious and a perfect way to top off our morning.

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My next run coming up......a half marathon on my birthday! I have 3 weeks to prepare myself for those 13 miles. Hope I can do it! Wish my girls were joining me for that one. Maybe I can still convince them to do it with me! Perfect birthday present right??!!! Heck....I invite all of you to join me! Londyn's Run....January 29th! Sign up!!!! Join me will ya?! :)

Oh the holidays!

Well, a lot has happened but shockingly I have no pictures to post. But I need to post this for journaling purposes.

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A lot has been going on this past month. It all started at the end of November when I had surgery on my nose. I had 3 things done internally (don't ask me what it's all called), but I do know that one of the things that got fixed was my deviated septum. It was out-patient surgery and the recovery wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had to wear a hideous white cast for a week and I had some bruising for about 2 weeks, but I was up and at it after 2 days. I felt good and I'm breathing better already!

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David also had surgery...on his eyes! He had a form of lasik done....it was implantable contact lenses. He is officially glasses free after wearing them for 25 years! Crazy to see the change in him. HOWEVER, his eyes are really bad and these contacts didn't fix his stigmatisms....so he still has minor blurry vision, especially at night. We don't want for him to have to have lasik because his cornea's are too thin and the risks aren't worth it. So he decided to get glasses to wear at work so he feels more confident. He doesn't wear them day to day, but he does wear them at night when he works. So all in all, it was worth it because he can see so much better and he gets to be glasses free 90% of the time. We should be getting new family pictures done soon and once we do, I'll be posting them and you can see what he looks like without glasses!

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Christmas was really good this year. We had a fun Christmas Eve brunch with David's family, then Christmas morning with just the 3 of us at our home, then a big lunch/dinner with my family at my parent's house with all my siblings. I am shocked that I didn't take any pictures of any of these events! I had my camera at all of them, but for some reason never took it out of my purse. I blame it on my "scrooge-like" feelings towards Christmas this year. I don't know why, but I was totally not in the Christmas mood this year. I only put up my tree (but no other decorations around the house), and I took it down right after Christmas instead of leaving it up until after New Year's like I usually do. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I just wasn't feeling the Christmas "cheer" this year. I think I just wanted 2010 to go away and be done with already. There are so many changes coming up in 2011 for our family and I'm ready for those changes to happen. The changes are still "TBD" so I don't want to say anything just yet.

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Anyhow, New Year's was interesting! David had to work so I went out to Natalie's house because her hubby Deron was working too. So we hung out and babysat all 12 of our neices and nephews! It was a crazy house, but we had lots of fun. Simple and fun.

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David is currently finishing up his 11-day working streak. He picked up a few days of overtime and has been a work-a-holic. He is still on his grave yard shift and will be working that again for the next 6 months. We have gotten used to it and have organized our life around his working schedule. So it all works out.

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A new club season has started for me and I have a sweet little group of 14/15 year olds. They are almost all new to club volleyball so this is a growing year for them. They are so eager and willing to learn so it makes my job that much more fun! I'm still the primary president in my ward and loving that. I'm excited for the new year and the new theme we have for primary. Things are good with that and I'm so lucky to be serving the sweet children in my ward.

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Kylee is loving Kindergarten!!! I can't believe she is half way done and is that much closer to being in the 1st grade. Time is flying!!! She loves her dance class and will be performing in February at a Suns pre-game show. So excited for that!!

I am babysitting a little baby girl now. She is a blessing for Kylee and I. We love her so much and love spending our days with her. She fills a void that has been missing in our lives for so long. We love every minute of having her in our home.

Which leads me to my next subject of adoption. Nothing is happening for us with that just yet. It's now been 4 months with ZERO contact from a birth mother. We had a "hot spot" of contacts for about 3 months when we first got certified....but now....nothing. Not sure why, but we are still hopeful and have faith that we are supposed to be doing this. It has taught us a lot and has definitely been a growing experience for us. Not sure what Heavenly Father has in store for our family, but whatever it is, we are willing to accept it and can't wait for it to happen.

As always......LIFE IS GOOD!