What We’ve Been Up To

So far this year is turning out splendidly. In a nutshell, this is what’s been going on with my little family:

 

1. We have a new addition
Bo came to us from our favorite local animal rescue, CARE. The short version of the story is that I’d been looking for a dog – a Boston Terrier, actually – to adopt; I’d promised the children that we’d get a dog when we moved into our own home because we had to leave our chickens and dog behind we moved back in with my parents. Our friends have a Boston and he is the perfect dog, but I was weighing my options between purchasing a puppy locally or driving across the state (five hours!) to adopt a rescue. And then one afternoon I saw Bo’s picture on Facebook; he and his brother came to CARE as little puppies that day and I fell in LOVE with him. The kids were with their father for Christmas break, so they were very surprised when I picked them up in Alabama and had a puppy sleeping in the front seat! Bo is PERFECT for us (though he’d be more perfect if he’d pick up the potty training a little bit). He’s a Bugg puppy, which means he’s a Boston Terrier and Pug mix; he was born on Election Day and because my kids  have an affinity for the first dog, Bo, he was named after that adorable presidential pup. My mom’s also wanted to name someone Bo since my little brother (who is not named Bo!) was born in ’87, so now we have a Bo. He is SUCH a cuddlebug and is always pretty calm, never barks, never bites, doesn’t chew very much, but he loves to eat. We’re in love with him.

2. The kids ended up with mono
All of my mommy friends out there know how much it sucks to have a sick kid. The first week of February mine dropped like dominoes! First Jenna was sick with an extremely high fever, then it was Jaylen the next day and Jaiden the following day. Each spent an entire week out of school. We thought it was the flu or strep, but it was mono. I know what you’re thinking, but yes, mono. They’re doing better now, though Jenna is still quite often pretty tired. The others have seemed to bounce back. I’ve kept them out of sports this spring as a precaution because of the potential of a spleen rupture (yikes!).

3. Jenna turned  seven
My littlest sweetie’s birthday was on Sunday, March 3, and we celebrated with a potato-themed party, per her request. She’s really into mashed potatoes and baked potatoes lately, so we had those plus french fries, steak and barbecue chicken. She had a good birthday with family and friends and really enjoyed her day. She fell asleep at 5:45 that night and said she was worn out. Of course she was up at 11:15 and kept me company while I watched the Downton Abbey season finale (thank you, PBS app!). She likes Downton too, she said.

4. Electronics, por favor!
My tax refund came in and after setting a big chunk aside I indulged myself by purchasing an iPad (which I use all the time for school and a lot for work as well) and a DSLR to replace my entire kit that was stolen in June (yes, this former pro photog has been without a DSLR for nine months). Best Buy had a great deal on the camera; I went with an entry-level Nikon (D5100), which was on sale, and also bought a 55-200mm lens, which was on sale when purchased with the camera. It’s so nice to have one again, even though I haven’t used it in a week (it’s been cold, rainy and busy here). I have a wedding/vow renewal to shoot next month and I’ve already been asked about family pictures,  so there ya go.

5. Home Sweet Home
And perhaps the biggest news is that the kids and I will soon have a home of our own. Due to some renovations and legalities that still need to be taken care of, we won’t move in until closer to summer, but if you follow me on Pinterest you’ve seen that plans are already in the works. I’ll share more on that later, but we’re looking forward to it, especially because we’ll have a big backyard, a cozy porch and we can walk to the court square. I’m kind of nervous considering I’ve never lived on my own before, meaning not without a husband, so it will be different, but we’re up for the challenge. Ironically, we found the house just days after I’d given up hope on finding something.

So far 2013 is working out in our favor. Hopefully things will continue on the upswing.