Boy + Pudding = ______

Our First Puppy

A few years ago, we told the kids we'd get a dog when Daddy got out of the Marines.  Of course, we were thinking that Jesse was going to retire from the military and, at the time, it would be a good seven years or so until we got said puppy.

And then, he decided to become a civilian before retirement, we moved to Minnesota and have been living here for a year.  Almost for the entire past year, the kids have nagged us for a dog.

I started looking at animal shelters on a whim one day, when boredom reigned and I had a few minutes on my hands.  Lo and behold, a little of seven adorable puppies had been brought to Animal Allies in Duluth.  I called, and they told me the pups were getting spayed/neutered that day and would be available the next day.

After pondering the idea, we decided to go ahead and take the leap.

Here's Holly, our newest family member.  She's a German shepherd, Blue Heeler (and possibly Beagle) mix.

 Although she's had a few accidents in the house, we are very pleased with her and how smart and eager to train she is.  I think she's going to be a great dog, as she's already a good puppy.

Fairy-ly Cute in Case of an Emergency

As with most things, I am on a budget for Halloween.  This year we explored Goodwill for costumes.  I think you'd be surprised at what you find there.

Brooke found a little fairy costume that she HAD to have.  And the blue wig bought at Target tops it off at $13 for the costume.  The wig was almost twice as much as the costume.  Hmph.

This morning, Brooke immediately put on the costume after waking.  She told me, "Look, Mom.  I have my beautiful white outfit, with my little white and blue skirt (said while flicking it up and down) and my big blue wings.  I have those in case of emergency on Halloween and I need to fly."

Typical

A typical school day looks like this:

And this is just five minutes into the school day.  It's a miracle we get anything done!