Trigger

When I was younger we had a dog that no matter how far my dad drove to dump him off somewhere he always managed to return.  He just never went away.  

I now have my own version of that dog.  Surprisingly I think they are both the same breed too. Meet Trigger.  The dog that I got on a whim when you stop at Petsmart just to see the dogs but then end up saying you will take one.  He just looked cute there.  Didn't bark, let my kids lay on him, and was just the right size.  So I got him.

 Then after having him at the house I started to think about what this really meant.  Did I really want to have a dog?  I know Ben didn't.  He wanted to go our whole life without one.  Did I really want to train a dog, walk a dog, pick up his poop?  No, I didn't.  So the next morning we loaded him up to take him back.  They talked me into keeping him again.  Then that night after Ben got off work we decided to take him back.  Ben had to do it because I wouldn't be able to stand my ground.  Ben and Heidi loaded Trigger up.  She wanted a picture with him before we got rid of him.  Funny.

But then he came back again.  The store was open but the adoption people had already left and no matter what Ben said they just had no way to contact them and we would have to keep him another night.  Well now he is here to stay.  I get up each morning, walk him so he can poop, pick up (gross) and then he runs back home to jump on Heidi's bed and wake her for the morning.  I have become one of those dog people.  He even rides in the car with us.  Today Blake went to get something out of the van and Trigger followed him.  Blake came back in but Trigger was just sitting in the passenger's seat waiting to go.  He is a great dog, truth be told.  Super easy and so nice with the kids.  I'm glad we have him.  Still worried about it but I do like him.

These pictures were from the other day.  Blake was so cute playing baseball.  I love having a boy.  I can't wait for the next one to be big enough to play with Blake.  Blake is spoiled.  I love buying him cars.  We found one the other day at the store that he didn't have and he did three chores to earn it.  He was so excited.  He loves cars.  My sister is at Disneyland right now walking through Cars Land.  You don't know how badly I want to take Blake there now while he is young and thinks that Cars are real.  He would LOVE it.  I keep trying to think of ways to get us there but nothing comes to mind.  I sure do love having him though.

Life is Good

We've had a lot of good times over the last little while.  The sun has been shining and I have loved it.  I'm always more productive when that happens.  We got the pile of trees moved.  For Valentines day Ben bought me some fruit trees-so excited.  I can't wait to plant them and see what they produce this summer.  Last night we had a fire in our fire pit and did FHE out there with s'mores for our treat.  It has just been fun using our backyard and working to make it better.  

Inside I've been working on smaller projects.  Repainting things (my sister gave me the idea to paint my knife thing), getting free stuff from yard sale and redoing them, and I even took down the kitchen cabinets.  

This was my free bench that I repainted and reupholstered the top.  Total cost=$3.20.  With this bench we were able to move the piano bench out to the piano. 

We got Daisy tested for speech classes.  Turns out her speech isn't bad enough to qualify her but her scores were still pretty darn low.  Lucky for her she is incredibly social and it will make up for lacking in other areas.  She is funny though.  She wanted to get these cheese balls just for when Olive comes to visit however she will probably eat them before Olive comes.  

We made our own Valentines this year.  Once again, I'm not a good involved mom who does crafts with her kids all the time so this was good for me.  The girls had fun making them and I was proud that I took the time to craft with them.

We also got another bunny and I redid the bunny cage.  I rebuilt it so that there would be a second story for the cage a place underneath for them to play in.  Although Hershey's idea of playing is simply trying to dig her way out of there.  We have to be careful with that.  Heidi bought a second bunny-Butterscotch.

Heidi is a total nerd.  We've all known that for a while but after watching the video she makes there is no way to even pretend she will ever be a cool kid one day.  I blame it on her Taylor genes.  She reminds me so much of Kimmie it is ridiculous.  I've seen videos that Kimmie and Curtis made when they were younger and Heidi is following right in her footsteps.  She even say 'thank you' the same way Kimmie does.  I wouldn't change her though.  I love that I can count on her nerdiness to know she will always try to do what it right and get her homework done without having to be asked.  

 

And sadly-very sadly-I got an Oregon driver's license today.  Last Tuesday Ben went to the DMV and picked up a manual for us to read before we took the test.  Two days later he got pulled over (first time ever).  He got a ticket for an out-of-state license.  Lame.  I guess since we bought a house and Ben is building a practice here I have to let go of Tennessee but I seriously cried because I was afraid they would keep my license and I just didn't want to give up the last thing that was proof of my life there.  I loved living there.  I feel like it is my home and that while living there I was the best version of myself.  I accomplished things there that I never thought I would do.  Can you blame me for not wanting to let go?  Luckily I got to keep my old license :)  

I like our life here in Medford.  Just last Sunday we grilled chicken on our back deck, had dinner where Ben convinced Blake he was eating and barfing a fake donut back up and Blake loved it, cleaned up, the kids played and colored while Ben and I went over budget stuff and it was just peaceful.  It was one of those moments where life was great and you felt so much love within the walls of your own home.  So even though I feel less accomplished than I did in Memphis I know that we are on the right track to building a happy family.  We've just changed the direction of our efforts and where we devote our time.   I guess that is just what happens when you grow up.

Kaylee's Birthday

Has it really been that long since I posted last?  I have been really busy here at the house getting projects done that I haven't had time for much lately.  I did get the entryway almost finished and the bathroom.  I will have to put up pictures of that.  The only problem is that in my "free makeovers" I don't get to buy the accessories that go along with it right away so they aren't as completed as I would like them to be before I put up pictures.  I

ll try to get those done this week though.  

Kaylee turned seven.  She is a funny girl.  Very hard.  I argue with her more than all the other kids combined I would say.  Her perspective on things is completely different from mine so I am constantly trying to explain things to her.  I often have to say, "I'm trying to teach you..." so that she knows that it is not only part of my job as her mom but also for her benefit to just obey me.  She is hard.  She is also really fun when she is good.  She has a certain strength about her that the other girls don't.  It's quite impressive.

This year she wanted to get her ears pierced.  Her birthday fell on a sunday so she got to celebrate all weekend long.  Saturday she requested a fruit tray for her dinner.  I ended up cutting up tons of fruit and veggies.  It was delish.  Her friend came over, we ate and had cake, and then headed off to the mall for earrings.  

 Now this is where she is a strong person.  She doesn't show her emotions and will do whatever it takes to put on a brave face.  She never wants to be seen as less than perfect...if something is not exactly right she throws a fit (hence the fighting with me) but it also works to make her brave during things like this. Do you remember the Halloween video of Mr. Bones with Heidi screaming her head off?  Kaylee was just as scared but all she did was turn her head towards the wall.  She keeps it together a lot better.  It was the same with her ears.  Heidi cried but Kaylee held it together. You can see where she is super scared because she is looking down and not at anyone.  

Here is the video.  She was so cute.

Then on Sunday she had the rest of her birthday celebration.  She got her new dress, new shoes with laces, dream lite, and other fun stuff.  She is such a pretty girl.  I like this picture because you can see her missing tooth as well.  She lost it a few weeks ago and the other one is wiggly too.  She had a good birthday.  She loved what she got and seemed genuinely happy about her life.  

And this picture is proof that the sun does shine occassionally.  The kids wanted to swim-they ended up playing in the pond instead.  It was fun for a number of reasons.  1-we have a front yard.  2-we own it instead of rent it.  3-Daisy is in her underwear and Blake in a pull up.  4-they played water fairies and rock fairies.  5-they got along the whole time.

I can't wait for spring and summer when everything turns green and get to work in the yard.  I'm excited for the kids to swim in the pool and having a garden and friends over to play and watching Blake jump in the pool and planting fruit trees and everything else that comes along with spring and summer fun.