3 Girls, 1 Guy and a Zoo!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Beautiful Wedding

The real reason we drove all the way to Louisiana was to see my best friend get married! I was worried when she told me they had set a date this year that we were not going to be able to make it. However, God really moved stuff and allowed things to happen to make this possible. I was so thankful that we were able to make it! It was great to be able to meet her new husband and see them all again! Being able to be there with her on that day was so incredible. We went through so many 2 am phone calls, many rough conversations and a lot of nights and days of me worrying about her and the kids. It was amazing to see them all so happy and content!!! Thanks for making us a part of that day and for helping us feel so apart of your family!

Enough of the emotional stuff...

Doug has severe jealousy issues with the location of the wedding and reception. It was at an old saw mill and he has now decided that we need to have our vows renewed there! LOL

I headed out early the day of the wedding to help Amanda get some things done and get ready for the big day. Doug took over camera duties so you could all see photos :)

Reggie, waiting so patiently for his bride!

Joyanna did so great walking down the isle all by herself! I was very impressed. Of course this is also when the water works started :/

Amanda's grandma and brother

Her sister, grandma and mom

Her sister and brother in law

Myself, lol and a friend of Reggie's

These are a little blurry but way to cute to cut out :)

Jennifer and the little ring bearer did such a great job as well!

I was so glad Doug got these shots! He knew she was coming soon :)

And this was the shot of him seeing her for the first time! I love it!

She looked so beautiful! Her son walked her down the isle and gave her away...more water works!

I love these shots of her...

Especially this one!

They did a great job of involving the kids in the whole day/night. It was probably one of my favorite things about the whole wedding.

And its official!!!

I wish I would have gotten a video of the first dance.

Amanda danced with her kids to the Hokie Pokie and then Reggie joined in.

It was the cutest thing ever!

A big thanks to Amanda's family for taking us in and treating us as their own. It made it rough leaving because of it, but hopefully it won't be too long before we see them all again!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

On the road....

I had some fears when we set out for Louisiana on Monday night. It's the first time we have taken a trip that was over 8 hours. We had a really easy trip actually!!! We took some extra heading down. I wanted to make sure that the girls didn't hate us by the time we got there, and we didn't know what to expect out of traveling with 2 kids, a dog and a puppy. We slept at Walmart parking lots and truck stops on the way down. It was so great to be pulling our beds so we could drive for as long as we wanted to and yet be able to stop and sleep when we needed to.

The scenery was beautiful!!!

So many states that we went through had this red dirt and stone. Probably just because we don't have that here, but I thought it was really unique and pretty!

All the girls did a lot of sleeping....

But when they were awake, were really good and happy!

I love these shots....Madalyn is out and Molly is trying to stay awake....

...and she is out!

Chloe did amazing on our trip! Most of the time she was Doug's co-pilot.

She always amazes me the spots that she finds comfortable! Between sitting or laying on the center console, or sleeping on the top of the seats, no one can say she doesn't have good balance!

Seeing green grass for the first time in a long time was amazing! It might not have been very warm, but there is something about green grass that just lifts your spirits!

More pictures to come.....

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Monster Surprise!!!

So here is your first hint on our new surprise....

No it isn't a horse! LOL Doug and I decided it was time to expand our fur family again. We both wanted another big dog to complete us and so we put both feet in and went with a Great Dane. We decided to keep this decision from the kids and make it a surprise. Our trip became a little bit more interesting when the breeder we chose had pups available and ready for pick up in Ohio. Since we were stopping to see my brother on the way home, our only option was to pick her up on our way through. So that is what we did. I videoed the surprise announcement to the kids, but didn't get the response I was hoping for. Madalyn didn't surprise me a ton because she clams up in front of people she doesn't know.

The bummer was about 2 mins after I shut the video off, realizing I wasn't going to get the response I was hoping for, the breeder asked what we were going to name our puppy. Marissa responded with, "Wait, we are taking her home?" The whole initial conversation apparently went right over her head! LOL And I missed it on video! Oh well, what can you do!
So this is Molly, a purebred mantle great dane...

As soon as we got out of the door and away from the house a bit, Madalyn asked if she could hold her.

...and was tickled pink when she fell asleep on her like this

...for about 5 minutes until her arm under Molly fell asleep! LOL

So far we couldn't ask for a better puppy. Chloe has really taken to her. She initiates play time and has even started cleaning her ears like she did Case's. People think we are crazy, but so far she has proved to be the right puppy for us!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Late Christmas Gifts ;)

It's become tradition that Aunt Katie holds onto Christmas and extends it out! The girls love it! The day we left Aunt Katie and Zoe came over to hang out and brought the girl's gifts.

They were sooo excited about these!

Then of course there was some dress up time :) They look so cute here!

While we were gone, the girls worked on these. I helped them some, Daddy helped them some, but they did most of it by themselves. They both did great and they turned out so cute!

Marissa's puppy

Madalyn's kitty

Monday, March 10, 2014

I'm back!

Well, I'm back finally! We had a great vacation and although I miss the care free ability that we had while we were out of state and being able to spend time with family, its nice to be home. The fun of unpacking, mounds of laundry, starting school back up, and getting back in a regular routine has hit me broadside ;) Actually today has been going a lot smoother than I thought it would. I have a bunch of photos to edit and put together into posts. Hopefully I'll get that accomplished tonight. Bear with me...I had higher hopes for today's post, but with church yesterday and getting in late on Saturday night, I'm a little slower getting things done than I figured I would be. So enjoy your Monday and I'll be back tomorrow with the start of vacation photos and some updates!

If you were to ask me where I would see myself in 10 years, I never would have guessed that I would be here. However, I couldn't be happier! I'm very happily married to the love of my life and have two girls. We have begun our journey towards adoption and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for us over the next couple of years. I'm a stay at home mom who home-schools. I enjoy researching and finding things out for myself. This blog allows me to share with others my passions and keep in touch with family that I wouldn't normally be able to keep in such close touch with.

Daddy is such a blessing to me. We met in college and became best friends. About one and a half years after we met we were dating. The rest is history. Together we have grown in the Lord and learned many lessons even in our few years together. Things haven't always been smooth, but together and with the Lord's help we can accomplish anything. He is the love of my life and my true soul mate. He is 100% committed to his family and the Lord. He is currently working for Dairy One in Ithaca. He loves to ski, ride dirt bikes, tinker on things, mow the lawn :) and spend time with his girls.

Marissa is our oldest. She was born in May 2005. She is 100% Daddy's girl. She is a home body and usually isn't away from home for long and she is asking to go back to our house. She always claims a job and sticks with it till its done. She is very quick and catches on fast. You have to be careful what you show her, because before you know it she is going to be attempting it herself. Madalyn is her best friend. She loves church and loves learning and singing about Jesus. Marissa is now is school and she is doing great. She loves to read and do projects. She LOVES animals and has decided that she wants to be a Veterinarian when she grows up!

Madalyn is our youngest. She is 100% Mommy's girl (nice of them that they split us up so that one isn't quite so overwhelmed isn't it?). Madalyn knows what she wants and goes for it. She has no fear and is usually the leader of my two even though she is younger. She does love to shadow her older sister though. She is my girly girl, but also my one that is always getting messy. She loves her hair done, to get dressed up, and shoes! We are in trouble with this one! She loves school and is super smart. She has decided she wants to be a "snow plow driver" when she grows up. She is also going to build a house RIGHT next to us and live there so she can still see us every day ;)

Case was actually our "oldest child". Sadly we said goodbye to him on October 29th, 2013. He was a black lab/ red-tick coonhound. He loved to roam the fields, swim, play ball, catch frisbees, go hiking and spend time at the barn. He also very much enjoyed those black and white cats that roam in the dark and have stripes down their backs...or he must have because he kept getting sprayed! He hated to be abandoned by his family and preferred us to all be in the house by 9pm or he started pacing. His biggest dislike was winter. He hated the cold and would rather hold his potty all day long than to go out and pee. Even when he did go out he barely makes it out the door and he was starting to go! Haha He was our "little boy in a doggie suit" as my aunt says. We love him and miss him like crazy.

Cali is our first cat together as a married couple. Sadly we said goodbye to her on October 8th, 2014. We got her from the barn shortly after we moved. She had to be one of the softest cats you had ever felt and of course one of the best looking calicos. LOL She was a great mouser and spent alot of her time in the basement hunting. She had a funny quirk. When she got ready to settle down and sleep, she parted the hair on her tail so only a few hairs were sticking up and then she proceeded to suck on those hairs.

Beaker is a litter mate to Cali. She is a great mouser. She loves to sneak outside when she gets the chance but if you say her name she quickly darts back in. She is VERY attached to Doug and is always coming up to him purring just as loud as can be begging to be picked up. Beaker of course never does this to me. She doesn't like change and isn't fond of strange dogs, although she has gotten much better with the dogs. She will still swat at Molly but it's not angry, it's almost like she is playing.

Sid was our Marshall Ferret. We said goodbye to him in 2012. He was amazing! Great with kids and other animals, but a total goofball. He definitely lived up to the typical ferret personality and a total thief! Sid's favorite thing to steal was pacifiers. He would take them right out of a baby's mouth if given the opportunity and then take off running! He always hid everything in the same place, so at least we knew where to find them, but of course they were always ruined. Anything rubber was in danger of ending up in the said spot. We definitely miss having him around.

Chloe is Cairn Terrier. She is a blast to have around and I'm definitely sold on the terrier family! She is great with the kids and loves spending time outside. She is a great woodchuck hunter and will sit at an occupied hole all day till she catches one. Even in the winter time she will spend forever out there and come back looking like a snowman. She loves to swim and will swim in any temperature water. She loves to mother other animals. Whether it be kittens from the barn, Case, or her own litter of puppies, she is a great mother! We have since fixed her. Although I'm sad there won't be another litter, it's for the best with the probability of us moving and having to find a new vet.

Meet Molly, our newest dog addition :) After taking some time to heal after losing Case, we decided that our household wasn't the same without a big dog around and we were missing something. So we took the plunge and went full out this time. Molly is a purebred, mis-marked mantle, Great Dane :) She has grown into one good looking pup! I'm still in love with this old picture though, so I'm not changing it! She stands about 31 inches at the shoulder and weighs over 100lbs (although honestly I'm not sure how much over because I can't lift her anymore!) She is great with the kids and loves to cuddle. She shares our bed and is the biggest baby ever. She is very protective and does not like when anyone is pinned down. She is right there to break up the "fight" LOL We love her to pieces!

When Doug's sister and her husband started breeding rabbits, I had a feeling deep down that it was only a matter of time....Here she is! Peterette started out as "Peter". When Madalyn realized "he" was actually a "she", she settled with Peterette. :) Peterette is a flemish giant, which according to what I have read is the Great Dane breed in the bunny world! Figures right? She is super sweet, very laid back and loves to be cuddled and pet. She'll stick her nose out of her cage when you enter the room just so you will scratch it!