New Puppy

Josh and Major have wanted a puppy for a while. Me, not so much. I am not really an animal lover. I don't dislike them really, I just prefer to not have them. Our English Bulldog, Duke, passed away about a year and a half ago and since I've just not really had a huge desire to have another one. With Major being an only child though, I realize how important it may be for him to have something to love and to play with. Some friends of ours installed an electric fence for their dog and once Josh learned how affordable it was, well it became his mission to find a dog. He got an awesome deal on the fence so after he purchased it, he spent about 2 days just looking online for a dog. I guess he had already chosen a chocolate lab bc we never did talk about what kind of dog we'd get. Anyway, he found "the dog". She was in Kentucky and was about 3 weeks old, so he contacted the breeder and made plans to go get the pup at 6 weeks.  Everyday Major asked when we were getting her, so needless to say, he was super excited.

Over the course of nearly 3 weeks we had endless conversations, err arguments about this dog's name. Josh had one suggestion, Cooter. OMG NOOOOOOOO!!!!! He said it made him think of Dukes of Hazzard but 1. Whatever 2. The guy named that on the show was a redneck idiot 3. That word makes me think of something other than that character 4. The dog is a girl 5. I couldn't stand the thought of Major saying that word. So, for nearly 3 weeks we argued and I mean really, really argued about this dog's name. I made a bunch of suggestions that were all shot down bc he only wanted ONE name. Finally 2 nights before we got her I found a website that had names that were relational to firefighters. I didn't want to choose something chiche like Smokey or Spot mostly because I knew Josh would shoot me down. After scouring the entire website, my choices were Ember and Tillie (Tiller). Tiller is a really cool type of fire truck. I knew that Tiller would be too masculine for her so Tillie would have to work. Initially he shot both down then came back to Tiller and agreed that Tillie would be her name. I like that her name relates to something that is a huge part of who we are as a family. Major quickly got on board with the name too, which was a good thing.
So last Saturday we load up and head to Russelville Kentucky to get her. She is such a pudgy, sweet little thing and even though I'm not completely in love with her, Josh and Major are. To hear Major laugh and squeal when they play makes me really, really happy. I think I will love her a lot more when she is more of an outside dog and will sleep through the night without having to go out to pee. That part sucks. I do like having her around though, it's just an adjustment. I am looking forward to running with her, taking her to the lake and seeing Major be happy just playing with her. He calls her sweetie or pretty girl :) when he calls her. It's really sweet and he loves her; that's all that really matters.

Major and Tillie as soon as we got in the car

 

As I'm typing this, she is laying at my feet. She must be dreaming about something bc her little legs are jumping and she is making a funny half growl half bark sound. I guess she is growing on me. Welcome to the family Tillie. 

Experients are FUN

I don't know what in the world I ever did with out pinterest. It is seriously the best thing ever. I am glad to say that I usually follow through and at least try to bake, cook, create or sew what I pin. This is true for things for Major as well. I saw THIS cute little experiment and thought Major would love it!

It was a simple baking soda+vinegar+food coloring project that = lots of smiles from my little guy. 

 He loved the reaction!

 Stir, stir, stir and here come the colors

 :) ...He loved it!

 Yellow is his favorite color so he was super excited when this one changed to yellow!

 Thumbs up = Success

 We added more vinegar once the fizzies settles and it started all over again. It was so fun. Once we were all out of vinegar, he had fun just pouring the liquid from cup to cup. He said it was monster juice to serve when the monsters come for dinner :)

I love that I get to be a part of this little boy's life. He is such a gift. I am so grateful to be able to learn about, share, grow and discover the world through his precious eyes.

Our year in review

This year was much more calm for us than the last year or two. Our biggest change came in March when Josh got a letter from Nashville Fire saying that he was hired!!!!! Talk about a shock. We were thrilled and beyond blessed. The summer consisted of Josh working his tail off every single day at the academy and Major and I spending the majority of our summer swimming, at the zoo and just playing. We weren't able to go on a family vacation this year because of Josh's new schedule and the restrictions he has there, but we are planning on going to the beach in October if all goes according to plan. The rest of the year was just spent adjusting to our new schedule and routines and watching our Major man grow! Here is a tiny recap:

January:

We played in the snow

February:

We experienced a loss in the family :( 

March: 

Josh got a job offer from Nashville Fire

We got a dog for about 24 hours til Major had an allergic reaction and we had to give him back

 Also in March, our trampoline decided to take flight.

April: 

Major played his first season of soccer 

May:

We celebrated our 7th anniversary but I can't find a picture :( 

Also in May: 

Major graduated from his 3 year old preschool class

 and learned how to swim from the amazing Kelly Swindell with ISR

June:

With Major's new skills we spent most of the summer in the pool. It was awesome and so much fun.

We also joined the Glade Church and LOVE IT!

July: 

We celebrated the 4th at the fire hall with friends

 and spent a lot a lot a lot of time sewing

August:

GO WORSHIP at the Wilson Co Fair with The Glade Church.

Josh graduated from the Nashville Fire Academy after a long summer and we got to go for a family night to see what it was all about :) 

Also, Major began a new preschool year in Mrs. Barbara's 4 year old class. This is him before leaving on his first day. 

September:

We took Major to his 2nd UT game. He was not in the best mood, but we did have fun.

October:

Halloween! Daddy had to work so I took Major trick or treating with Pappy, Nona, Tate, Herby and their kids. 

November:

Our baby turned 4!!!!!! So unbelievable. 

December:

We finished out the year with 8 Christmas celebrations, lots of family, lots of love and more blessings than we deserve. 

The year felt busy. It felt like it was full of change and it was really, but some prayers were answered and we actually got a lot more time together. We spent a good time of the year adjusting to schedules and Josh's new job but overall had a lot more time together. For the past few years Josh has basically killed himself working. He's had at least 2 or 3 jobs so that I could stay home with Major. We've had insane schedules with insane hours, so I am so happy to say that 2011 provided us some relief in terms of being settled into ONE job and having it provide for our family. 

I am very much looking forward to 2012. I don't make resolutions, but I am going to be much more conscious of the time I spend with both Josh and Major. I'd also like to laugh more, be less serious and have a lot more time to just enjoy everything in my life. We are in a good place as a family so I am looking forward to all the blessings 2012 has in store for us.