Saying Goodbye...

The week before Christmas, Tyson and I were forced to make one of the hardest decisions. Our sweet Cope started to get sick very quickly which looked to be linked to heart disease. It all happened just two weeks before his last day. At 11 years old, there wasn't anything we could do and he wasn't responding to the heart medication as we hoped. We knew right away that this loss would change our lives so much as well as his other canine sibling Jesse who has had him for her entire 5 years. Tyson had gotten Cope in his Bachelor days, and I had the pleasure of being his mommy for 8 years, before we had to say goodbye. He was such a funny dog, a dog who always ran away with the ball when playing fetch, to rubbing his butt on anyone he could (including Emerie, who he knocked down multiple times). This boy left big pawprints on our hearts which we will always treasure. It's never goodbye, but instead see you again someday good friend :) 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown... 

First Christmas Program

Emerie had her first Christmas program for daycare at our church. The parents were asked to bring plain white shirts beforehand, which the kids all decorated. Their Christmas program is centered around Jesus birthday, making it even more special. My family made the trip to see it, which made it all the more special for Emerie. She spent most of her time trying to look for me in the crowd, instead of singing! There is something about watching a kids program that tugs at my heart strings. Afterward she had her gift exchange in which she received Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First search and find books from one of her friends Alyssa. she is growing up way to fast :(

A New Addition...

We will be welcoming baby #2 in June 2015! We chose to break the news to our family and friends at Thanksgiving and everyone else with our Christmas card :) We are so excited that God has blessed us with this precious gift. The miracle of life truly amazes me and I owe all of my thanks and praise to God. The official due date is June 7th, 2015. Emerie hasn't quite grasped the whole concept yet, but she is excited and repeatedly pokes my belly and says "baby". This means I need to buckle down more on potty training before the new addition arrives!

Dad's Helper

Emerie absolutely loves tools lately. The interest all really started when we got new carpet in November. The carpet we had before was a really awful green color which I never really loved, but I am  a person able to stay distracted with other things and make do with what I have. We did decide to get new carpet  in our two living room areas because of the many stains that were apparent on the floor and because the budget permitted :) Tyson and I did all of the prep work ourselves which included tearing out the old carpet and carpet pad. We didn't expect to have to replace the subfloor too, luckily I married a handy man and he was able to do this. The old one contained many stains including pet urine from the prior owner, so it just validated our decision to replace the old carpet! Emerie loved helping Clint and Tyson into the late hours of the night replace the flooring :)

Here she is yelling at Uncle Clint while he is hammering :)

October Happenings

I have been slacking on taking pictures lately, which I will aim to improve on in the New Year! Our October was a lot of fun. Emerie really got into Halloween this year, and loved everything spooky! We watched Spookly the Square Pumpkin on repeat and the Halloween episode of the Bubble Guppies. Tyson and I played along of course :) We had fun carving/painting pumpkins and dressing up in our witch costume. Halloween Day was fun, which included visiting the nursing home by daycare to sing the residents songs. I tagged along with the group and got to see first hand just how much work 20+ kids under 5 can be!

Our little witch!

Painting pumpkins with Nana's help.

She was so serious during such a fun activity.

Aunt Taylor was around to help as well!

Taylor and I joined in on the festivities!

The end product :)

Vala's Pumpkin Patch

We went to Vala's pumpkin patch on a Friday afternoon in an effort to beat the crowd. We were supposed to leave at noon, let Emerie nap in the car and arrive at 1:30. However, Tyson got multiple work calls and did not get home until 3:00. So our arrival at Vala's was around 5. There were a ton of people but we still had a great time. We met the Perrin family there, our awesome neighbors who have two little girls that Emerie just adores. It was such a fun, unseasonably warm Fall day. I say warm because I was sweating profusely.

 

This was shortly after she woke up from a two hour nap we both had in my bed while waiting for dad to arrive. She was such a cute, sweaty, sleepy, and sticky little mess when she woke up.

 

I hope to make this an annual picture!

 

Her favorite part was feeding the goats! Daddy even bought the $2.00 animal feed cup for her.

 

These life size singing animals were pretty great, we watched them FOREVER. As you can see the front row benches did not provide optimal viewing for this animal lover!

 

Oh Vala's pumpkin patch....we will be back next year!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emmy's Birthday Party...

We had such a wonderful birthday party for our little Emmy. It was everything Minnie Mouse with a few splashes of Daisy Duck. A huge thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes and wonderful presents! I set up the decorations the night before the party, and she was super EXCITED when she woke up the next morning. The gigantic Minnie Mouse helium balloon was the highlight, I really outdid it on the rest of the decor! I really wish I would have captured more pictures that day, but the day was going so fast and I just enjoyed being in the moment.

 

My very excited birthday girl!

 

Thank you Grandma Marlene for the delicious strawberry birthday cake!!

 

Present time, she was absolutely in love with every single present.....and

 

She was not happy about having to take a break from playing with her new toys for the candle blowing and singing.

 

which is why this is the best picture we could get...oy!

 

 

Blowing out candles was a challenge, she would rather touch them which prompted a quick wind of air from me!

 

Just playing with a new little people playground.

 

Thanks Again everyone for absolutely everything! We love you all so much!!