A Girl and Her BIG Dog.....

Yes the dog weighs 4 times as much as her but that doesn't seem to matter to either of them!

My Baby Turned Two!

Wow, wow, wow! I can't beleive how long it has been since I've blogged (6 months, 19 days to be exact). So many times ideas have popped into my head or the girls have done/said something that I thought "I need to share" but just never got around to doing it.

I'm going to do my best to fast foward through all the big stuff from the last six months....

Nursing School- Yep I started, it has kicked my behind and I am loving every minute of it! Second semester starts September 7th and I am expected to graduate in December 2012.

Madison - Her nose is still healing but looking better and we are all still healing from the psychological effects of the dog bite. Amazingly she seems to be the most healed and I'm by far the least. She has absolutely zero fear of dogs (her anxiety manifested in other ways) while I am pretty much terrified but we have taken steps to resolve that issue (more to come on that topic). Ms. Madison also graduated from preschool and is super excited to start kindergarten where she won't have to take naps. You know 'cause that is what is most important about going to kindergarten!

Stella- Can you beleive it she just turned two! Okay maybe not a big deal for you but it is HUGE for me. My baby is becoming such a big girl! She is such a little spit fire who is always making us laugh.

Kai- What is a Kai you ask. Well in Hawain it means ocean but in our house it is the name of our latest addition. Kai is our adopted 3 1/2 year old newfoundland. At first I was completely against ever having another dog (besides Tucker) but after much begging and pleading by the hubs I caved. She has been AMAZING! Kai is the sweetest, calmest most lovable dog we have ever had. She has helped this family heal more than any amount of therapy ever could have!

Now for the pics (you didn't think I would leave them out did you?)....

Madison Update and Holiday Review

I can't believe I let a week go by without updating on Madison's status. Her nose is healing very well. Thankfully there has been no sign of infection. The sutures will be coming out next week and for the next year we will be focusing on minimizing the scar.

During the day she seems to be the same carefree, lovable kid but there have been quite a few nightmares at bedtime. She has also seen a few dogs that she has known this past week. She has had no problem petting them or being near them unless they start getting playful. Twice she began to cry in situations that would have never bothered her before. When I pick her up from school today I will be talking to the directors to see if they can recommend anyone for her to talk to.

I just realized that I don't have any updated pictures of her and she is at school right now so I will have to post them later.In spite of the dog bite we had a very nice holiday season. Christmas Eve was spent at Justin's grandparent's house with lots of extended family. Christmas day started at exactly 5:05 am. It was so much fun experiencing childhood through Stella and Madison's eyes! We spent the rest of the day with my parents. New Years Eve was spent with our friends Jess and Kal but somehow I forgot my camera. I'm blaming it on the "incident" 'cause I've kind of been out of it ever since it happened. Here are some of my favorite pics. Enjoy

"But I Don't Want To Wear This Stupid Bow"

Take Two

Christmas MorningA New baby doll and a pork roll sammy. Does Life get any better?Madison with our Christmas guest. Thankfully we found him a home other than ours.Daddy and Stella Christmas day.Tired and Tubbied (is that a word? It is in our house.)