5 years ago today

5 years ago today, our house was a little fuller than it is today...with 9 puppies that is!  Polly started delivering puppies the morning of December 19 and finished sometime in the afternoon.  I don't think either of us could believe it!

Here are a few of the posts from that day and the day after:

Birth day

First day pics and videos

Mike and I discussed the possibility of keeping a puppy and both of us were very determined not to keep one...until we met Blue!  We just fell in love with him and were not wanting him to leave us...here we are 5 years later and we've never regretted it.  We do joke though that he is our most expensive "free" dog we will ever have.

He keeps us laughing though and brings so much joy to our home.  I can't imagine life without him and look forward to many years ahead!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas is probably my most favorite holiday.  Not only does it bring out the decorations and ornaments that remind me of Christmases gone by and point to fun family time ahead but it reminds me of the original reason for the first Christmas...when Jesus was born on this earth to become the Savior of the world.  How lost we would be without that first Christmas!  I can't help but imagine what it was like to be Mary - with all the kicks and jabs - and not knowing what the future days would hold but being confident that the Lord would carry me through!

This year as I decorated our house for Christmas, I began thinking ahead to next year when we will have a 9 month old moving around.  I have a feeling that our Christmas will be just a little bit different next year!

Here are a few pictures of Polly and Blue as they are getting in the Christmas spirit.

And, I'm not sure if Blue is already looking for Santa or if he's looking for snow...either way, I think he might have to wait just a few more weeks!

Merry Christmas from our family!

Family Shower

The weekend before Thanksgiving, the ladies in my family got together for a baby shower for me.  Since we were already in the Dublin area for a 50th anniversary tea for my aunt and uncle, it was decided to meet together at a local Italian restaurant.  It was a nice time to be together and I was surprised with many hand-made and other special items.  Many of my aunts and cousins are so talented!

For some reason, we didn't get many good pictures of everyone at the shower and I never even got one of me and my mom or the girls together!  This picture taking HAS to get better in the next few months!

 My sisters - Rebecca (due the end of April!), Deborah, and me

Yes, I look and felt huge!  It was the end of a LONG day...and I always seem to look bigger at night.

 One of the many hand-made items given to me.  My aunt did this blanket and it will join a few others that she has previously given me.  Special treasures from family!

My UGA loving cousins gave this outfit to me...it was the closest they could come to buying something "Auburn". 

BUT, other cousins who are now living in Alabama knew how to make this expecting mom HAPPY!!  We'll be raising our little guy right with this AU football!!

 A sweet prayer blanket given to me by another aunt.

 And, another favorite gift was BOOKS!!!  I can't wait to be able to read to our little guy.

These books are the "Golden Book" series books that we grew up reading.  Classics like Jack and Jill, The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Hey, Diddle Diddle, The Three Bears, and The Ten Little Monkeys.

My mom and sisters gave me a lot of books too, including some in Spanish!  So, our little guy (and us!) will be able to start learning words in Spanish and English (and maybe translate for us when we go visit Mom and Dad in Guatemala!)

 My cousin, Debbie, wrote a children's book a few years ago and gave me a copy for our baby.  The book is called The Ketchup Boy.

She even signed it for him and included a tee-shirt and pencil with the book cover.