Cole!!

(drum roll, please)
Introducing...our sweet new puppy, Cole!

Matt and I have always wanted to be a dog family. We both grew up with dogs and knew that's what we wanted for our kids too. Siena has only confirmed that that's just what we need. :) She is obsessed with dogs and can't keep her hands off any dog she comes into contact with.

So, when a friend from school sent out an email to the staff about free black lab puppies, we investigated. A wonderful man living out on a farm in Lone Jack owned male and female purebred labs. They had a litter of puppies, and instead of selling them for money, he just wanted to find good homes for them.

We took Siena out to see the puppies on Sunday afternoon. Of course the puppies were absolutely adorable. However, I think both Matt and I were more impressed with the mom and dad. They were both on the property, both super sweet dogs with great disposition, and both of them not too big. They licked all over Siena and were sweet as can be. If they were any indication of what their puppies will be like, we've got a great thing coming.

Before we went to see the puppies, we told ourselves we would not leave with a puppy. And we didn't. We went home, talked about it a lot, talked logistics, pros and cons, all of it. After a few final things came together, we went out Monday afternoon (Memorial Day) to pick out a puppy.

There were 4 males puppies left and all of them identical and adorable. We ended up picking out Cole because he was the littlest and also one of the 2 that paid the most attention to us when we came to play. He pounced around a little bit, showed some love, but also cuddled too. We took him home to Siena, who was very surprised to see her very own puppy at her house!!

For some reason, Siena thought the puppy's name was Huggie. Not sure where that came from or why she kept calling him that, but we'll give Cole the middle name of Huggie...not a very manly lab name. Now she's got it...his name is "Cold." :)

Cole has been great! He's just like a newborn...plays hard for 20 minutes or so and then is wore out and has to take a nap. Siena loves him to pieces and he just puts up with the neck "hug" strangulation, squishing when she wants to sit right by him, and the constant in-your-face contact. The perfect puppy for an almost 2-year-old.

It makes me smile to think that Cole might very well be the dog that Siena has when she's in high school. He is such a sweet dog. (Please remind me of the sweetness when he's going through chewing stages and figuring out his big, awkward body.) We love our little COLE! :)

To Siena, this is a hug. To Cole, this is...well, what his hugs will be like from now on.

Cole's first bath.
Exhausted after the first day with his new family.

Signs of Summer...

Okay, it's SO close to summer, we can taste it around here! Yes, we're still in school, and yes, sometimes I'm still wearing gloves and scarves (well, maybe not that bad, but kinda)! But it's close...I can just feel it! On a Sunday afternoon, we took full advantage of the wonderfulness that was: a glimpse of what our summer days will soon look like...

Siena loves watermelon, or as she would say, "moh-en". She is not the neatest watermelon eater, but boy, does she love it...even the drips of melon clear down her stomach!
Another fun summer activity: "boh bubboh" (blow bubbles)!
You know it's summertime when the shades are on, the suit is on, and the knees have band-aids on them...nothing beats playing outside, even a few falls and "ouchies".
Daddy and "Shee-ena". (Just recently, Siena has decided not to call herself Nah-Nah anymore. It's kind of sad to think she might be getting old enough to get her name right!)



Our backyard in nothing to speak of. But the one perk: a tiny strawberry patch that has managed to live, regardless of the lack of "green thumbness" on my part. They must be able to live in the desert if I haven't killed it yet! We got to show Siena unripe berries and the importance of patience. They don't taste very good when they're yellow! It'll be fun to check on them every few days...and hope the bugs don't get to the berries before we do! :)
Siena got her baby ring from Matt's parents when she was first born. I have held on to it and now is the perfect time for her to wear it. She's into jewelry right now and (most importantly), it fits on her finger without her being able to take it off on her own! I think it looks so darling on her chubby little finger.
Why not end the beautiful afternoon with beautiful piggies! Siena sat in her chair and played with grapes in her cup of water. I used her distractions to get my brush on her nails. She loves having "paint on her toes"! (It inspired me to fix my toes too!)

The finished product! This is also a great place to comment on her LOVE for Elmo! We found these beauties at a garage sale and she doesn't want to ever take them off! She calls them her "Elmo flippy floppies" and they are best friends! Too cute!

Oh, the days when I can do this all day every day can't come soon enough! Siena, Momma and Daddy will be done soon!! CanNOT wait!! :)

Chick-a-dee.

Today I thought it would be fun to bring Siena up to school to see some little creatures down the hall. First grade hatched some baby chicks...perfect opportunity to introduce Siena to some new animals! Didn't know if they would freak her out, but it was worth a try! She LOVED the baby chick! We took the little guy out of the box and put him on the ground. He didn't stay there for long! Siena had him wrapped up in her little fingers and was holding him - and actually quite gently! She didn't want to let him go and they instantly became best friends. Well, my guess was it was a one-way relationship. I'm sure the chick did not feel the same way as she did about him! Ha! :) Siena gave plenty of kisses and hugs to the little fellow and loved the experience. I did too Sweet.

Momma's Day!

Dear Siena,

You are one of the most precious gifts I have been given in this life. You and your daddy are blessings I thank God for all the time. Today, you made my day so special and I am so thankful for you! Without you, I don't get to celebrate a day like today - thanks!! :)

Thanks for breakfast! You know toast and cereal are always good in the morning. I think you snatched a few bites on the way to bringing me my food, but I'll share with you any time. Yum! You also noticed that Momma is liking coffee a little more these days, so thanks for getting the darling coffee mug with Daddy. It's super cute and I'll use it a lot! The little knit mug warmer will be perfect for those hot cups of coffee! And you know that things have been stressful at school and I am so excited to get my professional massage! What a treat - I know you and Daddy like to pamper me. I appreciate it.

But you want to know what the best part of my day was? It was spending it with you and Daddy. Sure, I loved going to lunch with your Grandma and Grandpa and Great Grandma and I loved seeing friends at church. I really loved being able to pick out a pair of shoes too. But the best part was spending the day with you!! That's the best gift you could ever give me. (That, and when you take a really great nap...I love that too!) So thanks for "scooping" with me and playing outside. That's my favorite!

While we were outside, Daddy took some really great photos of us. They are great "memory catchers" and I love to have those to always be able to look back on our times together. You and I sure do have fun together! I plan to have many, many more of those moments!

Siena, you're my little angel. I love you with all my heart. Thank you for making my Mother's Day wonderful and for making me the happiest, luckiest Momma out there. You're my little love. Don't you EVER forget that.

Love,

Momma

Park Play Date

The weather has been so hit or miss lately that we took advantage of a nice day! We went to the Grain Valley park to play with a little friend! Matt was gone at a track meet all day Friday and Saturday in St. Louis. Gianna's daddy was at the same track meet, so Kate and I decided to get out of the house for a little bit with the girls and enjoy the pretty weather! The girls had fun swinging, blowing bubbles, going down the slides, and running and giggling. "Gee-auhna" and Siena had fun!! Two coaches wives have to stick together!! :)




Siena brought along her Cookie, Elmo, and Big Bird animals to the park in a little bowl. She made sure they also got all the perks of the park: swinging, crawling through tunnels, and of course, each of them got a crash course in being thrown down the slide. They were good sports.


After a weekend away from Daddy, it was very obvious that Siena is not a fan. She was all out of sorts! Saturday she didn't want to take a nap...not super unusual. Then, after I put her down to sleep Saturday night, I think she realized she didn't get her kiss goodnight from Daddy - she was not happy! She ended up crying herself to sleep...poor thing! Then, when Siena woke up first thing on Sunday morning, I took her back into our bed to get a few more winks of sleep. We're both half asleep, I walk back into our room, and she perks up and says, "Daddy's home!" Then, at church, she didn't want to go into the nursery...apparently hadn't caught up on her Daddy time yet. So, she taught KidsQuest with us today. :) After the day with both her Momma and Daddy, I think she's good! She went to sleep just fine...happy to have her Daddy home. Me too!! :)

"Happy Eeeeeter!"

Easter - another blessing. The greatest blessing of all. As I was reading the Easter story again, I was struck by the love, compassion, and understanding of Jesus...to die on the cross for an entire world of people. That we might have eternal life with Him. Thank you, Jesus.
This Easter weekend was wonderful. So many special little moments to share. On Saturday, we decided to give Siena our little Easter present early. It was a nice day and we weren't sure if the weather was going to cooperate with us on Sunday. And we knew we would have lots of other things going on that day. So, anyway, we gave Siena a sand box! And by sand box, I mean a plastic storage tub filled with purple sand! We put some fun little sand toys in there - she was thrilled! We could not get her inside for anything! She wanted to play outside in the sand all day! We were doing a little cleaning out in the garage, so we moved the sand box to the garage. We were working in the kitchen, so we moved the sand box back and forth on the back porch so we could see her. But she stayed totally occupied with it! Every once in a while she would call for one of us to play out there with her...but she was so content. We totally scored on the gift and it will come in handy plenty this summer, I can tell already!! :)



Yes, Siena really did ask for the sunglasses. It was getting "too bight" outside, and she couldn't properly see what she was doing. So, the sunglasses came to the rescue. I had to just sit back and laugh as she acted like it was no big deal - just sunglasses, Mom.



Saturday night we spent time with our dearest friends for Amanda's birthday! All the kids were together and they played great. We had delicious food, great conversation, and even a little camp fire in the back. We always leave those times SO thankful for our friends. We are better people because they are in our lives. We are thankful Siena has dear friends to grow up with too. Good times.
Sunday morning - Happy Easter! We've been working on the phrase for a couple days and Siena got pretty good at saying it! That and "Hop like a bunny!" We all got up with plenty of time to get ready, not feel so rushed, and get to church on time! Siena had a darling Easter dress, if I say so myself. I probably would have worn an adult version of it if they had one. Yep, I would have been that Momma/Daughter combo that had matching outfits. You would have talked about us behind our backs, I'm sure. :) It's alright.
Church was packed and it was a good service. Siena even stayed in service with us for a little while. She actually sat somewhat quiet on my lap. (We of course were bribing her with water, graham crackers, and Georgie snacks...but whatever it takes to get the child to sit still for a little while!) KidsQuest hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids after the service, so Siena helped me throw out about 1,000 eggs in the wet grass. Those eggs went quick when all the kids came out searching for them!
After church we went to Linda and JD's house for the family Easter. Amazing food, as usual! We all stuffed ourselves silly! There are 4 little ones that were excited to go on an Easter Egg Hunt outside! The weather totally cooperated with us and we were able to spend most of the afternoon outside! Siena had the job of finding all the PINK eggs. (Pink is the only color she can pick out of the bunch and therefore she is obsessed with the color pink. So girly!) It was hilarious to watch her run around in the grass, looking at the eggs! At first we would ask her, "Is that pink?" She would say, "Noooo..." and toss it back! After she got the hang of it, she was on a mission to find pink eggs. When she would see one in the distance, she would yell, "Pink!!!" the whole time she ran to the egg. Lots of fun!! We were going for stuff other than candy, so the kids got stickers, quarters, fruit snacks, bubbles, silly bands, erasers, necklaces, pill animals (those things you put in water and they grow to little animal sponges), and other little trinkets. I think they had a ball! The grown-up kids even got to go on a mini egg hunt and find a couple boxes of candy! Loved that!! :)










We even got a mini photo shoot after the egg hunt?? Random, yes. We just asked Siena to stand back for a picture in her pretty Easter dress...we got swinging of the hips, hands posed behind her back, smiles and giggles, you name it. I have NO IDEA where she would get genes like that...hmmm....





The rest of the afternoon was taken up by Guesstures, play dough, dolls, laying there stuffed because we ate too much, and then more food...
What a wonderful weekend it was! It's always special to spend time with family. We love it - and so does Siena. It was special to watch Siena and the change from last year to this year. She has such a much deeper understanding of what's going on. Well, I guess by "deep" I mean finding easter eggs and eating yummy food. Not quite "deep" when you think of what Easter is really about. But we are getting there. One step at a time. :) Feeling very blessed this Easter season - and always.