Forever = About 12 years

I have always, always said that I will never get another puppy. Tony and I got a puppy when we were first married and that was a disaster. D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R. Max was his name and he was a sweet puppy turned demon. I showered him with love and affection and he still liked Tony better. He tore my clothes, tormented our guests, and wouldn't let me come into the yard. We hung in there with him for a couple of years but instead of him getting better he got worse. Much worse. We finally gave him away which is when I swore them off. For. Ever.

For. Ever. apparently is a very relative term. To some people it means to never happen again. For me, it means approximately 12 years.

Anthony has been begging for a puppy of his own. One that can ride in the truck with him and be his sidekick and be "his" dog. He read a book about a german shepherd dog in the Vietnam war and ever since then he has wanted "his" dog to be a german shepherd. He asked for money for Christmas so that he could get a puppy, take care of the vet costs, and all the other costs that pop up as a pet owner. For months we have been looking on Craig's List, rescue web sites, visiting shelters, etc.

And now For. Ever. has come. About 12 years after swearing off puppies - we have a puppy. Well, Anthony has a puppy but who can resist 'em once you get 'em? She is a very sweet, needy, whiny, yippy, affectionate, and happy little girl. So...

Meet Annie (Oakley).

Or Maggie.

Or Betsy (Ross).

Or Jackie (from that 70's show).

How soon do they need a name before they are traumatized by not knowing who they really are?

My Favorite Christmas Decoration

A couple of years ago, I saw a tree that Edie at http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/ had decorated for her kitchen. I loved it and I copied it and now it is my favorite Christmas decoration. Ever. She took black and white photgraphs of her friends and family and made a friends and family tree. For some reason I can't find all of my ornaments so I guess I will retake some pictures and replace them this year.

(This picture was taken a little prematurely with no Christmas tree skirt yet.)

We have grandparents pictures on our tree.

Anthony's picture from when he was oh so young looking.

Tony's grandfather.

Tony's brother. And his family.

My brother. And his family.

There are a few, too, that I'm so very thankful I haven't lost cuz they would be impossible to replace.

Attempting the Impossible

Every once in a while my mom wants a new picture of these four monkeys together. What seems like a simple task proves to get more difficult as they get older.

If they could only learn, the quicker you give us a decent picture - we aren't even asking for good pictures anymore - the quicker you are finished!

This is as good as it got.

I snuck in a few of Anthony and Alex, too.

My mom had seen "jumping pictures" and wanted us to try that. Definitely too much to ask...

This next one CRACKS ME UP! Ryan was able to get some good air. With him in the air and the others on the ground in their various stages of jump - Ryan looks like he is being raptured. I laugh out loud every time I look at this. Oh my, it reminds of that 70's show for some reason.

This is the only one we got with all of them in the air.


What a bunch of nuts!!