You've Got To Be Kidding Me....

The last three or four days have been, well, interesting. I've been away from my computer mostly as I tackled training a puppy, dealing with a sick kid, preparing for and starting my new study, and dealing with my own emotional racket, as well as the myriad of other day to day projects I do regularly.

And so, in that order....

The puppy is doing pretty well as far as potty and crate training. She's had a few accidents, but all were due to our own lapse in not getting her out the door quick enough. She will actually squat outside even when she doesn't really have to go, as if she knows that she's supposed to. She's mostly sleeping through the night already, a fact Evan appreciates as he was the one getting up in the night with her.

Ely gave us a big scare on Tuesday night. I had gone to pick up Dani from work and as we sat waiting, humming along to radio and generally just being bored, Ely suddenly went from placid to crazy. She started this guttural, grunting screaming, clawing at her seat buckle, and shaking. I lunged back to get her out and she started vomiting this clear/white foam, so I grabbed a towel laying in the back seat and held it under her, then she, well, passed out. I shook her, said her name, and she opened her eyes briefly with this drunken kind of look, then went back to sleep. We went immediately to the hospital, where we were told it must be the flu, since she had a 102 temp. I tried to tell them, no, she's not been sick, but they said just watch her and sent us home. Needless to say, I did some research and we've come to the conclusion that she probably had a febrile seizure, which occur in about 1 in 25 kids and are a result of a high temperature. They don't leave any lasting damage and are mainly the body's way of dealing with the stress of a temp. So from now on we'll watch her when she has a fever and hope it never happens again. Today and yesterday she's been fine. Flu, my.....

The bible study was awesome! We didn't have as good a turnout as we'd hoped, but we had fun regardless and there are several more women interested for next week!

Lastly, I've been dealing with my own emotional problems, mostly to do with anxiety. I'm not sure I'm ready to discuss it yet, so we'll leave it at that.

Since I've been away for a few days, I decided to fill you in on the last few days in a photo montage form...

Ely laying on the couch with her fever.

Amada and Bella playing in the vacuum cord.

Aidyn changing baby's diaper.

Bella watching TV, no joke.

Bella coming at ya!

Aidyn strolling Bella.

Naked Ely!

Bella and mommy cuddles.

I'm this happy, see?

Yippy ki yay....

Snowbound....

One week down, fifty or so more to go. So far I've done fairly well in my goals. I'm in the midst of setting up a bible study, eating better all the time, boxed three times last week, and came close to following every day on my chore chart. I even drank more water (mostly in relation to the boxing though).

Joia still isn't here, due to the unfortunate weather we've been having. And when I say unfortunate I mean God-please-make-the-snow-stop! We're hoping maybe Wednesday or Thursday when this system lets up. In the meantime, we have had some fun in the snow. We took the kiddos sledding in Sunday, which was an interesting affair. Aidyn decided that he'd rather stand at the top of the hill and throw snowballs down, Ely bean giggled like a madwoman and otherwise flopped around in her ginormous snowsuit, Evan ate it several times while going facefirst, and I almost cracked my tailbone when I decided to do a little extreme sledding. By extreme I mean the hill was about five feet high, but had a deadly drop covered by light fluffy snow. It wasn't so light and fluffy when my butt hit it. Ouch!

I joined a knitting club, which meets every other Sunday. I'm super excited to learn how and start turning out longies and soakers and sweaters and blankets and scarves....well, the list could go on and on really.

Today I'm going to retool my blog. The green and blue are wearing on me a bit, I think I just need a change. Maybe something a bit more uncluttered to match my goals for this year.

Bully, Bully

In two days at 12:20 pm Joia'a breeders will be stepping off of a plane and putting our girl in our arms!

New Beginnings and Old Ideas....

I know we're technically a few days into this year, but here it is, complete, my list of 2008's goals to accomplish. I don't like the word resolutions, because I think situations change, and so your goals should be flexible so they can change too. At the bottom of my actual list that will be printed out and kept in my journal, I've left a large space to add or change ideas through the year. I've also decided that I will record the dates next to these of days when that particular goal was achieved or maybe just added something to my life that made me smile. The entire list will be a journal and record of my year, full of tears and struggles and (I hope) great joy. This time next year I hope to look back and see the change in my family and life.

And so, without further ado, my plans and hopes for the year 2008:

~ 2008 ~
I commit myself to a healthier, more natural, uncluttered, and harmonious lifestyle. I will be a conscious and caring wife, a gentle, fun, and focused mom, and provide a beautiful, warm home for my family free of unnecessary junk and feelings. This year I commit myself to making my life exactly what I want it to be, and in the process, better for my family.

For My Health –
1. Box three nights a week, try to get a night or two of personal training a month.
2. Drink more water, cut out all soda.
3. Focus on eating healthier and more often.
4. Take healthy snacks and water everywhere to reduce unhealthy munching when out.
For Our Home-
1. Cut the clutter.
2. Plan out meals and buy weekly groceries accordingly.
3. Make a chore schedule and stick to it.
4. Try one new meal every two weeks.
5. Buy more houseplants.
6. Repair tiles in the hall.
7. Keep the yard neater.
8. Find a way to spruce up the older furniture (cover and pillows for the couch, etc)
9. Build a garage and fence this Spring.
10. Add homey touches that are inexpensive but beautiful.
11. Organize all paperwork into easily manageable system.
12. Keep up on laundry (washing, drying, folding, hanging).
13. Organize downstairs and closets.
14. Create space for paperwork, crafts, etc., and keep it clean.
15. Stay on top of recycling and garbage.
For Evan –
1. Let him take more naps and sleep in more without a surly attitude.
2. Make it a point to ask him how his day was.
3. Support him in his eating healthier and working out more, offer more encouragement.
4. Make sure there is money in savings every few months for him to buy his supplements.
5. Learn more about his goals and what goes into making them a reality.
6. Talk more, love more, make love more.
7. Don’t take my negative feelings out on him, instead let him help me feel better.
8. Don’t argue about things that don’t really matter, and talk out the things that do.
For Our Budget –
1. Pay off all debt except house by March.
2. Eliminate credit spending by saving instead for big purchases.
3. Give more back (tithe, Children International, other charities).
4. Cut out unnecessary spending.
5. Send all bills out on time.
For Our Kids –
1. Lay a foundation for the kids’ schooling by intentionally creating fun learning times.
2. Plan one field trip a week strictly for them.
3. Hug them more.
4. Replace some TV every day with mommy play time.
5. Lay a better spiritual foundation for them.
6. Find a better bedtime routine and stick to it.
For Our Pets –
1. Start a raw, natural diet.
2. Stick to their feeding schedule.
3. Brush, groom, etc.
4. Take Joia on walks every few days.
5. Keep up to date on shots.
For Myself –
1. Live Simply.
2. Drink more water.
3. Spend less time watching life through my computer screen and more out enjoying it.
4. Take care of what I have
5. Get a tattoo.
6. Eat fast food a max of once every three months.
7. Love my kids and husband more and myself less.
8. Send birthday cards.
9. Learn to knit and make the kids longies and soakers.
10. Stay on top of accountability meetings and homework.
11. Focus on being a better homemaker, wife, and mother.
12. Do more of what I enjoy – reading, sewing, etc.
13. Start a garden with my kids.
14. Learn from my mistakes.
15. Start a journal.
16. Blog at least four times a week.
17. Be a better friend.
18. Be willing.
19. Take time to focus.
20. Take at least one bubble bath a week.
21. Clean my car out once a week.
22. Learn patience, grace, and to say sorry.
23. Get involved in something new.
24. Try four new things before the year is over, including rock climbing.
25. Bake more.
26. Cry when I need to, don’t hold it in.
27. Drink more tea.
For Our Faith –
1. Do a devotional, then another.
2. Go to class with Evan to work our way through the Bible.
3. Start teaching SAHM Bible study.
4. Be regular about going to church.
For Baby Bean –
1. Refocus and decide on a path of action.
2. Learn about Baby Fair and decide on entering.

*I reserve the right to reword, add to, or otherwise edit this list in the future upon any whim I may have. I refuse to give up coffee or chocolate for any reason, and will not negotiate my right to a few select days a month of hormonal outbursts free of guilt.

Bella Mia Joia

And the search is over. Hours of research, numerous emails, and many phone calls to breeders ended today when we discovered the bulldog of our dreams. When we first saw her we fell absolutely in love and dialed the breeder right away. Not too long after we put down the deposit that will hold her for us until she is old enough to officially become ours.

I'd like to introduce you to Bella Mia Joia, translated My Girl Merry. She is six weeks old right now, which means we have a two week wait until she is old enough to leave her mama. She is in Tennessee right now, but her breeders have kindly agreed to fly her up to us when the time comes, so the middle of January will find Evan and I in an airport waiting for our little girl.

You'll see much more of Joia in the posts to come, and so The Search for the Perfect Bully will be ending, and Joia will be joining the ranks of the other subjects in my life I deem important enough for their own label.

And so the countdown begins......