Oh, I wonder...

...if the onset of summer vacation will make me more Bloggy or even less....  We are looking forward to so many summer adventures, not the least of which was officially (as in with real money) joining the lake this year.
We have a sunset date planned with Aunt Belle at Harvey's.
We want to go to the zoo in Rhode Island.
Big waves are calling from some beach in RI that we've never been to (Lookout?, not sure...)
Many trips to the various shore beaches we love.
Six Flags New England.
Maybe Santa's Village?!?!
A Camping weekend??

Wyatt will start K in the "fall" and Abby will start first grade.  Both kids will get on the bus at 8am and get off closer to 4pm.  That's a lot of time without my kiddos.  I am not looking forward to it and I plan to take advantage of every moment this summer.
I know so many moms that sign their kids up for every camp and activity they can write a check for over summer break.
Not me.  Not yet, anyway - (judge not lest ye be and all that jazz.)

So, Friday is the last day of school.  We have a big pool party planned for all of our besties...  Then it's off to the races.  How much awesomeness can we squeeze into 8 weeks of summer vacation?

We shall see...

Recognition.

One of the struggles I have had as a stay-at-home-mom has been my occasional feeling that my work goes uncredited.  Like, even though I am exhausted at the end of the day/week/year, I have nothing to really show for it, nothing to "prove my worth".

I know you can easily come back at that statement with "your children being happy and healthy are the proof of your hard work"...  blah blah blah...  I would say the same thing to you if you were feeling down.  We all know that, some days it's just hard to feel that.

There is no one to blame for this feeling.  It is just a feeling, no one makes them happen.

My husband is amazingly supportive and loving.  He showers me with praise and adoration and he does not go unappreciated.  I thank him, too.  We are a good team.

Nonetheless, I have to admit that I am at times, at odds with my choice to give up "earning" for "caring".  

I care for the house, the kids, the husband, his career, the school and town stuff...  and I do care.  A lot.  And I take pride in my volunteer work, my involvement with the kids' school days, friends and activities.  

I have never had any intention of throwing myself into a new career once the kids "get bigger".  This is my career, this is my life.

Watching the stray kid here and there, subbing a few days a week at school, scouring sales for the best deals and never paying full-price - that is stuff I do to throw a little ching back into the pot sometimes...  I like doing those things.  Those things require little more of me than I am willing to give and those things are also voluntary.  If I get called to work at school I don't have to go.

My husband has to to go to work.  All the Time.

So, I don't complain.  Not too loudly.

We have had a few weekends when Mommy has had to disappear for several hours.  To the mall, to the gym, to Kohls - what have you.  Mommy needs solitude sometimes.

Then, along comes a day like today - Tuesday March 27th - and all of my worry and need for measure are sated.

Today was report card day.  And I am walking on air.  I am a sappy, goopy mess.

Pride.  Love.  Pride...  I am just a happy mama.

I know it's about them, not me - obviously I know that - but the pride I am getting from their progress far outweighs anything ever handed to me by a manager at any number of the jobs I have had in previous lives.  Words like "well liked by her classmates" and "a natural leader at play".  "25 out of 25" and "14 out of 14".  "Cooperative and Polite".  "Kind and Helpful".  "Fun".  "Energetic".  "Happy".

"Focused and Enthusiastic".

No percentage above average or salary increase ever made me beam and cry and just over-the-top melt in the way that these pieces of paper that came home today have.

So.  I'm doing something right.  I have been recognized, indirectly, for my diligence.  So, today - I will hold my head a bit higher, worry a bit less and hope that should the day come that a report card is anything less than fabulous, I don't hang myself by my own apron strings.

It Snowed!

It snowed all day yesterday.
I went to the gym in the morning (I'm a runner now, ya know), hit the bank, got everything done just in time for the flurries to start coming down.  School was early dismissal which canceled PM Kindergarten so our afternoon was cozy and snow-covered!
I made soup in the Crock-Pot.  Had a nice dinner of steak with sautéed portabellas and spinach casserole.  Read stories and tucked the kids in early.  Both kids were asleep by 7:30 and right now, at 8:15am, Abby is still asleep.

Today my day will be relatively easy.  I have laundry to finish, floors to sweep and a few errands to run.  But the trick to today is that it will be the first couple of hours of alone time that I've had in 3 weeks.
I am not complaining about 10 days in Florida.  I am not complaining about babysitting.  I am not complaining about spending time in school with my kids.  In fact, I didn't even notice, really, until I started to think about what my day was bringing.
I have not had time alone since Thursday, February 9th.  And I am going to really enjoy the silence this afternoon.

I am watching Survivor this season.  You might have figured that out from my previous post of outrage.  It's better than Biggest Loser, the show I force myself to watch even though it's full of completely unlikable, fat, whiney losers.
I am watching a lot of shows this season, actually.  And recording even more.
I love The Voice.  Blake, Adam, CeeLo and Christina are the greatest foursome to hit tv...  ever.  (ok, can't think of a good comparison.)

There are several shows that started and when I read about them they sounded great but I have yet to watch them.  I am waiting to see if they are worth it.  If they're all hype and turn out to be crap, I will just delete them.
One that I recorded and haven't watched yet is Once Upon a Time.  And from everything I have read and heard it looks like it is going to be great.
I am recording Smash and Grimm, too.  Neither one looks like something I will ever wind up watching, though.
And I was excited about PanAm and recorded that, as well, but I think it was already canceled.
I have The River on dvr, keep thinking Jay will watch it with me but I think his tv-dance card is full right now.  We are watching Alcatraz, though and that's turning out to be pretty cool.  Only about 3 weeks in, but so far so good.
I am really excited about the new show, Good Christian Bitches.  I think it starts this week and unlike most of these others, I will be watching live.
Stand-bys that never fail to provide and I hope never leave me include Grey's, Parenthood and the newest "old stand by", 2 Broke Girls.
Jay wants to watch Awake.  I set the dvr but not sure I care.
As much as I like Chelsea Handler, her show really sucks.

Reading through this you would really think that all I do is watch tv...  but I actually only watch it at night, and generally ff through commercials.  I have this deep feeling of shame, like we're not supposed to admit how much we like tv.  And in addition to this stuff, I can't tell you how many PBS specials I don't admit to enjoying or how many trashy/informative cable shows I watch.  Whether I admit it or not, the tv is pretty much always on in our house.  Sometimes 2 or 3 of them!

A Case of the Mondays.

Some days you just want to punch everyone who has the audacity to look at you, nevermind speak to you.  Some days the sound of the constant "Mommy!" makes your head spin on your neck and green vomit spew from your mouth.  Some mornings feel like 8pm will never come.
Today is one of those days.
I hate to be a stereotype but for me, it's almost every Monday.

Jay leaves for the week on Monday mornings.
I babysit all day on Mondays.
Abby has dance after school on Mondays which requires my juggling act of 4 kids plus dance with a car that only safely - and legally - fits 3 kids.
And - why, I don't know - I usually balance the checking account on Mondays.  Dumb, I know.

So, this week I decided that I would make today a good Monday.
I got up early, I made a healthy & delicious breakfast.
It's L's birthday (the girl I watch on Monday & Wednesdays).
I am headed to BJ's and maybe Target.

Today will be a Good. Monday.  Dammit.

School.

Tomorrow is the first day of school.  Tomorrow should have been the 6th day of school but, as you may have noticed, Irene had other plans.
So, tomorrow I will put Abby on the bus and send her off to Kindergarten.  She will be driven by Mrs. C, who she knows as Tyler's mom - not scary.  And being that she is going to Afternoon Kindergarten the bus will have only other afternoon kindergartners on board.  PM-K is good for so many reasons.  Many of which I never considered and am now so grateful for.  Not getting rushed in the morning and not having big kids on the morning bus are only 2 of those things that I never knew I would value so much.
Once I get Abby safely loaded onto the "D" I will then head up to Gilead with Wyatt loaded up in the Bu, ready for his first day of Pre-K.
He is very, very excited.  If you ask him, he will carry on about playing with toys, being with his friends and Mommy dropping him off and leaving him with Mrs. Aubrey - but coming back to pick him up - but not staying with him.
The very thing that has him the most excited - Mommy dropping him off and leaving - is the very thing that leaves me without breath and very sweaty.
I have never left my baby boy anywhere - to do anything - without me.
Yes, he goes to "daycare" at the gym.  It's never more than 2 hours and I am never more than a few feet away.  And if he cried or needed me, they could get me within 2 minutes.

Once I drop him off tomorrow I have to Drive. Away.  I won't see him or what he's doing.  I won't hear the funny things he'll tell his teacher or the conversations he'll have with his little friends.
He will be on his own, in a group of his tiny little peers, all by himself.  For the first time ever.

It's only 3 hours, 4 days a week.  And I couldn't have asked for a better school or teacher.  And Abby went to the same program for 2 years.  I have nothing to fear.  No legitimate concerns or issues.

I am just very, very attached to my baby boy.

I don't love him more than I loved his sister when I sent her off to Pre-K 2 years ago.  I cried that day, too.  But I didn't have this anxiety.  My heart was not racing and my stomach did not feel feathery.
He is not less excited than she was.  In fact, he might be more excited because he has been waiting and watching for 2 years and now it's his turn.

I am not worried or anxious for Abby to start Kindergarten.  There are 14 kids in her class and her teacher is seasoned, kind and confident.  I can't say more than what my first impression told me but I already like her.  Abby would do well either way, though - that's her personality.  I don't worry about the situation she is heading into, I know Abby will adapt and be awesome.

I will just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.  My friends tell me that by the end of the month I will be thanking the heavens that they leave me (almost) every day for a few hours.  They tell me I won't know what to do with them over Christmas vacation or *sigh* summer vacation next year. 
But I know I will know what to do.  Enjoy,  Every.  Moment.

I will be in their classrooms.  I will be on their field trips.  I will be here when they get home and hear all about whatever they want to share with me.
My house will be decorated with artwork and projects.
And when they want to watch tv, I will happily turn it on because I will know that they have had full, productive days and deserve a little downtime.
I will make hot soups and crockpot dinners. 
It's almost holiday season - ghosts, witches, pumpkins, mums and corn...  followed by Santa and Angels and Christmas trees...  followed by the lingering snowflakes and snowmen..  all homemade and full of glue and sparkles!

Happy Mother's Day

Today was Mother's Day. 
Not my first but it felt like the most special thus far.

I woke up around 7 to the sound of my husband ushering Abby & Wyatt out of my room so that I could sleep a bit longer.  I am always up by 7 because that is when the children wake up.  Even if they get in bed with me, it usually pushes me out.
They got out, got dressed and went outside to help Daddy open the pool.
May 8th and they were out there pulling the cover off, scooping the leaves out and dumping the chemicals in.
At about 8:20 I rolled out of bed, into the kitchen and poured a big, hot cup of coffee.  While Jay is on the road I usually make a quick Keurig cup and rush out the door.  But when he's home (Mother's Day or not!) he almost always makes a whole pot.  And while the K-Cup is better than Instant and more convenient than making a pot for one person, it is neither big enough nor hot enough to truly satisfy that coffee luxury in the morning.
With my big, steaming cup of coffee I stepped out on the deck.  The trees are filling in with green leaves, the grass is getting borderline long, the fresh mulch is perfect and brown and while there are not a lot of colorful flowers yet, I can see where they're planted and picture how they'll look in a few weeks.  This is the most beautiful time of year because everything is fresh, new, gorgeous and full of anticipation.  What's to come...  warmth, sunshine, playtime, swimming, cold beers on hot nights and relaxation.  (Oh, and the weeds haven't taken over yet!)
Taking it all in, I see the kids running around the yard screeching and laughing.  They're playing with Wyatt's car and just basically giddy for being giddy.  That's the kind of pure joy you wish you could bottle and save for adulthood.  They know nothing of stress or worry, they only know the here and now - and the here and now is awesome.

Jay was playing with the filter, adding chemicals, scooping crap & bugs, doing his best to avoid scary spiders and other heeby-jeebies in the pool storage box.
Maybe it was 60 degrees, the sun was shining but the ground was still wet.  It was a perfect morning.  I might as well have been in a Folgers commercial.

We had brunch reservations at 11:00 so I had no intention of eating at home.  An all-you-can-eat-buffet was about to meet it's match and I wasn't wasting an calories with food I had been staring at for a week.

The Bagen Family at the Hotel Thayer, Mother's Day 1984 or 5, I think.
This is the last time I went to a Mother's Day Buffet Brunch and I still remember it, the chocolate mousse, specifically. 
The mousse, and my disappointment at arrival when I saw "thayer" while hearing "fair" the entire car ride there. 

The kids got dressed in their fancy clothes, I showered and got ready in peace (thank you again, dearest husband) and we were actually out the door on time.

At the Brunch we were joined my in-laws (of whom I took no pictures, let the record show I am so sorry I missed the opportunity to get a picture of them with the kids while everyone was dressed so nicely.  Why didn't anyone remind me?) and my very good friend Jody with Q & K.  You may remember previous references to these friends/neighbors who have become so much more than that over the years.





The food was delicious, the company was delightful and I was so at peace and happy with my life, my decisions, my friends and the people (friends, family & community) that I choose to surround myself with and be a part of my life.

This brings me to my initial point, that this was my best Mother's Day thus far because I spent the majority of it reflecting and truly appreciating what I have in my life.  Not the stuff, the stuff. 

 Sometimes I worry that my kids don't appreciate how fortunate they are, I worry that they don't realize that their daily blessings are not the same for every kid.  Then, on days like today, I realize that while they don't walk around with wings on their backs and halos on their heads, they do hear us and they are learning.  I see their manners, their composure, their innocent sweetness that makes all the sweat and tears disappear and only pure joy fills my heart.  The pure joy I wish I could bottle.

Bounce U

Today we spent 90 minutes bouncing, climbing, screaming and getting crazy. 
Bounce U in Rocky Hill just might be Wyatt's Wonderland.
This first video is one of the first trips down "the big slide".  This is the slide that Abby was insisting to us the night before that should "not go down without holding Mommy's hand", she would "not go down alone".

Wyatt had no such reservations.

A nice big group slide.  All of my pictures were coming out either blurry or snapping too late
(they were flying!) so I had to switch to video.

 

And in this last video, you can hear Wyatt scream as he approaches and shriek all the way down the slide.  This one sums up his day pretty well.

And here are my blurry - but very cute & fun - pictures.  I took about 80, these are the best I got!

Tiny feet ran/climbed up those stairs as fast as they flew down the slide.  In a herd.

Oh Yeah.  I got in there.
(This was the super high slide, they needed help getting up, I needed to get back down!)

Crazy's kickin' in here...

Wyatt with his first true love, Taylor.  They hop around and screech and hug when they see each other.

These are the days that eliminate the bad ones.  These are the days that make me question if I've ever even had a bad one.  It is all soooo good.


{Love you, babe.  Thanks for doing what you do so that I can do what we do.}

I can see Clearly Now...

So, snow is frustrating when it piles up, freezes, piles higher, keeps falling from the sky, freezes more, piles higher and never seems to end.
This kind of snow can cause an uncommon amount of stress into one's household.  Even to the point of one's 5 year old, sensitive and darling daughter to say "no!  I don't want any more snow!" when a simple 3-6 inches is in the forecast for the overnight.
Each storm that has hit since Christmas was a big one.  Not one storm that has been forecasted has failed to perform.  In fact, most have outdone themselves.
And each. one. has. been. on. a. weekday. while. Jay. was. away.
I have plowed, snowblowed and shoveled more snow in the past 2 months than I have ever moved in my life.  Seriously.  You can ask my dad.

Then, we had 2 beautiful days in the 50's.  I actually wore my flip-flops to bring the garbage pails up one day when it was a balmy 36.
The snowbanks melted down more than a foot.  My driveway and the roads widened.  We can see our new pool deck again and the mailbox is reachable from the road again.  I could actually resume our mail delivery.

With the big meltdown came some wet ceilings and walls.  There's water in the walls, water in the ceilings...  who knows where else.
Annoying but certainly a homeowner's claim - not a life-threatening issue.  Our roof did not collapse, we did not lose water, power or run out of oil.

Bathroom ceiling.

We could just style the rest of the living room in the same "Jungle Striped" theme that the wet ceiling started.

Aside from an aching back and some snippy moments of exhaustion, I think I came out of "January 2011" relatively unharmed.

It's cold again.  And tonight we're getting "3 to 6".  But the snowbanks and patchy lawns are dirty and crusty with snow so the fresh snowfall will be a lovely change of scenery.  The stores are displaying Easter decorations and gardening supplies.
The promise of spring is in the air.  And maybe we can actually get out in it tomorrow and have some fun.  I'd like to show my daughter that snow is still fun.  (Especially now that we can walk in it without getting stuck up to our hips.)

This is a picture of my "footprint" (mid-thigh, really) where I fell through while digging a path for the oil delivery guy.

It's the time of year I start to look forward to raking blisters, the smell of dirt and pansies in every color I can find.
Crocuses and Daffodils will pop up earlier than it feels like they should.  The kids & I are going to start our flowers from seeds, probably earlier than we should.
I'll rake out the flower beds and count down the days till I can plant and mulch.

One thing this winter taught me was that I am much stronger than I thought.  Physically, for sure.  But also mentally.  I managed to keep my cool (most of the time) during what, at times, felt like catastrophic snow & ice.  I took care of the house, the kids and the minor emergencies that cropped up while Jay was out working his end of things - stuck in airports, delayed, missing connections and then actually having to work 40 hours in 3 days and get back into the uncertain skies to return home.
All of this reflection about a "winter" that was really only a few weeks of the season.

I refrained from buying the beautiful wrought iron dragonfly hooks that I saw in Joann's today.  I could just picture the lineup of brightly colored towels hanging from them on my new pool deck this summer.  But, it can wait.
First I will buy seeds & soil. 

This is why I write.

The little, day-to-day stuff that happens with Abby & Wyatt gets seen, laughed at and appreciated then forgotten.  They are so funny and so cute and everything they do is a step closer to being the great big people they are going to be one day.

I like blogging the litte things so that we don't forget everything.  I am with them all.  the.  time.  So - sometimes I forget how cute they are when how annoying they can be is more at the forefront.

Today was a good day.
Today was a school day for Abby so we got up and out on time for school.  Getting the 2 of them ready has gotten considerably easier.  I set up their bathroom stuff, they brush & wash.  We generally choose their clothes the night before and they dress themselves.  Getting myself ready while watching them get ready, keeping them on track and possibly even showering is not easy but it's not that hard, either.  It just requires a bit more patience than morning usually presents me with.

After we dropped Abby off at school Wyatt and I went into town for a cup of coffee.
Ok, we drove up to Main Street and I got a coffee & a bagel from the DD Drive-Thru, he got hashbrowns.

We drove back down to school and went in for my first official PTA meeting.  The PTA was good enough to host their meeting during the day while providing childcare for the little ones.  I was so excited to attend my first official meeting and of course, I had plenty to "add".  And of course, I got myself a job and volunteered for a committee.
I will be building a Facebook Page, and maybe a blogger page too, for the PTA.  A way to keep everyone updated and plugged in.  These days, all the moms have a FB account or are constantly on their Blackberries or whatever...  so I will help the PTA connect with them when you know they're not reading every colored paper that their kids bring home every day.  The kids bring so much home each day plus all the "school" stuff every Tuesday.  Now multiply that by 2, 3 or 4 kids and add a full-time job on top of that.  Not every mom gets as excited as I do for Tuesdays.  And I'm guessing it will lose some of it's luster for me by grades 5 & 6.

By the time the meeting was over and I was done BS'ing with the other ladies I found myself standing inside Abby's school at 10:40, knowing that I have nothing to do until 11:20 when I am supposed to pick her up.
I didn't want to take her out early but I also didn't want to sit in the parking lot for 40 minutes and what was I going to do for 40 minutes to be back in time that wasn't a giant waste of energy?
So, Wyatt and I went into her class and were so graciously asked to stay for snack and story time.  The day was almost over anyway and I know Abby's teacher well enough by now that if she did not want us there, she would have said so.
Parents are always welcome, little brothers...  not so much.  But Wyatt settles right in (this was not his first visit, lucky little bugger!).  All the kids know him and want to sit with him and play with him.
He listened very quietly as one of the teachers read a Clifford story and when it was snack time Mrs. Monarca set him up with a water and a little bag of pretzels.

Wyatt wants, so badly, to go to school with his Thomas backpack and pack a snack.
He has a few friends in Abby's class.  They're little and they're only 21 months apart so sharing friends comes pretty easily at this point.  Plus, our playdates are almost always sibling-fests as so many of their friends are close in age, as well.
Mitchell is Abby's "boyfriend" even though as far as Wyatt's concerned Mitchell is his boyfriend, too.  Taylor has been Wyatt's little "girlfriend" since last September as her older sister was in Abbys pre-k last year and the 2 of them were always together when the older girls played.
I love thinking about all of these little friends going through the next 10 - 12 years together.
I do cringe when I think of them leaving the sweet, safe little nest that is Preschool, though.  That's for another post, though.

When school was over we headed out to BJ's.  The kids were so good.  They listened and used manners and stayed close to me and didn't beg and scream and cry for every candy, movie and toy they saw.  In fact, we spent several minutes browsing through the DVDs and when I said it was time to move on, they moved on.
My kids are good, they're better than lots of kids, I'm sure.  But they are 3 & 5 so to get them through a store, really - ANY store, without a fight is a more-than-pleasant surprise.
It did not go unrewarded.
When we passed the Monster Jam Hotwheels trucks, it was a no-brainer.
See, this past weekend Jay took the kids to see Monster Jam in Hartford and while we weren't sure if the noise and smell would send them out after 10 minutes, they fell head over heels in love with Monster Trucks, loud noises and doing cool stuff with Daddy.
The toys were necessary - it just made them so unbelievably happy.  When I said "I will buy these for you if you promise to share with each other and with Daddy", Wyatt swore he would share and Abby stared at me, mouth wide open, shocked and said "We can have them?!"
That proved 2 things to me 1) I have been sticking to my guns and not buying them stuff for no reason (as promised to my loving, hard-working husband!) and 2) my kids are not spoiled, stinking, assuming brats that demand toys from me.
It was so nice, I was so happy to buy the silly things.

But wait, there's more.
Wyatt insisted he would "set up a monster jam show".  At first, i had no idea where he was going with this plan.  The day was so nice and happy and my patience level was very high so I let it roll.
He proceeded to take every chair in the kitchen and set up an arena of sorts.
He went up to his room and brought down a bunch of regular sized cars and lined them up.
Then, the show began.
Of course, Abby wanted Monster Mutt all to herself and Wyatt kept telling her that it was his show.  So, in my own selfish desire to keep the ever-lovin' peace, I suggested that maybe a few Barbies would like to be the audience.
That's when the shit really blew up.

I have never had that much fun in a messy, disorganized kitchen in my life.
My kids are awesome.

Dinner and bedtime were uneventful but I will leave you with this:

Cheeseball Diva in her new big girl room!

Today is my beautiful baby boy's birthday.
Any mother with a son will understand that there is no love like this kind.

It does not compare to the love and friendship I share with my daughter - and one shouldn't try to compare the two.

It is a very special kind of relationship - mother and son.  The way this boy melts me, woos me, makes me laugh out loud...  the way I want to bite him, squeeze him, sniff him and cuddle him until he demands to be let go.

 
When my son was born I understood my mother-in-law in a way that changed our relationship forever.  I understand that her son is my husband - but first he was her son.

Today this sweet little monkey-man will turn 3.  These three years have gone by so quickly, too quickly.  I can't believe how time has flown.

He was born on a Monday morning.  The Saturday before I was elated, on Sunday I was petrified.
I remember wondering how I would handle two babies.  I remember crying about how I might be tired and busy and I might snap at my precious little girl for no good reason or leave her feeling neglected.  I remember wondering how I could love another baby as much as I loved my only baby at the time.
I remember feeling so overwhelmed and so exhausted and so dirty. 

But it went so quickly that I barely remember it. 

I barely remember Wyatt nursing.  I barely remember Wyatt screaming crying.  I barely remember the way he would cling to me and wail in crowded or noisy places.  {He still plugs his ears when things get too crazy around him.}

Now he's three.
He uses the potty and rationalizes with me in conversation.  He says "Daddy, come here, I need to talk to you for a minute." and "Mommy, you hurt my feelings and I'm going to cry!"  He asks me questions like "Mama, do you think Spiderman, Superman and Ironman like chips and pretzels?"


He tells me his cape (that I sewed for him on my machine!) makes him run faster than Superman.
He wants to visit the cows on the farm and chase the barn cats.

He climbs into my bed at 1am and slides me off of my pillow taking over my spot and then asking me to snuggle him.  Sometimes he just sleeps at the foot of our bed like a puppy.

He gets his own granola bars by climbing up onto the counter, opening the cabinet and climbing back down with it.

He opens the fridge and takes out his own drinkable yogurt.
He picks out his own clothes and gets dressed by himself.
He lets the dogs in and out.

My baby is a big boy.  I am so proud of him.  These three years have flown by but I can tell you for sure - we have enjoyed them endlessly - and look forward to millions more.

Happy Birthday, Wy-Wy!!

I love you so much.