New Addition!!!!!!

No babies for us yet - but we have welcomed a new puppy into our home. We now have a 4 month old German Shepherd named Leia. Yes...she is named after Princess Leia from Star Wars. We just got her this morning and she is already so much fun. She is also a lot of work - it feels like we have a young child in the home now.

We did a belated Easter at my parents' house today for Davanee, and for a family picture. Leia looked miserable outside, but she soon became comfortable and her "puppy side" came out. I am a little nervous about her being around kiddos right now, but we want her to get used to them and grow up with them. Plus, it's so cute when Davanee says "ayuh, umear" (translation: Leia, come here) and she follows her around.

I will post some pictures soon...any advice on puppies/dogs is greatly appreciated :)

Sisters (In Law)

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life."

Growing up, I always wanted a sister. Don't get me wrong - I think I grew up with the best big brother in the world. We had our share of "incidents" - getting each other in trouble, me trying to tag along with him and his friends, and him thinking I was not "cool" enough to hang out with until I got into high school. My favorite story about my brother's "tactics" are when he carved MY name into HIS television in an attempt to get me in trouble. My parent's didn't buy it for a second. Nice try, Ryan....who DOES that?! ;)

I obviously never got the biological sister that I so desired, despite my belief that kids should be allowed to order whatever siblings they wanted. As I got older, I realized that I would eventually have a sister in law (when my brother got married), and possibly more if my husband had sisters. How exciting, right?!?

Then...you hear all these horrible stories about sisters in law. I started picturing that they could turn out like the wicked step-sisters in Cinderella. (Greaaaat!)

Well, I have to say that I lucked out!! Daniel has two sisters - Tracy and Krista. I don't see them as often because they don't live in QC, and they have busy lives of their own, but they are awesome! Daniel also has a sister-in-law, Jessica, who I (thankfully) gained as my SIL too! And then there is Chrissie, who married my brother and put up with my selfish "his primary role is no longer as my brother, but as a husband and father, and I am never going to get to see him anymore" phase.

I just wanted to let my sisters (technically SIL) know that I love them, appreciate them, and look up to them. Thank you for listening, laughing, shopping, eating, etc. with me :) I am lucky to have you in my life!!

"A best friend is a sister that destiny forgot to give you."

I'm Back!

I feel like it's been forever since I posted a blog. Well, it kind of has been forever since my last post was in February!!!! It seems like a lot has happened since then. . .

• Work has been scary with people getting laid off, and with budget cuts. The hours are longer, the pay is less, the workload is more, etc. I still love what I do - my role has just changed, and it is taking some adjustment. There are more frustrations and tears, but everything happens for a reason.



• Daniel continues to balance work and school, and it makes me realize that I wouldn't have the patience for that anymore. I am so proud of him.



• I am finally, thankfully, getting better with managing money. This has been a weakness of mine for a long time, and Daniel has really helped me with this.



• Church is becoming a bigger part of our lives as a family. Daniel and I have been going to mass, and I am going to start taking classes through the church in August. I feel like it brings us closer together. I am also excited to share this experience alongside my brother and sister in law. Isn't it interesting that Ryan and I both married Catholics? :)



• Our nieces and nephews continue to grow (too fast!) and make us smile all of the time. We love watching them do new things, and enjoy getting to see their little personalities. It is hard to believe that Brynn is now 8. Daniel and I attended her baptism in February. What a wonderful, emotional day. We are also excited to meet our new niece this summer!!



• We are preparing our home for a new baby!!! Okay, it's a puppy, but it feels like we are adding a member of the family. We had some heartbreak waiting for a female German Shepherd to be born...unfortunately it didn't turn out like we wanted. Again, everything happens for a reason - so we are on to the next step. Stay tuned!



• We have a yard! This is a big deal for us because we were tired of all the dirt in the back, and Daniel has always pictured himself working in the yard on the weekends. We saved up wedding money for curbing, sod, and gravel. It turned out so well! The next step will be trees, plants, etc. It's gotten much longer since then, but here are a couple of pictures: