Meet our new PUPPY...

It all started with an email from Jerimy saying "I'm so tempted to stop by the Humane Society on the way home and check out this dog" and he sent me a link. 

I clicked the link and saw an interesting colored puppy that Jerimy had found online. He's been searching the humane society and rescue dog websites for a new dog for about 6 months. Both Jerimy and I grew up with lots of pets. Ever since losing our dog Copper two summers ago we've been pet free. It's a different feeling being without a pet to take care of since we've always both had at least one pet (most of the time multiple pets). Anyways- we decided that we would go look. We debated weather it would be as a family or just Jerimy and I. Then we made a quick decision that since we were looking for a family pet we should all go. Of course the whole way to the humane society we told the boys that we were just going to LOOK.

Once there we headed back to see the puppy. We found a volunteer to let us visit the puppy in a room. She was so sweet and didn't really jump on the boys. Plus she was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I think we all have been missing the love of a pet and as we heard more about her we were falling in love. Another couple had come to try to adopt her too and we heard them point at her when we first arrived. As we found a volunteer, they ran to the front to start the paperwork to adopt her. When the humane society people came to tell us someone else was adopting her we started to get really sad... till we asked if it was the couple who had come in just behind us? Their policy is that you have to meet/ visit with an animal before adopting. When they asked the other couple they were truthful and said they hadn't met our puppy yet. Thankfully that meant we got first choice. Then the pressure was on to make a fast decision if we would take her or give her up to the other couple.

Meet our new puppy: Elska. Her name means LOVE in Icelandic. She was a unique dog and needed a unique name. They told us she was a black mouth Cur/ terrier mix- but based on her leopard colored coat & mixed eyes, I believe she's a Catahoula Cur/ Terrier mix.

She is learning new things and how not to puppy nip anyone. She's almost figured out the sit command this past week and has gotten a lot better at putting on her harness to take walks. She absolutely LOVES to cuddle. I can tell you that our whole family has been happier this week- you can just feel the stress melt away when you've got a puppy snuggling with you. It really has been a fantastic decision that we made!

I posted this a few days after getting Elska cause it was fun & true:
That time when you’re supposed to go to the store to get toilet paper but you go to the humane society to get a puppy instead. Two days later your head is mush, your heart is melting, your camera is full of puppy pics and your last roll of toilet paper has finally run out. Its even funnier cause we’ve been to the pet store like three times for puppy stuff but not one target run for TP or human food. But Everyone is so happy. I can literally feel the happiness Elska has brought to every member of our family.

She’s completely stolen our hearts!!

New Family Photos...

Back in the end of February I started working very part time for a friend of mine who is a photographer. I love her photos- they are amazing. So when she offered us a free family session at her spring mini sessions- I said YES! I love that it was only 15 minutes and we were all very comfortably relax. She makes it easy and doesn't require us to say cheese. Instead we were ourselves and you can see our personalities in all the photos. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Erica @ Slow Road Photo

Simple Pleasures: an evening walk...

Went for a walk tonight with just my oldest. He even held my hand for a little while. Some moments in parenting are far beyond my abilities. Then, in these brief, magical moments I actually think to myself “thank you for the struggles you’ve put me through, kid... cause neither of us would be who we are without walking through them together.” And I can honestly say he makes me a better person.

Haircuts...

Before we took family photos we got our haircut. Oliver would not even talk about a haircut and what he wanted done to his hair. He "just wanted a trim if you're making me get it cut". I tried to show him photos of all the different things you could do with long hair: layers, bangs, texture, slope down in the back, etc. He wanted nothing of it. So when the day of our appointments came he was all set to tell the stylist how he "only wanted a trim". She that's what she did. Of course he had a million ideas of how he wanted her to curl it and everything else once the cutting was over. Oh boy.

Lucius however was pretty easy. Well first he told me he just wanted me to do it like always (ahh! Love that he thinks I give him good haircuts). Then he found some awesome hairstyles on pinterest that he wanted the stylist to do for him. I told him since we were having family photos that I'd prefer the experts to do it so it looks really good. Also told him that he has amazing soccer hair, cause all of his favorite soccer players wear their hair like this right now.

I got a haircut too and love my short hair!

April Blizzard...

BOOM... April came and we had the largest snow fall in who knows how long. Wow was there a lot of snow. The boys of course LOVED it and thought that "second winter" was amazing.

The Saturday that the snow started falling the boys were at home with their dad and I was in North East Minneapolis working at my friends photography studio. We had family photos that afternoon, so Jerimy got the boys ready and brought them to the studio where my friend Erica took our family photos (I'll share those soon!).

Then they drove home and I was at the studio till almost 3pm when it was awful! I drove home going as slow as I could, while cars were passing me like crazy people asking for a crash. I got home and the boys were outside with the neighbors for hours just playing in all the snow.

Sunday it was still snowing. The boys helped me dig out my car for Monday morning chess club. Of course I was still hoping they'd cancel school and I wouldn't have to go in to work. All the other school districts (like every single one) closed schools Monday but our district kept the schools open. I made a management decision to just keep the boys home with me. Thankfully Mormor and Morfar also were home to watch them for the few short hours I did have to go in. I'm thankful I didn't have to drive more than 5 minutes to get to work.

They enjoyed their unofficial snow day! It's not like we get 20 inches every April.

Playing Catch up...

Gosh- this is the longest stretch in 10 years that I haven't blogged. I started working very part time with a photographer friend of mine. I enjoy it quite a bit but those 4 little hours a week I had to blog (and do things for myself) are used up working on her stuff. It's been crazy this spring juggling all my mini part time jobs, the kids, laundry, my new job with the photographer and other life stuff. I can't wait for the summer to kick back and get some quality time in with my family.

So to play a little catch up- here's a little photo dump/ story telling of what's happened the end of March and most of April (seeing as April is almost finished).

We had a game night one evening in March. I think we played Settlers of Catan for a good two hours. I love these moments of fun. Of course Lucius did not love that he lost by one point and there were tears involved.

My Cousin's from Washington state were in town for a funeral (not fun) but we were able to gather a big group for a dinner date. Afterward we headed over to Izzy's for a late night ice cream treat. The boys stayed up a little late on that Sunday evening but surprisingly their Monday wasn't too crabby.

One Friday the boys didn't have school, so the neighbor and I took the four boys to the Science Museum to see the Lego Towers. A whole bunch of the worlds tallest skyscrapers built entirely out of legos. It was pretty neat. Then the boys all sat at the lego stations to build their own towers. That was a fun morning till everyone started getting hungry. Thankfully we had planned to go home to eat so it all worked out.

Easter- or as I know think of it- the season when all the stores have bunny everything. Oliver of course found ALL the bunny stuff, including this large bunny for $15. I was the mean parent and said no cause we don't have space for that. He was pretty disappointed.

Ah, late March where it started to tease us with beautiful sunny weather and the boys think it's just the best to sit outside to talk to their friends all day long.

We even got our bikes out for a short first bike ride this spring. It was chilly but we didn't have far to go to drop something off at a friends house.

And then April came and we had the largest snow fall in who knows how long. Wow was there a lot of snow. The boys of course LOVED it and thought that "second winter" was amazing.

The kids rooms...

These two couldn’t be more different. Exhibit A (the before and afters)...

Lucius' room before we cleaned

AND after I helped him pick up EVERYTHING off the floor.

To Lucius' credit these photos were taken on March 11th. It's now April and his floor is still clear of almost everything. I told him he was doing a great job of keeping his room clean and he said "it's cause I'm not playing with anything". Oh man, I was not expecting that. Poor kid won't play with his toys another so that he doesn't have to spend time cleaning. Well that's one way to do it.

Oliver's room before he cleaned:

AND after...