Max...

We added a new member to our family today. We have been thinking about getting another dog for Charlotte to play with for a while now and the timing seemed right since Dave will be home for the majority of the next two months until he starts his job in September. So, we decided this morning that we would drive to Preble County (where we got Charlotte last year) and see who was up for adoption. We were not planning to get such a little one, but after letting Charlotte meet several potential candidates, she decided that she kind of like this little guy. Max is a 7 week old Rottweiler mix. The shelter thinks he is also part shepherd, but everyone else says they see beagle in him. His paws are almost as big as Charlotte's so I think we are in for a rude awakening when he finishes growing. But for now, he is cute and cuddly and Charlotte seems to like him for the most part, and when his puppy energy gets to be too much, she lets him know. I am not looking forward to this process of house training though and I am definitely not looking forward to tonight. Something tells me, we aren't going to sleep well.

Our Godson...

Dave and I celebrated the 4th of July in the most exciting ways. I got to work 12 hours in the ED at the hospital and Dave steam cleaned our tile in the kitchen. That night though, we got to babysit our Godson, Owen for the 1st time so his parents could go out for their 5th wedding anniversary. It was only for a couple of hours, but usually when we see him, it is because we are hanging out with Shannon and Fran, so it was nice to have him all to ourselves. We don't usually get this opportunity because the grandparents are usually more than happy to have him for an evening, so we lose out on babysitting dibs to them. Owen is 15 months old now and if you ask him what a piggy does, you get the look on his face that is in the picture I have posted of him. Apparently, this is also his "smile for the camera" face. He is at a fun age. He has mastered walking, even with Charlotte and his dog Brutus trying their best to knock him down. Now he is working on the vocabulary. He is not even my baby and I am still in shock at how quickly they grow up.

Weekend in Indy...

This past weekend, Dave and I drove to Indianapolis to visit my brother and his sister. We had lunch with Matt and Kristen on Saturday and then we all went strawberry picking. It was fun and the berries were really sweet. That night we went to see Tanya in the play "Rumors" that her community theatre group was putting on. It was funny and she did a great job. On Sunday, Dave and I babysat the youngest four of Tanya's six rugrats. We took them swimming and Dave instigated a pretty brutal pillow fight. It was fun spending time with our nieces and nephews. We really need to try to get out to Indy more often, especially since both of our siblings live there now.

Green Thumb...

A few months ago, Dave's Aunt Maggie and Uncle Donnie sent us two bare root rose bushes as a late house-warming/Christmas present. Now, I love roses, especially orange and yellow ones, but I know absolutely nothing about growing them. So, one day in early Spring, I decide to attempt to plant one out front in our garden and one out back in a pot. Charlotte proceeded to dig up the one out front, which Dave re-planted. Then Charlotte decided to use it as a chew toy (thorns and all). I figured it was probably a goner, but I cut down the stems and hoped for the best. To my surprise, it actually started sprouting leaves almost immediately and this week it finally got it's first flowers. I am so excited! They are a really pretty mixture of orange and yellow. The other one (originally in a pot), was not looking very promising at all, but after being replanted in the side garden, it too now has leaves and buds on it. Considering, I have managed to kill almost everything we planted in our little gardens so far this year... I am pretty impressed with my rose bush success. Maybe I have some hint of a green thumb after all.

2 Years Old...

For those of you who do not know, Dave and I have the most adorable dog on the planet. I am not even that biased... other people think so too. We brought Charlotte home from a shelter in Preble County last April and she is the love of my life. She is a labrador/basset hound mix, so she is pretty short and long, but she is super cute. She is every bit a lab who loves to chase her toys and chew on rawhide, but at the same time she is the most cuddly creature on the planet. She loves to cuddle and give kisses. I have always wanted a dog that was good with other animals and she is a huge fan of the dog park - although she is partial to the littler dogs, which I think is because we are surrounded by dachshunds in our neighborhood. Dave and I got extremely lucky in getting Char that day last April and I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish her a happy 2nd birthday (which will be on 6/29).

San Diego, CA...

I just returned to Cincinnati, after attending the national Child Life Conference in San Diego, CA. I had never been to California before and as luck would have it, it was freezing. It was low 60's, overcast and windy the entire time I was there. (And of course, Cincinnati weather was gorgeous, sunny and in the 70's). We still managed to have a good time though. I enjoy spending time with most of my co-workers and on Friday night a large group of us went to Coronado Island for dinner. It was fun getting to put our feet in the Pacific Ocean. You could see Mexico from this island, which was cool for me since I have never been there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see too much of the San Diego area since I was only in town for 4 days and most of that time was spent at the conference. I would love to take another trip to southern California sometime in the future. I just hope it is warmer next time.

Northwestern Law Class of 2008...

Dave is a lawyer! Three long years of commuting back and forth to Chicago and living on one salary while paying our house payment and Chicago rent are finally over... I am ecstatic! Graduation was this past Friday and it was actually a lot nicer than I was expecting. In the picture, Dave is in the middle in front of the photographer. As much as I am glad that these years are behind us, I do have to admit that I will miss Chicago. Chicago has been such a big part of our lives. Dave and I enjoyed our home away from home in Lakeview - well, the neighborhood, not the apartment. It is also the city in which we were married and spent our first week as a married couple. I have wonderful memories of the time Dave and I spent together in Chicago and the city will always have a special place in our heart. For now though, I am happy to have my husband officially home with me and now he focuses on passing the Ohio bar. It's going to be a long summer.