Charlie the puppy

 

For years, Mackenzie has been begging us for a puppy. We used every excuse in the book to hold her off. After an entire school year of only checking out non-fiction dog books, we knew it was time. We read about 3 dozen books, cover to cover, and stumbled upon a hybrid breed we had never heard of, a cavachon. 1/2 cavalier king Charles spaniel and 1/2 bichon. A family friendly dog who is hypoallergenic and does not shed.  They are grow to be about 15-20 pounds and have the sweetest faces.

So, on June 26th we picked up this sweet faced guy.

 

We had 2 to choose from, and the best part is that his sweet sister, Oreo, went home with one of my good friend's Julie, that I teach with.  It was hard to pick between the 2, but we let the kid's make the final decision.

Expert dog owner, Aunt Emily came along to be a part of our special day!

 

First Family Pictures

 

 

 Mackenzie named our sweet boy Charlie and it totally suits him. He was quick to sleep through the night after about a week in his crate, and is pretty much potty trained.

 

 

The poor guy got kennel cough week one, which then turned into pneumonia,  and landed him a weeks stay at the vet.  It was so hard to say goodbye for that week, and we missed him terribly!

 Its been a rocky start, but we think this face is worth it.

Charlie is a sweet little guy who loves to chase and play with the kid's. He is in the biting phase but is slowly learning what is acceptable to bite. The kid's are amazing and help with feeding, bathing, and watching him while I do housework. He was 4.1 pounds when we got him and is now nearly 5 pounds a month later. Kid's in the neighborhood flock to him when he's outside and he is smothered with love!

 

Nope, not spoiled.  Not one, single bit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love you Charlie and are so happy you completed our family!

Charlie D.O.B. 4/24/2014

Welcomed Home and officially a Buzzard 6/26/2014

Sweet Summertime Fun!

I love summer!  No alarm clocks waking me up before I want, no rushing out the door, no packing lunches and rummaging through backpacks after the kid's are in bed....did I mention, I LOVE summer? 

We are a few weeks into summer and we are lovin' life.  We have kept busy with play dates with friend's, trips to the zoo, 3 day a week swim lessons, cookouts, and lots of time with family and friends!  Life doesn't get any better than this! 

Neighborhood fun

 

Strawberry Picking

 

Making homemade strawberry jam

Trip to the Zoo with family

 

Camel Rides

Bike rides and breakfast at the park

 

 

Swim Lessons at our neighborhood pool

Fun with friends....sun and swimming

 

 

Listening to our friend's local band and dancing the night away!  Pizza, music and dancing with friends.  Is there a better combo?

 

Exploring new parks

...don't worry, we make a little time for hittin' the books and staying sharp for next school year.

Reading books on the front porch

And Caleb has taken over watering the flowers.  He is serious business.

Of course, it wouldn't be summer without icecream...

 

or sleepovers!

 

Caleb finished up his t-ball season and got his first medal.  He was beyond thrilled and will show it to anyone who steps foot in our house.

 

On our first trip to the pool, Mackenzie passed the swim test, and can now ride the tube slides all on her own (during rest period too, double bonus).  She also finally learned the great balancing act of riding a two wheeler.  Bless her sweet soul, she has had a fear of heights since she was little and finally mastered it!  We started her out on her little bike and being close to the ground finally did the trick!