We had a great Thanksgiving at Nana's house with Kim's family. It's always fun for my girls to get to spend time with their cousins. Nana was a great hostess, and the dinner was delicious, as always. The next day the girls and I caught a plane to Arizona to spend the long weekend with Angie and her family. We had so much fun.
I never really loved Halloween as a child. I wasn't into dressing up, but I have to say that, now that I have kids, it's definitely one of the funnest holidays. Throughout October, Hallie and Blake spent several evenings at the corn maze, selling candy and tickets. Hallie called it her work, and she loved it. As a family, we enjoyed making and eating Halloween treats, visiting the corn maze, and of course, dressing up for carnivals and trick-or-treating. Hallie looked glamorous as Sharpay from High School Musical, and Lizzie was adorable as Tinker Bell.
If you're ever feeling inadequate as a parent, just refer back this post on my blog, and you'll feel like mother of the year! I don't know what got into me, but during the past few months, I have felt like a dog would be really good for our family and really fun for the girls. I looked online frequently and finally found a darling little malta-poo. She was about 11 weeks old, and I got the impression she was almost fully house-trained.
We went to meet little Roxy, and I fell in love with her! I pressured Blake until he agreed. I knew it would be hard to have a puppy, but I was willing to see it through until she grew into a loyal, loving family dog! I read lots of information online about training and taking care of a puppy. I was ready!
Then Roxy came to live with us, and everything I thought I knew about an indoor puppy flew out the window. She was darling, but the potty-training was an all-day thing. Not only that, I realized that I just wasn't okay with the germs and the dog smell and the accidents that this little cutie was bringing into our home. Why hadn't I thought through all of these things before purchasing this dog! It probably didn't help that I came down with the flu the day after we got Roxy.
To make a long emotional story short, all week I wrestled with the idea of giving her back to her breeder, who was reluctant to sell her in the first place because her family had fallen in love with her too. When I saw my girls hold Roxy and take care of her, I got sick to my stomach thinking about breaking their little hearts. After lots of thinking and struggling, I decided to send Roxy back to her original home, and after she left, I felt like the worst mother on the planet! How could I bring this adorable little puppy home to the girls, and then say, "Never mind. I was just kidding. This dog doesn't really get to be a part of your childhood."
Blake, Hallie, and I were all a wreck the day Roxy left, probably all for different reasons. After Hallie went to sleep that night, I Mapquested Rexburg, Idaho to see how far it was. I was determined to get Roxy back by the time Hallie got home from school the next day.
We were all thinking a little more clearly the next morning, though, and after surprising Hallie with two goldfish and taking her and Lizzie for a little shopping spree to the toy store, everyone felt much better. Hallie and Lizzie still bring up Roxy's name at least once a day and say they want her back, but I have to admit, I'm feeling relieved to know that Roxy's in a good home, and I'm not the one cleaning up after her. She would have been perfect if she didn't have a digestive system. Live and learn, right!
We went to Gardner Village last weekend with our friends, the Allens, and the girls got to ride ponies. Lizzie's still talking about how fun it was to ride Charlie, even though he didn't say, "Giddy-up!" Hallie's horse's name was George.
Disneyland is not necessarily the happiest place on earth when it's 105 degrees. That's right! We went on September 22nd for four days, and it was so hot! The girls probably won't remember the heat, though. They still had a great time. The highlights for Lizzie were meeting Minnie, Daisy, TinkerBell, and Snow White. She is still talking about "My Minnie." When she met Minnie, she asked, "Can I tell my Minnie that she is special to me?" And she did. Hallie likes meeting the characters, but loves all the wild and crazy rides.
We also spent an afternoon at the beach. Blake showed the girls how to dig for sand crabs, and they had a blast. Even though it was foggy at the beach, it was a nice change from the heat.
It occurred to me that this has been a milestone year for our family. Blake and I celebrated our 10th anniversary a couple of weeks ago, and last week we sent Hallie off to first grade! She's loving it, and, frankly, Lizzie is too. She thinks the world of her big sister, but is definitely enjoying her alone time. I'm finding that with just one little one home during the day, my house is more orderly than it's been in months. We're excited to see Hallie (or Honey, as Lizzie refers to her) at the end of the day when the bus brings her home.
Before school started, Hallie wanted to have her second annual Watermelon Party, a celebration of the end of a great summer. We had fourteen little girls here. Fun was had by all!
