A Snowy Halloween

Well, October 30th brought our first snow of the "winter" & the boys headed off to school on Halloween with snow still on the ground. They were a little bummed as that meant the Halloween parade would be moved inside but we all made the most of it. 

This year Canyon Creek Elementary did things a little different. Instead of waiting until the end of the day to celebrate, they kicked off the morning with a celebration. All the kids arrived to school in their costumes and then paraded around the school in front of all the parents and their classmates. This was brilliant if you ask me, allowed me to get both boys ready and for Logan to really get to enjoy being a zombie to the fullest. Minus the blood. 

& once again, I had the best CO-ROOM MOM EVER! I mean, it is my 4th year being a room mom and I do have it kind of down to a science BUT it's so much easier when you have a friend to do it with it! Half the work and all the fun!

By the time the kids got home the snow had melted away and they were ready for their annual mummy dogs. We wrapped and prepped and filled our bellies before heading off into the neighborhood. 

Since it was a school night we knew we needed to go earlier than normal to ensure the boys were in bed at a decent time. We decided this time to hop over to the Highlands and go with the Cleland crew. Both boys lasted for about 40 minutes and then Kaden jumped back into the car with me. The snow may have melted away but it was one COLD evening. 

Logan kept going and going and going. Until I called it for him and announced we would hit a few friends' houses in our neighborhood. 

Once back in our neighborhood Kaden jumped back out for the last few houses...with his coat on.

It may have been a quick night but they somehow still managed to rack in a butt load of candy---most of which got donated the following week but I did allow them to keep some of their favorites--I'm not that mean of a mom! 

Pre-Halloween Fun

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays as it kicks off the holiday season. & typically, we go BIG -- we throw a big Halloween party with all of our friends BUT this year, we decided we needed to take a year off. Or I decided. There seems to be more and more that gets added to our calendars and honestly, I end up stressing out more about the party than being able to enjoy it. So, maybe this year. 

We did keep one of our traditions, carving pumpkins with the Walshes and this year, the boys were able to almost ALL of the work themselves. It was so fun watching them complete the project from start to finish and they were super proud of their own work too. 

And instead of having a big party at our house, we attended a BIG party at the Lenexa Public Market. It was perfect. Filled with games and a dance party by the one and only SugEasy from Kaden and Logan's BreakFree KC days. 

Not only did we get to see lots of our friends but we also came home to a clean and tidy home!

Welcome Home Miss Nellie

It's amazing what can happen in 36 short hours. 

But let's back up---since getting Gus we have always talked about our next dog being a golden retriever or at least part Golden. Brodi will go down in history as one of the best dogs and his demeanor was so calm and loving. We had a hard time thinking about getting a Golden so shortly after Brodi and thus we went with another Pitbull, Gus to allow our hearts a little more time to be ready for more Golden love. So when Stoli started having a tough time we knew what was around the corner and of course, that brought up the question, do we get another dog. And if yes, when? 

We immediately knew we were a two do family, just as when we said our goodbyes to Brodi, so it wasn't matter of if we would get one but when.

We were open to lots of possibilities---well, all possibilities that involved a Golden. That's not to say that we weren't open to others but we kind of had our hearts set. Or at least, I did. So I put it out to the world and posted on Facebook that if anyone knew of someone needing to rehome a Golden or a Golden of sorts, to let us know. I started looking into Golden rescue sites all over in the Midwest from Texas to Minnesota to Chicago and Denver. & I found a few but in the end, we knew we needed a puppy. We needed a puppy so that Gus didn't feel threatened so they would have the best chance possible to get along. We were confident that when the timing was right, it would just fall in our lap. 

This puppy fell in our lap & just like with Gus, I think Stoli had everything to do with it.

AT 4:30 pm on October 10th my BIL sent me a screenshot of a puppy. One insanely cute puppy. This puppy (and the mention of 5 others) was just posted to a Swap and Shop site that my BIL happens to be on & due to an upcoming vacation they were looking to find them homes rather quickly. Thing is, puppies (or pets of any kind) aren't allowed on this site and it got taken down relatively quickly but my BIL was able to make contact with her. He asked if there was a girl since we wanted a girl and then I started texting Justin. We got a couple pictures. I texted the lady and asked her to hold her until that evening as I was headed home to discuss with my husband. She agreed & when I called her at 6:00 we said yes. Justin's exact words, "Fuck it, let's do it. We got this." 

They stated they would bring her to us or we could meet them halfway between where we lived and they lived on Saturday which would have only been about a 45 minute drive BUT I had a better idea. Since we were trying to keep it a secret from the boys -- thank goodness it was only 36 hours, I am terrible at secrets -- I thought maybe my mom and dad would meet them a day earlier and they could bring her up and surprise the boys since they were already coming to their football games. 

Mom and Dad were all about it. So was the puppy---

And of course I had it all planned out. We would get to Logan's game, they would be there and say something about forgetting something in the car and then pull her out---but that didn't go as planned. They weren't able to get there as early as were needed to be so plan b was to surprise the boys at the field---no dogs allowed but we were going to press our luck just this once. & you know all those amazing YouTube videos where the kids freak out crying about the new puppy---yup, that didn't happen. I think they were stunned silent. 

But they were beyond excited and happy. & we named her Nellie.

In part because of my love for Nelly the rapper & in part because of the little girl from Little House on the Prairie who was blond and had curls.

Other names in consideration - Stella, Harley, Charlie, Penny. In the end Justin let me choose.

After Logan's game we headed home to have lunch with Grandma Sara, Papa Tom, Grammy and Craigster before heading to Kaden's football game which gave us time to introduce Nellie to Gus. We weren't sure how it would go but looking back, it probably went better than we could have asked for. Sure they were curious. Sure Gus was excited. But he was gentle and all the conversations that we had with him prior (out of the boys' earshot) had paid off.

It didn't take long at all before Nellie made herself at home. She reminds me so much of Brodi, loves the cold tile/hardwood floors and wants to be everywhere you are.

As for her and Gus. Well, they are best of friends. The first couple of nights it took a little getting use to for them to fall asleep but they figured it out. For as big as Gus is compared to Nellie, they play so well together. Nellie isn't intimidated and often goes after Gus full force but Gus remains gentle. Gus stepped right into that big brother role as he taught her how to go up and down the stairs and when we call for them, he comes running for a treat which also brings her running. 

And as soon as we get home & let Nellie out she whimpers until Gus is with her. It's sweet to see just how much of a bond these two have created in the last week and I can only hope that it matches that of Stoli and Brodi's. We could only be so lucky.

Welcome home, Nellie. You've completed our little family.

Monster Bash 2019

It was tournament time for the Aces again. The last of the fall tournaments and we once again were keeping our fingers crossed the weather would hold out. 

We drew the early games on Saturday morning, 8 am and 10 am. We rolled through the first game with a win and then even before it ended we knew we were getting pushed back on our second game. Which wasn't the most convenient because we would have to miss a football game and some of our boys would have to miss a baseball game for other commitments. We would play with nine though...that is if we were going to get to play. 

We finally got the go ahead for a 2:00 start but that turned into more like a 2:45 start. Thankfully the boys came to play and we walked away with another win and our fingers were crossed for a decent start time on Sunday. As of 10:30 that evening we still didn't know when we were playing as games were still finishing up so we just planned for the early start of 8 am, which meant leaving the house at about 7:10 and then finally the text came through--10 am start time.

It was a nail biter but with a score of 10-6 they pulled out the win. Onto the semi-finals & now we would get to sit and rest, next game wasn't until 4. And again, by the skin of their teeth, they won, 18-17. But let me just say, they had two, two out rallies that were critical and that were led by the bottom of the batting order. Kaden earned his first double of the season in the first inning and then came through huge in the final inning when he walked up as the tying run with two outs. He ripped a double and then proceeded to third on the throw to home. We were down by one with two outs and Jackson up. While Jackson battled, Kaden stole home on a wild pitch evening up the score. We needed one. We needed Matthew to let Jackson get around the bases and that's exactly what he did. Jackson stole second and then third when Matthew walked. And then Cade walked. Bases were loaded, there just wasn't a good time for Jackson to steal home until Cole stepped up, two pitches later, Jackson crossed the plate the boys were headed to the championship game!

Championship game didn't go as planned. We had played the team before and although we did better than the last time, our bats weren't as solid as they needed to be and they were punching it in the holes. In the end, they got 2nd but not too shabby when you had 17 teams in your division. 

So proud of these boys and how they have come together over the course of this year. They really started to find their stride & it showed with their spirit and their grit because they never gave up and in fact, fought back in two separate games! As long as baseball season is and it's good to have a break, I am sure going to miss watching them play.