Charlie Murphy!!

Driving down Oregon Avenue a white flash crosses our path of driving. Wondering what it was we decided to stop the car and take a look. It was a poor little puppy looking really lost. We decided to keep him for the night and tell we could get him to the vet to see if he was microchip. Sure enough he was microchip and the company said they would reach out to the owner. We waited and waited. After multiple calls to the vet as well as the microchip company, he is officially considered surrendered. We are in the process of making him legally ours.

We found out he is part Jack Russel terrier and part chihuahua. He is 2yrs old. He keeps Willie on his toes and Bo would rather just be away from the whole mess. On the first night he stayed with us he got a bath and a nail trim (would probably rather have stayed on the street!) but once he was out of the bath he immediately started doing BREAKS! We started to see that he could smile and after a few days of watching him, we discovered he would hide bones! It was the most hilarious thing to watch. He'll carry one really sneaky into our room and get clear under the pillows, then cover the pillows back up to where they used to be. Hilarious. We are enjoying him and he completes our little 3-pack of pups. Oh and we've named him Charlie (...Charlie Murphy!!) 

Honeymoon in Vegas

Nathan and I decided that we had not had a vacation to just ourselves in almost 8 years. Our last vacation was our Cruise to Alaska and I was 11 weeks pregnant with Griffin. In celebration of our 15 year wedding anniversary coming up in June and Nathan's 38th birthday we decided to go to Las Vegas. We went last here with the boys and Nathan's parents. There was just so much to see and do that we thought coming back by ourselves would be fun. Griffin kept asking us when we were going on our "honeymoon". Boy it sure felt like it!!

We stayed the first few nights on the strip in the Aria. That place is something else!! It is a resort with in itself. We would have to walk for about six minutes to get to our room once we got off the elevator. It was a very nice hotel. Nate attempted his hand at craps the first night did not do so well.

Monday we hit the pool early, and walked around the strip. Weather was perfect. Monday night we went to see the Jabbawockez. They were amazing to watch. We were about four rows from the stage. Great show.

Tuesday we checked out of the Aria and into the Wyndam.  We rented a Mustang convertible to run around the last few days in Vegas. The pools at the Wyndham are so warm and the one by our room was vacant most of the time. We took advantage of the pool all afternoon.

That night we watched the most amazing David Copperfield magic around. My mind is still blown. You can tell he has been doing it forever and he knows he knows that he is good. What a narcissist and kind of rude to be honest. But it still was an amazing show. 

It was a beautiful night so we decided to cruise the strip with the top down and had a late night steak dinner at The Brand at the Monte Carlo. 

On Wednesday, Nathan and I slept in and had a late breakfast. The clouds had slowly started to roll in, although there were some breaks. We decided to take a road trip through red rock canyon. When we got there the sun came out and God gave us a beautiful tour of his Canyon. 

The rest of Wednesday was just a nice slow down I'm our last day of Las Vegas. We rented movies, ate ice cream, and just enjoyed each other's company.

We flew home Thursday afternoon with no problems. We sure missed our boys, but they had a wonderful time making memories with grandma Sherrill. They were so thankful to her for allowing us some alone time. It was much needed and now we won't wait so long for next time.

Zags

Zags. This was a new Basketball team to Maysen he was invited to play on. He didn't have much fun playing YMCA basketball last year because "it was too lax". So this year, his FB coach decided to coach basketball again as he had the previous year. We had voiced our frustration in the lax of the Y the year before, so we were thankful that Maysen was asked to play this season of KidsSports.

To say that this was a bit of a shocker to him is an understatement. He was not prepared for the aggressiveness of playing competitive basketball. He does not have older brothers or older cousins that he plays with. He decided last year he really enjoyed the game and wanted to experience it more. I think it was a wake up call to him.

I think it was a wake up call not only to Maysen, but to us as parents as well. Not only did this seem to be competitive to the children it was very obvious that it was competitive for the parents as well. Overall, we wanted Maysen to really learn what it was like to be on a team, have supportive teammates, and learn the different dynamics of the game. I don't think this was the best lesson for him, because I don't think he was around very good sportsmanship, and unfortunately a lot of his teammates were less than supportive. It was a bummer.

But you live and learn, and I think the lessons he took out of the season had nothing to do with basketball. Sometimes it's ironic the way God gives you lessons to learn. Do not get me wrong, he had a great time. We had a great time watching him grow into this new sport. It was great for him to see family members coming out to support him.

The boys had a wonderful season. They rocked it the whole time having won all of their games but one. Nathan and I were in Vegas the night of their last tournament game. It was a hard fought game and they came in second place. Very proud of Maysen for sticking with this even if it was not very easy for him. The lessons he learned are invaluable. 

Citizen of the month, Take Two

We were utterly surprised and proud when it happened the first time, but when it happened again for the second time in 4th grade there were no words. It's an amazing feeling to know that what you are teaching at home really is paying off. They really are maturing and becoming special people. Being noticed for it as an adult is hard enough, that I'm so grateful that they get noticed for it as children. 

My Maysen: You are so caring, kind, and generous. You get along with anyone who will give you a chance. You don't judge, and your kindness is seen by generosity to others in need. You don't see the differences in people, only the things in common. Keep that beautiful outlook on life and you will go far, my dear. So proud.