A paws-itively funny puppy themed list

I have owned little Miss Coco Matilda Myers for 6 whole days, so of course it's time for a list! A list of all of the paws-itive, not so paws-itive, and silly things a puppy brings to our home.

1. Sleepless nights
2. Wet wood floors
3. The floor is always picked up now. If not she would eat everything in sight!
4. We are going through a roll of my precious Bounty a day!
5. The floors are getting cleaned much more often now
6. Puppies need to be taken outside every thirty minutes
7. Puppies pee ALOT!
8. Iams puppy food makes the poo not smell so strong! I swear it's true!
9. She keeps the pile of dirty clothes in the laundry room warm. I didn't really need to spend $25 dollars on a puppy bed after all!
10. Blue puppy pee pee pads don't match my living room decor
11. A puppy can turn a kleenex into a million tiny pieces in 10.2 seconds
12. Companionship, love and affection
13. My kids have finally picked up their rooms! Yay!
14. And last but not least, surely after climbing over 5 safety gates four thousand times a day my butt and legs will be smaller and firmer by Summer

Here Kitty Kitty

I totally want another cat, so I can get one of these. Ok, not really. But it does look really cool. I wonder if I could teach Coco to use it?
P.S. can you tell I watch infomercials at 2 in the morning??

In like a lion...

Man, March sure is living up to it's reputation. After a yummy dinner (homemade Chinese) I decided to run a few errands for some necessary items now that we own a new puppy. My plan was to go to Bath and Bodyworks for some new wallflowers and scented oils, and then on to Walmart for a safety gate and stickers for Hayden's school project. Imagine my surprise when I went outside and was greeted by a wild but beautiful "snowstorm". I was having secret hopes that they would cancel school! But just in case, while I was gone Jon was to get the kids bathed and have them straighten their bedrooms. I had not been in Bath and Bodyworks for a minute when my phone rang. It was my friend Erin, followed within about 3 seconds by Jon. They were both informing me that we had no power!! So, I took my sweet time at both stores. Jon, meanwhile lit a fire and made pallets for him and the kids. I never guessed the power would still be out when I got home at 10. But it was! No one bathed, no one cleaned their room. Big surprise. Jon, Chloe, and Hayden were asleep. Hunter was on the phone and Chan was reading a book by flashlight. I put away my goodies and lit a few more candles. I had been home 20 minutes when the power came back on. So, I took the dog out to go potty and got my craft stuff ready to work on Hayden's project. I kid you not, I sat down for about a minute when the power went off again!! It was off for 30 more minutes, came back on for about 2 minutes, and was off for another 45 minutes or so. I had already blown out and relit 15 candles twice!!! Ugghh! I ended up laying out school clothes, doing Hayden's project, wiping up dog pee, and installing a gate all by candlelight. Then right before it finally came back on for good I had a BIG accident. I am very upset about it too. The pictures tell the tale!

P.S. did you know a dog can get up and pee on your wood floor three whole times without making a single pee-p !?

Are you ready for this??



I dropped a freakin lit candle!!! It looks like blood. It ruined my carpet, my lap desk, my dust ruffle, and my linen basket that I keep catalogs and magazines in.


Gross!! Can you believe this? I seriously don't know how I am gonna get this cleaned up!


Look at all those candles!

Hurts So Good

Ok, so I know I said I would cut out Coke. But, today was BAD! I am definitely addicted! Today, I had.... 3! I got one at the McDonald's drive thru, down the street from church no less! When I am bad, I am real bad! Ha Ha! But, it was so good! I swear that first sip is awesome, it burns in such a great way going down. Then as if that wasn't bad enough, we went out to dinner. And, I of course had to order a Coke. What else would I drink with warm rolls lathered with cinnamon butter, cool green salad topped with ranch dressing, zesty steak fries, and the ultimate medium well steak? Coke I say! Let them drink Coke! Tomorrow is a new day... I'll try again then!

It Ain't Easy Growing Old...

For some reason my birthday this year is kicking my butt. It took me a whole year to become 34, it's not like it happened over night. Yet for some reason, hearing myself say 34 instead of 33 almost made me sick. I don't know what is wrong with me. The other numbers that I've been so far have never bugged me, but this one has. And, it's not just the number. It's the changes in my skin, the gray hairs that have crept up. It's being surrounded by youth. I mean, the number is bigger and the brain and heart are wiser, but I really still feel 20 years old. I can't even fathom how someone who is in their 60's or even 80's feels. They were young and at their peak once too, and to see the face that looks back at them in the mirror must be shocking. I always knew I would take aging hard, but man this is rough. I have been an emotional basket case this week. And it sucks. My kids must think I am nuts. I guess maybe I should go down to the Senior Center and volunteer or something. I mean I'm not that old am I? I need to just chill out and be grateful that I am alive. I can be such a brat. It doesn't help that the world and Hollywood in particular are so hard on women to be perfect all the time. I'll climb off my soapbox now. And, I'll eventually accept the fact that my age is gonna keep moving forward.

Aloha Nights

Tonight was Hunter and Chloe's first school dance! The theme was Aloha Knights. Get it? A luau theme and the mascot is the Knight. Hunter would only wear the required shirt, jeans, and his precious ball cap (the shirts were your admission in). Of course I had to Maddona-fy Chloe's t-shirt. Chloe was pretty nervous and was a little wallflower all night. Hunter on the other hand was a dancing fool! He even did the Y-M-C-A! Except when he caught me looking, he would stop and get all still. He's too cool to let me see him having fun. You might wonder why I was there. First of all they strongly discouraged just dropping your kiddos off and secondly Chloe's anxiety won't allow me to just drop her off anywhere. I worry that she will miss out on alot of fun things throughout life and even regret that she let her fears get the better of her. We are going to see her pediatrician soon to address these issues. But, she did manage to have an ok time, and she even got out on the dance floor about 20 minutes before it was over. And last but not least, I am always on the lookout for blog material! I am glad I went in, the carpool line was down the block! I did get a few photos, I even got one of Hunter dancing.


Pretty girl



Pink Ladies



Hunter- dancing!!



My babies at their first dance! Awww!



Worn out!



Shoud I go out there and boogie? I'll just hang with mom...

Happy Birthday...

to Jon and me! Babe, I love you. I still think it's crazy that we have the same birthday. You would think I would have gotten used to it by now. You don't look a day over 28! My birthday wish is that this year might be better than the last. We have grown alot over the years and have weathered many storms, but they have only made us closer and stronger. You are a great husband and father, and the kids and I are lucky to have you. I am sorry I don't tell you often enough how special and important you are. I hope your day was great. Thank you for my sweet puppy!
Love,
Ashley
P.S. yes we really do have the same birthday, but I am younger and I don't ever let him forget it!


Here me and Jon are with Hunter and Chandler on one of many joint birthdays. I think I am 23 here and Jon was 27. We were also celebrating the boys birthdays. Chloe would join our family 5 months later.


Here I am on my 8th birthday, with a whole gang of brothers and sisters to help blow out the candles.


Jon and Hunter. One of my favorite photos. Taken May 1996.


Me and Jon in August 1995. We had just moved into our first apartment.


Jon and Hayden when he was about 18 months old. Jon would rock him to sleep every night from 4 months until about 2 years, until he got to be a big boy. That seems like a lifetime ago.