Category Archives: Uncategorized

 What a week! On Monday and Tuesday I had job interviews. On Wednesday, I was gone all day visiting a camp as an ACA (American Camp Association) visitor for their re-certification. Thursday I was busy all day at the YMCA with a lifeguard instructor re-certification. On Friday, the boys and I had a very fun playdate. And Saturday, whoa, so many things. It was a great week- I’m feeling very satisfied, but also quite relieved that it is over! 

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The boys were busy at school (Tuesday was tie dye day for Augustus- bless his teachers for doing tie dye with a group of 3 year olds!). 

Swim lessons are going SO well! The boys learn something new every week! 

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On Wednesday, we had a sick puppy- Ruthie had an infected tail and she was MISERABLE. Bulldog tail maintenance isn’t new (Olivia’s tail was an almost daily chore), and we were treating it, but after a few days, she was just so uncomfortable and that was SO stressful for Nate and I. Luckily the vet was able to give us some medicine that helped quickly!

Hudson was feeling VERY needy because he wasn’t getting as much attention as Ruthie. He wanted to snuggle and touch me as MUCH as possible. He spent a lot of the week deep sighing and flopping his body dramatically, just in case you didn’t realize he was jealous of the lunchmeat wrapped pills and attention. 

Wednesday was a HUGE day for Nate as he got a hole in one in golf! His friend took a video of him picking up his ball, and these are screen shots from that video. Nate didn’t think I would be able to understand what a big deal it was (sports aren’t really my thing), but even I know that a hole in one is like a once in a lifetime thing. So we (even the non-sports fans) were excited about his big accomplishment! 

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Friday was a super extra fun day as we went to Christine’s house for a playdate. There is a pool just down the street, so we went for a swim. Augustus cried when we left, so I think that’s a good indication that it was a successful playdate! That evening, we spent several hours hanging out front with the neighbors for our weekly happy hour. The weather was gorgeous and it was so nice to just sit around and relax and chat! 
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Saturday was a big day. I am training for a half marathon, and up to this point, it’s been pretty reasonable, but Saturday, I had to run 6 miles, which I was nervous about. I ran 6 miles in 63 minutes, which I felt pretty good about because I wasn’t sure I could do it at all! The next few weekend runs get longer and longer and I’m already nervous! 

After starting the day with a run, my next challenge was cookie related. I agreed to make 900 cookies for a wedding- it took me 3 weeks of nonstop baking. I had to buy a second chest freezer to store them. I will be honest, I think I bit off slightly more than I could chew. But I did it. 900 cookies complete!! The biggest part of the challenge was Saturday and that was the delivery and set up! I had a GIANT cooler from Christine that held 15/18 tupperware. I used dry ice (for the first time). I loaded up the coolers without incident, picked up Christine (a truly MVP best friend/assistant) and headed to the venue. The brides got engaged in Paris and were using macaron towers as the centerpieces for their tables. NO PRESSURE! So Christine and I set up 27 macaron towers and they looked beautiful. I was very proud of myself. Also, VERY relieved that they made it there without incident! 
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After that, Saturday was not yet complete! We had soccer tickets for a MN United game. I got them from one of my former board members, and what I didn’t realize until that day was that they were premium seats, which meant that we got to enter the stadium in the premium gate, had unlimited food and drinks, and the seats were wonderful! It was SUCH a fun way to go to a game. They scored twice and won the game, and we had the BEST time. For someone who cares ZERO percent about sports, it was definitely the way to go to a sporting event!

The stadium is about 4 miles from our house, so we hopped on the bus and rode down the street, stopping right in front of the stadium. Augustus was BESIDE himself with excitement over being on a bus. During the game he asked me several times if we got to ride a bus home too. He was SO excited to get back on the bus. We’re definitely going to have to ride the bus again soon. 

On the way to the game, I said to him, “the last time I went to a game, I was pregnant with you!” and he said, “yeah, but I couldn’t see because I was inside your tummy!” so obviously this game was an improvement for him. Xander is very into soccer right now and so he was thrilled. He was also feeling very confident and grown up as he was able to help himself to food and drinks on his own (I was nearby, but he was “on his own”).

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Today was another busy day! Nate golfed all morning and the boys and I had a slow start to the day. Nate came home and eventually we all made it outside to play with the neighbors all afternoon. And this evening, it was off to Running Aces to hang with Grandma Debbie, Uncle Danny and Aunt Heather for some pony racing. Xander picked the winner twice in a row, so it’s possible we’ve planted the seed for the rest of his life. They both came home a few dollars richer. 

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I am so tired I think I might collapse, but the week ahead is SIGNIFICANTLY less busy and stressful, so I’m happy about that! July is flying by! 

We’re loving summer at home. We’re staying busy and enjoying every moment. 

We’re spending tons of time at parks. 

We celebrated Nate’s birthday. 

The boys celebrated Pride with rainbow day and a parade at school.
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Swim lessons are going really well. Xander keeps saying “I nailed it” after each new move. 
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The puppies are doing well- they are almost completely potty trained, they are enjoying walks, they play super well together and they are so snuggly (with each other and with us)

 
The boys are also busy with Sports Sampler class from the YMCA and Xander is loving golf lessons. 

The boys go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have weekly water days, are doing lots of crafts, and play outside a lot. 
 

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We had a picnic at a new park. 

 
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On July 3, we went to a Saints game. We weren’t sure how long the boys would last, because within the first few minutes of the game, they were not super into it, but there were fireworks after the game and they really wanted to see them. They made it through the game and really enjoyed the fireworks. When they ended and we were walking back to the car (it was around 10:15pm), Augustus said, “What are we doing next?” I asked him if he wanted to go to an after party at a club and he said, “sure!” He was asleep before we were out of the parking garage, so we went home and went to bed instead. 

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Fourth of July was low-key since we’d had a late night the night before. I attempted to take our annual picture, and no one was cooperating. 

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We went to the beach. We went to the camp beach a lot but I haven’t been to a beach in the Twin Cities in YEARS. It was SO SO fun! 

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We had our St. Paul Thanksgiving buddies over for dinner, ice cream and hanging out. 

The boys have been swimming at Grandma Debbie’s house twice a week and they are getting so comfortable in the water. 

Nate and I double dated with our neighbors to see a concert (a band that our other neighbor is in). It was VERY fun and the boys got to spend the night at Grandma Debbie’s house overnight. 

We had 2 playdates with Xander’s buddy Leo. Xander went to his house for the day, which was the first playdate where we just dropped him off and no parent stayed with him. And then later in the week, Leo came to our house where we made our own pizzas for lunch and spent a lot of time riding scooters and playing with legos. 

Gussie is potty training and he is doing SO WELL! He is wearing big boy undies and hasn’t had any accidents in weeks! I’m so proud of him! 

We’re staying busy and enjoying our summer!
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Power outage

Health center losing power for no reason

Internet not working, had to figure out how to print

Cute Fed Ex guy delivered packages to the welcome center

Poor service at Big Sandy Lodge restaurant 

Rainy first day

Sweaty last day

Docks into the lake

Willy at camp to fix the boat

Karl at camp to fix something

Wood fired pizza from the best pizza place ever

I arrived on Saturday night which was also arrival day for the staff doing lifeguard training. The weather was gorgeous and the predication for the following day was cold and rainy, so after dinner we decided to go get in the lake and “try out… or maybe actually take…” the swim test. 

The water was calm and warm and everyone rocked! Everyone took their swim test and since we were already wet, we decided to put the docks in too. Putting in docks isn’t the worst job ever, but I thought maybe I’d get out of it this year… no such luck. It only took us 30 minutes though and the beach was up and running!

Sunday morning, I laid in bed listening to the rain, cursing camp. After weeks of hot, dry weather, of course it was 65 degrees and rainy! Also, I’ve spent 13 years lecturing, yelling at, begging, reminding staff to BRING A RAINCOAT and did I pack a raincoat for this trip!? Nope. I actually said out loud to myself, “are you new here?!”

It rained the whole day on Sunday, but we were stuck inside for CPR/first aid, so it was actually a really good day for rain. 

The staff did great and we completed that part of training. I was helping with dinner prep that night- I had just dumped the ravioli into the boiling water when POP, the power went out. I checked the breaker, called the power company to report and the promptly RAN to my van to head to the lodge for a drink and dinner. After 14 years of power outages, it felt good to peace out as soon as the power went out. NOTMYPROBLEMANYMORE!!!!

I had a lovely dinner, read a book and headed back to camp for bedtime. 

Monday was 61 degrees, so I altered the class to just be in the classroom and pool, not in the lake. That night, the program director (who is living in the health center this summer) and I attempted to turn on the heat. It didn’t work, and when she flipped the breaker (we were just trying whatever we could think of), it broke and we lost power. I cannot stress enough how “on brand” for camp that was. I pulled the sheets and blankets off my bed and headed to the DC for the night.

Lifeguard training week is usually a bit stressful because after spending the day in training, I would try to spend a little time with the boys, but always had more work to do after dinner. Training week comes next and that’s such a marathon. So by comparison, this year was like a vacation! After training, I spent a lot of time in the skychairs- I read 2 books while I was at camp. I might have spent more time relaxing in these 5 days than I did in the 13 previous summers.

Wednesday was gorgeous and sunny and one of those perfect days that make you walk around feeling like camp is paradise. We wrapped up lifeguard training and then the rest of the staff arrived to camp. Arrival day is filled with nerves and awkwardness and I LOVE everything about it. 

When I looked around at the staff this summer, 6 of the staff are former campers. The 2 lead staff for the summer have been campers since they were little and as I watched them all week, I was so impressed. They have been given more responsibility and have more on their shoulders this summer than I’ve ever given to summer staff. I knew they were going to be good leaders (I hired both of them!), but they have risen to the challenge with such strength and grace that I feel emotional as I type that. It’s been an absolute honor to watch them grow up and now take charge. I’m sad I won’t be there to see them in action all summer. 

I saw Willy (who has always come to the rescue with anything we needed help with and who was close with my dad). We hugged goodbye. I chatted with Karl (who is the main guy who comes out to fix things and has been my hero MANY times when I needed something fixed THISMINUTE!). And then I got an email from a grant that I applied for in February (and thought I didn’t get), letting me know $30,000 had been deposited into the bank account. 

Thursday I spent the day teaching CPR/first aid with the non-lifeguard staff members. It was a beautiful day outside and I was sweaty by the time we finished. 

I was getting ready to pack up and leave when I got pulled into a quick project moving the platforms at the paddle board area. I love the random parts of every day at camp and will miss that part of it. Going from CPR to problem solving at the beach is what camp is all about. 

I chatted with Courtney and then it was time to go. I was sweaty, sandy, and my feet were wet. 100% camp. I thought maybe I’d be emotional, but I felt very content. Camp is in good hands. And I feel ready to be doing something else. I have amazing memories and it’s been the ultimate adventure. And these last few days at camp were the perfect end and I feel grateful for such an opportunity for closure. 

Also that wasn’t the real end. Because the program director is out of town this week, I agreed to do all the first week paperwork and cabin assignments. And I’m going to go to check in to help Stef with the first Sunday. This has been the ultimate Minnesota long goodbye! 

On my way out of town I stopped in at the woodfire pizza place (a new edition last summer) and had the best pizza of my life. I should have gotten 2. For many years, I’ve been a McGregor critic, but in the past few summers, the town has made improvements and there are many things I’m going to miss! 

While I was at camp, Nate, my mom and school all kept me in the loop with lots of pictures. The boys were busy with sports class, swim lessons and Xander’s golf lesson. They went out to dinner for Father’s Day and played with the neighbors. It was the longest I’ve been away from the boys ever and I missed them terribly! 

On Friday, I was happy to spend the day at home. I took 2 puppies and 2 small children to the pet food store. I knew it would be a spectacle and it was. We played all day and then went to neighborhood happy hour. And then Nate and I went out to a very nice dinner. Life is wonderful. 

It’s the summer and we haven’t headed off to camp yet. In the last 5 years, Memorial Day weekend has been move up time for the boys and I. Before the boys, I used to move to camp mid May. And here we are mid-June and no talk of camp, so what’s up?! 

Last summer was both fabulous and also difficult. It was unique as we were only there for a month, and there weren’t any campers- just Meghan, Sean, Mary, the boys and I, as well as small groups of volunteers. Camp is magical (even without the campers) and we spent the month swimming every day (sometimes twice a day), going into town for wood fired pizza (the best pizza of all time), and having camp to ourselves. The boys loved it, but they were also homesick and missed Nate terribly. The trailer, which has been home for years and one of my favorite places, was way too small for all of us. 

Nate and I had been dating for just 5 months when I packed up and headed for camp, telling him I’d see him in the fall. I’d been at camp a few years already and I wasn’t about to give that up for a guy I was dating. He hung in with me, making the 3 hour drive to visit, and it’s been part of our relationship ever since. But several times over the years, we’ve acknowledged that at some point, camp wouldn’t be the right fit for our life. 

 

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Saturday Xander and I went to my mom’s house to water her plants while she was in Texas, and then we had family movie night. 

We tried to get outside as much as we could this week, but it was just for small amounts of time since it was so hot. 
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On Monday, the boys started “sports sampler” class at the YMCA. They will do 2 weeks of tee ball, 2 weeks of soccer, 2 weeks of flag football and 2 weeks of basketball. Their first class was a success with both boys getting a good hit off the tee. 
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On Wednesday evening, there was a short rain storm that ended in our power going out! I felt like I was at camp. Even once the rain stopped, the power stayed off. Nate and I put the boys to bed around 8 and then took a bottle of wine out to our front sidewalk and hung out with about 15 neighbors until it was dark, at which point, we went to bed (power still off!). The power came back on around 11:15. 

This Friday, we were back outside for happy hour- this time with root beer floats. I didn’t take any pictures, but we had a huge crowd outside and it was so fun. The boys (with their buddy) were determined to climb a tree and worked hard to problem solve for quite a long time. They didn’t make it up the tree, but they problem solved, communicated, and were very creative, so I think it was a good use of time. 

Saturday was pre-K graduation for Xander. I love his school and it was very cute, but I wasn’t sure why we were doing it now, as he will continue to attend all summer. We tried to explain graduation but it didn’t really make sense to him. 

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There was a parade of cars- everyone decorated their cars and we drove around the block 3 times, honking and yelling while the grads cheered from their decorated chairs. 
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After graduation, we headed to Sarah and Grayson’s house to hang out and play. 5 little boys and a cute 1 year old girl- it was a great afternoon/evening with our friends. 

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We’ve got another busy week ahead, but hopefully it will be slightly cooler weather! 

I’ve been slacking on my blog updates! I have been so busy with work and baking cookies (not to mention 2 kids and 2 dogs) that I haven’t had a moment. I also had to re-certify my lifeguard certification, so I’ve been swimming a lot to prepare for the test. I have much more to update but for now, here’s a bunch of pictures of what we’ve been up to. 

Quiet mornings sipping coffee on the couch… while 2 dogs wrestle in my lap. 

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Danny and Heather went to my mom’s house to teach her (and the boys) how to play pickleball. 
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I went to CYC for a few days and while I was gone, the boys and Nate went out to dinner. 

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We filled our pool and the boys (with their buddy from down the block) played nonstop. 

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Matching tank tops. 

A backyard campfire. 
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Kickoff to the MN State Fair with my mom and Cindy. It was very fun and I am excited for the real fair!
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Puppy snuggles. 

Walking to the park as often as we can. 

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Nate moved into his new office! This is a huge deal! He’s been an advisor for 2 years now (officially 2 years on June 17) and he has his permanent office. The boys and I helped him move last weekend. 

The weather has gotten HOT and so when we aren’t in the pool, we’ve been playing in the sprinklers. 

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On Sunday we walked with our neighbors to get ice cream. The kids stopped several times along the way to smell the flowers. 
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Memorial weekend was last weekend and that usually means moving to camp. Not this year. More on that to come…

The last few weeks have flown by and I have not been keeping up! I have so many cute pictures of puppies and kids and cookies. Ruthie and Hudson are inseparable and having 2 puppies is sort of insane sometimes (potty training times two is NO JOKE), but it is the BEST thing we could have done. They play from the moment they wake up until they crash asleep at the end of the day. They run and chase and frolic. They pounce on each other and wrestle and snuggle and they are so cute together I can’t imagine ever having just one puppy ever again. 

Xander has been super obsessed with legos recently and has been putting together sets on his own. 

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On Mother’s Day, we went to Danny and Heather’s house where Danny made possibly the best steak I’ve ever eaten with a side of lobster. It was such an incredible meal! 

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Xander’s lego obsession reached new levels when he realized he had enough money in his piggy bank to actually buy some legos. We went to Target and the boys looked at and touched every single toy and then eventually made their selections. They were very proud to make their first purchases and now they are eager to earn more money for their next shopping trip. 

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Our neighbors (the same ones who had the Cinco de Mayo party) love the puppies and so when we were chatting, we all agreed a window in the fence was a much needed adjustment for both of our yards. Nate installed it and now the puppies can poke their heads into the neighbors’ yard to say hi. Our neighbor took the cutest picture of what they can see from their side. 

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On Sundays, it’s my day to sit on the couch and drink coffee and relax in the morning. Lately, there has been less quiet relaxing and more of 2 puppies wrestling on top of me. 

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Today the boys were at my mom’s house and they were VERY excited that Danny and Heather came over for a pickle ball lesson. Uncle Danny had his hat on backwards and soon after, both boys’ had rotated their own. 
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The weather has been so warm and wonderful, so we are spending as much time outside as we can. The boys drive around, the puppies chase the boys- it’s utter chaos. Nate and I do our best to ignore the madness and enjoy our patio while sipping a drink. 

The week ahead is SO busy- here we go! 

Xander got new shoes (his old shoes accidentally stayed in Omaha). 

Both boys were busy in school. 

On Friday, Nate and I picked up Ruthie (the newest addition to our family) (see Ruthie). 

Saturday was a full day of fun for the boys. Augustus went to a birthday party for his friend Marlo and he could not have been more excited. I realized that while Gussie has been to several birthday parties, they have all been family friends or parties that Xander has been invited. Turning 3 during covid means that he missed the full birthday tour that usually happens with kids at this age. This was the first party that he was invited to for HIS buddy. 

It was an excellent 4 year old party! There was an obstacle course, a zipline, games, balloons galore, cupcakes AND cake, and party favor bags with cars in them! Gussie was in heaven and has been talking about it ever since! Better yet, his mom had mimosas for the grown ups and made Albanian food for us to sample (which was AMAZING- I love trying new foods and it was SUCH a fun and delicious surprise!). I forgot how much I’d missed chatting with other moms, comparing notes about potty training, who will eat vegetables, and all the other normal stuff. It helps to be reminded that my kiddo is completely normal, I am normal, my worries are normal- thank goodness for other moms! I think of myself as an awkward introvert but I really really enjoyed our Saturday morning party and keep thinking about how fantastic it was!! 
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While Gussie and I partied away, Xander was at basketball, hooping it up (check out that action shot!). 

As if a party and basketball weren’t enough fun for the day, after lunch, the boys headed to Grandma Debbie’s house for a slumber party. They were SO excited to go spend the night and Nate and I were excited to go to Stella’s Fish Cafe for a delicious (kid free) dinner! 
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The puppies are doing well and getting used to each other. Huddy wants to play pretty much every moment of the day, but he’s adjusting to having Ruthie here and he isn’t bothering her too much. She loves snuggling with him and they are very cute together. It hasn’t been very long, but they are already best friends and I couldn’t be happier to have them together. 

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She took her first walk today (we made it about 4 houses down before she refused to keep going).

Huddy loves her, but has also been a little extra snuggly with me too. I think he’s trying to figure out what exactly is going on and if it’s going to affect him at all. I just keep snuggling with him and reassuring him that life is good. 

Today the boys were at my moms for the morning and afternoon and then they all came home and Danny and Heather came over for birthday dinner. My brother is 37 today! We celebrated with pizza, cake, and video games. The boys were thrilled because Heather and Danny are Nintendo Switch EXPERTS and the BEST people to help them get to the next level in the game. 

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It was a FABULOUS week!!

On Friday, Nate and I drove down to pick her up and in the 24 hours she’s been home, she’s adjusted quickly and I think our 2 puppies will be best friends. She is tiny- just 11 pounds, but she is feisty and holds her own against Hudson’s roughly 30 pounds. He’s 20 weeks, but I can’t believe how much bigger he is! 

We were a 2 dog family for many years and Olivia and Griffin played together, snuggled together and kept each other company. 2 dogs is a lot (especially for drooling, shedding, 60 pound bulldogs), but so nice for them to have a companion. When we decided to get a puppy, Nate actually suggested, “should we just get 2?” but the internet recommends not getting 2 from the same litter because they can bond to each other instead of you, and training can be tougher. So we got one, knowing we’d get another relatively soon after. 

So a few weeks ago, I messaged the breeder to get on a waitlist for the next litter. About 2 weeks ago, the litter was born and she sent me a photo of a baby girl. We were all set to bring her home in July. But a week later she died (she got squished by the mother!). I was horrified, but the breeder assured me that happens sometimes. However, she offered me a 12 week old puppy she had from a past litter that she had planned to keep. She knew we wanted a buddy for Hudson and was willing to give her up. She hadn’t even named her yet! 

Getting a puppy closer to his age and as soon as possible seemed like a great option, so we jumped at the chance. 

When we got home yesterday afternoon, we took our time introducing them. She is tiny compared to Hudson and gets tired pretty quickly. He is INTENSE with his desire to play, and it gets overwhelming to her, so we have to separate them after a while, but they are already playing together so nicely. 

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So now we have 2 boys and 2 puppies and our house is pure chaos. Dog hair, slobber, dog toys, kid toys… this is why we can’t have nice things, but I couldn’t be happier.