Love: Future

Soon we will be adding this little beauty to our family.  She is 8 weeks old and getting her first exam and vaccinations this week.  We hope to be able to get her by next weekend.  Her name will be Juneau.  (Alaska and Juneau...get it?) We have been brainstorming middle names and right now we are leaning toward Jellybean.  We are looking forward to a bright future with one wonderful little boy and two beautiful dogs.

Love: What I Love about Him Most

This is what I love most about my husband...

crazy

hilarious

spontaneous
There is never a dull moment in life with Jeff.  And I totally love it!

Love: Buddies

These two are best buds.  Nate loves to play with his dad.  Whether it is playing a sport, like bouncy balls, wrestling, or playing "under arrest", these two are always rough housing, laughing and generally having a good time. 

Love: Hands

Nate's hands.  Love 'em.  When he was two years old. I started this tradition of making a print of his hand.  I love the way these prints help document his growth each year.  I love that they are colorful.  I love that they are part of the decor in his room.  I love that I can look back at them with fond memories of how little he was once upon a time ago.

Sickness

Our house has been plagued with sickness this weekend.  It started with Nate on Friday.  Jeff had to leave work to pick him up because he had the stomach flu.  Poor little guy.  Unfortunately we had to cancel plans to meet up with some old friends on Friday night. By Sunday, Nate was feeling better but not eating much.  By Monday, Jeff was feeling poorly and spent most of the day in bed. And today, it has hit me.  Fortunately, Jeff and I did not get it nearly as bad, and me probably the least. So, this weekend we spent a lot of time on the couch watching TV and movies and generally just resting and napping.  Thank goodness for the day off on Monday for the President's Day holiday.  It gave us an extra day to recoup.  I am behind on my Joy of Love posts but plan to try to get caught up (at least with most of them) this week. 

Love: Kisses

Not everyone likes animal kisses.  Fortunately for this dog, this family doesn't mind them, 'cause she is the kissingest dog I have ever encountered.  She wakes us up with kisses, greets us with kisses when we get home from work, gives kisses when she knows she is in trouble ( a very smart dog), and makes sure everyone gets a kiss before bed.  You couldn't live with this dog if you didn't like kisses.  She is lucky she found us.  We're suckers for kisses :)

Love: Wedding Rings

Not the greatest photo.  It's a little hard to take a picture of your own outstretched hand with a 50mm lens.  But it serves the purpose.  Jeff and I were married six years ago this past October.  Jeff has never taken his ring off since that day.  I wish I could say the same.  I was hell bent on not taking it off...ever, but I gained so much weight while I was pregnant with Nate that is was cutting off the blood circulation to my finger and I was afraid they would have to cut it off my finger.  LOL.  But it is back on, where I intend for it to stay for a very long time. 

Love: Routines

We are all about routines here.  Nate is very soothed by his routines.  Sometimes they can be soothing to me too.  And well, sometimes they can be very frustrating.  This picture actually captures several routines in motion.  1.  He has to curl up in this chair and watch one his "shows" on tv before he goes to bed.  (Come to think of it, I'm not sure how he will react when we get new furniture this spring).  2.  The thumb in the mouth.  This has been a routine since birth.  Actually, the doctor thinks he was probably sucking his thumb in the womb.  I know we should probably be breaking this routine soon, but I'm just not up for the battle quite yet.
3.  The Lightning McQueen/Mator blanket.  This is Nate's favorite blanket.  He has used this blanket nonstop for the last two years.  And even though we have two new blankets that are exactly the same (one Lightning McQueen and one Thomas the Train), he refuses to use them.  So, I habitually wash this blanket and make sure it is ready for use every night.  4.  The blanket grip.  Nate sucks his right thumb and then curls the corner of the blanket in the fingers of his left hand.  Every night he does this.  He has a death grip on that blanket.  These are just a few of the routines around here.  I could go on and on...but I'll spare you.

Love: The Eyes

The eyes.  Definitely one of the things I fell in love with first.  These beautiful green eyes were staring at me from the shelter website.  There is something about the combination of her green eyes, pink nose and speckles of white on her face that make my heart melt.   

Love: Dreams

Couldn't get a picture for this one, since it is the dead of winter here in Ohio.  Maybe I'll have to do a repost later in the spring when you can actually see the grass on the ground.  One of Jeff's dreams (and mine, too) is to buy a big motorhome when we retire and travel the country.  Mostly to places where it is warm.  Jeff is a beach person, so I am sure that we will spend some time in Florida or South Carolina.  Myself, I am a mountain/desert person, so Arizona and Colorado are a must for me.  We dream of the days of a carefree life (yeah, right) and no more cold and snow!

Love: Space

This sign greets you as you go down the steps to our basement. 'Nough said.

Love: Passions and Hobbies

A certain little boy has always had a passion for things with wheels.  Today I was able to capture him building with the KidKinex.  He said he was building a lawnmower. 

Love: A Gift from the Heart

I'm not a huge jewelery fan, but I do wear a bracelet on my right arm almost every day.  It's Pandora and it was a Christmas gift from my loving husband.  When the Pandora craze started, I wasn't sure I would really be into it, but when my husband explained the sentiment behind my first three beads, I was hooked.

I received the light blue bead, the dog and the little boy with the bracelet.  The blue bead, my husband said, was the color of my shirt on our first date (10 years ago-- who knew he paid attention to clothes?).  The dog, was for our first dog together, Holiday, who died unexpectedly when she was 3.  The little boy obviously represents our son Nate.  The bracelet had come to be a symbol of important people and times in my life.

Catching Up

Going to be catching up on my love posts after a busy week.

Love: Generations

Generations.  We have four living generations on my mom's side of the family.  My grandparents will turn 88 this year and I am thankful that they have been able to be part of Nate's life.  He loves his Grandma and Grandpa Great. Check out the 4 generations above: The Greats, my wonderful mom, me and my brother and Nate.

I dug this out of the archives.  The four generations, soon after Nate was born.  Love this picture.

Another picture from the archives.  Nate will never remember his Granpa Filbrun, but I know that grandpa enjoyed meeting Nate.  I am so thankful for this memory.

Love: Who He Loves

My husband is a MAJOR football fan.  He loves this sport.  So you can imagine his excitement when his favorite team made it to the Superbowl this year.  This was a big deal at our house.  I thought he might dress from head to toe in Packer garb (yes, we even have Packer gloves), but he settled for just a shirt and his trusty scarf, which also turned into a banner he flung around like a crazy person after each touchdown. (Eat your heart out "terrible towel").  Thank goodness those Packers won.  I'm glad football season came to an end on an extra happy note for the man I love.

Love: What He Wears

Come to my house. This is what you'll see.  My son in his underwear.  He doesn't like to wear clothes.  It started about a year ago.  Not sure if it has to do with his sensory issues or what?  At least he knows that it is not acceptable attire when people come over, or better yet, when we go out in public.  It used to bother me a little.  Not anymore.  I think he is adorable just the way he is.  But I am going to keep trying to get him to wear clothes.  I am his mother, after all. :)

Love: Then and Now

Ok, let me just start off by saying that, Yes, I am mildly obsessed with my dog.  She, on the other hand, is WILDLY obsessed with me.  I'm her person.  We're BFF's.  It all started back on this day...

November.  Two days before Thanksgiving Break, I came home to find this surprise in my living room.  Jeff had taken the day off work to go to the Zanseville Pound to pick up "Chelsea" (soon to me renamed Alaska).  I had been "eyeing her" on the website for over a week.  Begging and pleading to my beloved husband to let me have her.  I was ecstatic, to say the least, when this bundle of furry love came bounding into my arms. (Check out those speckled paws...aren't they to die for?)

Today, this slightly larger bundle of furry love makes me just as ecstatic every time she comes bounding into my arms.

She is bigger, of course, but also calmer, snugglier, and more lovable than ever.  I am biased, though,  We are, after all, BFF's.  I love you Alaska Ann Addy.

Love: How They Look

This is my BFF, Alaska.  Two years ago I found her on the Zanesville pound website.  The picture only showed her from the neck up, from a side view.  It didn't do her jutice.  She is a beautiful dog.  She has gorgeous green eyes and lots of white markings on her head and chest.  She has white speckles on her feet.  She has a white-tipped tail.  Her ears flop.  Doesn't her ear look so cute flopped back?  She has the perfect pink nose.  She is perfect.  I love her.

Powerless

Powerless.  Literally and Metaphorically.  Over the last two days the nation has been enduring a large  storm.  Here in Westerville we received about a 1/2 inch of ice.  As I lay down to sleep last night, the freezing rain was pelting the windows and the wind began to howl.  The lights flickered a few times and then everything went black.  Powerless.  When I awoke at 4:00 a.m. I knew the power was still out.  I could feel it in the temperature of the room.  Cold.  Great I thought to myself.  I'm awake at 4:00 a.m.. with nothing, literally, to do.  I tried to lie there for awhile longer, hoping to fall back to sleep.  But it was too late.  I was cold and I was awake.
So I trudged downstairs, found my flashlight and lit some candles.  Powerless.  No coffee.  No morning news.  No Internet.  The temperature on the thermostat read 50 degrees.  No wonder I felt cold.  It occurred to me then how much our daily routines depend on electricity.  I couldn't make coffee or make breakfast.  I didn't even want to open the refrigerator, trying to keep it as cold as possible for as long as I could.  I was powerless.
Once Nate and Jeff were awake, we headed out to breakfast.  Thank goodness that we didn't have to go far.  The McDonald's up the street had power and COFFEE!
After breakfast, we headed to Meggan's because she had power.  We enjoyed a few hours there, playing with Maddy and warming up before receiving a text from a neighbor that the power was back on.
As of tonight, there were still 30% of Delaware County residents without power.  They were opening an emergency shelter for those in need.  I am thankful for power.  I hope everyone who needs it finds shelter and warmth tonight. 

Love: What He Does

What he does. As a father, he is a constant entertainer to this little boy of mine.  He is the yahooligan who wrestles and plays "under arrest".  He is the sports dad who plays football and baseball and bouncy ball.  He is the quiet comforter.  Today, as we enjoyed a snow day off from school, he played Memory, one of Nate's favorite games at the moment.  I am thankful I was able to capture this moment.  I am thankful to have such a wonderful father to my son.  I love to watch him play with Nate and enjoy the little moments of life.  What he does is love this little boy to the ends of the earth and back.