We've expanded our home by 4 feet!

You may have heard the big news - We have a puppy! We got her on November 3rd. She is a boxer and her name is Georgia Belle. She is the sweetest little thing and is beyond cute. Our kids absolutely adore her. A day hasn't gone by that Nolan hasn't said, "Thank you sooooo much for letting us have that puppy. I love her." He tells her all of the time that we aren't taking her back to the pet store (even though we didn't get her from a pet store). Landry has been smitten with her from day one. I have really been shocked at how dedicated she has been to caring for Georgia. We've had her for 3 weeks and Landry is still just crazy about her. My favorite thing is watching them swing together. Georgia is just about too big to fit on Landry's lap, but Landry still tries!

Mallory is not Georgia's biggest fan... yet. I came home yesterday and they were cuddled up on Mallory's bed together. That is a major improvement. I think Mal might like her a little, she just doesn't want us to know. :) Corinne likes Georgia, but Georgia has realized that Corinne is the smallest and is the easiest to chew on. So, being the typical third child, Corinne has learned the best way to defend herself. When Georgia runs us to her and clamps down on her clothing, Rin puts one hand on each side of Georgia's face and picks her up by the head. Funny enough, Georgia instantly lets go and stays clear of Corinne the rest of the time we are outside.

Here are the pictures. We got her at 7 weeks and 2 days. She was 7 lbs. She has doubled in size, but still has to wear a big padded collar to keep her from getting through our fence. She doesn't love the collar, but she's getting used to it. Brian's nurse made it for us (she rocks!), and we didn't pick the fabric. You will soon see why we call her our little flamer.

The Flip-Side of Frustration

I really dread telling you that I've been wrapped up in monotony. I have stood at the washer several times in the past month thinking, "There has to be more purpose in my life than to wash clothes... fold clothes... dust... mop... mess up the kitchen cooking a meal then clean it up again." This kept going through my mind. Over an over again. I truly started to fall into a little bit of a funk. I was drowning in laundry. And, when you are drowning in anything, everything else that falls on top of you can easily weigh you down.

Several of my Facebook friends had the November status updates of "What I'm thankful for today..." I did not. Mine may have read a little like this: November 8th - Today I'm thankful that my 2-year-old only threw-up twice today and we made it to the sink both times. November 9th - Our new puppy only peed on the hardwoods today and spared the carpet. November 10th - My 6-year-old only had three breakdowns about things that shouldn't concern her... In other words, I wouldn't have shared a whole lot that I was "truly" thankful for. This nagging feeling of negativity was eating away at me. I did a lot of eye-rolling and groaning about a lot of things. Did you know that we aren't created to behave like this? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Hmmm... I was definitely NOT doing this... but I could. I could prepare a meal like I was preparing it for our Saviour. I could pre-treat stains like I was preparing a garment worthy to be worn by Jesus. I could change the way I approached my daily activities and see what there is to be thankful for in them.

November 8th - I'm thankful that I have not only a 2-year-old, but a 4 and a 6-year-old, too.

November 9th - I'm thankful that we took on the responsibility of a puppy so our children could experience the unconditional love of man's best friend.

November 10th - I'm thankful that I have a passionate 6-year-old that reminds me that someone is always watching me. Therefore, I need to be accountable and lead by example.

Just wanted to share that with you. I have to run for now. I have some laundry to tend to.