Here's Haley....

We just adopted a German Shepard & Belgian Malinois mix from a rescue agency. Today is her first day with us and so far she is great. It is so nice to have a dog in the house again. It has been a year and half since Taylor died and we all still miss her alot but it was time for a new doggy.

The kids are adjusting well and the baby has even learned to throw the ball for Haley. She is very gentle and loving. We are lucky to have found such a great dog.

Big Apples

We are off to NYC. We are taking the oldest to see lion King for his 6th B-day this weekend. Then off to PA for camping and Turkey. have a great holiday!!!

kid friendly toys

I am on the hunt for creative, different Christmas gifts this year. I don't want to spend alot of money at ToysRus and end up with generic toys that the kids will forget about in a few months. I am looking for eco-friendly, imagination powered gifts. I stumbled upon this great site www.sprigtoys.com for any young boys on your list. I picked up one for my 1 1/2 yearold. It looks like a great option. Please pass on any ideas or suggestions for big or little kids!!

giving back

So we try very hard to make sure that we are giving back in some way. We always instill in the children that they need to donate 1/3 of their money and this year they are old enough that we are expecting them to also volunteer thier time. We let them choose the cause (last time they wanted to spend their money to buy a tree and plant it). This year we are still talking about ideas. Some of the things the kids have mentioned are, Meals on wheels for the elderly, toys and dog food for the local animal shelter, Marco wants to give people vegetables ( we are still working out the details on that one). We found a homeless shleter (Sarah's House) very close to our home that provides free childcare for homeless families and I have decided to volunteer my childbirth education and doula services for the women who live there. I am looking forward to the opportunity to help in a very direct way. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

Yes We Can......

I am very happy right now. I am excited to know that my children will be growing up in a new era. I am not naive about the challenges that are bound to test our country. But for today, Hope wins. We are going to take the kids to inauguration. It will be a transformative moment for our country and I want them to be a part of it.