What's Up?

So, it's been a ridiculous amount of time since we have posted on here.  The holidays just get like that, don't they?  There is so much to share, but so little time to do it.  So, in order to keep your boredom to a minimum, here are the cliff's notes.

Our trip to the mountain state:

It was so great to see family.  There was so much going on, the time just flew by.  But, there was a baby to be admired, girl time to catch up on, an adorable pregnant belly that I couldn't get enough of and of course, some social awkwardness (ours, not theirs) thrown in for good measure.  The wedding was fabulously beautiful.  My daughter danced like a rock star the whole night.  It really was a highlight for me.  Lots of good memories were made.  But, I was ready to get home on Christmas Eve.

Our Christmas:

We had a really great morning together.  The Cutie slept until an unprecedented 8 am.  I gave many thanks being that I was up late wrapping gifts after a long night of travel and a trip to our local drugstore for forgotten stocking stuffers.  Our girl was really excited to open some presents and I got some really precious pictures of her.  It was a real blessing to include our roommate in our family traditions and family time as she really needs this in her life.  We are so glad she is here with us.  After our fun, relaxing morning, it was off to a whirlwind of holiday fare.  My biggest blessings of the season came hidden in our tiny Christmas budget this year.  It was humbling, yet refreshing, to give a small gift and not feel the need to apologize or explain.  And, you know what, no one was the worse for it.  I think my favorite lesson was seeing that my daughter was happy with the three small gifts we were able to put under the tree for her.  In the whole scheme of things, the gifts were a small part of our holiday.  And for me, that was really refreshing.  My most special Christmas gift came that afternoon while I visited Baby Blues gravesite and I felt baby #2 kick for the first time.  It was quite symbolic.

Cuties 3rd birthday:

She had a busy day, just like she likes it.  She had spent the night before with the bff and family.  I joined them for breakfast the next day, she and I decorated her cake together, our family went to our local pizza joint for some games and we topped it all off with a movie.  We then headed back to Dinoboy's for some rousing games of crocodile dentist, or whatever that game is called.  She had a party with her grandparents yesterday and a joint kid's party with Dirty Jobs is in our near future.  She has been glowing as she shares the news (with everyone) that she's 3 now.  Oddly, she really does seem older.

Other randomness:

Well, my baby's 3.  And, that makes me a little nostalgic.

Our financial state is such that we are in a place ripe for huge growth in my life and in our marriage.  It is a very scary and exciting, and scary, place to be.  

My in-laws found a dog this week.  It is lost and lonely and they are caring for it while they try to find it's family.  But, so far, no luck.  So begins my father-in-laws quest for making it our family pet.  So, a trip to meet the dog was in order.  My husband is in love.  And our daughter informed us that she wants to "bring it home, to our house, now".  Those were her words.  And she is really on the fence about dogs in general.  She loves some and fears others.  Did I mention that this dog is GIANT??  As in, when it stands on all fours, it's head is taller than our three year old.  And it has a thick coat of white hair.  That gets on everything it touches.  And things it doesn't touch.  The dog rested his head on the kitchen counter while we were there.  Again, I must say, GIANT.  So, here are my thoughts:  

1. Oh the hair.  It will be everywhere.  Do I really need to throw that into the mix with my already lacking housekeeping skills?  
2. Is it wise to bring a dog that is big and strong into our house with our child when we don't know it's background/history?  
3. Umm, we will have a newborn in 5 months.
4. We can't actually afford to feed this dog right now.  
5. And, to be brutally honest, I fear that this dog will become another thing I have to take care of/ clean up after.  And, I am not ready to make that kind of commitment.
   

But seeing how happy my husband was to pet and play with this dog yesterday has me thinking about it.  He really loves dogs and really missing having one.  Watching how my daughter went from terrified of this gentle giant to sitting next to and resting her head on it's back within only a couple of hours, has me thinking about it.  In fact, this is the reason I am awake and typing this at 4 am.  I can't get that dog off my mind!  Is the Lord wanting to grow our family with a dog and a newborn all in the same year?  Could we be missing out on the companionship that a dog can provide based on all my rationalizations?  Are we crazy to even consider it at this point?  

I don't know.  But, I do know that we are going to have to discuss it.  Here's hoping for a clear sign from the Lord soon!

Last of all, Major Hunk and I have been finding some names that we can actually agree on in the past week.  We actually have both girl and boy names that we both like.  And, if you know us, you know this is huge!  Now, I won't lie, I am a little disappointed that my favorite names are not on that list, but still.  

Happy Sunday, friends.