It's About Time!!

OK, so I'm a little bit ditsy, but thanks to Juanita, I am now able to post again. I have been trying to get on the blog, but it kept saying it was an invalid account, so I thought it must be because we changed our email address. Well, thanks to Juanita, she informed me of what my real username is (duh) and now here I am. When I'm checking all that gray in my hair in the mirror each morning, maybe I'm not seeing things clearly, maybe I'm also color-blind. Perhaps it's blond, not gray..... Anyway, I truly enjoyed reading Donella's post and maybe someday, my shrinking family and I can come see the new house. I remember seeing the pictures of it and can't wait to see the finished results. The pictures of snow always make me sigh, Bernie and Juanita. I miss the beauty of the snow, I miss the cold, I miss the nostalgia (and, of course, anxiety) of waiting for that first sign of spring, the warmth in the air, the little green shoots peeking up through the dead leaves and melting snow. Our winter has been very mild until these last two weeks. We have had some very cold weather (for us Californians, no snickering behind my back, you all). It actually froze a couple of nights and this weekend we are supposed to have a cold, very wet storm move through. Yes, I know that cold for us in the 50's, but, hey, give us a break. We're wimps. I actually love it when it is like this, but my kids can't hardly stand to be outside when it is 50 and they don't know what to do with themselves if they can't just walk outside into sunshine.

OK, now for the really big news. It may surprise some of you, but we have had an addition to our household. Yes, we have a baby, NO I AM NOT PREGNANT!!!!!! We have an adorable little puppy who is the light and life of Rachel's life. The kids are absolutely enthralled with her. So much for getting much homeschooling done... Actually, the puppy is a mutt. He has some pit bull and some husky, and possibly some setter in him. Right now he is a very light cream color and he is about 2 1/2 months old. His face is shaped a bit like a pit bull, and he looks like his mother, who looks more like a pit bull. His personality seems to be very good, he is intelligent and is already learning to sit and to stay down (not jump on people). Anyway, he kept us awake with his whining last night, but even so, he is still very cute this morning. And, as Melanie and I were talking yesterday, as mothers, sometimes we say to our kids that there are things we will never allow, such as having a dog in the house. Well... Need I say more. Yes, he will be an outside dog, and we will have a fenced in yard for him to roam in when he is older, but also, yes, he can come in out of the rain, and sit by the fireplace and fall asleep on the kids' lap, etc. Unfortunately I will not allow him in the house at night, so into the shed he goes to whine to his hearts content and to our chagrin. Rachel wanted to name him Sunshine, but the general agreement was that Sunshine is not a boy's name, so it was shortened to Sonny. I think this name will stick, even with Ralph's insistence that this is another Bud (does that make him Bud 10 or 11 or 12...). I hope to have Ralph or Rebecca(the only digital camera savvy people in this household) take a picture of him to post so you all can see him. Well, that's the news for now. Love you guys.