Adoption Day - DOG aka GOD

Last year we adopted Sadie on March 26th on kind of a whim. I'd been saving and we knew we wanted a dog...just weren't sure when. Well, I found an amazing breeder online in Fort Wayne, IN and thought I knew just the dog I wanted from there. That week my mom and I were shopping in our traditional spring break fashion and on the drive to our destination had an "ultimatum" given to us. We kept seeing all these people driving next to us with a dog in the car. So, we decided if we saw another 3 dogs in cars as we drove to our destination, that meant Jack and I had to get a dog that coming weekend. Well...we all know that DOG spelled backwards is GOD. You better believe that GOD gave us our sign we needed!!
I convinced Jack that evening (the 24th) that we must go get this dog. That Friday he took off and it was the last day of my spring break, so off to IN we drove. When we got there and they brought out the litter and dog I thought I wanted...something in it just didn't feel "right". I asked about another litter I'd seen on the website...the dogs were a light brown, fluffy and awfully cute. ....With that, out came Sadie's litter. By this time there were about 6-8 puppies all running around the room with each other (an adorable site to see) not really caring about us being there. Well...almost all of them felt that way. There was one little girl who would go play with the others then come back and sit by my feet, then go play, then come back and jump on our laps, then go play....but finally was just happy sitting next to us. Out of all the pups, she was the only one that showed a true interest in us and well...look at her! We knew we loved her just as much as she seemed to love us! With that we were sold ...and on our way back to Chicago!

It has been an AMAZING year and she is one AMAZING little girl. If you know me, you know that I love children and want one... Well, I must say I'm really happy we got a dog first. Sadie has taught us soooo much and we've really even grown closer than we thought we could because of Sadie. I really believe that everyone should have a dog before having kids because you learn a lot about each other during the process!! It is a great prep tool and the most affectionate practice you can get!

Here's a recap of her real adoption day and of the 1 year celebration.
We love you Sadie! Thank you for loving us, letting us dress you, giving us endless kisses, always entertaining us with many laughs, for teaching us patience and how to stay "calm" in ER situations, and most of all...thank you for choosing us!!







The small pink dog in the pictures was a "gift" from the place we got her. Sadie got to pick out a toy for her adoption day. She picked this one.






It was a little windy that morning taking pictures outside. But we wanted to be back at the spot she first walked on our property. (We are corny...I know!)


Treats for your adoption day!

And the little pink puppy toy is still a favorite today!!




BIIIIIG Yawn! Look at those pearly whites! haha

Just Happy to Run!

As you may know, Sadie is quite a small dog - 6 lbs. to be exact. We got our yard fenced in for the privacy as well as to keep out unexpected predators - coyotes, raccoons, possum, and really anything else with 4 legs...
Our vet did tell us last year when we got Sadie that while a fence works great, we still need to keep her on the leash because of hawks because she is smaller than even rabbits and would be a great catch for a hungry hawk. "Awesome"
With that said, we always take Sadie out on the leash and hardly let her off.
But...she's a dog, right!? And what do dogs love to do?? RUN FREE!!!
So, with both of us out there watching her and the sky/trees we have a little off-leash fun running time. Sadie LOVES IT!! If it were up to me I'd put a big net over our whole yard at the top so no hawks could dive down and get her...but I'll keep dreaming I guess!! ;)

Our neighbor has 2 large doodle's that Sadie is "nose buddies" with. They stick their huge snouts under the fence and Sadie gets right up there and they sniff each other out.

Sadie & Daddy are checking to see if they're outside

Loves being free in the yard

She LOVES to hold her own leash & walk herself...


Running to Mommy!!

Keeping up with Jack

Some action shots...this girl does not stop!! Major speed!!

Moon

What is it about the moon that is so captivating? Breathtaking? Beautiful? Maybe that we know it is just sooo far away, but still looks close enough for us to feel like it's right by us?! Maybe it's this childhood-love affair with the the moon we have - cow's jumping over the moon, the books Goodnight Moon & Happy Birthday Moon, looking up at the sky with our parents and them pointing out how bright or big the moon is tonight. Who knows - but I think we all enjoy looking up at the sky and seeing the moon - for whatever feeling it gives us - it's special!

Spring is Here...Well...We're Pretending!

We had a very quick tease of spring in early-mid March and since then it has been cold, windy, rainy and even snowy!!! While I love March for many, many reasons, it's unpredictable weather that can include all 4 seasons in just 1 month is not one of those reasons!! So, since it's not spring weather and it's Spring as of March 22nd...we're doing our best to really make it feel like spring around the house!

Sadie (of course!) got a new spring toy - a cute little duck, which she managed to tear off the duck bill within about 5 minutes. Typical. She's still a heavy chewer with her toys - thankfully not furniture or anything of ours, just her toys! We only buy them on sale now since she can go through them at ultra-fast speeds!!





I've had fun decorating this spring too! Last year I got basic decorations but this year, being year 2, I have been able to get more and I'm enjoying it!!

Wine Trailers Try Out Wine Making

We have our "Wine Trail" group of friends that we've gone on a bunch of great trips over the past two years with, but this March we tried out wine making for ourselves. We started the night with a lovely dinner made by Megan and drank, of course, lots of wine. (And when I say lots...I mean waaayy too much, haha!)

Mainly the boys did all the making while the girls sat and watched, drank our wine, and chatted. We of course did help put in our opinions about what kinds of wine we wanted them to make. (Sounds pretty typical, right?!)

Overall - it was super fun, very cool to watch/do, and we are excited to see how they all turn out in a couple of months!