I'm 30!

Well the day has come, and I am no longer in my 20's! WOW! I feel great for being 30, having 2 children, and being married for almost 7 years! I have had an incredible 30 years, and hope to have an even better next 30 years!

We went to Simply Fondue for dinner with my brother Bo, Shannon, Kelly, and Aaron! Thanks guys for helping me celebrate turning the BIG 30! I love you all!

Bye Bye Max!

Our family had to make a really tough decision about whether or not to keep Max! I found out after we got him that I have terrible allergies to him. I knew I was allergic to cats, but didn't even think about being allergic to dogs too! That in itself was killing me. I called an allergist and it was going to cost me $2000 just to do the allergy test to confirm that I was allergic to dogs. Then there was a good chance that an allergy med wouldn't do the trick, and I would have to get allergy shots made for that allergy! We have private insurance since Mike is self employed and those expenses alone were outrageous!

The other issue we were having is just the constant care for Max. He was like a new baby! I had to take him outside a million times a day to go to the bathroom. He was barking in his crate all night and keeping me up all night. Honestly, he was just too much for me to handle at this point in my life. I have a 1 year old, and a 4 year old, and he was busier than those 2 put together. I couldn't leave the house for too long because Max wasn't potty trained and he was still a very young puppy, so he couldn't stay in his crate very long before needing to go out and potty! Yes, I thought about all these things before we got him, but until you are actually in the situation you just don't get how hard it is. Especially being a stay at home mom with 2 small children!

So it was the day after Maddy's birthday party ( I know that is terrible), and Mike & I were just worn out from dealing with Max. One of Mike's employees really wanted a dog. He has had dogs in the past and trained them himself, and was very interested in getting a boxer like Max. We thought to ourselves "this could be a great opportunity for us to give him to a loving home, and to someone we know and see everyday." We decided to ask Danny if he would want Max, and of course he said "YES!" Now, it was time to tell Madeline. That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. We told her that because mommy gets sick whenever I am around Max that Danny was going to take care of him, so mommy could feel better! I have never seen a child's heart so broken before in my life, and it was all my fault! I just cried like a baby, and said "never mind we will just keep him. I would rather be miserable than see my child's heart break like that." Madeline stopped crying and ask me to pick her up. She said " mommy why are you crying?", and I said " because mommy hurt your feelings and I didn't want to do that." She said " mommy I will be okay if you will be okay, but you have to stop crying or I am going to cry again", and then she wiped my tears away! That made me cry again! She was trying so hard to be strong for me, that is not how this is suppose to work. So I got myself back together and she agreed to give Max to Danny! Danny came to pick Max up and Madeline tried to be really strong! I cried and was depressed for a whole week! It was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make. It is crazy how attached you get to a puppy in such a short period of time! I am so proud of Madeline for being so brave and strong even though I know she was so upset and sad! WE MISS YOU MAXIMUS!

Madeline's Wild Animal Princess Birthday Party!

This year, Madeline came up with her own theme for her party! She wanted a petting zoo, and a princess theme! So that is where we decided to call it a "Wild Animal Princess Party!" We had so much fun, and we were able to celebrate with all of our family & close friends! Thank you all so much for sharing this special celebration with us! It really meant a lot to all of us, especially Madeline!

Happy 4th Birthday Madeline!

Wow, it is so hard to believe that Madeline was born 4 years ago! She has grown up so much, and has an unbelievable personality! She is so smart, and so going on 13! She has the sassy attitude that I have been told that I HAD! She will someday be a lawyer because she can negotiate and argue her point until she has convinced you that you are wrong. Then she will tell you that you are wrong, and she is right. I haven't figured out where she got that trait yet! LOL! We love her so much and I can't imagine my life without her! She challenges me everyday, and is learning so much that I think she will be smarter than me real soon! She already ask me things that I am like "uh, go ask your daddy!", and then I'm thinking "crap, I should probably go look that up. She can't know that I don't know the answer to that!" Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you so much!

We spent the day together as a family. Mike took off work, and we started the day at Toys r Us! She got to pick out a couple of things for her birthday. She picked out this pink guitar and another baby doll. I don't think she could ever have enough dolls!

Then, we went to eat at Uncle Julio's! WE love some Mexican food!

That night we were suppose to meet my family at Chucky Cheese for dinner, but Pierson had starting feeling sick so Mike had to stay home with him ( we later found out Pierson had tonsillitis & a double ear infection). Madeline and I went to Chucky Cheese with my parents. Maddy loves it there, she could go there every day! We had a great time, and she helped me make cupcakes to take with us!