Boots and Baby Toes

I'm grouping these two header photos into one explanation.  These photos have been a part of my header for a long time.  They were part of my old header, and I really wanted to keep them as part of a new one.  They are pretty obvious and maybe a little corny, but I like them.

The first one is of Pat's combat boots.  I wanted something that would represent the the Army because it is such a big part of our lives.  His boots were an obvious choice.  The laces of the boots in the shape of a heart shows how our love is always right there no matter what the Army may hand us.

The next photo is a foot of one of our children with our wedding rings on it.  We never got a good photo of our wedding rings from our wedding.  I thought this photo shows how our marriage and love are shared with our family.  We are a unit all together.    

So there you have it.  Two more photos are explained.  These ones weren't so exciting; they were pretty self-explanatory.  The last photo should be a little more interesting though, I promise.

A Taste of Spring

I've been fighting a nasty cold this weekend and just feeling pretty miserable.  I always find it challenging to take care of the boys when I'm feeling ill and thus in a nasty mood.

Thankfully we were given a taste of spring the last two days.  It was so nice to spend some time outdoors, and the fresh air helped me feel a bit better.  Yesterday I was able to clean up the backyard while the kids played on the swings, and today we played out front.  This was Sean's first opportunity to walk around free and explore the world around him.  He LOVED it.  Ryan enjoyed playing with all the outdoor toys that have been long forgotten in the winter.

There is so much to look forward to in Spring:
*Hubby comes home this spring. (It feels amazing to be able to say that.)
*Block leave vacation.
*Summer dresses, flowy blouses, and cute sandals.
*Spending days outdoors with the boys like we did today (see pics below) :D
And that is just to name a few.

What are you looking forward to this spring?

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #28

I'm joining Wife of a Sailor for the MilSpouse Friday Fill-In.  Go link up!

1.  If you were a famous movie star, what types of movies would you star in?  
After thinking about this for a moment, I thought I could better answer it if I said whose career I would want to emulate.  I would want a career like Reese Witherspoon.  I mean, almost everyone loves her, but really I like the diversity of movie roles she has.  She has the romantic comedies like Sweet Home Alabama, pure comedy like Four Christmases starring opposite Vince Vaughn, drama (with music) Walk the Line, and period pieces like Vanity Fair just to name a few.  I think I would have to stay away from scary movies and intense dramas with lots of villains/guns because it would stress me out too much while playing those roles.

2.  What is a vacation you would like to take if money were no object?
I would love to go to the Caribbean again.  We went there on our honeymoon, but I guess I can say it wasn't quite what I had expected.  I would love to go again though and give it another try.  

3.  Did you have pets growing up?
Yes, we are a dog loving family.  For the majority of the time growing up we had a dog and a cat.  The cat, Coco, was kind of a mean cat that didn't like people.  I am a bit afraid of cats after her, but she does still hold a special place in my heart.  Our dog, Jake, was one of the best dogs ever.  He was a golden retriever and was loyal and obedient.  He loved people.  It think growing up I considered him my best friend.  After he passed away, we realized how lucky we were to have such a great dog, and now you could call my family dog crazy as we all have multiple dogs.

4.  What do you do for exercise?
Currently my routine is running/walking on the treadmill.  I am so out of shape that I don't do it very long, but I'm working on it.  I also haven't been very consistent exercising, but I like to blame that on fighting off a cold right now.

5.  What is the best piece of advice you've ever received as a MilSpouse?
I don't really recall being given advice that often, but I would say the best thing I've heard is the saying: write it in pencil because it's going to change.  It is so important to be flexible.  You can't get mad when things change because they will, and it won't help the situation having a pity party.  Accept the changes and uncertainty, and when it finally happens be grateful.

Roses

I know you've seen my new blog design by now.  I wanted to make a few posts to explain about the photos I used for the header.  They are all special photos to me.  The first one I'll explain is the photo of the rose.  Maybe you just thought I liked pretty flowers, which I do, but it is more than that.

As you know from my previous posts, Pat took command of his battery.  I'm not sure if you've been to a change of command ceremony before, but at that ceremony they usually present flowers to the incoming and outgoing Commanders' wives.  After the ceremony there is a reception held.  It is usually a celebratory day.  Just like most things in Pat's career, we weren't able to have the usual event (this time because Pat is deployed).  A part of me is sad that I've missed out on such a big milestone in our Army life, but there is a part of me that always assumed our luck would play out this way.

Well, I'm now going to tell you just another reason why I love my husband.  The day Pat took command, I received a delivery of 12 long stemmed roses.  Pat didn't want me to be left out from his change of command.

While I love the gesture of the flowers, the part that makes them so special to me was the card.

Thank you for all of the sacrifices over the last 7 years;

You are my rock.  

This day is as much for you as it is for me.  

I'm sorry that you can't be here to take part in it with me.

I love you!

In that simple note, he made me feel a part of his special day even though I could not be there.  He made me feel like we are a team and that I am appreciated.  Most of all, because of that note I know how loved I am.  

So that rose in my header is more than just a rose.  It marks a milestone, a celebration, a partnership, and the love that is ever present between me and Pat.  

Patience: A Year Later

My blog has a new look.  I really wanted to refresh my blog, simplify the design, and lighten it up a bit.  I am so happy with how it turned out.  Shay over at Dumplin Design Studio did my design.  I used the pre-made template, and she was super fast and easy to work with.  Go check her site out.

As I began thinking about doing a new look for my blog, I was thinking a lot about my title "Our Motto Is Patience".  It was never in question whether to keep it or not.  However, I realized that I could not bring myself to go back and read my original post about it:  Patience.  I thought about why it was so hard for me to go back and look at this one particular post.  I knew why I didn't want read it.  I still felt my emotions from the night that brought me to my blog name very clearly.  I can feel the failure I felt for myself that night even now.  The guilt is still with me.  I knew I wrote that post when the wound was fresh, and I wasn't sure how it would feel to read that now.  Today I went back to read it.  I was a little struck by the date.  Apparently, the incident with Ryan that led to my blog name happened a year ago yesterday.  It's funny that exactly a year later I was working on another new blog design.  It also shows me just how far we've come over an entire year.  As for reading that post, I'm proud of what I wrote as the explanation for the name.  It still holds true today.  I am at peace with that night now.  I can see my faults, but I no longer blame myself.

And now patience is still playing a large role in my daily life a year later.  Listed below are the areas in which patience is vitally important as of today and for the coming year.

*Now, exactly one year later, Pat took command.  I know that I will have to be patient with the long hours and weekend phone calls that will drag him away from me once he returns from the deployment.  This is an opportunity for Pat to prove himself, and I must be patient while he handles all the responsibility that comes with that.

*Patience is extremely important for keeping my sanity during this third deployment.  I have sometimes limited and crappy communication with my husband.  I have two little boys that are demanding and can occasionally leave you feeling like you are at the end of your rope.  Plus in addition to all that I have a house and three dogs to also care for.

*I imagine that patience will be helpful with the reintegration process when this deployment comes to an end.  I saw during R & R how much the separation has affected Ryan.  I know it will take everyone a while to get used to being together.  Living together after a deployment is always a bit new because you get so used to being alone.  With Pat coming back to the parenting world there will be an adjustment in our parenting roles.  These are all things I look forward to, but I know that without patience it could lead to tension.  

Our motto is still patience.  We try to find it in our daily lives while dealing with the kids, the Army, our spouse, and all the minutiae of our lives.  It's still a struggle for me not to lose my patience, but I think that is something I will work on for the rest of my life.  Each day that I try to be patient is a day in which I learn and grow.

Proud

Today is a milestone for Pat, but since we are connected to this Army life together, I feel like I can celebrate this milestone too.  I normally do not like to share such personal information, but I feel that this is an event that I want to mark with a post of congratulations to my husband.  After 3 years of patiently waiting, Pat is finally taking command of his battery.  I am beyond proud of Pat and all the hard work he has put in to get to this point in his career.  While it was sometimes frustrating the way our luck went going to units that were full of more senior Captains already waiting in the queue for command, I feel like everything has worked out the way it was supposed to.  Every step of the journey has helped better prepare Pat for this challenge.  All the extra time he spent waiting, he learned new jobs and filled many different roles.  It seems like it was a blessing that he was able to have such a well rounded experience.
It's nice to not be waiting for this step in his career path anymore, but it is also nerve wracking knowing he has so much responsibility.  I feel like this is the first step to the next chapter of our Army life, and I cannot wait for all that this next chapter brings.

Pat, if you are reading this, congratulations!  I am so proud of you, and I know you will accomplish amazing things.  You are an incredible leader.  Your are our hero, and I am so thankful to be able to stand beside you on this journey.    I love you and cannot wait for you to come home to us.

On the Slow Road

That is where I'm learning to run--on the SLOW road.  I'm starting to attack my deployment goal of working out/running.  I cannot believe how pathetic I am in my present state.  I was once an active, athletic person.  Where did she go?
I will not even admit how short my stamina is, how slow I run, or even the tiny distances that exhaust me.  Thankfully I have acceptance that this will be a long (and slow) journey to train my body.  I am not in a race, and I don't care if I am always slow.  I know that I have to put in the time, effort, and self discipline if I want to succeed.  I am just trying to convince myself that each day it will get easier.  Eventually I will be able to run further, for longer time periods, and maybe I'll actually enjoy it.  One day I will get there.
And I have to say, that while I'm really out of shape and cannot do much now, it still feels really good to be working my body and challenging it.

Two Peas in a Pod

Sean is all about climbing these days.  The other day at lunch he climbed right up onto Ryan's chair to see what Ryan was eating.  Thankfully Ryan shared some of his cheese with his little brother, and they were two happy peas in a pod.  

The Things Kids Learn

Whenever I vacuum (which is not as often as a person with two kids and three dogs should) my boys like to help me.  They each have their own "vacuum" to carry around while I use my Dyson.  Today while Sean was helping me, he insisted on wearing a backpack.  The backpack is huge on him, but he looks absolutely adorable.  I thought that was just too cute.   However, as I watched him I noticed the whole time I was working that he not only had his backpack on and was carrying his "vacuum", but he was also holding a cell phone to his ear.  If that isn't multitasking, I don't know what is.

A little while later in the afternoon Ryan starts calling for my attention.  I look over to him, and he announced "I'm wearing Momma's shoes."  I told him how pretty they were on him and was about to turn around when he said, "I want to do ballet."  I froze where I was because I never expected my 3 year old to know what ballet was.  I asked him if ballet was what he said, and he confirmed it was.  So I said okay, let's do ballet.  He grabbed my hands and started twirling us around.  I knew I needed to get a photo of this.  I grabbed my camera and asked if he could show me ballet.  I received quite a show with twirling, leaping, and a little prancing.  I'm sure his Daddy is proud ;)  I'm just kidding--if our little boy wants to dance, then he should dance his little heart out.  And my only guess is he either heard about ballet at school or by watching Olivia on Nick Jr.  Either way, we had lots of fun dancing ballet for the rest of the evening.  

Easy is Good

I have to share this too easy yet absolutely delicious recipe with you.  Honestly, you should kick yourself if you don't try it.  I found it on my Real Simple No Time to Cook App.

Easy Shepherd's Pie

ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

8 oz frozen mixed veggies

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

16 oz package of mashed potatoes, refrigerated or frozen and thawed

Brown beef in large skillet.  Discard fat.  Stir in ketchup and worcestershire sauce.  Add veggies and cook stirring for 1 minute.  Spoon into a baking dish.  Mix cheese with potatoes and spread over beef.  Bake in oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Even my boys liked it, and I think Pat will too.  

On another easy but awesome topic.  My friend Robyn, over HERE, introduced me to Little Miss Momma's blog over HERE.  Little Miss Momma has this tutorial HERE to make a fabric flower pom pom headband.  When I saw how cute and EASY it was, I had to try it.  As I made the boys breakfast one morning, I started trying to make one of my own.  Of course I didn't have any solid color fabric on hand at the time, but I just wanted to try out the technique.  At first, I wasn't sure mine would come out right, but I kept going.  It seems that you really cannot screw this one up.  I made this headband here.

Now I should have thought about it before I glued it to the headband because my head seems to be an odd shape.  Headbands slide right off me all the time.  So I probably should have glued it to an elastic to use as a ponytail holder, but I think I'll manage to use this one for a while.  

Since I know headbands are hard for me to pull off, I thought I could definitely use one of these flowers as a pin.  I had some red fabric and started making another one while dinner was in the oven.  (It's all about multi-tasking I tell you!)  Again, I thought for sure it wasn't going to come out right again, but as I said it seems you cannot mess this up.  Isn't it cute?

So seriously, I really recommend you trying this.  It's super easy, fun, and you can make some really cute stuff!!!  

Murphy Doesn't Have Anything on Me

Murphy doesn't have anything on me.  (I may be crossing my fingers as I type this as to not jinx myself).

In the past week, I've been arguing/dealing with the treadmill installers (long story), the vet, and now my computer.

Last night, my computer died on me.  After looking online from my ipad at the possible causes, it seemed to say my internal hard drive couldn't be found.  Thanks to great advice from my brother, I made an appointment at the Genius Bar at the Apple store down in Nashville.  (I mean who knew, a genius bar?)

Every time I walk into the Apple store, I feel like an 80 year old that has lost touch with technology.  Having to bring two little kids in there with me makes me even more self-conscious.  As soon as I meet my Genius, I tell him that in relative terms I am computer illiterate.  I explain what is going on and how I think it is the hard drive.  He agrees and asks if I have been backing my computer up.  I hang my head in shame and explain that apparently I am the type of person that has to learn lessons the hard way.  I hear about this all the time, but never once took the time to back up all our files and pictures.  In my head I try to blame it on my limited technical knowledge, but really I'm just making excuses.  So the Genius says that he can still see my hard drive which is great news and could try to back it up onto an external hard drive for me if I would want to do that.  I quickly agree because the thought of losing all those pictures is something I hadn't come to terms with yet.  So he begins that process and tells me it could take a while and that I could play around the store if I wanted.  I asked (with a pleading look in my eyes), "can I leave the apple store?"  At first he hesitated, but I think after glancing down at my two sidekicks, on of them already screaming, he quickly agreed that it would be fine.

So with an hour to kill I began to shop.  I had been wanting to go to the Bare Escentuals store to get matched with the correct foundation, but I didn't think I was going to end up at this mall in Nashville anytime soon.  I guess my computer breaking was lucky for me in the makeup department.  I got the perfect color of foundation and continued on my shopping day. My next stop was the Pandora Store.  Remember my Christmas gift bracelet?  Well the bracelet has 3 sections.  You can lock off each section with a clip.  Since my charms have been drifting all over the place but then getting stuck in all different sections, I decided to splurge and buy two clips to keep the charms in the center.  I figured I deserved a little something for taking both boys to the upscale mall for an extended trip.  We also bought Ryan new sneakers.  Unfortunately he's so attached to his old ones that he didn't want anything new.  I even resorted to showing (and buying) him shoes that light up just to get him to agree to new ones.

Eventually we ventured back to Apple, but it had 25 minutes left in transferring the hard drive.  So went went to go eat a pretzel.  At this point Sean had had enough with the stroller, so I was trying to carry him, the diaper bag, our shopping bags, push the stroller, and keep my eye on Ryan.  We got our pretzels and found a nice and secluded bench.  All three of us sat there quietly enjoying our pretzels thankful for a break from the mall.  As we were finishing, Sean decided that he should walk on his own through the mall.  This is not usually something I would allow, but really the kid had been in the stroller for long enough.  Sean began his drunken sailor walk and was so happy.  At this point let me also tell you that Sean doesn't so much have a laugh as he does a giggle or chuckle.  His giggle has a little devilish quality to it.  It is really cute and adorable, but pretty unique.  Well, Sean was having so much fun running around free and kept doing his little chuckle.  I was afraid people would think I was letting my little one run wild, but thankfully everyone seemed to smile at him and think he was cute.  After a little while of this, I needed a break and to get him back under control.  I plopped him back into the stroller.  I thought he'd scream his little head off, but he in fact fought very little.  I think that taste of freedom had worn him out.  We made a quick potty break and headed back to the Apple store to wait.

We waited about 10 minutes until our Genius was free again.  He said it was successful in backing up the hard drive.  I was relieved.  He was trying to see if he could just repair the hard drive too instead of replacing it, but he had 3 more minutes to wait.  3 minutes later he had more good news.  He was able to repair the hard drive.  My computer was up and running and still had all the original information, plus I now had a backup too.  All I had paid for was the new external hard drive, which I obviously needed to invest in.  All the work the Genius did was free.  I wanted to kiss him I was so happy (well, not quite, but you get it).  I now understand why so many people LOVE Apple.

I was really lucky to escape this computer issue without losing any of my files/photos.  I was also lucky that I didn't have to spend a lot of money to get it fixed.  I think it was a good lesson to me about the importance of backing up my files/photos.  And it ended up being a pretty good shopping trip too!

Murphy didn't win today!

What's Not to Love?

This is how little boys play in the kitchen.

The face of an angel.  ;)

Just adorable, if you ask me.

Yup, he still travels with his "spaceman hat".

Sean has recently discovered the fun of putting a baseball hat on and taking it off...over and over again.  

Ryan likes to make things hot, as he would say it.  

Dilemma Solved (kind of)

Do you remember how I mentioned that my fashion dilemma is finding the perfect frames of eyeglasses? You can see the original post HERE. I stopped by the PX yesterday to check out what they had there. A few years back I purchased eyeglasses there and LOVED them, but unfortunately Pat and Ryan broke them one day when I was shopping. The thing about them though was they were SUPER expensive. You'd think the PX would be less expensive than most places, right? Wrong, they are the most expensive place for glasses around it seems. But I digress, so yesterday I stopped in there to see what they have. I found several really cute pairs that would solve my dilemma. It will make it a tough choice for me, but I know I'll find a pair I love there. I get a bit nervous about selecting glasses myself, but I really liked some of the pairs I saw. They still are very expensive, but since I will be wearing them almost everyday, I might as well pay for a pair I love.

But alas, my problem isn't solved quite yet. I need to get my eyes checked. It shouldn't be too hard to get in to see my eye doctor, but the same cannot be said for getting the kids into daycare. I looked online last night, and every M-W-F morning is booked for the next three weeks. I think they did have some random afternoons, but I just cannot sacrifice the kids' nap for that. I'll just keep looking until I can get it all scheduled.

And when I finally get some new glasses, I'll be sure to post some pictures.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #26

It's another MilSpouse Friday Fill-In over at Wife of a Sailor.

1. What are you looking forward to most in 2011?

This one is so simple, and I bet everyone can guess my answer. My husband coming home to our family!!!! I cannot wait. Next month I should get a better idea of when the homecoming will be, and then I can start counting down. I'm just ready for this deployment to be over and really would like a break from these deployments.

2. What is something random you do on a boring night when your significant other is away?

Not so random, but I blog stalk. I could spend hours doing that.

3. What has been your greatest adventure as a MilSpouse?

I feel like I haven't had my great adventure yet. I like to think it is just around the corner. I have a feeling that it may be coming as our next chapter begins when we finally PCS from here, but only time will tell.

4. What is the ugliest fashion trend you ever bought into?

I'd say pegging my pants way, way back in the day. Or wearing scrunchies in my hair. Sorry, I don't have pictures, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't post them anyway.

5. What was the high point of last month?

Another easy one for me--having my husband home and my family whole again for 2 glorious weeks. It was everything I imagined it would be and more.

My Christmas Gift

I haven't yet had an opportunity to write a post about the Christmas gift Pat gave me.

I've been wanting one for a while, but hadn't really told Pat about it. Somehow Pat figured it out and got me a Pandora bracelet. For those who aren't familiar, it's a kind of charm bracelet. I'm sure it isn't everyone's style, but I adore the fact that I can mark many events, holidays, moments on one piece of jewelry. I'm a huge sentimentalist, if you don't know. He gave it to me with 3 charms on it, and I think it is absolutely perfect. And I think Pat likes that he now has a gift idea (more charms) for many upcoming holidays and occasions.

(R charm for Ryan, S charm for Sean, and beautiful purple stone charm in the middle to remind me of my loving husband who gave it to me.)

Ramblings

Last night in a desperate attempt to keep Ryan from getting out of his bed, I convinced him that he couldn't go to school today if he got out of bed. He loves school, so he was concerned at the thought of missing it.

Wouldn't you know that today ends up being the second snow day in a row here. You can still see the grass through the snow dusting, so there isn't even enough to go play with. Now I feel like a mean mother. Thankfully he hasn't objected about the no school thing yet, so maybe this will work out in my favor and he'll stay in bed tonight too.

I think Ryan sleep talks. Last night around 3:30 a.m. I heard him letting out a cry. I went in there to check on him and he is sitting up. He says, "Momma, I'll be a good boy; I want to eat ice cream." I told him no and to lay down. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was sleeping again. I whispered that I loved him and he said, "apple juice?" and I said no and left. I'm fairly certain he was sleeping through that conversation. He's too cute.

Yesterday I had a meeting on post. Thankfully it wasn't canceled with the post opening at a 2 hour delay. I dropped the kids off at the cdc (child care), and they did pretty well by the way. Ryan is an absolute angel when he is at school or daycare (much different than at home!). Sean cries a lot, but he did survive. I had such high hopes for my meeting that I would find out some really important answers about this deployment, but alas, why did I even think I would get answers. This is the Army I'm dealing with, isn't it? 3.5 more weeks until I hear the answers I'm waiting on....I guess that gives me more time to hope and wish it goes the way I want.

Sean is a fuss monster today. I was so hoping it would be a quick day, but I have the feeling this one is going to feel LONG. At least it's a busy week so hopefully it passes quickly.

Have a good day everyone!

Real Simple No Time to Cook RAVE

I'm cheap and will rarely spend money on apps for my ipad, and if I do, it had better not be more than $3. But I've been wanting to get some new recipes to try out before Pat gets home and also to vary up the meals for me and the boys.

Since I LOVE Real Simple magazine, I wanted to check out the Real Simple No Time to Cook app. I hesitated for a bit though since it would cost me a whopping $5, but finally I gave in since the prospect of finding recipes I would enjoy in the nearly 850 recipes was high.

I tried out my first dish the other night and it was really good. The boys liked it too, so that is a bonus. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, as I didn't have dijon mustard, but the spicy brown mustard worked just fine. (I also didn't do much measuring and instead eyeballed all the ingredients.) This is an easy, yummy, and pretty healthy dish that I highly recommend to add to your cooking repertoire.

Chicken Sauteed with Apples

4 chicken breast

1 tbs olive oil

1 apple cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 cup apple juice

1 onion thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 tbs dijon mustard

salt and pepper

• Heat oil in large skillet. Saute chicken until golden, about 3 minutes each side
• Add apple slices, apple juice, onion, garlic, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Simmer covered 6-8 minutes.
• Remove chicken, apple slices, and onion to a serving platter and keep warm.
• Bring sauce to a boil for about 5 minutes or until slightly reduced. Whisk in mustard. Pour sauce over chicken.

I would share a picture, but it just doesn't do the dish justice.

Enjoy!

By the Numbers

2 years ago today, Pat came home from his 2nd deployment.

Today Sean turns 15 months old.

Tomorrow marks 7 months down on Pat's 3rd deployment.

It's been 9 days since Pat left at the end of R & R, and it is too many days until I see him again.

But the days are starting to fly, and pretty soon I'll be able to count down until my family is whole again.

Overtired Children and Sleeping Dogs

This post may be a bit random, but try to go with it ;)

Yesterday was a day where I was looking forward to bedtime. The kids have both been overtired for a few days. Originally I thought going back to school was taking a toll on Ryan, but I think Sean crying for long periods of time in the wee hours of the morning may also have something to do with it. I'm still working on weaning Sean. I try rocking him when he wakes, but he much prefers nursing. This morning at 5 a.m. I gave in (pretty quickly too) because he was so upset about not nursing, and I just didn't want him crying for the rest of the morning and waking Ryan up. I think it will be a slow process, but I'm working on it.

So yesterday included overtired, cranky kids. One of them (Ryan) flooded the bathroom at bath time. I lost my temper, and I hate when that happens. I think I'm the one that needs a swift kick to my butt.

I put the kids to bed a little early and settled in to watch some new Thursday TV. We got rid of some furniture when Pat was home, so I was sitting in a chair. The (heavy) ottoman was across the room and I was too lazy to go get it. I didn't want to move to the couch because I like to have the TV volume on really low and the couch is pretty far away from the TV for that. So I was making do and finding all sorts of awkward positions to try to get comfortable.

Then my pug, Sammy, came over and wanted to snuggle on my lap. That was just what I needed--a warm, cuddly, snoring dog to snuggle with. It made me feel warm and cozy and despite the awkward sitting, I was happy to be sharing my night with my little cuddle pug.

However, I'm positive that whoever started the saying, "let sleeping dogs lie", did not let those sleeping dogs lie in their bed. We have 3 dogs. They sleep in our bed and pretty much always have. Thankfully some years ago we upgraded to a king size bed. You would think that would give me plenty of room with a deployed husband, but for some reason I end up on the edge of the bed not being able to move anywhere. This morning right before Sean woke up, I was holding myself on the edge trying not to topple over the side. My cute little cuddle pug that I mentioned above, likes to sleep really closely and often right under the covers with me. Yet that little 30 lb-er is capable of using his weight to slowly push you out of the bed. I think Pat and I have some changes to be made in regards to the dogs' sleeping arrangements when he returns.

And since we are talking about my cute dogs and specifically my pug, I thought I'd post a video of Sammy watching a news story this morning about his distant cousins--big pigs.

Does it get any cuter?

Sean in his version of multicam with his friend, Sammy the pug.

He loves being silly!
He also loves giving Sammy kisses and hugs. What a lucky dog, although I'm not sure he sees it that way.
I don't think smiles get any bigger than this one.
His new favorite toy is my new laundry basket. Needless to say it isn't helping with much laundry.
But if it makes him happy, it was worth it!