And School is Out of Session

It's official. School is out for summer break!!! YEEEE HAWWWW!!!! I have year one at new school and grade level under my belt. I'd say it was a pretty successful year with a few minor bumps on the road. I was really apprehensive of going down a grade. With them being less independent, learning a new curriculum, and all the other emotional shenanigans that come with 2nd graders, I didn't know how the year would go. But they proved me wrong and they surpass all my expectations. They're super smart, more independent than I had imagined, and still had all their sweetness and innocence. That was my favorite part. They still enjoyed helping you out and pleasing you, and still looooved to do all the little things for me like drawing me pictures and giving me hugs.

But that's not to say that I haven't been looking forward to this day for a loooong time! Once that bell rang at 11:50, I rushed home to my 2 loves of my life!

I can't wait to spend a whole summer with this little one! It's going to be hard couple of weeks learning each other's behaviors and signals, getting used to new early morning routines, and most of all, potty training this little rascal. It's going to be just you and me little monster!!

Welcome to Your Forever Home, Waffles!

Today's the day that we brought our little Miss Waffles home! Out of the 4 3-hour drives we've made in the last 8 weeks, this one felt like the longest one ever! We couldn't get to Waffles fast enough.

When we got there, she was this squirmy little bundle of fur that wanted nothing but to play, play, play! We got all our necessities from Eva (who's been so helpful throughout the whole process!) and took some final photos with her brother, Henry. I bet he's so glad he got to live in peace for a couple of days before his forever momma comes to pick him up. :P

Yes Waffles. Dadda is a little special.

After playing with the two rascals, the boy and I were ready to bring Waffles to our home. Her forever home. But not before final family photos!! :P

Waffles: "Neener! I'm going hoooome!!"

And we're off!!

The drive home wasn't half as bad as we thought it would be. We were expecting ear deafening screeching, but this brave little girl barely cried at all! I have to put it on record and give credit where it's due. I wanted to hold her and make her feel safe, but the boy's idea of putting her in the crate was definitely the better one. After about an hour of her skinning me alive and squirming to find a hole to burrow her face in, I had to give the crate idea a go. She definitely felt more safe being in an enclosed space. I sat in the backseat with her with my fingers between the holes and she was as calm as can be.

Keeping one eye on momma to make sure she didn't leave her side.

I can't get over her sweet face!

After 3 pee stops, we were home!! She was shy at first, crawling around and sniffing and exploring, but it wasn't long before she warmed up to her new home and was zooming away!

When the boy and I discussed the different rules we were going to enforce, not allowing her to come on top of the couch was going to be one of them. Welp! That went out the door. Clearly.

How can you say no to her?!

She didn't eat too much, but obviously in a new home, that was to be expected. We played with her some more till this happened:

Yup, we pooped her out real good.

Then the dreaded bed time... The boy and I were dragged our feet on this one. We were expecting a sleepless night with endless wailing, but yet again, she surprised us and did exceptionally well! She cried for a little while, but with me sitting there next her with my fingers in the crate, it put her right to sleep. I had to wake up every two hours to make sure she didn't pee in her crate, and each time, she went right in her crate to sleep.

Good night sweet Waffles. We can't wait to see you in the morning!

P.S. We couldn't have asked for a better first day. We already love her so much, we don't know what to do with ourselves!! 

3 Years Down, 9834 More to Go!

The boy and I made it to 3 years today!! I must say that this year is the year that we've grown the most as a couple. It's been a long trek to get to the point we're at now, but all the hard work we've poured into us is finally paying off.

The boy and I usually celebrate our anniversaries in style. And by style, I mean STYLE. For instance, our first year, the boy surprised me with a weekend getaway to Napa. We went on a sunrise hot air balloon ride that overlooked all of Napa. We also stayed in Auberge. I double dog dare you to look it up. I promise it will blow your mind to a million pieces. We celebrated our 2nd year in Banff, Canada for a whole week! We still talk about that trip to this day! This year, with Waffles joining us in a few days, we decided to keep it low key. But that didn't mean the surprises came to a halt. No, no, no. That's not how he rolls. The boy surprised me with the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers that I've ever received from ANY boy in my life. It was 7682 kinds of awesome and I just about went batshit crazy when I opened the door.

Absolutely stunning.

My all time favorite: peonies.

The boy treated me out to a fancy dinner at Cin Cin in Los Gatos! When we walked in to the restaurant, the bouquet turned heads. All females were eyeing the beaut and their poor boys probably heard an earful all night. I walked to our table feeling like the queen of the world and couldn't help but feel so lucky to be the one to receive it! 

Now, I don't consider myself a food snob at all. If the food is yummy, the food is yummy and that's about the extent that I can describe it. Which is why I can't explain the food here at Cin Cin, but I can say it was pretty top notch stuff. I can't comment on their entrees because we just gorged ourselves in wine and appetizers. Were they yummy?? Ummm... Let's just say that we couldn't breathe by the end of the meal. 

Even after all the food, we just had to get dessert. I mean... an anniversary without dessert?! Unheard of! So we fought our flashing red I'm-stuffed. Please-don't-put-anything-more-in-me! sensors and managed to convince ourselves that dessert was a must. It did not disappoint.

How I was impatient to further stuff myself was just beyond me...

Thank you for such a romantic night, Puffin! But more than that, thank you for being there for me when I needed your support. Thank you for always being so patient with me. I know I'm not the easiest person to handle. Most of all, thank you for always making me laugh by making a complete fool of yourself. You're my constant light that always shines so brightly, even through my stubborn dark times. I can't wait to see what year 4 has in store for us!! It's gonna be good! <3

Happy anniversary love!

Puppy Nesting

The countdown is officially on! There are officially 5 sleeps left until we bring our new addition home. And might I say... the boy and I are INCREDIBLY stoked! She is going to add a new element to our every day life and we can't wait to see what the future has in store for us!

Time's a tickin' fast so the boy and I went puppy shopping. We bought all the essentials for our little Waffles, so that girl is set!!

Puppy bed must get my stamp of approval. Fluffy and soft?? Check and check. Our Waffles gets nothing but the very best!

Yup, I think it's safe to say that we are ready for her arrival! All that needs to be done is puppy proofing the house so she doesn't accidentally break anything. 

Waffles, we can't wait to bring you home! Hope you're ready for us!

Teacher for Life

There are many times when I've really disliked my teaching career. The poor pay, the demanding parents, the spoiled children that no longer have respect for others, the long hours... I mean the list goes on! But then once in a while, they do something that makes you remember why you chose this job and you fall in love with it all over again.

Today was that kind of day.

I was out ill yesterday due to a mild bout of food poisoning on Tuesday. I was in charge for Field Day today so I knew I had to take yesterday off in order to muster through the day. While I was gone, a group of my behaviorally challenging ducklings got together to make a poster of Waffles to make me feel better!!

I mean, how friggen precious is that?! Do you see the curly hair that they outlined her with?? Let's just say they had a couple of freebies today. :P

Another girl in my class had a similar idea and did the same!

Isn't that just amazing?! They are 2nd graders. 2ND GRADERS PEOPLE! I'm in my 30's and I can't even draw a tree without it looking like it's hemorraging alien brains. 

They know how much I already love her and how much I'm waiting for her, so they thought a picture of her would make me feel better! *swoooon* Even though they drive me a little bonkers on a daily basis, I have to remember they they have such big hearts, and somehow still love their Nazi teacher. And yes... I love them too. :)

Breaking the Home In

This past Memorial Day weekend was super jam packed with memorable events. The first one was obviously seeing Waffles, and that's ALWAYS memorable. But the second is having my housewarming bbq! It's been a long (long!) journey to finally get to say I'm a homeowner, but the time is here, and I could't be happier!

In this burgeoning economy where housing prices are skyrocketing to unimaginable prices (especially here in the Silicon Valley!), I am pretty blessed with parents who can help out any way they can. We all know that teachers can't purchase a single family home on our income alone. I wouldn't even dream of it! But with my parents help, they have made one of my dreams come true. Don't know if you're reading this Mom and Dad, but thank you for all that you do!! :)

I am a strong believer in throwing a housewarming party, even if you've moved in to a new apartment. You can only imagine how bored my friends are of my housewarming parties. Haha! But I do believe it should be broken in with people near and dear to your heart. It's where we will share some lasting memories with! For instance, 2 apartments ago, it's where I lived on my own without ANY roommates for the very first time. It's also where my first keg stand IN A MAXI DRESS went down as well! You don't want to know how that ended... :P But most of all, it's where a lot of my early memories with the boy are. It's where I cooked the boy his very first meal as a couple. Tuna Puttanesca to be exact. I still don't know what a puttanesca is but he loved it and that's all that matters! I also have memories of him coming religiously every Wednesday for date night to watch The Amazing Race and laugh hysterically at all the hicks traveling the world for the first time, all over a jug of Amber. Our beer from our very first date. And yes, you heard that right. A jug. Wow, we used to drink a lot!!

The last place I was at didn't have *too* many happy memories, which is why my living situation there only lasted 9 months! The only thing I remember is the god awful traffic that I had to endure on a daily basis. I wanted to shoot myself every. single. morning. It was the most horrific way to start your morning. It was 40 minutes going there, and 30 minutes coming back. I wasted countless hours sitting in the car, stewing in my own fury with each passing idiotic driver. I'm getting amped up just thinking about it! >:(

I just had to get out of there, which sped up the looking process for a new house. After months of remodeling, living with my parents (ACK!), and unpacking for what I hope to be the last for a while, the rooms are almost all ready. I knew that if I waited to make it a perfect home, I'd never be able to get guests in here to break the place in. The perfectionist in me cringed, but after all that's said and done, I'm so glad I did.

I wish I had taken some photos of the tables all set up and pretty, but in the flurry of trying to get everything set up, it just completely slipped my mind! Yes, me. The picture taking whore. The must-record-everything-or-the-whole-world-is-gonna-fall-apart picture taking whore.  So you can *only* imagine how stressed I was playing hostess! I'm glad that I got some pictures in to remember the day.

But before I say anything else... I just have to say. This boy...

The day couldn't have been possible without this amazing dude. He slaved for hours assembling the bbq grill, untangling the Xmas lights and stringing them around my patio, and if that wasn't enough, bbqing some damn yummy burgers and hotdogs! Thank you so much babe!! :D

Love you to pieces!!

My beautiful girls, minus 2. We missed you Jennie and Sammi!

And this girl, Erin, is just all kinds of awesome. She is literally fresh off the boat a week ago, and she braved her first American BBQ! Hope we didn't scare you off! :P

Never thought this day would come, but our 4some is now complete! :) 

How can you not love these reres?? 

The gang. It only took us 17 years to FINALLY be in serious relationships all at the same time! 

After a *minor* incident at a 6 mo. old birthday party a couple years back, I am now cut off from holding my friend's children after 4 beers. Can you believe they put a limit on my drinking just to hold their stinkin' kids?! Yeah... I do... And here, you see why! I think it's safe to say I've hit my limit. :P

There are a couple of others here that made it to the party but didn't get around to taking photos with. I also have a lot of other friends who I woulda loved to break in the house with, but due to the holiday weekend, many were out of town. :( BUT, I have all summer, and once Waffles is done with all her shots, I foresee many bbqs and puppy parties galore! With Waffles joining the boy and I in 2 weeks, I am looking forward to making so many great memories in this new home.

She's Almost Here!

This past Memorial weekend, the boy and I made our last trip to Reedley to visit the little Miss Waffles. We will be bringing her home on June 7th! She has grown and changed SO much in the last 2 weeks! Her hair has gotten a little fluffier and curlier, her big booty continues to grow faster than her head, and she's so much taller! I guess a tall dog would only be fitting with a tall human. :P

Currently 4 lbs 1 oz. Up one pound since 2 weeks ago!

But the biggest difference we noticed? She's so much more active, and a bit of a bully to her other brothers and sister. Especially to poor little Henry, who is not only the runt of the group, but isn't her "real" brother as well. Henry was the only surviving pup from the 2nd litter that was born 5 days early. :( It's interesting that they know who their real brothers and sisters are.

Check her out in action here!

At 1:55, Waffles just totally mauls Henry to get attention from Eva. What a little meanie and not to mention, a little bit of an attention whore. "No no no! I want in on the movie! Mooooove!"

I'll be honest here and say that I had my moments of doubt with Waffles. I've never had an alpha dog, nor an active one like her. I was worried that she'd be too much for me to handle and that I wouldn't be able to be her pack leader and train her properly. I mean, we couldn't get her to sit still for 5 seconds to take a proper picture! I know that puppies usually play hard for an hour tops before getting exhausted, but Waffles?? Nope. Of course not. It took her about an hour and half. This is her afterwards, just completely exhausted:

She's finally toast!

I wonder if human parents go through this same initial freak out mode before bringing their baby comes out into the world. Do they wonder if they'll be good parents, or if their kid will be unruly and completely run the household? Do they get scared if they'll permanently scar and damage their kid? Did you ever want to forever keep the baby in your belly because of the fear of what the future may hold? Well... that was me in a nutshell. A couple of days prior of seeing Waffles, I wanted to love her from afar without the worries of being a good puppy momma. But thankfully, the boy did an awesome job of calming me down. He didn't sugar coat it and say that she'll be the perfectly calm pup that I hoped she would be, but we would be able to train her with professional help. And using my teacher voice and glaring will be certainly be put to good use as well! :P

We went to visit her one last time to see how she really is in person and it was instant love all over again! How can you not with this beautiful face of hers??

Look at her happy face! She loves getting her belly rubbed!

Pure love. The boy and Waffles sharing an emo moment together.

Only after playing will she sit still long enough to take a picture with momma.

I felt really guilty having those doubts take over my love for her. I am now super eager (again!) to bring her home and start our life together. I'm sure it will be filled with lots of hugs and kisses!!

Love you Waffles!!

The boy and I can't wait to bring her home!! :D