It's the Simple Things

Little things make me happy. Curling up with a good book. Sleeping in and spending the morning with Joseph cooking breakfast and drinking coffee. Lazy summer days at the beach. Laughing with my best friend. Having a child give you a kiss and tell you that they love you. Baking with my grandmother. Doing something kind for a stranger. Floating down the river. Going to church. A nice piece of chocolate. The fact that my hydrangea bush actually bloomed and I can bring the blooms inside to enjoy.

Watching my babies sleeping.

Playing rock band with family and friends.

Pulling my baby and nephew around the yard enjoying a beautiful spring day.

Watching my dad be a wonderful grandfather.

Staying in your pajamas all day. Getting an "I love you" text from Joseph during the day. Spending time with family and friends. Playing with my puppies. Having a movie marathon with Joseph on a Sunday afternoon. Sitting around drinking coffee with my mom, aunt, and Stacey. Usually it is the simple things that make me happy. Although I do love jewelry, clothes, shoes, and other stuff; I find that it is the free stuff in life that is the best gift. So always take time to thank God for the gifts that He gives you. It may have no monetary value, but it is the simple things that are the most valuable.

Sir Bentley "Jacques" Ward

Bentley is finally here!! All it took was a road trip up to South Carolina to get him. Yes, homeboy was rescued from the depths of hell. But he is now happy and safe (somewhat) with his new mom Stacey.

He has taken his place in this house of dachshunds. He pretty much runs the show! He may only be 4.5 pounds, but he can make those pups run faster than anything! Brutus is absolutely obsessed with this dog. And I mean, OBSESSED! He watches him constantly. He tackles him and holds him down. (maybe those are just hugs...) JR on the other hand likes him fine, as long as he stays away from him. Bentley has been know to chase JR round and round the kitchen island. Oscar could care less, as long as he goes home with Stacey every day. Take a look at Brutus and his infatuation.

Full stare down mode from his perch.

A sniff to make sure he smells just right.

"Um, where do you think you are going with my toy?"

I will protect my mommy from you.

Brutus really does love him. Bentley is the only one that will actually "play" with him for a while. JR is too much like Oscar, he would rather eat or sleep.

Welcome to the family Bentley!!

When Life Gives You Lemons....

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's been too long since I last blogged. I haven't really felt like blogging, and don't have much to blog about, so please forgive me. And throughout the tragic loss of our baby, I realize that I have the best family and friends any gal could ask for. So, I decided to show just a few pictures of what helped get me through and made me smile while I was still recovering.

Brutus smelling the flowers. He was so funny. He would sit there on the couch and just sniff and sniff. Plus he is super cute, even if I am biased!

The day after I was released from the hospital, Joseph had to leave on a business trip, so my mom stayed with me. I also have the most awesome mother-in-law in the world, because she came down and stayed for a few days, and was such a blessing to us! My dad, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew also came up for a day. I love this because Barrett found Joseph's chap stick and was pretty much licking it. It was replaced to its original place, but I still laugh everytime Joseph puts on a nice coat of it. He is still none the wiser that this happened or Mr. Nice Nasty would flip!

Nothing like having Barrett snuggle with you makes you feel better!

I even got Stacey to FINALLY come snuggle with me too! But I'm sure that had more to do with Barrett than me.

So these are my sweet things that help make the lemon juice a little more tolerable!