NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Dennis has been working out of town every week which has been INCREDIBLY challenging in so many ways;  the kids miss him, I miss him, we don't like to be home by ouselves, logistics of getting Kayla to and from practice, not spending time talking & hanging out.  He ususally gets to come home for the weekends which is bitter sweet.  We are excited to see him and we're sad to see him go every Sunday afternoon. The first couple of times he was able to come home and relax but lately it's been a different story. 
When things happen during the week, I try not to mention it when I talk to him on the phone because I don't want to overwhelm him with all of our "stuff" because I know how miserable he is being away from us.  Two weeks ago our microwave oven went out.  At first I thought this was a major catastrophe because I didn't realize how dependent I am on this gadget until I couldn't use it anymore.  He tried to fix it but nothing!  Now that I've been without it, I kind of don't miss it anymore.
This week, Dennis's truck had a new light come on "4x4".  What does this mean?  I have no idea but I know it's not good.  I tried different buttons, knobs and nothing.  I figured I'd let Dennis work on that one.  Dennis decided to work on the truck on what is probably the coldest day I can remember.  Not only was it freezing, it was wet.  We even had snow!  He worked on that thing all day and after 4 hours it was finally fixed!  Thank God.
This morning we wake up to a toasty 24 degrees.  Knowing it was going to be frigid cold, Dennis left the outside spicket on the night before so we would have the water the next morning....WRONG.  We came out to find a huge ice cascade going from the spicket to the driveway.  The knob was frozen while it was wide open and it was so cold it froze the spicket too.  You couldn't turn it either way.  He then proceeds to walk to the side of the house where the well pump is at.  Surprise, surprise, that was frozen too.  Last time that happened it cost us $1200 to fix it.  Needless to say, we were praying that was not the case this time!.
Dennis came inside and said "Let's go have some breakfast." so we get bundled up, got in the car and drove to 1 of 2 places to eat in the bustling metropolis of Dade City; the Waffle House (my first time there).  There was a wait so my abundanlty patient husband turned around and walked right out.  He suggested we go a super hip and trendy breakfast spot adored by every driver in Florida...The Flying J.  I got out pretending to be excited to be there.  When we got to the door, a sign read "Closed due to construction".  Hallelujah!  So what did we do?  We turned around and went back to the Waffle House all while Turner is screaming his head off.  This time when we walk in there is no wait but apparently all their help had no idea what they were doing.  We eat breakfast; waffles, bacon and eggs, pay our $16.00 bill and go to back to home sweet home.  
As soon as we got home, Turner wanted to play ball, VROOM VROOM, play with Maximus and show daddy how he can do the Wii.  While they're playing, I decide to take Maximus outside to go potty.  I come back in with Maximus and Dennis says "Where's Turner?"  I said "I thought he was with you!".  Needless to say, we start looking for him and nothing.  We start to make the second round around looking everywhere, or so we thought.  Still nothing.  I was in such a panic, I had a massive headache and I started to feel sick to my stomach.  Then I hear Dennis say "Babe, I found him!"  He was hiding in Kayla's closet playing with a giant marble Easter egg.  He looks up and says "Dada, ball."  We bring him back to the living room, so relieved we didn't have to call the cops and explain what horrible parents we are that we lost our child inside the house.  Dennis starts to explain to Turner that "when Dada calls you, you have to say Dada back".  I'm laughing because I know my 17 month old son understood about .5 of that conversation. After Dennis is done with his lecture, Turner starts to walk away, he turns around and with a grin on his face, puts his index finger to his mouth and says "sshhh". 
It hit me!!  A couple of weeks ago during Christmas break the girls were playing hide and go seek with Turner.  They said Turner was the best hide and seek player ever.  He sits there very quietly while they look for him.  Turner thought we were playing hide and seek with him!
Can't wait to see what happens next week, ready or not, here we come!

(LITTLE) MAN'S BEST FRIEND

If you ever got a dog as a kid you can remember how fun and exciting it was to bring him home and play with him...and then the excitement wore off once the reality of feeding it, walking it, etc set in.  Well that's pretty much what happened with Kassidy this year.  Both Kayla and Kassidy have been wanting a "little dog" but Kassidy actually put it on her Christmas list.  We looked and looked and we finally found our new friend online, so we made an appointment to go see him.  There are so many scams out there that I made Dennis go with us to make sure everything was kosher.  The girls wanted a chihuahua so we were hoping the puppy would be adorable and not look like this:

Anyway, when we got there we saw 3 adorable puppies, all males.  Of course Dennis was there against his will because he swore he would never get another dog.  From the moment the girls laid eyes on the puppies, they knew which one would they would be bringing home.  Dennis kept saying "I want a spunky one like Debbie's!".  Awful demanding for someone who doesn't want a dog to begin with :)  The girls got out their hard earned money and paid for their dog, well mom and dad helped a little.  We got in the car and puppy sat on Kassidy's lap almost the entire trip home from Thonotosassa to Dade City. 

Just like any new dog owner, we were trying to come up with a name but we couldn't agree on anything!  When we got home, Kayla decided to go on the internet and search for dog names.  After going through endless lists, we agreed on Maximus.  Big name for such a little guy but it fits.

We've had him for about a month now and he is a really good puppy.  The funniest thing is that Kassidy is kind of afraid of the little ankle biter!  I think he knows she is afraid of him so when he knows she is around, he chases her and she runs until she leaps onto the nearest tallest piece of furniture.  I have noticed that for some reason, he doesn't do that to Turner. 

As the days have gone on, I've noticed that Turner and Maximus are always together.  When Turner wakes up, he looks down because he wants to play with "baby", as Turner calls him.It's been great having Maximus because Turner and him entertain each other all day long.  They love to play with the tunnel and tent toy that Granny and Papa bought for them.  They chase each other in and out.  Even during bath time, Maximus has to be right next to Turner.  He won't leave his side.  It's so cute!

Well today while I was fixing Turner's lunch, Turner and Maximus played under the dining room table together, one of their favorite things to do.  While I was getting Turner's drink, I noticed he wasn't under the table anymore.  So I heard some giggling coming from the laundry room.  When I walked in I didn't know whether to scream or grab my camera.  Turner and Maximus were sitting side by side on the floor sharing a large Milk Bone.  Turner had a big 'ol bite in his mouth, chewing away and so was "baby".  Turner looks up and says "baby nene".  Nene is what Turner calls food and drink so I was dying laughing as I washed out Turner's mouth with water, getting him a drink to get that nasty stuff out of his mouth (he didn't seem to mind the taste, surprise, surprise).  Now I'm freaking because I don't know if there is anything in those things that could harm him so I'm looking at the box and it says "fortified with vitamins", how bad could it be right? 

So everyone is happy, Kassidy doesn't have to worry about Maximus too much anymore and Turner is enjoying spending time with his new companion!