Here and There

a. swiffering in her underwear, with a chihuahua audience b. sick baby c. painting her way d. purple fingers e. nakey sandbox time f. gathering the garden troops

Smell

I find that smell is often the most underrated of our five senses.  We see, we hear, we touch, we taste, and, oh yeah, we smell.  With food, oh that sure smells good, but we really don't appreciate the food until we taste it.  With flowers, they may smell good, but we usually don't sit around smelling them all day, we put them in a special place where we can see them.

I can tell where Kylie has been by the way she smells.  Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that, but it's true.  I know she has been with my husband because she will smell like his deodorant which she loves to put on and will have a faint scent of his cologne if they went out anywhere.  Kylie smells like Banana Boat sunscreen when she's been spending time with my dad, who wears the stuff religiously.  She's been doing doing crafts and will smell of tempera paint.  What my husband has cooked that night for dinner.

Sometimes it's much subtler.  How certain houses will have certain smells.  I won't be able to pinpoint an individual one, but am able to recognize the source.  My sister in laws' house.  Day care.

As I've gotten older I've started to realize how much I associate certain memories with smells.  The smell of DEET bug spray always reminds me of the summers I spent as a kid at my grandparent's cabin in Northern Idaho.  Picking daisies in the front field, searching for wild strawberries among the ferns in the forest in the back.  Feeding the neighbor's horses carrots and then walking down the road to swim in the Pack River.

Spending the week before school started at my grandparents' house in San Fernando Valley.  The smell of my grandma's walk in pantry, of the mulberry tree in their back yard.  The smell of dust and books in the small library that we would walk down the back alley to.

How my husband smells after coming home from a long night of work.  Slightly of sweat, Monster Absolute Zero, diesel fuel, and grease.  How Kylie smells of Burt's Bees and Tide when I put her to bed with her freshly washed hair and jammies warm from the dryer. 

I love how these smells can comfort me and ultimately take me back to a place in time when no photographs are to be seen.

I Have a Two Year Old

 

 

 

I was always scared of the toddler years.  People relished in telling me their horror stories of public meltdowns, potty training accidents, and general impossibleness (I know that's not a real word, but I like it). I was sure that the time Kylie turned two she would grow two heads and go all crazy on me. 

It's not true, y'all.  Well, yes, we have had some temper tantrums in the grocery store when there were no race car carts left, the time she pooped in the bath tub instead of the toilet, and times when she refuses to eat anything but plain white bread and strawberries, but we are not only surviving it, we are enjoying it.  It's not as bad as we thought.

I've found that I love her being two.  Ky's so much more independent now, and learns so quickly.  It's absolutely amazing how fast she picks up on new things.  Yesterday, she "read" Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? to one of her baby dolls.  I mean, obviously she doesn't actually read the words yet, but she knew all of the animals and their colors and asked each one what they saw.  And when she got to the page with the teacher on it, she said, "Mama, you teacher!" (I'm a teacher at the daycare she attends).  I mean, how neat is that?

Ky has turned into quite the little helper.  She gets mad if I don't let her help carry in groceries, and always makes me give her at least two bags.  She will walk one of the dogs for me when I take them outside to go potty.  Doing the dishes is her favorite inside chore, and she also helps me weed and water our little, fall garden.  

She sings to herself all the time.  When she plays with her toys, in the car, reading books, taking baths, at chapel time at daycare.  She loves the B-I-B-L-E song, the Little White Box, Jesus Loves Me, Five Little Monkeys, and the Raindrop and Snowflake songs. 

Perhaps the scariest part of the toddler hood is potty training.  There are so many options, and so much different advice we got from everyone.  While we were living with my sister in law Kylie was in pull ups and she might go potty once or twice a day.  When we moved into our house in July, I started using her cloth diapers again since now we were able to wash them with hot water.  She slowly started to go potty more and more until the last week or so she would stay dry all day or maybe have one accident.  Over this past weekend she did great, on Saturday we did a bunch of running around and she stayed dry the whole time.  So today is her first day completely in her big girl underwear.  So scary but so great at the same time!  I'll have to write another post just about how we potty trained.

Ky still adores her baby cousin, Kaid, who is six weeks old now.  She is super protective of him and doesn't like anyone she doesn't know well to be near him.  She helps with diaper changes and loves sitting next to him in the car.  The only time she seems to get jealous of him is later in the evening and I'm holding him when he is crying, then she wants to be held too. 

So I'm enjoying the terrible two's so far.  I know as she gets older Kylie will only get more and more opinionated, but I am in awe of all that she does and how she thinks.

Happy Independence Day

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!  We are staying pretty low key here today.  We barbecued some hot dogs and bratwursts earlier so we could eat with Rex before he went to work (I know, boo.  At least he gets paid double time for today).  My sister in law also made some yummy stuffed jalapenos, soooo good!  We've filled up Ky's kiddie pool and have some sparklers ready for tonight!  I y'all have a wonderful day with your families and friends and thank you to our armed forces for keeping this great nation free!!!

Stepping Out Monday

So we ended up stepping out last Monday, so as usual, my pictures aren't posted until a week later.  I finally conned Rex into snapping a few pictures of me.  Don't mind the epic battle going on behind me in the ongoing war between Kylie and Maggie the Boxer.

On me: Sunglasses, shirt, and shorts, Target.  Ballet Flats, Rocket Dog.

On Kylie: Onesie, Carter's. Shorts, Levi's.  Boots, Gift from her Auntie Lou.



When Dogs Attack...

So Wednesday was a really rough day. 

Kylie and I headed to the day care this morning so I could start my shift at 7:30 a.m.  Around 10:20 a.m. I take a bathroom break and as I'm heading back to my classroom, the administrative assistant finds me and hands me the phone.

"It's your husband and he says it's an emergency."

So I knew it couldn't be good.  Rex hates, hates, hates calling my work, he is much more a texting guy. 

Turns out, he went out for a jog this morning and as he headed past our neighbor's house, jogging ON THE COUNTY ROAD mind you, two of their pitbulls ran out of the yard straight for him, and without warning the female attacked his leg.  He was so shocked that the first thing he did was raise his arms above his head and scream some obscenities at them.  This caused the male to run back into his yard (which is not fenced by the way) and at least got the female to let go of his leg and back up a couple of feet. 

The neighbor lady, meanwhile, was standing on the porch, doing nothing.  So Rex was like, "Hey, your dog just bit me. Does it have all of it's shots?"  And the lady first tries to deny that her dog bit him and makes him come closer because her "eyes aren't so good," even though she well under thirty.  So Rex comes closer, and lo and behold, there's a huge bite mark on his leg.  "Oh, of course she has her shots."  Rex tells her he's going to go to the doctor to treat the bite. 
And then it just gets better.  She doesn't want him to go to the doctor so guess what, she offers him a frigging blunt.  Yeah, here guy, take some marijuana, so I don't have to pay your medical bills.  Wonderful.  Rex says thanks but no thanks, he'll go to the doctor and let her know how it goes.

He gets home and is steaming mad.  Here he is going for a frigging jog around the neighborhood and gets attacked by a stupid dog.  These dogs have already attacked two of my sister in laws dogs and get into our yard on a weekly business.  So he calls animal control to report the dog and ends up getting the one in the next town over.  They say to call our towns public safety dispatch.  They say that he is outside the city limits and to call county dispatch.  He finally gets a hold of some one at county and they end up sending out a sheriff deputy to take a statement from him and look at the bit.  Rex tells him how he was going for a jog, the dog attacked him, blah blah blah.  Doesn't mention that the frigging owner offered him a joint or anything, he doesn't want to start shit with them since his sister and her boyfriend own the house and everything.  He just states that his main concern is the dog being up to date on its shots, since he wasn't too keen on taking the lady's word for granted.  The deputy gives him his card with the case number and takes down where we are going to go to get the bite treated and lets us know that the neighbor is completely liable for his medical expenses.

We go to the hospital a couple towns over since the local medical clinic won't see him since it wasn't his own dog that bit him.  Luckily it was not busy at all and we were in and out in about 2 hours.  All the doctor could do was flush out and clean the wounds, they couldn't stitch it up because of the risk of infection.  The doctor also prescribed a heavy duty antoibiotic.  We left, picked Kylie up from the daycare, and then headed home. 

The sheriff called Rex back in the early evening to let us know that the neighbors supposedly found out that the dog's rabies vaccine was several months expired but couldn't provide proof of the vaccination.  So the dog gets quarantined for ten days, and Rex and I head back to the hospital per doctors orders.  Rex has to go through the series of five shots to prevent a possible rabies infection and one has to be directly injected into the puncture wounds.  Yuck and yuck.

We finally get back home, so Kylie and I go out to the front yard so she can run around and burn off some of her energy, since it's finally cooled down some.  All of a sudden I heard someone calling my name.  It's one of the girls I work with at the restaurant and she's at the crackheads house.  I had talked to earlier when I called into the restaurant so I could take Rex in to get the rabies shot.  She asks how he's doing etc.  and I tell her all right, he just has to get the rabies shots and blah, blah, blah.  Well, one of the owners of the dog, the girl that was on the front porch when it happened, comes over and starts talking all kinds of crap to me, cussing me out as I'm standing in my own front yard. 

Stuff like Rex wasn't even hurt bad it was just a scratch, that her dog doesn't have rabies, that Rex was actually in her yard and trespassing when it happened, that we had the audacity (or balls in her words) to bring the law to her house, that she had no clue why we would do that, yada yada yada.  And basically every other word was a four letter one.  Lovely lady.  I just kept my mouth shut for most of it, saying that the only reason we reported the dog was that it happened on the road and that we wanted to make sure the dog was vaccinated.  And then I just walked away since I had Kylie with me too, and I sure as hell wasn't going to get in a brawl with this druggie through the fence, as much as I wanted to.  It just made my blood boil, though.  It still does, typing this.  We could be trying to take these people to the cleaners, but we're not.  Especially considered our society these days, even the hospital asked if we were pressing charges. 

We reported the damn dog because we don't want it to happen to someone else.  A lot of families with kids live in the area, and everyone shouldn't have to be locked up in their yards.  You should be able to walk down the street safely.  We reported it because they didn't want to provide us with proof of vaccination.  Especially when their dogs get into fights all the time and are not confined in any way.  I'm sorry, but we are not going to take chances with my husband's health.  No way no how.  And plus, it's the right thing to do.  If it happened to someone else we would want them reported, it makes the neighborhood aware of it.  And God forbid the dog bites again, animal control will take it.  I hate seeing dogs put down, but when it is a danger to my family and others, I'll  choose my family without any hesitation whatever.

So bottom line y'all.  Don't live next to white trash drug dealers with pit bulls.  No good can come out of it.   None at all.

Family Visit

So my mom and dad visited us out here in Texas a couple weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting pictures of their time here.  I know, I know.  I've been a serious slacker lately.  Needless to say, we had a wonderful time with them.  Ky was spoiled rotten, she seriously got about 2 new books a day from her grandparents, who have been slowly buying them over the last couple of months for her and brought them all out here with them in their carry on luggage!!!  Her great grandma sent out an adorable Sponge Bob and Patrick dress that she made herself with several sheets of bubble stickers that were an instant success. 

Kylie got to go to the River Walk in San Antonio with my parents one day while Rex and I had to work.  Over the weekend we went to the Natural Bridge Caverns, where Kylie was not having a good time.  She was whining and clinging and wouldn't let Rex, Grandma, or Grandad carry her, only me and a random Indian tourist. 

Later in the week we took Kylie to the San Antonio Children's museum, which she absolutely loved.  They have a kid sized HEB grocery store in the basement and Kylie spent a good half an hour loading up her cart and zooming around.  She also loved the ball section, where you could load balls into a air powered tubes and baskets. 

We went to different parks around San Antonio, where Kylie had to try out every single slide.  She ran around like a crazy woman.  We planted flowers in hanging pots for the house and barbequed and talked and ate cupcakes.  I miss them so much, but I just have to keep reminding myself that we will see them for two weeks in August.  

Oh, Hi There!

Yep, still here.  Barely.  It's been a crazy few weeks over here.  We moved.  Again.  This time into my sister-in-laws house.  Not really what we wanted.  At all.  My in-laws (Rex's mom and step dad) let us know in the beginning of this month that we needed to be out of the trailer by the fifteenth.  So, yeah, that left us with less than two weeks to find a place to live.  We couldn't find a place to rent, most places were way out of our price range because of all the newly found oil fields around us, and others would not allow all six of our dogs.  So Rex's sister and her boyfriend very graciously let us rent a room from them.  It's a bit crowded, but it's only temporary.  A few months at the most, especially since her baby boy is due the end of August, so we will be here until July at the latest. 

I do have to say that it's much nicer living with them.  Stephanie (Rex's sister) is our normal babysitter for Ky when I'm at work at the restaurant so it makes it so convenient. Plus, they have air conditioning that works, wifi, and a kitchen that we are allowed to use.  We had none of those things at my in-laws, which sucked.  Stephanie and I take turns making dinners and doing dishes and Ky is loving the freedom of running around the whole house (the in-law's house was a death trap). 

We are trying to get approved to buy a house, but it's been slow going.  Turns out I have don't have enough credit history to get approved for such a big loan as a home one.  The mortgage broker we are working with said to give it another six months of paying on our truck for my credit to go up and show that I can make payments on a largerish (like my awesome vocabulary?) loan.  So we are looking into a couple different options, to see if there is anyway we can move the process along a little faster.

Gah.  So frustrating. 

a.  Run, Ky, run!  b.  Dirt is a girl's best friend c.  So is SpongeBob

Here and There

1. Tiny Cowboy Boots 2. Headed to school with one of her favorite books 3. Headed to school with her ball of choice for the day 4. bagel breakfast 5. She enjoys eating 6. And drinking

Learning to Love Myself

Seventeen year old me

In my adult life I've always struggled in some way or form with my self esteem.  Unfortunately, it seems the older I get the more insecure I become.  I feel more pressure from society and acquaintances to be "put together" and not to be the stereotypical mom who's let herself go after getting married and having kids.

In middle school and high school I never really felt this kind of pressure.  I was a self proclaimed nerd and 4-H kid.  Yes, I may have never been even remotely close to being popular, but I was happy.  I admit I had my weak moments where I wished I could be a cheerleader and date football players, but I usually dismissed those fantasies pretty quickly.  First of all, I could barely do a cartwheel, let alone a flip, and I hated wearing skirts, so cheer leading was out of the question.  Secondly, most of the football players at my school were complete dunderheads and partied all the time.  They copied other kids' homework and me being the moral little nerd that I was, was not okay with that, especially since a lot of the time they wanted to copy my work.

No, I was happy with my horses and sheep and other animals.  I practically lived at my horse trainer's house where I boarded my horse.  I went there everyday after school and often stayed into the evening for 4-H meetings.  I worked hard and long and was proud when people noticed that.  i could unload big bales of hay or bags of feed just as well as the trainer's son and I took pride in that.  I won the state championship horse show in my division the summer before my senior year of high school and I remember thinking that was the best anything could get.  I remember being on my horse, about to head into the ring, and just completely turning into myself, steady and centered.  I let a sense of calmness just wash over me, and I knew I was going to kick some serious butt that day.  I visualized everything I was going to do, and then I went into the ring and did it.  I won three classes and placed second in another.  I walked away with a huge belt buckle and a ginormous sense of accomplishment.

Now I wonder where that seventeen year old girl went.  The one who was so happy and sure of herself.  Who was fine with who she was and didn't want to be someone completely different.  I want to find her again.

I've been struggling a lot lately, not only with my self esteem, but with all aspects of my life.  Rex and I have been drifting farther and farther apart lately, being that we are on completely opposite work schedules and weren't seeing each other at all.  I was becoming more and more down on myself and on everything else that was going on in my life.

The past week or so I've really taken a step back and reevaluated me as a person and I really didn't like what I saw.  So I've been making a concentrated effort to be a person that I can be proud of.  More like that seventeen year old girl.  Rex and I have been working on staying closer as a couple.  It's been as simple as sending each other texts saying "I love you" or me going home everyday to eat lunch with him on my break.  Or letting him wake me up to have sex at three o'clock in the morning when he gets home from work instead of just rolling away and grumbling at him to let me sleep. 

With the weather being so warm and pleasant, I've been going outside a lot more.  Just walking out the door helps me calm myself and relax.  To just take a deep breath and smell the grass and flowers and the dew and the clay.  Kylie and I have taken to walking a three mile loop around our neighborhood on the evenings when I'm not at work, and both of us are so re energized afterwards. 
I've also been trying to keep our little trailer cleaner.  The last couple of months I have been horrible about just letting the mess build and build until it got to be overwhelming, but just by cleaning it a little each day, to maintain it, makes me feel so much better.  I get to come home to a clean home, and that's always a good thing, and makes everything seem so much more manageable.

Lastly, and perhaps the hardest for me, is trying not to worry about my appearance so much.  I've always have had horrible, no good skin.  I am super self conscious about it as well, but I hate shelling out the money on expensive products.  I end up buying cheapo drugstore stuff that is good for my budget, but not so good for my skin.  With Rex's encouragement, I'm looking for a good dermatologist to visit to see if they can help my poor skin and to hopefully help clear it up for good or at least make it a lot more manageable.  As Rex says, we do have health insurance for a reason.  I also need to just bite the bullet and go to Sephora or MAC and have a make up artist match me up with a good foundation, one that will be gentle on my skin, match my skin tone, and provide me with the coverage I want.  So that I can go out of the house each day and be confident in how I look. 

I feel that I'm coming closer to accepting that I'm never going to be that perfect, always put together mom.  I can be fine if I don't have my hair straightened each day or if I didn't have time to put eyeliner on.  Even if I time for one little thing, like a cute headband or a nice pair of earrings, that will be enough for me to not feel like a total slob.  I know this is a long and winding road to self discovery and acceptance, but at this point in my life I think I'm okay with it.  As long as I continue to move in the right direction to better myself AND to feel better about myself, I can be content and even happy.

Oh, Hi There

Yep, I'm still here.  It's been a busy month around the Rexrode household to say the least.  A lot of exciting things are happening here!

First of all, both Rex and I managed to be named Employee of the Month at our respective jobs.  How's that for timing.  I got a gift basket from Bath and Body Works and my picture in the newsletter where he got a prime parking spot and $25.  Mr. and Mrs.  all the way.

Also, Rex is up for a promotion at work, so exciting!  The best news is that he will be able to stay on his current shift and not have to move on to the weekend shift like others have had to do.  I just got a full time spot at the daycare and now work 8 am to 4 pm in my classroom with the sweetest little lady ever.  Kylie absolutely adores her morning teacher, and it's nice because our classes go outside at the same time so I get to see the Bug during the day as well.  Plus, her teacher also calls me over and let's me know when Ky does something especially cute or noteworthy.

Speaking of the Bug, she is one crazy little girl lately.  She loves singing and dancing and reading and running.  Her favorite songs write now are He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and the B-I-B-L-E song.  She even does the hand motions with them.  I love watching her just soak in the world around her and interact with the people and animals around her.

With the weather being so beautiful lately we have been spending as much time as we can outside with her. We go on walks on the back roads by our house and see all the livestock, birds, bugs, and turtles just right on the side of the road. Ky loves swinging on the swing at her aunt's house.  She loves playing in the dirt and the mud and picking flowers.  And finding June bugs in the sandbox.  Rex is proud of his little tomboy :)

 

Baby Fever?



How did she go from this...

to this?

So it seems like everyone I know is pregnant or just had a baby.  My sister-in-law.  My cousin-in-law.  Friends at work.  Friends on the Internet.  Even Rex is talking about starting to try for another baby.

I'll admit, I have weak moments, and I will want another little one.  But then reality always slams into me full force.  We are currently living in a travel trailer.  We don't know for sure if we are staying in Texas or moving back to California.  We are trying to pay bills off.  I would really like to go back to school.  We barely have enough time to give Kylie the attention that she deserves. 

I have also found that I love the age Kylie's at now.  She is wild and exploring and sweet.  She is her own little person now.  She will throw herself at me and give me a huge hug.  Babies can't do that.  Don't get me wrong, I loved her just as much when she was a baby, but it was so different.  I was scared out of my mind.  I had no clue what I was doing.  I had a million and one hormones wreaking havoc on my body and mind. 

At the daycare, I'll sometimes sub in the nursery (six weeks to one year old babies), and while I love caring for them, I don't have quite so much fun as I have with my class of one to two year olds.  I guess I love the stimulation of being with them, and the interaction I have with them. 

But then I start thinking, well of course I don't have a close connection with any of the babies in the nursery, first they're not mine, duh.  And second, I'm not just in charge of one, I have four.  Kind of hard to really enjoy the baby stuff when I'm on a constant cycle of feeding, diaper changing, and putting down for naps.  And I'd feel so different if it was my own baby.

So yeah, I still want to have another child in the not so distant future, but I think we are going to sit on the idea of it for awhile longer.  And as my hubby always likes to say, practicing for making a baby isn't all that bad.

Dear Kylie

You are growing up so much little Bug.  I was looking through your baby pictures today and I can't believe how much you have changed in the past nineteen months.  You are becoming so independent and funny and quirky, it just melts my heart.

You love animals.  Love love love.  You are constantly herding the chihuahuas around the trailer, putting them in their crates, feeding them dog food by hand, and trying to walk them on their leashes.  You love to point out cows and horses on our walks and always tell them bye bye when we leave.  At the zoo this weekend you loved petting the pot bellied pigs and were hoping so much that the pygmy goats would come out and play.

You love the outdoors, Ky.  You get so excited when we go for walks or even just playing in the field when we take the chihuahuas out.  You point at all the trees and birds, you play in the dirt, and you pick wildflowers for your dad and me.  I love that I can share this whole big world with you, and in return you show me it through your eyes, and I am falling in love with nature all over again.  It's wonderful to be outside with you, feeling the sun and the humid air on my skin, smelling the fresh cut grass and the wildflowers blooming around me, and looking down and seeing you by my side, babbling away as you find a new flower to pick or butterfly to point out.

You still love your books.  You will have me read every single one at bedtime every night if I let you.  Now each time after I read you a book you will go back through the book on your own, pointing to pictures and babbling about them, or having me tell you what it is again.  Your favorite book right now is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?  When I'm doing chores, you will gather up your stuffed animals on the steps and then sit down and read them books.

I love you so much little girl.  I love that I get to be your mama.  To see your bedhead in the morning.  To put your hair in little pig tails.  To share a banana with you.  To see how excited you get over having chocolate milk.  Or when you wrap your little arms around me and squeeze me with all of your might. 

I love you bunches and bunches, Bug.

Mama

A Little Insecurity on My Part

I've never been huge on appearance.  Through middle school and high school I was strictly a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal.  Hell, I didn't even start wearing make up until my senior year of high school and I only wore foundation because of how self conscious I was of my shiny, red, acne prone face.  I rarely had my hair out of a ponytail, and I didn't highlight my hair until right before senior prom.

I wear make up more now and all, but I feel like I got such a late start on things.  I'm not very good at applying it and I don't know.  I never feel, done.  Polished.  Put together.  I want to feel like that.  Pinterest is helping me with ideas on make up, clothes, and hair.  I love looking through things, but I have such a hard time actually applying it to myself.  Whether it be wearing a new dress or winged eyeliner, I just kinda feel left out.  Like I did in high school.  I wanted to be a part of the popular crowd, but I never had the clothes or attitude to fit in.  I didn't know how, and sure didn't have the confidence to try.

I have a hard time seeing myself as beautiful.  My mama says I am, but doesn't every mom think their daughter is beautiful?  It makes me a little better when my husband tells me that, since he chose me to be his wife and the mother of his child.  But I'm still insecure.  And I don't want to be.  I don't want Kylie to be either when she grows up.  I want to be a strong, confident, beautiful woman that she can look up to. 

I feel guilty if I spend any money on beauty products or new clothes.  Like that could have gone to a bill or into savings.  While I know spending $30 or $40 once a month on a new shirt or foundation won't break the bank, I have a hard time justifying it.  Like am I really worth this or am I just wasting my time?  I'm never going to look like those mom's who pick up their kids from the daycare in cute outfits every single day with hair, make up, and nails done.  Who am I kidding?

But I want to be.  So very badly.  I want to be the mom who is still pretty and whose foundation hasn't worn off by one in the afternoon and wears cute blouses instead of plain v neck t-shirts every single day.  Who straightens their hair.  Has nail polish that isn't chipped most of the way off.  I want to feel pretty and comfortable with myself.  I know that it can be done, but it just seems like such an unattainable goal.  So far away, out of my grasp.

I'm Still Here, Kinda

So working two jobs has been kicking my butt lately.  I've been picking up more hours at the restaurant (i.e. working six nights a week there) since three of the servers quit and we are seriously short handed.  Hopefully they hire some people soon because I'm getting worn out.  Here are some pictures of what Ky and I have been up to.  Don't have much energy for anything else right now.

1.  Daisy, Nova, Dakota 2.  Ky's Valentine's Day breakfast 3.  Drive home 4.  Pigtails, puffs, and hopeful dog 5. Mama's helper 6.  I die for her shoes.