INTRODUCING...

The newest member of our family, Archie. We wanted to stick with the Ohio State theme, so we came up with Archie. He's a 10 week old goldendoodle and has fit into our home perfectly. The kids are in love, as are Bob and I. Although it is like having another child, just when things were starting to get a little easier around here. But it is what we needed, I seriously feel like we are complete now. Archie should get anywhere between 65-80 lbs and is so stinkin' sweet.

Grace and Denny have taken on their new roles as Archie's "mom and dad."

Grace is the caregiver and is constantly making sure Archie is behaving. She carries him all around the house and pretty much never takes her hands off of him. But God forbid the dog play bites with her or jumps on her, she freaks out like she's been attacked by a grizzly bear.

Denny is the complete opposite. He puts his hands in Archies mouth and laughs. I think Denny sees him as another dude to play with and he wants to play rough. They crack me up.

So now the question is, do I change the blog name to Party of Five?

THE NEXT YEAR OF MY LIFE

I recently celebrated my 31st bday. The last year of my life was a bit rough. It's like I turned 30 and things started to really stink. I let myself go physically, mentally and spiritually. I feel like I have not been my self and it has had an affect on my daily life.

Mike's death is something that I have had a hard time dealing with. It's almost been a year, and even my Doctor told me last week that it is time I "get over it.' He didn't say those exact words, but he said the grieving period should be over after 6 months, 1 year max. It all sounded so matter-of-factly. I didn't take it personally, I think everyone reacts to things their own way.
So the point of all of this is that I want to spend this next year taking better care of myself. I need to get back in shape, get back to church and take more time for my mental well being.

I feel like I have started this journey this past weekend. Bob and I enjoyed every moment with the kids and with each other. We didn't do anything special, we just spent good time together. And, we finally made it to church on Sunday morning.
We also took some time this weekend thinking about expanding our family. Sunday we went out and looked at Goldendoodle puppies. We didn't bring one home with us (surprisingly) but we are going to continue to look until we find just the right one who will fit into our family.

Hope everyone has a great week!