One year

I thought it would be fun to post a picture from Christmas 2021 when Jasper and Chloe were puppies and then a year later, Christmas 2022.  What a difference a year makes in dog years.  My how they have grown and melded into their personalities.....

CHRISTMAS 2022

CHRISTMAS 2021

Let's start with Jasper (a.k.a) Jazz Man, Jazz the Spaz, Big Belly Jabber:  He weighs a whopping 20.7 pounds and that is his final weight.  He loves to chase squirrels, play ball, go on walks, car rides and his favorite thing to do is BOMB you when you're in bed and give you wet willies.  He has the most energy out of all three dogs and is always playing with a toy or chewing on a bone.

Next up: Chloe (a.k.a) Coco:  She weigh 15.4 pounds.  She loves to sleep with Giselle and cuddle under the blankets.  She is very sweet, mild mannered, gentle little pup.  She bites my ankles every time I walk down the stairs.  She hates going on walks and can be considered to be "prissy." 

And then there is Lily (a.k.a) Lily Bear, Big Booty Bear, Lils:  She weighs 48.5 pounds and has officially been with us for 3 years now. She has been an exceptionally good dog with guiding Jasper and Chloe getting settled into their forever home.  It warms my heart to see all three of them get along so well and often times cuddling together.  

Milestones

We have reached a MILESTONE! This is just one of them – but it’s a big one (at least I think it is). 8th Grade Graduation! Isabella’s social (dance) and photos! This is the next step in Isabella’s journey into her teens and even closer to adulthood. She came home from school and asked me to take her dress shopping for her 8th grade social (dance) and pictures. “Mommy! We have to go now otherwise all the good dresses will be gone.” In that exact moment, I reminisced how long it used to take me to pick out a formal dress. My poor dad and sister, I really don’t know how they were so patient with me all those years we went dress shopping, the endless hours and trying on handfuls of dresses. I never knew what dress I wanted and always disliked how scratchy the material was. I wondered if I was in for a “ride” of five hours of dress shopping……..as Isabella likes to take her time and is very thoughtful. 

Before we left the house, I gave her the names of three stores that we were going to check out for formal dresses. As we drove away, she looked up all the stores online and was pleased with their selection of dresses. She showed me a picture of the dress she wanted to get. “All the girls are wearing this.” It was strapless, skin tight and just barely covered her bottom half. I looked her in the eyes and said, “Bella, think CLASSY, not TRASHY as you shop.” An hour into shopping, she tried on 3 dresses, fell in LOVE with one and we found a keeper!!! She was so sweet and precious while we were shopping, as it was her very first time shopping for a formal dress. When I was in the dressing room with her zipping up her dress, I bottled up that precious milestone moment. She looked so angelic in her beautiful new dress. Smiling from ear to ear. Thankful to receive such a beautiful dress.

Bellas Beautiful Dress she picked out.

One happy camper with a dress and shoes!

What I wore to 8th grade dance

Afterwards, we picked out shoes, earrings, and a necklace. 1.5 hours later, we were DONE! This calls for a celebration, right? We headed out to dinner together where she asked me what I wore for my 8th grade dinner dance. She laughed when I showed her the picture above. I am excited for this milestone. I am excited to see her graduate in June and also excited for her to start high school in the fall. I am also excited that she is way more confident than myself when it comes to dress shopping. You either have it or you don’t. And this beautiful young lady HAS IT.