"So much 2 say, gotta make it quick, gotta make it stick, better begin.."

Hi friends. So much has happened lately and I keep thinking, "I need to post that on my blog!" But I just haven't had a second. Until now, while Jack is busy watching "Charlie and Lola" so he is, in his words, "Not quite ready for lunch yet." Goof.

So let's see..where do I begin? I went to Idaho for my little brother's graduation. He's had some issues so he ended up going to an "alternative highschool" and therefore graduated half a year late. I have to say, I was not only ridiculously proud of him (he won the "Turn Around Award" for the most-improved student!) but I was really proud of all of those kids. Highschool wasn't difficult for me--in fact, I got most of my coursework done the first 3 years so I could relax my senior year--but for these kids, some of whom have children, have overcome addictions, have "interesting" home lives, etc...for them to actually finish when it would have been so much easier to just give up is just amazing. One of the Student Speakers put it best when he said, "We have been around the Monopoly board a time or two and most of us have spent time on those 2 corners nobody wants to land on." It was a really cool experience to share their accomplishments. But I'm getting all emotional. Here are a few pictures:

Phyl. Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen ever in your life? LOVE that kid!

Awww..

Phyl, Me, my dad and Grandma. (My dad and I have the same size stomach. Must be a Z thing. ha ha!)

So I came home and had a voicemail from the lady we were getting our dog from. She said she hoped we were still interested in her because she turned down 4 people--including a guy who offered her $200 if he could come get her right away. She told him she was sorry, but she'd promised her to a little boy. He offered $250 and she said even that wasn't enough money to tempt her to have to tell a little 4 year old that she gave his dog to someone else! Very nice of her--Jack would have been devastated. So we went and got Miss Ginger that night. She's such a sweet dog. (Well, mostly. The day after we got her, we ended up being gone most of the day and she chewed up the blanket on top of her kennel, her leash that Scott also put on top of her kennel and we discovered she can jump our fence. Awesome. Scott was ready to take her back that night but Jack plead her case and he changed his mind.) She loves to cuddle, she lays on Scott's pillow when she takes naps with me, she VERY rarely barks (I've heard her bark maybe 3 times since we got her on Friday and only one of those times was when she was in the house.) She is very hyper when she first sees us or anyone else but she calms down after a bit. Sunday night we had Scott's family over for dinner to celebrate Jack's birthday and she loved everyone so much. You can see that she worked her way into their hearts:

On Uncle Jeff's lap. They loved her! Melodie gave Jack toys and treats for Ginger for his birthday and she got a pink bone that she carries everywhere! She even guards it in her sleep!
Cuddling with Nana. Nana really liked Ginger. She asked Jack is she could take her home but he said no. Looks like she stays! It's not so much fun having to take her outside on her (newly purchased) leash, especially in the middle of the night when it's freezing cold and/or snowing to go to the bathroom, but other than that, she's pretty great and we're happy to have her around. Lucy the cat is still getting used to her but last night they were within like 6 inches of each other and she didn't freak out so rock on. I'm hoping she gets a little more calm before the baby comes. That's really my only fear. But we love her and she seems to think we're okay, too!
Finally, we went in to the doctor for Jack's 4 year (!) check up. He's healthy as can be, his asthma is completely controlled. If we can get through this winter without him needing a steroid he can go off some of his medication. The only bad news is that his feet are pretty wonky. He's not necessarily pigeon-toed, although that's kind of how it looks. Essentially, the bones in his feet from the middle of his foot to his toes have grown at an angle, including his toes. It's not going to get worse than it is, it'll just be more pronounced as his feet get bigger, and he can walk and run without pain, which is good, but it DOES need to be corrected. Our old pediatrician recommended I call an ortheopedic specialistat Primary Children's, which I did, but they wouldn't give me the time of day because of his age. (They said it should correct itself) This pediatrician said it is clearly not correcting and he needs to be seen. He's not sure if they'll correct it now or wait a couple of years but any correction will be surgical. It's past the point of bracing/casting to correct. My poor baby! They faxed a referral to the specialist and they'll call me to make an appt. We'll see what they say!
Okay, that's about it for now. Later, gators!