Easter Weekend

This past weekend, we didn't do a whole lot for Easter, but we had some great family time which is what really counts.

Saturday, we headed to Sedona, AZ for the day. We originally were going to attend the egg hunt in the morning, but when the time came around to wake up, all of us were still tired and sleepy. Ava was super tired so I let her sleep in (till almost 10:30! what a bum lol). I dressed her in some fun clothes and we took pictures of her in her bunny ears. She just sat on the couch and smiled :) She turned 5 months old on Saturday! I can't believe it, too much time has passed, REVERSE!

Peace sign lol either that or I have a smoker :)

After our mini photo shoot, we headed on over to Sedona. I had a few errands to run, including the grocery store. When I came out, I glanced over to the McDonald's next door and noticed it had a mint green arch instead of the traditional yellow one. Apparently, This is the only place in the world that has a green arch. Something about the yellow clashed with the natural scenery and color so the deal was they had to change it.

Sedona, AZ McDonald's

After the errands, we cruised around a bit. We were going to go hiking, but forgot the baby backpack and only had a stroller (which is not off-road friendly). The was a thrift store I wanted to go to so we did that instead. Found an awesome picture there, so when I go back, I hope its still there :)

Sunday was of course, Easter. All three of us headed to church to start off the day. We have been trying to find a church that fits each of us. Its hard because we each grew up in different denominations, so finding a church that ties each of our likes together, is hard. I think we found one that we each like! The nursery there is great too! Ava had a good time and loved watching the older kids crawl and walk. Now if only she can take notes from them lol!

In her Easter dress

After church, we went out to eat some lunch. We chose Sizzler's. I hadn't been there in awhile and I can just order the salad bar since we had a big dinner meal planned. It sure was good! Ava fell asleep :)

For our dinner we had ham, potatoes and gravy, and salad. We were so full, I knew I would feel the effects of the meals long into Monday. Sure enough, today I am eating light.

Hopefully everyone had a great weekend and remembered what Easter was truly about.

Great Weekend!

I knew it would be! As posted earlier before, this past week wasn't my best. More than one problem presented itself and it was just overall overwhelming.
Yesterday I was able to go out and enjoy the day with my husband, just the two of us. Ava spent the day with her grandparents and stayed overnight. They brought her home a few hours ago and she is napping peacefully.
Getting back to yesterday, Adam and I went out to eat at Olive Garden! I LOVE that place!  Eating out is a luxury now days so its savored greatly when we do get the chance.
We then did a few little errands; we headed to a thrift store to look for shoes for Ava. I have a hard time buying brand new on something she will grow out of so quickly. We found these adorable sandals that will go great with her Easter dress for church.
After all that, we headed to the bowling alley and I had so much fun! One of my friends threw it all together and I felt so special and had so many friends come :). We bowled the night away and I am still feeling the joys of it: a slight hangover lol!

Overall, I think this week will be amazing, I just feel it coming on!

This Week Over Yet? Venting and Other News

Ugh...This week has not been a very good one in my book.

Monday, a plumber came out and worked on pumping the 6+'' that was under the house. The water heater is down there and the water line was right at the base of the heater. After working on that, mudd was everywhere from tracking it from under the house. Our septic system last weekend overflowed and came up through toilets, showers and almost the sink  so after getting that under control, turns out it needs a lot of repair. It still is overflowing but in a manageable area. The plumber cant do anything until the ground water and water level is reduced. That's a major problem as to why it started in the first place.
Needless to say, I am so glad its a rental! There are a number of things that need repair due to neglect or not servicing (whole other story)

Yesterday, I kind of had a depression sort of day. Just didnt feel good about myself. I want to loose weight (I want it to magically fall off too), I want to start projects, I want money to be able to do them, etc...

Today I think I'm getting sick. My throat is scratchy, my sinuses are stuffy, I keep sneezing, etc...
I have a gazillion things I need to do and each one seems to need a day at least to get done.

Who knows what the next two days will bring. This Friday is my birthday and I am celebrating it on Saturday with friends. Hopefully I will feel better by then (both mentally and physically)

Sorry guys, I just needed to get it all out! Ava isn't much for conversation and the dogs just look at you funny and want food. I NEED MAGIC ENERGY DUST!!!

As far as puppy news goes, nothing yet. Usually KSDS sends out a letter saying we have a pup for you. We get told individually before then (or asked) and it really isn't official until the letter comes. Funny...this whole dog raising process begins and ends with letters. :)

OH HEY!!! Not sure if I stated this but the whole reason why I am heading to the school in the first place is because VANCE IS GRADUATING!!! Not official yet, but the trainer let me know he is slotted for this class.
I will be able to meet him again and meet his partner and I will also be able to meet Doni's partner! They have been working for over a year and haven't met him yet! So I have a double whammy planned!

Onward to scrapbooking!!!

Name Guessing!

My future pup to raise is getting big and strong!  Amazing how fast they grow, I bet it will only feel like a few months have gone by when it comes time to turn him/her in.

 

Now comes the fun part. Anyone want to take a guess as to what name my pups will be? Normally, it's hard to guess because KSDS uses themes. They can range anywhere from ice cream companies to characters of a movie. So with that's said, its always hard to tell.

What's special about this litter is that they were born on Valentines Day so there is a good chance it will have a Valentines theme. So whip out those guesses! Now remember, not sure if I'm getting a boy or girl so think generalized or one for each gender.

1....2.....3....GO!!

And Now, I Bring You This Important Announcement:

Hey fellow bloggers! I thought I would take a brief break from my boring posts...to bring you ANOTHER one :)
Does anyone out there like jewelry? Well that's silly! OK, let me be more specific; anyone out there like hand-made, quality pieces? Of course you do!

Since I am a stay-at-home-Mom, I am helping a fellow friend kick off her jewelry making business.
She hand-casts sterling silver into very unique pieces and incorporates beads, stones, gems, even bones!

They look amazing and compliment any outfit! Yes, they are a bit pricy but if you or anyone you know is looking for quality pieces that are unique (that you know no one else has) visit Rosa Kilgore Jewlery
I promise, you won't be disappointed!
I just ask one thing, if you or a friend orders, put my name (Sarah Williams) in the comment box so I can receive some commission on it. After all, diapers are expensive! I tried telling Ava to stop peeing and pooping but she looks at me and laughs :)
Another thing you could do is set up an online party! Online partys are becoming popular because time is important and so is money. Sometimes if you only have a couple of hours to look at and decide something, you may not want to or cant. By hosting an online event, you have roughly two weeks, can tell as many people as you want and still get the benefits of earning free jewelry, receiving discounts, etc...! For more in depth description visit the Jewelry Party page.

Also, If anyone is interested, you can become an affiliate member of RKJ. Basically, you sign up, put a link on your page and when people click on that link and buy something, you get 15%! Pretty easy for doing nothing. So if you are interested in that, let me know @ sarahwilliams@rosakilgore.com or visit the Affiliate page.

Remember! All hand-made!

Beautiful, tasteful pieces!

Some pieces grouped together

I have personally worn this and although it is expensive, boy is it beautiful!

Who can Resist...

...pictures of adorable puppies? I know I can't (even though sometimes raising them is much harder than looking at them in a picture)

My future PIT, whichever one it may be, is getting so big!

Like two peas in a pod

Now if I get the yellow one, boy these pictures will be easy to tell which one is mine :)

Maybe its a sign, the yellow one is looking at me :)

Snuggle time

They are getting so big, just like my little Ava, and Im sure in a couple months I'll be pulling my hair out yelling, "What was I thinking?!" lol

Puppy News!

Guess who gets a puppy in the middle of April?!

That's right! I received a call that a litter of Labs was born on Valentines day! There are 5 black and 1 yellow. I'm never picky and always say it never matters what I get but just watch, Ill get another black male again. Four times in a row, has to be some kind of record, right? We will see though, I might get that one yellow pup who might be a female! That would break the cycle for sure!

I'm back in the game!

Where Do Weekends Go?

52 of them in a year is not enough! It seems that at the beginning of the week, you look forward to the next! Yet something changes plans or in my case, you get sick :(
Let me tell ya, trying to get better and keeping a 3 month old healthy is very tricky. My problem Is I keep running a fever, then it breaks, and then I get another one!
I am hoping that by tomorrow, I will feel better. If not, Adam might have to stay home tomorrow so I can get rid of this thing! So yeah, my weekend was wasted being sick, hate that!

On a brighter note, Ava got her new Bumbo this week! Not a big deal, but she loves it so much! She is so happy sitting in it. We also got the tray to use a month or two down the road with it.

PUPPY RAISING UPDATE: none really, I just wanted to put this up on here. I have received no contact from our coordinator, so someday I might call her, but don't want to rush things. If its meant to happen right now, it will. If its not, then there was a reason. Staying positive is hard but everything in good timing :)


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Testing with Photo

Now I am testing to see if I can post larger photo files using my phone. If has the tendency to not want to send anything other than one picture and sometimes not even that. Ill try just this one pic and see how it takes it :)

Tara is thinking "so...when do we get rid of this one"
I think I have convinced her its not another PIT and we are definitely keeping this one :)



Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Testing

I am testing out my mobile posting:)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I'm Doing it!

Oh yeah! I've thought about it and what the heck! Why not? I want to start raising again!

It seems like forever, but it has really only been under two years. After doing it almost back to back (with a break in between 1 and 2 to work at the school itself) I feel like it's time to get back in the game.

I have contacted the Puppy Raiser Coordinator at KSDS to let her know about my decision, but so far no word yet. Of course I would love it to be sooner than later, but the right pup will come to me :) Hopefully I will at least get a call by this summer. Potty training a pup in winter is of course doable, but not fun. :)

Now my next order of business is trying to visit everyone's blogs and get caught up! Some of you have possibly raised several since I checked in with you. You lucky ducks, you! :)

Opinions Needed!!!

I have put a lot of thought into this (believe me, staying at home all day, every day makes you think) and even though my mind is mostly made up, I wouldn't mind hearing what all of you have to say.

I have a now 3 month old at home (all of you know this by now). I am down to 3 dogs and even though that may sound overwhelming to some, I am actually bored. After the grooming, bit of training and cleaning that takes place during the week, I am still left with lots of time.

I am considering raising again. Again, I have mulled this over; dang near thought of every scenario possible.
My only, pretty much ONLY thing I would need to work around is the fact that I am 30 miles from town without a car. Meaning socializing will be tricky and will need to be planned ( no trips to the park or the store for the heck of it) Upside to that, though, is I am within walking distance to this town's steakhouse, general store, and campground (complete with petting zoo) This is a very, VERY small town (about 50 or so of us here) so I'm sure people would get to know me fast and other opportunities would arise. Such as walking over to see the horses, or play with neighbor dogs, or have other kids around.

Most people would say that I would need to wait, but for those of you that know me, know that I usually can handle this stuff. When I had 6 dogs, I will admit I was getting too much on my plate, but still made time for what needed to be done with them. Tara, I hate to say it is slowing down. I hope I'm wrong but she may not be with us much longer. Doesn't act like it, but it shows slightly.

So my question for you is not if I can do it, but if there are things I may not have thought about; Possible scenarios to consider.
Have any of you raised a pup or even a keeper dog with a small child?
Let me know thoughts!
I said I wanted a Golden, not a Lab. Maybe that will help :)

Ava and the Dogs, Good and Bad

A fellow blogger asked how Ava and the dogs are doing together.

Fantastic! Now don't get me wrong, I never leave her on the floor with them roaming around if I need to do some things outside. I either put her up, put them behind a baby gate or both. No matter how used to babies and kids animals are, ya just never know sometimes.

At first they were your typical interested. Tara would look up every time she squeaked, Hermes perked his ears up and JD would get up, look and lay down again. Although I am sad to announce, Anubis wasn't that great.
He was fixated on her, at first I expected it. A new baby, new smells, new sounds. I would be worried if the dogs weren't interested. As a few days went on the others were fine, yet Anubis continued to be the same. Maybe he took more time, not sure. Days, weeks went on...It got worse. He was so focused on her, he wouldn't pay attention to his surroundings. He would almost fall on Tara, not paying attention where he was going, she would have none of that.  He also got very, very skittish; very nervous. I think Ava was something he just was not comfortable with and the stress was almost unbearable for him. I am all about training, but I WILL NOT put Ava at risk for the sake of training. I have to draw the line.
I contacted the Greyhound agency we adopted him from and talked to them about re-homing him. I felt so relieved after I made that call, the stress was getting to me and that didn't help matters.

So he is hopefully in a new home without small kids. I am so glad they understood. In fact, they said so many people were interested in him, so finding a home wouldn't be an issue.

So now we are back to a three dog household. Now my only worries are JD and his excitability! He doesn't mean too, but I worry he might run into her or knock her over when she gets older. He gets excited about squeaky toys and balls. There are some days, he spends outside to burn off his energy and  craziness so to speak. Plus we are in an all-wood floored house so its slippery and he likes to slide. Again, I can work around that, his attitude is just happy-go-lucky :)

Ava is Here! Actually It's Been Awhile...

Whoa! One would think staying home all day taking care of a baby would provide lots of time. Hmm....not quite!
If any of you are on Facebook, you know that Ava came is is doing well, with frequent photo downloads of her. Facebook is so much easier and quicker that doing it on here. I know Blogger has a mobile option but I haven't tried it yet (opinions: Does it work good? Easy to post, upload, update?)

Ava had her first set of holidays. Although I hate myself for not getting a "first Thanksgiving" photo. She had an adorable turkey outfit :)

Christmas I got multiple Christmas outfits to make up for it. She was almost 5 weeks at Christmas.
Below is Ava and Mommy. Her boots were so big looking, but since they were baby Ugg type boots, it was supposed to be that way. They are just too cute!

Included in family Christmas cards was the Santa photo. Before she was even born, I found this adorable outfit at a garage sale for $2! Plus, if we have a boy next around the same holiday time, it will work for him too! Garage sales were my friends during the past summer. I got so many baby things, it was nice. It was overwhelming financially to have to buy everything brand new, so it helped a lot to get second-hand items.
 

Another Christmas celebration :) although in this picture, she was getting fussy so I caught on of those happy but mad faces lol! She makes those a lot, just isn't sure what to do!

I have a few shots of this one, I call it "tired baby bunny"  I have a better one that was on my phone, but you get the idea. I'll be honest, I was never into cute clothes or fashion much, but dressing her in cute things? So much fun! Yet I rather kind of hope she will turn into a tomboy, like I was.

She LOVES her play mat! hanging over her is various toys she can grab at and down by her feet, is a piano that when she kicks it, will play music. Plus is is a three stage, so it grown with her. Ganny (Grandma) got it for her  for Christmas :)

 For my baby shower, I got this amazing shirt that is personalized with her full name! It is so precious and I am going to keep it in her scrapbook after she grows out of it. Here she is 10 weeks and I kept forgetting to have her wear it till about a week or so ago. I just didn't want to get it all yucky after continuous use. A few times shouldn't hurt, right?

So since I know most of you don't want to read a long boring post about me trying to catch up and such so there ya go! Short and sweet....literally lol!

Yet just to touch base on the day of labor though, wow....I have never experienced such pain in my life. I asked for an epidural and it worked fine....for awhile. As the pain got more intense, they increased it and I waited....and waited...but no relief, only got worse. The doctor even asked (she tried to talk quietly to the nurses, but I heard her) if he did anything or came in at all.
Long story short, I had to practically do it naturally and since I wasnt at all prepared for such horrible pain, I almost passed out. Never have in my life, but I know I came close. After she was out, it is rather fuzzy. Ava had to be taken to NICU for several reasons and I was past exhauston, didn't open my eyes for hours after, I was that exhausted. I remember the nurses telling me to open them, but I couldnt for awhile, too much work for even the simplest of abilities.

So after all that, I am still recovering physically from that day. Ava was released several days later and here we are!

Hopefully this wasn't too short! A lot has gone on, but like I said, its just to much to get caught up on and to have to write loooooooong posts.

I will update more often now that I'm caught up :)

Baby Plans

So my due date has come and gone and still no Ava :(

I haven't been online too much because my mom came out three weeks ago from Iowa (In case I was early) and we have been doing non-stop cleaning and organizing and even painting! The last few months I slacked off from cleaning because of hectic work schedule and because of how big and fat I felt!

Tomorrow is the BIG day though! I am 41.5 weeks and will be getting induced tomorrow morning. I have done so much more than just simple walking and if none of that worked, I don't think she would have come before 42 weeks anyway, so the doctor, just to play it safe, wanted to induce tomorrow.
I had a doctor appt. Tuesday and was hooked up to everything under the sun and everything is reading perfectly fine. So I guess Ava just wasn't done cooking :)

I will be REAL busy next few days so no updating, but check Facebook for little updates here and there.

Next time I write, little miss Ava Shelby Williams will be here :)

Kansas...You Will Be Missed

I have dreaded this post. There is so much to say, yet I don't want to say it or don't know how.

Kansas, my beloved cat, passed away September 28th. It really is still too painful to talk about, because I get images of him passing in my arms and I tear up.
He was fine the morning of. All was well until I left for a few hours to do some errands in town and to prepare for my baby shower. I returned home and see the block of rat poison, or what was left, in crumbs on the floor. We never put it in our house, these were leftovers from our landlords and we thought we got it all.

Sidenote, he actually got into some before, but we made him throw up and most came up and he was fine. I attempted to do the same thing, hoping it would still work, but nothing. He is a stubborn cat and refused to throw up.

The next 20 min. were spent with him slowly dying, the poison attacking his liver and system and going into convulsions and seizures. By the time I got to the vet (Mind you, we live 25 min. away and I was going about 80) there really wasn't any hope. He had stopped breathing and the vets tried to kickstart his heart, but nothing....

Alright, I'm going to tear up now, but that is one of the hardest thing to experience. A beloved animal dying before you and not even going peacefully but thrashing, crying and overall going out in a painful show. I don't care what anyone says, having them put down is better than dying painfully on their own. At least there is time to prepare or attempt to emotionally.
My baby shower was that night, but I had to cancel it. How could I be happy and excited about the new life inside me when it felt as if I just killed one.
I have never really experienced a loss of a pet before, with myself present anyways (When Sammy, my Greyhound passed, I was 2000 miles away and Adam dealt with putting him down). Firsts are hard and I am still very much grieving. He was the best cat ever and so young (only 4) and I know getting another one, anytime soon, will be hard.
One day we will, but not right now.

Thanks for listening

Another Puppy Raiser!

So I found out about this awhile ago and totally forgot to share my findings on here.
The shelter I work at, hired a new adoption counselor and she does great! She seemed to fit right in, eager to learn, and to get animals placed.

I was talking to her, just to know her as a co-worker, and I noticed the slightest thing. Yes, other people wouldn't think anything of it, but being a PR, I notice things :). She had a CCI tote that she brought to work everyday. I asked her about it and sure enough, she was a first time puppy raiser from CCI and she just turned her pup in! Although she then said that the pup was being released from major distractions and apparently pulled away from the trainer and jumped in a pond :( That's always sad to hear because as most of you know, you want your pup to be successful. She said she wants the dog back, but her and her ex-boyfriend (also a PR) both want the dog.

So at least there's someone around who understands the whole "Puppy Raiser" thing and I don't have to explain all the little things to :)

Random post, but I was excited! :) :) :)

It Is Completed!

I am so happy to announce that Doniphan's long overdue scrapbook is finally DONE!

I wish I would have finished it sooner and possibly brought more elements to the project, but I am proud of it and can't wait to get it in the mail to Doniphan's partner.

Doniphan's Scrapbook

 

Sample Page

Here is a sample page of my hard work :) I love these pages because with all my PIT's I would occasionally take them to get pictures at really photogenic places and this is one of those places.
Another hard thing of scrapbooking....so many pictures, it's hard to choose! Luckily I had a plan in mind and knew what pictures I wanted, thank goodness!
I sure hope Doniphan and his partner love it!

Fall is in the Air!

I love this time of year! Probably because it's much closer to winter/Christmas :)

I bought 3 scarecrows and put them on the deck to start decorating for fall/Halloween. We live in an area, sadly, that has no maple trees or any of the kinds that produce colorful leaves. All we have is pine, but we make the best of it here.
One place I miss that has the most beautiful colors is Wisconsin along the Mississippi. We would go there almost every year around this time and I enjoyed it so much! All the apples, the leaves, the Autumn smells :) It warmed the heart.

On a different note, I bought a bunch of baby clothes today. Some were new, but most are used. I even bought a Santa suit for $2! It is soo cute! I can't wait for that time to dress her in it and take pictures :)

I used to hate writing posts without pictures, but without raising a puppy, life is pretty dull around here. Everything I could take pictures of, I have before. I'll just have to wait for Ava to come, then I'll have lots to update on.

Sorry if this was a random, rambling post. I just don't want to get on that track of not updating for months at a time. Take care everyone!

32 Weeks Pregnant

32 Weeks Pregnant...Am I Done Yet?

At this point, all I have to ask is....am I done yet? :) every day has a new set of problems, I feel like my stomach is in my throat, and the various pains as well as breathing issues have me thinking of robbing an elderly person's oxygen tank.

Only 8 more weeks. Seems like a short time, but the days drag on now. I am still working full time and even though my duties are lighter and easier on me, it still takes a lot out of me on a daily basis, not going to lie. 

Ava's "area" so to speak, is a complete mess. Clothes, baby stuff, etc... just thrown about. I need to locate a dresser than it can be more organized, but I have hit a wall until that happens.

My Mom is planning to be here, from Iowa, starting 2 weeks before my due date to help get stuff done and ready (even some of the deep cleaning around the house that I am procrastinating on). She will stay roughly a month so that will be nice to have that help. 

On a daily basis, I do tidying after work and do deep cleaning on my days off. Right now our mower is broke and our yard is now a hayfield. Our landlord supplied the mower, so they said they would get it fixed, but the grass isn't stopping any time soon and it's still broke :( That's frustrating, especially when I am OCD about my yard.

Between the dogs, chickens, housework, job, Adam, and countless stuff, I am always moving and going!

Let me tell you, even though the baby will be time consuming, I am sooo looking forward to my maternity leave. It isn't paid, unfortunately, but having 12 weeks off will be soo nice. I will enjoy it!

Sorry this post was more of an unhappy one, but just needed to write it down. Now I am off to head outside to get some fresh air and start weed wacking the yard in spots and around the house and garage.