10 Month Update

Today marks 10 months since Rosie was born. Insert cute picture of her in a white shirt with a 10 month sticker here. I'm having a hard time with the concept that she will be a year old in 2 short months. We just got her! But since it is rapidly approaching I will post some 10 month updates. 

Rosie is getting to be such a big girl. She has had the same pink collar since we first got her that we keep loosening. This weekend the time finally came that we had to go up a size. Our baby now wears a medium collar. She hasn't been to the vet for anything in a while (knock on wood) so we aren't sure about her exact weight, but she is definitely filling out. The good news is, the new pink collar is not dingy salmon (the color the other had turned through months of wear on our wild girl), but is PINK! I'm sure it won't stay that way but it looks so pretty right now! This isn't the best quality picture but it shows off her new collar as she sleeps in her dog room. 

It seems like just yesterday we got that sweet girl and she looked like this...

Rosie is a chewing machine. We knew the golden retriever in her might make her chewing come out at some point. Well, we've reached that point. Luckily, we keep her pretty busy and she mostly just chews up toys. She is really into Nyla bones which are awesome. They have some for powerful chewers and they keep her busy for hours and she can't destroy them. 

Since Rosie's training class, she is pretty good about minding. She never gets on the indoor furniture anymore. It's a little sad because I loved cuddling with her on the couch at night. Now we just lay in the floor with her to get our cuddles in. This is a pre-training picture with a super guilty face.

Our 10 month old loves to play! She plays fetch with herself if nobody else is around. I love to try and sneak a look at her while she's outside by herself. You never know what will be entertaining her, but you can bet that she will either be full speed or asleep.

Rosie is super social and loves other dogs. Her best friends are probably Ryder (my brother-in-law's dog) and Cole (my friend Casey's dog). She loves when they visit and will run with them for hours. 

Her are Rosie and Ryder

 Rosie and Cole asking Casey to throw a ball.

Rosie's favorite game with us is frisbee. She's really good at catching! You have to trick her a little to get her to give it up though. She wants you to get it and throw it again, but she hates the idea of letting go. 

We are so lucky that Rosie loves to be outside. This is a pic of her sunning. She caught me looking at her through the window. Although she loves being with us, her favorite times are when we are outside with her. She will prance around the yard to show off. 

Rosie's other great love is water. She still swims in her water bowl although she can't fit in it all at once anymore. We are excited to get her a plastic pool for the summer and to take her up to the lake. 

We are so thankful to have this crazy, entertaining, loving puppy in our lives. I honestly can't remember what we did before we had her. Happy 10 months, Rosie!

Planning Advice

It's that time of year again...wedding season! In honor of the upcoming months of watching the bride and her dad cry as they sway to "My Girl," I'm changing this post up a bit. This time last year I was attempting to juggle classes, upcoming law school finals, wedding parties, and planning what I hoped to be the perfect wedding 4 to 5 hours away from me. You might say I was stressed. I can't say that I'm sad that the planning is over, but I can say that it was all worth it in the end. 

For those of you going through that situation as we speak (or those with friends who are) here are some pieces of advice that I'd like to pass to those stressed brides to be.

1) Your wedding WILL NOT be perfect.

That's right, ladies. No matter if you've been planning for 3 months, or since 3 years old, things will go wrong. For instance, the beautiful reception venue that Jackson and I chose BURNED DOWN just a few short weeks before the big day. We had already designed out the entire event with our vendors and that vision could no longer happen. Not only that, but our preacher cancelled on us. It turns out that his son popped the question and picked our date for his nuptials. Naturally the dad chose his son over officiating at our service. And finally, our super cute get away boat that I LOVED was vandalized weeks before and there was no way to replace it in time. Although I was disappointed by these things, we were able to find excellent alternatives and use the misfortunes to haggle some prices. The wedding wound up perfect for us.

2) Roll with the punches.

This advice really goes hand in hand with my previous statement. In the end, what matters is that you are married. It's likely that nobody will know that your cake doesn't look identical to the picture you showed the cake lady. Although it's easy to note these things since you've been tirelessly planning, you can't let mishaps ruin what should be the happiest day to celebrate incredible love. My suggestion for coping is knowing that it's going to happen beforehand and setting your mind that you are not going to let your mind be bothered with stuff. On the day, it will seem petty to you anyway, and whatever you're missing might actually be there. It's hard to take it all in!

3) It's perfectly acceptable to call people and ask if they are coming if they haven't sent in an RSVP. 

Most wedding guests forget that you are paying per person and it's difficult to guess when half of the invitation recipients didn't return the RSVP. This was especially troubling for our seated dinner. However, most guests were really polite about it when called. 

4) Don't get caught spending money on things that don't matter.

What matters for people varies. What was important for me was a good band, a good photographer, and food/drinks. The food, drinks, and band make people want to stay and have fun. The pictures are what last. Jackson and I cut a lot of little expenses like printed napkins, koozies, etc. and instead put that towards the things we really cared about. I really don't think anybody noticed because they were spending time on the dance floor!

5) Pay special attention to your wedding party. 

They've been through a lot (and spent a lot) to make this day special for you. Show them that you appreciate it!! Don't forget to plan for them to eat lunch on the day of. So many times during all the getting ready and rushing around, feeding the wedding party is overlooked. If you don't feed them, you can't be upset when one falls out in the middle of the vows. 

6) Slow down and plan some time for the two of you.

Everybody says it but a wedding goes by really fast!! Not to mention usually something is running behind on your perfectly timed schedule of events. Therefore, if alone time is not planned, it won't happen! On the day of the wedding you are so concerned about where people are and trying to talk to each of them that it's important to remember that your wedding is about you and your husband. Pay attention to each other.

Some people have told me I would miss planning when it was all over. That has not been the case. But I don't regret a minute of it. Jackson and I both talk about our wedding day as the most fun day of our life and I don't think it would have been near as much fun if we hadn't put in the work up front to make it what we wanted. In the end, I wouldn't change a thing.

 

Easter Weekend

This Easter was so much fun because I got to celebrate with so many people that I love. We swapped Easter baskets at out house on Friday because we went to Haleyville for the weekend and because I wanted Jackson to get to wear some of his basket contents for Easter. Naturally we got Rosie a basket!

Rosie was so excited about her basket but mostly because of the bone. She also got some chew toys (Nylabones) and a flamingo.

She took the bone right outside and wouldn't move away from it for a good 2 hours.

Rosie also had her own decorated eggs.

She loved them and really wanted to eat them!!

Jackson was so sweet to get me a few things to put in a basket. The cheese straws from Edgars are by far my favorite item! Although, the Pez dispenser runs a close second.

Jackson received assorted candy as well. He also got some minis and a green tie. We have been looking for a pretty green tie for him since St. Patrick's day.

Saturday night I went to Ashley's wedding. It was beautiful and so much fun to hang out with these girls! It's nice to have friends that pick up right where they left off no matter how long it's been.

It's always good to have an excuse to dance with this guy too!

On Easter Sunday we went to church in Haleyville and then came home to Easter lunch. Luckily, the rain held off for an easter egg hunt that afternoon. Hannah and my cousin's baby, Mable, had a blast hunting and re hunting for eggs in the front yard. Hannah picks up each one and shakes it to see if it has jelly beans or not! After the egg hunt they got real eggs out of the hen house and played with baby chicks. Mable LOVED them. She was an expert at catching the surprisingly speedy little guys. It was so cute! 

I loved getting to spend some time with my cousin Kari and her family. We used to have Easter egg hunts together every year so it was nice to be able to relive that a little bit.

Hannah and Sally in their pink Easter dresses!

We told Hannah to help out Sally so she pat on her. It was really sweet. I'm excited to watch them grow up to be close sisters. Sally is already obsessed with Hannah. Hannah can make her laugh like nobody else. It is just so amazing to watch.

When people talk about "proud grandparents" they are talking about my parents for sure. Those girls make them so happy! I love it. It makes me excited for when we have children because they are so great with Hannah and Sally.

Jackson and I got a picture in our Easter outfits. 

While we don't get Easter baskets from the Easter bunny anymore, mom did pick us up crosses and prayer journals. I love this cross and hung it in the window as soon as I got home. What a beautiful reminder of our Savior. I've kept prayer journals off and on and have always been so amazed. It is incredible to be able to see your prayers answered. I have already started using my new one and am loving it.