Happy 1st Birthday Sadie!

One year ago today, the puppy that healed my heart was born. She's done a lot (of damage) since we brought her home at 8 weeks from escaping her crate to eating her own toys and having to have surgery for it to reaching over the seat in the car and ripping out Peyton and Hailey's bows in their hair (and trying to eat them) to eating our woodwork on our windows and stairs.

No children are alike and the same goes for dogs. I like to believe that Sadie chose us because no matter how bad she was she knew we would always love her and not give her back. She was meant to be ours.

So at one year of age, she weighs in at 97 pounds. Yes, 97! I almost fell over when I saw that number on the scale. The average female Berner is about 90 pounds. Adler at her heaviest was about 84. Sadie at one year of age is 97! She is a bigger dog - longer, taller and fuller than Adler, but 97 pounds! Hailey doesn't stand a chance walking next to her!

She loves munchkins/donuts and cheese, but as you can guess she really doesn't discriminate. She's a cuddler too which means she'll just plop the full weight of her body down on top of you no matter where you are sitting - the floor, the couch, etc. She also loves going for car rides but she's a little too crazy in the car. The kids can't be eating food in front of her or she'll try to jump the seats. And Heaven forbid you try to leave her in the car. In fact, we bought a mesh barrier between our second and third rows which she tore down within a few minutes so we decided to buy a grate that goes between the seats. That lasted longer but last weekend while we were inside at Austen's baseball practice she managed to rip that down and hop over two rows to the front seat where she devoured at least half of a box of munchkins.

Despite her puppy antics, we still love her and haven't banished her to the backyard yet (we can't do that either because she digs holes in our yard)!

Anyway, Happy 1st Birthday to our Sadie!

Sadie on her birthday enjoying her new Octopus toy!

The destroyed box of Munchkins

Austen's Florida Soccer Tournament

At the airport headed to Florida!

I'm a little late on posting this week because I just got back this morning from a long weekend spent with Austen in Florida. His traveling soccer team had the opportunity to play a few games down there over Presidents' Day weekend so he and I made the trip together.

We left early Friday morning which meant missing some school but he has worked so hard this year at both school and sports that Tom and I thought he deserved a reward and a break. We arrived in time for lunch and a little pool time before the rest of the team arrived to go to Benihana for dinner!

Saturday morning we didn't play until early evening which was great because it was so hot. So more pool time with teammates and then off to the first game. It was a battle from the get go with our team playing in the second highest division (out of six or seven divisions) of the tournament for U10. The other team, used to the Florida heat, scored first but our team rallied to win the game 3-1. Off to a team dinner after which the kids definitely enjoyed.

A quick team picture before their first game

 Sunday we had two more games at 10am and 2pm. Right in the middle of a very hot day. The boys were dying early against a very skilled Florida team and lost to the team that eventually won the championship. During the afternoon game, we just wanted the boys to finish strong with a win and after being down 2-0 in the first half, the boys rallied once again to bring home a 4-2 victory. Back home they celebrated with ice cream and then a 7 hour pool party with pizza (and sushi for the parents!).

Monday was a free day since they didn't make the final so off to the Everglades and the beach.


It was a solid performance for their first true out of state tournament and the bonding that occurred is something that will only strengthen the team.

Great time. Go Wizards!

The Wizard Lizard (the van they took to games)

Benihana!

Football in the pool!

Last game - it was hot!

They won! A come from behind victory!

The Everglades was a fun trip to see the Alligators - we saw about 6-7!

Games are over now it's time for the beach - Deerfield Beach

Disney

Lately, Hailey has been obsessed with Mickey Mouse. Not Minnie. She couldn't care less about her. Mickey. She says she wants to be him for Halloween next year.  She has also been telling me she wants to go to Disney World. I told her she went when she was 14 months old and I am not going back there...ever!

Of course when she asks you every day, you make a far off promise to go sometime soon like okay maybe Disneyland this summer when we are in California. I could stand maybe 2 days there for Hailey wrapped around another trip. Done. Then there's the Disney cruise. The one everyone says is great for kids AND for the parents because we'll finally get to have time alone while on vacation. Sounds divine. They're already booking spring break 2018 cruises so why not. Check.

However, both of these vacations seem so far away when you are three and you want to see Mickey Mouse now so I booked Disney on Ice tickets for today. It is a rite of passage too. Austen has been 3 times and Peyton twice now. Hailey was very excited and when we pulled into the parking lot and I proclaimed, we're here, she looked at me wide-eyed and asked, "We're at Disney World?!" Uh, no. But, we will see Mickey.

She was so excited as we made our way to the stadium, talking a mile a minute. She picked a Finding Dory light up wand and a big Mickey Mouse lemonade before we found our seats. Mickey was on first. She loved it. But as soon as Mickey left and the princesses came out, she could've cared less. (Note: she's so not into Disney princesses.) She reminded me of Austen when he went to see his first movie, "The Princess and the Frog," and he kept asking where did the frog go when he wasn't in a scene. Well Hailey kept looking for Mickey except when Finding Dory came on. She did enjoy that skit. Good thing Mickey and friends came back out at the end and oh, that Frozen used bubbles for snow - she loved that part too!

Now, I know I need a lot more Mickey at Disneyland and maybe by 2018 she'll be more into princesses!

The Things My Girls Say...

It's been a pretty funny week.

First, one evening I'm in the girls' bathroom blow drying Hailey's hair by Peyton's sink since the hairdryer is on Peyton's side of the bathroom and all of a sudden Hailey starts saying:

"Clean"
"Messy"
"Clean"
"Messy"

I didn't get what she was talking about until she starts pointing to her sink then Peyton's sink. Sure enough Peyton had globs of pink toothpaste in her sink and all around it while Hailey's was spic and span. I couldn't help but laugh because Hailey sure does have Peyton's number. She's clearly the messiest out of all 3 of my kids. In fact, Tom has a quarterly clean out with her that takes at least 1-2 hours because she just throws stuff under her bed - anything from church bulletins to restaurant menus to little pictures of animals she has cut out. I hope it's true that messiness is a sign of intelligence or at least great creativity otherwise I see her future being on an episode of "Hoarders!"

Second, I'm volunteering in the library for Peyton's class this past Thursday when her teacher approached me and said, "Peyton, just makes me laugh with all of her talk about Donald Trump. You have a very liberal democrat on your hands," she tells me. Luckily, I'm pretty sure her teacher is a democrat so I don't sweat it too much although I've told Peyton she can't talk politics with her friends at school. It's not like Tom and I are die hard politicians who talk about politics all that often at home but the way Peyton talks you would think we do. She told her friend across the street who had a Trump sign in their yard as well as her classmates that Trump hates girls so we shouldn't like him. And, then she proceeds to tell her class that Trump is keeping families apart because he won't let some people back in the country. Yes, Tom and I were talking about that because my college friend has an Iranian-born wife who was traveling and couldn't get back in the country and I don't feel like I should have to hide what's been going on in our country from my kids. I wish she didn't talk about it so much at school but she's taken such an interest in Trump and politics. Who knows - maybe she'll be working in Washington, DC, one day. 

It does make me laugh though. My girls are clearly not afraid to share what's on their minds.