After the hustle and bustle of the holidays January seemed pretty slow, which is good because that is what we needed. Lillian was still healing from her tonsillectomy and her adenoidectomy so we took it easy the first couple weeks of the month.
One day we went up to Madera Canyon with some friends in search of snow. All we found was water but that didn't stop us from having some fun.
Another day we stopped by the Tucson temple to see how it is progressing. I love how unique it is and how well it fits in to this part of the country. The blue dome matches our endless blue skies. We cannot wait for it to open in August.
One of our favorite days in January was little Leighton's 5th birthday. Lillian and Freya enjoy every minute spent at Turner, Vaughn, and Leighton's house. Nine out of ten times they leave in tears, cursing their mean mother for forcing them in to the car. This day was no exception.
January marked the beginning of Lillian's last soccer season in the 3-4 division. I think Freya was more excited for soccer to start up again than Lillian. She wanted to dress like a soccer player for the first practice. Her little piggy tails and bony knees were just too cute not to document.
In fact, I think everything Freya does right now is too cute not to document. Whether she is pouting in time-out,
riding her horse,
washing mesquite beans,
or doing chores, it doesn't matter
Everything she says and does is just so stinking cute I can't stand it. I want to squeeze her all the time!
One of my favorite events in January was the Zoppe Family Circus. What a magical night we had! The girls giggled and gasped all night. My favorite part was the vaulting, the girls liked the dog tricks, and Josh was memorized by the clown.
Mid month we packed the Suburban and headed to Nonna and Ppa's house to celebrate a belated Christmas.
For Christmas Auntie Sam bought each of us an oyster with a pearl. Lillian and Freya thought opening the oyster and digging around in their guts for pearls was amazing. Both of them ended up with a purple pearl and a blue pearl which we had made in to necklaces for them.
These girls love going to Nonna's house. Nothing makes them happier. Just today Lillian asked,"Why does Dad have to go to work?" "To make money to pay for our house, our cars, our food..." I replied. Then she said,"And a ticket to get on an airplane to visit Nonna?" I can't blame them. I love going to Nonna's too! I breathe easier when I am there. I feel less stressed. There is time to do things like lay in bed a little longer in the morning,
watch the deer resting in the back yard.
or take hour long baths.
I don't know what it is about being there but we love it. It must be some kind of Nonna magic.
Before we left Josh was able to borrow come snowboards for the girls. They cracked me up running all around the house in their gear.
It just so happened Nonna has a hill in her yard that is perfect for practicing snowboarding. Lillian especially loved flying down the hill on her board.
The hill was also prefect for sledding. Freya preferred this winter activity because all she had to do was sit in the sled. Lillian did all the work.
We made sure to do all the typical snow activities that we can't do at home and it was heavenly.
We had a great time riding in a sleigh at Hardware Ranch. The elk in the area come down to the ranch in the winter for food and protection. The morning we went there were 725 elk! Can you tell we were freezing?
After hearing over and over again how delicious the food is at Herm's Inn we finally decided to brave the snow to try it out.
It did not disappoint! This cinnamon swirl pancake was pretty incredible.
Don't for a second think Nonna and Ppa are the only reason Lillian and Freya like going to Logan. Auntie Sam is like a celebrity because she always has fun animals to hold. This visit she had baby rats and mice,
and a tarantula. Lillian wasn't too keen on having the spider on her skin but didn't mind if it crawled on her jacket. Freya, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the fuzzy arachnid.
It snowed so much while we were visiting that our poor snowman got buried in the snow and we were forced in doors to relax with Ppa. The snow wasn't all that bad because it meant we got to stay an extra day.
Leaving was rough. Nonna's bathtub alone was reason enough for the girls to stay there and just send for their stuff.
I talked them in to coming home by promising we would stop on our long journey to pick up this little guy.
They couldn't wait. The eleven hours prior to picking him up were filled with,"Aren't we getting a puppy, Mom?" "Where is the puppy?" "Did you forget to pick up the puppy?" Once we finally had him in our possession the remaining five hours sounded like this, "When do I get to hold the puppy?" "Is it my turn yet?" "I want the puppy!"
We decided to name him Oliver Twist. After what happened to Emerson I was not really ready for a dog yet. Sometimes I look at little Oliver and just want to cry because he isn't Emerson and never will be. These two little girls wore me down with their wishing and their crying for Emerson every night, so I sucked it up and decided I would just have to get ready. I remember picking out my first dog, a Scottish Terrier named Max. He was a great dog. The memory I have of going to the breeder and picking him out has stuck with me all these years. It prompted me to ask my girls what kind of dog they wanted to join our family. Did they want a big dog or a little dog? A fuzzy dog or a smooth dog? An older dog or a puppy? This was their wish list:like Emerson, a puppy they could carry around, has to catch a ball (something Emerson was much to dignified to do), and pick blocks up with his teeth to build towers. So I began my search. When I came across these photos I knew I was getting close!
This is Oliver's mom, Kansas. Her little face reminds me of Emerson when he was young, her tipped ears, like Emerson's, are kind of hard to find in the Rat Terrier breed, and she is carrying a stick. Thankfully there was one puppy left from her litter, little Oliver. He happened to be the only puppy in the litter with tipped ears and he loves to play catch! Hallelujah! We are working on the building towers part.
Just for reference, this is his dad, Sammy.
Oliver is definitely a lucky little dog. Between Lillian and Freya and their friends he barely has a moment to breath. He is cuddled, carried, chased, and loved on pretty much every second of every day.
I don't think he has ever been so tired.
One of my main reasons for not wanting to get a dog so soon was a fear that Emerson would be forgotten. I am happy to report he has not. Lillian and Freya still talk about him, draw pictures of him, and tell stories about him. It warms my heart.
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