Our Growing Little Family

I know the title of the post has automatically put some hopes and dreams of babies out there, but nope, no nurseries or bottles or diapers needed here yet. We have welcomed a bounding, curious, and playful little boy puppy into our home and hearts.

I love these boys. 

Yup, we are officially a 3 dog household. It gets crazy sometimes, but the fun and joy makes the crazy moments worth it.

Feeding Time at the "Zoo"

We've had him for 3 weeks now but kept fairly quiet while we made sure it was the right choice. We wanted to make sure we could give all 3 boys the love and attention they needed, especially with school obligations starting up literally at the same time. Fortunately the little guy has been so smart and a quick learner that he is doing pretty well with potty training, enjoys sleeping all night, and doesn't take much to know what a command means.

It took a week after we got him to decide on a name, but after much debate and some scientific testing [AKA trying out our top 3 name choices to see what puppy seemed to respond to/like the best] we decided to name him Scout. Well, technically he's Scout Henrich. Henry was one of my favorite possible names for him, so we put it as his "middle" name and changed it to the German version because we are just that clever, haha. :) (IN case you were wondering: Danny's middle name is "P" -- he was named "Danny P" at the shelter. Squirt doesn't have a middle name unless you count "Go potty!")

Taking a break from exploring.

He is a 3 month old German Short-haired Pointer. That's a hunting breed, but they also make nice house dogs. He is going to be very energetic and is/will continue to be a great playmate for Danny (and our future children). He could get up to 70 lbs, but he won't be as muscular as Danny. He'll be a tall, lean guy. His legs have already gotten so long in the last 3 weeks.

Things Scout enjoys include...
chewing
exploring everything
trying out new things to chew on
running, wrestling and playing tug-of-war with Danny
chewing
chasing everything from Mommy and Daddy's pant legs to butterflies to his siblings
staring at things with his head to one side while he considers what it is and its chewability
barking at things that frustrate him
tearing up grass
chewing
playing fetch with sticks (and sometimes the ball)
chewing on a peanut butter and kibble filled Kong when Mommy leaves for work
sitting when Mommy and Daddy tell him to, especially when he gets a treat afterwards
chewing
learning new commands
dancing while Mom and Dad get the food bowl to his spot
chewing
antagonizing Squirt to try to get him to play
snuggling when he is sleepy
sleeping on Mom and Dad's shirts in his crate
and did I mention chewing?

Om nom nom. Chew all the things.

Neither of us owned a puppy before, and it was crazy at first thinking that we had to teach him everything from the obvious potty training to how to go up and down the 2 steps by the kitchen door. We have a very clean rug by the back door from the frequent washings when we don't move fast enough to get puppy outside, and we've learned the art of getting a wiggly puppy to settle down on the couch by holding a chew toy in one hand and him in the other.

He's already learning to "sit", "lay down," "get the ball," "drop it," "hush," and, most importantly, "No" and "Scout" (not necessarily always said at the same time). He's showing an inkling now and then of knowing "come", too.

So what do his brothers think of him?

Danny says...

"Don't worry, I'm watching over him."

"Man, baby brothers are exhausting."

Squirt says...

"Stop it! No, I won't play with you! STOP IT! Go find Danny!"

"You're not bad when you are sleepy and snuggly."

We're pretty excited about how well everything's going so far. There are moments we've questioned ourselves, but it's been great for all of us. Well, time to go take the pup outside to romp around for a while.

Happy weekend-ing, everyone!

Prairie Shark

Day 19:

Blog about your favorite local restaurant. 

Confession: We have only eaten at the chain places in town, not any cute "local" places. 

And now I'm realizing that we need to get out more...out of our box, that is.  

There's one place I'd like to try called Wave Pizza Company. Yes, I love pizza, but my motivation is from curiosity more then a craving. The first time I drove by it I remember thinking, "What's that thing sticking out of there? Is that a....it's a SHARK! Hahahaha. A shark in Nebraska. A beachy restaurant in the middle of Nebraska. With a shark." Even though we haven't eaten here, this is my favorite local restaurant to drive by. 

Source: restaurant.com

I cannot make these things up, people, but I applaud the ones that do. 

I shall name him Prairie Shark because he is in the middle of the prairie instead of the ocean where he belongs. He kind of looks like he's either fierce or in agony up there, doesn't he?

All of this shark talk has me thinking about this scene in Clerks now...which I naturally quote to Tim almost every time we have chips and salsa. 

My Top 10 Websites

Day 18: 

List the 10 Instagrams you stalk or your favorite Instagram feeds.

Ugh, I just am not getting this blog challenge right. I'm not keeping up every day, and I'm not always sticking to the prompt. I'm still going to call this a success for blogging at all this month, though. :) 

Soooo I have been on Instagram for a while, but I haven't really started following anyone or having my own followers until the past few weeks. I don't know that anyone I follow regularly posts enough for me to "stalk". 

So let me put my own spin on today's prompt...again...because my blog, my rules. ;) 

Here are the top 10 sites I visit regularly: 

1. gmail.com

To quote Strongbad, "Here I go again with the email." Gotta keep up with my adoring fans, you know. 

Just kidding. I make sure I'm not missing anything from school or my family. Sometimes I get coupons by email, too, and get nerdishly excited. It's the little things in life, and they're even better when they are $5. Kidding. The best things in life are priceless. 

But $5 off things can be nice, too. 

2. yahoo.com

I like to get at least a quick idea of what's going on and read a few articles now and then. 

3. Weather.gov/Weather.com

These two go hand-in-hand because when I check one I usually check the other as well. I just really like to make sure I know what's happening with the weather. I get really nervous with bad weather when a) I have to drive b) Tim has to fly or c) I have recess duty. 

4. blogger.com

Naturally. Even if I don't post for prolonged periods of time, I have a few blogs that I like to keep up with.

5. merriam-webster.com

Don't judge me. I like words, and I like knowing what I'm reading. Like many writers/readers, I am drawn to look up words often. Sometimes I like to double-check that a word I'm using in something I'm writing means exactly what I think it does so it has the effect I'm hoping for. 

6. pinterest.com

I call it "research" sometimes because I look up school things...but I have honestly found a lot of handy ideas for around the house, too. 

7. proverbs31.org

Proverbs 31 Ministries is geared toward women, and I love their daily devotions. I first caught wind of them from the radio station I listen to a lot on my way to and from work, KLOVE. One of the ladies does a little blurb on the radio each day, and it's crazy how often it fit perfectly for what I was feeling. Many mornings it was a little extra boost to lift me out of a funk, calm my nerves, or silence my fears. I love how real these women are honest about challenges and truths. 

8. pandora.com

I have music on pretty much anytime I'm on the computer. Even when I'm away from the computer I tend to tote my iPad and speaker around the house with me with some tunes. 

9. youtube.com

Because where else can you find and share gems like this? (This one goes out to all of you dear people who are just as crazy about grammar as I am...for better or worse!)

10. facebook.com

Of course. Sure, it can be a time-suck, and it can get dramatic sometimes, but I like being able to keep in touch with friends and family a little more easily in between phone calls and visits. :)

Am I missing out on anything good? Let me know what some of your favorites are! 

The Fear of "Enough" - Part 2

Friends, I don't like the way I ended that last post. I've felt like I needed to put in more words to help us power through those moments, but I wasn't quite sure what to put. Let me offer you a follow-up post now to fill in some of those gaps.

Source:Pinterest

Sometimes I think we don't feel like enough because we feel like we must juggle everything and solve all the problems, but we don't. We need to accept that some things are beyond our control and gain peace from that. It's okay if your best isn't enough to solve every single problem. We have a God that can handle everything.

Romans 8:28 helps spell it out: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." See? God works. Yes, we can serve God with our talents and time, but He is always there. We may tire or get frustrated or stressed, but we can trust that God is endlessly at work with a plan greater than we can know falling into place for our lives. He already sent Jesus as part of that plan to die for every single imperfection in our lives. Do the best you can, but accept that your best will never save the world. God already did.

Unless you hurt someone's feelings or make a real mistake, don't apologize for being who you are...even if you let yourself think that you're not being who someone else wants you to be. So what if you need to ask another question to clarify what someone else is saying? If you're cold, take back those covers from your warm and cozy significant other! Sharing is caring, friends. Armrests are public property -- yes, even on an airplane -- so don't apologize for using it...unless you bumped someone when you tried to put your arm there. Often we say "sorry" when we should just say "Excuse me" and go about our business. I am extremely guilty of this, and I really was left thinking after watching this video. So be confident and be YOU. You won't impress everybody, but you'll feel more at peace with letting your good qualities shine.

And if somebody tries to make you feel bad about being yourself, shake it off. You can get mad, or you can use humor to keep it from plaguing you. Like this girl. I want to be more like her when somebody is talking negatively about me.How often do we let comments haunt us? And how often were those comments said for that very purpose? Letting them sink in is letting the other person have some control over yourself. Do like Elsa and just Let It Go. It's not worth stressing over. (And if you are stressing about something someone said, why not talk to them about it? Maybe they need the peace that comes with apologizing for being a pain.)

Source: BuzzFeed

Go out and rock who you are today, friends. Accept that you will make mistakes and leave some things on your To Do list unfinished. Go do the best you can. You're awesome.

The "Enough" Fear

We hit the road this weekend to see my side of the family so I'm a few days behind with the prompts. I'm changing up today's post by using a prompt from the weekend instead of the listed one. Yup, I'm a rebel.

What is the fear you want to overcome? 

I've thought a bit about this one since the beginning of the month when I read the prompts. I thought it'd be kind of easy. I mean, c'mon, I can name the things that I'm afraid of. When I started thinking about my biggest fears, though, I got nervous to share one of them because I thought it'd sound really stupid. That helped me realize what one of my biggest fears really is. 

I get scared that who I am is not enough. 

I worry that who I am will disappoint people around me if I don't do enough of what they are looking to me for. 

Do I encourage my friends enough? Do I call my family enough? Do I take care of my husband enough? Do I teach my students enough? Do I love on the dogs enough? Do I organize the house enough? Do I help other people enough? Do I make people laugh enough? 

The list of "enough" could go on and on, but why should it? 

I'm worried about measuring up to other people's standards and my own, but it seems so silly. I know that I will never be enough for everyone around me because I'm not perfect and neither is anyone else. We all get disappointed by the people in our lives for big and small reasons. 

God knew I wouldn't be perfect and thankfully does not expect me to be. He doesn't expect you to be perfect, either. He knew Adam and Eve wouldn't be able to resist the fruit He told them not to eat, and He knew that we wouldn't be able to love the people around us selflessly with our actions or words. He knew people would get sick, angry, depressed, lonely, frustrated, hurt, and all around rotten at times. But He also knew we'd need love...and He sent Jesus to die and rise again so we could have love even when we are awful. We can have hope because we are loved. We are enough in God's eyes even when we aren't enough in the eyes of the world. 

I want to overcome that feeling of failure that goes hand-in-hand with not feeling like I'm enough. I want to push away that side of me that tries to feel defeated before I try something new. I want to stop guessing people's reactions before they even have the chance to react to something I say or do. I want to stop being afraid to be the imperfect me who tries to do better each day. I want to stop being afraid to be me. 

The beautiful thing about this is knowing that I'm not alone. I've heard it and read it and watched it in so many different ways around me to know that it's a natural thing to feel. The reason I wanted to post about this instead of something like being afraid of deep, deep water (Fun Fact: also a real fear of mine) is that it's not talked about openly. I've felt like I had to keep this kind of insecurity to myself so I wouldn't seem weak, and it used to make me feel ashamed to admit. I'm done feeling that way, though, guys. We shouldn't be ashamed to talk with the people around us who can help us when we feel this way. I'm thankful to have family and friends to talk to when I feel this way and learn that I'm not alone. I hope that I can return the favor, too. 

Consider the Alternatives

Day 11: 

Not considering monetary gain, what is your dream job? 

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I love teaching, and I am blessed to be able to have a teaching job where I can share the love and grace of God with my students. This truly is my dream job, friends. 

But again, I won't take the easy way out. :) 

If I were not a teacher, I would be a writer. Probably not one with books on a Best Seller list or anything, but I'd put stuff out there somehow. 

Just because I'm a teacher doesn't mean that I can't also be a writer, but things would definitely be different if I could focus on writing more. I think being a teacher gives me some good inspiration sometimes, too...and some ideas for how to set up a children's book. Now I just need a less-than-lame idea to run with to write one. (The only one I have in mind seems like it could either be really silly or really stupid in the end...then again, isn't a lot of writing like that?!)

These two quotes sum up a lot of what I feel about writing and why I'd do it for a living if I could: 

'

My Celebrity Dinner Party

Day 10: 

If given the chance to invite 3 famous people over for dinner, who would you invite?

Oooh, this could be fun. 

After a whirlwind of cleaning up around the house, I'd set about making an awesomely yummy dinner (probably with some awesome veggies from the garden!), set the table, and then my guests would arrive.

I decided to make it a Girls Night, so I'd settle down to dine with...

Lauren Graham

Source: Google

Emma Stone

Source: Google

and 

Emma Watson

Source: Google

I'd pick these 3 because they seem to be down-to-earth, intelligent, and playful. I think that any conversation with these three could go just about anywhere and be really entertaining and interesting, but I think they'd be very real and honest, too. Anytime I see one of these women in the media I see their grace and humbleness while still getting to see their true playful personalities come out, too. They have a host of talent on-screen and seem to be like great people in real life, too. Definitely low-key dinner guests, too -- you know the kind you don't feel like you have to impress because they are so laid back? Yeah. Those kind of guests are the best. 

I would also insist on going out to do karaoke because I know that at least 2 out of 3 of them have some rockin' karaoke style. Here's proof: 

and