Spring is coming

I know this not because of the warmer weather, but by the amount of hair I get out of Henry when I brush him! I'm pretty sure I could've added more to the pile, but he gets tired of laying there after a while. I'll stop to empty the "tool" (his grooming requires more than this slicker brush) I use and he'll get up and run away when I'm not looking. It's pretty funny.

This month is Henry's anniversary. He came to live with us exactly four years ago! He was only nine months old at the time. Two days after collie rescue contacted me, we all went to meet him at his foster mom's house. I knew right away that I wanted to adopt him! I'm so thankful the rescue chose to call ME when he came to them!!!

A nice day

The weather was so pleasant today that the boys and I decided to go somewhere that we could be outside. We wound up at Renwick Lake a place that we've visited several times before. That was where we went last summer when Jason was running (that didn't last long). So I grabbed the camera and we went for a walk around the lake. It was nice, but not very scenic since there are no leaves yet and nothing is green. But the temperature was perfect and there was NO wind.

This is the Lego Pirates set that Jason and I bought Justin for his birthday. It's the soldiers' fort. We also got him an MP3 player. He's enjoying his music while he constructs his Legos.

Next we have this adorable picture of Henry being so comfy on his bed. It's in our bedroom right next to my side of the bed. He falls asleep there every night. My dog loves me.

And I'd also like to send some birthday wishes to my mother-in-law, Viv. She turned 65 today! I hope she had a very happy birthday!

When it rains, it pours

Especially the last two days! There's been so much rain that our grass is turning green already. This is a picture of our neighbors' backyard a couple hours ago. They have a sewer in their yard, so they get everyone's water. There was a storm a few years ago that collected a little more water than this. It was about half of their yard that time. I guess this means that spring is on it's way!

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY, JUSTIN!!!

Here he is on the morning of his 10th birthday. Justin woke up with a smile on his face today happy to be in the double digits. (That's a new Lego shirt he's wearing, just got it this morning.)
When you talk about something being ten years from now, it seems like a long period of time. However, ten years of your child's life seem to fly by too quickly. I know I say this ALL the time, but I just can't get a grasp on how fast time seems to go now that I'm older. I wouldn't want to go back, though. Not only do I not want them to be babies anymore, but I couldn't risk either of my sons turning out any differently than they have so far. I could be nervous that Justin is entering a new phase in his life with more challenges, but I'm confident that he will come to his dad and I for advice and continue to make good choices.
When I took the boys to school this morning, I walked them inside to help bring in Justin's cupcakes. On the way down to his classroom, he told me that since he'd be in there early he could help his teacher get the room ready. Always helpful, even on his birthday. Needless to say, he's a great student and very responsible. He's also got a crazy sense of humor that cracks me up! Justin is an awesome kid!

Happy 10th birthday, Justin! You're one of the two best sons ever and I love you SO much!!!

Taken from our 1999 photo album

I went looking through the photo albums the other day. Since Justin was born first, there are a couple of only him. I didn't set up a countdown for him, so I thought it was appropriate to share a few pictures of him as a baby. He seems so mature now, it's almost hard to believe that this is him.

Justin's pre-birthday dinner

Justin's birthday is Wednesday, March 4th and his birthday party is Saturday, March 7th. The four of us usually go out to dinner on Saturday nights. Tonight we kicked off Justin's birthday week by letting him choose where we went to dinner. He had his mind set on ribs. He chose Friday's since they have a good rib dinner on the children's menu.

Here's Justin beginning to enjoy his dinner. And in the next picture you'll see the completely meatless bones that remain. He really goes to town on those things!