Hello Again!

It's been ages since I've written a post! The last few months have been filled with some normal life and some unexpected life!

Since October, Rob's been hunting off and on. He went out Friday for a last hunt before all seasons come to an end. Ron Ingram shot a pheasant, but Rob also had a bead on it so Ron generously let Rob take it home. So, we'll be having pheasant one of these nights!

Phoenix has continued to grow in size and....well, I was going to say maturity. But that might be a little too strong of a word! He's an adorable four-and-a-half-month-old puppy. We are loving having him around. Rob has been taking him out in the middle of nowhere and letting him run free. He loves using that nose of his (Phoenix, that is!).

The biggest news, which you all surely know by now, is that Rob and I are expecting!! Yes, a little one will be joining our family this August. My life has changed so much between the constant baby thoughts and the morning sickness symptoms. But the sickness is getting better and I am just so excited about the wee one inside of me! All ready, 9 1/2 weeks have come and gone. Just about a fourth of the way there!

Well, that should catch you up a bit. Oh, wait. I'm still working on school. I wasn't able to pass my second to last test. So, I am getting ready to take that one again. The test should be coming in in two weeks and I hope to be ready to challenge and defeat it by then! Oh, to be done with school!

Okay, now I think you are alllll caught up. Maybe this will help me get back into blogging again!

Here's Our Favorite Pup!

Puppy, Puppy Everywhere!

Where's the puppy?

There he is!

He Has Arrived!

Here's our little rascal! Mom, Dad, and Joseph got to stop by last night and play with the puppy. He had had an eventful day. He threw up on the way home but also got some sleep during the ride. Then he wanted to sleep during the evening, too. We let him but that was a mistake. He was awake from 2 o'clock on!

Today he just wants to be held. He's slept a lot today, too. We will try to keep him awake later in the day, though.

I had a hard time getting good pictures last night because he would run toward me every time I pulled out the camera! But I'll post the ones I have.

Oh, and by the way...his name is official now: Phoenix!

He's so lovable--wanting to be held and cuddled. But he's also wanting to chew on things: fingers, carpet, towels, jeans...

I'm having to learn to say, "Stop" or "Quit" rather than "No" because for a bird dog it would get confusing to have both "No" and "Whoa" to try to understand. This is hard for me but I'll get it soon, I hope.

This is the Day!

Yep, 'tis the day we get our puppy! Rob will go pick him up this evening at 5:00. I teach until 5:30 so I won't be going. But it will be a nice present! I've still got a lot of organizing that needs to be done before he gets here. I think we finally decided on having him in the guest bathroom during the day when I'm busy. We were trying to find the ideal room--the kitchen was hard to block off, the utility room had drafts, and every other room has carpet! So, if you visit, we'll have to figure the bathroom situation out on the fly. :) But of course, this will only be until the pup's house trained, probably. Well, I'll give more updates and pictures probably tomorrow!

Puppy continued

We picked the male that has black over both of its eyes! All four were so fun to play with and very adventurous. The owners live out in the middle of nowhere with their dogs, cats, chickens, pigeons and probably a few other types of creatures. They seemed happy to have company! The man said if he could keep another dog, he would have chosen the one we picked. But his wife said he probably already had enough! They had the two parent English Setters, two other dogs (one super small and one humongously big), and a female puppy.

Rob will go pick the puppy up on Tuesday. It will be just over 7 weeks at that point.

I am so anxious to have it come! All English Setters are livewires but this one was a little more laid back thant the rest. And he liked to be held and petted. I think he'll be a perfect fit for us.

Pictures of Puppies

Here are the adorable puppies we are going to look at today! Aren't the purty?!


These are the females:

These are the males:

What do you think? I think the right female and the right male are the cutest. We are still not sure if we want a male or female. So, we'll observe personalities today and see what fits us the best!