Can't live with her. Can't live without her.

We finally brought my dog to our house. She's been staying at my mom's while Nick worked on the fence. The fence was fixed, so the dog made the journey. Much to my chagrin.

It was so peaceful here without her. I didn't have to worry about her needing in and out. In and out. In and out. I didn't have to make sure she ate, while also making sure Cooper didn't eat her food as well. I didn't have to make sure she didn't snap at Cooper. (Really she only snaps when provoked. If a pushy little toddler kept pulling at my feet and yanking on my hair, I think I might get a little grouchy too.) I didn't have to share my bed with my husband, sometimes son, AND a dog. I didn't have to worry about dog hair being e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Last, but definitely not least, I didn't have to make sure her dirty little paws dug out from under the fence- like she's done so many times before. Even though she is the cause of much annoyance, she is part of the family, which brings me to yesterday's fiasco.

I let her out in the afternoon. After a while I heard her bark and figured she needed in. I finished up whatever it was I was doing at the time and opened the door to the garage. She wasn't there. I checked the back yard and called her. She didn't make a sound. It was eerily silent. Then I noticed, right there in front of me, was a hole under the fence, with little Kyla hairs stuck in the dirt. Instant dread filled my chest. We live right next to a busy entrance to a rather large mobile home park. School had just been let out, so there was quite a bit of traffic. I ran inside, texted my husband (who was out of town) and paced by the windows, hoping to see her.

Cooper and I got into the car and drove around for about 15 minutes looking for her. The whole time I'm filled with panic at the thought of finding her "sleeping" on the side of the road. My friend Chelsea and her husband came to help us search, but luckily we'd already found her. She was sitting, quite regally, in a yard behind my house, like she didn't have a care in the world. After we got back, Chelsea's husband helped me double check the fence. I locked kyla in the bathroom for a while while my heart returned to it's normal rhythm.

I guess what the moral of the story is, the dog really isn't that bad. Even though she chooses to only bark when Cooper has gone down for a nap or to bed, she really is like a second child. I'm glad she's here and that we have her back. Safely.

-If she does it again though I think her new home will be the trunk of my car.-

Settled

I feel that I can now confidently say that my house is put together enough to be classified as settled. It took a few days but I'm feeling better. Another thing I can confidently say, is that I can call myself a "housewife". I am constantly cleaning/ tidying. I even managed to get some pictures hung (with some help). I am by no means done. But getting closer every day.

My husband has also stepped into his role of home owner with pride. He's already started fixing the fence. He fixed a phone line issue for the internet. He did a minor repair in a small leak in the attic (I heard dripping on my ceiling this afternoon during a downpour) until he can get up there and do it properly.

My son has claimed the house as his. Pretty much instantly. I was impressed, I thought it would take a couple days. Then I remembered that he's a toddler and EVERYTHING is his. He even helped daddy put together the dining table last night. (He stuck a little screw driver in every hole he could find. It was quite humorous.)

Even though we are all busy bodies, we have plenty of time for each other. We eat, play, snuggle, laugh, and more together. I love being home with my boys in our humble little nest. I can't wait for the memories we are going to make.