Happy 2013!

Wow, I can't believe it's 2013 already, Every time I say the year, it makes me feel old! I remember when I was small and thought that by 2013 we would live on the moon and have flying cars!

We have a New Year's Eve tradition at our house and we followed it again this year. We get a bunch of appetizers, champagne and Christmas crackers and have dinner together followed by a movie. This year we loaded up on Asian appetizers and a giant shrimp ring and got some "kid champagne" (sparkling apple juice) because of Ceili and the fact that I am breastfeeding and didn't want to have alcohol. We had a delicious and fun night!

Every year at New Year's I reflect on the past year. What a year we had! We started the year off with a new baby then Matt went out of town the next week with work and I enjoyed a visit from my sister from B.C. I eased into having two kids much better than I had imagined. I have to admit, it is a bit more difficult now that Abbey's on the move, but it isn't as insane as I had thought it would be. I have learned alot about myself while dealing with these two little versions of myself! I celebrated my 30th birthday and my big girl turned 4 years old! We also saw her start school in 2012, meet new friends and grow and change so much. We enjoyed a family vacation to Cuba in June and survived the crazy flight home. We also got our new pup Boots this past year. So much has happened! There have been ups and downs, but we survived another year and when I look back I see much more good than bad.

Here are a couple of photos of our wonderful New Year's as a family.

Wishing you and your families a very Happy New Year and wonderful things in 2013!

Ceili and her "kid champagne"

Abbey didn't like her New Year's hat so much!

Plus Boots Makes 5!

We had been looking at the local rescues and humane society for a dog for a while. We had decided that we wouldn't get a new dog until after we got home from Cuba. Well, we started a serious search a few weeks ago and met our perfect match on Monday evening!

He was found with his mom and brothers and sisters at an indian reserve and his mother was quite sick. She had no food or water and was basically whithering away to feed her pups. Him and his siblings were put into a foster home in the city while their mom was in another because she needed special care for her mastitis and wounds. He was the last of the litter left and he melted our hearts! He kissed and played with Ceili and we knew he was the one! He came with the name Sebastian, but we thought it was too long. Last night on our walk around the neighborhood, Ceili said "I want to call him Boots". He does happen to have light brown spots on his feet and legs. So we think this will be his name.

I'm so happy that our little girls have a dog to call their own. I remember having such a special bond with my dog as a child. He was my little buddy even when I was being teased at school and felt like I had no one else to hang out with. He was always there for me.

He is only 10 weeks old now, so he's still in the puppy phase with the chewing things, hyper moments and he's not housetrained (I think we should buy stocks in paper towel and cleaning wipes!). It seems like complete chaos in our house right now while we adjust, but I know it will get easier and he will fit right in here!