And below is how tiny Christian was last Thanksgiving!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Happy Birthday to Bella!

Those of you who know us well, know that we absolutely love our dog, Bella! Bella has just turned four years old ... awww! And despite her "mature age" (for a dog), she still acts like an energetic lil' puppy.

In years past, we've given Bella a special doggy cake. But this year, we don't live near a doggy bakery, so we couldn't give her a real cake.

Here is the video of Bella and her "cake," and Christian deciding he wants some, too! We are so thankful that Bella isn't possessive over her food. There have been several times that Christian has grabbed food from Bella's bowl while she's eating (despite our best efforts to keep him away every time), and she does nothing about it ... she just keeps eating.

A Monday Chuckle

This sign always makes me chuckle when I see it ... and we finally had the camera in the car at the right time. Surprise is a city in the Phoenix area. And the prision and zoo ... well, there is a prison and a zoo down the way.


This photo was taken yesterday on our way to check out some model homes in the community we want to move to in late 2009 (which is coming up quickly!). I love going through model homes! Jonathan starts off enthusiastic, but quickly gets worn out. And Christian ensures our trips through the houses are quick. He has his limits.

We went to two different builders and walked through six homes ... and found a couple that would work for us. There are many more builders to visit in that community, but we need to space our trips out so that Jonathan doesn't get completely burned out. Maybe I can convince him to visit one more homebuilder this holiday weekend - esp. since he gets FIVE days off. :) And if I promise him coffee and a Chipotle burrito ... and Cold Stone Creamery. He can be bribed with coffee and food. :)