Meet Charlie

This is Charlie. He is our new kitty. It appears he has already settled himself in. He loves to sit in the bathroom sink and watch me get ready in the morning. We've only had him two days and I've already fallen in love. He actually reminds me a ton of our cat we had before Sheba, Sarra. Sarra was white with tan spots, but the body build, and personalities are incredibly similar.

My Surprise!

I went to Seattle and came home to an entirely new living room. I was so shocked, I could barely speak. My living room was white, bare walls and a sofa and love seat, that was it! He bought some lamps, and just two pieces of furniture to tie it all in and then of course all the decorating. Dave was a busy boy. I absolutely love it! I am not a decorator and he has such a better eye with color than I do, being a trained artist and all. I was just happy to come home and have it decorated for me so I didn't have to stress about what to do and what looks good, etc. I am hoping he continues on with the rest of the house. One room at a time. He did start painting our back living room, but wasn't able to finish painting the dining room. So here's hoping we continue and finish up some of the other rooms. We have plans for the kitchen as well, but that is definitely more money. Thanks honey, the surprise was AMAZING! (and yes, Xander was watching Dora when I took the pictures, it didn't seem important to make him move.)

2011 Just Started, I Swear!

I can't believe that it's already March and I haven't blogged since December, and early December at that. I don't know if I should try to catch stuff up, or just plug on. I guess I will give a quick run down of the year so far.

January Events

Our House Returned

My brother and sister-in-law moved out this month. They got a nice new place and we were happy to be alone again in our home. It wasn't bad having them, but it sure is nice being alone with just our family again.

Xander's Birthday

Xander turned 2 years old in January and he was a very excited boy! He got a lot of fun things and had cake and ice cream. He blew the candles out like a real pro. I was a proud mama!

New updated Family Photos

We finally went and got more pictures done. Once a year is about my what my budget can afford. They turned out really cute and Xander looks like such a big boy in them. He was excellent for the photographer, especially when she pulled out a sucker!

The Jordan World Circus

I had the opportunity to go the circus with Xander and we invited my sister Jen and her family to come with us. It was fun and I think Xander really enjoyed the music. It was a little long for him though and he got antsy before the end. He did get to ride the ponies, though and he loved that!

February Events

Valentine's Breakfast

We had the annual Maxfield Valentine's Day pancake breakfast. It was fun to see everyone and Xander was able to play and enjoy himself for a bit at least. He had an unfortunate constipation episode that caused some pain for the little guy. Just glad he was able to get through that day.

Valentine's Day for "Us"

Dave and I were able to get out for a dinner over the weekend of Valentine's Day. We went with a bunch of my lady work friends and their spouses to Spaghetti Factory. It was a great time and our waiter was Dave's cousin he hadn't seen in years. It was a pleasant surprise. And then the morning of I got a love letter from the sweetest man ever!

Welcoming the New Little Guy

We also got a new nephew in February. Chante and Jason had their son, James Tyler Maxfield. He is a total cutie and I loved holding him.

Family Cards

We finally were able to get cards made of the pictures we took in January. Here is the final card. Thanks to my friend, Melissa for designing this. I love it!

March Events

I know it's only the 7th of March, but already there has been a lot already happen.

Our Loss

Our beloved kitty, Sheba, was put down on the 2nd. She was about 12 years old and hasn't been doing the best. The morning of the 2nd she lost her bowels and was in bad shape. She has struggled jumping even on the couch and has very few good teeth left so eating is difficult. We decided to put her down. It was not an easy day for me and she will be missed terribly, but we felt it was better for her. RIP Sheba, I love you, always and forever! You were the most beautiful kitty I'd ever seen!

Trip to Seattle

I was able to take a quick extended weekend trip to see my sister Melissa. Dave stayed home with Xander and I got myself a little vacation from work, mother duties and regular life. Melissa and Cameron were great company and I found it to be a relaxing way of life that they live up there in Seattle. The weather wasn't the best, but we were able to go to Pike's place for one day and see the spot of the untimely death of the Pike's Place pig. : ( We had a great time hanging out and even got to see Ben a little bit too. He's a busy guy. Cameron is a doll and I enjoyed seeing how big he has gotten and what a wonderful mother my sister is. Cameron kept trying to help Melissa clean as you can see below. What a cutie!

My Surprise

I came home to a great surprise that my husband had arranged while I was away. I will unfold that along with pictures in a post tomorrow. But it was an AMAZING surprise and I loved it!