Sunday, November 21, 2010

Chico

I would like to introduce you to our new family member Chico. Chico is a 7 month old male purebred Havanese puppy. Our family has been searching for the right dog for a long time. Do you remember Winston? And then what happened? Well we did not want another experience like that. I would scour Petfinder and Craigslist, talk with all my dog loving friends and search shelters for the right dog. I was being picky. I wanted a move-in ready pup, you know house-trained, crate-trained and ready to hang with the family. I discovered the Havanese breed awhile back. I liked them not only because they were so cute, but for several other reasons. They are hypo-allergenic, a small breed, sturdy, great with small children and they love their families.

I found an ad on Craigslist for a 6 month old Havanese AKC who was house-trained. I emailed and requested a picture. We got some more info and went to meet him the next day. He came right to us and we fell in love. Chico was living with a family that had children and another small dog. They were unable to take care of Chico and wanted to find him a family who would love and take care of him. We went to lunch and talked it over and knew Chico met every criteria we were looking for in a dog. We brought him home that afternoon.

Since the Havanese breed originated in Cuba we decided to go with a Latin name for our new friend. Oh, I neglected to mention the previous owner's children had named him Cupcake, yes I typed Cupcake. I know, wrong on all levels. First, Greg's parents have a poodle and her name is Muffin that would be to many pastry names in the family. Secondly can you picture Greg calling out for Cupcake in the middle of the street? Hence the search for a new name. Everything from Castro to Uncle Rico was thrown into the mix. We all happily agreed upon Chico and it works perfectly for him.
What a sweet boy he has been. He loves to cuddle, have his belly rubbed and gets excited to see you. The kids adore him. Everyone who has met him just falls in love. We have found a wonderful puppy for our family!

Chico's first day with us. He was in desperate need of a doggie grooming.

Lake Lure





Horseback Riding in NC







Saturday, November 20, 2010

Apple Picking in NC














Chimney Rock, NC

Chimney Rock is a quaint little town with lots of cute shops and restaurants. The big attraction is the ROCK! We did not venture that way but did enjoy the beauty of it from far below.


We decided to go gem mining instead and had a great time and came home with a lot of gems.

Lake Lure, NC Part 2

We headed to Charlotte for a day and spent time at The Discovery Place. The kids were having so much fun I could not get them to leave to have lunch. We did go back after lunch and enjoyed a wonderful day of discovery and trying new things.
Matthew on a bed of nails.
Gabby watching her first 3D movie.
Boys being boys!

Sunset on the Lake.

Lake Lure, NC

I know, I know, it has been a long time since my last post. I will call it crazy busy with a twist of lazy. But now I am back with a lot to tell you about. So, here we go......

::Lake Lure, NC::
We headed north to see fall and it was wonderful! The trees, the weather, the lake all stunning. We stayed at a condo and this was the view from the balcony. Pretty sweet!
Sunset
Sunrise
We don't get to do this in FL.
Greg's parents, Herb & Kate met up with us. It was a nice treat to have them with us for a few days.
We took a boat tour of Lake Lure and a couple of movies were taped around or in the lake. This is the mountain they filmed parts of the movie Last of the Mohicans.
Here is where Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey did the famous lake scene in Dirty Dancing.

#6

Back in October we celebrated Matthew's 6th Birthday while on vacation in NC. We had a fun-filled day planned for Matt. He opened all his gifts after breakfast and then we got ready for our adventure.
We headed off to the local stables and went horse back riding. The kids had a blast!
We had a yummy lunch at a restaurant right on Lake Lure.
Then it was time to go apple picking. The best part was being able to eat them and chuck some of the old ones across the orchard along the way.
The day ended with a delicious sundae.
I believe Matthew had a very special 6th birthday!
Happy Birthday Matt!
We love you buddy!

eleven

Happy Anniversary Greg!
With all my love,
a