Pretend you’re getting this in your mailbox. 
I’ll be taking
a break from
the blog until
next year.
Have an awesome
(and safe!)
Christmas,
New Year,
Hanukkah,
Kwanzaa,
or whatever
you celebrate.
Love and peace,
Shannon
Monthly Archives: December 2006
Merry Christmas!
December 16, 2006 - 12:37 pm - Sweet card batman... Love the borders on your type. What kid did you use? Looks FAN-CY. Merry Christmas!
December 16, 2006 - 1:11 pm - That's a great family photo, Shannon! Merry Christmas : )
December 16, 2006 - 1:37 pm - Have a great holiday! Keep sane with four kids!
December 16, 2006 - 2:18 pm - Sweet card. =) Happy holidays to you and yours too Shannon. See ya next year!
December 16, 2006 - 6:22 pm - What a beautiful photo of your beautiful familY! Seriously it's awesome! Merry Christmas and God bless :)
December 17, 2006 - 11:00 am - Merry Christmas, Shannon! Love your card--such a beautiful family!
December 17, 2006 - 7:12 pm - what a beautiful family! happyholidays to you too!
December 18, 2006 - 7:15 am - what a beautiful family, Shannon!!! thanks for sharing! :)
December 18, 2006 - 3:16 pm - Wow- great card. I guess you had a green theme going (since mine was green too w/a b&w photo). :-) Great shot but can I be a little freaked out about how big your kids are getting? I mean I know time passes and all but man they are growing up so fast!!
December 18, 2006 - 7:50 pm - Beautiful card. Gorgeous family! How proud you must be : ) Merry Christmas!
December 19, 2006 - 8:08 am - CUTE CUTE CUTE!!! Miss ya... Sis
December 19, 2006 - 9:23 am - cute...have a good holiday.
December 20, 2006 - 2:02 pm - Merry Christmas!! Beautiful Picture! And super cute card:)
December 21, 2006 - 8:28 pm - Merry Christmas, Shannon!!
While I’m at it…
If anyone knows the cold-hearted cop that gave everyone parking tickets at today’s field trip, let me know. I’d like to have a word with him.
December 7, 2006 - 7:01 am - ugh. meanie. why do people have to do things like that?
December 7, 2006 - 9:46 am - He should have signed the ticket. Schedule it for court. Good luck :)
December 12, 2006 - 7:44 am - NO WAY!!! I'd show up to court, just to see who it is! What a punk!
December 14, 2006 - 12:01 pm - When you show up in court...bring a bag of coal with you! That just sucks!!
Can we revisit the dog thing?
Ok. I know probably no one comes to this pathetic, neglected blog anymore. That’s ok. I wouldn’t either. Except that it’s mine. And when I find myself extremely bored or avoiding something (in this case, a mountain of laundry and NOTHING good on tv) I’ll ramble on and on and make a fool of myself HERE for anyone to see. Sounds like a pretty good plan.
So the thing is…I’m thinking of getting a puppy. Our puppy’s mama just had babies, so our potential puppy is laying around right now, snuggling with it’s littermates. I’ve been thinking long and hard about whether or not I want a dog, and the wanting a dog seems to be winning. But it’s a big commitment… So…
Raise your hand if you have a dog and love it.
Raise your hand if you have a dog and regret it.
Raise your hand if you hate people with dogs and will never come over to visit because you hate their little dogs too.
And while you’re thinking, look at this…tell me what you think. Could you resist that?
(by the way…we got the house cleaned up. It’s better than before! {applause, applause, taking my bow})
December 5, 2006 - 10:25 pm - Shannon... After many, many discussions with the kids about puppies, researching breeds, responsibilities, etc., we finally decided the time was right. We have an 8 month old, full size Yorkshire Terrier named Parker. Terriers are notoriously more stubborn to house train, but he's getting the hang of it...he also responds to commands and plays catch until we're exhasuted. Despite a few mishaps, chewed-up socks and kitchen garbage can raids, he quickly became a most lovable member of the family. We adore this little guy...He is a never ending source of entertainment and unconditional love. I'm already thinking about getting another! It IS work...just like having a baby in the house...so, just like we did with our firstborn, read up and be prepared :) I say go for it! ps nice to see you've rejoined blog land!
December 6, 2006 - 7:30 am - He's stinkin cute. I say go for it! But if I stop coming over to visit, you'll know why. :)
December 6, 2006 - 7:41 am - Raising my hand that I LOVE having a dog! So tell me about this litter....border terriers? You've had one before? Are there more pups available? I need more scoop!
December 6, 2006 - 8:14 am - I really want to scream "DON'T DO IT!!!" I guess, due to recent unpleasant and painful experience with a puppy, my view is a bit skewed. I'll tell you this much--just be so so sure Shannon that you are ready. It was really hard to have a puppy and to also take care of four other needy children. People will say that we chose the wrong breed--maybe our puppy wasn't the best fit for our family right now (note: my sister and her husband are loving him!), but a puppy is a puppy. On those days when you already have a lot on your plate and feel overwhelmed, be ready to deal with more accidents and messes. It's having another "thing" to be responsible for all the time. Every time you leave your house you have to worry about making sure the dog is taken care of. For us, getting out the door with four kids was hard enough, and it was just really an added burden. I am sure some of your readers will think I am weak and cynical--the sting of our whole puppy situation is still very real. And I am admittedly NOT a true dog person at heart. The only other thing I'll say is, when my sister brings Zeus over to visit, we enjoy him for an hour or so, then Steve and I both have a HUGE sigh of relief when he is gone again. I don't think you will have the problem with your puppy attacking your little ones like we did, but it still really hard. Good luck.
December 6, 2006 - 8:19 am - We do not have a dog, but we are getting a mini-schnauzer puppy in THREE months! We already have the deposit in with the breeder, and at this point I don't know who is more excited, the kids or me! So of course my message is go for it!
December 6, 2006 - 8:58 am - Shannon, I just re-read what I wrote a little while ago and I'm sorry for sounding so negative. Geez! Hope you guys have a really positive and great experience with your dog. The funny thing is, while I had a hard time with my own dog, I really don't mind other people's dogs, so we'll definitely still come to visit...someday soon, I hope.
December 6, 2006 - 9:29 am - I say go for it! It can help teach your kids responsibility (if they help do little things to take care of the puppy), and it helps teach them to be gentle and caring with animals (something alot of people could learn!). Like someone else mentioned though, be sure that you're up for the messes and accidents that come along with puppies. Other than that, I'd say its a great idea! So happy you're back to blogging!
December 6, 2006 - 10:01 am - A) WOW, clean house, don't it feel fine? B) I am an anti-dog person, ESPECIALLY when we were looking for houses and the dog houses were DISGUSTING to go through. Smelly mostly, but they just seemed to say "don't buy me." At that time I realized that if I wanted to preserve my 1/2 a million dollar investment, I was going to live dog-free. Plus, you don't have a big yard... something else to think about. C) I think a new little montez would be cute. Why don't you have a baby instead of a dog? :)
December 6, 2006 - 1:35 pm - Don't not get a dog because of me. I'll still visit. :)
December 6, 2006 - 6:19 pm - love dogs. don't have one. allergies are a big problem for multiple members of the family. having a puppy is like having a baby in the house. but I LOVE Babies! ;) but it is a lot of work. I would come visit if I was closer and you knew me and so it wasn't weird or akward or something. ha ha. cute puppy though. would totally melt my heart.
December 6, 2006 - 7:18 pm - I don't think we're in a position to cast a vote inasmuch as one of our dogs routinely brought home deer and chicken parts and the other was rendered senseless by a refrigerator door.
December 7, 2006 - 4:07 am - I have a dog and love it. I'm a dog person. I've basically decided I will always have a dog. There is just something about having someone to come home for. She's my entertainment and she can be such a sweetheart at times.
December 7, 2006 - 7:04 am - hey shannon! i'm a big puppy lover. we have a pug and there are definitely times i would like to throw him out the window for his "puppy ways", but when i see him with jenna beth and the way he makes her giggle and when he cuddles on my lap and looks at me with those puppy eyes, my heart melts into a big puddle. call me a softie, but i love pups. they are a commitment though. i think in the early stages, they are similar to a baby...pooping and peeing all the time, whining about everything, needing constant attention. once you get past the potty training phase, life gets much better. good luck..and that puppy face is TOO cute. =)
December 7, 2006 - 7:34 pm - Can a puppy wear diapers while house training? Pull-ups? At least they can lick themselves clean.
December 8, 2006 - 11:09 am - Raise your hand if you're allergic -- that would be us...
December 8, 2006 - 7:53 pm - First off, continue to blog...I DO check....even though you don't know me. :) Secondly, get the dog. My hand is waving fiercely trying to get your attention. Dogs are good.
December 9, 2006 - 4:21 pm - gotta post on the nay - side of the puppy. Yea they're cute, love you unconditionally and all that great stuff... but they also have no respect for your stuff. If you leave it out - it is theirs. No matter how well you train them, no matter what the breed. A dog (or puppy) is going to eat, puke or piss on everything you leave out. I love dogs - as long as they are someone elses. I sound negative - sorry. Just think about if you could still love the dog after he/she ate all your brand new paper or someones album you just finished... because you didnt get a chance to put it away. Or a huge project you'd been working on... just something to think about. =)Love you!
December 11, 2006 - 9:45 am - Get the dog!!!! In the beginning it's a lot of work... but your efforts will be rewarded. If allergies are not an issue, GO FOR IT!!! The kids will love the pup!!!
December 12, 2006 - 3:06 am - this is a tough one. growing up i was a dog person. we always had a dog. but now i am the momma (read - responsible person) i am not feeling like such a big dog person anymore. still love them, just at someone else's house. :)
December 12, 2006 - 7:47 am - Count me as one who LOVES having a dog. We had two until we lost our chocolate lab this summer. We're in the process of moving, but once we get down there and get settled, we're going to get another one. I miss having a lab and our golden retriever/border collie misses having someone to pick on. There's nothing in the world like the love a dog gives---it's 100% unconditional and all forgiving. There's a reason dog spelled backwards is God. :)
December 17, 2006 - 7:53 pm - i have kitties because i am a bit lazy for the doggie thing . . . but that little face is fairly irresistible . . . :D
by Shannon Montez
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