Yesterday, we celebrated the birthdays (gotcha days) of Chacho and Max, Lydia and Pete's baby.   Lydia made a beautiful cake for them that everyone enjoyed.  Even Bella, who was consigned to the crumbs had a great time.

Lydia tried to put a birthday hat on Chacho and he soon let her know that wasn't happening.  But he did enjoy the two or three helpings of cake he had!  Who wouldn't love cake topped with bacon?

After their feast, it was naptime for everyone!

​Thank you, Aunt Lydia, for making that wonderful cake!

Hi, I'm Bella.  I was adopted by this family two days ago and it's been fun so far.  I have lots of yard to run around in, gates to try to sneak out of.  It was fun to watch my new Daddy try to find a way to keep me in the yard.  He calls me an escape artist.  It must be funny cause my new Mommy keeps laughing.

I have new siblings here, a brother and a sister.  My brother, Chacho is older and he just wants to be left alone.  He gave me some strange looks the first day, but now he just lets me know if I get too rambunctious for him.

My sister Luna is a different story.  On my first day she just kind of watched me to see who I was.  After my first night, she started to realize that I was staying around.  Yesterday, I was still a little unsure of my place here, but today, I feel at home.  Mommy calls me a mini-me of Luna.  She says I'm just as wild and crazy as my older sister.  Which is good, cause she has someone to play with.  Chacho said he's just glad he gets left alone, as long as we don't gang up on him.

I'm learning the routine here.  I'm already very good at doing my potty stuff outside.  I like to climb up the mountain to the roses to poop - my way of helping to fertilize the rose bushes.  Today, after my evening constitutional, I decided to stop and smell the roses.

After coming back in the house, it was time for a little roughhousing with my sister.  Chacho just watches us.  I think I'm going to like it here.  But Luna will have a surprise when I'm as big as her :)

We were sitting in the study when we heard Roofus call out.  Sure enough, we looked outside and there he was, on the sidewalk.  

​This time, he brought his girlfriend to visit.  He decided to remain anonymous behind the Desert Willow tree and had his girlfriend pose for us.

Hello from Bella, the newest addition to Casa Westerling!  Bella is three months old and she and her brothers and mom were picked up twice as strays.  Mama has a new home now, as does Bella and we hope that her two brothers find one soon as well.  As adorable as they are, I don't think it'll be a problem.

Bella's mom looks like a poodle/terrier mix, and we're not sure yet what her dad was.

One thing we do know is that Bella is a little angel!  She sleeps a  lot, potties outside, and when we went to bed last night, she curled right up and slept all night until I woke her up this morning for potty break.  Luna could learn a thing or two :)  She has the longest legs I've ever seen and is learning to climb.

​Here is Bella's mom:

And here is Bella on her first day with her new brother and sister:

There are some moon shots that just take my breath away.  Last night was one of those nights.  The Aquarius moon kept hiding behind wispy clouds, making for a great photo app.  At times, it looked like it was floating on a bed of clouds.

We had a visit this morning from Roofus, our resident roadrunner.  After first flying into our picture window to let us know that he was here, he decided to sit on the wall and pose for me.

Sorry for all the pictures, but I could hear him say, "no, get my good side!"  Just another day in the Land of Enchantment.

Monday was Lydia's Birthday, and we celebrated yesterday with lunch at the Range Cafe and coffee, cake and gifts at Monika's house.

Lydia loves flamingo. so her Birthday was a flamingo-themed party.  The flamingo cake was beautiful, but what was even more special was the watermelon tower cake that Monika made, encircled by strawberries.  It was creative, beautiful and so refreshingly tasty!

​I truly love how our group celebrates each and every Birthday!

One of the best rewards of moving to ABQ has been the friends we've made.  I never thought I'd move to NM to get my German on, but there it is.  Every week, I'm surrounded by laughter, and german phrases that I hadn't heard in years.  It's truly wonderful.

Lydia has fast become a close friend, sharing many common interests and a sense of adventure.  She gifted me a beautiful print last week that I love.  I'm truly blessed.

The ongoing list of projects doesn't seem to end, although I'm not complaining.  I'm loving the changes we're making!

My first attempt at distress painting, on my frame, was a success.

We had a small side table under this picture that had seen better days.  So, I decided to sand it, paint it white and then distress it, using the same color as this frame.  I think it turned out pretty nice!  Luna seemed to think so as she checked it out.

Dave has gotten into the repurposing spirit as well.  I brought the coffee table back out into the living room and it looked a little bland.  He remembered the stack of tiles that Susan and Peter had left us, so he went to work, customizing the table top.  The grout is drying and all that's left to do is seal it.  He did a great job!

We're still working outside, moving some rocks around and making room for pea gravel to make it easier for Chacho to get around.

After that, I have several pictures to hang, and some changes coming up in the guest room.

Thursday is our housewarming party/BBQ and that deadline has helped motivate us to get projects done.

This past Saturday, we finally got a taste of New Mexico's monsoon season, with torrential rains for an hour and immediate drying afterwards.

We even had a little bit of hail.

After a slow start, the rain clouds burst open and delivered a thorough soaking.

It didn't take long for the rain to puddle and accumulate.

Within a couple of hours, all the standing water had been soaked up and it was difficult to imagine how much water had accumulated.  It was a sight to see!