Layout #51 - April P12 and Puppy Pics!

I know, I know, April Project 12, you're thinking?! This was the month we moved, so that's my excuse, haha! I finally got it done, and I really like how this one turned out. Almost everything here is from a kit I won from Scrap Attack Scrapbooking. Love this kit, everything is quite masculine, but with a lot of neutrals that seem to go well with everything.

Supplies: Close to My Heart cardstock, stamp (Noted Backgrounds), ink, and embossing powder, Scrap Within Reach and Little Yellow Bicycle patterned paper, Prima flowers, Adornit by Carolee's Creations stickers, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Creative Memories pen, American Crafts Thickers, unknown ribbon

I had a lot of requests for puppy pics, so I live to serve:

This is Hunter, and he arrived Sunday night from Princeton. He is 8 weeks old, and is strictly Nolan's dog (although I'm going to find it very hard not to let him bond with me, as I'm the one he's with when Nolan's at school). Isn't he the cutest thing? When he was pooping and peeing on the carpet this morning, I didn't think he was so cute, but he's napping now so I can appreciate him more at the moment. I'm going to spill my guts here a bit, so if you're not interested in the personal nature of the Hunter story, feel free to skip on down to comments, I won't hold it against you!

Nolan's a special kid, and I know all kids are special in their own way, but he's always been different. He's always been extremely verbal and intelligent, beyond his age. But he's also always been extremely spirited, intense, and oppositional. He has trouble controlling his emotions, and he gets easily frustrated, which causes monumental tantrums. He has never been able to understand the concept of personal space, and he's constantly annoying others with getting too close or poking or grabbing... I could go on for hours. Before we moved in April, he had been to see a GP, then a year later a pediatrician, but to no avail. We just figured he was that type of kid and would probably grow out of his behaviors in time. After we moved, however, things got worse. I knew moving would be stressful for him, but I expected him to even out after a few weeks, or a month, but no. So I decided to seek help. After months of meeting with different professionals, we now know that Nolan is not going to "grow out of" these behaviors. It seems as though he may have Asperger's (a mild form of autism) and/or ADHD and/or ODD (that's a new one, eh? Oppositional Defiance Disorder) and/or anxiety disorder. He's on a wait list to get a full assessment, but it could still take a long time. Anyway, the point is, he really just wants a friend and has had a heck of a time getting to that point with other kids, and it's probably something he will always struggle with. So we thought, rather than get him a gaming system that will probably make him more antisocial (or he would take it apart!) or toys (they always get broken within a week!) or clothes (he could really care less about clothes!) for his 9th birthday, we decided to get him this puppy. I really hope that this is a wise decision on our part, because puppies are a lot of work! But Nolan's already been really good about cleaning up his messes and showering him with love, so maybe it's a match made in heaven - we shall see! Wish us luck!

Did you see the new blinkie in my sidebar? I am taking part in a blog hop for World Card Making Day on October 1st. This will be my first blog hop, so I hope you will join in. Guaranteed candy along the way, hint hint! I also hope you will join in at Creative Accents Challenges for the recipe challenge: 1 ribbon, 2 embellies, and 3 patterned papers on your project. Easy as 1,2,3! Prizes to be won, fun, fun!