Meet Juno

We were going to wait until spring, but when we saw her picture, we just couldn't resist. Both Pat and I really wanted a husky, but they don't make the best farm dogs. We have been scanning the papers, but haven't found much of interest. Pat was cruising the internet this morning, and there she was. I called and they still had her, so I made an appointment. The boys and I headed up there, along with a friend of mine. She's 2 1/2 months old and a husky/lab mix, but I don't see much lab in her. She has the prettiest blue eyes, which supposedly means she's even smarter than a husky with brown eyes. She seems pretty smart, except for using my floor as a bathroom. Hopefully we'll get that worked out quickly. Everyone is thrilled with her, except for the cat. He'll get over it. Cole loves her. They've been playing ever since we got home. We decided to name her Juno. It seems to fit her. I'm sure we're going to lose a few toys and possibly a shoe or two to her chewing, but she can't be as bad as Calvin was, right??
I mean, look at those eyes! So innocent...(remind me of this in about a week when she's destroyed everything I own;-)

Get Down!

Friday Randoms

It hasn't been a terribly exciting week. Monday Cole and I had class at school. It's a separating class so for about the last 15 minutes the kids go play while the parents go into a different room. The first night he lasted about 5 minutes. This week he lasted until after snack. Maybe by the end of the class he'll able to make it the whole time. Tuesday night the United Way put on a Llama Llama Read-O-Rama. It would have been fine except Llama Llama was there and Cole flipped out. He screamed and cried every time he even saw Llama Llama. So we left right after they finished reading the stories. It wasn't a total bust. We headed over to watch the girls' basketball game and except for the buzzer, Cole loved it. He especially liked the band. We made it until half time and headed home. I discovered Wednesday that I didn't have class today, which didn't make me sad. Pat was sick all day yesterday, which made for a really long day for me. So far the rest of us have been ok, and I really hope it stays that way. He's doing much better today. We were supposed to go out with some friends tonight but he wasn't feeling great after lunch so we may put that on hold. It's kind of a boring post, but I figured I'd better post since it's been a while.

Prayer Request

Pat's uncle was diagnosed Monday with T-Cell Lymphoma. It is a more rare type of lymphoma and they don't have the drugs to treat it like they do with B-Cell which is the more common lymphoma. Right now they are waiting to find out which strain of the T-Cell he has so they can come up with a treatment, which will more than likely be experimental. The cancer is in his lymphnodes, spleen, bone marrow, and shoulder. So please say a prayer for healing and strength for their family. If you are interested in keeping up on his treatment, you can go to their Caringbridge site here.

A High School Dream Come True

Back in high school, the in thing was to have a snowmobile. I wanted one sooo bad. That probably had more to do with boys, than actually riding a snowmobile, but I digress. Since there was no way my job at DQ was going to pay for a snowmobile, I bought a coat instead.

Pat and I have been semi-seriously joking about getting a snowmobile. Last Friday night we decided we should get one and Saturday we bought one. We are both horrible impulse buyers when it comes to things like that. Anywho, so 12 years later, I've finally got a snowmobile to go with my coat. It's no Ski-Doo MXZ, but it will do. We bought a heavy duty sled to pull the kids behind it. Pat and I even ditched the kids on Sunday to go riding. Pat took it out the other night and I got my turn yesterday. It was fun. It's nice to just get out and enjoy the snow. There are groomed trails all around us, so that makes it even better.

We bought a helmet for Cole hoping that he would wear it. He screamed in the store whenever we came near him with one. He liked the goggles though, so we were hoping...After a ride with Daddy he didn't want the helmet off. I'm amazed it actually worked.

TP Peeves

So I have recently switched brands of TP. I used to buy what we will call Bear Bottom. Then they switched to Bear Bottom Soft, Bear Bottom Strong, and Bear Bottom Basic. First I tried the soft and it was fine, then I tried the Basic and it was nothing more than Brand Name Port-a-Potty TP. Was it really so bad to have soft and strong together? So I tried a different brand, Quilted Southern. It wasn't bad so I bought some more the other day, only this stuff is much thinner. I'm thinking I must have bought 3-ply the first time. Why can't they make decent TP for a decent price. I mean, we are just flushing it down the drain anyway!

My other paper product peeve is paper towels. I found some paper towels that I really like. They are cloth like, but I can't find them in select-a-size. I used to, but only one store in town has them and they are in individual rolls. I prefer to buy a big pack. I put in a store request at our local grocery store the other day since there were request forms in that particular aisle. Only when I handed it to the cashier she had no idea what it was and could not grasp the concept of a customer request form. I'm fairly certain it ended up in the trash.

Play Dough

I made some play dough for Cole the other day and thought I'd pass along the recipe. It really is much better than store bought and pretty easy to make.

2 cups water
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tsp cream of tartar
2 Tbs vegetable oil

Stir together in a large pan over low heat. Knead. Add food coloring. Store in plastic bag, moisture in the bag is ok.

So far Cole is loving it. I currently have green play dough all over the table. He's a little behind in fine motor skills and this is a good way for him to practice. It also gives him an opportunity to use a knife and scissors. We had him tested the other day by the speech therapist. We are a little concerned with comprehension. He repeats everything and doesn't answer questions. He doesn't even use yes or no, unless you are driving an airplane on the train tracks. That's a big NO! We haven't got the results back yet and I'm not sure if he will qualify for service since he's really good at other things, like naming things. He could do that through the 6 year old level.

Sleepless In His Crib

So I think we had it way too easy with Cole. He slept through the night at 4 months and rarely woke up in the middle of the night after that. Tate is another story. The kid is up at least once, usually twice at night. He rarely sleeps all the way through. It's driving me nuts. Last night he was up every 3-4 hours. He doesn't need to eat, but that is the only way he'll go back to sleep. I've tried letting him fuss himself back to sleep, but it's usually quicker to get up and feed him than it is to lay awake listening to him cry. Ugh! Any advice? I could really use a good night's sleep.

6 Months

My baby turned 6 months yesterday! Can you believe how much he's changed? He had his checkup today. We tried the nurse practitioner today and I really like her. She actually spent time with him. Instead of just scanning the check list, she tried some of the things with him. It's amazing to have someone actually take their time to see how he is doing. So his stats...14lb 14 oz - 15%, 26" - 25%. His head circumference was a little low and they seemed a little concerned with that, but not horribly concerned. He is doing most of what he should. He isn't rolling yet, but I think it's coming pretty quick. He's getting really grabby. He loves his big brother. He was watching Cole last night and just laughing at every move Cole made. It was pretty cute. I had to bring Cole along to the doctor. He normally screams but he did really well. He got a little nervous when she brought out the stethoscope and the thingy to check eyes and ears.

After the doctor we headed to Walmart where people were actually helpful! Amazing, I know. First we stopped at Subway, in Walmart. A lady there saw my hands were full and offered to dump my tray for me. Then I went to pick up a file cabinet, but it didn't fit in my cart with the car seat so an employee brought it up for me and had someone carry it out to the van.

The weather has been incredible, not in a good way. It was -23 this morning at 8 AM. Luckily there isn't much for wind so it wasn't too horrible dragging the boys around. The weekend looks promising. They are talking 20s! Heat wave! Maybe I'll get the last of my outside Christmas lights down finally.

I also got my Wii Fit this week. I played with it a little bit the first night. Yesterday, while both boys were sleeping, I decided to actually work out with it. My abs haven't hurt this bad in a long time. It hurts to laugh.

Extended Vacation

So I was supposed to go back to school today. I didn't go. Pat called this morning to say I wasn't going anywhere, and it being 7:30 and I was still in bed, I didn't disagree. I probably could have made it to class without too much trouble, but I think getting home would have been a challenge. I don't know the last time I've seen this much snow, and it's only January.

Here are a couple of fun photos for you.

Tate enjoying a ride in my old doll stroller. He was watching his brother have a melt down about him being in the doll stroller.

Cole much happier now that his baby is in the stroller and not his brother.

Cole sporting his hat hair look. Not sure why he had to lift his shirt up...

A Smoker's Dream

For all of you who never smoked due to the inconvenience of fitting a pack in your purse, good news! PM has come out with a purse pack! It must be their way of competing with the slim packs of gum that cost $.20 more than a regular pack and have 2 less pieces. Either way, maybe I'll pick up smoking in the new year...or maybe not. I think I'll stick to the convenience of breathing.

For the Love of Pickles

Nothing cures the woes of teething like pickles.

Cole at 6.5 months.

Tate at 6 months...pickles are his drug of choice.

Road Trip

Our trip to my parents last week was good. We left Tuesday afternoon and got in just before bed time. Coley got to stay up late and play racing (MarioKart) with Papa. Wednesday I gt to run errands all by myself. Pat ran in to Plainview with my dad and Cole to look at some machinery. I left the baby with my mom. It was so nice to shop by myself. Pat and I took off later that afternoon to see Jeff Dunham in Minneapolis. It was great. If you aren't familiar with him at all, look him up on youtube. I'd link a clip, but I'm too lazy. Guitar Guy was his opening act and was really good. He had a song about a black guy going to a big house and thanks to the taxpayers will have 24 hour security...Thanks OJ. Ok, maybe you had to be there, but hilarious. Jeff was on for almost 2 hours. I was expecting an hour, not two. It was great. The only bad part was the kid next to me. He was a little annoying. I don't know, I don't think it was a family show. The kid was probably old enough (Jr. High/ early HS age), but I still wouldn't have bought him a ticket. Anywho, Thursday we went out to the mall and found some pretty decent deals. I found jeans that fit! Unfortunately they are Gap jeans and cost $60, but if you spend $75 it was 30% off, so we got some other things basically free. We got Cole some new shoes and Tate a really cute winter hat. Friday morning we headed back home.

Today I took the boys to get their pictures taken. Cole did pretty well, and Tate too. Click here to see them.

I did a little shopping today too. I really need to stop that. Milk price is projected to fall to $11 so I have a feeling money will get a little tighter this year. I did find some good clearance deals though. I got a couple of shirts for me and some clothes for the kids. Just for kicks I tried on a retro print shirt. Yeah, not my style. Cute on others, but not so much on me.

Currently I am sitting in the bathroom waiting for Cole to us the potty and listening to him whine for his diaper. I am at wits end with this kid. He knows when he poops, and tells me, but refuses to use the potty. Any advice? I've tried the not pushing approach and he stopped sitting on the potty all together. I tried the slight nudge, no luck. Now I'm trying the pushy approach, but I think I'll cave before he does. I can't stand the whining! I've tried bribing him with a sucker, but he still won't go. Well, I better go. He starting to tear up, which means he either can't hold it anymore or he's going to start screaming.

Thank You

Thank you for all the sympathy for Calvin. I spent most of Friday and part of Saturday in tears. I really just wish I had a chance to say good bye. Pat went to bury him somehow on Saturday. The thought of some animal munching on my dog is just too much for me. I don't know what he did, but he says it's taken care of. I didn't want to see him. The thought of him broken and lifeless puts me in tears. I've seen the stain on the road and my imagination is bad enough. I spent a couple of days in a funk, but am doing much better. We've talked about getting a dog this spring, but we'll see. Neither of us really wants another lab, and that's what most mutts are. I do want a dog of our own. Calvin was really my first pet. We had a dog and cat growing up, but Princess was my dad's dog and Sam was my sister's cat. I picked Calvin out. There were 3 puppies in his litter. A bigger one, Calvin, and a smaller female. Pat kind of wanted the bigger one, but Calvin just kept pushing the others out of the way so he could lick me. I couldn't resist. He was meant to be Pat's dog, but he was really mine. I taught him everything he knew, which wasn't much. I took him for walks and let him sleep in the house when Pat was gone. He was my dog and I'd give just about anything to pet him one last time.

Goodbye Calvin

We returned from our trip to my parents today. We had a good time, and I promise I'll update you on that later. When we got home today we found out our dog, Calvin, got hit and killed by the milk truck yesterday. He would have been 5 in February. I knew it was bound to happen, but I was really hoping it would be Yogi (sorry Hope) that got hit. When we moved both dogs got into the habit of chasing cars. They both did it to an extent before we moved, but got worse as a team. I miss my dog. He was a good dog. We got him as a puppy from the humane society when Pat graduated from NDSU. He chewed everything for about the first two years. I don't know how many garden hoses he ruined. He chewed the windshield wipers off my car at least twice. He chewed through an extension cord that was plugged in. He ripped apart an entire bag of insulation. He did grow out of it and became a pretty good dog. He played quite a few kittens to death, but would get beat up by our house cat, Roy. He loved Cole. He became very protective when we brought Cole home, and the Fed Ex guy was terrified of him. I'll miss watching our boys grow up playing with our dog. We still have 2 dogs on the farm, so I don't know that we will get another one any time soon, but Calvin was our dog and I'm really going to miss him.

Goodbye puppy, you were a good dog.

Happy Anniversary

Four years ago today, I married my very best friend. Yes, I remember the weather too. We had rain, sleet, snow, and lightening. It's been an incredibly four years. We've had our ups and downs, like everybody does, and we are still going.


We've survived new jobs, a move, and created two of the cutest boys ever ( I may be biased).

Top: Our engagement photo 2/04

Bottom: Our honeymoon in Mexico

Happy Anniversary, Pat! I love you.