Doggy Playdate

Dakota has been a busy girl. Just when I thought she was a complete angel, she proved that she is still a teenager. Here is some of what she has been up to lately....

Doggy kiss! (Dakota is a bit forward.) Our next door neighbors went away for the weekend and asked me to take care of their Golden Retriever, Bronco. "No problem!" I said. "Can he come over for a playdate?" Poor Bronco. I think Dakota wore him out completely. She was so excited to have a friend! She chased him around and around the backyard till I thought I should tie her up for a while just to give him a break. Bronco is not even a year old yet, but he is very mellow in comparison! Anyway, they finally settled down a bit and sniffed each other and wandered around together for a couple of hours. Then it was time for Bronco to go home. He didn't wanna. He dug in his feet like a mule and fought me all the way to the gate. Dakota thought she should go with him, and since he was reluctant to go out, she pushed her way through ahead of him. I took Bronco back to his own yard and then I had to catch Dakota. She was super wound up from the doggy party and didn't feel like coming home. I bribed her with a treat, but she thought it was a game and she grabbed it faster than I could grab her. Long story short, I finally got her, but she was a naughty girl. No more playdates for a while!!

This is one of her favorite toys... a squeaky lobster. She slobbers him all up and then drops him in our laps.

Helping Andy make her doghouse....

She is so happy to just hang out with someone...anyone!

I bought her this lovely bandanna. Doesn't she look cute in hot pink?

The little boys played downstairs one afternoon with Dakota. They were giggling like crazy. Spencer would hide in this little tunnel and the dog would "find" him and lick him.


Today was Pioneer Day here in Utah. Most people celebrate by going to a parade or having a barbecue with friends and family. However we decided to stay home and get lots of jobs done. Spencer suggested that we have a picnic for dinner, so we turned it into a redneck party. We ate hot dogs and watermelon on our front porch and listened to Johnny Cash (loud). Too bad all the neighbors missed it.

Miscellaneous Silliness

The title of this post pretty much sums up my everyday life. It's fun. I am a very fortunate woman (though it's hard to think of myself as a "woman"--I feel more like a girl).

One day several months ago, we discovered a book about "Winnie the Witch" at the library. Carson has been in love with the series ever since. I only know it is a series because I got online and found other stories about Winnie. They are hard to come by in the USA because they were written by an author from the UK. Nevertheless, they are very cute and entertaining books. I quite enjoy them myself. Anyway, Carson is always pretending to be Winnie. When Spencer participates, he becomes Winnie and Carson is her black cat, Wilbur. They are quite a pair.

Too bad you can't hear the sound effects he was making while I took this picture. Boys just can't play anything without making lots of sound effects (which means there's also a shower of saliva everywhere they go).

Obviously, this is Spencer taking a photo of himself while talking on the phone. Though I don't necessarily approve of his use of the camera, I have to say he takes some pretty good pictures. I especially like the ones he takes of himself. They are so...Spencer! It makes me chuckle.

This is what happens when we disagree about what he should wear. He layers the outfits! This day happened to be on the chilly side (it was weird, but we had a lot of those in June). I told him he would freeze his fanny off if he wore the shorts and tank top. So he tried to please both of us. I gotta give him credit for diplomacy.

We went to a family reunion and the uncles started bouncing kids around in a blanket. This is Spencer flying around. He thought it was marvelous fun. Carson firmly declined when they asked if he wanted a turn.

I don't know why I'm posting this one, except that it will remind some of our far away relatives what I look like. Perhaps your memory would serve me better than real life. Anyway, there I am.

Dakota

Okay, now that the Pioneer Trek is done, I can begin my life again. (I promise to tell you all about it when I get pictures.) For now, let's just say it was a great experience and I am finally clean and sweet-smelling again!

Here is the card Spencer made for Dakota shortly after she came to us. This is a picture of him taking her for a walk.

Here he is reading her a story. She enjoys his company in the evenings and is a very intent listener, not to mention that it's good practice for Spencer!

She loves to play in the sandbox with the kids. I read somewhere that it's fun to bury treats and toys in the sandbox so the dog has a fun activity when no one is outside. I don't think she has discovered anything yet, but I did hide a couple of things out there.

Bedtime. She is such a good girl and never makes a peep until about 6:30 when she has to go out to the potty.

Licking her nose... She likes to give BIG, slobbery kisses! I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but after the first day or two I got used to it. I don't mind doggy slobber anymore!

She loves to play fetch, especially with this squeaky duck. She brings it back to me every time! She is also a pro with a frisbee, tennis balls, and she loves her squeaky "wubba" thing that looks like a red octopus.

She enjoyed this rubber stick so much that she tore it to pieces within a few days.

It was a short love affair....

She is such a sweet doggy. She is getting very good at going for walks with us. One night Andy even let go of the leash for a short time, and she stayed right with us. She gets a little intimidated by other, (usually smaller) more aggressive dogs who bark and try to scare us off. She is a gentle giant. She sees cats around the neighborhood and gets excited to play, but they don't feel the same. I tried to explain to her that not all furry things have the same fun-loving spirit that she does!

Fun with Cousins

It's catch-up time again! Spencer's best pal in the whole world, his cousin Jeffrey, had a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. We had been trying to avoid Chuck E. Cheese, but for an occasion like this, we had to relent.

Three little boys standing very close to a giant mouse wearing shorts--they don't seem to think anything is unusual!

It is apparent in the pictures that a marvelous time was had by all. (Or, as Spencer would say, a "fablious" time.)

This one is my favorite! I don't know how they came up with these poses, but they are hilarious!

I'm already dreading his 16th birthday. Isn't it more of a fatherly duty to teach the kids to drive??

This is a family birthday party. Like I said, these guys are two peas in a pod!

And these two are very seriously focused on their cake!

Just a little R&R with Dad.... Carson is really fun to chat with now, if you can get him to slow down long enough!

And here's our favorite doggy pal. She's so fun and the boys are finally feeling pretty comfortable around her. (More on this later.) Spencer likes to go out and play Fetch with her. He giggles at her constantly. Carson doesn't scream anymore when she licks his face up one side and down the other. Her tongue is so big, she can cover a lot of surface area in one lick!

Thomas the Tank Engine

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Heber Valley Railroad to ride Thomas (for those who are not up on toddler/preschool characters, he's soooo cool)! It was rainy, as usual, but still worth the trip. Spencer and I have been three times and we've had enough, but this was Carson's first time. He loved it!


That's a fake tattoo on his cheek, in case you were wondering....

Spencer got one on his arm.



After we ride the train, we have to eat at this burger place that has a train theme. These outside tables are fun (if it's not raining), and they also have a model train inside that runs around the ceiling.

We happened to park right by "Spencer Auto Sales!"

Let's just hope he doesn't actually grow up to be a car salesman! ;)

Chaos

I have more pictures, but they'll have to wait. It's story time!

Okay, so a few nights ago, Andy was not home (of course) and Dakota nosed her way through the screen door and came in the house unexpectedly. She was excited to explore and happy to see the boys, so she was all over the place, panting and jumping. The boys freaked out (she's a big dog). Carson started screaming, and Spencer kept yelling, "The dog's in the house!" I grabbed her just in time for her face-to-face confrontation with the cat. There was a lot of hissing and growling (on the cat's part). I wrapped myself around the piano to keep Dakota from dragging me down the hall. I wasn't sure how long I could hang on that way. I really didn't see the whole thing ending pleasantly. However, my guardian angels are no slouches, and somehow I got Dakota to calm down just long enough to be distracted and let me lead her back outside. Phew!! That was close!

Earlier that day, Spencer's friends decided to put on their swimming suits and play on a Slip & Slide. I told him it was almost time for dinner, but he could join them afterward. Of course, he was not very happy. He went back out and I thought no more about it. Later I sent Andy to go find him and bring him home for dinner. Apparently Spencer had decided that he would improvise and join his friends after all. He stripped down to his underwear in someone's backyard and was traversing the neighborhood with his water gun! After a scolding and a brief lecture about modesty, we set about to find his clothes. We had to knock on a couple of doors and ask if they had seen my son strip in their backyard. Another boy had brought them back and left them on our front porch. Sheesh! After that experience and then the dog thing the same night, I was wiped out!

Here's another one for you. Tonight the kids wanted to go for a walk with the dog. Carson was lagging behind quite a bit, so we stopped to wait. Suddenly he held one finger way up in the air and yelled,"I found someping! I found someping!" "What is it?" I asked. He didn't answer, so I sent Spencer to figure it out. Perhaps it was a bug or some other amazing discovery. Just as Spencer got a close-up view, Carson yelled, "A nose thing!" Ewwww!

And now for a heart warming one. Spencer went to his cousin's birthday party yesterday and came home with a few marvelous treasures (Chuck E. Cheese). One was a swirly straw. Carson was playing with it while Spencer was in the tub. When he got out, Carson had broken it. He was quite upset, especially when I told him it was beyond repair. Later, when I was getting Carson into bed, he thoughtfully said, "I broke Spencer's new straw."
"Yes," I said.
"He's sad."
"Yes, he's sad. What do you think you could say to him?"
"Sowy."
I called Spencer to come in. Carson said, "Sowy, Spencer" in a very repentant way. I could see Spencer's heart melt like butter. He threw his arms around his little brother and said, "That's okay!" They are so sweet. Spencer is an amazing little boy.

New Family Member

I have several other things to put on here, but some news just can't wait--we have a dog! A relative of a relative of a friend told us about this 1 1/2 year old yellow lab/golden retriever mix who needed a new home. Her name is Dakota and we are her new family. (The previous family had allergies.) It's been very different having a dog, especially such an energetic one! She is a sweetheart though. She loves to play ball and frisbee and go for walks with Andy. He is clearly her favorite already. She has been coming inside at night to sleep in the basement,so she rings a bell with her nose when she needs to go out to the potty. Isn't that cute and smart?!

We took her for a little hike today. Unfortunately it was Memorial Day, so there were lots of other people with dogs. She gets SOOO excited when she sees anything that breathes. Poor Andy got quite a workout! Dakota had a great time though!

This is not my favorite picture of myself, but it's one of the few of me and the dog.

She liked to get in the stream and drink. Andy wants to take her fishing when she gets a little more under control.

Nothin' like a man and his dawg.... He's been making her a deluxe doggy dwelling tonight. She will be a pampered pooch! The boys are still a little nervous around her (she is pretty much a horse to them), but they love her. They have to go down and tell her goodnight and she is their first thought when they wake up. They get their little folding chairs and sit by the screen door to watch her in the daytime. I'm sure as time goes by, everyone will get used to each other.