What do you smell?

This is how the car ride went on our way to UVU to drop Jeff off this morning:

Haley: Hmmm, I smell dirt! Morgan what do you smell?

Morgan: (takes a while to think) Poop!

They laugh for quite a while...then the routine starts again.

Haley: What do you smell?

Morgan: POOPY!

Laugh, laugh, laugh!!

They repeat this for the rest of the car ride and at the grocery store. Lovely! I guess that's better then them fighting...right?

By the way...Morgan was not poopy, for those that were wondering.

The mystery of the broken camera.

My camera broke, and I'm not sure how...just another thing to add to the list of the many things that need repaired in this house. When you have kids you might as well save time and take a sledge hammer to anything valuable in the house immediately...because eventually it will get broken! I'm not blaming the broken camera on one of my children...but I wouldn't be surprised if someones little fingers got a hold of it and maybe even dropped it and then put it back nicely where they found it. Just a hunch of course!

Etta got attacked by our neighbor's dog the other day. My neighbor has two boxers which I thought were pretty friendly, but apparently they have thing against cute little puppies! We were walking across the street and one of them came charging over to us and went straight for Etta, pinning in down on the ground biting and scratching her. I screamed and yanked on her leash hard making her go airborn and then I caught her before she fell to the ground again. I know, crazy. She was OK, but I was pretty upset. My neighbor came over to apologize, but the bottom line is those dogs need to be on leashes!! They never bothered me before, but now I'm pretty concerned about them! Poor Etta, it was a very traumatic experience for her!

Visits are never long enough!

Well, my parent's visit is over...they left this morning...so sad. However, we have an addition to our household, my brother, Jeff is now living with us while he goes to UVU. We got him all set up with his classes last week. What a beautiful school that is! I've never really walked around the campus before...I was very impressed! They've designed the school so that everything is connected so if the weather is bad you don't have to go outside to get to another building...very cool! His first day of class is tomorrow, I'm so excited for him! I went with him one day to the campus...with no children! My mom watched the girls for me (thanks mom), so I was feeling very young and hip walking around a college campus! That all came to end when Jeff's counselor thought I was his mother!!!! I felt like smacking that guy! Later, we had to go see another counselor, and the first thing I said when we walked into the office, "Hi, I'm Jeff's SISTER...yeah, we're brother and SISTER!". I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any confusion!

So anyway, we had such a nice visit...I'm bummed they're gone. My mom has endured one round of Chemo so far...it was horrendous for her. I'm so grateful that she was feeling well enough to come out here before she has to undergo another round. She looks amazing! I'm so impressed by her strength!

What do you think?

See my previous post if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

Where do I begin?

I'll start with the latest about Cassidy...she gave us yet another scare! Tuesday is when it all started, she had obvious signs of not feeling well, she couldn't drink or eat, if she tried she would just throw it up. But she would still walk around and seemed alert. However, by Tuesday evening she got really bad, just layed in the grass, wouldn't move. Wednesday morning we found her completely "out of it", and laying in some vomit...so sad! So we took her immediately to the Vet. I had to leave her there, which completely broke my heart. They wouldn't know exactly what was wrong unless they did blood work on her, but the vet seemed to think her liver may be in trouble. There is no guarantee of a cure, just managing the problem, and the bills would have added up with the medication she would have needed, not to mention all the blood work she would need. So we thought about it all day while she stayed at the vet and decided that we should put her down. A decision that is extremely painful for me. When we got to the clinic Cassidy had done a complete turn around!! She was walking (because she couldn't earlier), drinking and eating!! No way could I put her down, so we took her home. She seems to be happy, and we're so glad to still have her!

Haley started her first day of Preschool this morning!! My mom and I dropped her off. When we were walking through the parking lot I told her to be sure to say "good morning" to her teacher. As soon as Haley walked through the door she says, "Good morning Mrs. Wind!". Wow, I didn't even think she was listening to me! She had a great time!

Then, when we were driving home I got my first ticket. I'm super bummed! They got me going 31 in a 25, but it happened to be right at a school zone which is 20 mph. It was a total trap! I went back that way (slowly mind you) after I picked Haley up from school and the school zone sign is totally covered by a huge Willow tree, no wonder I didn't see it!! That made me so mad!! But I'm sure I wouldn't win if I tried to fight it, so I'll pay my fees and be more cautious. I'll be driving that route a lot so I better be careful!

Almost time for Preschool!

This morning was Haley's Open House for her Preschool she'll be going to this year. Very exciting...such a big girl now! I had to fill out a little questionaire for Haley, I asked the questions and wrote down her answers. Favorite color: Pink, Favorite Food: Pasta, Things you enjoy doing with the family: camping, going to parks, and bike rides. (I kinda helped her with that one) Favorite Toy: Pooh Bear (That one surprised me, I thought for sure it would have been her ponies) Something Interesting about Her: She loves to bake cookies and make pizza with her Mommy. (OK, I kinda helped her with that one too.) I could have put a lot of interesting things...Such as, she loves her Tigger suit even though it's waaay too small or the fact that it's 100 degrees out...she would wear that everyday if she could...that's "interesting". Or she likes to pretend she's a dog, and will stay in character ALL DAY complete with barking, whining, and panting instead of actually talking. Or I could have put that Haley has claimed she will never poop again, and continues to hold it as long as humanly possible. Another, she loves the smell of Marshmallows and every time we are in a grocery store she finds them. We don't even have to be on that particular isle, she'll still find them, and then she'll proceed to put her nose against each bag to smell them...that's something interesting about her too. But I didn't want to freak the teacher out with all these crazy stories on the first day of school, so I decided to put something "normal" down...she does like to bake with me, I didn't lie. The teacher will get to know Haley's antics soon enough! Her first day of class is this Thursday, I'm pretty anxious for it!

In other news: I'm worried about Cassidy, she's not doing very well today. Seems waay more mellow today. She even went in her doghouse in the daytime, which is pretty much unheard of! She also seems a little out of it. I'm keeping an eye on her.

Love/Hate

Haley and Morgan have always had a love/hate relationship. However, for the last few weeks they've really been throwing the hate at each other. OK, they don't really hate each other...but they haven't been getting along at all!! Unlike my sister-in-law's kids who adore each other, and they are very similar in age as Haley and Morgan. I want that!!!! Morgan loves the way Haley reacts when she steals a toy from her...Haley will scream and yell while Morgan runs and laughs. Or the biggest one, Morgan will walk into the room that Haley is playing in and yell out "NO", and Haley will have the biggest fit. "Mommy!!! Morgan said NO to me!!!". WHO CARES!!! Why Haley is so dramatic I just don't know. I have to keep them separated while they play and even then problems are bound to arise. I think the only time they really play together is outside. They had a really good time acorn hunting yesterday at the park. And sometimes I'll catch Haley "reading" to Morgan. So they do get along occasionally! We'll keep working on it.

We just had a visit from my Uncle Ray over the weekend. Every year he takes a road trip on his motorcycle and usually stops in here for a few days. This year his destination is South Dakota. A lot easier compared to his cross country trip to Maine last year! Salinas, CA to Maine...that's a road trip!! So anyway, it was a really nice visit, we always enjoy having him here.

Tomorrow, my parents and little brother, Jeff are arriving! We're pretty excited for that! Jeff is actually moving in with us while he goes to UVU, so that will be a nice addition to our already "At Full Capacity" household! But, I think it's a really good thing and we're excited to have him here. Of course I've waited until the very last day to try to organize the room he'll be staying in. Currently, it's our office/spare bedroom. But it's also the room for things that don't have a place. "Hmmm, where should this go...ahh, I'll just throw it in the office!!". So you can imagine we have accumulated quite a bit of stuff that now needs a new place. It's not a junky room or anything, I don't want you to have the wrong impression. The closet really is the only thing I need to clean out. So it can be done...I just have to stop procrastinating and do it!

Failed Hike

Why is it that some days kids do great, and other days they can become completely unraveled?!

I took the girls up South Fork this morning to do a little hike. They've done this hike plenty of times before so it's not new to them at all, and they've done fine in the past. Not today! Morgan cried about 95% of the time...walk and cry, walk and cry...lovely! And Haley won the award for the best complainer. Yeah, good times! So needless to say, we didn't get very far on the trail. One funny thing did happen. As soon as I was finished putting sunscreen on them I went to put it back into the car, in that 30 seconds of turning my back to them to put the sunscreen away, they managed to completely cover themselves with dirt! We haven't even gotten on the trail yet, we're still standing in the parking lot! You know how after you put sunscreen on you're kinda slimy after? Well, that was them, so the dirt caked on them. I have no idea how they could get that dirty in 30 seconds, but whatever. It was a sight to see, too bad I didn't have my camera! Anyway, so later during the hike Haley is balancing on this log. She slips and slides on her side to the ground. She's OK and everything, but as soon as she lands she says, "Oh no! Now I'm all dirty!". Uhhh, did you see yourself before we even started?! I guess not! And Morgan looked like she fell through a chimney chute, it was pretty funny.

On a positive note, I was able to pick up some peaches from Alred's Orchard on the way home. That's one thing I love about the month of August...the peaches are in season!!

This and That

So I decided to hold off on getting a new puppy again. I have a tendency to get a bit excited and rush into things! I thought about it...I better make sure I can successfully train Etta first. Plus, the breeders that I got Etta from thought it also would be best to wait until next year when Etta is older. So that's what I'll do.

I've been driving the Wrangler more, the girls love it! They love how it's "windy" all the time in the car. I have to leave their side windows up though because I'm afraid they'll throw something out, but everything else is open. I tell ya, it's a workout driving around in that car with kids! Our Jeep is raised pretty high so I have to lift the kids in, they sit and buckle the top buckle and then I have to climb in to buckle the bottom buckle (it's a little more difficult to snap for them). Then, to get them out I catch them as each jumps (another favorite part for them!). We had four stops to make this morning so there was a lot of climbing in and out. Plus, I was wearing a skirt (all my shorts are in the laundry) so I had to be a little more "lady-like" in jumping in and out. Hopefully I didn't flash anyone! I do love that car though...it's just a lot of fun to zip around town in! This picture is from last Winter, but it's the only picture of the Jeep I could find at the moment.

As I'm writing this Ryan is racing in the Tour of Utah, which started today. It was nice having him here for breakfast on a Wednesday...something a little out of the ordinary! So I hope it's going well for him, he's been pretty anxious for it!

Am I Crazy?

I was hosing off the patio, so I threw the dog mat on the table to keep it from getting wet...it didn't keep Etta from still napping on it.

So here's my latest: Since we bought a Brittany I've decided that I want to train her for what she's bred to do. I myself will not be hunting with her but I would be a handler. Lots of pheasant hunters rent out dogs to use in the fields. I could technically make some nice cash come pheasant season. So I went out today to pick up a few things to get started on this. Well, as I was leaving Sportsman Warehouse I saw on the bulletin board "Brittany puppies For Sale"! OK, OK...I know what you're thinking...why on Earth would I get another dog?! Let me explain...If I do become a handler, hunters prefer dogs in pairs, they're able to work the field better. Also, it is said that Brittanies do very well together, most people buy them in twos!

So am I crazy, or does this make sense?

By the way, this game of chasing a plastic cup in the play pool, entertained Etta for the longest time!

I knew I was doomed.

So I got my break...wasn't really what I wanted though. Yesterday, I came down with whatever illness the rest of the family had all week. It never fails, if one person gets sick, we all get sick...eventually. And it seems I'm always the last to get it.

So I spent the day resting. Every time I stood up I felt super woozy, and weak. Plus, I had a headache that just wouldn't quit! So my super husband came through and took care of the kids all day, what a guy!

I'm feeling a lot better today, just a little tired. I'm sure I'll be 100% tomorrow.

What a Week

This week has been an interesting one...not to mention exhausting!

First, the whole "I'm never pooping again" (see previous blog posts), routine Haley did in the beginning of the week was not that fun. That ended somewhat...she still tries to avoid the toilet, but she is starting to realize that "never pooping again" may not be an option.

Now, at the end of the week we're dealing with some sort of flu bug. Ryan came home sick on Tuesday, he had a fever, chills and pretty achy. He even stayed home on Wednesday, so you know he's not feeling well if he stays home from work. Then, Wednesday...or I should say 2:30 Thursday morning, Haley threw up. An hour later, she threw up again! However, she didn't have a fever. We took it easy all Thursday, just stayed at the house and I even got her to take a nap! She was basically back to normal by that evening. Finally, I was getting Morgan out of the crib this morning and found throw up all in her crib! When did she do that?! She never cried in the middle of the night, and it definitely had been sitting there because it was dried up and her hair was all crusty! GROSS! Poor thing, who knows how long she had been sleeping like that. She's been fine all day, eating normal and everything. Very strange!

So this week we have been pretty much home bound. It's been extremely frustrating, the girls have not been getting along at all! They fight over every little thing. I have to always have them separated...Haley playing with something in her room, and Morgan playing with something else in the living room. They even fight over cleaning up! Haley will yell "Morgan is putting more away then I am!". Isn't that a good thing?! So weird!

I need a break!

Happy Anniversary My Love!

Wow, 9 years of wedded bliss!

So Ryan and I got up this morning...Let me rephrase that, Ryan got up and I got up about 20 minutes later to say goodbye as he left for work. Neither one of remembered our anniversary! It wasn't until several hours later that I thought about it...oops. For some reason I'm terrible at remembering! It seems that every year we both forget all about it.

But of course the day is still very special to us (when we remember it). Love you, Babe!

Everyone Poops!

This week so far has not been the best. Haley and I have been in constant battle...each one of us too stubborn to give in to the other.

So, for those that don't know...when I was potty training Haley about two years ago it was one of the worst experiences in my life!! Probably hers too! She knew exactly what I wanted her to do, she just didn't want to give up her control and fought me all the way. Those that say I should have wanted until she was a little older, well, it wouldn't have made a difference...if I waited until she was five, she still would have fought with me the entire way! That's just how she is, she doesn't do anything that I want her to do easily! Did I mention that she likes to be in control?!

Well, her latest is that she now refuses to poop! Yes, I said poop! She says that she will pee but will never poop again. She doesn't like it, she says. Well, immediately I have flashbacks to the old potty training days. NOOOOOO!!!!! Not Again!! She has started to hold it, and I must say she can hold it for a long, long time! Did I mention she's extremely stubborn?! So, when she holds it, it creates more problems. She gets really grumpy and very destructive. She can't really focus on any activity because she's always uncomfortable. She occasionally has to sit down and do the "potty bounce" if she's playing outside. Every now and then she'll go to the bathroom and then immediately walk out. "Oh, I really don't have to go the bathroom, I was just looking for something.", she says. Really?! I told her the other day that everyone poops! I said, "If you don't ever poop, where is it going to go...out your belly button?!". That totally threw her for a loop!! I probably shouldn't have said that since she doesn't really understand jokes too well. For the rest of the evening she kept glancing down at her belly button with a look of total concern. I had to tell her that wouldn't really happen and not to worry.

So anyway, that's the latest Haley saga. I'm not sure how long this one will last...hopefully not long, I can't stand it!!

Party Time!

Saturday's Birthday party for the girls was a success...I'm glad I don't have to worry about that for a while, at least until next year!

For those keeping track, I was able to find a pool. Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors!! The Larsens came through with an awesome blow up pool that I was able to use. The girls really enjoyed it. Although, Etta was very upset because she had to be in her crate for the whole party. I was just too nervous that she would poke a hole in it.

We were able to find a pony themed cake, complete with a pony and castle toy on it...very cute!

Here are the party girls awaiting their guests! I'll add that Morgan put her hat on all by herself.

Morgan was so thrilled to blow out the candles! She kept blowing them out before they were all lit...funny girl.
The day started out a little crazy, but in the end everything worked out! It was a great day!

Happy Birthday to Haley!

Saturday, which was Haley's Birthday was very hectic! I was trying to get everything ready for the party and I never got around to do my birthday post for Haley. Since I posted old photos of Morgan I wanted to do the same for Haley. However, I can't find any newborn pictures of her. Our old laptop had all of our saved pictures of her on it from 2004. Unfortunately, that computer died and nothing was saved to a disk. Bummer. I have a huge baby album of her, so at least I have that. So anyway, I was able to find these.

She's such a cutie! I always forget how bald she was! I remember being so impatient...I wanted so badly to do her hair, and put cute clips and bows in it. It wasn't until she turned three that it finally started growing! Wow, I can't believe she's four!

Play pools, anyone?

So tomorrow is Haley and Morgan's Birthday party...the party actually falls on Haley's birthday which makes it nice. Since it's been super hot lately I decided on making it an outside swim party. I have one small kiddie pool, it's fine for just Haley and Morgan, but really no more then that can fit in it. So I was just going to pick up something bigger, one of those big blow up kind of pools...I've seen them all summer long. Well, I have searched high and low and can't find a single one!! What is this?! August 1st arrives and all stores have to strip the shelves of any type of summer thing?! I hate that!! Come on people...it's still in the 90's, kids need pools! So I've been running around like a crazy lady trying to find things for the party. I did finally manage to find a pretty cool sprinkler thingy that will work...but kids need options, so I'm still on the lookout. I think I'll have to start asking around the neighborhood, maybe I can borrow something.

This is all kinda my fault, I admit I procrastinated a bit. I should have bought the stupid pool when I saw it...now I'm paying the price! I've been a little off my game lately. These dogs have really been taking up my time...I've been doggy obsessed. Cassidy needs a lot of TLC for her abscess (which is looking a lot better) and Etta needs...well, she's a puppy, she needs a lot of things. For one, I'm really working hard with training. I'm constantly reading dog training articles every little chance I get. I've been working with the "sit" command...they say that should be first. I'll have to be careful, I might start talking to the kids the way I talk to Etta, "NO, OFF, SIT!"..."Good, sit!"..."NO, NICE!"..."Good, nice!".

OK, enough blogging for today.
The mission for the afternoon: Find a Pool!!