NE City

Okay, I hate to bury that post about Auntie Ruth (so Ruth if you're reading...scroll down lady!). Especially since I'm so terribly lacking in creativity right now (uhhh, check the title). But hey, 2 blog posts in 2 days, whatcha gonna do?! ;)

About a month ago now, we traveled back to NE and I haven't shared any pictures (ack, what is wrong with me?!). J was working near Nebraska City for a week and Bugga and I joined him for a bit in between time in Superior visiting with the fam. Here we are at the Arbor Day Tree Farm, where they had this awesome little outdoor space for kiddos. They had this huge marimba, very fun!


There was a little tree house set up with panels of fabric that could be manipulated to divide spaces. Little Bug was asking me for drink here in ASL. He seems to know "big people" drinks from his age-appropriate sippies and seems to prefer the "big people" version. ;)

More of the treehouse....


After exploring the outdoor "classroom" space, we hit the trails through the park. J broke out the sling and Bug enjoyed the Papa-tram as we explored. HAHAHA.


More sling fun, reaching for his shoe. Probably to remove it, because what is more fun than removing shoes?! =)


Check out my hubby's blue, blue eyes!!! Bug is not quite with the program in this shot, is he?!

And for the super-random shot of the day, here's our little niece Kaylee. ;) Could she be any cuter????

Playing outside...


We got very few pictures of the family, even though the trip was chock full of good times with Grady's cousins and his aunts and uncles and Memaw and Papaw and great-grandparents and on and on. =) We will all be together again within 2 weeks though, so be ready everyone... We can't wait!!!

Auntie Ruthie

Once again, I went missing from blogland. I have been having trouble finding my way back.

In my real life though, I have been having a blast. Most recently, my joy flowed from a visit from my second college roommate Ruth. A brief history: I went to a traditional college for one year. My first college roommate (who I am also still in touch with) left after the first semester. I was in a bind and needed to find someone willing to take me in basically. Enter RUTH! What a fateful situation. =) So I spent my second and last semester in college dorms yukking it up with Ruth on a daily basis. I had so much fun and here we are 8 years later:


We hadn't seen each other in 6 years! 6 YEARS! Yet somehow there was still that ease of being together, picking up right where we left off. =)

Ruth had never been around pit bulls and hasn't been under a rock, so she has heard all the nasty stuff the hysteria-inducing media and ignorant public have to say about this misunderstood breed. As a testament to her sheer coolness though, she came into our house with an open mind and lots of questions, ready and willing to learn. It helps that she is a general animal lover. ;) She and Paisley became fast friends. Auntie Ruth even invited spoiled Pai girl to bed with her 2 of the 3 nights she was here. Paisley and Ruth joined J and the Bug for storytime before bed the last night Ruth was here:

I love this picture, because it looks to me like Ruth and Paisley are sharing a private joke. I imagine Paisley (in my anthropomorphic way) to be saying "Auntie Ruth, forget these guys, let's go do something just you and me okay?! C'mon, please..."

In the same vein that Ruth and Paisley became friends, the Bugga took to Ruth so fast, even I was shocked. Within minutes of her arrival it seemed he was holding his arms up to her to be picked up. =) I really wish I had quit gabbing long enough to pick up the camera and get more pictures of those two playing. Next time Ruth! And there will be a next time, whether here or in Sioux Falls, and it won't be when the Bug is 7 years old. ;) As in, it won't be another 6 years.

Here's Ruth with all the girls. Monkey, Paisley, and Libby. =)

And some little known trivia for you...hey Ruth, did you know I wanted to name Libby "Ruthie?" (I couldn't because the name had already been used in the rescue.) When we got Libby, your upcoming visit was on my mind and she seemed like a "Ruthie." =) J thought that might be taken as an insult, but I told him it should be seen as a sign of my affection, since I love animals too, for me to want to name an animal after a person is a good sign. ;)

It seems like whenever I return to posting from a long break, I am all over the map. So, here we have a picture of our big ol' Turdie boy. He joined Ruth and Paisley in the guest room one night too. =)
I took all 3 pets to the vet by myself yesterday and Turtle boy tipped the scales at 15.4 lbs! Monkey came in at 7 even and Paisley is maintaining a trim 48 lbs. Poor Turdie! As soon as we get back from our upcoming trip, we will be switching his food, feeding the cats separately and on a schedule (just like the dogs), and seeing if we can't drop a few pounds off our big guy for his overall health. I have a feeling he will be harrassing us quite a bit in the beginning!

Libby is growing by leaps and bounds, speaking of weight. Since we don't own a scale and she didn't go on the vet excursion, I don't know what she weighs, but I'm sure she has more than doubled her weight since she joined us 2 short weeks ago. Here she is getting ready to take a nap on Laura, ARLP Director, at the Adoption Day event last Saturday. She is a doll and a total smarty pants too, which is a double-edged sword if you ask me. No lazy owners for a girl like her, that is for sure! She needs a family to teach her tricks, keep her mind stimulated and her body busy. She has a meet-and-greet tomorrow already...because let's face it, who doesn't love a puppy...so we'll see if they're the family to do just that.

Coming back round to Ruth...so we learned on our recent trip to NE via a stop in Sioux Falls that the social climate there is pretty strongly anti-pit bull. =( Big bummer, because I love Sioux Falls. Anyway, Ruth works at a radio station there in Sioux Falls (KSOO baby, check her out!) and took the issue of breed specific legislation to the air waves when she got back to work! Very apt, as Sturgis is eying a new pit bull ordinance.

When are people going to realize that no one specific breed of dog is the problem, but rather owners that mistreat, neglect, and just generally don't have control over their dogs that are the true culprits behind dog bites and fatalities? And furthermore, eventually the public will move on to another dog to blame--just like in the past when German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans have all taken their turn as the "evil dog" du jour--and continue to ignore the HUMAN on the other end of the leash (or lack thereof). I guess it is just easier to blame a dog than face our own very human flaws. =( I could go on, of course, but I don't need to when there are great articles like this one out there, saying it better than I could any day.

So THANK YOU to Ruth for joining the fight, even though she doesn't own a pit bull, let alone a dog at all.

As I type, Bugga is crawling in and out of Libby's crate (yes, it is a tight fit). I don't know whether to laugh or cry! Is it just a funny toddler-ism or is my little boy sending me a message? "Hey Momma, look at me, I'm a dog too, pay attention to me!" Eek! Off to spend some quality time with my little Hugga Bugga!

It's a Girl!

Or should I say "It's a Gril" (If you haven't already checked it out, hop on over to the Cake Wrecks blog through either of these links. If you need a laugh, you'll thank me.)

Meet Libby. Or Ibby. Or MadLibs. We always nickname the heck out of any living being in our midst, so it is no surprise that less than a week ago this little girl didn't have a name or a home and now she is with us, in a home, with a name and many a nickname and loads of cuddles to boot.

This is the first time we have ever named a dog. Isn't that crazy! How many have we shared out home with now? And this is the only one we've had any part in naming. I won't share how we got the name, because truth be told it's not terribly family friendly, but we think it works for her. (Hint~it has to do with a joke about distinguishing between the 2 female dogs in our house, as we've never had 2 females before.)

Kisses from Ibby to Papa, her new favorite man.

The Bugga actually had moments when he wasn't sure of little Libby early on. Which is strange, because before he had never met a dog he didn't think was hilarious and nothing short of wonderful. Libby is a tiny puppy though with tiny needle teeth and she thinks Bugga is kind of like a toy at times. ;) Bug has come around to her mostly though and thinks she is funny like all the rest these days. She however remains wary of him at times, because his 25 pounds to her 5 pounds make for painful hugs for Libby Loo. HAHAHA.

So there you have it, this is where I've been. We got our newest foster addition last Thursday and since then we've been back to sleepless nights and major clean-up duty. I don't remember the newborn Bug being quite this bad to be honest. ;) Libby is 6 weeks, approximately, way tiny, found abandoned and turned over to A Rotta Love Plus. The family that found her thought she was a boy...hmmm...not sure where they learned about anatomy...but anyway, we were lined up to take him. Well, he turned out to be she, but we were still available and one of the most suitable foster homes available for puppy-dom since I stay home with Grady.

I will say, she is a spunky little thing. Don't let her size fool you for a second, because she is anything but delicate! I think she may be a smarty, as she is already responding to training, doing wonderful on eye contact, name-game, sit, and today we even started the groundwork for lay. I didn't really think we could work much with such an itty thing, but she is proving me wrong for sure.

Paisley is doing well, though she isn't so keen on helping Libby learn how to play and be an appropriate dog buddy. =( She just would rather ignore her much of the time, so we'll need to set up play dates for Ibby so she learns right from wrong in the world of doggie ettiquette. ;) There's only so much we can teach her, as her interactions with humans are obviously going to be different than those with fellow dogs, and she needs to be a good girl with both. =)

Monkey has already told Libby off a few times. Have I mentioned how much I love our Monkey girl?! She is the most amazing little cat I've ever met and I don't know what I'll do when her time with us is up. Though I wouldn't be shocked if she somehow lives forever, she's just that kind of cat you swear will never die. Or age, for that matter.

I'm such a slacker blogger these days, and when I do get on here, I just ramble about pets. Go figure! OH...my second college roommate Ruth is coming THIS WEEKEND! I am beyond excited, it has been years upon years since we've seen Ruthie. And she always makes me laugh and laugh and laugh (a very risky thing if I have a full bladder! HAHA). So much to do this week, get the guest room looking like a guest room ;), menu plan, clean, clean, and clean some more and clean as I go because I'll have 2 little ones coming behind me helping to mess it all up again. =) Wish me luck!

Better go retrieve the Bug from his room as it has been 2 hours and he is obviously not going to take a nap today. =( Unlike Libby, who is sacked out on my lap, her favorite place to sleep. =)

Whew...

We are home in MN. Safe, sound, and just barely clinging to sanity. ;)

Just kidding. The trip wasn't too bad. LONG, but not horrible. Add a stop to see our beloved Betheleanie and her sweetie hubby Scott and their adorable Dingo (haha) and you have a pretty good travel plan overall. =) Yes, the stop turned a 10 hour trip into a 12 hour trip, but it was oh so worth it.

We woke up to utter quiet, especially compared to the bustle and happy activity of Memaw and Papaw's house. Quiet and rain falling outside. Awww...HOME. I'm odd and love me a gloomy day. ;) Makes home feel even more cozy and warm and perfect.

Of course, J had to go to work, which was a big bummer for all of us. We would have loved an extra day to decompress and chill at home.

What's the perfect way to start my first day back home though?! (Pop quiz time people!) Why the nekkie J and nekkie Bugga harassing me out of bed. I know, maybe it's not appropriate to share, but it is a sight that always makes me smile and chuckle and look forward to the day even if I thought I didn't want to get out of bed.

No picture though, lucky for you. ;)

Are you sure you're ready for us Memaw?!

Ahhh...if you should be packing, raise your hand! Or, how about this, if you should be doing just about anything else, raise your hand. ;)

J would like to think we'll be sitting in the car, backing out of the garage, and hitting the wide open road in about 2 hours.

Pshaw. J would like to think.

And by the same token, I'm sure J would like to think that his lovely wife is doing something--anything--to make that happen.

Pshaw. ;)

Unless blogging videos of the Bugga counts. Which I doubt.

What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. Especially since he's an even less loyal blog-viewer than you (whoever you are). He pretty much waits til I announce "I blogged today" and then he makes fun of how yucky that statement sounds and maybe checks it out. =)

Enough of that, I actually have gotten quite a bit done. I promise. I hadn't put up any videos of our wacky boy for quite some time though, so I felt it was time to share. The cabinet video is pretty recent (Tuesday night, I think, while I took Paisley to Rally class). The bathtime video is older, maybe a month or more, I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look. (Anyone notice a recurring theme?!) Thankfully, he has not made that kind of climbing part of his nightly bathtime routine...whew.

So, one way or another, the plan is that we will leave today for NE. We'll probably get in late and because we're taking a chance and driving while Bug will be awake, we'll probably be lucky to have our hearing and hair left on our wary heads. Wish us luck. ;)

Did I mention there was a dead insect in my coffee this morning? And that I simply removed it and drank anyway? It'll be that kind of day.

What can I say?!

I've been absent. Again. And no good excuse. Just haven't felt the blogging energy lately. Too lazy to wait for pictures to load. Plus, I'm trying to implement a new internet policy to cut down on my addiction (no internet while the Bug is awake).

WA was great, so much fun! I miss Lindsey and Brandon and little Daly man, one of the sweetest little pups I've ever met. I sure wish WA and MN weren't quite so far apart, much like I wish MN and many places weren't quite so far apart. ;)

And of course, I missed my boys and my furry little ones and the all the comforts of home. You can enjoy lots of places, but there is only one home. =)

A few pics to share today. Bugga running around eating an apple. Paisley waiting patiently for him to drop bits of said apple. HAHAHA. (You can see her new collarmania collar too a little, so CUTE.)

The Bug smiling and laughing as he hit my knee with his apple and made my reflexes pop. =)

The great climbing Bugga. This is window that is almost 2 feet over the lounger. He was determined to climb into the sill and sure enough, he did it. If Momma was the worry-wart she once was, my nerves would be shot. Good thing I've come to see just how resilient he is, hehe.

The day I came home from WA. Notice the scrapes above his right eye and the black eye (if you can see it). Bugga figured out the baby gate and took a tumble down the stairs the weekend I was gone. No, J wasn't being inattentive in any sense, the Bug is just really that fast.

I just liked this shot. He often starts out reading books with us as seen in the first picture. By the end, if he's tired, he looks more like this:

I have a kazillion photos I could share. I'm still as indecisive as ever though and that is another reason I haven't been blogging--I would have to decide which photos to use. ;)

This Friday we are taking the show on the road once again and heading to NE! J is being sent down to a nuclear plant in NE for a week of work. Most of the time, Bugga, Paisley and I will be with Jacksons in Superior, though we are joining J for some fun and swimming at the Lied Lodge during the final days of the week. And HOPEFULLY we will be getting to visit our amazing and lovely friend Beth, who we haven't seen in a year (time always flies and it always sucks)! We can't wait, so if you're reading this Betheleanie, we need to get our plans figured out because one way or another we will be tracking you down! =) WE LOVE YOU BETH!

Okay, so the Bug actually fell asleep for a nap. HUGE SHOCKER these days as it has seemed he was about to give up on naptime completely. I better grab some coffee and chilax (thank you Lindsey and Brandon for that lovely little word) for a bit. Glad to be back, though I can't promise this signals my return to blogging more regularly. ;)

A Big Girl Blog (i.e. no pictures)

So, I'm right back here again. I should be packing. Only I'm packing for 1 and you know that sounds so much easier than packing for 3 (plus dog)...but all that really does for me is make the procrastination stronger. (Notice I don't say "worse," I'm sick of looking at my procrastination as a negative...)

In an effort to limit myself, I am therefore not loading pics today.

And now I just want to give a big ol' cyber hug to anyone that read beyond that last line. {{Squeeze}} =)

In just over 24 hours I'm going to see my awesome friend Lindsey (and of course, our other friend Brandon, aka her fiance; oh and their little dog too). I am so excited! And over-analyzer that I am, I had to overthink and figure out why I am so excited.

Luckily, it came pretty easy. It is because of the caliber of friend that miss Lindsey is...she is just one of those people who I feel truly appreciates me for me. She weathered the transition to Motherhood with me, even though she doesn't have any kids. That's big! She listens to me talk about poop and sleep schedules and all the minutiae of parenthood without a hint of boredom and no eye rolling (unless she's just really good at hiding it all, which I suppose is possible when 95% of your interaction is by phone/email). Yet, at the same time, I did not become more interesting because I became a mother either, and I appreciate that just as much. That's the key--the fact that becoming a Mom basically didn't affect my friendship with her, didn't make it stronger or weaker--somehow that stands out because there are few relationships in my life that didn't swing one way or the other when the Bug came along.

Anyway, if you're reading Linds...know that I appreciate you for you too! Your generosity and humor, your limited diet (hahahaha, I have to tease), and all the other wonderful details that make you you. Can't wait to see YOU! (And Brandon and your little dog too, hehe)

Okay, and the Bug update since I've mentioned him anyway. He's crazy. There's your update. ;)

And when I said before that he is into everything, I simply didn't understand what everthing was, I didn't even have a clue. =)

He is signing more. In his repertoire now are "more" (the old standby, his first sign, though he is using it a lot less now that he has others in his toolbelt), "eat," "please," "potty," and "book." We're working on "bath" and "drink" and "thank you." This changes almost daily as he picks new ones up and I decide to try to introduce more. Oh and we sign "I love you" a lot, but it is pretty complicated as far as hand positioning, so I'm not counting on that one any time soon.

OH and Mischief went to his potential new forever family yesterday for a trial visit!!! If all goes well, his adoption will become final on Monday. =) This worked out perfect, since I'm leaving for the weekend, that way J just has to worry about Bug, Paisley (who is generally easy-peasy) and the cats (who can generally be ignored, poor things). Anyway, last night was awful quiet without our little Mischievous. ;) Each dog in our house tends to get a theme song--here's a little insight if you ever wanted any huh?!--and his was taking Prince's little ditty "Delirious" and changing it to "MischievIOUS" (I know, that's not how it is spelled or correctly pronounced, but that's how we did it for the song's sake). "I get Mischievious...whenever I'm awake...d00-d00oo-doo...cause so much trouble you can hardly take it...doo-doooo-doo...."

Moving on, hopefully the visit is going well. The family he went to (not the pot-belly pig family, though that would have been funny) seemed like an awesome match for him, so I expect only good things. We're so happy for our little Needlenose (another nickname, said with love I promise).

Okay, gotta get to it. All this time, all this writing, and no pictures! So sorry! Next week, I promise. ;)

OH my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh...can't go with saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA tomorrow!!! Wishing you all the best lady because you deserve it!

And Happy Birthday Linds on Saturday, I'll be there to help blow out candles, YAY!