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The Police Rock!

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Hubby and I went to see the Police last night at SPAC. It’s the last week of their reunion tour, and I’m so glad I was able to see them. They’re playing one night in New Jersey, then 2 nights at Jones Beach, then finishing out at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. If you can manage to get tickets, go! Unless you despise them. Then you probably wouldn’t enjoy yourself.

As proof that we were there, and that I shouldn’t quit my day job to become a concert photographer I offer:

I know these are just awful pics, but I’m still going to use them on a layout. I’m crazy like that.

Lazy Sunday

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Today has been a weird mix of indolence and productivity. I did 6 zillion loads of laundry (only slightly exaggerating) and never got out of my pajamas. I worked on a layout, and still managed to fit in some reading and also waste time on the computer. I did no dishes (Have I mentioned I hate dishes? No sooner do I get caught up on all the dishes, when some one decides to make something and not clean up after themselves. In spite of the sign.) but did give the kids a bath. Like I said. Lazy Sunday, but strangely productive. How was your weekend?

Have Family, and Dog!

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The last weekend in March, we adopted a dog from Homeward Bound, a local rescue agency. The name he came with was Condor, but after two days of getting caught on the “d” every time I called the dog, it became Connor.
He’s a retriever/ hound mix, with big paws, so he’ll probably end up in the large dog category when he’s full grown. He was about 12 weeks when we got him, so he’s almost 5 months now. He’s mostly black, with a white blaze on his chest, and a few white hairs on his paws, and on the tip of his chin. (I thought we could call it a soul patch, and call him sweet baby James, but no one else thought that was a good idea.)
He’s mostly house broken–he’s just not quite making it through the night yet. He has good moments and bad on the leash, sometimes pulling, and sometimes heeling. If he pulls too much I make him sit and calm down before walking more. We’re only doing one walk a day so far, but he’s out in the back yard quite a bit, and he’s learning a few tricks–fetch and sit and stay and lay down. I want to do at least 2 walks each day, but I need to get him to be well behaved on the leash at least 75% of the time before I start walking him with the kids. I can’t multitask that well when I’ve got kids on the swings, in the dirt pile, and a dog eager to meet every other creature that wanders past.
One of the reasons we’re a little lagging in the training is Connor contracted Parvo virus a week after we got him. He was at the vets for a week on an IV, and I couldn’t walk him for another 2 weeks, because he was still shedding virus. He’s better now, thank goodness.
Temperamentally, he’s, as Cesar would say, a medium energy dog. He’s a little timid, very friendly, and has a big bark which sounds scary. He keeps asking the cats to play with him, but all they do is run away, or threaten to swat him if he gets too rambunctious. Basically he’s an average dog, which is good, because that’s what I wanted. 🙂

Before and After

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Did I say it was spring? Well I lied! I looked out the window this morning, and this is what I saw:

Simon was mildly distressed about the whole snow thing, and then he decided we should go outside and have a snowball fight. Which we did. Well, the outside part, but we ended up shoveling the front steps instead.

So here’s another before and after for you:

Which one do you like better? I think my husband looks better with the facial hair, but he’s a lot nicer to kiss without it. Although, it may just be that he needs a haircut. Okay, where’s my clippers? Honey?

Spring is coming!

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I went outside to do some measuring of the fence to figure out how much I would need to buy to repair one side, and put a gate on the other side of the yard, and look what I found! I love crocuses. They’re a wonderful spring surprise, since I’m never really expecting them when they arrive.


For the two people who read this blog who aren’t family, we’ve got big news! I’m going to be an Aunt! My brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in August. Here’s my bro practicing his baby skills with his dog Brownie:

And last but not least, check out my new glasses! Do they make me look more hip? Or are they just loud? What do you think?

Oh, and I’ve been dieting for 4 weeks now, and I’ve lost 13 pounds. Let me hear the applause, people!

Fun is Energizing

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So last night, instead of folding laundry or picking up the fallout from my kids I played in my craft room. I made the excuse that it was a Halloween decoration, and that it needed to be done before our costume party. That was just an excuse. I really needed to feel a little creative and fun, and relax with some paper and glue.

What I made was a cute little Halloween House with a kit from Doodlebug Designs, and papers from Rusty Pickle. I got out my decorative edge scissors, and some ribbon and stickers and my favorite spider stamp. With the help of my detail scissors and an exacto knife, I gave the ghost and one of the skeletons a little dimension, and turned some cute buttons into pumpkins and a doorknob.
I think it came out well, considering I do not own a glue gun. And I got a huge load of dishes done. I think I need to do more crafting, so I don’t mind the housework.

Simon’s Style

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This really illustrates Simon’s way of doing things. He isn’t any more messy than any other 2 year old. In fact, he seems to really have a thing for putting things in order. Notice the stacked stamps? That was entirely his doing, I had nothing to do with it. I’m just glad I noticed it when he was done with his stamping. He puts thing in order all the time. When my brother was here, and they were playing “Hot Wheels! Beat that!” his favorite part was parking the cars:

He got very mad at his brother when the cavalry would ride in and crash through all the cars. Of course, when it’s your birthday and you’ve just gotten this:

It’s very hard to resist using your brand new soldiers to create havoc at the parking garage.

And on that note, Happy Birthday you wonderful 6-year-old! Have another piece of birthday pie!

Compare and Contrast

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Ethan!

Are you sure Simon looks like me and Ethan looks like Jonathan? Cos, well, I think they look like each other.

Same expression, different kid!
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Kitten and Kid Update

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I just have to share some so-so pictures with you. Kids and Kittens are being excessively cute lately.

Please meet Henrietta and Toby (short, of course, for Tobias). Our kids wanted to name them Pie (the tiny one my sister conned my husband into taking) and Joshua (the gray stray that appeared on our porch the other day.) But my husband took one look at baby stinky butt kitty (she’s only five weeks old, and not good at cleaning her butt yet) and decided she really ought to be called Henrietta. And then we remembered our Thomas the Tank Engine. Henrietta–Toby the Tram Engine’s coach! We have a winner! (Joshua was just too awkward to call out the back door.) Here’s a slightly closer shot of kitten cuteness for you:

And a couple other kids just generally being cute photos for you:

Simon wearing my glasses

Simon in his big bad race car/ box

And finally, Ethan’s getting so big I feel like crying at times. Where did my baby go?

Newest Family Member?

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A few days ago, I found a stray cat on our front porch. I thought it was the neighbor’s across the street, so I caught it and brought it over. It, however was not their cat. I checked with other neighbors, and they had seen the cat around, but did not know if it had an owner. So I took a picture and put up signs, and brought the kitten inside. It’s been a few days, and no one’s called about the cat.

When I first brought the cat in, my husband’s first words were “maybe we should keep it.” And my youngest promptly started calling the kitten Joshua. So meet our newest family member:
Now my sister wants to give us another stray kitten she found in her backyard.