A List for Tuesday

5 Things I'm Excited For

(in no particular order)

1. Christmas Eve: watching movies and sitting in front of the fire and spending time with family.

2. Christmas Eve: after Dutch goes to sleep and we get to set the stage for Christmas morning.

3. Christmas morning: the excitement, the wrapping paper everywhere, the squeals of delight, the abelskievers.

4. A few days after Christmas: when we arrive in Texas to celebrate After Christmas with my mom and dad, my sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephews.

5. My niece Carlye's birthday: because my gift for her totally rocks!

What are you excited for?

Yuck

I have been feeling under the weather for a while now. I haven't had the energy to blog even though there have been lots of wonderful things going on. Hopefully I will start feeling better soon. I have some pictures to post, but that would involve getting up, getting my camera, getting the cord,... I've already lost interest.

Flashback Photo Friday

Christmas 2008

Dutch seeing the Christmas tree lights for the first time.

Random Pictures

I haven't been very good about posting pictures. Here are some that I've taken in the last few weeks that I wanted to share. I hope they make up for not having more pictures on my every day posts.

Dane decided to do a little light reading.

You're never too young for Shakespeare, right?

 Bah (Greg) with Xander and Dane.

 Grandma Honey and Bah had a pajama party for the boys.

This isn't the best picture, but I loved Dutch's face!

 Dutch helped Bah turn the wheel for Thanksgiving bingo.

 Dane loves his Aunt Amy!

(Isn't he so cute in his little sweater vest?)

 My handsome husband.

Dane loves the lights on Grandma Honey's tree.

A List for Tuesday

Baby Dane is:

• 7 months old
• the sweetest little boy in the world
• crawling around everywhere
• chatting up a storm
• doing the worm to get places
• my little sunflower, always turning his face towards the light
• small for his age
• completely enamored with his brother
• intrigued by Bo
• always laughing at Indy
• a mama's boy
• sleeping through the night consistently
• hardly ever crying
• a joy to have in our lives
• called Baby Dane by everyone, rarely just Dane
• definitely not a Jack or a Redford
• pale with big blue eyes
• our little sweetheart

"We named the dog Indiana"

This is Indy

This is Indy and Bo.

This last weekend we expanded our brood. We adopted another dog! He's a black lab named Indy (that wasn't his original name, but the one we gave him). Chris had been watching "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and he loves that part when Sean Connery says, "We named the dog Indiana." So Indy is his name-o.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Pam adopted another dog. Hmm, what's wrong with him?" I'm SO glad you asked! Indy was rescued from a hoarding case in Texas. He had been living outside, exposed to the elements and subsisting on a rock diet. He'd chewed his front teeth down to the pulp, exposing the nerves to fourteen of his teeth. Needless to say, he was completely malnourished and he'd contracted a (non-contagious) mange. On top of all that, he was abused and is therefore terrified of men (although he's warming up to Chris).

Even with all those problems he is one of the sweetest dogs ever! He follows me around like a little shadow and won't go anywhere without me. He's VERY protective of Baby Dane and terrified of Dutch. Bo is pretending that Indy doesn't exist (and he's ignoring me), but Indy wants to be Bo's best friends, so I'm sure, much like Coco, they will soon be the best of friends. He had to have those fourteen teeth pulled, but he still has all of his back teeth so eating isn't really an issue. All he wants to do is play and be petted and loved on. He also sleeps with his tongue sticking out, which is awesome!

We're working through his issues and he needs some training, but we're very happy with our new addition!

A List for Tuesday

10 Things I Love About This Time of Year
(in no particular order)

1. Wearing coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and boots. I love accessorizing!
2. Peppermint flavored ice cream! (Chik-fil-a has a peppermint chocolate chip shake and I could seriously eat one for every meal of the day.)
3. All the lights making winter seem less ugly
4. Christmas music!
5. That smell of cold mixed with lit fireplaces. It's just magical.
6. Picking out the perfect gift for someone
7. Opening presents! (Who doesn't love that little thrill of surprise?)
8. Advent
9. Apple cider
10. That glowy feeling you get when you're celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

What's your favorite thing about this time of year?


And tune in tomorrow when I'll introduce the newest member of the Davis family. (Hint: He has four legs and is covered in fur!)

A List for Tuesday

5 Things I'm Tired of People Assuming I Can't Do: Even if I'm not very good, I can still do them
(in no particular order)

1. Cook
2. Parent
3. Anything involving hand-eye coordination
4. Organization
5. Punctuality

What can you do?

Bo Goes on Walkabout

Last night Bo decided that life was boring and he wanted to make it more exciting. So he went on a walkabout. Here's what happened:

We let Bo out to go to the bathroom. I thought Chris had let him back in; Chris thought I had let him back in and we assumed he was hanging out with the other one in the other room. When it was time for bed we realized our mistake. Frantic searching ensued. I drove around looking for him while Chris searched our yard. It got to the point where I couldn't see well enough to drive because I was crying so much. So Chris took over driving around. I called Zaque and Greg (in tears) and asked if they would be willing to help us look. They were both sweet enough to go out into the cold at 11pm and drive the streets looking for our wayward pup.

I finally had the presence of mind to call the animal control, but no one was there so I was forwarded to police dispatch. The amazing woman I spoke to had taken a call from an officer not long before that a blind chocolate lab was picked up just south of our house and taken to the Sandy animal shelter. I wouldn't be able to pick Bo up until 8:30 the next morning. My tears finally stopped and I called off the search and we all went to bed grateful to animal control and the police.

When Dutch woke up this morning he walked all over the house trying to find Bo. He yelled out both doors for him to come. He kept saying, "Bo, where are you?" (which sounds more like "Bo, wayaroo?"). I explained we had to go and pick up Bo, that he had gotten lost and some nice people were taking care of him until we could get there.

Dutch LOVED the shelter. I thought all the barking would overwhelm him, but no. He went from kennel to kennel saying hi to every single dog and explaining to them that we were here for Bo-Bo. Chris and I are now thinking of adopting another dog. We'll see what happens. We brought Bo home and he climbed up into my bed and fell asleep.

Thus ended Bo's walkabout.

A List for Tuesday

5 Reasons I'm Thankful for My Popi (Whose Birthday Was Yesterday)
(in no particular order)

1. He hush-a-byed me when I was little and now every time I hush-a-by my boys I think of him.
2. When Chris and I were deciding whether or not to get married he helped us make the right decision.
3. On a road trip back from Texas he introduced me to Mozart's Die Zauberflote.
4. In the summer when we would go visit him I would wake up every morning to him practicing the organ.
5. He married Chris and me and it was perfect.

Why are you thankful for your grandfather?

Cold

Saturday night I had a sore throat and runny nose when I was going to bed. I had a really hard time sleeping. It slowly got worse all day Sunday and by Sunday night I was feeling pretty crappy. I was so cold that the only thing that could warm me up was a bath, so I went and got in the tub.

I always lock the door when I take a bath or shower, not because it keeps Dutch out (it doesn't), but because it gives me about 5 more minutes of privacy before he picks the lock and gets in. Anyway, last night he came in when I was in the tub and this was our conversation (with translations for Dutch):

Dutch: Hi Daddy! Takin' shower? [Hello Mother! Are you taking a shower?]
Me: I'm taking a bath because I'm cold.
Dutch: Bath. Cold? [Oh, you're taking a bath. You're cold? That's awful!]

Then Dutch picked up my towel and wanted to wrap it around me because that's what I do when he's cold after a bath. I told him I couldn't wear my towel in the tub, so he put it down and gave me a big hug and kiss. Then he patted my head and told me "Get warm!"

There are days when Dutch drives me nuts, but I'm constantly amazed at his consideration for others. He really is one of the sweetest kids I've ever known.

A List for Tuesday

5 Reasons I'm Thankful for my Daddy
(in no particular order)

1. He never gets tired of his cheesy puns and jokes.
2. When he sings it's really beautiful (I especially love sitting next to him in church because his singing brings the Spirit).
3. He's a very good PopPop to my two boys.
4. We have a lot in common, but one thing I know I got from my dad is my addiction for games. We both have to set limits so we don't spend all our time gaming!
5. He knows a lot about a lot, but he never stops learning.

Why are you thankful for your Daddy?

Happy Birthday Mo!

Happy birthday to my baby niece Mo!

I love this picture because you can see just how awesome
her hair is with it's sticky-uppyness.

Doesn't Play Well With Others

For those of you who don't know Chris very well, here's something you need to know about him: He doesn't really like people. Other than his two brothers he has one or two friends. AND HE LIKES IT THIS WAY. That's something to keep in mind as I tell you about our first Parent/Teacher Conference for Dutch yesterday (and the blog title refers to Chris, not Dutch).

Dutch started pre-school a couple of months ago. It's part of the Early Intervention Program. Before he even started school we worked out some goals for him for the school year. Here are the goals and the progress he's made so far, in order of his success.

• Dutch will match 7 shapes and 7 colors with 80% accuracy over 3 data probes. He has met this goal! He matches 8/8 shapes 87.5% of the time and 8/8 colors 100% of the time! His teacher, Gretchen, is going to continue to work with him on these, stepping up the difficulty so he can really master his shapes and colors.
• Dutch will attend to small/large group activities for 5 minutes 4/5 opportunities over 3 data probes. This one he is making "sufficient progress" on. He'll pay attention 67% of the time in small group (with a 7% refusal) and pays attention 80% of the time in large group (with a 20% refusal). There's still room to improve, of course, but I'm just glad he's able to focus this much!
• Dutch will follow classroom directions with no more than one prompt 4/5 opportunities over 3 data probes. Okay, so he's following directions 33% of the time, but he also refuses outright to do them 33% of the time, so that needs a lot more work. To be fair, this is something we struggle with at home so I'm sure he won't get it at school if he can't do it at home. Any suggestions to help with this?
• Dutch will demonstrate cooperative play with a peer for 3 minutes 4/5 opportunities over 3 data probes. This is something I've been worried about for awhile now. They send home a little piece of paper to tell me what he did that day and who he did it with. I noticed that Dutch would play by himself or next to other kids, but never with them. I was really surprised, however, when she told me he's doing this 0% of the time. They can get him to parallel play with other kids, but he never plays WITH them. I feel pretty guilty about this because Dutch has play-dates about once a month, if that. So, to help my sweetheart make friends (so he doesn't end up like his dad), I am going to try to make some friends with kids his age so he can learn how to play with someone else. (And when Chris and I discussed this he emphasized that they should be MY friends and not OUR friends.)

He also had some goals for his speech, but those are pretty specific and I don't want to bore you more than I already have. So we survived our first Parent/Teacher Conference and I felt very proud when they told me Dutch is the most polite kid in the class and he's always concerned when other kids are crying or unhappy. That's my boy!

A List for Wednesday

So yesterday was so hectic that the list got pushed to today. I hope you don't mind.

Dane at Six Months: A Getting-to-Know-You List
Name: Dane Neal Davis
Nick-Names: Baby Dane, Dane-Dane, Danger, Mr. Baby Dane, Sweet Baby Dane
Age: 6 months 5 days
Height: 25.5 inches (putting him in the 15th percentile)
Weight: 15 pounds 5 ounces (putting him in the 15th percentile)
Head circumference: 41.7 centimeters (putting him the 5th percentile)
Favorite song: Anything Mama sings
Favorite food: Formula, although he shared some of my soup last night and really liked it
Favorite toy: The moose Aunt Shelley gave him or the train Aunt Clarissa gave him
Favorite activities: Laughing at Dutch, laughing at Daddy, talking to Mama, staring at Bo trying to figure out what the heck he is
Diaper size: Kirkland brand 1-2's
Clothing size: Some 3-6 month, but mostly 6-9 month
Overall outlook on life: Mellow

Side-note: At 6 months Dutch was 19 lbs 1 oz and 29 inches long! Dane is the featherweight to Dutch's heavyweight!

Happy Halloween!

We have had a busy, awesome day! This morning Dane had his 6-month well-baby check-up (more about that tomorrow), then we went to Kellie's office to trick-or-treat. Dutch had a lot of fun going "trick-treat" with his Grandma Honey. Dawn and Xander were there the same time as us so that made it extra fun (Dawn was a doctor and Xander was a skeleton). After Kellie's office Dutch went to school. When he got home we had lunch and relaxed. Then when Chris got home we went out and trick-or-treated around our neighborhood AND Greg and Kellie's. Whoo. I am exhausted. Unfortunately there is no rest for the wicked because tomorrow is Zaque and Amy's wedding!

Here are pictures:

 Chris and Dutch trick-or-treating.

 The Big Bad Wolf

(isn't he ferocious?)

 My gorgeous train conductor.

Little Red Riding Hood with the Big Bad Wolf

(Dane was laughing at Dutch, of course).

Brotherly Love

The boys in matching dinosaur jammies.

You can't really tell, but Dane is laughing so hard!

Big News About Baby Dane!

Several big things on the Baby Dane front! I will present them from least exciting to most exciting (although they are all super-exciting to me).

#1: On Friday Baby Dane will be 6 months old! Can you believe it? It feels crazy that he is already that old. I can honestly say that I am enjoying every minute with him and I don't want it to change!

#2: He is getting his first tooth! I can see the whiteness on his gums (lower-right, if you were wondering), but it hasn't broken through yet. He's been a little crankier, but even cranky he's the sweetest guy ever.

#3: For Halloween he is going to be the cutest Big Bad Wolf that ever lived (and I'll be Little Red Riding Hood). Pictures will be posted.

#4: Today, for the very first time, he ate cereal! I had tried previously to get him to eat it, but his tongue thrust was still too prominent. He ate the entire tablespoon I'd prepared for him and seemed to actually like it. Dutch, of course, wanted to help, but I knew that would only end in tears, so I promised him he could help in a little while when Baby Dane is a little more used to it.

#5: (and most exciting) Yesterday Dane got up on all fours and started rocking back and forth (see below). Crawling is coming fast and I'm not sure I'm ready for it!

(Do you notice the little stripe of dark hair right down the middle?

What is that about?)

A List for Tuesday

I can't think of a list today. What's yours?

A Little This, A Dash of That

I haven't really blogged outside of my Tuesday lists for a while. There are reasons. Here they are:

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARIANNE! You are my favorite twin-ish sister ever. I love you and hope you have a super-fantastic day.

Since Monday Dutch has not been feeling well. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights he threw up. In the middle of the night. In our bedroom. Every single night! On Wednesday Chris stayed home from work because he wasn't feeling well either. We've missed out on lots of fun things this week because we've had the icky sickies at our house. The only bright side is that Dane and I haven't come down with anything yet. I hope that remains the case.

I know that I don't blog about Dane very much and I feel bad about that. The truth of the matter is he is SO perfect! I can literally count on one hand the number of hard days/nights that we've had. He's so mellow and easy-going. He has such an easy smile and he thinks Dutch is the most hilarious person in the world. My little guy is getting a lot more mobile now. He'll be crawling soon and then all bets are off! I'm sure he's going to be just like his big brother and be curious about everything that he can get his hands on. Dane is also talking a lot more. He yells, squawks, la-las, or laughs all the time. Last night Chris brought Dane up to me because he said he was being too loud and he couldn't hear the TV over his yelling!

Dutch is doing really well (other than being sick right now). He rides the bus to pre-school two days a week and he loves it! He's talking a little more, being a great big brother, and tormenting the dog with his love every chance he gets. His newest thing is bossing Dane around. He LOVES to tell Dane what to do! And he doesn't seem to care that Dane, like Bo, never listens. One cute thing: he's obsessed with this clean-up song that he heard on the Disney Channel; he's always talking about cleaning up the mess. The other day Chris took him to Bah and Honey's house and Bah was cleaning out the garage. Dutch said something like, "Good job cleaning the mess, Bah!"

Chris is doing great. He comes home every day in a good mood and constantly tells me how much he loves his job. It's such a great change from a year ago! He enjoys the work, the people he works with, and the benefits and the pay are far superior.

I am still trying to find my feet as a stay-at-home mom. You think after doing it for 3 years I would have come up with some sort of system, but nope. I still have no idea what I'm doing. My writing is going really well. I meet with my friend Jenel once a week for a little writer's group where we critique each other's writing and talk about writing-related stuff. It's awesome! I also love our new ward and neighborhood. The house is great and the people are too!

Bo is getting old and crotchety. His face and paws are turning more gray every day and he won't put up with anyone's shenanigans anymore. I imagine him sitting on our front stoop yelling at the kids to get off our lawn! We still love and adore him, but we're thinking of getting another dog to bring out Bo's playfulness again.

So that's us. Anything else you want to know?

A List for Tuesday

10 Things I Love About Chris
(in no particular order)

1. When he laughs really hard his nose scrunches up.
2. He made me French toast for dinner last night.
3. If I need time away from the boys he is the first one to suggest it.
4. He's the best dad ever!
5. Even after a full day of work and an hour on the train he comes home in a good mood.
6. He snores.
7. When he wears his glasses he looks so intellectual.
8. He has endless patience for my particular brand of crazy.
9. He enjoys reading the classics that most people plan on reading but never have.
10. When something bad happens he always remains calm. (Which is good, because I do not.)

I love you Chris!

Prayers for Grandpa

Chris's Grandpa Morgan had a mild stroke. He can still talk, but one side of his mouth was affected and one arm. They are running tests to see the severity and all that. I don't really know all that much about strokes except that they scare me.

Please keep him in your prayers.

As a side note I am grateful for the friends and family who read this blog because I know you guys will actually pray for him. And that's awesome.

Control Your Children!

Back when I was an expert on parenting (you know, before I had kids), I would see kids running wild and I always looked at the parents with disdain and thought to myself, "Why don't you control your children?" Now that I'm on the other side things look a little different. As my mom-in-law says, "With the pitter-patter of little feet come a thousand words to eat."

Lately Dutch has been really out of control when we're in public. There are days when I'm so exhausted by him that I let him run a little more wild than I should. I can see the looks from other people. The same looks I used to give. If only it were easy to control my child!

A List for Tuesday

Random Thoughts

• Sometimes when I see the commercials to become a massage therapist I think, "I should do that."
• I'm very lonely for my sisters.
• It sucks being a sister-in-law and not a sister.
• There are days when I really don't like Dutch.
• I'm not a morning person.
• I don't like to be woken up and I will do pretty much anything to make you go away so I can sleep more.
• I wish I was craftier.
• There are days when doing even one thing exhausts me.
• Dane is a good baby, but he wears me out sometimes.
• I don't have nearly as many Halloween decorations as I used to.
• I wish Dutch would stop tormenting Bo with his love.
• Dutch always wants to snuggle when I'm not in the mood to be touched.
• A lot of people wish for more time. I wish for more sleep.
• Most of these sound complainy, but I don't mean them to be.
• Cartoons were way better when I was a kid.
• There are pictures where Dane and Dutch look the exact same except their eyes. Dane's are big round saucers and Dutch's are sideways tear-drops.
• My to-do list seems to be getting longer instead of shorter even though I do stuff every day. How is that possible?
• I love fall.

A List for Tuesday

When Chris was in Venezuela serving an LDS mission he would sometimes send lists home. The list today is inspired by those lists.

OUR RELATIONSHIP IN NUMBERS:
Years married: 8
Kids: 2
Dogs we've owned: 3
Dogs we currently own: 1
Cities we've lived in: 4
Apartments we've lived in: 3
Houses we've lived in: 3
Houses we've owned: 1
Cars we own: 2
College degrees between the two of us: 5
Pieces of jewelry given: 7
Times Chris has raised his voice: 2
Times I've raised my voice: 2 million
"Real" honeymoons taken: 0
Trips to the ER: 2 (that's pretty good for 8 years, I think)
Total time spent apart: Less than 6 months
Amount of time enjoyed: Every second

I love you, Second Buddy.

This Year Love Came in a Blue Box With a White Ribbon

Today our marriage turns 8 years old! For those of you who don't know, the 8 year anniversary is the bronze anniversary. That means if our marriage were an Olympian it would be in 3rd place. But at least it placed!

For our anniversary I gave Chris a new fleece jacket. "Gave" is a loosely used term in this case since Chris picked it out and bought it. But Chris won the husband of the year award when he gave me my gift. It came inside a blue bag, inside a blue box, inside a blue pouch - a Tiffany's ring! I've been wanting a wedding band for a long time and he gave me one this year. It's awesome! It has the New York Tiffany & Co address on it and it's just super-cool.

I can honestly say that 8 years seems like a really long time to me which is weird because 7 didn't seem long at all. Tomorrow I will be doing a special anniversary-inspired list. So stay tuned! (And make sure you don't miss the adorable baby Dane pictures below.)

Dane-Dane

On Tuesday our beautiful baby turned 5 months! In honor of the occasion here are some pictures I've been meaning to post. Enjoy!

 Playing with the play-bar on his bouncer.

He gets frustrated because he can't get the chick in his mouth.

 With his "cousin" Thomas.

 Holding hands with his cousin Xander J.

 Grandma Honey rocking both boys to sleep.

Xander is in her arms, Dane is laying on the swing.

 Sucking his thumb.

He only does this when he's especially mad at me.

In the adorable little golfer outfit his Grandma Honey bought him.

(Xander has a matching one, pictures will be taken soon.)

A List for Tuesday

5 Things I Love About Autumn
(in no particular order)
1. Sweaters, scarves, boots; I prefer to cover the whiteness that summer and spring pressure me to uncover.
2. Being able to wear socks and shoes without sweating. I get SO hot if I wear socks in the summer.
3. The changing leaves look so beautiful, not only up close but far away. I love looking up at the mountains and seeing them spotted with red, orange, and yellow.
4. Having a nice cup of hot chocolate before bed; too hot to do that in the summer.
5. Chris and I were married in the fall, so the cooling weather brings back good memories.

4 Things I Hate About Autumn Because I Couldn't Think of 5
(in no particular order)
1. The weather changes so much that I can't set the thermostat. It's cold in the morning making me want to turn the heater on, but then it's hot at night so I want to put on all the fans.
2. It means we're just that much closer to winter. And I hate winter.
3. The cooling weather gives me a vague sense of panic because the year is almost over and what have I accomplished?
4. It's much too brief; especially in Utah.

Whatever You're On Up the Dosage

I have felt worse in the last week than I have in the entire year put together (and keep in mind I gave birth this year). Last Monday night I started feeling a little weird. My stomach hurt and I wasn't very hungry. For the next 24 hours I had to stay really close to the bathroom; even go up or down the stairs about did me in! It was awful! Still not sure if it was a bug or food poisoning. Either way, it sucked. I felt okay on Wednesday, but then Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and today I've either had a full-blown migraine or been fighting one. There's only been a few hours of reprieve where I haven't felt sick. On top of all this I've been exhausted lately, but unable to sleep (and not only because Dutch and Dane take turns getting up at night).

Anyway, I went to the doctor and... nothing is wrong. Seriously? He gave me a couple of prescriptions and said if things haven't improved in 2 weeks to go back in. I think I'm one of the only people in the world who hates being handed a pill to fix what's wrong. I especially hate getting prescriptions if there's no diagnosis.

Anyway, I just wanted to complain for a minute.

On a happier note I was awakened this morning by the sweetest toothless grin you've ever seen and Dutch slept in until 8. So the day started out in the best way possible!

A Great Weekend

 This was a really great weekend. On Saturday Aunt Marianne, Julianna and Thomas came up and got to see our new house. Then we all drove up to Ogden for Athena's 2nd birthday party. It was really fun. Dutch loved playing with his "cousins" and I always love seeing family. That night I went to the General Relief Society meeting and really enjoyed it.

Today was our nephew Xander's baby blessing. Afterward there was a luncheon at the Hardcastle's house and we all had a great time. We got to spend time with family and friends and had great food and lots of fun. Definitely a great weekend.

A List for Tuesday

A List of Reasons I Like Lists

• Since having kids my brain holds less information. Without lists I would forget pretty much everything.
• I love having what I need to do/want to read/want to buy all in one place for easy access.
• Lists bring order to my universe.
• I feel like a member of an exclusive club (with members the likes of Benjamin Franklin). I'm a Lister. Now I just need to make up a secret handshake.
• They are a brief way to get information across.
• When I come across an old list it sometimes brings back amazing memories.
• Lists aren't confining; they're freeing!
• A list is like a snapshot of someone's day/week/month/year.
• The minute you write something down it becomes more real.

I know that my "A List for Tuesday" is a favorite among my blog readers. Why do you like lists?

Because My Sister is a Loser...

...and refuses to join Facebook, she has not seen the pictures of our house. I will post them here. Now you should know that these are the pictures that the previous owners took. The house isn't "together" enough yet for us to take pictures and post them. So consider these the "before" shots and stay tuned for the "after."

 This is the front of the house, obviously.

We've done a lot of work in the yard and it is starting to look REALLY good.

 This is the boys' room.

I love all the natural wood.

 This is our back door and the stairs down to the basement.

We have our "Casablanca" poster hanging where that big poster is.

 Our backyard.

See that bush right in the middle? 

Yeah, Chris mangled it pretty badly when he pruned it.

It might be dead.

 This is the basement bathroom.

This is where Chris likes to shower and get ready.

 Our family room.

The walls are a matte dark green.

I want to do some stencils over it in glossy paint to add a little something special.

I also want to paint the ceiling pink.

Chris says no, but he's at work all day...

 This is the other side of the family room.

We got to keep the TV.

I know, awesome, right?

 The kitchen.

 The kitchen looking into the dining room.

 The dining room.

 The living room.

We have our bookshelves lining that wall.

 The other side of the living room.

 Upstairs bathroom.

Master bedroom.

Okay, so this is the only room we painted.

It's now a light gray.

Also, their bed was HUGE and the room is not as small as it seems.

Okay, these are a few cursory pictures of the house. What do you think?

A Little Behind

So after we moved into our fabulous new house we were without internet for roughly two weeks. A lot happened in those two weeks, but frankly I am too overwhelmed to even know where to begin! I now understand why people who don't blog regularly don't blog regularly. If you get even a little behind it feels like an insurmountable task to get caught up.

So I'm not gonna even try.

Tune in tomorrow for your regularly scheduled blog (but don't expect a "Previously on Our Blind Dog...").

Our House, Our House, Our Fancy House!

(Imagine that being sung to the tune of "Fancy Dress" from The Drowsy Chaperone)

On Tuesday we signed the papers (the millions and millions of papers) to buy our house! We were so excited to close and to get our very first dream house. On Saturday we moved in with the help of Julie, Greg, Kellie, Josh, and Dawn. Julie even stayed to help me put the primer on our bedroom walls!

Our internet won't be set up until the 14th so I may be a little hard to reach for a while. You'll actually have to pick up the phone and call me! ;) I fully intend on taking pictures of our house to show everyone when we're all set up and ready to go.

In the meantime I will leave you with this picture of Dane and his cousin Xander.

They weren't too happy,

but look at those matching outfits!

The Many Accents of Dutch

If you've read this blog for any amount of time then you know that Dutch doesn't talk a whole lot. Sometimes when he does hilarity ensues! Here are a few samples of Dutch's many accents:

Southern
Dutch says: "Bo, hush!"
Sounds like: "Bo, hoosh!"

French
Dutch says: "My paper!"
Sounds like: "My pay-pear!"

Spanish
Dutch says: "What they heck?"
Sounds like: "Whatha hayk?"

And this last one isn't an accent, but hilarious nonetheless
Dutch says: "Bye-bye, Oscar!"
Sounds like: "Buh-bye, Sucker!"

A List for Tuesday

 Woke up right as I took the picture.

He was seriously sleeping like this!

Rolling over.

Like always!

Baby Dane at 4 Months: A List

• Age: 4 months 2 days
• Weight: 13 pounds 7 ounces (25th percentile)
• Length: 27 inches (15th percentile)
• Head circumference: 39.8 centimeters (5th percentile)
• Rolls over from back to front, but seems to have forgotten how to go from front to back
• Fallen off the bed: once
• Smiles: all the time!
• Chews on: anything that comes near his mouth
• Teeth: zero
• Head-shape: awkward; if we can't get it to round out he might have to wear a goofy helmet
• Sleeps through the night almost every night. I usually get about 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep!
• Feet: fascinating
• Funniest person in the world: Daddy
• Completely intrigued by: Dutch
• Doesn't know quite what to do with: Bo
• Reaches for: everything
• Eats: breast milk; formula every once in a while; no solid food yet, maybe after we move
• Overall personality: mellow

In conclusion we have the sweetest, smallest baby boy in the whole world!

Dutch's First Day of School

 I told him to look at me and this is what he did.

He was trying to pull Bo into the picture.

Today was Dutch's first day of pre-school. He is in Ms. Gretchen's class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30 to 1:45. On Saturday we took him to pick out a backpack (the only school supply he needed). He surprised no one by picking a Toy Story one with Buzz and Woody on it. 

This morning he decided he wanted to wear his Percy (the train from Thomas and Friends) underwear instead of a diaper. I was wary, but said yes. He did great this morning and didn't have any accidents, so I told him he could go to school in them too. I warned one of his paraeducators, Barbara (a friend of my mom-in-laws) that he was not 100% potty trained.

When I went to pick him up I saw he was still in his same outfit. Hooray! But it turns out they were taking him inside to change him. They weren't sure if he'd had an accident because they'd been playing in water, but they changed him just to be sure. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was just water! ;)

They said that he did great and was a sweetheart! Then in the car on the way home I asked him what he did at school today and he said, just as clear as can be, "I played with toys." I started crying! It was the first time he'd referred to himself as "I" and the first time he'd used a full sentence like that without prompting. It was a little miracle that made the day perfect.

By the way, when I dropped him off I did not cry OR jump for joy, although I was sure I would end up doing one or the other. I think this is going to be a great school year!

Pictures of Dane

I promised my nieces Bella and Evie that I would put up pictures of Dane. They say I haven't been good enough about giving them pictures. So, because I want to remain the favorite aunt, I am doing what they say.

 Asleep on the bed.

 Asleep on the bed.

 Dane with his Auntie Clarissa.

(taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

 Dane eating.

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

 Dane

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

 Dane crying.

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

 Extreme close-up of Dane

(Taken by Dutch and/or Cambria)

Dane asleep on Mama.

(Taken by Dutch)