These are the days to remember.

(The title is a throw-back to an old Billy Joel song, I know, it's been a while.)
Today went surprisingly well, though I feel a tad more tired than usual. Having a new puppy is somewhat like having a new baby in the house, at least as far as the "mother" waking up and frequently worrying throughout the night. But little Zipper did well, only one accident this morning, then the rest of the day accident free. He also did quite well with the kids, despite their rowdiness and hyperactivity. I've researched to death on the Internet about housebreaking and general obedience training of puppies, and I anticipate things will go well over the next couple of weeks. Let's hope I don't have to eat my words.

On to another subject, my husband. Again we are in the throws of another semester at ISU. He is taking 18 credit hours while still working full-time. He will graduate in the spring, so the end is in sight, but I know that sometimes for him, that can be of little consolation when he is too busy to make it to all of the kids' activities, or just be able to spend time with us and relax. Right now he can't do it all without the stress of pending schoolwork bearing down on him, or feeling so overwhelmingly tired that the idea of keeping up on home and yard work seems an impossibility, let alone spending quality family time. All this and during his favorite time of year, nonetheless, yes, that's right - Football season! Oh, the trauma! Anyway, he is such a hard worker, and not one to complain much, so when he does, I know it must be bad! Tonight he is working the overnight shift, so I hope that he finds himself reading this at about 4 or 5 in the morning when he feels on the verge of crashing (mentally, not literally, knock on wood!). I hope he knows that he is adored by his family and supported in his valiant effort and hard work to make the best life for me and the kids, and to be the best, most well-rounded person he can be. He is the best husband I could ever ask for, and sometimes I don't think I deserve all that he is for me. He is also the greatest dad, willing to do and give anything for the welfare and benefit of our children. We love you, Chris.

A little something new.

We finally decided to take the plunge and do something we'd been thinking about doing for a while - get a puppy. I've been racking my brain lately trying to think of a way to help Sammy get over his separation anxiety at school. He still cries almost every day, and it's been a month already. We've tried everything from sending him with a family picture in his backpack, to love notes, to threatening to ground him from his favorite toys, to bribes. Nothing has worked so far. He and Noah have both been asking for a while, and after some research, and waiting to find the right puppy - breed, price, etc., we found the right one and brought him home today. The kids' reaction so far makes me quite hopeful that this new member of the family will bring some needed distraction and therapy to Sam, but also for the other kids as well. (Okay, for me, too! He's so stinkin' cute!) We'll see how things go as I try to house-break him!
He's a toy poodle, and so will only grow to be about 8-10 pounds and 10" tall. Supposedly a very intelligent breed, calm and good with kids, so hopefully his transition to his new home will go well. The kids named him Zipper George.

Sweet dreams.

This past weekend we went up the mountain to one of our favorite campgrounds for a night. The kids had fun riding their bikes, playing hide 'n' seek in the dark, by flashlight, and going for walks with their mom and dad! The cool night air alerted us of the fast approaching change of seasons.As we made the drive home, Sophie was nibbling on a fruit roll-up when she exclaimed:"These fruit-thingies make my tooth hurt, and now I have a hole in my mouth!!" Shrieks of terror followed, as she realized her mouth was quickly filling with blood. I reached my hand to her, and into it she spit her first little baby tooth. She was very happy in the morning when she woke up and said:"The Tooth Fairy left me four whole monies!" (4 quarters).
Chris in his hay-day; one happy dad watching Monday Night Football with the boys. He spent most of the game answering Noah's litany of questions about the game, the teams and football vernacular. Here's one I overheard: "Dad, I forgot. Tell me again what's an incomplete pass?" Funny kid.

A date with Sam.

Periodically, Chris and I like to take turns taking the kids on one-on-one "dates", and today it was Sam's turn to go with me. I asked him what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to go to the mall and ride on the kiddie rides. We also went to the store so he could pick out his new pair of school shoes. He's still having a bit of a hard time adjusting to this new school year. After just 3 weeks, he has already been moved up to the next reading level, which involves going to a different teacher for his reading time period. Although it's great that he's advancing so well with his reading, it's been difficult for him to get used to all the changes. He's going through some serious separation anxiety, and still cries when I drop him off at school, and sometimes during the school day, according to his teacher. I'm hoping that getting to have a special day with me will help him feel more secure. He sure seemed to enjoy himself, with a grin from ear to ear the whole time we were out on our "date". This is the only picture I got, and it didn't turn out that great.

Seriously, what would we do without 'em?!

Today while out running errands, we stopped by Payless to pick up some shoes for the kids. We had Nicolas and Sophie with us, and they both picked out their respective pairs of shoes. After we paid, Nicolas made it known that he wanted to put his new shoes on, asap. We knew he liked them, because as soon as he had them on, he did a little elvish dance around the store.

Little did I realize how very much he liked them...

This evening we began our usual bedtime ritual, Nicolas methodically undressed in the family room in preparation for his bath, placing his new shoes on the couch. After his bath, I dried him off and then said (as I always do):"Nick, go get on mommy's bed." This is his cue to lay on our bed while I hang up towels, etc., so I can put his diaper and jammies on, and he always obeys and heads straight there. To my surprise, this is what I found when I entered my bedroom tonight...(Warning: You may not want to look at these pictures, if you have an aversion to cute baby nudeness! Do you think he's going to hate me when he grows up for putting this on the blog?? Let's hope not; I do it out of love.:))

I was laughing so hard, I could barely run over and grab the camera! Don't you just love the strategic leg positions, he he! :)

Needless to say, he was so adamantly against taking them off to go to bed, I didn't have the heart to make him part with his new, beloved shoes...

The family that hikes together, whines together.

We took the kids on a little hike today after school. I won't say they didn't complain, because they did (see Noah in the picture), but I was still proud of them. We went maybe 2 to 3 miles, all uphill the first half, then back down. It was cool to see how far we'd gone once we got to the top. Even little Nicolas happily trudged his way up, making it about 2/3 of the way before he had to be hoisted up to Daddy's shoulders.

Autumn Splendor.

It's Labor Day, but where we are it felt more like October 1st, than September 1st. Since Chris and the kids didn't have school, this afternoon we took a drive up into the mountains just a few miles from our house. It was about 55 degrees, and the skies looked to be on the precipice of a thunderstorm. Chris and I opened our windows as we drove and felt the gloriously cool and crisp air on our faces. The kids complained it was cold, but we thought it was so refreshing. I can't believe some of the trees are already changing color and leaves are falling. I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Besides, who doesn't love this time of year?