Merry Christmas!!

The only thing Elijah wanted for Christmas was a new green bouncy ball (the kind you get at the grocery store in those big bins). The dog popped the other one he used to have that was orange. Santa Claus brought Elijah TWO green bouncy balls and one bouncy ball with Spongebob. It is noon. We are already down two balls. He hasn't noticed yet. I think the craft supplies we got him are actually keeping him busy. Maybe Santa's helper can make it back to Toys'R'Us tomorrow before he notices.

sammy the wonder bubble pup

Life with kids, dogs, and BUBBLES!!






Santa Claus is coming to town:



Aren't kids usually a little bit older when they outgrow Santa's lap?

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

Tag. I'm it.

Vicki tagged me. I guess that means I have to write six things about me.

1. The day after Christmas, Brent and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage.
2. I absolutely abhor chain letters, in any way, shape, or form. (I won't be tagging anyone when I am done writing.)
3. I almost majored in Spanish until I got to the class with all of the snotty returned missionaries. I went with English.
4. I make cakes.
5. I love to knit, and teach others to knit, so they can share my addiction.
6. My kids drive me crazy, but I love being a stay-at-home mom. It's a paradox.

PS - Did I mention that a few weeks ago, I got called to be the Primary President? Heaven help the poor kids of the Lakewood 3rd Ward.

ugh!!!

So. I got this letter today from animal control:

Dear Resident:

We have received a complaint that your dog(s) may be creating a disturbance in your neighborhood. We would appreciate your looking into the matter and correcting the problem. Please try to quiet your dog when it is noisy. We are asking you to be considerate of your friends and neighbors.

We are confident that your response to this letter will be of a positive nature and that further action will not become necessary.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Field Services Supervisor

My dog is three months old. He does not know the rules. I am actively trying to teach him the rules. Am I unreasonable to think that there should be a brief learning curve with puppies? We have only had him for six weeks. How annoying could it be? And, he NEVER barks.

So, my theory is that the neighbor that complained is annoyed by my noisy kids and since we now have a dog, she (or he) can blame it on that.

Seriously, the dog lives inside. He is crate trained and does not make a sound while in the crate. He sleeps inside, in his crate, in our room, and we don't hear him at all. He goes outside to use the bathroom, that's it. Occasionally, we leave him out a little longer, if we are eating maybe. He does complain a little when we do this. But, I do not consider it excessive. AND all of the books I am reading say that I can't give him what he wants if he is barking to get it. That just reinforces the idea that if he barks loud and long enough, he will be able to get what he wants which just exacerbates the problem.

I called and talked with the animal control guy. Since I am a first time dog owner, I was curious to know what the parameters were. I learned that anyone can call, for any reason, or any amount of "annoying" behavior. He said I should get a bark collar and that my dog MUST be howling in his crate while I am gone. I don't believe it. No way am I getting a bark collar.

Please just give me a few weeks to train my dog.

And, how condescending is the wording of that letter. eewww

all i want for christmas . . .

Jacob's two front teeth,



A haircut for Spencer,


Elijah to never grow up,

And to be able to weather the storm that is my LAST bout with the terrible twos.



And maybe a new bra.

my puppy is HUGE!

In the 4 weeks that we have had Oliver Twist in our family, he has more than doubled in size. He has learned how to sit, down, come, and stay (sort of). He also likes to fetch when in the mood. Potty training is well underway with only a few accidents a week. Not too shabby. We are working on not biting (any advice?). My poor kids have scratches all over their arms, and Oliver actually broke skin on Eli's arm today. Hopefully we can get through this phase quickly. I am spending a lot of time rescuing my boys from the pup; not so much fun.

But, he is a great dog and I see a lot of potential in him. We just have to get through the hard part.


I knit this sweater for Meta. But I HAD to put it on Oliver for the fun of it. He didn't think it was fun.

things about my house that make me happy

A Christmas tree in front of the window:


Stockings hung from the mantle.

We did it!!

Saturday, I ran a 5k. It was my first race ever, and it was so much fun. Over the last 10 weeks I have been training with my dear friend Shannon on the couch-to-5k program. It actually worked. I have never been interested in running, mostly because the few times I have tried, I have hated it, lost interest, and decided it was just something I couldn't do. In fact, my main new year's resolution for 2007 was to run a mile without stopping because I have never been able to do it. Apparently, the right training program makes all the difference. In just a few short weeks, we went from running for 30 second intervals, to running for three miles. I still can't believe it. I even want to keep training and run another race.

So, I am done congratulating myself. Here are some pictures, (thanks mom for being our photographer and support staff. We couldn't have done it without you.)

Before the race (still cute):


Don't forget to stretch:

Shannon crossing the finish line at 31:12!

Me crossing the finish line at 33:02.

Jaime finished at 38:38.



And Niki overcame two years of a running hiatus due to back issues at 41:30.

After the race. (Not quite as cute, but pretty proud of ourselves.)
Running by the beach on a crisp December morning is awesome. I highly recommend it.

Thanks gals. I had so much fun.