Backyard Improvements

As I mentioned earlier, we are reclaiming our backyard this year.  For too long we've allowed the dogs full reign while we stayed inside or out front.  We started with a fence, then some major poop pick up, followed by Dana pressure washing the deck, and now the play set.  We'll continue by planting the previously lush garden bed with flowers once again!

The kids, are thrilled with the new development.

It's Monday...

I have a ton of photos to share with you. Saturday was Mo's birthday party, and he had a blast. Every gift had wheels, or in the case of clothing, pictures of wheels on it. He received monster trucks, race cars, more monster trucks, more cars, firefighters and emergency personnel figures, Thomas movie and trunks, a Lightning McQueen pop-up hamper to hold all the trucks, and a football. I have great pics too, on the camera.

Sunday, Kaia was playing with the dogs. She made a cute bouquet from one of the flowering trees and put it in Rocks' collar. She also held the bouquet while I took photos of her and Sampson. I have great pics too, on the camera.

And finally, last night, I took Kaia to see Walking With Dinosaurs. It was pretty cool. I thought for the cheapest seats I could find, we had some of the best seats in the house. We were behind the wheelchair seating, which was right at the head of the arena. The crazy part, I looked at the gal we were sitting next to. She looked familiar. Then, I realized, we sat next to each other at the Thomas show too. 2 large events, and we end up next to each other both times. We enjoyed catching up. She was shocked to hear about the twins, and I enjoyed meeting her daughter. Kaia enjoyed sharing her vast dinosaur knowledge with her daughter too. I have great pics of the dinosaurs, on my phone.

I will figure out how to pull these photos off my phone. Really, I will. And hopefully tonight, I'll get some of those weekend photos off the camera, and onto my blog. But, for now, it's Monday morning. That's all I can say.

She Sits!

It's been a long time coming, but Rocks actually has learned to sit! She had no training when we got her, but was a very good dog. She didn't jump up, she didn't try to take off, our only complaints: the barking and not sitting.

The barking has been semi-solved with a bark collar at nights. This was after our neighbor called to say she was being woke up 3 to 4 times a night. The collar works well, until Sampson takes it off of her. He's not as dumb as we thought.

Sitting has happened twice this week, and last night she sat before Sampson while waiting for her treat. She didn't try to take it out of my hand either. She sat, and ate it. This was met with a round of baby talk by me. "Goooood girl Rocks, yes you are a good girl, you are a goood girl Rocks." She seemed to love it. Sampson seemed irritated that Rocks got so much attention for doing what he always does. But, I'm happy with the progress!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Not only is that the ringtone of my phone, it is very true! Yesterday we managed a balmy 14 (or was it 16) degrees. I'm not sure what it was with windchill, but yesterday morning when I fed the dogs, it was -7 with windchill.

Speaking of dogs. They will not use the dog house. Instead they are sleeping curled up against the garage, in a hole that Sampson so kindly dug. The Humane Society has been on the news discussing how you should really bring your dogs inside during this cold weather. I have an Alaskan Malamute. Do you really think I should bring him inside? If you saw him, he's the size of an ox right now, with fur at least 4 inches thick. If we brought him inside he'd roast. Now Roxie I'm a little more concerned about, but she is at least smart enough to stay warm. She crawls under the deck to warm up, especially when the dryer is running. I keep thinking that if it gets cold enough, they'll use the dog house. Just not sure how cold that has to be.

Kaia's concert went well last night. Although a little tip for you all: Don't try to videotape with a handheld recorder, while a 2 year old is jumping on you. I think it will qualify as the worst video ever, but I tried.

Stay warm!

The Newest Kihn

Our friends brought her by on Sunday, so she could have a yard to play in and Sampson could have a friend. They had played together before, back when she had a yard, so we thought she'd be the perfect addition.

Her name is what really makes her fit in here. Rocks. As in "dumber than a box of rocks." Perfect fit with Big Dumb Dog. She also goes by Roxie and seems to be adjusting quite well.

New Game

Find Kaia is the new game at our house.

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You: 5 Year Old View

Today, I want to show you our life through Kaia's eyes and a smudged camera lens. A few pics are good, the rest, may not get saved, except here in cyberspace.

Penelope and Hokey (Oops not allowed to call her that. Shhh don't tell)... I mean Hello Kitty.

Don't I look excited about cleaning up after the party?

I told you my family has a thing for butts!

Is that dad? (When Mo saw this he said "ahh daddy and Mo-Mo washing teebee")

And sure enough, that was a photo of Daddy when he and Mo were watching TV.

And let's not forget a few of the other family members:

Hemi on my lap. (A very attractive angle for me!)

Big Dumb Dog

Head on over to We Are THAT Family for more fun!

How Does the Slider Get so Dirty?

His ambition is to be a window washer.

Sure Now He Uses It!

BigDumbDog had no idea that his doghouse would protect him from the snow, but apparently it is a good place to sleep now that the weather is on the mild side! Hopefully he'll remember to use it in the summer heat and next winter.

First Camping Trip of 2008

The view Friday evening.

Snow on SaturdayMo stepped right into a mud puddle
Dimples

Something I did very little of...

More photos to come! Kaia just tried to kill the cat, so I better go check on her (the cat, not Kaia).

Easter Recap

It was a chilly and windy day yesterday. The kids and I went to sunrise service equipped with a blanket. We needed it too! Jen mentioned a God Wink (which she had heard from Nannykim), and we definitely have ours. Every Easter Sunday during sunrise service approximately 50 of us gather outside underneath the picnic shelter. And every year (including the one I didn't attend) a bird (or two) comes and sits in the group of trees next to the shelter and chirps. The bird is never deterred by all the people singing (I'm not sure we can say the same for the neighboring homes) or by all of the comments of "There's our bird."



I made many attempts to get a good photo of the kids, but Mo wasn't feeling photogenic. Then at breakfast he spilled hot cocoa on himself. It was really hot, but he didn't seem to have any lasting burns. I cleaned up his vest, and his pants were a similar enough color that he still looked handsome, even if he wasn't going to let me get a good photo.



The princess stayed out of her class that happens during the first part of worship, so she could help hang a rose on the cross. We've done this for so many years now, and it is always so beautiful. I will try to post a full photo later, after I do some editing.



After services was the annual Easter egg hunt. Mo was much more interested in the spinning pinwheel Grandma Owie gave him. Kaia took off, and I could hardly get a photo of her hunting eggs.



Then the day headed downhill. In our attempt to get ready to go to Jeff's party, Kaia refused to rest or even lay down. This turned into a huge battle and we didn't go to the party, but when we called to tell them, Jeff and Sam convinced Kaia to go lay down and behave and we might bring her late. She did settle down and rest, and we did take her, but not before she lost 85% of her clothes and a large number of movies and toys. They are all in storage waiting to be earned back. I took away nearly all of her skirts, so she won't be happy when she goes to get dressed today. Last night was fun though. The kids had another egg hunt. Mo found 4 eggs that had paper slips to trade in for a dollar. Kaia found 3. The kids had a wonderful time playing, and especially loved riding in the paddle boat on the pond. We took Sampson and he got to play with his friend Roxie too. This was definitely not a relaxing weekend, but overall we enjoyed ourselves.

Watch Out!

If you can't tell, there is a sliding glass door between the BigDumbDog and Kaia. He is always making faces on the door, and this time Kaia stepped in front of the camera at just the right moment.

BigDumbDog

It's Friday and that means Show and Tell over at Kelli's. Click above to participate.

Last week I showed you our backyard in the early summer of 2007. After hearing your comments, I'm back with more BigDumbDog. Now I will show you our backyard today, February of 2008 and the damage that Sampson has done. He looks so cute doesn't he? We picked up Sampson in June of 2007 at a shelter in Hermiston, Oregon. They guessed his age at 9 to 11 months and the vet thought it was fairly accurate. While he was a rescue, there is no reason to belive he isn't a purebred. He is excellent with the kids, good with the cats, and quite the puller when we go for walks.

Here is our deck. What you can't see is the wisteria. It used to grow up through the lattice, then Sampson chewed it all to nothing. I still plan to train it to go up higher on the lattice and up over the top instead of through the railings and then onto the lattice. That is also the dog house that cost $168 and he's been in once voluntarily (that we know of).

Here are just a few of the holes he has dug. This was all freshly planted grass, except right up by the compost bin. That's where the raspberries used to be.

Here is a photo of the electric pet fence that he unplugs. And the tires and wheels we have used to keep him from digging (the phone line runs through this area).

Proof of him eating my rose!!!! I'm pretty sure the other two miniature roses will not be coming back. This was the hardiest, and I'm just waiting for the ground to thaw enough that I can dig it up and put it out front. He's also destroyed 2 bushes, and we shall see how much damage to the phlox, chicks and hens, and bleeding hearts he has caused as the year progresses.

Here is another photo of our deck. I love it now that the lattice is up and we have more privacy. There would be even more privacy, if Sampson would allow the wisteria to grow!

Dana had to devise a plan to keep Sampson from eating the wires to the sprinkler system and his heated water bowl. It's worked well. It's a bit hard to see, but there is PVC pipe split in half, attached to the house with diamond plate brackets. That protects the sprinkler system wires. I had my first ever wiring experience, fixing the sprinkler system controller after Sampson unplugged it, chewed through the wires and made off with the plug and this was after Dana put up the pipe!

Here is Kaia's surviving wind chime. She received this as a gift for her second birthday. She loves them and has been given many more. Unfortunately, all the others have been blown apart during wind storms. It is in the shape of a swan and the globe sits on it's back.

I just love the way our deck casts shadows! Here is BigDumbDog drinking his water.

So content after chewing on my miniature roses! That's all from my garden today. I hope you enjoyed viewing the destruction one Alaskan Malamute can cause.

That explains alot!

Last night I made a discovery that explained much of the activity in our laundry room and outside by our deck. Sampson has been digging outside, which is nothing new, but he has been digging around the old dog house cover that we use as a shed and have boarded up. That was weird. I also noticed a few days ago that the outer pane of the window that looks into the shed was cracked. I figured Sampson cracked it trying to get to the cats.

I figured this because the cats (except for Cinnamon) have been sitting on the ledge looking into the shed quite a bit lately. For those that don't know our home is a tri-level, and the basement windows sit about 6 inches above the ground. The cats love this as it's almost like being outside. Generally the cats provide plenty of company while I'm doing laundry. Yesterday evening it was just Callie. I saw her looking out, and then saw her get very excited and start talking. I walked over, and moved the blinds back so I could look into the shed too. Even with one eye swollen nearly shut from the pinkeye I now have, I could clearly see the little gray mouse staring at both of us. It was far more shocked to see me, than I was to see it. It quickly darted back underneath the car parts.

Dana said that this explained why there was mouse poop on the cat carrier when he got it out for the stray cat the other day. I think that we have some very smart mice! If they move out of the shed, they will become dog food. Sampson has killed/eaten 2 gophers and at least 3 birds to date. Those are just the bodies I've found. He also has his eyes on the magpies, who happen to have their eyes on his food. The game is they try to get his food, and he tries to eat them. So far there have been no success stories for either side. If the mice moved into the house, they would become cat food. I'm sure Cinnamon would even be game to catching them, as long as they came up to her territory.

No pictures, yet. Maybe someday I'll be in the laundry room and happen to see the mouse again. And maybe I'll have a camera... Or I'll just let you all imagine what the mouse looked like, sitting on top of car parts in shock at the sight of me.

Sunday Morning

It's a beautiful, white Sunday morning here in Yakima. Yesterday's snow doesn't look like much, but I will admit it's pretty. Just enough to cover some of the bare brown patches in the yard. The best part about the weather today is that it's only 7:30 a.m. and we are already at 23 degrees! That's almost a heatwave, considering all week long we have had temps of 4-11 degrees at this time. Even with the cold temps, Sampson has yet to use his doghouse. This extreme cold honestly doesn't seem to bother him at all.

Today is the chili cookoff at church. I was planning to make a big pot of chili to take. That was on Wednesday, before I got sick. I only worked a half day Thursday, and then took all day Friday off. I slept 12 hours on Friday night. It wasn't uninterrupted, but it was close. Especially since Dana got up with early bird Mo yesterday so I could continue sleeping. I still thought I might make chili, but didn't get any of the needed ingredients (mostly dried beans) at the store. So yesterday I realized I would need to make something. I also know that we have food in the house, but not a whole lot of easy travel dishes. I decided on a gelatin dessert. After looking at the flavors I had (2 boxes sugar free cherry, 1 box strawberry, 1 bag 7 oz of vanilla) it was easy to decide. So I boiled 4 cups of milk and mixed in the vanilla gelatin. I'm not sure if this is widely available. I get it at Fiesta Foods, and it's imported from Mexico. I love that it tastes like custard without the egg flavor. It is often served with whip and some fresh fruit.

This morning though, I realized that while fresh fruit would be nice in my salad, I don't have anything other than apple or banana and neither of those keep their color. So I just mixed it with some whip topping. It still tastes great, and I put it in my favorite turquoise bowl so that it would look good too.

Photo Credits

I've received compliments on the new blog header, and I'm sure you can see that it states photo by Flor. The photo was taken by my grandma, who lives in Ajijic, Jalisco which is in Mexico. Those are her Birds of Paradise. Please don't for one moment think that anything that beautiful would grow here, and if someone did have them growing here, you would never find them in my garden.

My front garden has some pine trees, japanese maples, a ton of lilies and day lillies. That is also where I grow my tomatos, jalapenos (that weren't really), and hopefully this year some peppers and cucumbers. The backyard which had yarrow, creeping phlox, a bleeding heart, and some bushes has been destroyed by the dog! I'm praying that some of it grows back, and this spring I will put down some wildflower seed from the dollar store, in hopes that it can withstand his running through it. Sampson also trimmed (butchered) the wisteria for us this fall and winter. I know that it benefits from being cut back well, and I think that he will encourage it to grow higher up on the lattice and up over the porch. I so want to have the blooms hanging down and creating a ceiling of wisteria.

Speaking of BigDumbDog the photo I used in the post Close Calls was taken by my dad. As was the above photo of Cinnamon Love, aka Minners.

You can quickly see that photography runs in my family. Only problem is both my grandma and dad are far more skilled than I am. Dad also has a better camera and better software. So he can make even bad photos look good. I happen to have earned a C in highschool photography, so I'm content with the camera dad gave me that takes really good photos as long as the cameraman knows what they are doing. Dana took some excellent photos at the zoo with it, and I'm not sure which one of us too this photo, but I happen to love this photo of Mo.

Close Calls

Last night was a crazy night. Kaia had two close calls. She had taken a nap at Grammy and Papa's so I had expected her to be wild when we arrived home, but was pleasantly surprised when she and Mo played in her room while I was fixing dinner. It wasn't quiet, so I didn't think there was any trouble.

I was busy at the stove when she came out holding my old jewelry box. She held it out to me and apologized for breaking it. I saw that the glass center was shattered and luckily all inside the box. I asked what had happened and she told me she stepped on it. I looked down to see her barefooted. I asked if she had been cut and she promised me that she was ok. She wouldn't let me near her foot, but the best I could see she didn't even have a scratch. There was definitely no bleeding. I told her that she had better thank God for watching out for her, because she was very lucky not to be heading to the emergency room where they would be giving her stitches. She didn't know what stitches were, but was very thankful to not be getting any once I explained them.

Once dinner was finished I served Mo in his highchair, Kaia at the bar, and then cleared a seat for Dana. The seat was full of Kaia's jackets that I'd asked her to put in her room. I walked into her room to toss them toward her clothes bins when I smelled something. I glanced around and quickly found the culprit. Kaia's wood and leather tambourine was on top of a naked lightbulb, and that bulb was turned on. I quickly snatched the hot tambourine off. It was smoking, the leather was blistered, and the wood inside had turned black. I am extremely afraid of house fires to the extent that I have been known to turn around and go back to the house when I was blocks away to make sure I had turned off and unplugged the coffeemaker. (Now I have one that auto shuts off). I took it into the kitchen to show Dana and Kaia. I explained to her what could have happened. That had I not gone in there she would have at least lost her room to fire, likely more of the house than that. Also that her fishy Rosie (who lives in the kitchen) could have been killed. She was almost in tears, because of course she didn't know it was a bad idea. I told her I knew she hadn't meant to do anything wrong, but in the future never ever put anything on the lamp.

That was our crazy evening! Big Dumb Dog had nothing to do with it. He was outside enjoying his rawhide bone. After dinner he received a bone and fat that I had trimmed off of the big chuck steak while preparing it for the freezer, and he was happy.

Ok, so I'm just a big slacker

I don't know why, but I can't get anything done! I did get a load of dishes done on Tuesday. I did get most of the old food out of my fridge, but I have yet to wipe it all down. I have not vacuumed, and I'm completely grossed out by my own home! The carpets are being cleaned on the 20th, so I have a deadline.

Tomorrow I am getting my facial for my Christmas present from Dana. Thank you honey! Saturday I will be doing some serious cleaning of the house and the dog before Dana's office Bowling Party.

If you remember from past posts, Stupid Dog hates water. Stupid Dog is now known as Stinky Dog. The fact that our high temps have been just above freezing all week means I won't be attempting to hose him down at our house. Instead I'll have to load him up and take him to the dog wash that's located at the carwash a few blocks away. I firmly believe that I will need about 3 body builders to come over from the gym on the other side of the strip mall to help hold Stinky Dog down. But we cannot stand the smell of him any longer.

I'm not sure whether to clean Stinky Dog first or the house. Either way I will be exhausted for the party Saturday, but my face should look great!

And the Award goes to...

Yesterday started out pouring rain. We ran from the car into church to keep from getting soaked. By yesterday afternoon it was snow falling, although melting away as it hit ground. By yesterday evening there was a good accumulation of slush/snow.

Sampson spent most of the day whimpering and whining outside. He was absolutely soaked and Dana said he was shivering. Knowing that he's an Alaskan Malmute, he is built to be out in the cold. He has a nice thick coat. Even more he has a $168 dog house sitting on the deck, and underneath the deck is also dry and there is a dryer vent pumping out warm air. But he still wins the Dumbest Dog Award because he didn't use either of those options. Instead he just kept running around the yard becoming more and more soaked.

By dark, Dana took pity on him and found a small tarp. I went out with him to help him attach it to the corner railing on the deck. Then he swept off all the snow/slush and gave him an old comforter to sleep on, while I toweled off Stupid Dog. I'm happy to report he does have enough brains to get under the tarp.

This morning he was fairly dry when I re-toweled him off and gave him his water. The snow/slush pretty much became a thin layer of snow, and Kaia had a blast playing in it before heading to Grammy and Papa's. Morgan even seemed to enjoy almost being hit by the snowballs she threw at him.

Hiatus

You may have noticed that there haven't been any postings to the blog for over 2 weeks. Some of that was just plain busyness, but then another event happened in our lives. Where to start?

Wednesday, October 24 We took Sampson in to get neutered, or as I so crudely put it "get his balls cut off." Kaia heard this and repeated it to grammy, grandpa, and dad.

Thursday, October 25 We picked Sampson up and brought him home. I had a meeting that evening, and afterward we went to Tammy and Jeff's to borrow a chainsaw for our camping trip. I missed the Mom's Devotional due to all of these events.

Friday, October 26 Both Dana and I have the day off. Mo had a 9 a.m. well-child check scheduled, but I found Sampson with no stitches and an open incision (EWWW) and reschedule Mo's appointment while rushing Sampson to the vet which opens at 9 a.m. They take him and say to pick up on Saturday, except that isn't possible with us going camping. I was so thankful when they said that they could board him until Monday for only $8 a day. Mo and Kaia both have colds, and Mo has a deep cough. We pack up and head for the hills. We got our spot. Same one as last trip that we like so well. Mo definitely didn't feel good and wanted plenty of love and attention.

Friday-Saturday middle of the night Mo begins to run a fever and starts crying. He can't be calmed and sleeps restlessly all night. He refuses ibuprofen and doesn't want to cuddle.

Saturday, October 27 Mo sounds way worse. We get up, eat breakfast, and start packing up. This is no small feat since Mo doesn't want to be put down for an instant. His breathing becomes more labored. He did finally drink some water and take some ibuprofen. I also gave him some pseudoephedrine to try and help. We get home, unhook the trailer and my mom calls, or I call her can't remember which. She hears him and says he needs to be seen. She suggested the ER. I don't want to be one of those parents that rushes their child to ER when it's unnecessary. Plus ER is a $75 co-pay, where the medi-center is just $25. So I take him to the medi-center. Medi-center sends me to ER. Dana is dropping off the bike at the bike shop, so I call to tell him where the kids and I are headed. I also call mom who says she will come to ER as soon as she takes Neeko to the birthday party she has. In ER we are seen immediately by the triage nurse, and just as quickly sent back to a room. In the room Mo is given albuterol, oxygen and has an IV inserted. Kaia is very well behaved and watches tv. She also rides down to xray on the bed with Mo and I. They tell me that Mo will be admitted, and I call Dana to let him know. Mom comes just after 3 and she and Kaia go buy sandwiches and something to drink. They come back up to ER about the time Dana arrives. Kaia and I eat sandwiches while Mo continues to recieve albuterol and oxygen. They take us up to Pediatrics. Gordy and June come up shortly after. I take a quick break to run home and get a change of clothes (Mo puked on me after one of the albuterol treatments, and I smelled like a campfire). Kristin comes up to visit and the room stays busy with all of us. Mo still could hardly breath. His entire chest caved in with each breath. Dana and Kaia went home to sleep. My mom, Kristin and Gordy left also. June (God bless her) spent the night with me. Mo slept very little and we spent the night passing him back and forth. He was receiving breathing treatments every hour.

Sunday, October 28 Mo isn't improving. Xrays show just a small spot of pneumonia, but there is no answer as to why he is so ill. Mom stops by early to see the little guy and this becomes her daily morning routine. Kaia goes with my mom to church. Dana comes back up to the hospital as does Gordy. June goes home to take a break. Dana and I learn that Mo is going to be transferred to ICU. This is when Dr. Harthcock tells us that if Mo gets any worse, we will be flown to Children's Hospital in Seattle. Kevin (This is where I lost the post. It's was due to length I believe I will try to recap the stay)

Kevin the preacher at church came by to visit us, just in time to go to our new room in ICU. In ICU we received excellent care! Jeff, Tam and the kids came by, but Mo was not going to leave my lap. Mom came by with Kaia before Nina's birthday party and after. June and Gordie stopped by for a visit. Nana and Walt also came that evening. It was that evening we received the first good news. Mo's bloodwork finally was showing improvement. That night I stayed by myself with Mo. These rooms aren't set up for family, so there wasn't a place for anyone else. CJ, Mo's night nurse, would come in and give me a break. Mo actually warmed up to him too.

Monday we were back on Pediatrics. My cousin Kristin came and had lunch with us. My brother in law and sister in law cleaned our house. June spent the night and helped me with Mo again. Mo had taken out his oxygen, and we were allowed to leave it off of him during the day. He had to have it back in at night. He also got his first meal at the hospital that evening.

Tuesday Mo had his oxygen off again, and that meant one less wire to deal with. He was feeling well and playing too. Played so hard he pulled his IV in two. Kaia and Dana both spent the night. Gerry an elder at church came by to visit as did Mo's nurse from ICU CJ. Mo signed thank you to him.

Wednesday was Halloween. Mo got to have his IV bag removed which meant freedom except when he needed antibiotics and steroid. So he enjoyed going to the playroom and going to the book room. Mo got to see Tam again when she brought him and Kaia treat bags. Both kids napped in my lap that evening, which was good as Mo was receiving his antibiotics. I took Kaia trick or treating that night. We went the entire loop and she had a blast. Mo and I spent the night by ourselves.

Thursday Mo was given the ok to go home! The nurse ordered a nebulizer for him and I went to pick up all the prescriptions. I also had to buy a new cone for Sampson as he'd ripped the first one.

Unfortunately I got Snowball out on Friday only to find a swollen abdomen. Regular vet was on vacation, secondary small animal vet booked til Tuesday. I managed an 8:30 appointment with a vet that mom and dad use for their ferrets, but I wasn't hopeful.