Child-Proof Depends on the Child

Em's been a little sick lately so we had the medicine and vitamin box down on the counter. She had taken some Tylenol earlier. She came up to me after we had gotten home from taking the car to the shop and declared she had just taken her vitamins. I was a little shocked. I first asked her exactly what she took. It was just her normal bear vitamins and fluoride tablet. We usually keep the pills way up high and I have never even let the kids watch me open the bottles so they wouldn't figure it out on their own. I asked her how she got them open. She said, "Well, I read on the lid. It says 'To open push down and turn.'" We're so glad she can read, but things have just gotten a little more tricky. They should be called 'Non-Reader Proof caps' not 'Child Proof caps'.

Workin' on the Dog Yard

Scott taught Clay how to use the cordless drill and they worked hard putting up the wooden part of the fence. Clay operated the drill and Scott gave it some force. They were a good team and finished quickly. Olliver was excited before he knew what they were really up to.

Emmie's Daffodil

Emmie picked one of our few daffodils and brought it inside. On her own she found a vase. Then she climbed up into the craft closet and found some blue glass rocks and filled the vase with water. I was expecting her to put it in a cup of water at best. This was a very nice surprise. I didn't even know we had the blue glass but it made the flower look great alone in the big vase. She even took out the faded flower and replaced it with a new one a few days later.

Hey, Isn't this Cute?

The cats usually avoid the kids like the plague but Harvey was desperate for attention. He laid his head on Clay's lap and went to sleep. Clay kept saying, "Hey Mom! Isn't this cute?" "Hey Dad! Isn't this cute?" "Hey Emmie! Isn't this cute?" "Hey Mom! Isn't this cute?" No, I am not repeating myself. He went on and on like this. We were all in the room together so this cuteness was certainly not missed.

The Tooth Fairy Will be Busy Tonight!

Emmie lost her 2ND tooth tonight with a little of Scott's help. It was just laying there sideways and Scott sort of bumped into it with his finger. I noticed Ollie's tooth in the same spot was loose and dangling too. So I yanked it. Another day and they both would have been lost like Em's last one. Emmie has 2 teeth to put under her pillow tonight. Since Ollie doesn't have a pillow she is putting his with hers. For a dog with a deadly puppy bite his teeth sure are tiny. I guess piranha have tiny teeth too. The teeth are next to a dime to show just how teensy weensy they really are.

More Poor Puppy Manners

I wish there was some way to measure how tall Oliver is getting. Oh wait, here we go! Looks like he reaches right level with the door handle.

Building Oliver's Dog Run

This little dog will gain 120 pounds and grow a couple of feet taller in the coming months. He cannot live inside forever.
Time to build the dog run. Everyone is getting involved with this big job.
Clay's handling the jackhammer like a pro. It's a bit loud!
Emmie loves the bounciness.
Emmie's on the tractor making sure the auger is lined up to dig the holes.
Scott is letting Clay use the jackhammer all by himself. "Look Clay, no hands!"
Clay is adding water to help Scott mix the cement.

The kids and Oliver take their maiden voyage in the back of the pickup. The kids liked the ride a whole lot more than the dog did. They took the tools down to the shed to put them away. After the ride Emmie helped Oliver out of the truck.
Time to call it a day. The posts were in just before the rain started

Following the Rules

When you are in a hurry to run oust and play but mom says to put shoes on first, does it really matter what's on your feet?

Clay's Secret Tattoo

I have never let the kids use any of the dozens of rub on tattoos they have been given until now. I 've always tossed them as soon as they forget about them. Clay got this cool pirate one and really wanted to wear it. He wanted it on his belly so it could be a secret and he could show it off when he wanted. I am really surprised at how long is is staying. He's been really careful not to wash that part of his belly to preserve it.

Fur and Teeth

Here are just a few things Oliver has destroyed. He chewed through the cords of the telephone charger and the kids' Smart Cycle. He grabbed my favorite slipper and before I could even catch up to him it was shredded from the inside out. My fault for leaving it on the floor. We have several pairs of shoes on the kitchen counter. Blech! This is the 4th time he has knocked over this potted plant. I keep re-potting it and putting it back in the window. It's obviously my own fault, again. He's all fur and teeth right now. I'm sure this is just the beginning of the destructive force of this 12 week old puppy.

Fishy Business

Our neighbors brought us a 10 pound trout from Lake Comanche. They caught this monster fishing right off the shore. It was too big to go in the freezer so we BBQ'd it right away. Clay was trying to be helpful. Scott was showing off his gutting skills. The head and all the organs came out in one giant nasty piece. It was actually pretty good on the BBQ. I'm just glad Scott was here to receive the gift of a giant stinky fish needing to be cleaned.

Bath Time with Oliver

Oliver loves the water but mostly he wants to be where the kids are. He was begging to get in the tub with them. He was so jealous. It won't be long before he can just hop in with them if he wants.

The Tooth Fairy Visited

Em put her letter under her pillow and this is what she found in the morning. This is about the best smile she will give us with all the interest in her teeth lately.

Emmie Lost Her First Tooth - Literally!

Emmie's front bottom 2 teeth came in before her baby teeth had a chance to fall out. They were not even loose enough for us to sneak in and pull them out while she was asleep. It's been about 2 months since the first tooth started to poke through. Today Scott noticed her tooth looked a little dark. Actually it was gone. Emmie literally lost her first tooth. She had no idea where it was or that it had even fallen out. Emmie was worried about the Tooth Fairy not knowing she lost a tooth so she decided to write a note. She wanted to write. "Dear Tooth Fairy, I lost a tooth, but I lost it." That didn't quite sound right to her so she came up with another way to write it.

Ollie Paws

Who has the bigger paws?
Imagine this all over the house. We love Oliver and his big feet. I can't wait for the rain to stop however and for everything to dry out. Oliver is so fluffy he is like a giant sponge. After he's been out to play or drinks from his bowl everything inside is wet. We have to wear shoes all the time to keep from getting our feet wet. Blech! I am not going to mop the floors until Ollie moves out to his yard.

Clay Goes to Preschool

The Big Preschool KidAll dressed with his Incredible Hulk backpack on in case he does a craft and needs to bring it home to show mom. Clay is wondering if he will get to play on the playground. That puddle looks like a lot of fun!

Clay was the first one at school. Miss Tamara was peeking at him from behind the door ready to greet him.
Clay is so excited, notice his big smile and his clenched fists.

Clay told us last night he was going to play with the blocks first. He kept his promise.

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Clay was so excited to go to preschool. He jumped right in bed the night before. His first words when he woke up were "Preschool Day!" He got dressed and ready for school and even wanted his hair to look handsome. He had me put gel in it and slick it down. We were actually ready for school 10 minutes early.

Scott came home right before it was time to leave for school so we all piled in the car. Emmie wasn't as excited of course it was just a regular day for her. It was a beautiful sunny day though after having torrents of rain and wind for almost a whole week. Clay is really hopeful he will get to play on the playground. Sadly it might be too muddy. He's been waiting for this day for years.

We dropped Clay off at 8:30. Miss Tamara greeted him by getting down to his level and holding his hands. She asked him if he was ready for this and he smiled. She told him to pick a cubby and he chose the very first one on the end. Clay went right over and started playing without any hesitation. When I told him goodbye he ran over from the blocks to hug me tight. Clay is a lucky kid. His class is mostly boys. In fact, when I left there were no girls there yet. At church and in his play groups he has almost always been the lone boy and he has always been in the minority. We're hoping he can control himself in this unfamiliar environment with a bunch of other equally crazy boys. We hope his day is great!

Merry Valentine-mas!

This is a little embarrassing but it turned out really pretty. Our fake Christmas tree is huge and heavy and a real pain to move to storage. All the Christmas decorations have been gone for quite some time except for the obvious tree in the living room. Scott has been busy and when he's had time the weather has been horrible. There are the excuses. Here is our solution. The kids made valentines for the tree. It turned out to be a really fun project. I will say this though, we will NOT be decorating for St. Patrick's Day.

Oliver Jenkins

"Look mom. He's so tiny I can even carry him around!" said his best girl Emmie.Check out these paws. Even though he is fairly light he sounds like an elephant stomping around the house. He runs from us when we try to get him to come back in the house. He loves it outside! It's all about the teeth recently.

This is his favorite boy and his favorite chew toy rabbit.

We have been tossing around the idea of getting a dog for awhile. We need to finish the fencing and make a dog run. There are so many things to do before we do anything else. I decided I was tired of waiting and looked at the online pictures of the dogs up for adoption in Placerville. While I was looking at them, one I liked was adopted and disappeared so I asked the kids if they wanted to look at the dogs and of course they were excited. We flew out the door to the pound. It's a really nice place. You don't have to get permission to take the dogs out and you can walk them and play with them out back. We might start doing this as a family service project. It could be really risky though. We are definitely not ready for a second dog. I was looking at an older dog and the kids fell in love with a puppy named Oliver. They saw someone else looking at him and they started crying. So I impulsively went and signed the contract. He was such a calm laid back pup. On his description it read that he was lovable and lazy. That's perfect for a puppy. It also said he was a New Foundland German Shepard. I knew the shepard part so I expected he would be sort of big. Holy cow, I didn't know how big the Newfie part was. They are humongous. Bigger than St. Bernards! They are great swimmers and have webbed toes. They swim with the breaststroke not the doggie paddle. I can't wait to see that. I can't even imagine what that might look like. They're water rescue dogs and one actually pulled a boat with 20 people in it to shore. We are hoping to train Ollie to pull the kids in a sled up in the snow next year. Right now his is 9 weeks old. He's mostly fur, teeth and paws. He's afraid of the dark and being alone. He's learning to ignore the cats quickly. He likes them but he knows he's not allowed to bark at them. He tolerates being hugged and dragged. His favorite things are going outside to play, peeing on the carpet and sleeping every chance he can get away from the kids. The pound named him Oliver. Emmie liked it but not Clay. Clay has been wanting to name a brother Jenkins for some reason. So we decided to compromise and name him Oliver Jenkins. It seems strangely appropriate. He's been a lot of fun and a great new challenge.