The Monsters Have Arrived

Yes, we now have monsters in the Smith home. We do try to be hospitable as a rule here in our home, but I must say the monsters were completely uninvited and most definitely have worn out their welcome.

I have not seen one myself and as a matter of fact, I don't think anyone has really spotted one, so a visual description is not available at this time. However, someone in our family deeply feels their presence, thus making nearly all of us well aware that monsters are in deed here.

Like most monsters, ours are nocturnal. They reside exclusively in Matthew's room. I really wish they would have chosen mine and Erik's room because I feel we are better equipped to coexist with them.

Our monsters may seem like other monsters, they are nocturnal, choose to live in a young child's room and have never actually been spotted, but our monsters are unique in this; they love to be read to. Their love of books, keep Matthew up nearly all night reading with his room light, closet light and 2 night lights on. Even though Erik and I have made it very clear that those big lights should not be on, Matthew feels the need to be obedient to the monsters and the obvious monster wrath that would ensue if he chose to turn out the lights and stop reading.

While having uninvited monsters live in your son's room is not at all ideal, I am happy that our monsters are book loving monsters. I just wish they would learn to read for themselves so that they wouldn't keep the boy up (also, if they are going to require so much electricity, it wouldn't hurt if they contributed some cash for the electric bill as well).

Easter pics and other stuff

We had a wonderful Easter and I hope everybody else did too!

On Friday morning my Mom brought over eggs for Matthew to color. He had a great time dropping every egg in every color so that by the time he was through no one was able to identify the color of any of them. My personal favorite is one he named "the eye of danger". On Friday afternoon, there were some really severe storms throughout the whole state. I decided it might be a good time to clean out our severe storm safety bunker (a.k.a. our teeny tiny coat closet). We had a tornado warning and very strong winds and rain. We lost power for only about 20 minutes. Matthew thought it would be fun to hang out in the closet, so we did for awhile. He was making shadow creatures with the light from my cell phone and taking pics in the dark. Alexis was not nearly as fond of closet time.

Easter Sunday we went to church and then over to my parents to eat and have an egg hunt. Erik was asked to play the drums for a song on Sunday and it was awesome. Alexis was crowned best behaved baby in the nursery on Easter! I did not expect a nomination in that category let alone a win. She often snags the cranky pants of the day award here at home. The last few days have been good though so maybe she is growing out of the crankies.

You can tell by this picture that Alexis is obviously a huge fan of dressing up. This was her first time wearing a dress.

Matthew got the Bolt movie (a new Disney movie starring a dog) in his Easter basket so he was, of course, Bolt most of the day. Erik said to him at one point "I love you, buddy." Matthew says "Ok, I am still Bolt, but I appreciate your love for dogs."

Yesterday was Erik's birthday. We got to go to a grown up dinner all on our own where people serve you. It was awesome. On a side note, I ate ALL of my dinner and Erik had to box his up and bring it home (due to some bread and appetizer eating and yes Josh if you are reading this that totally makes me the papa bear). Also, Alexis was actually a good girl while we were gone, despite the fact that her favorite evening pastime is screaming. She did start crying though as soon as she heard my voice just to make me feel missed..what a sweetie! And Matthew was all weepy saying "I weally missed you" and kissed me on the head. I adore my job of caring for these precious little people and my Erik!

2 Month Stats

At the doctor's yesterday Alexis weighed in at 13lbs 7oz and she is a little over 24in long putting her in the 97th percentile in weight and height. We left the big brother at home with my mom because he is a little under the weather and desperately needed a rest time, so there are no funny Matthew sayings to add. Alexis screamed during her shots and continued for many minutes after so I would not forget how unhappy she was about that experience. Poor girl doesn't even know this is only the begining of the shots. Please nobody tell her or she will refuse to go to her 4 month appointment.

Check Out These Cheeks

Alexis has been very busy chubbing up. Her cheeks are just the chubbiest things ever. Sometimes I am just not sure she could get those things any chubbier. Of course, I can't say too much because I am well aware where she got them, haha. I must say that it is true the camera does add at least 10 pounds too, so keep that in mind. She is 2 months old (and 2 days, in case you like to be very specific) now. Time is flying, which makes me just a tad bit sad.Sometimes she likes to wear her brother's old sleepers (Shhh..don't tell my mom).

Alexis was wearing these super cute overalls on Friday and I really wanted to get a good picture of her. I took about 20. I moved her all over trying to find a less chubby angle, it seems as though that angle does not exist at this time. But there is no shame in baby chunk.

This is my favorite pic right now. It is really hard to capture a smile.

Oh and here is a picture of Alexis and I, taken by Matthew of course. He laughed afterwards and said "I think I forgot to get Alexis in the picture". Alexis has her 2 month appointment tomorrow. Matthew likes to go to provide entertainment for the nurses. Last time as we were walking to the exam room and there were nurses and doctors rapidly walking from room to room Matthew throws his arms up and says in a booming voice "Listen, this is not MY appointment." During our visit nearly every nurse came by to talk to him about how the appointment that wasn't his was going. He does however gladly choose something from the treasure box when given the option, regardless of whose appointment it is.

And in other news...

Matthew has been creating his own unique ensembles alot lately. Erik was cracking up when he got home last week and found Matthew dressed in his sweater vest and "sweating" pants, I forgot to warn him of the interesting selection before he arrived.

A Little Freedom

A really great thing happened last week! Since my parents got a new vehicle they graciously offered to allow us to borrow the PT Crusier that my Dad used to drive. This means I can go to Walmart, the libary, the playground or even Target whenever I want!!!

My dear Mother has been driving Matthew and I around these last few months to Dr. appointments and wherever else we absolutely had to go while Erik was at work (thanks Mom, I don't know what we would do without you). It has been nearly 5 months that we have been without a second car. That sounds like a long time, but I can happily report that it doesn't feel like it has been that long. I have not minded being at home and only felt "stuck" once or twice. I generally like being at home and I can even say there were many times it felt like a relief to have an excuse to not be out and about.

With that being said, we are all very excited to have another vehicle. Erik is excited about not driving the "Mom-mobile", Matthew is super excited about getting to go to the library and playground, surely Alexis must be excited too because she loves to ride in the car and seems to also approve of the shopping cart and I am actually excited about getting back to grocery shopping on a weekday!

A big thanks to my parents for their generosity!

Also, a funny thing happened when my parent's brought the car last weekend. My Dad went out to the car to get something and as he was closing the car door the alarm started going off. Dad got back in the car and tried to turn it off. All was quiet for a moment and just as he was walking back to the house, the alarm sounded again. He got back into the car and was pushing buttons, even starting the vehicle to turn it off. As the alarm continues blaring my Dad is just baffled, quickly trying to find the solution and Erik is at the door throwing out suggestions. Matthew is looking out the window saying "Papine, what are you doing?" and giggling. I notice he is holding something. I get closer for a better look and discover he is holding the car remote and pressing the red button clearly labeled "PANIC".

Friends

I have a couple of friends I am praying for lots lately and I thought I would share a little so that you guys would keep them in your prayers as well.

My good friend from high school Jenney has a precious baby boy who is sick. Baby J is in the hospital and they are doing some testing to see what is going on inside his little body. He is eight months old, just as adorable as can be and is having a hard time putting on weight. I have a link to Jenney's blog on the side.

A dear family friend of ours needs prayer also. She really is practically family. She has been like a 2nd mom to me as long as I can remember. We will call her Sweet Miss G on here because she is just one of the sweetest people in the world! Well Sweet Miss G's body needs some healing. I cannot even begin to explain the whats, whys and hows, but there are some very important and tricky procedures to be done in the near future.

Thanks!

Happy One Month (yesterday) Baby

The Boy's Best Day Ever

Matthew has been in love with monster trucks for the last few months. It all started when there was some sort of Monster Jam marathon on Christmas day and he watched some at my parent's house. He was immediately hooked. He started running around the house like "Blue Thunder" and telling people at Walmart about "Grave Digger". Recently, he received a few of these trucks from the grandmas and baby sister Alexis bought him one when she arrived. These trucks go EVERYWHERE with him. They even sleep in his bed (yeah, yeah I am a sucker like that).

A few weeks ago we heard Monster Jam was coming to town. We knew Matthew would love it if he could get over the the loud noise. Matthew is not good with loud sounds. Of course, Erik got him the ear muff things, which Matthew calls his Ipods. Matthew and Erik went yesterday to see the show with Papine (my dad) and Uncle Chip. He did good with the noise and enjoyed himself for the first hour. Then Uncle Chip reported reading Matthew's lips saying this to Erik "I am ready to go home now Daddy." It is a long time to sit for a little guy. So in order to help the little dude last through the show Erik got suckered into purchasing some over-priced snacks in souvenir Monster Jam packaging.

I did forget to mention Matthew also received a huge monster truck from Amber and Chip before the show, so it was a day full of monster truck fun.

Erik was kind enough to tote around the camera and take pictures to make his picture crazy wife happy. Matthew also took his camera to document the all important event. I love that he just had to take his camera too! I also love that before he left he (without prompting) kissed his sister goodbye because it was the first time he has gone somewhere without her.

That big truck that Uncle Chip has is his new one. Excuse Matthew's grumpy face this was after the show when he was beyond tired. Thank you Uncle Amber and Aunt Chip (haha) for the new truck and for putting up with cranky Matthew.
The famous "Grave Digger"



The over-priced souvenirs (a little fuzzy).

Some things Matthew has said today about his monster truck experience:

"My Ipods saved the day"

Matthew: "Is it ok if I call Papine, Alan?"

Me: "No"

Matthew: "Well is it ok if I call him Alan, just when I tell you a story about the monster trucks from yesterday?"

Also, it turns out that Matthew's "Ipods" not only can block out loud monster truck sounds, but also screaming baby sister sounds. These have actually "saved the day" at home as well!

Hospital Favorites

I got some pretty cool things from the hospital. I thought I would share my top four (ok so there are only four). Some of you may know that when you are in the hospital and you are packing to go home, you take home everything that isn't bolted to the floor. You will pay for every tissue that was provided whether you use it or not, so you might as well take it home (even if the tissues are so rough they make you look like Rudolph after the first blow). Erik was pretty excited when I told him about the "take everything that isn't bolted to the floor rule". He was already mentally placing the tv cabinet in our living room. Unfortunately, the cabinet wouldn't fit in the van so we had to leave that behind.

1. New Accessories

I did receive 4 new beautiful bracelets, custom made and personalized just for me. My personal favorite is the orange "FALL PREVENTION" one. At first I was a bit skeptical that a bracelet boasting of prevention would keep me from falling, but I have to tell you I didn't fall the whole time I wore it, so it must really work. With my falling history, it probably would have been wise to keep that one on forever.

2. New Apparel

The nurses put Alexis' little footprints on this shirt for Erik. I thought that was a really cute idea. For some reason it looks like her left foot is alot smaller than her right, now that I look at this. I will have to look into that.

3. New Cup

I am absolutely crazy about what I drink my water in. When we were first taken to our room I saw this beautiful cup on the tray. As soon as the nurse left, I said to Erik "Look at that cup. I get to keep that! Take a picture of it." I absolutely could not wait until they decided I was well enough after the surgery to have some ice water in that thing! I think I may have to check on the hospital's website to see if they sell these because having 2 would not be too many. Or maybe, I will just have to keep having babies to get more, I don't know, we'll see.

4. New Baby

Last, but most certainly not the least, Alexis is my most favorite thing we brought home from the hospital.

First Weeks With Our Girl

I can't believe Alexis has already been with us for almost 2 weeks! Everyone here is doing well. I was pretty nervous about having another c-section. It went so much better this time than the first. In my experience, a scheduled c-section is a million times better than an emergency one. I felt better the second day this time than I did the fifth day with Matthew.
My nurses and doctor were great. One of the nurses found out that Matthew weighed 9lbs 10oz when he was born and she told everyone in the operating room. They were all so excited to see how much Alexis would weigh, I thought they were going to start a pool right then and there guessing her weight. This time I was completely with it and I got to see her pouty little face right after they pulled her out. I also got to hear her scream and scream as they cleaned her up. I thought for sure she was going to be a feisty one with the way she was wailing. Matthew also is doing so much better with all of the change then I anticipated. He did so well at my parent's house. I was so afraid he would be upset leaving the hospital, that he would feel left out when Erik and I stayed there with the baby, but he didn't mind at all. It could have been because he got a few happy meals and monster trucks (monster trucks have an amazing power over our boy these days). The day Alexis was born he went to Build a Bear and made her a pink monkey, which he named Missy (that was his second choice after homeboy I have been told). He picked out a satin nightgown and robe for her to wear, the monkey that is not Alexis.

So far Matthew has not paid too much attention to Alexis. He has held her twice. The first day we were home he asked to hold her and yesterday I bribed him with candy so I could get a picture. Last week, he was upstairs for awhile in her room. He came out asking me to carry something down. It turns out he had found the legs to his old music table and attached them for his baby sister. Then he, of course, played some music for her. That was pretty sweet! Oh and he would wear his big brother shirt everyday if I let him.

So far, Alexis has been an amazingly good baby. The last couple of nights she has been a little fussy at bed time. Before that she just would let out these little cries every few hours to be fed. She sleeps ALOT! Which is a complete turn around from my boy when he was a baby, he never slept. Matthew hates when she cries (and I'm pretty sure it is not because he can't stand to see his little sister upset), but I think she probably only cries about 10 minutes a day and he plugs his ears for every one of those minutes. I seriously have been working on this post for too long! I have had to change the title to weeks instead of week!

She's here!

While many of you get to indulge in Megan's witty and humorous writings, for this post you will be forced to suffer through more of a mundane message from me (Erik he husband). Alexis Mikaela Smith arrived on February 5, 2009 weighing 8 lbs, 8 oz and was 21 1/4 inches in length. Baby and momma are doing well. Megan being her stubborn self refuses to rest, already brushing her teeth and trying to clean up the hospital room a little not even 24 hours after the c-section. She also is back at it feeding her Fox News addiction even though she knows it is so important to maintain a healthy blood pressure level. She says not to worry though, she doesn't get worked up. Do not believe that statement as I assure you it is false. I am sure a strong rebuttal will come against these comments though as soon as she is able...or can steal the laptop from me.

Any ways, thank you for attempting to be interested in my musings. We all know what you really want though so here she is...Alexis! Hope you enjoy these pictures and look for updates from Megan in the very near future.

Almost Time

Tomorrow is the day we meet our baby girl! I am very excited, a little nervous, but I think mostly I am not going to believe it is really happening until I see her precious little face.

Erik was off today and will be off until Monday so that it is also very exciting. Today we took Matthew to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. He had a blast! We played games, ate pizza and won some tickets. It was great, I must say the amount of tickets they were asking for certain things was crazy, but Matthew didn't seem to mind. Then Erik thought maybe we should stop at Walmart and get Matthew something a little special. Matthew is really in to monster trucks right now so he was beyond delighted to pick one out to actually take home. Matthew said "Daddy is really (s)poiling me today". It was a super fun day.

Mom came this evening to take Matthew to her house. We have to be at the hospital tomorrow at 5:30, so she was nice enough to take him this evening. Matthew knows his baby sister is coming soon, but he does not know it is going to be tomorrow. I am really praying he will do well at Mom and Dad's. He has spent the night with them plenty of times before but just one night at a time. I must say me and my boy are tight and I am going to miss not being with him as much the next couple of days. One a side night, he has been SO good, near angelic the last few days and he keeps referring to me as "my sweet little cupcake". How cute is that? Boy, do I love that kid.

I will post pictures just as soon as I possibly can! Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

H

On my friend Rachel's blog she wrote about 10 things she loved starting with the letter "C". I thought it might be fun, so I decided to join her and she assigned me the letter "H".

So here it goes, things I love:

Husband: I love my husband! He takes such good care of our family and he always makes me laugh. There are a million other reasons, but I will try to keep this thing short.

Home: It is a good thing I enjoy being home because I am here quite a bit these days. It is not that I love my house so much, just the comfort of it being our home.

Holidays: I absolutely love when there is something to celebrate and lots of family comes to town. Of course, that normally means there is lots of good food too and mostly food I didn't make.

H2O: I love ice water! Especially right now I get really thirsty and feel like I will die if I don't get cold water. I even have to have a drink in the night when I get up to use the bathroom, which of course just makes me need to use the bathroom again in a little while. It is a vicious cycle.

History: I actually majored in history in college (minored in elementary ed). This does not mean I remember important dates in history, but I really enjoy reading about things that happened long ago.

Humor: I love to laugh. I love to watch funny things on TV and movies. I am not really into dramatic stuff. My husband would say it is because I don't "like to feel". All I know is I would much rather laugh.

Hearing my boy talk on the monitor: Matthew still has a baby monitor in his room because he sleeps upstairs and we sleep downstairs. It feels like he is very far away so I will probably keep a monitor in his room until he is 17 or so. I really enjoy hearing his cute little voice sing and tell crazy stories (the whining because his blankets aren't perfectly flat with no wrinkles, I could live without).

Happy people: Happy people are great. Obviously, all people can't be happy all the time, but I like when people are able to see the good in things and not be pessimistic all the time.

Handwritten notes and Homemade gifts: It is awesome when someone takes the time to actually write a note or make a gift. Don't get me wrong I like e-mails and store bought things too, but I just find the handwritten and homemade things more meaningful. Does this mean I write lots of meaningful letters and make lots of wonderful gifts? Absolutely not.

Hotels: I think it is a ton of fun to stay in a hotel although I haven't stayed in one in a really long time. Of course I am talking about nice hotels. You can swim and get free breakfast in the morning.

That is all. If you want to love a letter you can too, just let me know and I guess I will give you a letter to love. I will probably pick really great letters too like U and X, so if you love unicorns and x-rays you will definitely have a good time.

My Dad, the Super Cool Guy

My Dad has wanted a Mustang FOREVER. He has been talking about getting a new car for months now and looking around. On Saturday he went and test drove a few Mustangs. He also brought a few by our house since we live near the dealership. Matthew LOVES Mustangs, so he kept telling my dad which color to bring over next. I never really thought my dad would actually buy one because he is such a practical dude, but he did.

Matthew thinks this car is the coolest thing ever. It, of course, leads him to say "Oh yeah baby".


After Matthew sat in the driver's seat and pressed all the buttons, he then said "Papine, will you open the hood, so we can check out the engine?". Everything seemed to be as it should.

My dad told me on Sunday that if I happen to go into labor before the scheduled date and I need to get to the hospital quickly I should call him. He and the Mustang are kinda looking for an excuse to speed.

Honesty is the best policy, but.....

honestly you don't have to share your EVERY thought with the world, kiddo.

Matthew is very honest, always. I think it may be a blessing in disguise that we have only one vehicle and Matthew and I don't get out as much as we used to. To say that I am nervous when he speaks out in public is probably an understatement. Here are a few of his honest comments from the last few months.

On Matthew's birthday a neighbor boy stopped by to give him a gift. I had just gotten Matthew up from his nap when they arrived and he said "Oh (neighbor boy's name) it is you again" Now that one kind of made me laugh (inside) because these neighbors had been stopping by ALOT.
After Matthew opens the present he says to the boy, "Wow, you are really great at giving me presents. I am glad I invited you to my birthday. I think I will invite you to my Christmas too."

When my sister and her girls were visiting, all the girls (my sister, nieces, mom and I) and Matthew went shopping. As we were getting ready to go, Matthew looks around at all of us and says, "I am going shopping with all these girls today. I love all you girls, but I love Katy the most."

At Walmart there is a certain cashier I avoid. She is very sweet, but her voice sounds like she has been smoking a pack a day since birth, and I know that my son will have something to say about this that will turn my face crimson before the first item is scanned. Erik did not know about this, so we ended up in her lane a few weeks ago. She is so nice to talk to Matthew, but of course he notices her voice and says "Oh your voice sounds REALLY old". Luckily, she didn't hear him and I whisper to him "Matthew that is not a very kind thing to say". He gets as close as he can to her and gestures toward her face, "It's ok, Mama. Look it didn't hurt her feelings."

Last week, I was helping Matthew get dressed. He says to me, "Mama, I smell something stinky. I think you are stinky."
I say, "Matthew you should not say that people stink. That could really hurt someone's feelings."
He says, "Oh sorry Mama, I was just using my sense of smell."

Might As Well Laugh

So ever since Erik lost his job in late October things have been pretty interesting around here. We have never really had anything go wrong with the house or car in the past, which has obviously been a major blessing. However, in the last few months it seems we can't go a week without something breaking. I had a dream last night that our microwave broke. Thank goodness that hasn't happened, then we would REALLY be in trouble. It is however missing the door handle, luckily that has no bearing on it's ability to heat.

Last week we had some interesting health insurance happenings. Did anyone know that there isn't an insurance company out there who wants to cover an expectant father???? Erik and Matthew have been on a separate insurance policy from me because I am on the expensive COBRA (due to pregnancy). We happened to be reading that my insurance wouldn't cover the baby bills once she is born since she would be born 60 days after his employment ended at his last job, so Erik called to see if she could be put on with he and Matthew. They told him that not only could she not be added but they would have to cancel the policy altogether because he was an expectant father. Very long story short Matthew has new insurance, Erik has nothing, and we think baby girl will in fact be able to be added to my policy after all.

Also, last week we realized we must in fact fix the breaks on the van and not put that off any longer.

Last Monday, Erik was supposed to be getting off early because he was over in hours. He called me 15 minutes after he was supposed to be off to tell me he had been in a car accident. Praise the Lord, no one was hurt. The other driver ran a red light and hit the driver's side door on our van. The door is dented, but it really isn't that bad. The other driver however, has no insurance and her tags were expired, plus she got a ticket for the accident since it was her fault. I would say that the incident was definitely worse for her. Erik took the van in this morning to be repaired and got a rental car since the van is our only mode of transportation these days.

The theme of the last few months has definitely been change. New job, new schedule, one car, broken water heater, new car brakes, car accident, crazy health insurance, and preparing for our new addition (a.k.a.baby girl, which is definitely a good change). I definitely am not saying all this to complain, but to say the Lord provides. We are beyond blessed! I am so thankful that we can go through seasons with so much uncertainty and be completely certain that we will be taken care of, whether it be the way we expect or not.

Baby News

I realize now that it was completely mean of me to tell you I had news and then not share it. We have been having some crazy insurance stuff going on lately, so I didn't want to share my news and then have to tell you it was all wrong.

I went to the the doctor Tuesday and I got to pick baby girl's birthdate. She will be born Feb 5th ! It was pretty much the wierdest thing ever to pick out my baby's birthday.

I had to have an emergency c-section with Matthew because after much pushing (and of course the use of those horrible giant doctor prong things, otherwise known as forceps) he didn't even budge. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was 9lbs. 10oz. with a gigantic head. I used to think that I would still try to have our second child without the c-section, but I changed my mind. My doctor is willing to let me try having her on my own if I really wanted to but doesn't suggest it (especially since most people have bigger babies the second time around) and Erik feels alot better scheduling it rather than having an emergency c-section again. I have to admit I don't really want to recreate that birth experience of being in labor all day and night, pushing and then having a c-section.

We are very excited to be so close to meeting our baby girl. But I am really hoping she sticks to the schedule because Erik isn't allowed any paid personal days until he has been with the company 90 days and Feb 5th will be his 91st day. Praise the Lord for that timing!

Christmas Pics

I obviously have not been on top of this blog thing lately. We had a wonderful Christmas. We were home for Christmas and spent the morning opening a few gifts then headed over to my parents for the rest of the day.
I got Matthew a few animal info books and put them in his stocking. I knew that he would love them, but that he probably would be more interested in toys on Christmas morning. He, however, felt it was necessary to look at each and every page in every book telling us about every animal he saw, making up the names he didn't know along the way. By the time he was on the third book, even Erik and I were ready to move on to some toys, but Matthew insisted we finish all 4 books.

Matthew got a digital camera of his own from Grandma and Grandpa. He was so excited because as you may remember he loves taking pictures. He took pictures of everything Christmas morning, even the cat throw up he found on the floor. I guess it is good to document everything.

He told me right after he opened his gifts that he was having the best Christmas ever and that this green bouncy ball was his favorite. I was so happy because this kid wanted EVERYTHING he saw a commercial for before Christmas (that wasn't pink or girly) and we didn't have much to spend so we didn't end up buying a thing that he had said he wanted.

My parent's got Matthew this cool keyboard that is loads of fun. You can actually make your own music and record it on to an Ipod looking thing and then listen to your music. There are several different types of music that you can chose from and Matthew has decided techno is his favorite. We rarely get to hear any other type of music these days.

The three boys each got a gun that shoots little balls. After opening these, we took about an hour break to try them out. Matthew was not really able to shoot his on his own so I HAD to help him. I didn't really get hit too many times either because I am pretty sure the guys felt bad hitting a pregnant lady. I can tell we are going to have alot of fun with these. Matthew's has already come in handy. When our tree was still up the cat kept eating it, which of course made him sick, so I used the gun to shoot at him when he was underneath the tree. (Animal lovers don't worry he was not hurt in any way, I just used it to scare him)

Matthew made ornaments which were just made from flour, salt, and water then painted. Zoe, the dog thought they smelled good enough to eat, but luckily the ornaments were saved.

Well that concludes the Christmas summary. I will try to blog again soon because I have some baby news.

My Neighbors will Surely Thank Me Later for the Entertainment

We are dog sitting this weekend. We have my parent's dog, Zoe. She is a good dog and we have lots of fun with her. The one thing with Zoe is that she is very social and completely unafraid of cars, so when she goes out a leash is absolutely necessary.

Earlier today, I tried to get her leash on her and she wasn't really into that and while I was trying to convince her otherwise she tinkled a little on the floor. So the second time, I think I am going to be alot wiser about this whole thing and try to get her to keep her dribbles inside until we reach the great outdoors. That is where the story begins......

Picture a dog. Picture this dog.

Picture a boy. Picture this boy.

Picture that boy wearing these on his feet.

The same boy that absolutely refused to wear sandals all this long, hot, summer. He decided that today, December 12 would be a much better time to have his naked little toes sticking out of his sandals. Sandals that are probably too small.

Now picture a woman. A woman with this belly.

Picture the boy opening up the door while the woman with the belly is waiting till the last minute to swoop the leash on the dog right as she hops out the door. Picture that not working at all and the dog that should never go outside without a leash is outside without a leash.

Now the dog is running around all over the yard, the neighbors' yard and the street. The woman with the belly is chasing the dog and calling for her to come back. Now the boy in the sandals comes out of the house, forgets to close the door and chases the dog too.

Since the door is open, the cat, the indoor cat, decides to make a break for it. The boy in the sandals sees the cat and starts chasing him instead all while screaming to the woman with the belly "Mama, Mac is out. Mama get Mac".

So around and around the dog runs while the lady with the big belly tries to catch her. In another area the cat is running around and around while the boy wearing the sandals in 30 degree weather tries to catch him.

The lady with the belly may have fallen, but she was definitely not hurt, nor was the belly, only her pride and her knees. Finally the dog was cornered and decided to run inside. The boy with the sandals followed. The lady with the belly came to close the door and then went to the neighbors porch to collect her cat.

Once inside the woman with the belly realizes that the dog never even peed outside.