Cute Things

Did you know a baby eating corn could be cute?

 

Well it is. It's very cute. Although if you try to take that cob from her, she'll bite your hand off.

It's a truth universally accepted that puppies and babies are the cutest combination known to man

 

See? Just try to prove me wrong.

And a baby who's just been caught doing what she may or may not be allowed to do? Yeah, that's pretty cute too.

 

A guilty look can speak volumes, but it's oh-so-cute.

Weekend with Cousins!

This past weekend, we were thrilled to have Sue, Lyndsey and the girls, Avery and Kenzie over on our side of the state. It was so great to get to catch up with the grown-ups and the kids had so much fun playing together. Lana loved having so many cousins with her. They were so good to include her in their play.

One afternoon we took all the kids to the Moscow Aquatic Center. Lana had never been swimming before and I was a little nervous of how she would respond. I needn't have worried. She absolutely loved it. She played in the water for nearly two hours, giddy the entire time. The other kids were so gentle and good with her in the water.



The kids also got a chance to play with the puppies at our place. The little kids were a bit timid around the fur balls, but not Sadie and Allison. They liked the puppies and I think Sadie even started naming them.


Thank you Sue and Lyndsey for making the long trek eastward. Cousin time is definitely the best time!

(Oh, and all the pictures in this post were taken by my sis-in-law, Angela. She's quite talented and has an eye for capturing all the great moments.)

Growing things

It's summertime here on the Palouse. Green fields of wheat are starting to mature and turn yellow, lentil and pea fields are getting thicker, full of new growth, and things are growing nicely here at our place too.

First, there's the puppies. They'll be two weeks old on Tuesday and they're growing great.

See? Dan can barely hold three at once.

 

The puppies are getting more mobile and they're just now starting to open their eyes. I think this week will be an exciting one as they start moving around more. Roxy's been doing a good job too, even though it's got to be exhausting keeping up with nine hungry little mouths. (click on photo for larger view)

 

Remember a month or so ago when I wrote about our overly-ambitious garden? Well, here's the side-by-side, then-and-now picture. (again, click photo for larger view)

 

I'd say our garden has been growing beautifully. We've been eating lots of salads because we;ve had lettuce and spinach coming out our ears. Want some lettuce? Come on by. Please. We'll load you up with two different kinds, then you can eat lots of salad and feel healthy too. We've also got radishes to share if you're interested. Our beans and corn are growing well, as are the pumpkins and garlic. The squash seems to be a favorite of the local gophers, so we may or may not have squash this year.

Oh, and then I suppose there's this little growing thing too.

 

Growing more adorable everyday!

Good Job Mama!

No. I don't mean me.

I'm talking about this Mama. Our chocolate lab, Roxy.


Tuesday afternoon she gave birth to her first litter of puppies, and what a fine litter it is.
Nine puppies rolled up together in a literal tiny dog pile.

So far, they're all healthy and active. They'll get their first vet check on Friday.
We've got all three colors. Chocolate (3 female, 1 male), black (2 female) and yellow (1 female, 2 male).


At least one has already been claimed, but there are nine, so plenty to go around.

Puppy Anyone?
Give us a call or send an email.

More Birthday Stuff

It was a week ago, so technically old news, but I kept forgetting to post pictures from Lana's birthday party. So here's a few.
Swinging with Cousin Grant.

 

Presents with Cousins Allison and Sadie.

 

Starting in on the cake.

 

After working on the cake for fifteen minutes.

 

Epic Cake Smashing

For Lana's first birthday, all I wanted was a great cake smashing. I more than got my wish. The entire cake portion of the party lasted about 15 minutes, but these three short videos sum it up pretty well.



That evening, we were treated to a sugar-high hyper child. But then she crashed hard and slept soundly all night long. A hyper baby was well worth the hilarious cake smashing.
Between all the photographers at the party, there are some fabulous still shots too. I'll share those later.

Happy Father's Day!

Yes, yesterday we had a fabulous birthday party. Epic cake smashing was beheld. I'll get to that later. Today is Father's Day and this one's for Dan/my great husband/Lana's wonderful Daddy.

Last year for Father's Day, Dan got a Daily Grind punch card and a new baby. Well, technically she was a few days old, but she was still pretty dang new to us.

Dan and Lana bonded quickly. When we were still in the hospital, he would pick her up out of the little plastic basinette and sit and rock with her, just staring at her tiny little face and taking it all in.

 

Later, he developed superior skills in diaper checking and baby snuggling.

 

Dan was the first to make Lana laugh and still does on a daily basis.

He also plays the best games with her.

 

Dan has taught Lana so much, including how to grab the hat off his head, how to bonk heads, and how to drive a tractor.

 

Lana loves her Daddy so much!

What a Year!

One year ago, we took this picture.

 

She didn't even officially have a name yet. Maybe that's why she was screaming so much. Or maybe it's because she just left her comfy, cozy home and entered a world she knew nothing about. It's okay little one, your Daddy and I were entering a world we knew nothing about too.

But then she got a name, got cleaned up, spent lots of time in Mama and Daddy's arms and settled down. She was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen

 

Now Lana's a whole year old.
She can say five words (Dad, Dog, Up, Mom, Bye) but doesn't necessarily use them at the correct times.
She gives out sweet hugs and wet, slobbery kisses.
She can crawl really really fast and gets into everything.

 

Lana can pull herself up to stand and I'm sure walking isn't too far off.
Her laugh is an addictive substance. Seriously, there's no saying what I'd do for my next hit of baby laughs. Fortunately, most of the time a funny face or some tickles or a game of this-little-piggy will get me the laughs I need.

 

We're having a party on Saturday and I'm so excited for the cake smashing. I'll post pictures next week. I'm sure if a baby gnawing on a t-bone is good, birthday cake will be even better.

Lana Says....

I'm gonna be THIS MANY!!!

 

Yup, on Friday our girl turns one. Can you believe that?

I can.
And I can't.

See, it feels like the year just flew by. I blinked once and she was sitting up. I blinked again and she was crawling. I blinked twice really fast and now she pulls herself up to standing and holds on to the furniture as she cruises around. I'm afraid to blink again.

At the same time, I remember nights of holding her and rocking her and pleading with her to please, please, please sleep. I remember how the clock ticked backward as she screamed and screamed and screamed after getting her first shots. It also feels like she's just always been here, even though it really has only been a year.

I'm sure if I think back really hard I can remember what it was like before she got here. I can hazily recollect pre-Lana Dan and Shelle. I think they were a really cool couple. They went to movies often and tried out different restaurants. They slept in on the weekends. They went on walks together in the evenings. They weren't ever late for church.

Those people have been replaced. They're probably a little less fun, a lot more tired, yet filled with tremendously more joy. They happily traded spontaneous dates and lazy mornings for planning-the-day-around-the baby's-nap and making sure they were home by bedtime. Indeed, what a changed couple they have become.

We love you Lana Jean. Thanks for the most life-changing, challenging, frustrating, tiring, fulfilling, inspiring, motivating, laughter-filled year of our lives.

The Evolution of a Garden

When we moved out to the country just over a year ago, I had grand aspirations of spending hours toiling in the soil, planting a garden full of vegetables. But then we had other things that needed our attention and the baby came and, well, I was tired and sore and planting and caring for a garden no longer crossed my mind. Last summer I felt quite accomplished for growing a few tomato and pepper pots. But this year is different.
First, we decided on a space and Dan sprayed it out.

 

Yes, I thought it was a bit ambitious too.

Then Dan tilled up the soil and added scoops of compost (notice his adorable little assistant.)

 

Then the fence was re-routed and posts set and vegetables planted. This is what it looks like now.

 

We've got garlic, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, corn, carrots, beans, zucchini, pumpkins and squash. So far we're off to a decent start, but we still have a summer's worth of work ahead of us. I'll have to post garden updates as things grow.
If you and your family grow a garden, please share what you like to grow and share any tips and tricks.