Calvin is Growing!!

So please help me on this...Do you remember a cartoon with a little girl who would squeeze a cat super tight & say, "I'm gonna love him & squeeze him & never let him go!" I've tried to look it up to see who that was, but all I found was The Abominable Snow Rabbit from Looney Toons. I remember it being a little girl! Anyway....that is totally my kids with Calvin...especially Sadie! Calvin is adjusting well, but totally rules the roost. Not in the sense of getting away with stuff, but in the sense of what we do when! I feel like I can't go anywhere until Calvin has been played with and has gone to the bathroom. He's definitely a sweetie though and loves to cuddle. When we get home from an outing, he cries until someone sits with him in their lap. Cute, but I'll be happy when we get over that hump. I'll also be happy when he consistently sleeps through the night. I was up 3x last night. I never thought I'd be so comfortable in my backyard wearing my jammies with spotlights on me. Spotlights you ask? Yes...we have floodlights illuminating half the yard so we can see if he's gone to the bathroom. There's nothing like standing outside at 3:00 in the morning in your jammies under the spotlight with giant bugs flying into your face while you say bend over saying, "GO DOWNSTAIRS" (our cue for Calvin to go to the bathroom). At first the words come out in a sleepy gentle manner, but as soon as Calvin decides he'd rather lay under the stars, they turn to a combination of Devil & Darth Vader (my patience is paper thin that early). It's definitely my ugliest side. Then as soon as he goes, I try desperately to squeak out a high pitched Mary Poppins like, "Good Boy!" Ughh...yes, this part of puppy hood can't be over soon enough.

Father's Day~

Danny is an awesome father. The girls just love him to pieces. When I asked them what they love most about their dad they said:

Anabelle-(Grinning) "He's funny!"

Elise- "Well, there are two things. That he hugs & kisses me and that he always plays with us."

Sadie- "Cause he wrestles with me and cause he loves me."

I couldn't ask for a more dedicated, loving, and fun father for my children. He works so hard for us and always puts us first. We are all so blessed to have him in our lives and I'm grateful for the example he's setting for the girls.

Sadie's present to Danny this year was reading Just Me & My Dad to him. It's about a little critter who goes on a camping adventure with his dad...a perfect read. She practiced it for weeks and even read it to her class before Father's Day.

Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony

Here's Anabelle bridging over from Brownies to Girl Scouts. She was so excited to get her green sash & pins! I told her that I had Nan Nan's old pin from when she was a girl scout. I used to wear it on my sash. Now I just have to find it!

Summer's Here!

Here are the girls on the last day of school. It was bittersweet for them. They said they were going to miss their teachers & friends, but were so excited to play all summer :0). We ended the day with the annual water attack at the bus stop and I even managed to surprise the kids this year. I told them that the neighborhood boys didn't like to get sprayed so we weren't going to do it this year. The first part was true...the boys complained to their mom the year I squirted them (I felt bad), but I never heard of boys who didn't like to get squirted by a water gun! The boys' mom said we could do it, but she brought a bubble gun while I brought a super soaker. I stayed clear of the boys and drenched my girls :0).

Later that afternoon, Danny came home and brought me these. Beautiful aren't they!! Why you ask? He said it's for all of the hard work I put into the school year. Very sweet indeed!

Phishing on Sunday!

This Sunday, Danny & I are heading out with a few friends to see Phish. It's been YEARS since I've seen them! I'm excited to hear some live music again!! We're also taking the girls to see David Grisman tonight downtown at Friday Cheers. I think they need to be exposed to some live music, too! Grisman plays Dawg music & used to play a lot with Jerry Garcia. It'll be nice for the girls to see some real instruments being played!

Cool Fourth of July Drink!!

I saw this today & thought it was such a fun idea for the girls! After Anabelle declared being bored at 3:00 today, I decided I needed to come up with some easy activities to keep them busy at home this summer!

Here's the link w/ the recipe:http://www.thesisterscafe.com/2011/06/layered-drinks

~Calvin Indigo~

Wow...it's been a busy 5 days! I guess that's to be expected when you at a 7 week old puppy to the family during the last week of school! Thankfully, he's adjusting well and everyone loves him. How could you not...he's so darn cute!!! I have to admit that I've been a walking zombie these last few days getting only sleeping in two hour increments & getting up at 5:30/6 every morning. Thankfully, he slept a full 4 hour stretch last night, so I feel like myself again! Danny said it perfectly, "Having a puppy is like having half a newborn & half a toddler." We're having flashbacks to the infants days when we had to let the girls "cry it out" while listening to Calvin in his crate whine when we know he doesn't have to go out. We also have to keep a close eye on him at all times. He loves to chew cords, rugs, furniture, and kids. He especially loves Sadie's dresses. Countless times I've had to pry open his teeth to remove a dangling puppy from her ruffles.

All in all...he's doing great & making strides in his puppy training every day. Danny's taught him to sit & come already! Now if we could just get him to poop on command :0).

Here's how he likes to sleep...on his tummy with his legs sprawled out behind him.

Yesterday I had to leave him in his crate while I went to the doctor & it took longer than expected. The poor guy was locked up for three hours. I think he was pretty worked up because this is what he did when I got home.



Here's Calvin first swim. He was interested, but liked chewing on the pool more.

Lastly, here's Calvin meeting our next door neighbor's dog Duke for the first time. Duke was SUPER excited & we've never seen Calvin's tail wag more. I think they'll be good buddies!

We're so happy Calvin is here. Despite the puppy challenges, he's brought us so much joy already. My only wish is that Buxton could be here, too. I sure miss him. Sometimes I feel like he's there running right along side us~

Puppy Day!

Today is puppy day!!! We went to the breeder's last Friday to pick out our puppy and the plan was for Danny to bring it home today. The pick was really hard and we felt pressure to hurry up, so I think the breeder sensed our uncetainty. When Danny confirmed the pick up time, she invited us all back to make sure we selected the right one. I'm so relieved. Picking one puppy out of three is hard! They were all so sweet & adorable. One, however, reminded us of little Buxton..frisky and wiggly, so we weren't so sure about going down the wild road again. The second one was bigger and fluffier....hmmm...not sure I want bigger! The last one let you hold him, let you lay him on his back, and was still playful. We thought that was right for us. So...we're all heading up there after school to make sure.

As for the name...we've narrowed it down to three: Indigo (Indie), Calvin, and Kirby. We've decided to write the names on crumpled pieces of paper, toss them to the other side of the room, and let the puppy pick. The first one he touches will be his name. If all else fails, we can call him Calvin Kirby Indigo Dow (poor dog!).

By 4:00 this afternoon, we'll have our newest addition! Wish us luck :0)!

Tears and Joy ~Sadie's Preschool Graduation~

The day came and I always thought I'd have more time. More time to sit & play Polly Pockets, more time to color and chat, more time for walks, more time for day trips together and more time to soak her up. It's so cliche, but where does the time go? It all hit me last night that my alone time with Sadie is over. I won't have a preschooler anymore. I've crossed over into a new phase of motherhood and it's hard to let the younger years go.

I keep a journal for all the girls and have written in them ever since I found out I was pregnant. Anabelle's first one was chocked full of daily entries. I wrote in it almost every week! Sadly, the last time I wrote in Sadie's was November. Typical third born...right? I tried to catch up last night and put in every eventful moment I could think of. I was scrolling back in my mind to all that she's accomplished in 6 months and all that we've done. Then the tears began~

With a soggy face I closed her journal & crept into her bed. I held her close, stroked her hair, and kissed her cheeks. I squeezed her tight until she wriggled away. I didn't want to wake her, so I just laid there & thought about her and the joy that lives in her heart. She's so excited about kindergarten & so ready. She skips around the house singing her graduation songs & can't wait to climb aboard the school bus. She's so joyful and I'm so tearful~ Despite my sadness for a season coming to an end, I'm grateful for the time we've had together and for her readiness & excitement. She's so ready....all I have to do is let go.

Congratulations Sadie! I love you!!

Elise Turns 8~

I felt so bad for my sweet Elise this weekend :0(. She was throwing up the day before and although she never had a fever & felt better Sunday, she just wasn't 100%. We decided to go ahead with the party thinking she just had a stomach bug Saturday & was just recovering. When we got home from her party at All Fired Up, she climbed into bed. Still no fever, but definitely not the Elise we know & love!! Danny made her chicken fried rice (one of her favorites) for dinner and she barely ate any. She didn't even want her birthday dessert and only nibbled at her ice cream cake at the party! Definitely not right. I just felt so sad that she couldn't enjoy her special day. By the evening, I was willing to do whatever she wanted to make her happy and she asked me to play Super Mario Bros. So, I did :0). You all probably know I'm not a huge fan of video games, so this was a true act of love (and secretly, it was a little fun!). Danny & the kids got a kick out of ol' mom squealing every time I died (which was pretty frequently).

Happy Birthday Elise! I love you SO much and I'm so grateful for your sense of adventure, your tight "love you" squeezes, your secret waves goodbye, your cackles, your arm shaking squeals of excitement, your love of the outdoors, and even your dirty fingernails & stained clothes. I wish I could redo this day when you're all better!!! Maybe I'll just play a few more rounds of Super Mario Bros with you :0).