Hiatus

I'll be taking a blogging hiatus because our laptop took an untimely death on Thursday. We've been knowing we needed to buy a new computer but weren't ready to bite the bullet. Oh well! We'll be ordering a new one within a day or so. Once it comes in, I'll get back to posting!

FYI - my email checking ability will be pretty sporadic as well

5 and ... a name?

Want a puppy??? How can you resist this little guy?!?!?! :) We're down to 5 (only 2 haven't been sold though). 5 seems so manageable after 8! I've been letting them loose in our upper yard most the day (it's fenced in) and they seem to be loving the freedom from the kennel. Mattie likes being able to lounge around with them and play with them during the day. Our friends Jenny and Dave along with their 3 kids came to pick up "Barley" yesterday. We hardly get to see them (last time was a week before Sarah was born), but every time we do, we always talk about how much we like them and wish we could see them more often. Dave asked if we had named the puppy we're keeping. Nope! If we're not careful, she'll know herself as "puppy." Any suggestions on name??? Let us know!! Mattie is named after an old schooner in Maine; so I like the idea of this puppy being named after something/somewhere in Maine, or another place we've travelled. But we need to get to work and decide!This picture cracks me up - the little guy can't figure out how to get up the step! He eventually got it! :)

I took the pups to the vet today for shot #1. It was like their doggie instinct kicked in and they new they were going somewhere horrible ... the howled, barked, and whinned all the way there. I was laughing so hard I was crying - more out of fear for our drive to Maine with the pup to deliever to Mark & Esther. At least it'll only be 1 and not 5! But then they were quiet the whole way home. The vet said they look healthy as can be, had no worms (which is rare for pups) and he also said they are BIG puppies :)

8 weeks old

Still 2 puppies to sell -- any takers????

Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Yesterday was my Dad's 60th Birthday! He took the day off work, and Jon was able to take the afternoon off. It was a fun day! Dad and I went for a run and then out to breakfast. Then, after lunch, we headed down to my parent's lake house. The plan was water skiing ... but it was COLD yesterday, so we opted for a short boat ride, and then alternated between the porch and the warm living room with a fire in the fire place. 2 sets of aunts and uncles joined us for dinner to celebrate.

The birthday boy on a chilly boat ride.
At first Sarah wasn't crazy about her life jacket, but she liked the breeze in her face. Hopefully she'll keep enjoying boat rides so we can get lots of skiing in this summer! The wind blowing her hair was so funny!!
My cousins (Chris and Susan) and aunt and uncle (Nancy and HughO) are building houses just up the river from us, so we took the boat up to check out the progress. Chris and Susan's is on the left and Nancy and HughO's is on the right.

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you and are so thankful for you!!! And you sure are a young 60! :) Thanks for being such a great dad, dad-in-law, and pops!

31" and pigtails

I measured Sarah on our growth chart this morning. I love this chart because you just have to hang it on the wall, so we can move it to our next house when that day comes. She's 31 inches tall! Up until recently, it's been easier to measure her laying down. Not any more!
I also have to say, I love the pj's she's wearing! Yes, I believe they are boy pj's, but they are so cute!!! I just found out that my sister had left a HUGE box of 2T &3T clothes for Sarah at our parent's house. It was like Christmas sorting through everything! These were in there :)

Now on to the pigtails ... SO CUTE!!! My Mom was never the best at doing hair (sorry Mom!) but she also didn't have much to work with because my hair has always been so fine, that rubber bands and clips always fall out. All that to say, I never learned to do much apart from a ponytail ... so poor Sarah! She'll have to endure years of my bad hair-doing skills. Hopefully I'll learn a few things. Today was the 1st day to try pigtails, and I love them!


This picture shows her quirkiness in sorting her food :)

Grandma & Grandpa, Aquarium, and 17 months old

Jon's parents visited last Saturday-Wednesday. We only see them 4 or so times a year, so it's always a treat to have them visit. And with Sarah getting to the age where she knows and remembers people, the more Grandma-Grandpa time the better! We did a horrible job of taking pictures while they where here. We went to the Aquarium with them, which was fun. Sarah loved looking at all the fish!

Sarah is 17 months old today. She is such a toddler! (rather than a baby). I know I've said this before, but it's mind blowing. I looked at a friend in church today who's 6 month old son was sound asleep in his arms, and thought, "Wow church was so easy then!" Today was the 1st day we really worked to keep Sarah still in our lap, rather than let her roam, and she did remarkably well. She is developing some funny, quirky habits ... every time I leave a drawer or cabinet door open, she quickly comes behind me to close it; she often separates her food on her high chair tray by colors of things she likes and doesn't like; she's very independent and stubborn (we think she got a high dose of stubbornness from each of us - scary!!!) She still LOVES to eat! She babbles a lot, but only a few words are recognizable - Mama, Papa, ball (baa), Pup (pa) & Beck (be) - 2 of her stuffed animals, and doggy (da) to name a few. Papa is by far her favorite to say. She is also picking up on the intonation of words. She understands so much, and answers "mm hmm" as yes. She's a ton of fun and makes us laugh all the time! Of course she can also greatly stretch our patience at times, too :)

This slide show is just a bunch of random pictures from the past few weeks.

We celebrated Mother's Day today with my parents - they came over for lunch, and stayed for most the afternoon. It was relaxing and a great way to spend the day! It's a cool, windy day - feels like Fall. Jon and I love cooler weather, so today has been perfect for us!

7 weeks old

I'm a day late on this puppy update! They turned 7 weeks old yesterday, and the 1st one left for his new home today. It's a week earlier than we'd planned, but his couple has been so excited to get their pup and have visited often over the past month, so we decided to send him on.

They are hilarious to watch run around the yard. They chase each other and chase after Mattie. My favorite thing is how they'll leap to "attack" each other. The pictures aren't the greatest, mainly because they are so active that they don't hold still long enough. I'll work on getting some better ones before they all head off to new homes.

As of now, we still have 3 boys unsold. We're a bit nervous!!! I still waiver on whether or not we're going to keep the last girl pup. When I look at how cute she is, I think, of course we'll keep her! Then I think of house training another dog ... and I think no. I'm sure the yes will win out though :) And if you know of any one who wants a lab puppy - send this link on to them and let us know!!

Boston Marathon - spectator's tale

Tim (he and his wife Jess spent the weekend in Boston with us) wrote a great version of their day of spectating with Jon as I ran the Boston Marathon. Needless to say, they had a very different day than I did as they sought to navigate Boston and the T system along with 1/2 million other people! I wish they had a video camera to capture their day because the stories sure made me laugh! Click here to read Tim's account.

Lots of people have asked me if I'm enjoying a break from running. My body has enjoyed a bit of rest, yes, but I miss it! I've run 4 times since Boston, and have felt better each time. 9 miles on Saturday felt great! This week, I am getting back into my normal routine of 4 days a week. I've realized how much I value the time alone and it's a great emotional outlet. I've always joked that it's healthier for our marriage if I run ... and I really believe it's true!! I'm going to run a few local races in the next few weeks, which I'm really looking forward to.

I'll post pictures soon. Jon's parents left today after a great 5 day visit! We're so glad that Sarah got to have some good Grandma and Grandpa time! His Mom picked out some absolutely beautiful flowers to plant in our 3 big barrel planters. I love it! I'll take some pictures.

6 weeks old

The puppies are 6 weeks old today. They're so active that it's hard to get good pictures now! A lot of people send puppies off to their new homes at 6 weeks old, but from everything we've read, it's healthier for the pups to stay together and with the mama dog until 8 weeks. Thus, 2 more weeks of puppy poop! All but 3 are pre-sold. I put an ad in the paper today to hopefully sell the rest. So far, it's all been word of mouth and friends. We put different colored collars on each; it's been fun to see their different personalities now that we can tell them apart!