The Wobbinator 3000

Meet Bobby.
He's been with us since early September now, and I think we're all mostly agreed that he can stay.  It did indeed take this long for him to worm his way securely into our hearts.  Dustin is still not positive - but now he's outnumbered by the the rest of us.
Bobby is a "Morkie".  Or a "Yorktese", if you prefer.  A mix of a Yorkshire Terrier (Silk Terrier my groomer told me to be exact) and a Maltese.
He came to us (for a pretty penny; I wont lie) at the age of 7 months, and from a home that welcomed their first human child 2 months prior.

Energetic Puppy + New Baby = new home for puppy. Simply math really.

He came to us with the name "Corona" (Yes, like the beer) and I don't know about you,  but the only Beer name I could see yelling out the door was maybe "Bud", so renaming him was something we were all on board with, and Bud wasnt an option.
Here's where Dustin jumped on board - he loves the naming part.  And, the more human, the better.  After some hmming and hawwwwing, "Ricky Bobby" it was, after a stupid Will Ferrel movie- Taladega Nights!
The first month or so, our poor pup thought we must have had an invisible member of the family - who was this Bobby?!  But he caught on, we refused to call him Corona - and now he listens (when he chooses to) quite well when we speak to him.
Naturally, the boys all have a million nicknames for him - Dustin's favorite is "No Wobby No", or "Jerk", and Zach's is "The Wobbinator 3000", and "Licky Bobby"(he never stops licking!).  Yes, 'Wobby' has replaced Bobby when they are playing.  I'm not surprised.

Zach is smitten, as you probably knew already.  He is my animal lover.  He comments all the time how happy he is we got an indoor dog.
Brad took longer.  Claiming Bobby had "no potential" to ever be a good dog (we had to work on A LOT of behavioral issues that I think he old family just didn't have time to work on with the new baby), but a few months later, Brad is willing to admit then Bobby is like-able,  and may just in fact grow into a "good dog".  Right now, we're in the adolescence stage, and everything is being tested, so that's frustrating.  Bobby is, I mean.  Although I'd think Brad would share common ground on this issue. (totally joking, I still dont know how we managed to have such amazing kids!)

Bobby is my new baby in a way.  And I knew it would be something like this when we had our children very young.  I miss something to snuggle and cuddle and take care of.  My friends with young children laugh at me now - but someday they'll understand it too.  I have no doubt. And i dont mind the teasing.  I seriously AM becoming "that" person with a fur-baby.  I find it just as funny.

Dustin tolerates Bobby.  Bobby doesn't shed, so that's all that really mattered to him, and is doing very well with house training- as long as I keep track of what goes in and when it needs to come out. And I'm happy (usually) that we got an indoor dog.  Happy wife, happy life.  Dustin is taking that one to heart on this subject.  He pays for the food, but really doesn't do any of the care taking, and that's fine.  I didnt expect him to.

So, that's it.  A new member of our family.  And one I can put in a kennel and have a break from (legally!) any time I need.  Works for me! :)

watching sports with his new bestie

they were both sleeping until I took the photo -brad didn't wake up though!

RARE photo of him still and not trying to chew me

So what's new?

The famous question ... what's new?  Probably a lot since my last post was in NOVEMBER.  What can I say?  Only what I said on that post ... life is busy, and I'd rather be enjoying it than blogging it.  But, with that said, I DO enjoy writing, so I'm not ready to give up on the blog either.

Let me see .... Christmas was great, as usual.  Lots of food, gifts, and time with family.

My work was CRAZY busy in November and December, which was fabulous and fun, but also exhausting.  I told my friend Ashley that come February,  I'd be bored again since they are naturally slower months for photography .. and true enough, I did and am saying that.


I cant say I was bored in January though.  We took a really nice family trip to California again, and we just rested at home the other weeks.

Disneyland!

Characters at Universal Studios

Transformers Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood

Dustin has kept going on the renovations .... the boys (studio) bathroom is now completely redone and new.  And we've figured out how to improve the entrance from the garage.  It involves moving the basement stairwell.  Pretty sure our sanity is officially gone out the window when Dustin and I both shrugged at that thought and said, well, then that's what we'll do.

Before

After

Our kitchen is in shambles right now.  My husband sweetheart handyman champion hero and knight in shining armour has made a temporary kitchen for me, complete with a washtub and running water for the few weeks we'll need to have this chaos in the kitchen.  Life is surprisingly "do-able" still with this temporary kitchen. 
The goal is for our new kitchen to be installed and working by March 31.  My birthday, and also Easter this year.  The plan was for us to host Easter for my side of the family, but my mom is happily on stand-by if we dont make it in time for that.

Kitchen photos to come when it's all done ;)

Ya, it's been a while again....

So, life is busy!  But, I guess that's already been guessed since my last post was in the summer!
Work is booming (yay!) and renovations on our house are continuing.  The boys are doing well in school, and we're looking forward to Christmas and yet another trip to Disney this winter! (I know, our addiction to Disney is slightly disturbing, but what can I say?  WE LOVE IT!)

Here are some highlights (in pictures, naturally) from the past few months ....


Fall is family photo time.  Not only for my own little family, but my work becomes crazy as well.  I joke that it's like tax season for Accountants.  October and November is sooo busy for photography, but I definitely love it!  I've had a chance to meet a lot of new people, and work with some great past clients again.  So awesome!

Here's a couple photos from my own little family "shoot" that my mother in law snapped on my camera quickly in September (beat the rush! ;)

 

Zach's birthday is in October, and my handsome man turned NINE this year!  Here's a few shots from his actual birthday (gifts and cupcakes at home).  I didnt' take many photos of his friends party since we held it at the pool.

And of course, a couple shots from his 9 year photo shoot.  Absolutely love them!!!  Did I mention I bought a new camera?!  Well, that's a whole other topic, but I did!  Lots of work and saving paid off.  I really love the quality I can get from it!

 Here's a major event (for me at least) that happened in October.  The weekend after Zach's birthday, I flew down to San Antonio to visit my friend Ashley for a few days.  It's the first time Ive ever travelled without Dustin or my kids.  It was great to see Ashley, hang out, and live a few days in her life (man, is mine quiet compared! ;).  Next time she'll have to come here! :)

ready for church

last photo as she dropped me off at the airport

Halloween was fun as usual.  The kids dressed up as Clone troopers (they'll tell you specifically which ones if you ask, but i cant remember).  We did a little trick or treating, and then went to church for a party there as well.

Loss struck our family as my Grandpa went to be with Jesus late in November.  It was the first death in our family my kids have ever experience. I was super proud of them for how they handled it and the questions they asked about heaven and death.  Having them (and Dustin) with me at the funeral meant the world to me. 

Renovations!  Here's a shot of Brad (yes, my 11 year old!!) helping carry drywall into the gutted and re-plumbed and re-wired bathroom.  I'd like to tell you his did all the sheets, but I ended up filling in.  Not that I blame him, it's heavy stuff and it had to come up a flight of stairs too!  This gave me a glimpse into my future though, when my BOYS will be stronger than I and able to help dad.

Disneyland got booked for winter holidays.  We're really looking forward to it (yes, again!) Disney is something we never tire of, and it's only the second time to California.  We're hoping to go to Universal as well this time, which will be completely new for us.

"Movember"!!  Need i say more?!  I love this pictures of him with his "chops!" lol!!

The house is all decorated ... mainly by these two! Love it!


 

Until next time .... and hopefully not as long in between!!!

At the Lake

Friend's of ours invited us out for the day to their family's cabin on Falcon Lake recently.
WOW! I no longer wonder why my friend spends as much time as possible there all summer!  It's a gorgeous lake, and they have such a wonderful set up there!

It was a day of some firsts for us ...
First time tubing for all 4 of us.  I think it's safe to say we all enjoyed it, but that's a bit of an understatement for myself.  The boys didn't really like the bumps and wanted slower rides, and Dustin found the bumping on the waves to be a little hard on his back, but I dont think I'd ever laughed so hard for so long in my life!  Especially with the commentary from my hilarious friend beside me, and the tube deflating as we were flung in circles!  My arms ached the next day from hanging on, but I'd go again in a heart beat!

The other first was not so fun.  I got my first ever sting.  Not just first ever bee sting, or wasp sting, but first ever sting of any kind!  My mom is deathly allergic to wasp stings, so I've always been a little nervous around those pesky insects, not knowing if I inherited her allergy.
In the middle of Falcon Lake, sitting on a tube, is not the place I wanted, nor expected, to test if I'm allergic! When we discovered the wasp sting, Dustin's face probably mirrored my own ... OH NO! NOT HERE!!   And it was definitely a wasp, the dead (squished) insect was still caught where my leg bent when I stretched out.  It fell out into Dustin's hands when we looked what was hurting me so much.
The fact that I'm sharing this should tell you the gene skipped over me and I was completely fine (although it burned and was uncomfortable for the rest of the day :( ), but  I'm still trying to figure out how it managed to get in the crease of my leg where my leg bends by my hip ... while I was TUBING of all things!  That's just nuts, isnt it?!

Anyway, it was seriously a great day, wasp sting and all,  and we're so thankful that we got to spend this day with some great friends!

Brad, in the middle, with his friends.  He went first since Zach wanted to make sure it was survivable.. lol!

Awesome hair after boating!

"my turn, my turn!!"  Seriously so much fun!

The boys catching crabfish in the rocks near the dock

Swimming in the lake!  Glad my kiddos got to do that this summer!

Our men, in the evening doing some fishing

Paddle boat!

Gone Fishin'

 Well, we're "hooked"!
Dustin borrowed a boat from his uncle and we took the boys to Moose Lake for their first ever fishing experience.  The boat is a relic, and I'd be lying if I said the day went as smoothly as it possibly could.  In truth, we almost sank the boat before we even got in (those plugs really are necessary!) and then the motor repeatedly wouldn't start, died, or needed prayer ...  and at one point, I was gaging how long it would take me to swim to shore and get to a phone, since there's no cell service there.  That was worst case scenario, paddling would have been the logical next step.  Yet, Dustin managed to coax that motor back to life and we'd go on with our excursion.  Eventually, we left it idling, but that really wrecked the serenity of the lake and fishing.
DESPITE all of that, we had the most wonderful time ever on the water, and even got to experience the thrill of a catch when Dustin hooked a Jack fish.
I kid you not when I say 'we're hooked'!  We've borrowed another boat for this weekend, and we'll be heading out again.  I'm hoping the boys can catch their first fish this weekend!
We'll have to see about getting our own boat yet ....

Here are some photos from our first time out :)

Waiting for Dad and Mom to "unsink" the boat so we could go out in it ;)

My little anglers!

I loved the view ... :P

I see how people get addicted ...' just one more cast ', it may be the one that gets the big one!

Zach always thinks the snacks are the best part of outings :)

One of the times it was working! haha!

Showing off Dad's catch.  Next time, it will be HIS catch!

Catching Up ....

Wow, time sure is flying!  Blogging just seems to be something "time" hasn't alloted a space for either.
So, here's a quick catchup, through pictures (because that's my favorite part of other people's blogs:) to see what we've been up to the past few months.  Leave me comments, I love to read them!! :)

May long weekend, we did a one-nighter to Grand Forks where the kids enjoyed a lazy evening around the pool (water park).  We ordered food from the hotel restaurant and ate in the courtyard.  The next day, we did some shopping before heading home.  It's amazing how one night away can be so refreshing!

 

Baseball started at the end of April and went right through until the end of school (end of June).  It was Zach's first year playing, and Brad's second (although he took a few years off in between).  They both loved it!

 

 

 

 Brad had been saving his money for quite a while already, and after reading the Hunger Games, he bought himself this bow set.  I was AMAZED at how accurate he was with only a few practice shots!  He must be a natural!

Brad's 11th birthday was mid-June, and we celebrated with some of his friends at the Aquatic Center for a few hours of swimming, and then had snacks and played some baseball at the park next door.

Also in June, my Aunt and Uncle (and cousins) came out from Alberta for a visit.  We were able to meet them for supper one evening, and went back to my grandma's for dessert after.  It was a great little visit!

 

 

Projects around the house have continued ... in the dining room, we replaced the octagon window with a door that goes out to the new patio.  So far we've only got the main pad down, and after using it for a month or so, we're feeling like it should be much bigger.  It's a very nice change from weeds back there though!

Progress has kept going in my studio space as well.  Walls have been torn down to make 2 odd rooms one large room, wiring has be rerouted, the ceiling scraped of stipple and patched and repainted, as well as the walls.  Flooring will be coming soon!

Honestly, this has taken up most of our time.  We have become pool bums, either at home or another outdoor pool.  It's been such a hot summer, pools are just so appealing!

Bon fires in the evening ... the boys always ask if we can have a fire.  Brad loves to build them, and Zach loves the marshmallows! :)

We "celebrated" Abby's second year anniversary of being with our family (what we've chosen to call her birthday since we dont know the actual day) with a bath!  She did quite well for having such a strong aversion to the hose being near her (we think she was abused as a pup with one, poor baby:(
We realized it was her first bath in TWO YEARS! .... and boy, she is so nice and soft now ... Abby's birthday will be a reminder to have one yearly, now that I know she can handle the hose with me.
She got TONS of love after with brushings, pets, treats, and a new raw-hide.  Hopefully bath day wasn't too bad for her.

 

The weeds have not totally won with my garden.  I'm wishing it wasn't quite so hot so I could keep up on the weeds more, but I just get too ill leaning over when it's over 30 degrees without shade. I've managed to keep the rows pretty clear (weeding those in the evenings) but between the rows is another story.

We're loving the fresh produce coming from it!  I just made a mock lazagna from all garden veggies! (Zucchini strips as noodles, with peas, beans, and onions in the tomato sauce!)

And that's the summer so far at a glance .... it's been great so far .... looking forward to more fun days!

How has your summer been so far??