Best Husband Award...

....goes to Jeremy Jones!!

This Week

  This week has been a normal...but pretty big week around here.  Check it out:

Collen calls Sesame Street "Mus Street." He likes to pull out all of his figurines (I'll be sure to get a picture of all of them next time because there are about 10 or so of them) and put them into their little Sesame Street scene/carrier/whatever-you-call-it.  He can name every single one of them.

Right now, Collen is really into building.  Mainly, he asks to build a store or a house, or in this case, a zoo.  He loves to hold toys that will fit in his hand, so these animals are perfect for him.  Grandma bought him some dinosaurs like this, and we play with them every single day!

He said, "'Countie' is a good friend."

A little late, but here is Miss Charlotte's 5 month picture!!  One day, I'll have a top-of-the-line, professional camera, and take some awesome pictures. 

She is just the sweetest thing.

Charlotte's new skill this week grasping for - and grabbing onto - toys or anything she can reach....like hair...pillows on the couch...the dog.

 Look at them.  I love this picture...even Charlotte's red eye. I'm so glad I captured them together like this.  I laid Charlotte down with Collen while we said prayers, and she rolled right over and reached for him.  She loves her brother.

Love the way she is looking at him.

Sooner than we had planned, but yes... we got a dog.  I had been applying with rescue organizations with no luck. They won't allow you to rescue a puppy with small children in the house.  However, my argument against rescuing an older dog was that the kids would get attached and then we would have to face another loss much sooner than expected.  I'm not against rescuing an older dog - if it was just me and Jeremy, I'd definitely do that.  But, you also don't know how an older dog will tolerate loud noises and the energy that comes with kids.  I understand their reasoning.  So, with all of that in mind, I wasn't really seriously searching, just seeing what our options were.  Then, a co-worked told me about this little lady.  She was living in a storage tub out in the cold.  She had another puppy sharing the tub with her, but that puppy froze to death one night.  Just a terrible situation.  So, the person who rescued her told my co-worker, and my co-worker told us.  We decided to at least meet her.  She is the sweetest, cutest thing.  We have no clue what she is a mix of (any ideas? We're thinking possibly sheltie?) And she seems to really like us.  She loves to play and really loves to be in your lap enjoying a tummy rub. She is such a sweet, loving dog who seems very grateful to have a safe place to call home.  We are working on house-training.  The wonderful thing is, she WILL walk on a leash, AND she gets along well with Gracie.  I'm so very thankful for both of these things.  Tucker could not help that it was his natural nervousness that led us not to be able to use the leash, but Lord knows we tried and tried to get him to use it.  With her, I was determined that she was going to walk on the leash no matter what. Luckily, she took to it fine.  

Her name is Scout - or, formally, "Jean Louise Finch" You know I have to get literary with it!

Here are some videos for you to enjoy:


 Charlotte giving Daddy kisses:




 Being silly
 


 Scout
 

Time for an update

So, life is incredibly busy.  Hello Captain Obvious, right?  I thought I could at least add some updated pictures for everyone to see.  Charlotte turned 5 months old yesterday, and she is just blossoming.  She is precious and such a happy, quiet baby.  She will give you a piece of her mind at times, but most of the time she is a cool little cucumber.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.  Take a look at what we've been up to.

Her favorite toy(s) right now - her feet.  She has perfected grabbing them (and pretty much anything else you put within her reach) and chewing on them.  Sometimes, she pokes herself in the eye. 

Tummy time used to be dreaded, but now...once she's on her back, she's rolling to that tummy!

She's doing great with head control and seems to take some pride in her new skill.

I took Gracie to the vet today.  She was due for some vaccines and just a general check up.  We have been bringing her in on the cold nights, and she has done really well.  Normally, she would get in her dog house where we have a heat lamp set up for her, but she's gotten to where she would rather hang out on the deck.  On the cold, cold nights that just bothers me.  So, we got her a coat to wear during the day, which is just super cute.  I need a picture of that.  And on cold nights, we bring her in.  We also brought her in last night for a bath in the big tub.  She surprised us and did so, so well.  She's generally high-strung, and I had to literally tackle her and lay down on her to get her into the house.  She wanted to run around and play when she saw me.  My mantra through that ordeal (and if anyone had heard/seen the whole event would have become hysterical with laughter) was I. AM. STRONGER. THAN. YOU!  Gracie looked at me like, "Woman...are you crazy?"  In the end, I won and had to carry her inside to get her in the house.  Going to the vet today was no different.  I had to take her invisible fence collar off to get her into the car.  Well, being the good dog that she is, she still wouldn't go past the "line." So, again....picked her up and carried her to the car.  She was well-behaved in the car, and stayed with me on the leash while going into the vet.  We went to a new vet today - a holistic vet, and it was wonderful!  I wish I gone to them all along.  We will be going to this vet from now on.  We weighed her, and she is a whopping 64 pounds!  I am a beast y'all...carrying her like I did!  She did great through the shots, and checked out negative for heart worms.  The consensus was that she is a sweet, healthy girl.  The vet gave me natural tips on taking care of sore spots and treating them.  I also had a look inside her ears and saw some white blisters he called my attention to.  Know what the culprit was? Milk bones.  Apparently, she has a food allergy to them.  We don't give them to her often, but when we let her inside, we gave her one to keep her busy in case she became restless.  I had no idea.  So, we will go the organic route with her to keep her healthy.  The vet guessed at her age - because we got her from the shelter and they weren't sure either - and he believes she is around 4.5 - 5 years old.  Overall, I was very impressed with Gracie's behavior and so happy to hear that she is healthy!

At 5 months old, Charlotte has discovered her tongue.  Collen did this exact same thing at this age.  It's a Tyson trait as my Dad and I also did/do this.  I love seeing those little things that carry through.  When she gets frustrated, she'll use that little tongue to blow raspberries!

She is getting so, so big!!

Collen is in love with his little sister.  He loves to greet her each morning and calls her "Chardy" (which sounds a lot like "shawty" when he says it, which just makes us giggle).  He gives her hugs and kisses and tells her he loves her all the time.

"I want to hold your hand, Mommy." - no sweeter request has ever been made.  I'll hold his little hand for as long as he will let me!

GDiapers bundle for sale!!! $275 for all of this.  Medium/Large covers with cloth inserts and disposable inserts.  Also 12 unused extra small diapers with liners and inserts. Plus two Honest Company swimmers thrown in as a bonus!  This is a steal people!!

Sitting with her Nana.  I love her expression!

Hanging out with daddy!

The surreal part of my new job.  Seeing my name on a placard - working at my alma mater.  I'm loving my new job and enjoying doing something different.  I miss my teaching friends and my students, though.  The transition has been smooth, and I'm hoping to stay in this position/department for a very long time!

I visited Ayden's spot yesterday and caught a rare sight at the memorial park.  Those who visit these places often will notice the rare sight right away.  What do you NOT see??  

Tents. There was not a tent in sight over the entire place.  I said a quick "Thank you Lord" for sparing area families from hurt- even if just for one day.

There's a glimpse into our busy lives!  Hope you are all well.  Off to a meeting!