"tent please"

Hey, is there room for one more?

Marie loves her tent.
Grandpa & Grandma Mueting found this pop-up tent for Marie this past Christmas and it is a hit. Marie asks for it over and over again. The problem is, she wants us all in the tent with her. Not only does it fill up fast, it also gets extremely hot in there! She likes to read books in the tent, play hide and seek, and name all the princesses on the side...she is surprisingly good at pronouncing Aurora, Ariel, Cinderella, and Belle.

So here is more of Marie enjoying her tent:



And this picture of Charlie sums up our weekend:
We played hard and slept hard, too.We took Charlie to the dog park on Saturday. Although it was a muddy mess, Marie loved seeing all the dogs. One particular feisty Husky was going after Marie's gloves. I was ready intervene but Marie handled herself so well...she said "no girl" and kept moving away. She also told the dog to sit. We were so proud of her for not getting upset about it and handling it by herself.
No worries, Charlie quickly came over as well to tell that Husky who was boss.

Puddle Jumping

We have been so fortunate to have warm temperatures this past week in Des Moines. 40s, 50s and even 60s! So the whole gang played outside as much as possible.

Marie helped Andy move all the melted snow away from our walkway. She liked using the little broom.

Marie also helped Charlie with his walk. She held the leash the whole way!

It was also a great opportunity for Marie to get some splashing in. This girl is drawn to puddles and she has the wet socks to prove it.

Our Charlie

So hear we are again at Charlie's birthday. He is officially 6 years old as of February 15th. As we approached this milestone I decided to Google dogs and aging. Who knew there would be calculators where you can actually determine your dog's real age in human years? I started to enter Charlie's information but then found myself nervous to see the answer and quickly closed the web page.

I am not ready to admit that Charlie is heading into his "senior" years just yet. I don't know if it is because he is the first "kid" Andy & I had together, if it's the fact that he had such a rough start to life before finding us, if it's the bond he has formed with Marie, or if it's because my brother's family recently said goodbye to one of their labs, Sandy...but for some reason I am having a hard time dealing with Char getting older.

So much of him is still a puppy, but then we also have those signs of aging creeping in: greyness around the muzzle, slower getting onto the couch, multiple attempts at jumping on the bed, taking more naps during the day, and wanting to be home and not on the road. It's something we can't stop, so I guess we better get used to it. I tend to talk about our future as if Charlie will always be a part of it. Andy has to remind me that Charlie probably won't make it to retirement in South Dakota with us. I know some people find it silly to be this attached to a dog, but we truly can't imagine our home without him in it.

What's funny is it doesn't feel like too long ago when Andy & I were known in Vermillion as "the people who walk their dog all the time." He had so much energy - we didn't know what else to do! I am sure neighbors thought we were crazy, but actually it kept all 3 of us sane and in great shape. We walked, ran, played fetch, drove next to him while he ran the gravel roads of South Dakota, took him swimming, and hiked with him around the river in sub-zero temps. We even had to bust him out of doggy jail twice because he and his partner in crime, Roxy, Andy's college roommate's dog, had gotten locked up for running around the town.

He definitely finds his way into mischief easily...whether it's getting sprayed by a skunk (too many times to count) or chewing up Andy's belts and favorite Twins hat. But, he also knows how to make it up to us by being a guard dog, making us laugh by burying his toys in the snow, cuddling up to us if we are feeling down, and being patient with Marie as she teethed on his ears, jumps on his back, and cuddles up to him to share a story.

The video below was shot with Marie's help.

So here we are 6 years & 2 knee surgeries later and we are not only dealing with him getting older, but still tackling a few of those puppy traits from earlier years. A perfect example is when he jumps up as soon as Andy says, "ready to get some birds?" but then limps into the house 4 hours later and needs a day's rest to recover from his adventures. He is still chasing rabbits around the yard, begging for bones, stealing Marie's stuffed animals, and insisting on at least 2 walks a day where he is pulling my arm out of its socket.

In fact, I have to go, Charlie just ran past me with Marie's Mickey Mouse in his mouth and she is not happy about it...he must need another walk.

Papa & Grandma

On Friday morning there was a knock at the door. I ran to the window and yelled, "Papa!" Grandpa & Grandma Mueting were here to spend the whole weekend with Me!

On Friday we went to McDonald's for lunch, ice cream, and playtime. I liked the slide but I needed help from Grandma sometimes. Next, we went to get Grandpa some new clothes. I was very helpful picking out Papa's outfits. Finally, we went to the toy store at the mall. I loved playing with all the toys and it was difficult for me to leave them there.

On Saturday, Grandpa had to work so Grandma spent the day with Me. I liked showing Grandma my tent and reading lots of books. Aunt Liz and Andrew came to visit, too. We went swimming, played in the snow, and even built another snowman. What a busy day!

On Sunday I slept in a little because I was so tired from my busy weekend. Papa, Grandma, Mommy, and I all went to brunch at Perkins where I got to eat a chocolate chip pancake and apple muffin.
I was sad to say goodbye to my Papa and Grandma - it was such a fun weekend.

Today I get to go to school and have my Pajama Valentine Party. I am bringing all my Valentine cards for my friends and some M&Ms too. Tonight will be my last swimming lesson.
It will be a busy Monday after a busy weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Marie says...

I thought I should take a few minutes to share some of the new things Marie is saying. Every day her vocabulary grows and grows - I don't even think I can count all the words she says. Recently she started putting 4 words together, too.

Phrase we hear most often: "no Charlie."

Phrase we hear a lot and wish we didn't: "no way." (usually on her way to time out)

Phrase we love to hear: "tant-you mommy" or "tant-you daddy" (thank you).
This is said after we pick something up for her, give her a bath, change her diaper, give her a drink, put on her hat and gloves...pretty much after anything. She even said it after a time out.

Word we hear and don't know where it came from: "stuck." She says this if anything doesn't move right away - especially her shoes.

And finally...words we hear and and are so impressed with: her shapes!
Marie is identifying circle, square, heart, oval, and triangle.
The other day I was trying to trick her by asking her if a circle was a heart. The picture was of an orange. She said, "nooooo it's orange!"

Silly mommy....

B-Ball

Marie got a basketball hoop from Grandpa & Grandma for Christmas this past year. Although it is a little high, she enjoys playing with it - especially when she gets lifted up so she can dunk. She asks to play "b-ball" and she has watched it on TV with Daddy too.

So, this past weekend we went to a Drake Women's Basketball Game. Marie was very interested and cheering for the first 15 minutes. She would clap, yell "go dogs", "shoot", and "defense." Then, she found the stairs...we took turns walking around with her, she ran around the indoor track, met the real bulldog mascot and gave the huge fake one a high 5.

Finally, because Andy knows his 2 girls very well, we ate some nachos while we cheered the Bulldogs to a win.
It was a great way to spend a winter night and make Marie nice and worn out for a good night sleep.

Water water everywhere

These winter months can definitely be tricky for toddlers. It's hard to keep Marie cooped up in the house because she is so active. So, we jumped at the chance to enroll in the swimming class offered at her daycare. Every Monday night for 30 minutes we learn the basics: kicking, paddling, blowing bubbles, jumping in the water from the side of the pool, and floating on your back. This past week Andy & I both attended so we could get some pictures of our little fish in action.

It was difficult to get good shots because the hot tub was steaming up my lens...so when you watch the video, be ready, my finger is going to swipe the steam away :)

After our lessons, we rushed home for supper. It's amazing how hungry we all get after swimming lessons!

Then, we all needed to wash the chlorine off so it was time for baths to begin.

While I was getting Marie's towel I heard a big splash....apparently these two needed a bath as well!