Simon Says...

Ready...Sprinkles?

Simon says, "Lay down"...

Simon says, "Heads up"...

Simon says "Lick Kayli's face!"

Sprinkles says "Ok, I'm going to play with my new holiday toy..."

We bought this dog toy/ string of Christmas lights at Target this weekend. It's the kind of dog toy that you don't mind lying around on the floor because it also serves as Christmas decor!

Puppy Graduation!

Tonight was our last "puppy class" and an "official puppy graduation!"

There was a "final exam"...walking on a leash...

"Stay"

"Sit," "Look at me," "Down," "Drop-it," "Leave it," and the grand finale was to let the puppies off the leashes, and when they got good and distracted, we were to use our final command "COME!" Oh yeah, Sprinkles came straight to me (of course I was holding some pupperoni in my hand!) I don't think they really want to know how when I tell Kayli to get Sprinkles in from the backyard, I find her chasing Sprinkles from one end of the yard to the other, calling out "you come back here," while she darts and dives, and Sprinkles ducks and runs, narrowly escaping Kayli's grip, over and over, and I'm no help because I am laughing hysterically, like I'm watching a greased pig contest! (I'm a believer in getting the most entertainment value from kids and pets?)  

The instructor congratulated us and handed us Princess Sprinkles' graduation certificate...a proud moment...

then, it was "puppy pile fun" for the two puppy graduates! Too cute. Kayli hovered nearby, just in case Sprinkles needed rescuing. Looks like she's doing just fine...

A Sign That Winter is Coming...

Would this be the bare looking trees? Would this be the acorns buried in my flower beds? How about the fact that we've added soup to our dinner menu? How about the fact that Kayli has added tights to her clothing ensemble? All these things are indeed signs that winter is near, but this morning, when Kayli said to me "Mom, it's time to put some mittens in my pockets for recess." I knew. This is it. There is no denying it. "Mittens in pockets" is truly the sign of all signs that "Old Man Winter" is just around the corner...Brrr! 

Sprinkles wants a closer look at those "red things" on Kayli's hands!

What do I love about Winter coming?  Snow Days, Hot Soup, Hot Chocolate, Crackling Fires, Flannel "jammies", Snuggling on the couch with my sweet pea while we watch our favorite Nick Jr characters play in the snow,  Mounds of our own snow to play in, Baking, Holidays, Christmas Movies, and anything and everything to do with the magic that surrounds the Christmas holiday!

What do I hate about Winter coming? Sloppy Slushy Frozen Roads, Being COLD, Having to wear a coat...I hate having to haul a coat with me all the time, as if I don't have enough to carry! Having to put Kayli's seat belt on because she can't maneuver it with all the extra bulk (I feel like I'm belting in a giant marshmallow, as the belt clips disappear into the folds of her coat, and my fingers are freezing, and we're running late for wherever we need to be, and I get cranky, and shouldn't be using the word "stupid" to refer to the seat belt but I choose that over other more tempting words, like every good mom would do! ) Finally, having to shovel my driveway when I'd rather be playing!

Busy Tooth Fairy!

We sure have kept the Tooth Fairy busy this year! Another tooth came out this weekend...

and once again the tooth fairy left Kayli a FABULOUS "trinket" (Ariel charm necklace) along with a crisp new dollar bill!

THANK-YOU, Tooth Fairy! We hope you weren't scared of our puppy. You probably figured out that she was securely zipped in her portable kennel as she watched you drop off the goodies!

Happy Halloween!

Seriously...how could we resist this bejeweled costume @ 50% off?!!! Kayli is already planning how she can change the leggings to tights, call it a fancy dress, and wear it to school! Hmmm...
and Kayli wants to know if we should just stay up later tonight to spend some time eating candy? C'mon, Mom, you can have your pick!

Kayli has a friend on our block who is a couple years older than her, but the two of them have a great time playing together. The girls were thrilled that we/the moms agreed to take them out trick-or-treating together.

They just couldn't contain their squeals of delight, as they ran, hand in hand, from house to house...

Then, the grand finale, for Kayli anyway, was when we got home and had a chance to GIVE out candy for a short while. She was THRILLED to be throwing handfuls of candy into trick-or-treaters' buckets!

TOO MUCH FUN!!!

Determined

I bought a new fridge that was being delivered today, Saturday. They called ahead to give me time to empty the old fridge. I put all the food in coolers, and dismantled the shelves, and moved all the kitchen furniture around to clear a path. They came in, asked me where the water shut-off valve was...well, in the basement, of course. We went downstairs and looked and looked and looked and looked some more! They apparently have never been in a house that didn't have the water shut-off in a very obvious, out in plain sight, kind of place. I wanted to say, well, if there is "a typical", then, you can count me out! I never seem to fall into the "typical category" All someone has to say to me is "Well, usually..." and I immediately think "Oh, great!" "I NEVER seem to fall in the 'usually' category!" This is Sooo PAR for the course! Eventually the guys said they could leave the new fridge in the garage and I would have to call them back when I found the shut-off valve, so they could come back and disconnect the fridge in the kitchen to move it and make room for the new one. Oh, yeah, now that I've wasted an entire morning on this...grrr, I spent the next hour rummaging through old paperwork from the sale of this house to find the phone number of the previous owners. Finally, I located the raggedy edged 2x3 piece of paper that had the number written on it. I called. We chatted. The previous owners, during their remodeling project of the basement, had built a "fake cabinet" to "hide" the water shut-off valves! Apparently this wasn't noticed or noted during my buyers inspection. Ok, so now it's about 2:00 p.m., and I'm looking outside and noticing what a beautiful day it is...double grrr...as I keep letting the dog in and out. I kept thinking that I just CAN'T waste this beautiful weather day! I had made a list of Halloween related activities going on this weekend, and the Boo at the Zoo was one of them. After talking to Nebr Furn Mart one more time, and setting up another "hostage appointment" for tomorrow, I decided that, dangit, I am going to the zoo, come hell or high water!  I told Kayli she had 60 seconds to put on her costume! I grabbed the nearest backpack and threw in my wallet, the inhaler, a cell phone, and my camera. I did not even take the usual time to pack snacks, drinks, etc. etc. On the way out, I told Kayli to put Sprinkles in her kennel.(And apparently she thought she did...oh yeah nothing like a puppy on the loose in the house for a couple of hours!)  Luckily, we were blissfully ignorant about the loose puppy while we were at the zoo!The combination of great weather paired with the antics of the zoo animals, got me on my way to de-stressing! We hung out there for a couple of hours before heading back home to discover that Sprinkles had been running amuck through the house, and...well, like I said before, par for the course. I sure hope my luck turns around soon!
Here are some of the fun photos from today...

Ohhhh, we Really need to rub that Buddha Belly for luck!!!

All in all, it was great to get out!

A Walk in the Park

Our Fall weather has been so incredibly beautiful for the last couple of weeks, that when the weekend arrives, I can't imagine staying indoors! I tried to get some household chores accomplished, then told Kayli we would take Sprinkles for a picnic in the park. You would think I said we were going to Disneyworld, at Kayli's reaction..."REALLY? A PICNIC? YOU MEAN IT?!!!" Ok, so apparently we haven't gone on a picnic in a while :) The fact that we were bringing Sprinkles along was just...well...like sprinkles on top of your ice cream! Kayli couldn't wait to tell Sprinkles that we were going to the park!

ok, let's take this puppy for a walk...

c'mon Sprinkles, you were doing great...

What do I do now Mom?

Oops, how did she slip out of her collar? Come back here, Sprinkles...

Gotcha!

Now, let's put that collar back on...

ok, maybe you'd just like to take a ride in my doll carriage...

All in all, a great day at the park!