Thanksgiving Greetings

Happy Thanksgiving from Atlanta and all the cousins!

~ Love Alpha Dog, Beta Dog, Cait, Mathieu, Jaxon, Isabel, and Walker (and Yours Truly, of course, still in Minnesota)

Best Friends

Cait and Alpha Dog were talking about best friends one day. Cait asked Alpha Dog who her best friend was and so Alpha Dog thought she'd return the question.

AD: "Do you have a best friend?"
C: "Well, I love Anna-Sofia and Sunniva and Ruth and Ella and Eliza and Meghan and..."
Alpha Dog interrupted her."Those are ALL of your friends. Usually, a best friend is someone who is super special to you. Most people have only one or two best friends but sometimes it can be more people. Do you have a friend who is super special to you?"
Cait started again. "I love Anna-Sofia and Sunniva and Ruth and Ella but the person I love the VERY MOST as my best friend is Auntie Juli!"

~ Yours Truly

Preschool Update

Cait has begun her second and final year of Spanish preschool - next year she'll be in Kindergarten (!) - and she is soaking it up with enthusiasm.

Lots of role playing to engage in with classmates.

Lots of nature to explore (in a class line-up, you'll notice she is still oh-so-tiny).

Lots of class trips to go on (here, they went on a birdwatching trip at the nearby park).

New best buddies to be made and become inseparable from.

Lots of art projects to be completed.

Lots of stuff to learn.

And lots of games to play.

It's going to be another great school year with lots more adventures to anticipate!

~ Yours Truly

Big Chair! My Chair!

Mathieu, at 4 1/2 months old, is nearly the height and weight of Cait when she was 7 months old. So Alpha Dog decided it was time to see if he would fit into a new "container", so to speak. Here's what she found.

Spoon in hand, he was appropriately armed to bang away on the tray.

.

Big sister, Cait, helped to secure him in the seat.

Unsure of what to expect next, he watched Cait to see what she'd do.

Everything is better when you get to be just like your favorite big sis and sit in your very own chair all by yourself.

Hard to believe, but even she was little and sat in this same chair once!

~ Yours Truly Looking Forward to a new chair to hang out below for dropped goodies

How Kids Have Aged Me

Looking back at photos of myself over the years, I have realized that having kids around the house has not been good to my complexion. In the last 5 years, I have quite quickly gone from having a very rich black coat to having a very dramatic salt and pepper, more salt than pepper if you ask me.

It began with Cait. She was lots of fun and very cute, but very stressful to be around.

There was all the photo-op torture to look adorable for those special, precious moments.

And there were all the times that she'd sneak up on me while I blissfully enjoyed my sacred rites as a pug.

She teased me into believing she had treats, leaving me much anticipating a reward for all of the exercise she'd make me endure.

There were the times where I had to "play" with her toys.

And times I had to be the actual toy itself. I'll endure anything for a carrot, I guess.

Then one day Alpha Dog told me we were moving. I had to spend the next month in and out of the car practicing how to get my seat belt on and off.

The car wasn't the only place into which I was routinely seat belted.

Then one day they told me another kid had arrived.

Might I add, it's not just the kids who have aged me over the years. Beta Dog has done his fair share of aggravating me, but that's a whole 'nother blog entry.

In the end, I can't complain much as I have never felt more loved in my life.

But good grief, am I gray!

~ Yours Truly Aged To Perfection By Kids

Yet Another Alpha Challenge

What's Mathieu admiring, you wonder?

Litte ol' handsome me, of course. In an attempt to retain my status as Alpha Dog over someone in this family, I'm stoically trying not to pay much attention.

But it's too difficult. He's just so doggone cute.

Nope, I won't look.

But he still watches me.

Rats! This is tough to ignore.

Mom, he's still looking at me!

Alpha Dog tries to lure me into looking over by teasing me with a fork. She's just too clever, as I will always fall for it.

Darn, yet another one earns Alpha status over me!

~ Yours Truly

Happy Halloween!

Every year, Halloween gets to be more and more eventful as Cait gets older and older and can enjoy the intricacies of trick-or-treating. First was the pumpkin carving...

...then, the costumes...Cait decided to wear the same costume she wore last year. Mathieu was going to be a pumpkin.

But in the end, he went as a duck because the weather got a little cold and windy. It didn't matter anyways since he fell asleep just before heading out to gather a plethora of sweetened loot.

Auntie Juli stopped by to deliver a special trick-or-treater for Cait - a costumed Snoopy with a costumed Woodstock that jumps out of his bag o' treats.

Then it was off to trick-or-treat, hand in hand with Beta Dog.

Good conversation was exchanged between the two of them.

Cait checked out all of the cool decorations she encountered around the neighborhoods.

Some decorations deserved lots more evaluation than others.

Beta Dog had to return home with a tired and cold little Mathieu, leaving me, Alpha Dog, and Cait to complete our rounds through the neighborhoods gathering treats. Much to Cait's delight, we stayed out well past dark. As we walked home on the wooded path through the park, we heard a train blow its horn in the distance and a family of coyotes whooping it up just a few hundred yards from us. I would have been all prepared to pounce on them if it weren't for that darned leash Alpha Dog puts on me.

Alas, we returned safe and sound to check out the contents of the trick-or-treat bag.

It's always a special treat to get to eat all the candy you want in one evening.

~ Yours Truly Still Pooped Out from such an exciting and spooky evening

Mathieu 4-Month Update

Height: 26"
Weight: 16lbs 6oz
Health: Ear infection, sore throat, non-h1n1 flu, temperature, stuffy nose (none of this has suppressed his appetite, I might add)

P.S. Cait also has ear infection, sore throat, and is post-h1n1 flu.

Beta Dog has been home all week to help take care of kids. Alpha Dog is tired but still able to fill my food and water dishes. It's been great! Everyone has been home ALL week long to pay attention to little ol' me!

~ Yours Truly A Content Ghostwriter

More Preschool Commentary

On our way to a Halloween festival this weekend, Cait dressed as Snoopy again:
BD to Cait: "Are you a doggie?"
Cait (very seriously): "No, Daddy. I'm a person in a dog costume."

Well, duh...

*****
On Wednesdays and Fridays, Alpha Dog goes to a cycling class. Since Cait is fascinated with bikes and loves biking, Alpha Dog thought she'd show Cait the room where she does the class while they waited for Cait's tennis lesson to begin.
AD: "Do you want to see where Mommy did her class this morning?"
Cait: "No, I've seen it before. You were in your recycling class!"

~ Yours Truly

Preschool Commentary

C: "Daddy, will you marry me?"
BD: "I can't marry you. You're my little girl!"
C: "Why not? You married mommy!"

******
C: "Mommy, can we take Daddy's car when we go out from now on?"
AD: "Why? I thought you liked my car."
C: "I do! But I don't want it to be in an accident. I want to keep your car forever and ever!"

*****
AD: "Cait, would you like to earn some money by vacuuming?"
C: "No. But how 'bout you vacuum and then give me some money?"

*****
AD: "Did you finish your lunch at preschool today?"
C: "No, I tried but I got full on all my grapes and my tummy started to hurt and my tummy told me 'stop eating your sandwich and eat your treat now' so I did."

*****
C: "It was unbelievable! So another pitcher throwed the ball and then he caught the ball and he slid and it was a really awesome catch."
AD: "Who are you talking about?"
C: "Brett Favre."
She was referring to the Vikings dramatic home opener win against the 49ers. The fact that I know what a dramatic home opener win agains the 49ers is tells you just how long Beta Dog has been an influence in this family. The fact that Cait refers to this as an 'awesome' catch shows how much of an influence Beta Dog is on her as well.

Ok, well it was pretty awesome...

~ Yours Truly

Hair Raising

Why babies aren't born with much hair.

~ Yours Truly

All Winterized

It's the first time that cold white stuff has fallen by October 10th since 1977 and everyone in this house is insanely excited. Crazy people. Beta Dog bought new cross country skis to go skiing with Alpha Dog, and both Alpha and Beta Dogs bought downhill ski stuff. I tell ya, these people are nuts!

Cait in her new snow pants.

Mathieu in his new winter hat, knitted by Alpha Dog.

Everyone in the house is so excited about this stuff being on the ground and all I can think is how cold my feet will be from now until next April each time I have to pee.

~ Yours Truly NOT As Crazy as my Alpha Counterparts

Word Play

Cait was practicing her writing this weekend. She showed this to Alpha Dog and asked, "Mommy, what does this spell?" Can you see it? Look closely at the bottom of the page near Snoopy on the pumpkin.

It says T-O-D-D. Congratulations Uncle Todd! Your name is the first actual word she has created from randomly writing letters on a piece of paper!

~ Yours Truly

Snugglin' Security Guard

Caught Mathieu on the bed all by himself this morning and got nervous. So I settled in next to him to make sure he wouldn't fall off the bed.

~ Yours Truly Trying To Pull My Own Weight Around Here

Let's Roll!

Check this out! No more staying on the bed unattended!


~ Yours Truly Impressed

Which Baby Is This?

Can you tell which baby is which? Your choices are Alpha Dog, Beta Dog, Mathieu, and Cait.

Baby #1
Baby #2
Baby #3
Post your comments by clicking on the Comments link below.

P.S. Beta Dog - Your input is not allowed!

~ Yours Truly Curious to Know What My Readers Think

A Day in the Life of Mathieu

A few photos for my loyal readers of Mathieu going about a typical day as a baby learning about his world.

Hanging out, happy and naked.
Much dreaded tummy time to gain neck strength for holding up large noggin.
Tummy time gone on too long.
Reading up on latest business news with Beta Dog.
Working on becoming a "real" man.
Just looking cute, because after all he is still just an adorable and lovable Little Dude.
~ Your Truly

Beary Cute

Just in time for the arrival of the cool autumn air, Auntie Lin, our knitting expert in the family, made the most adorable bear jacket for Mathieu. I have to say it's too cute for words. Even Mathieu hammed it up for the camera wearing his new snug and warm fall coat.
Here he is showing us his 'good' side for the camera.
I came a little too close to him, which he didn't like. Apparently, my toenails are a threat to this type of fabric.
He posed with a happy smile for the camera.
Here I told him to pretend to be a bear at the mercy of a hunter in the woods. I thought he did a good job.
"What's that? My ears are sticking up?"
"Yo! I'm too cool for words."
I think the color brings out his eyes, don't you?
~ Yours Truly Craving a Bear Hug from my Little Dude

One Fine Day

What could be better than a day spent watching a really cool movie about the Titanic at a really cool omnitheater and then following it up with lunch at your favorite restaurant, all with your favorite Great-Grandmother?And, as usual, Mathieu slept through the whole thing...until lunch time anyways.

A funny side note, Cait was so fascinated by the Titanic movie that she has continually asked questions about it ever since seeing the show. My favorite conversation between her and Alpha Dog about the Titanic is as follows:

C: "What did the boat hit again?"
AD: "An iceberg."
C: "Do we have ice cubes around here?"
AD: "Ice cubes? Yes, in the freezer. Icebergs, no."

~ Yours Truly

Insightful Preschool Comments

Last night, a show called Venture North was on TV. The feature story was about a roller rink up in Superior, WI, that had a nightly group of senior citizens (some of them in their late 80s!) who skated to 1950s music and showed off the roller skating skills they had learned when they were younger. The program was fascinating to Cait.

At the end, a message came on the screen that said the rink, the only one north of the Twin Cities, had closed in 2007. Alpha Dog read the message to Cait and said nothing more than a nonchalant, "That's too bad."

A few moments later, Cait was sniffling. Alpha Dog asked her what was wrong. In agony, she cried, "Now they have nowhere to skate!"
See? Real tears!
~ Yours Truly Touched