Halloween

I have been excited for Halloween all month till now. Saturday I took Thing 1 to the library for a party and she did NOT want to get into her froggie costume, even though she has been telling everyone for the last two months she was going to be a froggie (part of it is due to the fact she had put on her fav pink skirt and didn't want to take it off). So I just put her into a "fairy" outfit. All I had to do was get her wings out and put some makeup on her and wahla.

She had fun though. She looked really cute too if I say so myself. Then again I think she is always cute. While we were there she fished for candy and did some other fun little games. At the end we could have waited in line for half an hour for a cookie or go home and make our own. I asked Thing 1 what she wanted to do and she said make our own. Smart girl.

Then Monday night we had a trunk or treat at our church. Again... she didn't want to put on her froggie outfit so again with the fairy costume. Monday night was even harder to get her into her costume though, consisting of makeup and a headband. She was sooo tired and it was hard for everyone involved. Tonight she is sleeping soundly from a nap that started at 3:30 and who knows when she will wake up. So I think we are going to carve pumpkins instead of going door to door. B= is on call tonight anyways, so it would be just Thing 1 and me anyways. She doesn't need any candy either.

I've already had a few little trick or treaters and well, it was a nightmare with Baloo. I have this giant dog trying to jump at the kids while I am trying with one hand to keep him back and the other put the kids' candy in their bags. All the while the dad is just standing there lookin' at me from the street. I'm 7 months pregnant right now, so it isn't like I've just put on a little weight. I'm thinking, "could you at least tell your kid to open the bag so I can put the candy in? COME ON a LITTLE help would be nice right now." Then after I close the door I get my second trick or treaters. WRONG! Same kids, seriously what is the deal.

So I think I am going to get a bowl and put some candy in it outside and leave a note to take some. When it is gone it is gone. That way I don't have to deal with the dog. I can't leave him outside, he'll bark and bark and bark and bark some more. As every kid walks by he'll let me know someone is starting to encroach on his territory, which in his mind is everywhere he can see and then some. Oh it is only 6 and I am already tired and have serious heartburn, not to mention having some contractions from the stress. I am going to get a glass of water and take a break.

GO FIGURE

The pictures above are my Bugaboo (I love how his tail curls up around). Mind you he is still a puppy and will get bigger but can you see the resmeblance between his pictures and the ones below? Also, I can see why they thought he was part lab.

If you have read my blogs on Baloo you may have noticed that we have had a "Bit" of a discipline problem with him, since he came into our home four months ago. I called the lady we got him from, she works with Pet Samaritan here in the SLC area, and explained what we have been dealing with. She explained that they are having similar problems with the the ENTIRE LITTER and profusely apologized. When we got him, we thought he was part Great Pyrenees part Lab. He was found with his mother and litter mates on the side of the road out in the middle of nowhere. Since he looks like a white lab they gathered daddy was a lab because mom is a pyr. Anyways, he doesn't act like either. Pyrs are stubborn but he is ridiculously stubborn. He has no regard for discipline, and in fact he gets really MAD if you do discipline him. Sometimes he nips at my face, not OK. Anyways, they have found out that he isn't part lab but is 60-75% Akbash.

So we now understand Baloo's behavior. He is a herding work dog, bred to be a wild dog taking care of sheep, finding his own food and having very little human contact, not what we had in mind when we got a "family" dog. (Pyrs are herd dogs too but they work really well with children and Akbash take more work to be family friendly. In fact, had they known they were Akbash they wouldn't have placed them in a family's home.) So all this time he has been trying to "herd" Thing 1  He thinks she is a FREAKIN' SHEEP. He pushes her along and nips at her elbows and feet trying to get her to where he wants her to go- we still don't know where that is though. That is why he gets upset with B and I when we scold him for getting her. I mean wouldn't it be a HUGE conflict for you if the very thing you were BORN to do you keep getting yelled at for. Anyways, he needs to be on a farm working with herding sheep and not out children and that is where he is going. I am so excited. Why? I couldn't take the interaction with him and Thing 1 any longer, and I am worried about when the baby gets here. Also, I couldn't take him to the pound, I refuse. We had decided that if we couldn't find a place to put him that we would just keep him in the back yard and he would stay an outdoor dog. Not the ideal situation, for anyone. I couldn't send him to just any other home either because I know the end result would be him being put down. Not many people would love and put up with a nipper and biter they didn't see as a cute adorable puppy, nor would they put up with the horrible discipline issues he has. (We have gone the rounds with this dog. We had hoped that obedience class would help but NOOOOO). I do love this dog but I am so relieved to find out I am not crazy or that I have a dog with mental issues.

We had to get outside

Yesterday morning Thing 1 woke us up at 5:30.

Thing 1: MAMA!... MAMA!...MAMA!...MAMA!

Me: What Thing 1?

Thing 1: Mama, I can't get comfy in my own bed.
(translation; can I come get in your bed?)

Me whispering: B, do you care if she snuggles with us.

B: no, I have to get up now anyways.

Me: Come on in Thing 1.

So in she came. I thought she was going to go back to sleep, seeing how she normally doesn't get up til 8, but no. She was up and wide awake. She stayed in bed with me for a bit but after her dad got out of bed she was up following him around while he finished getting ready for work. I was able to stay in bed for a few more minutes but not many. While I laid there I thought we have to do SOMETHING that will expend some of this energy. B was thinking the same thing. When he said his goodbyes, he gently said you might want to go to a park today.

Fortunately, we had great weather. The first thing that came to my mind was something I saw on Camille's blog. Gardner Village. I had never head of it before but was intrigued by the pictures, plus the next day I overheard people talking about the same place. It had to be. So I called Mariah, a friend from college, to see if she and Cooper wanted to come along. She did so it was set.

What a darling little set up. Thing 1 was so enthralled with all the decor. Here are a few pictures of the witches and the wonderful place that helped me stay sane yesterday. Thanks to Camille too, we now know of a great little place to enjoy the holidays even more.
These are just a few of the witches they have all around. It is really quite the ordeal!

In this little set up the green stuff is actually pouring into the cauldron, it has a little steam coming up from the concoction brewing inside and there is a light fire heating it all up below. The witches actually move a little too, they have some prety nasty things in the bottles behind them on their shelves too. So creative and a lot of fun. Thing 1 loved it.

Half Moon Bay

Our second excursion was to Half Moon Bay and to see the pumpkin farms they have there. It was a bit of a drive but the girls had such fun. B flew in the night before so he could come with us. It was his golden weekend and we couldn't have him sit his one free weekend off at home alone.

Uncle Little Brother and Aunt M. Little Brother has such a big head he couldn't ever really get a good picture.The three girls on their ponies. At first Thing 1 was unsure about it, but since her cousin Mikey was going she would go too. Mikey is five and one of the coolest people in Thing 1's eyes. Arden is only two and looks up to Thing 1 the way that Thing 1 admires Mikey. It is fun to watch the three of them. Even though Arden is as tall as Thing 1 is (their father, my brother C is really tall), in Thing 1's eyes she is still Baby Arden, ironic. Both girls are at the age of asserting the fact that they are "BIG GIRLS" and are no longer babies. So funny.

Here the girls are jumping in blow up room/house thing.Mikey and Arden tackling the giant slide, Thing 1 sat that one out. Of course now as she looks at the pictures she wants to go down- go figure.A little train they all went on.

Thing 1, Mikey, Papa and Uncle Little Brother tackled the haunted house. When we asked Thing 1 what she saw inside she said, "BONES.... eating LUNCH!" She liked it and wasn't at all scared. Granted I think she could handle anything if her Papa was holding her.

Apple Hill

Thing 1 and I went to Reno for a week to see my side of our family. It was a great little trip. While we were there we went on several fun excursions. First was to Apple Hill, CA. A quaint little town just on the other side of Tahoe. The town is full of apple orchards and the farmers gather together to have this festival of sorts every year. We were able to see where they make apple cidar and a few HUGE pumpkins. Thing 1 loved it, especially having all the adult attention all to her self.
Here we saw them peeling the apples in a machine that appeared to be at least a hundred years old. They then went to another spot to be made into delicious apple cidar. We also enjoyed fresh caramel apples, apple turnovers and apple crisp. YUMMMM it was all delicious. Thing 1 on a giant pumpkin. As you can see she wouldn't allow Papa to let her go not even a second. Thing 1 and the petting zoo. The little black billy goat was her favorite. He was just her size. I admit he was really cute too, especially compared to the other large ones.


Thing 1 getting to ride with the pumpkins we picked out. She was exhausted by the end of the day.

First Year Retreat

Every year the residency program does a retreat for all the residents. The second and third years are all together and the first years have their own. This year they took us to The Chateaux on Silver Lake in Deer Valley. Lindsay, B's youngest sister, took Thing 1 for the night and we had a blast. It was a beautiful resort and it snowed the night we were up there making for a beautiful morning.

Numbers 1 and 2

Numbers 3 and 4

Numbers 5 and 6

While we were there they had an artist come in and teach us the VERY basics of watercolors and let us give it a try. Out of the 20 of us; residents, faculty and spouses, they picked 6 of our paintings to be judged on to win a prize. Both of our paintings ended up in the top 6- not too hard of a feat considering there aren't many people to begin with. B's painting came in third.

My painting is number 1 and B's is number 5. The winner was number 4, and 6 came in second. I have to admit I was really proud of B, especially if you saw how he started his. He was so disgusted at first and even in the end he didn't know why it was in the top 6. Still we are hoping his medical career does well so we don't have to rely on his artistic abilities to support us, mine either for that matter. Because we would indeed be starving artists.

With the great company, incredible food, fantastic ambiance we really enjoyed our time in Park City and getting away from Ogden for a night.

Halloween Fun

Last time I was at the store I bought a few fun things to do with Thing 1 for Family night for the month of Oct, all associated with Halloween in one way or another. The first one we did was put a "foamies" house together. It is sitting on our shelf and I think Thing 1 did a pretty good job of sticking the stickers on the outside of it. B put the house together and I mostly took the backing off she did the rest. I think it turned out pretty well, hopefully it will stick around for a few years. In these pictures you can really see some of Thing 1's personality. In the first one is a little bit of her intensity, the second she thinks she is being funny and the third a ham.