Before and After

When we got our fish tank it came with a nice sturdy table. The only problem was that it reeked of cigarette smoke. There was no way we would get the smell out so we made use of a small sofa table that we had.

It was definitely not sturdy enough to hold 50 gallons of water and a tank, so Josh cut out some boards to help support it... Not to mention I measured wrong so he had to slide cardboard underneath the boards to get the right height.

There are also a TON of wires associated with a fish tank. Who knew??

Well, long story short: it was an UGLY mess! 

You can see half the mess in this picture.

 So, (in all my craftiness) I MADE a dust ruffle... from scratch... with no pattern (and just a little bit of online help)!  I know, I'm surprised how well it turned out too. :)

It's such a small thing, but made such a huge difference in the room.

Halloween Fun

 Halloween is much more fun when you have a 1 year old. Talon thought carving pumpkins was great! He couldn't get enough of playing with the slimey insides and putting "mooh" (moons) on the "muh-muh" (pumpkin).  I would draw shapes and ask him which one he wanted and he said moon every time.







Of course he had to hold the spoon the whole time.  He is such a good helper! Love that smile. :)










He is such a cute Yoda. We went trick or treating with some cousins and had a great time. Talon's favorite part of that was the candy of course and had to have at least one piece in each of his hands the whole time.

I wanted to get a really good picture of him when we got back so I chased him around with the camera for a while but he would NOT cooperate. (I know... mean mom trying to get lots of pictures). So here's a picture of a tired Yoda with his milk.

Is that our dog?

I promise that I don't just write about dogs.  They've sure kept our lives interesting for the past few months though.

Ozzy went missing last night.  I had fed the dogs at 3:00 and Josh went to put them to bed around 9:00. So sometime between then, Ozzy found a spot in the fence where a board had come loose and slipped out of the yard.  Talon was in bed, so Josh went driving around a few times calling for him.  I was calling from the deck and felt that helpless feeling of when we lost Tito. I honestly didn't have much hope... If he was able to find his way back home he would have done it by this time.

I called Josh while he was out looking and he was stopped in front of a house just around the corner.  He said, "There's a dog on their porch that looks like it could be Ozzy but I can't tell."  He came and picked me up and we sat in front of that house debating whether or not to walk up and see if it was him.  We called out "Ozzy! Ozzy!" and he stood up but didn't have the reaction I would have expected.  If it wasn't him, then I would feel dumb going up to a stranger's dog on their front porch. But, if it was him, I would regret not checking it out.  Finally, I decided to walk over there and see.  His fur was soft like Ozzy's, he was friendly and licked my hand like he knew me, but then again Ozzy usually jumps when he sees me.  Oh and he's wearing a different collar.  Did I mention it was almost pitch black outside, which made it hard to decide if it really was him or not.

I went back to the car and said, "I can't tell if it's him because it's so dark, but he has him tied up with a different collar.  You should go look at him just to double check." "If he had a different collar then it's not him." ...I wasn't so sure, but ok. Oh and by the way Josh is usually right!!! I love him for it and being so gosh darn sexy!!! See what happens when I leave the blog up on the computer... Josh thinks he can add his 2 cents!

Anyways,
When we got home we called the police department to ask if they'd picked up any black labs. Nope. Looks like we're down to one dog again. I laid awake and worried about all the things that could have happened.  I couldn't help it.  Is it easier to keep hope that we'll find him or give up and move on? Neither option is really easy.

This morning we hurried out the door as soon as we were up and ready to go look for him. We drove past that house around the corner again. It looked like him, but black labs look like black labs.  He had on a different collar and we were looking at him from a distance. We just weren't sure. We drove all around town. By then, we were even more sure that Ozzy was gone for good.  He could have been anywhere!

Josh went out looking again later that morning. When he got back, we were both more discouraged than ever.  Then Josh's phone rang... it was the police department. "Hello?!" "Someone just brought in a black lab." "I'll be right there!" Well, it was Ozzy!  What's even better is that the dog we saw around the corner, that I actually walked up to and petted last night was Ozzy too! Our neighbor had caught him as he ran down the street, kept him in his house that night, put up posters in the gas stations the next day and then took him to the animal shelter.  We were so lucky! Thanks neighbor. :)

Now we're looking into microchips/tracking devices. Let's hope Ozzy didn't like his taste of freedom too much.  Apparently when there's a will, there's always a way!

Finished Projects

Here are a couple of projects I finished today.  The board is just plywood and the words are vinyl.  I really like the way it turned out.

 

 

This is just a picture frame that I had laying around.  I put scrapbook paper inside and the letters are stickers.  It is dry erase and a cute way to list the meals for the week (I think).  The thing I like the most about it is that it only took about 15 minutes to make and I had everything I needed so it was free too!

Sad Dog

 

Poor Ozzy was so sad with no one to play with.  He just sat on the deck and sulked.

 

Still sad... we felt bad for him (and us of course)

Sorry for the poor picture quality :)

So we got a new dog.  He is a silver lab just a month younger than Ozzy.  We named him Cougar.  They were instant friends!

About having 2 dogs....

The good:

1. They can keep each other company.

2. They are both obedient at going into the outdoor kennel at bedtime.  (Ozzy was really stubborn about it before)

3. 2 dogs happy to see you when you play with them is better than one.

 

The bad:

1. It's harder to train 2 dogs at the same time.

2. It's harder to walk 2 dogs at the same time.

3. 2 lab puppies eat a lot of dog food.  (We've started rationing their meals)

 

Welcome to the family Coug!

 



Tito

Titonius Whiskey King of the .38 Special

January 1, 2010 - September 7, 2012

Tito was our first dog together.  He was very energetic and full of love and adventure.  His last adventure unfortunately took him away from us last weekend.  We miss him a lot and hope to always remember the good times we had together.

I remember holding him in the car after we bought him.  He was the first dog I ever had so I wasn't quite sure even how to handle a dog, but I caught on quickly.  He was instantly a part of our family from then on.  As a puppy, he loved to lay under blankets and watch TV with us.  His ears were floppy and liked to chase around the tables upstairs.

As he grew older, it was easy to see that Josh was his favorite.  He loved to climb up on his shoulders and sit there and lick his ears.  He always got excited and jumped at the door/window when he heard Josh's truck pull in the driveway after work.

He loved chewing on things.  Some of his favorites were socks (he was usually quick enough to snag one if he saw it lying around), dandelions, sticks, trash, and whatever else he could find.  His favorite treats were cheerios and lettuce.  He was like a vacuum picking food up off the floor as quick as he could.  He was even known to eat flys and was very skilled at catching them!  The only food he did not like was celery.

He loved to watch out the window and bark at any cars, cats, people, that travelled in front of our house.  At one point, he had a hole in the blinds just big enough for his head to look out.  At night, he would curl up in the corner of the couch until we put him in his kennel for bed.


Tito was a jumper and could jump as high as the fence or above the counter.  He learned to sit, stay and jump on command, usually when motivated by food.  When he was being lazy, he loved to lay out in the sun shining through the window or lay on my legs as I did homework.

Tito, while energetic, was always protective and calm with Talon.  Talon would laugh while Tito jumped around.  At around 10 months old, Talon would bark whenever he heard Tito barking.  Talon would throw food to Tito from his high chair and Tito would lick his feet and jump up to get more food.






Another brother came around when we got Ozzy.  Tito was envious at first, but it turned out that they got along great and loved spending time together.  They would sit on the back deck and watch over the property.  They would run around the fenceline and bark at animals on the other side.When one barked, the other would come running to check it out.    There's still a track in the lawn where Tito would run around every morning as he got up. 


Ozzy and Tito had great adventures together, Tito with the smarts, and Oz with the strength.  Oz taught Tito how to dig holes so he could escape and adventure outside the yard.  A rabbit fell victim to their first adventure.  Unfortunately, the last adventure came too soon for our puppers.

We miss you Tito and will always remember the fun times we had together.

Falling for You

I LOVE fall.  I used to love spring the best, but within the past few years I've fallen for the autumn months (..sorry I couldn't resist).  There's the cooler temperatures, changing leaves, Halloween, long sleeves, new TV shows, Thanksgiving, time with family, and oh yeah.... hunting season.

Hunting season and I have a love/hate relationship.  Well, hate is a little bit too strong of word.  Dislike doesn't sum it up either, but it's the best word I can think of right now.  Any hunter's wife knows where I'm coming from.  It's that moment when he says, "Is it cool if we go look for a ___________?" (Fill in the blank: dove, deer, moose, antelope, grouse, turkey, coyote...).  Of course that's cool.  I really have no problem with it and I encourage Josh to do the things he loves to do.  In that moment, however, at first there's the thought of "Now what am I going to do?"  (I will still end up doing what I would normally do but it's just different I guess).  That goes with the hate part.  Then the Love... how about some ME (ME/Talon) time.  I can do what I want (again, not much different but you know what I mean... I can work on projects that only get accomplished during good quality me time).

And then there are the times that we go "hunting" together.  LOVE- the outdoors, 4-wheeling, hiking.  Dislike- what are these guns for? Oh yeah. Maybe I don't want to see any animals. :)

Last night officially began hunting season around here. Doves I think. So here is what I did.

I LOVE fall decorations!

He loves to play in cupboards and put things on his head

And here is a glimpse at what Talon did.










I love the way his chubby feet look under the cupboard door. :)

Happy Hunting!

Knock on Wood

Don't ever say to yourself, "It's so nice to not be in limbo this year."  That's exactly what I was thinking as the school year came to a close and I figured I would be back in the same place next year.  I didn't have to anticipate a new semester of college anymore because that chapter of life was done.  I didn't even have to search for a job because we all know how much fun that is!

Well, I was wrong.  Very wrong.  Just a couple of days after thinking that, I was "let go".  "You mean even though you gave me a letter inviting me back to teach next year?"  "Sorry that letter has no weight when it comes to losing budget."  Great.  Thanks for jumping the gun on that one.

Why me?  Of course that's what I asked myself.  Should I even look for a position? Should I stay home? IS there even a position anywhere?  It was pretty late in the game at that point.  Or so I thought.

There are a lot of reasons why I want to keep teaching.  I love how rewarding it is!  Every day is different and there's always room to grow and learn.  I want to avoid having my teaching license expire if I put off teaching for 3 years. But most of all it's rewarding.

I also saw the benefit of staying at home.  I love spending time with Talon all day.  It's so rewarding to spend my energy being a homemaker and mother full-time. 

Not only was I in limbo... I was on a rollercoaster and I couldn't see the track in front of me.  I decided to look for a job and if it didn't work out, that was fine too.

I found an opening 5 minutes from my house AND it was only 4 days a week.  That was definitely doable.  Well, small-town politics seemed to be in the mix.  Now THAT was an awkward interview.  "Just go in there and be yourself and even if it doesn't work out that's all that matters.  It's all about who you know anyways," says the secretary just moments before I walk in to the interview.  Wow thanks for the pep talk!  I told myself it wouldn't matter either way, but I was bummed when the rejection letter showed up.

I heard of another opening, but this one was 30 minutes away.  Unfortunately there weren't any closer options this late in the game.  "What the heck.  It's worth a shot.  If nothing else it will be good interview practice."

This time the interview was perfect!  They offered me the job right on the spot.  Our personalities even seemed to click.  At one point they even asked me if I had seen the interview questions beforehand!  I asked if they could do part-time.  They said sure.  I said I would have to think about it.

It was nice to feel wanted, but more than that, this felt like a perfect fit.  So after the weekend I called back and said YES.  I will be teaching math at a high school that caters to an "at-risk" population.  I know it will be a challenge but I am excited.  Somehow the teachers there are 100% there for the students first and foremost.  The students WANT to come to school.  I've got a big job ahead of me and a lot to live up to, but I am excited!  I can't think of a better place to grow as a teacher and love what I do even more.

It's sad to see summer go and know my time with Talon will be more limited but I know this is where I need to be.  Even with the longer commute, I won't be away from home any longer than I was last year which I'm stoked about.  I don't think it will ever be easy to see the lazy summer months fade away and along with it full-time mommyhood.  It just won't. 

But, if I can influence even one student for the better, it will be worth it.

The big 1!!!

 Our little boy is 1 year old!  He is growing up too quickly (isn't that what everyone says) and we are enjoying every minute of it.  We had a big birthday party for him on his birthday and were glad that most of BOTH of our families were there.  Thanks everyone for all of the help and the presents for the birthday boy! 

The little man was not the happiest on his birthday because his molars are starting to come in (aren't they called 2-year-old molars???)  Anyways, he was a trooper and made it through!

 We did a basketball theme because this boy loves basketballs.  One of his favorite games is playing catch with mom and dad.  Dad helps him catch and then he throws it back to mom.

Opening presents.  He sat so nicely in his little chair and was in awe of all the new toys and clothes.

Playing with some of his presents.

CAKE TIME!!!  He wasn't sure what to do with a whole cake to himself but figured it out as you can see :)

As I said before, he wasn't feeling 100% so he went to bed even before all the guests left.  The next morning he was so excited when he woke up and saw all of his new toys!  Thanks again everyone who came and helped.  When I was done putting him to bed everything was cleaned up and in our house which I appreciated so much!

As a big 1-year-old here are a few things about Talon.

• He loves to bark at dogs and cats and growls at other animals.
• He is starting to imitate sounds.
• He has started walking and has taken up to 9 steps before falling down!  Crawling is so much faster though which is the transportation he prefers
• He empties EVERYTHING he can... toys, books, the dishwasher while I'm loading it.
• He loves reading.  He will sit in his room and read his books one by one as he takes them off the shelf.
• Says "up" when he goes up the stairs.
• He is so attached to his tractor blanket.  He has to make sure to grab it when he gets out of his crib.
• Loves yogurt more than anything.  When it's gone, I have to show him that it's "all gone" before I throw it away so he doesn't get mad.  (Food is the only thing he gets mad about)

We love our happy little guy and look forward to all the new things he will be learning and discovering. HAPPY BIRTHDAY T-MAN!

4 years and Father's Day

This year our anniversary fell on the same day as Father's Day.  It's hard to believe we've been married for FOUR years!  The time has just flown by.  It has definitely been the best years of our lives.

We look so young on our wedding day!

It was fun to celebrate Father's Day on the same day as our anniversary.  Josh got one of his favorites - biscuits and gravy - for breakfast and waffles with bacon inside (YUM) for dinner.  I was a little bit crafty and made this picture frame for Josh for Talon to give to him.  I am surprised at how well it turned out.  Isn't that the cutest face you've ever seen?

 

 It's fun to see Talon growing up and being his Dad's little buddy.  He loves to go in Josh's hunting room and I'm sure it will be fun when Josh can take this little man with him on his man adventures.

A new family member

Meet Ozzy!  He is our new lab puppy.  The 3 best things about Ozzy are:
1. He is calm doesn't jump around everywhere when you go to play with him (like Tito).
2. He is an outdoor dog so all his business stays outside.
3. He loves Talon and I believe the feeling is mutual.  Talon loves to look out the back window and "bark" at the dogs.

We still love Tito just as much but I'm happy to say that Ozzy's calmness is rubbing off on Tito.  They are great friends!

Teaching - Until We Meet Again

In an unexpected turn of events, it turns out I won't be teaching next year.  To make a long story short, the school I taught at lost funding for one half-time teacher (which is me since I'm not tenured), and there are no other options at this point.  I was devastated when I found out!  I love teaching, and I want nothing more to keep teaching!  I was excited with the direction my school was taking with math and I couldn't wait to start planning my curriculum this summer. 

As hard as it is to be let go from my job, I am ecstatic for the chance I have to stay home with Talon this year.  I really believe that there is a reason I need to be home and not working... I just don't know what that reason is yet.  If the only reason is that I get to spend more time with my boy then I'll take it!

9 more days of school - so bittersweet.

Classroom Shakeout

Today we did an Earthquake Drill at school in honor of the Utah Shakeout. It was announced that we would be doing the drill and then evacuating the building for a fire drill. A sweet student came up to me before class and asked if she could stay inside during the drill because it scared her. I could see the fear in her eyes, but I told her I couldn't leave anyone behind for the drill. I did, however, ask her to wait and be the last one out of the door with me.

As the pretend earthquake started, picture 30 8th graders screaming and running for cover. Don't ask me how running was involved when all they needed to do was get under their desk, but some sure managed to include it in the chaos. It was so loud, I could hardly hear the announcement saying that the earthquake had ended. Was the loudness necessary? No. Was it fun for a group of 13 year-olds? You bet. Were they taking this seriously? Ha! You've got to be kidding!!

Amidst the chaos, I took a moment to watch my scared student. As the fire alarm went off, I could see her sitting in her desk, closing her eyes and plugging her ears. It definitely tugged at my heart to see her so scared. We left the building and while we were leaving the school grounds I asked her how she was doing. She said she was ok and I asked which part of the drill scared her and why it would have helped to stay inside with all the noise. She went on to tell me that seeing everybody leaving the school in a crowd reminds her of an actual earthquake she had experienced.

This student lived in Japan during the big Tsunami they had about a year ago. While her town was not affected by the ocean waves, they did feel the earthquake in a major way. She remembers being on the 4th floor of her school when it happened and how scared she and everybody else around her felt. After that, earthquake drills were taken much more seriously by everybody. Even the boys! I was so touched by her story, I asked if she would feel comfortable relating it the the class when the drill was over. She agreed and WOW, you could hear a pin drop in that classroom, they were so fixated on her story.

This is one of those moments that reminds me of why I love being a teacher. I learn so much from my students. This girl went from terrified to courageous as she explained why something as simple as an earthquake drill should be taken seriously, because when it happens for real, you don't want to waste time wondering what you should be doing. Earthquakes are real and they happen when you least expect it. People lose their lives in the tragedy, their homes, their security. Usually, when I hear of natural disasters in a far away place, I just shrug it off. It didn't affect me, so why go there. I feel bad that it happened, but it's easier to not dwell on it. Today, it hit a little closer to home. I still don't like thinking about it, but we need to in order to be prepared. It's hard to imagine that so much destruction can happen in almost an instant. How do you prepare for something that destroys EVERYTHING??? We're due for an earthquake in who knows how many decades, years, months? What things would you do to prepare?

What a Talon does.

Here are some of Talon's favorite things to do.

He loves it when we call for Tito and he comes to the back door. He'll sit there and "talk" to him as long as he can. Too bad Tito could care less.

He loves to pull up to standing and just recently learned that he is the perfect height to stand up under the kitchen table and hit the fun plastic stuff on the chairs.

He loves books! This boy is always on the move, usually going places he shouldn't, but when you give him a book he will sit there and turn the pages for a good 10 minutes (that's a long time for a 10 month old). So cute!

9 months old!

Talon is 9 months old today! Time sure flies when you're having fun. He is such a happy easygoing baby that we are always laughing and having fun when he's around. At 9 months old our cute boy...

• says "Mama" (usually when he's sad and wants something) and "Dada" (mostly when he's playing).
• He loves talking/screaming. Most of the time he says "Aaaahhh"
• Can go from laying to sitting with no problem.
• Pulls himself up to standing with almost anything he can get his hands onto (sturdy or not). I think this boy will be walking very soon!
• Loves to play in the bathtub on his belly so he can swim and slide around.
• He will NOT let you hold his hand. If you even try, he will let go and hold your hand instead.
• When he crawls he scoots. He loves to put stuffed animals/toys/burp rags in his mouth and crawl around.
• He loves to eat! Baby food, our food, cardboard, paper, socks.......
• Has 5 teeth!!!! (and one on the way I think :( )
• He LOVES the Geico commercials with the pig. Every time one comes on, he watches intently and gets a big grin on his face. I love it!

He is getting so much more mobile and playful! It's fun to see him learn and grow each day. Here are a couple of short videos of him crawling and playing.