Really?

You must be joking.

Claddagh is NOT allowed on the furniture.
Sad, but true.Doesn't she look so mistreated?

Buckeye IS allowed on furniture ... of the upholstered sort.
I guess I could have been more specific.
My desk is not on the list.

Some days it's like having two extra children.
And that is no joke. :)

our weekend

we spent the weekend (mostly) at home,
but have plenty to show for it.

relaxing.

family.

one boy. three girls.

dancing.
any guesses on the programming?

restraint.
"seriously? we can't eat the carrot?"

friends.

lounging.

naps.

sisters.

not exactly what I was looking for when I said
"smile! show me your teeth."

play-doh. times 2.

"hat!"

good stuff!
did you have a good weekend?

Catching up on Spring

Have I mentioned how nice it is to have a fenced in yard? We haven't been enjoying it so much recently because I feel huge and the humidity is enough to choke you when you step outside. BUT here are some pictures from May.

Mallory likes playing "fetch" with the dogs, but doesn't always let go of the ball ...

... so it turns into "chase" with them chasing her ... equally as hilarious.

(the garden fence she's leaning on is actually gone now ... if you check out the pictures from the 4th you can see we've planted grass in it's place)

I am not going to begin complaining about the summer weather ... all we do is wish for warmth when it's cold, but I'm anxious to get back outside so I'm going to ask nicely for the humidity to break.

Sand & Water Table

Mallory has her very own sand & water table to play in this summer. We haven't actually put water in it yet since the weather has been so hot & cold (literally), but she is LOVING the sand.
And she has already discovered SO many uses for the table...

She can play in the cover!

(this was a HOT day)

She can SIT in the table - it's a sand box!

(before we bought play sand she carried it from our horse shoe pits)

OR!

...when RUDY comes over...
...he might be patient enough for her to bury him in sand...
(check out Buckeye off the deck)

Who needs the beach??

Hmm, this was taken over the weekend, but mysteriously there isn't NEAR that much sand left in the table. Casey and I are taking bets on how many bags of play sand can disappear in one summer. What do you think?

Lunch

Over the past couple months we've trained the dogs to stay in the family room during meals. There's really no need for them to be in the kitchen begging and it was just enabling Mallory to throw food on the ground since it's obviously hilarious to watch them snatch it up. Anyway, they do a pretty good job now though Buckeye does get exceptionally sneaky once in a while (and you can see how they both like to push the boundaries eeeever so slightly).

Aren't they cute??
They're actually both for SALE.

Since lunch Claddagh killed a bunny in our yard
(sorry, no picture ...)
and Buckeye peed in the family room on the carpet
I just cleaned YESTERDAY!

OK, they're not for sale.
Dogs will be dogs.
I take it back.

Being outside ...

...is so much fun! Especially now that the dogs get to play too! We don't have to worry about leashes or escaping curious terriers...
...a simple stick is acceptable for an exciting game of "keep away"...

...blocks work too...

Buckeye is nothing if not persistent.

Check out Mallory's new dump and fill wagon ... best Easter gift ever! (do you see the pinecones? they were soon followed by rocks and dirt and handfuls of grass...)

We had fun outside on Monday ... now if the rain would stop, we could get back out there!

Outside Fun

Last weekend was our last weekend with an un-fenced yard. We took advantage of the decent weather and ran around with Mallory and the dogs.
Mallory found a giant stick and uses it like a walking stick whenever we're outside. Here she's making her way to play with all the fun toys in the neighbor's yard.

... back in our yard ...

Casey's trying to get the car unstuck from the Buckeye's rope.

... playing in the "flowers" ...

... attempting to climb in on her own ... ... exhausted ...

Check out Claddagh girl - she's got some mad ups!

Her back paws are actually OFF the ground!

Hey, even an inch or two counts when you're 170lbs.