Doggie Nostalgia

After looking back through the last year with Buckeye, I decided to take a look at some old pictures of my first Cairn Terrier, Toto. My dad and I got him from the Humane Society when I was a freshman in high school. He was such a great dog.

Wow...who's this young kid?? That would be Casey in 2002! (check out our nasty old couch) This was a frequent location for Toto...Casey would laugh because when I sat down Toto would be in my lap before my butt hit the chair.
So crazy to see how different his coloring was compared to Buckeye's.

He looks like a lump right here...maybe the vet's concern that he was slightly overweight was valid...hmm...

Both of my boys like to sleep...

OMG...this was January 2007. I took Toto to get a haircut at a different groomer than normal. Long story short, she BUTCHERED his haircut. The worst part was what followed were the coldest weeks of our WI winter. I literally had to wrap him in a blanket when he came back inside to get him to stop shivering. It actually gave us a few laughs...poor Toto.

This makes me smile but it also makes me a little sad. If you look closely, you can see a TOOTH peeking out of the corner of Toto's beard. Hilarious! This was one of FOUR teeth he had left. Unfortunately he was such an old dog (we think 14 yrs old) we had to have most of his teeth pulled due to rotting and decay. Casey and I had endless laughs about our toothless wonder. It makes me a little sad because little did I know it was the last picture I would ever take...we had to put him to sleep two days later. Toto was my first dog, my little buddy and he lived a great life!

Happy Birthday, Buckeye! (and Rudy)

Okay, this post is well overdue - Buckeye and his brother, Rudy (who lives with my dad) turned one year old on November 4th! After losing Toto, my Cairn terrier of 10 years, last September, Casey surprised me with Buckeye for Christmas. It's fun looking back at pictures of him as a tiny puppy...have a look!

Here is a picture the breeder sent to Casey during the 'buying' process... (Rudy happens to be the puppy in the background.)

A picture of the litter on the day Casey and my dad went to get Buckeye...I think he's second from the left.

The big surprise...I...had...no...idea! Casey brought the basket into the room and, with an obvious Wizard of Oz reference, said, "This basket fell off the back of a mean old lady's bike." I was caught so off guard he didn't even have a name for three days. Oh...and in the end I was the one that named him Buckeye.

Just like a baby...he slept A LOT during those first few weeks.

Buckeye (left) and his brother Rudy (right) during a play date at my dad's house.

We fenced in an area on our deck so we could let Buckeye out the patio door to 'do his business'. As he grew he jumped over the board on more than one occasion. Terriers are nothing if not persistent. It will be interesting to see how he does in the snow this winter.

From time to time we take Buckeye (and Claddagh) to doggie daycare a the same center where I took both of them for training. Well...they also dabble in other things, i.e. swimming. We have discovered Buckeye LOVES swimming.

Buckeye loves to look out the window and bark at anything that walks by or moves...including a random leaf.

Sometimes curiousity comes with consequences...

This is what happens when I leave a basket of (clean) laundry on the floor unattended.

Buckeye and Claddagh enjoying a yummy treat (Frosty Paws doggie ice cream!!) on Buckeye's birthday!

A New Little Pumpkin is on the Way

This Saturday my mom and I had a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Jill (brother's wife) and baby girl Ember. Jill is 8 months pregnant - due November 28th. The shower was at my house in the garage. Thankfully it turned out to be a gorgeous fall day! I LOVE FALL!

Fun game prizes, a pumpkin pull apart cake and yes, folks, that is a diaper pumpkin.

The menu consisted of a yummy chicken pot pie in a biscuit 'cup', a pumpkin cheese ball that looked so professional the picture belonged in Better Homes and Gardens (hehe), veggies and dip, HOT APPLE CIDER and a few other delicious dishes.

A cute pumpkin centerpiece

We borrowed some corn stalks as well as some straw bales to spice things up a bit. Here's Jill with all of her lovely gifts.
Another angle...check out that adorable belly!!

These are some of the goodies I got for Jill. The embroidered burp cloths and blanket were a collaborative gift. My sister-in-law, Megan has an embroidery machine, so I asked her to personalize a few things for me. Thanks Megan, they were a hit - she LOVED them!!

(Click here to order your own personalized gifts.)

Some other fun gifts...

This was Mallory's first baby shower - she enjoyed all of the attention!
(Meme, check out her dress! SO CUTE!)My cousins, Brittney and Jackie, and my Aunt Sherie
(Congrats to Jackie who recently found out she's pregnant! Another baby in the family!!!)Everybody's favorite - SHOWER GAMES!
(The lovely lady in the center happens to be my dad's new fiance)My mom, Jill and me

It was a WONDERFUL afternoon with lots of great company and nice weather. Now the waiting continues... we can't wait to meet that beautiful little baby!!

Bath Time!

Mallory LOVES bath time. We make it quick, but she loves the warm water and excitedly kicks her legs while in the tub.

I mentioned a while back that we were anxiously awaiting her first REAL smile...well, here's one!

Let's wash all that crazy, thick hair!

When I rinse her hair I lay her in the water and let her kick her legs. She looks like a little frog! Hmm, I wonder if she'll enjoy swimming?? Notice her faux swimming suit - I didn't figure she needed to bare it all...

Here Kitty, Kitty!

What could be cuter than this little black kitty??

...scroll down for the answer...

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THIS little black kitty!!

Since Mallory was born 6 weeks before Halloween I was really excited to find a costume and get her all dressed up. Well, we didn't have any parties to attend and 'trick or treat' fell on a cold and rainy day in West Bend, so the cute little black kitty greeted our total of FIFTEEN trick or treaters from the comfort and warmth of her own home. I'll have to start thinking about next year's costume...

A Night In

Last weekend Casey and I had our friends, Brian and Summer over for pizza and the OSU game. Their daughter, Aubrey, is 5 weeks older than Mallory. Here is a summary of their evening:

What do you think, Brian? How do you feel about twins? Looks easy enough to me...Deep in thought??

Maybe just thinking about what the Buckeyes could have done differently to bring home a win against Penn State.

It will be fun to watch Mallory and Aubrey grow since they're so close in age. Certainly play dates will be more fun when they sleep less than 18 hours a day.

Visit to Great Grandpa's House

Great Grandpa Hammen

(My grandpa with his first great grandchild)

Great Auntie Karen

(my dad's sister)

Great Great Aunt Elaine

(my grandpa's sister)

Stay at Home Momma

One of the benefits of working from home...

...Mallory is a great helper. :)