Today’s lessons

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Tessa

When everyone is in a bad mood in the morning (dog, Eve, dad) I somehow buffer that energy (take in, usurp, soak in, I don’t know) and end up feeling exhausted by 8am!
Nuoska/Arlo (Alan calls him Nuoskarlo) doesn’t like the rain and doesn’t like the feel of wet grass on his paws.
Nouska/Arlo won’t do proper bathroom breaks when he won’t walk on the grass and twelve walks a day don’t make a difference if he won’t take care of business!
Nouska/Arlo is very, very naughty when he is bored and/or needs to use the bathroom
Nouska/Arlo is very, very annoying when his is naughty!
Lex is not very good at supervising the dog when the two of them are home alone together.
Nouska/Arlo likes to eat books and Legos. The children are not very happy with him tonight.
It is wonderful to have kind and thoughtful neighbors who are willing to help with advice and proper training collars.
Nuoskarlo is still a pretty sweet dog, he just takes a bit more patience. I need baby sign language for the dog!
A glass (or three) of wine is helpful after a day like today!

Happy Easter

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Tessa

Our day in photos…

We remembered to buy eggs the day before Easter and finally got to coloring them that evening. Plenty of time, plenty of time.

Easter eggs are so pretty

Easter baskets. I told Lex last night that the bunny wasn’t very prepared, but when he woke up this morning he told me I was silly and obviously the bunny was very prepared, as usual. Whew! Really it’s a bunny and books from previous years, bubbles, and candy. That’s it! Oh, and a little bracelet for Eve. But they are happy, so that’s all that matters!

Eve made an Easter basket for me and Alan. :)

She’s so sweet! <3

Everyone loves lying in the sunshine! (ignore that crazy outlet behind him!)

It’s good to label your children so you don’t forget who they are.

The kids took a few selfies while waiting for me to hide the eggs.

Our first egg hunt was at 2pm this year! Normally we’ve done a dozen or so by then! We did three outside, Eve ended up an emotional angry mess, and that was the end of that fun. Maybe we’ll sneak in another one inside before bed. Or maybe not. We’ll see.

Counting eggs. Gotta make sure you find them all!

A few more selfies from Lex. He took about a hundred! I love this boy!

Easter eggs are especially beautiful in the sunshine!

Hiding in plain sight. :)

I took Arlo out for a 3+ mile run/walk this morning, then Alan took him out for a 4 mile run this afternoon. Plus several walks up and down the street for bathroom breaks. He is a tired boy!! He put his head on my leg and fell right asleep. :)

This boy can’t pass up a chance to cuddle a sleeping dog! Luckily the dog is super chill with the kids!

Now the boys are playing Minecraft, the girl is upstairs in her room protesting the world (she’s having a rough day today unfortunately), and I am looking around at everything that needs to be done and feeling totally uninspired. Maybe I’ll make myself (another) cup of tea and read for awhile!

Happy Easter. Life is good.

A doggie playdate

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Tessa

Nuoska is a very good dog, but his walks around the neighborhood have not been exercising him enough and after this morning’s very naughty walk I thought a romp at the dog park was in order. Fortunately the weather and the family cooperated!

Another car ride for Nuoska, in a different car this time, with lots of people.

Hahaha… I think he’s yawning, or maybe about to eat the children!

He didn’t last long in the way back, choosing instead to jump over the seat and spend the rest of the ride on one kids’ lap or the other, depending on which window he wanted to look out.

The weather and the family cooperated, but the dog park did not! Apparently they close it in March for spring cleanup or something. There was a big field nearby, but I really wanted him to run and I was pretty sure that if we let him off the lease he would never come back. I was texting with a friend of mine about the dog park and she came to the rescue with her 8mo old puppy and a 30′ lead! Yay! The two dogs were fast friends. :)

Gracie in the pink collar and Nuoska in blue. They are very similar looking dogs!

Gracie likes the water. Nuoska wasn’t so sure. I got him to drink it, but he didn’t want to put his feet in.

Oh yeah,, there were kids there too. Can’t forget about them. :)

This one decided to take dozens of “amazingly beautiful” river rocks home with us. She has them in her pant legs and shirt and arms. She got near the top of the bank and asked if I’d carry them for her. Ha! She plans to sell them and make a lot of money. We’ll see how that goes. :)

We were just thinking it was time to wrap things up when a lady came by with two big dogs. We stuck around a bit longer. Nuoska barked a bit at them, but they were older dogs and didn’t give him the time of day. After a few minutes and a few good sniffs he went back to playing with Gracie. A few minutes later another couple came by with a smaller dog on a leash. Nuoska went crazy and practically attacked the poor thing! Good thing he was on the lead and Alan was on the other end! The little dog was fine and bounded right away, but we decided that was enough for Nuoska. All good things come to an end.

With the kids I always said there was that little window when the playdate needed to end. If you left before that everyone was disappointed, but if you missed it then there were tears and fights. There’s that little window right in the middle and I got pretty good at spotting it and leaving on time. I think the same goes for dogs and we just missed it!

A man and his dog (and his electric car and his bag of collected litter). Happiness is.

The Cat and Dog Show

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Tessa

Checking out the world together.

We have been thoroughly entertained by the cat and dog show around here lately. Nuoska is so interested in Daisy, but Daisy is taking her sweet time warming up to him. She isn’t scared of him, in fact she has been inside more than usual and is staying near him and the rest of the action. Nuoska really, really wants to sniff her bottom! She’s not so sure about that. Sometimes she lets him get close, but other times she keeps him at bay. Last night she even went over and rubbed up against him, which was sweet, until he turned and started trying to sniff her butt! LOL! Dogs! Whenever they are interacting it is fascinating to watch. Eve bought Daisy a big bag of catnip in a pillow, which Diasy has been loving. That probably mellows her out a bit. Right now she’s sleeping with her head on it. They crack me up!

Nuoska was being really bold and naughty this morning! He was relentless with her! Usually when she hisses, he goes into the other room for a few seconds before trying again, but this morning he was persistent. Lex and I took him out for a walk and he was totally crazy! Naughtiest walk ever! (in the two days we’ve had him so far! :) ) Maybe it’s a sign he’s getting comfortable with us and more bold in his environment. :)

At family meeting today we are going to vote on a new name. These are the options so far. What do you think?

Meet our new friend!

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Tessa

I picked up our new doggie today! The kids have a half day today so I picked him up early to give him a chance to settle and explore before they get here.

He wasn’t very happy to leave his other doggie friends behind. Actually, Rosie really wanted to come along. She was a big help getting him in the car, but then we had a hard time getting her back out! She tried to hide on the floor boards in the front seat. :)

We almost had two dogs — exactly what Eve was hoping for!

This guy is a very nervous traveler! And very drooly in the car!

Look at him shake! He did that for the whole half hour trip home! Poor pup.

I took him for a short walk at their house before putting him in the car, but he didn’t not want to go too far from the house without his puppy friends with him. When we got home I took him for a walk up and down the street a few times (had to go back with a plastic bag!) He sniffed everything and peed on a few mailboxes. Checking out his new world.

When we came in Daisy was already inside and quite surprised by this new thing in her house. I kept him on the leash so he couldn’t chase her, but she immediately established herself as the alpha! She hissed and swiped at him. He shirked. Poor pup. I thought she would run away, but nope, she stuck right near by and kept a close eye on him.

We know who has the claws around here!

Hehe… they sent his puppy bed with him, but I think he’s a little big for it. :) I stuck it in his crate to help him feel at home.

Daisy kept a close eye on this new thing. Whenever he got too close, the hiss and claws came out! He gave her a wide berth!

For some reason he really wants this bully stick to be on the bed. I keep moving it and he keeps bringing it back.

Can you see her on the chair? I don’t know what the technical term is, but basically he is submitting to the cat. Clearly she is alpha. :)

Even when I put him in the crate, she kept watch. I eventually sent her outside to give him a break. :)

Nuoska got his payback by eating all the food in her bowl. :) I think we’re going to have to move her bowls up high.

I got up to get a drink and returned to find him in my cozy spot on the couch.

I took him off the couch, but he found somewhere better. :)

When I went back to the couch (to finish this blog post!) he followed me and hopped up onto the other couch where he is sleeping peacefully now. He seems pretty happy here so far. We’ll see what happens when the very excited children come home!

Oh, one other thing, we still need to agree on a name for him. Everyone agrees that Nuoska is a girl’s name (it’s Finnish for something…) but no one can agree on a better name. It might stay Nuoska for awhile. :)

Bio Fair

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Tessa

In 5th grade the kids do a big biography project that culminates in Bio Fair, where all the kids dress and act as their person and show off their display boards. Lex chose Dean Kamen, a local(ish) inventor who invented the home dialysis machine, a wheelchair that raises to standing position and can climb stairs, the Segway, and a robotic arm that can move with electrical impulses from the brain. He’s a pretty cool guy.

Hello Dean Kamen.

Shoulders like his daddy.

He looks good in a button down shirt. I doubt we’ll see it again though! :)

The Bio Fair runs for an hour and fifteen minutes and during that time each class comes through, as well as parents and families, even some from the general community. Most teachers give their students something to do at Bio Fair, such as write down three facts, or interview three people, or decide who is your favorite and why.

Lex describing “Luke,” Kamen’s prosthetic arm invention.

Eve interviewing Mr. Kamen. :)

Haha… I don’t know what’s going on here, but it looks like he’s in the middle of telling the principal a great story! :)

They had a list of items that were to be included on their display boards, including photos, facts, and an “I Am” poem. Yesterday they recorded themselves reading their “I Am” poems and added them as QR codes to the display boards. They also had to make a Google presentation about their person and add that as a QR code to he board. Here are Lex’s:

Google Presentation

I Am Poem (I love his voice here!)

His teacher just shared a bunch of pictures from the morning as well: Bio Fair 2016

I think we found a dog!

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Tessa

We met a new friend yesterday. If all goes well we’ll be bringing him home soon. :)

These two got a long very well. I think they’ll be good for each other.

Eve wanted to bring home both dogs! Unfortunately for her the golden one (named Rosie) is not up for adoption.

He knows lots of basic commands already and is very treat motived. He was “shaking” with Lex and happily took treats from everyone.

Stay tuned.

Slumber party fun!

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Tessa

Last night we celebrated Eve’s birthday with a friend-filled slumber party! We had seven girls (eight, including Eve) come for dinner and fun. Two went home at bedtime and five (six, including Eve) stayed over night! It was wild and silly and fun! She has a nice group of friends.

When they arrived we had perler beads and Just Dance running on the XBox. A calm craft and an energetic activity. The girls bounced happily between the two.

Perler beads are plastic beads that you arrange on a little pin tray and then use a warm iron to melt them together. They take lots of concentration and fine motor skills!

I bought a dance game for the XBox and it was a HUGE hit! So worth the money!

When Alan came home from the gym he brought dinner with him. Pizza for all! Eve did her best to avoid all photos during this party. :/

Pizza and fruit salad for dinner. Yum! Duck Eve, duck!

Then time for presents. My phone camera was really lousy for this whole party. Dunno why. None of the pictures came out well. Maybe I need to clean it or something.

Presents and pjs.

Instead of cake, I made mini cupcakes and we did a fondue type thing.

The candles got a little interesting. :)

Everyone had fun using the tiny forks and dipping the cupcakes into frosting and toppings. I put out lots of options so there was something for everyone.

What’s a party without a giant cake bite picture?! :)

Then back to dancing! Gotta dance off the sugar. I found them running back and forth into the kitchen, eating cupcake toppings by the handful. I put a quick end to that!

Dancing the night away.

Just in time I remembered that we had a pillow case project to do as well! I had white pillow cases, stencils, and fabric markers for all the girls. They had a great time decorating them and signing each other’s pillow cases. It was really cute.

I found a cute poem on Pinterest and several girls used it on their pillow cases.

Now I lay me down to sleep… I’ll count friends instead of sheep…

Lots of hand tracing, well wishes, and positivity.

Her pillow case is all stenciled and so pretty.

Quick break for a game of darts. It’s good to have a receiver at the bottom to throw the darts back to you! They are magnetic darts, btw, no sharp objects flying around here!

I tried for a nice group shot, but where’s Eve?

Oh, there she is!

Things got a little silly.

Silly birthday hugs for Eve.

After the lateover girls went home everyone else brushed teeth and settled in for a movie. Eve chose to watch Duck Soup, a Marx Brothers movie that we had watched as a family last weekend. She loved it then and we had paused it a bunch of times for everyone to laugh. She was certain her friends would love it and said we would be pausing it every minute or two for laughter. Sadly, that was not the case. She loved it and laughed, but they were mostly just confused. I eventually made Alan and Lex turn off Minecraft and watch the movie, hoping their laughter might bolster Eve’s. Two loyal friends stuck it out for the whole movie, but the rest went upstairs to play. Eve didn’t seem to care. She was happy to be watching a movie that made her laugh.

I think Marx Brothers wasn’t what this Disney-raised crowd was expecting!

Everyone went to bed after the movie. In bed around 10:30, lights out at 11pm, and time for the serious voice at 11:30. They were all asleep by midnight! Thankfully! This morning I heard footsteps walking around at 6am, and when I got up at 6:15 I heard giggly little voices. Everyone was downstairs and dancing again by 7am!

Pancakes for breakfast, of course. With chocolate chips and syrup. But, wait, where’s Eve?

Oh there she is, avoiding my camera again. :) Silly girl. I try hard to respect her wishes and not take as many pictures, but it’s hard to resist at a birthday party!

Let’s keep this party going with an early morning dance-fest!

I learned from our past two sleepovers (Eve’s and Lex’s) that things are less fun in the morning and an earlier pick-up is better than a later one. Things went well this time, maybe because we had enough kids that no one had to work too hard to entertain anyone else, but still by 9am everyone was ready to go. Parents came, hugs and thanks were exchanged, and everyone went home.

I want to say she fell asleep at the table, but not really. She did get a Little Live Pet and had fun taking care of it and “feeding” it this morning. That head definitely went down on the table many times while she was playing though. :) Tired girl.

Alan went to work today (poor guy) and the kids and I are taking it slow. I just dropped Eve off at Girl Scouts and apologized to the troop leader that half her troop was up until midnight partying at my house last night. I hope they all survive.

Overall a super fun party though! Eve has great friends and I think everyone had fun. There was no fighting and only the slightest bickering. Everyone played together and no one seemed excluded. There was plenty of sweets and toys and balloons for all. Another successful party on the books! Now we have almost two weeks to recover before her actual birthday! :)

Last night

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Tessa

I went up to check on the kids before I went to bed last night and found sweet surprises in both room.

Eve had a really hard time falling asleep and was up very late last night. This might have been partly why. I think she’s getting excited for her birthday. :)

I’ll help translate a few:

1. Little Live Pets (official website, Amazon)
2. Mechanical dog. I think she saw one at KMart one time.
6. Non-permenant hair dye. She wants to dye her hair bright purple.
10. Surprises

I think the rest make sense without translation. :)

Lex, on the other hand, had no trouble falling asleep!

When I showed him these pictures this morning he was surprised he’d fallen asleep that way. He said he only meant to cuddle her for a few minutes then planned to put his head back on the pillow. I guess he was pretty comfy. ?

Spoke to soon!

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Tessa

Spring?

At karate we were debating whether springtime has gone or if this IS what spring looks like in Vermont! Sunny and 60s one day, snowing and 30s the next. Welcome spring. Bring back the sunshine!