Kids & Puppies

We had it in our head that Duke being an outside dog would make having a puppy easier, but the only thing I can say to that is "we should be beaten w/ a rubber hose", we were out of our mind! Inside or outside doesn't matter, a puppy is a puppy and it's truly like have another child.

They fight over toys; Will yelling "Mine" and Duke forcefully disagreeing. Watching Duke run away from the lawn mower that he was dragging w/ his teeth was belly laugh funny though.

Jumping on the baby was canned quickly, gotta say that dog has half a brain, although getting your butt spanked every time you jump on Will doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what'll stop that! So as long as Will is vertical and Duke is on all 4's, they do have fun together.

But there are times they have to be separated for bad behavior.

He uses his chompers on whatever is in his line of sight, which I might add that the bubble holder on the lawn mower was the latest victim.

He gives us ATTITUDE!!!! Grrr... He's already tried to escape, too getting thru an undiscovered hole under the fence into our neighbors yard. Made a great friend next door and played all afternoon. I thought we'd lost him, but breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when I saw him thru the fence.

But just like children one instant you are pulling your hair out for something they did , then in a breath, you want to cuddle them to pieces for being so sweet. We've really enjoyed having Duke around, he's growing like a mad dog. Poor puppy needs the weather to get warmer so he and Will can run around the yard not the garage.

Grace's 1st Birthday

I can't believe it's already come and passed, but my precious, precious niece Grace turned 1 year old on Saturday.

I clearly remember sitting in her mommies hospital room holding her just 1 year ago and I was alittle sad because my little boy was 6 months old and it seemed like I just had him and there I sat with this amazing little girl in my arms and my 6 month old little boy in the room....and now they are 1 and 1 1/2 years old.

Grace had an awesome birthday party at Gymboree. The kids had a ball playing...and the parents did too! After Will warmed up to the place, he was into everything..including a few cabinets he wasn't supposed to be in! Kids.

After a few rides down the slide and an almost shiner (thanks to his genuis mom) Will became a pro on the slide. We spent most our afternoon here climbing up the steps and WEEEE down the slide.

After lots of playing it was time for cake and presents. Grace wasn't ready to quit playing.

When she got her own cake, she face planted it right into the yummy deliciousness!

The year has definitely passed quickly and man has it been fun, but I still have a hard time with how quickly these little ones go from being born to little toddlers getting into everything. Grace is an amazing little girl and truly a blessing in our lives. Happy Birthday Grace, we love you more than you'll ever know.

Let me get it.

Will loves dropping stuff behind the couch; milk cups, blankets, clothes, toys, etc. What makes it more of a good time is assisting us in getting whatever is back there out.

Case in point, Will has dropped 2..I repeat 2 sippy cups of milk behind the couch. Why did he have two you wonder; well, the first one was dropped and...we thought "we'll get it later" as in before nightfall, sour milk is not a good scent, so we gave him another cup in the meantime only to have him send it packing to join the other cup.

Our tool of choice to retrieve the missing cups (in this case) is Will's handy dandy broom. Michael can't seem to reach the cups and Will thinks a good pat (slap) on the back will help his dad out.

Dad still couldn't get it, so Will gave it a try w/ the broom in hopes of bringing the cups out. Needless to say, he didn't get far, so Mom had to step in, play golf w/ the broom behind the couch and shoot both sippy cups out for rescue. Man, what an event!!! And shortly after the remotes went behind the couch! It's never ending.

Will's New Buddy

The Puppy is Home!!!!

And he's chewing on everything!!!!
.
.
.
.
.

Meet Duke! Name changed because Chance didn't fit. Will loves saying "Doooo". He's been a good doggy so far, though the biting has started and that's making me crazy. Due to current weather conditions which I won't discuss here (this is a G rated blog and I can only talk in R rated about the weather), the dog is in the garage and the house when we are home. I am NOT an inside dog person, though he is precious and fun to play with, a hyper big dog knocking Will down all the time isn't going to fly in our world. So, when the weather warms, out he goes.

First night home was a doozie, Will wanted very little to do with Duke making it fun for Mommy because Dad was still out of town, so I had Will in my arms most of the night and Duke under my feet everywhere I went.

But the second day got better and Will started taking interest in our new little family member. They were constantly fighting over this blanket which is Will cuddles and Duke wasn't going to win that match. Blanket finally had to be put in the crib before those razor sharp puppy teeth made it scraps.

They are pals now, if Duke is in the garage Will is by the door saying "Dooooo" and pointing. Of course the nipping and jumping makes him mad, but we are working on that. Yes, having a puppy is definitely like having a second child; guess it's practice for when we do actually have a second child. All in all, he's a good dog and will be a fun companion for Will as he grows up. Just need the weather to warm so they can play outdoors and not destroy the house!

You Messin With Me?

Sunday we spent the evening with Will's Cousins; Drue, Cameron & Aunt Stormy were in from Texas. The boys weren't into coloring with Will and Grace so didn't get pictures of them, but definitely enjoyed their company.

Grace is a very intense child; she does everything with great passion...including coloring. If you can't tell by her expression in either of these pictures, I really won't be able to explain it any clearer.

No arms were bitten off in the process, but a few crayons were taken here and there.

To lighten the mood, Will tried to put a smile on Grace's face.

Buuutttt, he ended up pointing and laughing instead. She did join in thank goodness; you really don't want to cross this little girl!

Use Your Words!!!

Mr. Will has really started Repeat Repeater. Yeah, watch your mouth!!! It's pretty fun actually saying something and having him say it back; like he's very good at "Hi" and "Bye" and as stated before "outside".

He's learned sign language at school and has been using that to communicate. Makes life easier when he wants milk and squeezes his hand into a ball then out to tell us milk, rather than his previous communication of "meeee meeeee meeee" and pointing to everything but the milk. Or to say "more" or "all done" when he's eating. And the one that melts my heart is "Please"; I love a child with manners.

He's quite a note taker too, he sat in his chair the other morning taking notes while I told him about what's been going on with me.....

Then he turned the page to show me the scribbles he'd been doing while I talked, then went off on some serious jibber jabber tyrade, rudely interrupting my conversation to tell me how board he was with me talking! (I assume that's what he said anyway)

His artwork is getting better and better, though....well, more and more scribbles on the page is what I mean by better! And his face, that mark on his cheek is the pen not a scratch.

Casual Sunday

Well, looks like I get an "F" last week for blog updates, sorry for getting behind on the ball, I do have a little man to chase around you know! ; ) Though he does keep us busy ALL the time, it's all the more reason to drag the camera out and capture because every moment has been priceless.

Well, onto his newest activity....Golf! Grandpa Mike set up a net in his backyard and if we are over there, that's what we are doing and by we, I mean all of us, I play too. Will has really started using his words lately, one of which he knows pretty well "outside". I'll get back to words in the next blog because I have to tell you about Golf. He's pretty good and knows exactly what to do, but what you might not be able to tell from the picture...or maybe you can, depends on your golf expertise, but Mr. Will likes to swing left handed. YUP....Mom's rubbed off on him!!!!! Well, really we don't know yet, but since he takes all the right handed clubs and swings them left handed and seems to be left handed dominate with everything else, we decided to get a left handed set and let him have both options. He's very natural left handed, I mean for a 17 month old. So, we'll see if it sticks. I can say I'm pretty good golfing with these new clubs, I never tried golfing left handed....or on my knees; I actually get the ball in the air that way!

Anyway, Grandpa Mike was helping him line up and swing. His dad always says "I don't care what sport he plays, as long as he's happy and loves it" But silly Michael, did you actually think he wouldn't take interest in golf; he's your son AND a Martin!!!

See he's got it pretty good! Unlike his silly mommy who wiffle balls most of the balls, Will actually lines up and hits it on his own. (no worries Aunt Traci, I waited until Will was with Michael or wayyy away before I hit the ball!) (for those who don't know what that's about, I've taken Aunt Traci out a few times when I attempt golf, it's best I just drive the cart!)

Then he runs down to get his ball, well 10 feet away, but it's an event.

AND gives us a big cheesy grin while we clap our hands off and say "YAY Will!!!!"

Who knew Golf could be so fun???

Puppy Martin

Meet Puppy Martin. We adopted him yesterday and will be bringing him home in 3 short weeks. He's a chocolate lab who tentatively will be named Chance. Michael thinks we should let Will name him, but doppie dooppie doo might be a silly name when Will is a little older.

He's very cuddly and the biggest of his brood. His mommy and daddy are both beautiful doggies so no doubt he's on the road to royal handsomeness! We can't wait to add him to our family and look forward to an addition to the blog. It's about time we had another adorable face to photograph!

Christmas Holiday

Christmas Eve we spent with Michael's Family.

Grace is getting so big, at this point she was very nearly walking, but not quite. She is the most intense yet happy baby I've ever known. You can't help but smile and laugh right along with her.

Will is so sweet and careful with Grace; her mommy is always on guard to make sure she is careful with Will which should be the other way around, but don't put it past her to grab a chunk of his shirt and pull him around!

Present opening wasn't that interesting to Will this year. Of course the boxes and sacks were a hit, but I did get him to pay attention a few times and help.

Grace on the other hand was front and center for all the help you needed. Really Will was more interested in her gifts and she his.

Will is now more stocked in the garage department than his father. He got a chainsaw, tool bench, tool box w/ tons of tools, a tape measure and a power washer to clean the cars. (and it actually works w/ a hose)

Then Chrismtas morning Will got to see what Santa brought him. He wasn't having it though, guess it was to early for our enthusiasm, we had to be taken down a peg or two. Can't wait for him to get excited with us; Santa's a HUGE deal!!! Oh and the dinosaur rocker freaked him out! He got a picnic table too, but the massive snow Christmas Eve didn't allow me to pick it up from the office. Thank HEAVEN he's not old enough to know something is missing! WHEW!

Then Christmas morning after presents at our house, we spent the day with my parents. Oh, before I go on, I failed to mention in all this that our house is officially equivalent to Toys R Us. Will enjoyed carrying around everyones presents by the bows. Again, not that interested in opening any.

He did throw a hissy when this gift was opened and it had to set up immediately. It's one of those deals you drop a ball in and it winds its way to the bottom. Big Hit!!!

Then Grandpa and Daddy put together his shopping cart which he now enjoys using to unload kitchen drawers and take over to the trash and throw the stuff away. Yeah, time to lock up the kitchen! Anyway, Will helped when he could; you know taking parts they needed and placing them somewhere else.

Then after the presents were opened and all his gifts were put together he got to go out in the snow for the first time. He wasn't really sure about it mainly because it made him fall down and because he hates wearing the stuff he has on, but we gave it a try anyway.

That was our wonderful Christmas Holiday. My mom and I got a stomach bug Christmas Eve so we were both down for the count and didn't get to enjoy the yummy delicious food for the season. No fun being sick on Christmas! Other than that minor glitch, it was a great end of 2009. We hope everyone had a blessed holiday too.

Christmas With The Clark's

To truly tell you about our Christmas I need to back up to Christmas Eve Eve which we spent with the Clark & Bell Family at their ranch.

It was an evening of comedy & fun starting with Michael sporting some interesting spectacles.

Uncle Allen sported them too....I think it really brings out their eyes!?!

Bennett and Will had so much fun playing with each other. Bennett is sporting his gardening glove and I'm not sure what Will is doing, but probably into something he shouldn't.

Not quite sure what they are looking at, but I'm sure it's very interesting!!!! Will likes to observe, he's done that since he was born, sometimes he gives grumpy looks while he's watching, others he just concetrates on your every move. He was mesmerized with Bennett.

After dinner it was present time. Will loved the boxes the most, but did get some cool shoes and a bag to go w/ his camo luggage.

Oh and the tissue paper was a hit too.

See try taking it away from him! This started the downhill slide to Mr. Cranky Pants so we left shortly after, but our evening was a lot of fun and the boys had a great time playing together.