Feeding Time

Laci tried rice cereal for the first time this morning. 
It wasn't exactly successful, but it was entertaining for Ryan and I. 
She was very excited about the spoon and opening her mouth,
but when she realized something was left in her mouth, she wasn't very happy. 
I don't think she even swallowed one bite. 
Oh yeah, and get ready for an overload of eating pictures
because I couldn't decide which ones were the cutest.

Opening wide!

Anything and everything goes in her mouth these days, so this part was easy.

"Hmmm...something in my mouth"

"I don't think I like it"

"Nope - definitely NOT"

Let's try it again.

"Ugh, still not good"

"Alright, I've had enough!"

Cousin Time

Laci had a lot of fun Christmas Eve watching all of her cousins run around, playing, opening presents, and generally being crazy.  Next year she'll be big enough to join them.  Oh, JOY!

Between Ryan's brother's two kids...

...and his cousin Todd's four kids...

...there are six cousins for Laci to be harrassed by. 

Add Laci to the mix and there are seven cousins total.

I can only imagine what trouble they'll be getting into

when they are all in high school at the same time.

Oh, what surprise!

Some people get REALLY excited opening presents...any present.

For example, news of a new grandbaby (last year):

Or a box of socks (this year):

Must be the magic of not knowing what is inside.

Beth

I just love watching this girl open gifts.

A New Tradition

The annual marathon of Christmas is officially over for us, and we have survived. 

Families have gathered, eaten good food, exchanged many gifts,

and once exhausted, have been dispersed back home. 

A good time was had by all, but I'm glad to be quiet at home tonight. 

Laci did very well her first Christmas,

dealing with all the commotion and multiple late nights

with the typical grace of a four month old. 

I took a couple hundred pictures

which I am now trying to sift through

so I can decide what to do with them. 

I am surrounded by boxes to be thrown away, toys to put away,

and a dirty little home that has been neglected for a few too many days. 

Of course, those things can wait. 

No doubt the cobwebs and dust will still be waiting for me tomorrow morning.

I wanted to start something special for Laci's first Christmas,

so like most blogging moms I went online.

 I got a great idea from a fellow blogging friend: 

Christmas PJ's given in an adorably decorated paint can. 

Here is our girl in the PJ's her daddy picked out. 

Hopefully I can keep this up every year. 

Thanks for the great idea Erica.

A Dog's Life

sisterly love

Today my firstborns turned 7 years old.  These two are quite a pair of dogs.  Most people would think they are crazy.  Most people would be right.  Anyone who has ever owned a heeler knows what I mean.  They have more energy in their pinky toe than you can even imagine in a dog, but they are lovable and loyal and are very entertaining most of the time.  I am so thankful we have six acres for them to run around on.  Without that, we would all definitely go crazy, dogs and humans. 

These two girls have had many adventures in their seven short years with us, and I have had the pleasure of watching them grow from birth.  I was there when they were born seven years ago.  Bailee was the 5th puppy born, and Lunati was the 6th.  I always joke that Bailee must have bullied Lunati in the womb as the "older" sister.  Funny now, the tables have turned and Lunati is definitely the dominant one.

Ryan and I were only friends when these girls were born.  Ryan picked Lunati from the litter shortly after they were born.  At the ripe age of six weeks, she went to live with her new daddy.  I wasn't planning on getting a puppy.  I needed a puppy like I needed a hole in the head.  Apparently, a hole in the head is exactly what I was needing.  Bailee lured me in with her sweet eyes.  She was born all white, except for a reddish-brown patch over one eye and one ear, and she had the blackest eyes and nose.  She would sit in the puppy box and just stare up at me - I couldn't resist.  And so we lived for a couple of years, Lunati with her daddy and Bailee with her mommy.  Growing up, the two puppies saw each other often, but you couldn't exactly call them friends.  More like enemies forced together by their owners.  There were many struggles between these two, which usually ended with the humans yelling at the puppies and having to separate them (maybe someone was making Ryan and I practice our parenting).

Who knew they would eventually become the best of the friends?

There are many stories I could tell about these two, but I'm sure that would bore you.  Most of you visit this blog to see pictures of Laci anyway, so a story about dogs = BORING.  Well, too bad, it's not your blog to decide.  Both of these dogs have fallen out of a truck in her lifetime - not a good testament to our parenting skills.  Lunati fell out the window of the truck going around a corner - she used to sit with her "arm" hanging out the window, not anymore.  Bailee bounced out of the back of my truck after hitting a bump in the road - no she wasn't tied in, I know, I'm an irresponsible parent.  Don't worry, they obviously both survived.  They are obsessed with chasing things - obviously, they are cow dogs after all.  Bred for chasing.  Too bad there aren't any cows to chase around here.  Since there aren't any cows for them, any object thrown will do:  tennis balls, sticks, logs, whatever.  Yes, I mean logs, no "stick" is too large for these girls.  I have seen them both try to drown themselves trying to retreive driftwood from the lake. 

The funniest thing about Bailee is the story of her ears.  She seriously has some of the biggest ears I have seen on a dog.  At least she used to.  Her ears used to look like this:

It took six months for them to stand up as a puppy and at six months old, they were WAY too big for her head.  It was hilarious.  Eventually she grew into them and I have loved them ever since.  That is until last summer when she decided to break one.  Did you know that a dog can break her ear?  I had no idea until she came in from playing looking like this:

Pretty stupid looking, huh?  Don't worry, I'm not offended.  There was actually a pocket of fluid/blood in her ear that was weighing the end of it down.  So what do you do when your dog looks like this? 

You make it look like this:

Really stupid looking now.  She had to have surgery to repair the ear and came home with this bandage.  She wouldn't even look at me she was so embarrassed.  She promptly removed this bandage a day and a half later, leaving her ear bent and crooked.  Six months later, just for fun, she decided to do it again:

Not so embarrased this time, and sort of Shrek looking, don't you think?  She only left this bandage on overnight.  No need for bandages for these crazy dogs, they just heal themselves.  Of course, the result was another bent and crooked ear.

We call this her "fast" ear because it folds back at the top like the wind is blowing it making her look like she's running really fast.  It adds character, I guess.  I miss her stand up ears.

I couldn't leave Lunati out of the post, although I can't think of any stories to tell of her.  She looks old in this picture, which I guess she is.  I call her my little pig.  She is built as solid as a little pig and is as stiff as a pig when you try to pick her up, plus she's a little fat.

They are pretty special dogs.  They are learning to deal with a baby in the house, although I'm sure they have no idea what is coming once Laci is mobile.  Once Laci starts dropping food on the floor for them, I'm sure they'll be fine.  I hope they have many years left in them.  You'd think they were still puppies by the way they race out the door each morning, but you know they're feeling their age when they come in stiff and sore after a day of playing outside.  Just part of life, I guess.

Well anyway, Happy Birthday Girls.  We love our first daughters.

And for those of you who only visit this blog to see Laci,

here she is.

...four months...

Laci's personality is growing as quickly as she is.  It is so fun to watch her learn just a little bit everyday.  I wish there were someway that I could remember each moment we have together, but with my frequently failing memory I doubt that is possible.  So here is my best effort of the highlights of Laci's little life at four months old.

We have regular giggle sessions now, which we both think are hilarious.  She laughs at the stupidest things, which means I must be doing the stupidest things frequently.  She loves it when you sing to her.  Her favorites are Pat-a-Cake, the ABCs, and Twinkle, Twinkle.  She tries to "sing" along with you which is so sweet.  She especially likes to sing when she is beyond tired but doesn't want to fall asleep, which is usually several times a day.  She hates going to sleep and fights it as long as she can at nap time.  She has grown to love her bouncer chair, which allows me to cook and clean again, and even craft a little.  As long as there is some action for her to watch, she is happy.  We still don't know what color her eyes are going to be.  Everyone thinks they look brown in her pictures, but they really aren't.  I would describe them as dark grayish, greenish, hazelish.  They'll probably end up like her daddy's, which are also grayish, greenish, hazelish, but much lighter.  She loves to stand up and be tossed up in the air.  She's still working on rolling over, but why work so hard when there are grown ups around who do the rolling over for you.  She likes to grocery shop (which makes only one of us - I hate it).  Just put her in the front pack and she'll go up and down aisles all day.  Checkout time is especially interesting.  She's wearing her six month clothes now, which makes me sad, she is growing so fast.  She's very particular about what position she is being held in and will let you know, loudly, if it isn't her preferred position.  She is cranky every evening, but wakes up every morning with a big smile on her face.  She watches everything:  people, pets, anything that moves, or doesn't move.  She just soaks it all in taking little mental notes - probably that we are all slightly insane and she can't quite figure out why she's here in the middle of all the craziness.  She loves her hands and is working on controlling them, although most of the time they are in her mouth and soaked in slobber. 

I could probably think of at least a thousand more things I want to remember if I just sat here long enough, but the truth is, I could never sit here long enough to remember it all.  She changes so quickly that I can hardly keep track of what she's doing.  Like for a week, all she did was stick out her tongue...constantly.  I couldn't get a picture of her without her tongue.  And then one day I was watching her and realized, oh, she doesn't stick out her tongue as much anymore.  I wonder when that happened?

I guess the most important thing I want to remember is that she brings us great joy and little headaches, both of which are necessary parts of life, and that we love her very much.  Thankfully, I don't have to write that down in order to remember it.

Apologies

It is true...I have an addiction to pictures of Laci.

Sorry, can't help it.

She's too cute and I love my camera -

a dangerous combination resulting in an extreme number of pictures taken on a daily basis.

I am issuing an apology to my future children:

There will never be as many pictures of you as there are of Laci.

I am not deliberately depriving you of camera time,

it is just part of being the first born.

I'm sorry.

Please know that I don't love you any less,

and you would all be my first born if that were possible.

Under the Weather

My baby girl is under the weather today.  I think she is teething.  She has been drooling out of control for a few weeks now and has become a vicious biter.  Ok, maybe not vicious, but definitely a biter.  She has never taken a pacifier, despite my many efforts, but has recently changed her mind.  She likes to hold the pacifier with both hands, bite it as hard as she can, and then yank it out of her mouth with all her might.  Repeatedly.  That is until she loses her grasp and can't get it back in her mouth...then, she just gets mad.  Poor thing.  Too young for teething toys should mean too young for teeth.  She also loves gnawing on the side of my hand which leaves both of us a soggy mess after about five minutes. 

Now this morning, she has a runny nose and draining sinuses, causing her to cough pathetically and making breathing through her nose quite a chore.  I keep checking, but can't feel any teeth yet.  Thankfully, she is dealing with it fairly well.  She is now laying on the floor smiling at a silly bug toy and trying to chew Pooh's head off.  Ahhh, the life of a baby.

COLD

so tiny

It has been really cold here for the past couple of days.  Cold enough to snow for a few minutes yesterday, although nothing stuck.  I should be embarrassed to admit that I pranced around the house almost the entire time it snowed, singing, "It's Snowing!" like I was five years old again.  But I'm not.  I'm also not embarrassed to admit that I ran outside for a minute to try to take a picture of the snow and then bragged when I came inside because I got snowflakes on me and Ryan had to stay inside with Laci.  Sadly, the pictures didn't turn out.  You can't even see the snowflakes.  I hope it snows again and sticks just a little, then I will get good pictures. 

Did I mention it is really cold today?  Cold enough that our pipes by the well are frozen this morning and as of now, I still do not have running water in my house.  I'm OK with that...for now...I would like to be able to flush the toilet sometime today.  I learned that you shouldn't ask your husband why the pipes aren't wrapped when I know they were wrapped last winter.  He will respond with a scowl.  Plus, he's the one who has to stand out there in the freezing weather trying to thaw them out, so I guess he is receiving his punishment.

Did I mention how cold it has been?  Cold enough that our pond froze a little and so did the water in the horse troughs.  I should have been there to help my mom break the ice this morning, but I was still tucked into bed snuggling with Laci.  Lucky girl I am.  Why is it that horses like to hurt themselves so often?  Wiley did something to his shoulder and upper leg to cause quite a bit of swelling and pain.  No lacerations this time, just a stiff, swollen shoulder.  Who knows what he did.  I don't think it is major...nothing a little bute can't help.  Maybe we should consider installing video cameras in the barn to capture the millions of ways horses can injure themselves on a daily basis.  Maybe we could send the video into America's Funniest Home Videos.  Maybe we could win a million dollars.  Maybe horses are just dumb. 

Did I mention it has been too cold to go outside with Laci?  I miss our outside walks everyday.  The light parade is this weekend.  I have always wanted to go, but never have because it is always freezing cold and I really don't like being cold.  I can see this year will be no different.

some days just aren't smiley days

Did I mention how cold it is outside?  Yep, I think I did.

Winter Weather

Gray skies and chilly outside.

Sunny and warm inside.

My "I Did" List

I am a list writer.  I'm not as bad as my mom or my sister who have devoted entire notebooks to various lists, but I do like a list when needed - like for grocery shopping or running errands.  The worst list of all is the "To Do" list.  I always seems to make these lists too big.  I start listing the things I need "to do" and I just can't stop.  I add more things to the list faster than I can check them off.  I feel like the more things I try to cross off the "to do" list, the less I get done.  I hate not being able to cross everything off the list.  You'd think I would just write a smaller list, but for some reason, I just can't.  This is why I came up with the "I Did" list.

The "I Did" list is just that - a list of what I did during the day.  I only write down the things I actually accomplished, and just to make myself feel better I even include some of the trivial things like brushing my teeth.  The interesting thing I've found about the "I Did" list is that it actually motivates me to do more.  Once I get going, I start looking around to see what I can do to add to the list.  Of course, I might not get everything done that needs to be done, and I might end up doing something that I hadn't planned on, but at least I get to write it down and feel like I've accomplished something for the day.  At the end of the day, when I'm exhausted and wondering why, I can just look at the list and see.  The "I  Did" list is ideal for days when you feel like a hamster running in a wheel.  Today I needed an "I Did" list.

Tuesday, December 1st - Today I...

...put on makeup

...took Ryan to town to pick up his truck

...paid bills

...balanced the checkbook

...gave Laci a bath after her 2nd blowout of the day (first blowout 7 am, second blowout 11am)

...took cute pictures of Laci

...went for a walk around our field

...washed dishes

...washed laundry

...made lemon bars (yum!)

...bookkeeping work (getting ready for the year end)

...made dinner (chicken, rice & broccoli)

...washed dishes again

...gave Laci her 2nd bath of the day

Now it is almost 8 pm, Laci is sleeping, I'm posting really cute pictures, and I'm ready for bed. 

Not bad for a day's work.

Thanksgiving Update

Thanksgiving has become the biggest holiday for my family.  It seems like this is the only time of year we can all take time off and get together.  The celebration started on Wednesday for me this year, when my mom and I worked on some sewing projects and then made four pumpkin pies.  They all turned out great - projects and pies.  Thursday was filled with loud family, too much food, and lots of laughs.  Friday was more family, more food, and more laughing.  The rain put a damper on some of our plans, but we had a good time stoking the fire in the wood stove until we had to open the windows and doors just to stay awake.  That heat will suck the life out of you.  Saturday was more family, more food, and more laughing again.  As if we hadn't had enough food already, we consumed an entire ham dinner with all the fixin's.  I spent Sunday at home, recovering from overeating and giving my ears a break from all the chaos.  Entertainment this year ranged from a serious Wii addiction to several rounds of Mad Gab.  The wind on Saturday inspired B to construct a homemade kite, which crashed and broke pretty quickly.  My dad built another one which flew to the end of the 200+ foot string. 

The main event of the weekend wasn't the turkey or the pie, of course it was Laci. 
No surprise there. 

It was so nice to have so many helping hands.  I had to prevent more than one fight over who was going to hold her.  I think she had a hard time adjusting to all the chaos, but she was a champ and did pretty well.  She had better get used to this family sooner or later because we aren't going anywhere, and we certainly aren't going to get any less loud.  She has a special fondness for Cousin B and Cousin Ryan.  She thinks B is probably the funniest thing she's ever seen and proved so by laughing her head off until she got the hiccups.

And Cousin Ryan must be special because she "said" his name. Just ask him, he'll tell you.

It was so fun to spend time with Aunty Jenny and all the rest of the family.  It reminded me of when we were kids and would spend the entire Thanksgiving week with cousins.  I hope Laci has those same special memories when she gets older. 
Here are some highlights I am going to remember:

Vocabulary Vomit

"What time is dinner?"

"We're leaving early, like five a.m."

Naked baby butts - both of them on one baby.

The lame part of the weekend is that even though I took almost 200 pictures, I didn't get even a single one of our new little family.  Too busy talking and eating I suppose. 
Anyhow, it was another great Thanksgiving holiday and
I'm already looking forward to doing it again next year.

It's Not All Sunshine and Roses: The Truth Behind the Blog

I love my life, but it is far from perfect.  I would never want it to be "perfect" even if there was such a thing.  The thing is, if you didn't know me and you read this blog, you might think that I think my life is perfect.  You might think that I never argue with my husband or worry about finances.  Based on this blog, I must spend my days filled with sunshine, playing silly games with the baby, and taking pictures to capture all my bliss.  Wouldn't that be nice?  The truth is, I do argue with my husband, I do worry about money, and I have so many faults I can't keep track.  I spend too much time on Facebook, I'm terrible at keeping in touch with friends, and I'm the worst procrastinator.  I like to focus my stories on those happy times for two reasons.  One, I want to remember them.  When I'm tired and cranky, it is easy for me to forget the simple things that bring me at least a little joy everyday.  Two, I have been trying really hard to be a more positive person - a glass is half full kind of girl.  I have found that the more I focus on the positive, the more things I find to be positive about.  I find it easier to let the little things go...like today, for example.

Today started like any other day.  I began my run in the hamster wheel around 6:45 this morning.  Feed baby, change baby, play with baby, feed baby again, put baby to sleep...lather, rinse, repeat.  I thought I would try to be ambitious today.  Not all days are ambitious.  Some days are meant for being lazy in pajamas all day.  Today was not going to be (another) one of those days.

I start with putting on makeup, mostly so I don't scare the UPS man if we get a package today.  Success!  Laci thinks putting on makeup is very entertaining.  This is when I realize that our bathroom sink is about the most disgusting sink you've ever seen.  I'm talking public restroom disgusting, except maybe worse because Ryan shaved the night before and there are little hairs everywhere.  If I were to drop my toothbrush in the sink at this point, I might consider just getting a new toothbrush.  I get out the cleaning supplies and clean off the counter which is littered with various bottles, potions, and lotions.  Just as I squirt a big glob of cleaner in the bottom of the sink, Laci has decided it must be time for playing, or eating, or her latest thing, which involves playing and eating at the same time (makes for much longer eating times).  After playing, eating, burping, pooping, changing, and more playing, we are ready to attack the bathroom again.  I am in the middle of scrubbing the faucet with a toothbrush (no I don't usually use a toothbrush, but like I said, it was really disgusting), and Laci decides it must be time for sleep.  I finish cleaning anyway so that by the time I have dried off the counter and returned all the bathroom paraphernalia to its proper location, I have a screaming mad baby who just doesn't understand why I didn't pick her up immediately.  Once I pick her up, she promptly falls asleep and takes an hour long nap...as if she was the one who needed a nap.

After all this ambitious cleaning, I decide I have accomplished enough for one day.  I take pride in my little successes because only a couple of months ago, I was convinced I would never be able to set the baby down long enough to clean anything again, EVER.  I plan to spend the rest of my brief baby-free moments browsing the Internet for items I don't need but really want.  That is, until, I open our cupboard.  Ryan has decided to store the butter dish in the cabinet on top of the plates.  At first I thought,"What a great idea."  We have a problem with the cats licking the butter when we leave it on the counter, and I have a problem with cold hard butter from the fridge...it just doesn't spread.  Apparently, the mice thought it was a great idea too because there are fecal remnants of our mice friends all over the cabinet, plates, and bowls.  I am totally grossed out and drag Ryan into the kitchen with me to examine the cupboard.  Yes, he confirms, mouse poop.  When we first moved here we put out all kinds of mouse traps, caught a couple, and haven't had a problem since.  Plus, with three cats around here, why worry about mice?  I don't know what it is about mouse poop that is so disgusting.  I mean, other than the fact that it is poop, it really isn't that bad.  It is small, firm, and doesn't really smell.  I deal with grosser things numerous times a day in Laci's diapers.  BUT, the fact is, mouse poop is grosser than anything Laci could ever produce and now my cabinet is covered in it.  What do I do?  I start pulling everything out of the cupboard.  I mean EVERYTHING.  Plates, bowls, mugs, more plates, even the shelf lining.  I throw away the shelf lining and do my best to disinfect the particle board shelves.  I recut some lining for the shelves and spent the next 45 minutes washing every dish that I pulled out of the cabinet, contaminated or not.  In my mind, it was all contaminated.  Never have I wanted a dishwasher so badly.

The point of me telling this long-winded story was not to bore you, although I may have successfully bored you to death.  If you are still alive and with me, the point is to let you know that I deal with crap in my life everyday - both figuratively and literally.  I struggle with being content with my life and sometimes I have to strain to see the silver lining.  Don't let the sunshine-y facade of my blog blind you - I am a real person with real problems.  I just happen to have some good things going on, and I don't mind sharing them.