Baldwin

Last Sunday we got a phone call from Guiding Eyes saying that a 14 week old yellow male lab was available immediately if we wanted him.  He had been sick with a urinary tract infection when the rest of his litter was tested and kind of forgotten after that.  After learning some more about him we decided that an older puppy would mean less housebreaking and he would have had all of his shots so he could be taken anywhere, including to work with me, which was a bonus.  Tuesday night we met the van and got our sweet Baldwin.  We knew he was a bit "soft" which meant that he was more of a cuddler and less hard headed than some of the puppies which sounds great, and it is for a pet, but guide dogs need to be super confident and even a bit stubborn.  But he was good enough to pass his initial tests so he has the potential, we just need to work extra hard to pull that out of him by building his confidence.  He slept great that first night but was having accidents all over the place the next day.  For a moment Jeremy and I asked what we had gotten ourselves into, but lo and behold Baldwin started to feel more at home and didn't have any accidents yesterday or today.  He is super gentle with the kids, in fact, the dog he watched a few weeks ago was much more active and playful and the kids were almost disappointed that Baldwin wasn't as much.  He will lay next to Gavin while he reads to him, Mason isn't afraid he will jump up on him, and Cameron could throw a ball for him all day long.  Jeremy loves to play hide and seek with him and I just just love to snuggle him.  He fell asleep when I held him like a baby yesterday and I was in heaven.  He is learning commands so quickly and you can tell he really wants to please you.  We love him!

The Naked Truth

We went to the zoo on Saturday.  I had the best intentions of getting the kids out in the beautiful weather (60 and sunny after all that snow!) and going to enjoy something I thought everyone would like.  Jeremy told me after our trip there that I would post some pictures on my blog and talk about what a wonderful time we had even though it wasn't all roses because I just want to remember the good parts.  And he's right.  I do pick out the good parts and omit the bad in the hopes that one day my kids will have fond memories of the things we did when they were little.  But this time I will give it to you straight.  Gavin has been begging to go to the zoo.  He is on a real animal kick right now, reading all sorts of books about different mammals and spouting out facts every chance he gets.  We didn't leave for the zoo until 1 pm because Jeremy was helping some people in our ward move, which was sweet of him, but I had hoped to get there much earlier.  Mason fell asleep for the last 15 minutes of our ride which meant we had to wake him up when we finally got there.  I warned Cameron and Gavin that mason may not be in the best of moods and to please, please, tread softly with him so we could all have a peaceful time.  I asked all the kids to pick an animal that they wanted to see. Cameron picked the elephants, Mason picked a black bear, and Gavin could not decide between the cheetahs or the howler monkeys.  Mason was groggy, but we were all very careful not to set him off, it was like tiptoeing on an area littered with landmines.  First we entered the think tank which was a building with two orangutans that you could play tug of war with through the glass!  Mason was not impressed.  The smell hit him first and he refused to get over it.  Then we went to see the lions and tigers and Mason was already complaining about all the walking...  Every time we went into another building Mason thought it was stinky and uninteresting, while Gavin tried to soak everything in as we rushed him through.  Cameron was such a great big brother, trying to entertain Mason and distract him, and even hold him up so he could see the snakes and cockroaches better.  We made a giant detour to see the elephants only to be disappointed that they weren't out enjoying the weather like everyone else, and we had to walk uphill clear to the other side of the park to see the cheetahs, which truly were pretty amazing and even got to hear one of the zookeepers talk about them which was an added bonus to the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth we got from number three.  You know it has been several years since we have been to the zoo and I was so thrilled that this time we would not need a stroller, but I think we all may have enjoyed ourselves more if I would have brought one for Mr. Grumps.  It took us over an hour and a half to get home due to some unexpected traffic, and by the end I was wondering why I ever take my kids anywhere at all.  This summer I've decided to do a day trip with each of my boys going somewhere they are really interested in.  Cameron wants to go to the museum of Engraving and Printing where they make money, Gavin wants to go to the aquarium or maybe back to the zoo so he can watch the animals some more, and Mason?  I think I might just take him to the movies...  Truth be told it was not the day I had hoped it would be but at least there is some evidence that we tried to do something, even if it wasn't pretty.  Gavin still had a good time so in the end it was worth it.

Snow, glorious SNOW!

The Farmer's Almanac said we would get big time snow this year.  So of course, with this reliable information we stocked up on sleds and snow gear and waited for the big storm.  We had a couple of piddly ones early in the season, but never enough to even cover the grass.  The day after Christmas we pretended there was enough to go sledding but barely.  I think I get just as giddy for a snow day as my kids and as March approached we had given up on our snowy winter.  I knew better than to believe the weathermen when they started predicting this weeks snow, they had already let us down several times this year.  But as Wednesday approached it seemed more and more likely that we might actually get some of that white stuff.  Wednesday was also Jeremy's birthday and I could not even put into words how happy I'd be if he had to stay home on his special day- and the kids too!  Wednesday morning finally arrived and with it the snow, there was no disappointment this time, we got about 8 inches before it started raining and melting it away.  Well we took full advantage and sled not only in our backyard, but twice at grandmas house, and built two snowmen and had a glorious snowball fight.  It was heaven.  We drank more hot chocolate that I would care to admit and snuggled up as a family, celebrating the snow and the birth of a very special man.  It was absolutely perfect.  Now spring can come and I will feel satisfied.

Oh, and Mason had a preschool program all about having a healthy heart.  He learned all about blood vessels and healthy eating and exercise.  He even chastised me for not buying whole grain pasta.  We'll see how long these new habits last!

A Guiding Eyes Beginning

When we lost Aspen last June, we were all terribly devastated.  Cameron perhaps took it the worst, and even now, I will find him with tears in his eyes thinking of precious memories.  For a while we thought we just wouldn't get another dog, but then all of a sudden things changed and we all (even Jeremy!) began wanting the presence of a dog in the house.  We wafted back and forth between wanting to rescue and adult dog to wanting a fancy purebred puppy and after many months of searching and researching, finally settled on fostering a guide dog puppy.  I remember a girl in high school who did this and I was always jealous of her experience, and I've known several others who have raised puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind and loved it.  A big part of our decision came down to the fact that Jeremy wanted a puppy and I wanted this new pet to be a family dog- not "his" or "hers" and I knew if i talked him into getting a dog he didn't want that it would always be "my dog."  Also, we thought this would be such a great opportunity to teach the kids about an act of service that will completely change someones life.  When we finally did look into it, everything just fell into place.  There are only a few areas in Virginia for puppy raisers to meet and for us it was right in our county.  Also, they only hold the pre placement classes a couple times a year and they were starting a new one up the very next week.  It just felt right and we all began to get excited.  At this point, we have all (even the kids) finished the placement classes and are just waiting for our puppy who will come the end of March or beginning of April.  He will be a male lab and that is all we know.  Until then, we have to do some "puppy-sits" with other guiding eyes dogs so that we can use the training we've received until we get our own dog.  This weekend we kept 6 month old Margie who was such a doll!  She was very well behaved and great with the kids and did great with us novices.  I think we were more afraid that we would ruin her!  Now we are more anxious than ever to get our own dog.  Everyone that we have told we are doing this asks the same question, "how are you going to be able to give him up?"  The answer is that we just don't know.  I am sure it will be terribly painful but we hope also terribly rewarding, enough that we will want to do this again and again.  Who wouldn't want an adorable puppy as a constant in their home?  And the pass rate for these dogs is only 45%, so there is a chance that we will be able to keep him in the end if he is a complete failure :)

Love day

Valentine's day was awesome at our house.  The kids really look forward to this holiday and I was thankful to Pinterest for all of the great ideas I got to make their Valentine's unique.  Mason got cards that say "I'm glad you AR-MY Valentine with a green army guy attached.  Gavin got super hero tootsie pops dressed up like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman (for the girls).  Cameron got Star Wars ones with a glow bracelet attached to look like the light saber.  They were all pretty amazing.  A special thanks to grandma for helping me put them all together!  Our breakfast was heart shaped cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk which is a rarity in our house.  The kids all got a new wii game and some chocolates.  For dinner Cameron requested salmon (it's pink!) and I'm happy to say that Mason finally decided he likes salad so we all had that as well along with some apple pomegranate sparkling cider.  Up until now when the rest of us had salad I would just give him cucumbers and carrots to munch on, but this week he has been trying to eat all the colors of the rainbow for school and our lettuce was green and purple so he tried it out (with plenty of ranch) and loved it!  Dessert was a rocky road fondue (also from pinterest) which everyone enjoyed.  Jeremy special ordered me some chocolate covered cinnamon bears from Utah which are my favorite!!  I love having a day to show my family how much I love them, especially when most of that love revolves around cooking ;)

Dear Mason

Last, but definitely not least is dear Mason.  Kid, you have shaken our family up!  At times you can be stubborn beyond belief, but you also make us roll on the floor in laughter.  You are so clever and I am often in awe of how your little mind works.  I love/hate how you insist things be on your terms whether it be how you put on your shoes, or your lengthy ritual of saying goodbye when anyone in our family leaves the house.  I have to trick you into telling me about preschool, because if I just ask you about it you resist and keep your mouth clamped tight.  I have learned how to charm information out of you so you don't realize you're actually being compliant.  Just yesterday on the way home from church you told me that Sister Bennin has a policy that if you get to a three in her class you don't get a treat.  Then you told me you had gotten on a three and proceeded to tell me exactly what you had done (getting out of your seat, laying on the floor, talking too much).  I was about to go home and call her to apologize for your behavior when you impishly grinned and told me it was all a big joke!  You hadn't even gotten a one.  That was quite the story to tell your mother...  You can throw a fit with the best of them, but also love your snuggle time.  My favorite time with you is when you get up before the boys and come crawl into bed for a few minutes before it's time to get going.  You put your little hands on my face and tell me you love me because I'm beautiful.  I think you have a future in theater because of all of the expressions you make, I love it.  You are my little shadow and want to be doing whatever I am doing, whether it is cooking dinner or folding the laundry.  It isn't often that you will go downstairs and play alone, you are so social.  You love math and ask me to give you "math questions" (addition) in the car when we are driving.  You also are starting on those Bob books that Gavin had when he was your age and I have been shocked at how easily you are able to sound out the words.  In our puppy classes, Gavin asked one of the ladies if her dog was a boy or a girl and she said boy.  You promptly looked underneath and loudly exclaimed "That's because he has a penis!"  Embarrassing but hilarious.  It's beginning to hit me that next year I won't have you or anyone else here to keep me company each day.  As much as I complain about having to tote you around with me and think that I will enjoy my freedom, I know it will be difficult to be without my little buddy.  I love the spark you add to our family, I hope you never change.

Dear Gavin

Maybe it's because you are the middle child, but I really have a soft spot for you kiddo.  This year you have such a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Clement for first grade.  She sees in you everything that I do and maybe more.  She told me that in all her years of teaching she has had lots of very smart children who have been drilled on the presidents of the US or taught to read early by persistent parents, but only had four truly "gifted" students, and that you are one of them.  I have always known that your mind works differently than the rest of us, but she says you are brilliant.  In class you will come up with the answer in a completely different way then the other kids, and it is still correct.  She told  me that you will change the world someday.  I am so thankful that she can see beyond your quirkiness and lets you figure things out in your own way.  You are voracious about writing and drawing and aspire to be an author and illustrator when you grow up.  I love that your imagination is amazing and you can think up such complex plots with great detail.  I treasure the books you have already written and have every faith in your future goal.
You love animals.  You get that from me, you know.  When we had those kittens you would love on them, sometimes too much.  You always were the one to snuggle up with Aspen and I know how much you must miss her.  Before Christmas you had your mind set on buying a black lab puppy.  You took all the money you had in your piggy bank and brought it to me in a ziplock bag and asked if it would be enough to get your very own pup that could sleep with you in your bed.  You were part of the wheels on our newest endeavor of getting a guide dog puppy.  I know that our dog will be the most loved of any and that you will help to train him for his service role.  He may even be that black lab you wanted so much.
You are persistent.  Even as a baby I remember trying to let you cry it out at night and listening to you wail for hours until I could no longer bear it and I would come get you.  When you get your mind set on something nothing can get in your way.  Although this can be frustrating for me, I can see this trait taking you far someday.
You are helpful.  You are always the first one to offer to do something for me, and the first one up getting their chores done on Saturday without complaint.  You take your job of feeding the cat each day very seriously and make sure that she feels loved too.
You are talkative.  In school this gets you in trouble sometimes, but I secretly love it.  I'm glad that you feel comfortable talking to both kids and adults and can carry on a good conversation.  You have no fear of asking an adult a question, whether it's a waiter for a refill of your drink, or the lifeguard for a pair of goggles.  Cameron uses you to do this for him often and you happily oblige.
There are so many things that I just adore about you and I can't wait to see what you make of yourself someday.  I am so very proud that you are my son.