Happy girl, happy puppy

The last few weeks have gone by in a blur. Between 2 gymnastics meets, plus trying to overcome a bug of some sort that had me down for several days, and still having to keep up with life as usual... it's been hard to keep up.

I know I keep saying it, but I really do want to get back into the habit of blogging regularly. So let's pretend I'm not a week late on sharing these pictures with you.

The other day (Sunday I think) I took Meagan with me to walk Dublin, and we went down to the woods. Simply put, she had a ball! She is definitely an outdoorsy type of girl - always has been - and she was definitely in her element. Plus, she had a playing buddy, which just made it all that much better.

On the walk to the woods, we pass by a semi-open area of lower-lying brush and ground cover and so on. There is lots of evidence that it's good bedding ground for deer, and there are always a few other smaller creatures to be found there. The county has made a walking path through there... but apparently Meagan doesn't need no stinking path. She went off-roading through all the small trees and high brush. At one point she almost got tangled in some brambles, but she managed to pick her way through it.

Not to be outdone, Dublin followed.

Seriously?

Of course, we made a straight line for the river, where Dublin wasted no time sticking is face right in and getting a drink.

Dribble face

I love this picture. It captures perfectly the simple fact that these 2 are inseparable. Wherever she goes, he follows. He just will not let her out of his sight.

Meagan has a wild imagination and a flair for adventure. She found some large pieces of bark, lots of large branches and twigs, and began building a shelter. And a raft. And then she told me that when she is older, she will live in the woods and build her own log cabin. And her husband will stay home and take care of the kids while she goes to work. And her work will be building their house, and of course, the kids will help (good luck with that one babe).

Like I said, he never leaves her side. In all the pictures where it's just her, it's simply because he is just barely out of the shot.

This adventure made for one happy girl. And one even happier puppy. On the way home, Meagan asked if we can go to the woods every Tuesday and Thursday (her 2 days she doesn't have gymnastics). While we may not be able to go 2 times a week every week, I promised her we will definitely go again soon.

**********

30 Days of Thanks: Day 7

Memory.
Without it, I would have no evidence of some of the most impacting people, events, and moments in my life. I know I take a lot of photos. Mostly because photography is an outlet for me. But also because I love the way a photo can bring to life a memory that's been stored away. I'm amazed at the power of a memory. At the way a song or a sound or a smell can bring to life a moment that's been lying dormant for so long. I spend a lot of quite thought time with my memories, reflecting, enjoying them for what they were and appreciating how they've played a part in shaping who I am right now.

My Happy Place

This is my happy place. It has been since we first moved here and I took my first bike ride through these trails. It's beautiful. It's quiet. It's natural. It's everything I love most about existence.

This place speaks to me like no other that I encounter in my daily life. I love that this relatively untouched space can be found practically right in the middle of sculptured lawns and technology-driven society. I can draw so many parallels to life standing in the middle of these woods. It makes me happy sigh.

So lately, this has been our walking destination. I get home from work, grab something random for lunch, and grab Dublin for a walk. He doesn't so much love the part of the walk where he has to behave on his leash while we're getting there, but I think he loves this place as much as I do. Once we get there, and I can let him off leash, he is a happy puppy.

At first he was unsure of the bridge, but he got over his insecurities pretty quickly. Now he just runs across it like nothing.

Chasing leaves = happiest puppy in the world.

Down by the river... again, he was unsure at first, and is still a bit hesitant to get too far out into the water (I bet it's cold). But he loves to stick his nose where it doesn't belong (ha!) and investigate. Plus, it's an endless supply of rocks! Good stuff!

Nature's camouflage...

**********

30 Days of Thanks: Day 6

I'm thankful for the right to vote. For my voice to be heard, though it is one of millions.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 5

Okay, this might sound dumb and superficial, but it's still part of life...

I'm thankful for our car pool! Seriously. Without it, I would fail miserably at accomplishing all of the stuff I need to do on a daily basis. I mean really, our 3 kids have a combined 23 hours of sports practice a week. I'm just not that good. It's SO nice to have people who are willing to help and share the load, and it's nice to know that I'm able to help them out just the same.

Besides how helpful it is to get to share the load when it comes to sports transportation, I love these ladies (and their kids)! They have become such good friends, and life would be a little less interesting without knowing them.

Just so you can see how crazy these kids can get during a car ride... I took this pic the other day as I was driving down the road (with one hand on the steering wheel, and the other holding the camera and randomly aiming toward the back seat... this is what I caught... a bunch of feet up in the air. ???  Cracked me up!)

 And just think, this is only with the 3 youngest girls... we're missing the 2 older girls and Sebastian for this particular car ride. Keeps life interesting.

**********

30 Days of Thanks: Day 4

I'm so thankful for creativity. It's been such a huge outlet in my life - writing and painting and photographing life. It has shaped me and has shaped the way I view and interact with the world. And now I see it coming to life in our kids, and it makes my heart happy. I can see them finding themselves, learning more about who they are and who they want to be through expressions of creativity. It's a brilliant part of life, and it's just one of those things that makes me sure that God is a genius.

While I'm on this topic, I thought I'd share this video with you. I took it this past Sunday (which would have been Day 4 if I were actually keeping up in a timely fashion). For all of you nosy peeps, you can peek inside a pretty typical evening in our home... about 20 things going on at once... we're all loud... but content and chill. I love it. This was Sebastian's first time ever picking up a guitar (other than a pretend one that Isaac got for his birthday or Christmas a few years ago). Shane let him use his guitar to play around a bit, and this is what Sebastian did with it... I think he's watched It Might Get Loud a few times, as he took right to finger slide like Jack and Jimmy and Edge.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 3

(catching up... you knew it was coming... you had to know i would never be able to actually keep up on a 30-day anything! ha!)

I'm thankful for living in a location that is close enough to still visit with family. We could have landed in a lot of possible locations, but this one is wonderful! So close to Indy, lots of concerts and games and museums and events to enjoy. Close enough to 'home' to still get back and visit occasionally, or maybe have the occasional visitor! Love that!

Saturday Shane came and hung out with us (and almost jinxed Notre Dame by watching the game at our house... he's lucky it didn't fall out that way or he would be uninvited for next time... it's only weird if it doesn't work, right?). Anyway, he came, he hung out, he stayed. We had good times. It was all good stuff. And it made me happy. Happy is good.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 2

So this is a little random. And maybe it won't make any sense outside of my head. I know that sometimes I run that risk when I try to put my thoughts into words...sometimes my thoughts are more of an understanding than an ability to express an idea.

Today I realized how thankful I am for complexity. Odd? Maybe. But odd is me.

Again today, Dublin and I walked to the nature reserve, but we took a different path. We walked to the other side of the river, where there is nothing but wide open space, fields of overgrowth and underbrush and small trees and shrubs, bordered by forest that follows along the river. Beautiful. One of my favorite places. Especially on days like today when no one else is around.

We spent nearly an hour there, running through the long grass, trudging through the forest, and splashing in the edge of the water. It was quiet time to think while he chased leaves down stream and attempted to catch and eat as many grasshoppers as possible. Quiet time that doesn't come often for me anymore with the layers of things going on in daily life.

I felt really at odds standing in the middle of the forest. Just on the other side of the river is a paved walking path with well-kept medians that border nicely manicured laws that surround nice and tidy homes. And here I stand in the middle of the messiest, most unruly of surrounds, with vines growing every direction, trees fallen and decaying, and the ground absolutely covered in layers of mud and leaves and debris. There, dogs are kept on leashes and tightly controlled and held to human expectations. Here, they can be off-leash and run and play and do what dogs are meant to do. There, life is orderly and routine and scheduled. Here, there's no order, no routine, no schedule or obligation - only existing.

This contrast was just a spring board for a whole trail of thoughts that I'll spare you. The point is, I realized today, standing in the middle of the woods, that I am really thankful for complexities and contrasts and dualities that make up the human experience. Without it, how boring would life be? I'm just not the type of person that can keep everything neat and orderly - not physical things, and not in my mental and emotional being. There are a million layers and possibilities, and many of them are at odds with each other. And without them, I would be a totally different person. And I like them. I like the oddities and the contrasts. They give substance and context to what could otherwise be a mere passing of time.

So there you have it... blah blah blah... pardon the ramblings of my Stewart Smalley moment. Deep thoughts ended. Carry on. ;)

**********

30 Days of Thanks: Day 1

Thanks to Thanksgiving, November is the month marked for thankfulness. I love it! And I truly believe it's a great opportunity to practice actively being thankful. For every little thing. And for every big thing. And for everything in between.

So, I'm jumping on board with the "30 Days of Thanks" project this year. Taking time to be aware of what's around me - of all the things that fill up my life and make it what it is. I have a lot to be thankful for!
(and yes, I do realize today is Nov 2. Late is me. But we'll deal.)

Nov 1 - Today I finally got to do something I've been wanting to do since we very first got Dublin. We walked all the way down to the nature & wildlife protection zone about a half mile or so from our neighborhood. It's one of my most favorite places to be, to just be, but so far, his little puppy legs (or his little puppy behavior on a leash) haven't been up to the task. Well, today it was warm, with bright blue sky and cool crisp air. Perfect conditions to give it a try. And it was great! And while I can't pinpoint one exact thing, I was just overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for the whole situation - for the puppy, for the weather, for the natural protection and the fact that we live close enough to walk there whenever we feel like it. I was also thankful for the fact that our puppy-training efforts have begun to show some fruit. For our entire time walking around down there, I was able to drop the leash and just let him wander. It was nice to feel confident that he would stay near me and would follow me if I walked away.

(He found the best stick ever and plopped down to chew on it for a minute before we moved on)

**********

Smell my feet!

Happy Halloween 2012! We had a great night! The rain broke off and gave us a few peaceful (and dry) hours to be out and about! Perfect!

I decided way too late that it would be fun to dress up this year. So, I improvised. I busted out the eye liner and drew a spider web and a spider. Plus, I wore an orange shirt with a spider web on it, and some funky crazy socks to go with. Eye liner + basic art + cheesy shirt + crazy socks = some kind of costume I suppose. Just go with it. Maybe I'll try to plan ahead for next year. (Maybe I should go shopping tomorrow for my 2013 costume... what do you think?)

So yep, that's the extent of my costume... now on to the kids, which is what you really care about anyway, right?

Youngest to oldest?
Meagan talked me into a witch costume. If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago, I would have told you she would not be being a witch. Nope. But here you have it. And it's cute. And I liked it. And she LOVED it. So we're good.

Of course, Indiana trick-or-treating requires layers... She is wearing a pair of pants under her sparkly star witch tights. Layers. It's how we roll.

I guess she liked my spider and spider web because she wanted a spider too. I kept it low-key on her. But still cute. And she thought it was a super huge deal that she got to wear my makeup... eye liner and blush and shadow... all the good stuff.

And when I see this picture, I consider this to be my warning that the day is coming when I will fear for letting her out of the house. I do not look forward to the day that dumb boys start calling and acting like dumb boys to try to get her attention. But I'm gonna guess that day is coming... just look at her. *eeep*

On to child # 2... Less pictures of the boys... because they're boys and they don't want their pictures taken. And plus, they're both ninjas, and you can't see their faces, so what's the point of taking multiple pictures that all look exactly the same? Don't judge. :)

I gotta say, this cracks me up! I'm 100% sure that thing on his face isn't on right. So he sort of looks like a maniacal doctor or something? Do you see it, or is it just me??  I dunno. Funny kid!

And #3... ninja #2. In case you were wondering what Sebastian's eyes look like, here's your reminder. *lol*

 I love these kids! I love that (most of the time) they love to be together and they treat each other like friends. Good stuff.

Friends of ours met up with us and walked the neighborhood with us. Good thing, too, because the dad ended up carrying Meagan on his shoulders for the last 15 minutes or so... that's what happens when you try to trick-or-treat in brand new sparkly dress shoes. I tried to explain that to her, but she's a girl, and she got sucked in by the glitter. Whatever.  Anyway, here's all 6 kids together before we headed out. Look at Miss Meg holding her own in a big pack of wild boys!

We did the entire neighborhood (although Meagan passed on the last 5 houses or so in exchange for the shoulder ride). It was dark by the time we got home - around 7:30 I'd say. So they sat at the table with their candy, trading with each other while they watched The Great Pumpkin. The only bummer was that the Shrek Halloween special wasn't on tv this year. That's been part of our Halloween for the past 2 or 3 years, and the kids were looking forward to it. Oh well.  You can't go wrong with Charlie Brown.

Afterwards, it was hot showers to warm up (and scrub all the makeup and hairspray off). Then off to bed... back to the regular swing of things tomorrow. Hope you had  a happy Halloween!

**********

Fall Break

What a great day it's been! Today was the first day of the kids' 2-day fall break from school. It started off early... Sebastian got up with Dublin at 5:30 this morning, then laid back down with him on the couch for another hour or so. I was up and showered by 7:00. Why? I have no idea. You would think I would sleep in on my sleep-in day. Nope. Up by 7:00. It worked out though, as I got a lot done before 10:00.

Meagan had a friend spend the night last night. She came home with us after gymnastics and stayed. They got up this morning and went outside, where they sat up a tea party, complete with fresh-brewed tea and cinnamon popcorn. Mmmmm. While they were doing that, the boys were chillin', and I had a chance to clean up the kitchen, do a load of laundry, sweep the floors, and start a project.

What project? Remember last October when I started spray painting our dining room chairs? Well, I only got 2 of 6 done last year. So today, I hauled the other 4 out to the garage (which the girls swept out for me...nice to have a few extra pair of helping hands). I got them sprayed pretty well... I still need at least one more coat on them to fill in spots that are thin. Nice to be making progress, though.

At 10:00, our friends' boys came to stay with us for the day. So for about an hour, I had 7 kids at my house. And a dog. Off leash. And a garage full of a spray paint project. Some would question my sanity at this point. But it was all good.

We had a busy afternoon! We went to lunch, then went to the party store to get costumes. The boys both picked out a version of ninja. Again. I think this makes 3 years in a row (??) that Sebastian will be some kind of ninja. I guess he's comfortable with it, so who's arguing? Meagan went in with thoughts of being a cat or a spider. Instead, she absolutely fell in love with this adorable 'cute witch' costume. I'm seriously not a fan of witch costumes, but she had her heart totally set on it. And it IS pretty cute... flowing, and pretty colors, and a cute little cat on the front. So we went with that.

And if keeping in the Halloween mood, we went ahead and decorated outside tonight. There's really  not much to do out there... throw some lights on the mini bushes, plug in the blow up pumpkins, and call it good. Less than an hour and we were done, and Meagan was over-the-moon happy! She LOVES lights and decorations, no matter what holiday it is!

**********

weeks 39 and 40

I'm still hanging in there, trying to pull off some sort of Project Life for 2012. I'm weeks and weeks behind, but I'm not giving up!

I've decided to do the most recent stuff and try to find time to work back to the weeks I've missed. Maybe I'll never get back to them, but hopefully I will. Anyway, I've managed to get something together for weeks 39 and 40. For 39 I barely had enough photos and stories to fill up one 12x12 page, so I deviated from my 2-page-spread format for that week. I have a feeling I'll do that quite a bit as I go back and fill in weeks I've missed... sometimes life gets pretty repetitive, and I forget to take time to photograph or document it. And sometimes I just don't have my camera handy. So it is what it is.

Week 39:

Week 40:

left page close-up:

right side close-up:

**********

catching up on layouts (again)

i have a bunch of layouts i just haven't had the time to post. i'm just trying to get caught up a bit, especially now that puppy-head is becoming less needy in the evenings... MAYBE i might get a wee bit of my free time back? i'm not holding my breath. but here's hoping!

Where the Birds Fly

(click here to view credits)

Silver Orange Boy

(click here to view full credits)

Tackle Football

(click here to view credits)

Creepy Crawly Pumpkins

(click here to view full credits)

check you out

(click here to view credits)

**********

Instinctual

Apparently this is what happens when you get a puppy of a breed that is known for being excellent hunting dogs. Instincts kick in right in the middle of a casual afternoon walk.

Every afternoon after lunch, I've been taking Dublin on walks, and for the past few days we've been walking down the easement behind the houses so he can be off-leash and walk and explore in the grass. Today we did the same. He was going along beside me, wandering every so often to sniff at weeds or try to snack on rocks, but staying with me pretty well. All of a sudden, his nose started sniffing a million miles an hour, he was pointing, and totally keyed in on something that I couldn't see. But he smelled it. And he would NOT let it go. So I stepped back to see what was so exciting to his little puppy sniffer. I figured it couldn't be anything much, since I couldn't see it... maybe a grasshopper or something... he has been known to sniff those out from time to time.

The next thing I know, he comes up with a SNAKE in his mouth, and he was prancing around, proud as could be.

He was none too happy when I made him drop it and walk away. Not happy at all. But I was just not willing to bring the snake home with us as a play toy. Nor was I willing to sit back and watch Animal Planet while my dog tore into a snake for snack. Nope. So he had to drop it and walk away, like it or not.

I knew there was a reason I grabbed my camera before we went on our walk today. You just never know what kind of photo moment will come up. ;)
**********

Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted! The biggest thing is that we got our puppy!!! And he is SO cute! We went last Saturday (so over a week ago - September 29th) to pick him up, and since then, we've been adjusting to life with a puppy - working on teaching him lots and lots of new stuff! So far he's doing great, and we all just love him!

He's sleeping in his crate with no issues. He's sleeping through the night. And he (most of the time) comes when we call him, which is nice because he can be off-leash out in the yard... love that! And he's such a lover... LOVES to be with his people... hates NOT being with his people. In fact, he considers himself to be a lap dog. This is fine for now, since he is still small enough to fit on laps. If, however, he still believes he's a lap dog when he weighs 80 pounds, we may have some issues. :)

Check this out... this was how we spent Saturday night watching the Notre Dame vs. Miami game...

And this is Dublin on Isaac's lap while the boys played Play Station.

So, yeah, needless to say, it's pretty hard to resist letting this sweet little guy curl up on your lap... maybe some day we will regret this... or maybe not.

*****
Also last Saturday (same day as puppy day), Meagan hurt her knee pretty badly at Isaac's football game. She was playing on the playground during the game, and flew off of the merry-go-round. When she landed, her leg bent the wrong way...*shiver*  A trip to the ER, X-Rays, and a follow-up with her orthopedic specialist all concluded that nothing was broken or torn. Just really really really sore. She spent the entire week on crutches (Isaac's from a few years ago when he broke his ankle). In fact, Sunday - 2 days ago - was the first time she walked on it at all since the injury happened. She's been off the crutches since then, and every day gets a little stronger on it! Mid-week last week, when she was feeling super discouraged, thinking she would never be done with crutches, I gave her a little incentive... I told her that once she was off the crutches and back to walking on her own, we would all go get custard from Culver's.

And so, today, her 3rd day of no crutches, we followed through on that. And what a great day for it! The flavor of the day was Twix Mix! Mmmmmmm......

**********