DONE with Winter!

I'd like to say that winter has gotten the better of us.  We, along with thousands of others in the Mid-West, are just D.O.N.E with the nonsense of snow upon snow, accompanied by the bitter cold. I cannot remember a more harsh winter.  Typically, we hover in the 30's and occasionally drop as low as the teens but this year we've seen temps hit -30 and have stayed almost constantly in the low teens.  One day last week it warmed up in the mid 30's and it honestly felt warm enough to break out the flip flops!

One the few rare days that is has been "warm" enough to go outside without your eyebrows freezing, we've bundled up and headed out.  My Dad brought up a couple old plastic sleds that I used when I was little, so we carted Rory to the park.

There is one hill on the farthest end of the park and it's just the right size for young kids to sled.  It was the first time Rory has gone sled riding and it was hilarious!  I thought he might be scared or nervous but he would giggle and laugh going down the hill--I couldn't help but laugh myself and at how much fun he was having.

How can you not have fun being pulled back up the hill like this?

We had so much fun that Rory and I took Daddy and Jessie back on Thursday.  I found out at work I had some personal time that was either use it or lose it, and I'm a use it kind of gal.   Hooray for 4 day weekends and having the hill at the park all to ourselves!!  It was a bit harder this time because it had snowed again and there was a layer of ice on the very top of the snow.  It was VERY hard to walk in but excellent for sled riding because the layer of ice made the sled go that much faster.  A couple times, if I ran fast enough pulling Rory and gave him a good fling with the rope he could slide on the flat ground--all because of the ice!  

The dog seemed a little less than impressed but did I mention how hard it was to walk in the snow/ice mixture?  My legs are still a little sore and my arms are sore from pulling the sled!  An hour out meant good naps for EVERYONE that afternoon!  : )

Although we had a blast, spring feels like light years away.  It can't come soon enough for us!

Fishing and Snapping Beans

Josh and Rory have two days a week that are their "boys days."  I know they both look forward to them.  Rory has been asking to go fishing for quite some time.  This week they were able to go to Josh's parents and get some good quality fishing time in.  I was at work but it sure was fun to hear their fishing stories and see the pictures.  Rory assured me that he caught 4 fish--although he did confess that he didn't touch the worms or the fish.  I can't blame him there--he must get that from me.  Rory also took a ride with Pappy on the John Deere lawn mower and saw his baby cousin Carl.  It made for one busy day!

The boys got home a little later than usual so we canceled our usual evening plans and stayed home to work in our yard and garden.  It ended up not being what we had planned but it was a beautiful evening and we had a lot of fun being together and pretending to be farmers. 

I wish I could say that these lovely green beans are from my garden but **big sigh** they are not.  We were able to get one good picking off our beans.  It must have been at that point that the neighborhood rabbits realized that we had in fact planted the beans for ourselves.  Within 2 days all 3 rows of beans were chomped down to stems.  Stinkin' rabbits.   Josh's sister, Rebecca and her husband are real farmers and I'm thankful that she had plenty of beans to share. You can read all about her farm adventures here.  As dorky as it sounds I was excited to have a bushel basket too!  Even though we are smack dab in the middle of suburbia it makes me feel like we are living on our own little homestead.

Rory was a good helper snapping beans--he lasted for at least 15 minutes and was able to keep the ends separate from the good pieces.  Once Josh started pulling weeds and digging in the garden I lost my little helper.  In all it took about 2 hours for me to snap 1/2 bushel.  This may sound even more dorky but I LOVE snapping beans.  It's very therapeutic.  I can get into a good rhythm and move my fingers without thinking.  In some ways it reminds me of music and playing the piano.  Get into a rhythm and let your fingers do the rest.  

When I was younger I would stay with my grandparents in Indiana for a week in the summer.  I loved it.  There was always some adventure to be had.  I can remember sitting on the screened porch with my Grandma snapping beans.  I don't know why I distinctly remember that but I'm thankful it's a memory I have.  She passed away when I was 15.  I have some great memories but I wish she was still around so I could more solid memories instead of fuzzy ones that are in pieces.  Most of the things we did revolved around food and the kitchen.  There was always something to be learned.  I can remember calling her once I got back home to talk me through how to make something.  I miss hearing her voice and her advice.  I really could have used her advice once I started to can these beans.  After all this hard work not one of my jars sealed so I froze them instead.  After a telephone consult with my mother -in-law we discovered a few crucial mistakes that I can fix so hopefully when I can the next batch they will seal.

This is our resident green bean stealer...a.k.a Jessie Mae.  She would run up on the deck, grab a few beans and then run away before I could catch her.  She is a sneaky one!

We stayed outside until it was bedtime.  We were all exhausted after such a long productive day.  It's days like this that make me so happy.  No running around to do and all of us are together.  It didn't cost us any money to dig around in the yard, have fun and be together.

I'm looking forward to many more days like this one!

Puppies and Preschoolers

We've had our puppy, Jessie Mae, for a month now and it's been a very busy month!  Adding a puppy to our house was the same as adding another preschooler.  I did not realize how similar they are.  I have to make sure both go to the potty in the proper location, eat a balanced diet, don't eat things they should not and in general keep them safe from themselves.

 

Even though we were prepared for a puppy I think it's one of those things you can't know until you've been through it!  Our past two dogs came to us as adults, already potty trained and knowing basic manners.  Jessie is a great puppy-overall very calm and well mannered but still has enough energy to rival a preschooler!  She play bites with Rory and we are working on that.  The trainer we've been working with says this is completely normal and no indication of aggression later in life.  She is simply treating Rory the way she would a litter mate.  We are having to train Rory and ourselves as much as Jessie.  I was worried that Rory wasn't liking her or was upset about the play biting...those puppy teeth are sharp!  So, I casually asked him what he would think if Jessie went to live with someone else.  I thought he would say ok since the two of them haven't figured each other out yet but he responded quickly by saying, "NO!  I would miss her!"  It warmed my heart and made me feel relieved about bringing a puppy into this house.  I was afraid that he was not liking her.  I'm really looking forward to seeing them grow up to be great buddies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jessie was about 16 pounds when we got her and looked like a typical little puppy--she didn't have much form yet and people looked as at funny when we said she was a Doberman.  Puppies are like babies-they all look pretty similar but now Jessie has nearly doubled in size (in one month!) and looks like a little Doberman.  We thought she was going to be on the smaller more petite side but so far it's not looking that way!  She is getting much taller and she is having trouble keeping up with her long legs.  She is lacking in the gracefulness department!

 

We started puppy class last week and while Jessie is not ready to earn a gold medal she is a great student and quite the social butterfly.  Usually it's hard to get her to pay attention because she is too busy making friends with the other puppies.  She is proving to be quite smart and catches on quickly--she could take first prize for cutest puppy!

 



 

 

 

All around she is a great pup-I think the boys have a great buddy to go fishing and hiking with, yet, she is calm enough to sit with my while I read or play the piano.  Puppies can be a handful but Jessie is proving to fit in quite well with our family.  She likes to be wherever we are and that is exactly what we were looking for.

 

She's here...Meet Jessie!

Without further adieu I'd like to introduce the newest member of our family...Jessie Mae!  

Josh and I have been thinking over this for the past couple months and getting a puppy certainly wasn't something that we took lightly.  We asked ourselves multiple times if we were doing the right thing and I've scoured any and all information I can get my hands on. Yes, we know it's hard work and requires more effort than getting an adult but after talking it over with the rescue we've worked with in the past we decided that a puppy was the best route for us to go.  She is still a rescue and not from a breeder.  Most older dogs that are not raised around children are typically not respectful of kids--and that is understandable.  Since Rory is still quite young and someday there might be more babies in our future we needed a dog that would  grow up around kids.  All of the adult dogs at the rescue were not cleared to go home with a family that had young kids and then a litter of little girl pups showed up!  I may be a bit partial already but I'm fairly certain we got the best of the litter!  Jessie is 10 weeks old and as cute as she can possibly be!

Rory already loves her and I think the feeling is mutual--or at least Jessie is fascinated by Rory at this point.  When he runs she takes off prancing behind him like a little deer.  It's pretty cute to watch--neither one of them are very coordinated yet so they make quite a pair!

In the car on the way home from picking her up, Rory said, "She's horrible!"  My heart sunk because I thought this can't be going bad this soon-but, then I realized he was trying to say, "She's adorable!"   He already has plans for her to sleep in his room and I've assured him once she is a little bigger than she can sleep in her own bed in his room.

She's already surveyed the back yard and given it her stamp approval--a few times!  Even though she is a puppy she is very calm and quite focused.  She picked up fetch within a matter of minutes and already tags along behind anyone of us as we walk along.  I guess that means we are not only a family now but a "pack."  I'm excited to see her grow and watch the bond between her and Rory develop.  Not to mention, Josh and I are quite smitten with her so I know we've made the right choice!