For Moms

I saw this video in a class I had this week and thought others might enjoy it as well (if you haven't already seen it).

To remind you of either what your mom was like, what you are currently like, or what you might become (depending on your circumstance, maybe all of the above):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgoJ0f5EsQ

A Visit with the Grandparents

On Saturday, we visited with Joe's parents for a bit.

They got Hope this little coloring table - it was perfect for her.

 And what would a visit to the grandparents be without some sweets.  She shared her cupcake with me.

 She ate the icing, but didn't touch the cake.

Indian Summer

We have been trying to enjoy the great weather that we have had this past week by being outside as much as possible.  We went to the park for what may be our last visit of 2010 (but only maybe....depends on the Nov weather)

Not only does she go down the slide by herself, but she can take her snack cup with her.

 Peek!

 Sitting backwards on the teeter totter:

 Then she turned around.

 Just a swinging....

 Hope likes the double slide.  She sits down in the middle, and then decides which side to go down.  She normally picks the one on her right, probably because that is where I stand and she still likes to hold my hand while going down this one.

 Then home for some nail painting with Daddy.

 This was our first visit to the park in 2010 - Hope had just turned one year old.  My how she has grown up.....

A Home for Morgan

We are desperately looking for a good, kid free home for our dog, Morgan.  Although, we would love to find a home for both Morgan, and our other dog, Abby, so that they can stay together, we have slowly come to the realization that is likely not going to happen.  We have someone who has graciously offered a home to Abby,  although she is still living with us right now until we know where Morgan is going (when I totally need to let go of the idea of them staying together).

Our reasons for looking for a home for Morgan are the "kid-free" part.  We love her dearly, but she is not comfortable around little ones and a few months back she bit Hope in the face.  Since then, we have been keeping them separated while we look for homes, but it is only going to get harder, not to mention that I do not feel that it is fair to the dogs.

ABOUT MORGAN:

Morgan has been living with us since March 2002, when she was about six months old.  She is now nine years old and between 35 and 40 pounds.  We named her Morgan, but in hindsight, "Shadow" may have been a more appropriate name.  She likes to be wherever we are.  I don't know how many times I have turned around and tripped over her because I didn't realize she was right on my heels.  This boggles Joe's mind since she is always there.

Morgan is a pretty timid dog, particularly around strangers.  Although with Abby being around, she has loosened up a bit, but I don't know how she will be if Abby is not around.  She loves her chicken treats, but overall she is not motivated tremendously by food.  She is motivated more by attention.  When she eats her dinner, she picks through and eats her favorite morsels first (the chicken flavored ones).

Morgan loves to snuggle.  If Joe and I sit beside each other on the sofa, Morgan immediately claims her spot right in the middle of us.  If there is not any space, she makes it.  She sleeps in bed with us.  In the beginning we didn't really realize what a bad habit this was, but by the time we did, it would have been torture to try to break the habit.  She sleeps right in the middle, of course.  She will either snuggle up to one of our shoulders, or sometimes she likes to burrow in under the covers.  At times she will even lay on her back with her head on the pillow, just like the little human she thinks she is.

I feel like Morgan is just as energetic as she was several years ago even though she is starting to look a little older since she has some gray hair.  

Morgan always keeps an eye on us.  Even though we keep her separated from Hope, at night while I am putting Hope to bed, Morgan patiently waits on the other side of the gate.  Then when I go downstairs, she runs down so that she can greet me when I get there.  When I go back up to bed, she runs back up so she can greet me again, always wagging her tail.  She usually chills out with me until I fall asleep, and then she goes to find Joe and keeps an eye on him until he comes to bed. 

She's a dog, so of course she sheds, but compared to Abby it is nothing.  We had Morgan for about five months before we adopted Abby, and I really didn't think dog hair was a problem.  Then with Abby I found out what the complaints about dog hair were really about.

I recently took the following photos of Morgan:

 She really made me feel guilty with this one.

 Her favorite bed:

 Peek-a-boo!

 With her sister dog, Abby.  They get along really well.

 Running through the yard:

 She is always sniffing around outside.

 Our dear Abby, we would love for her to go with Morgan.  She is totally motivated by food.  Abby didn't bite Hope, but she has shown her teeth and snapped a few times from being irritated, so we do not think it is best to keep her.

 I was trying to get Morgan to 'Sit' then 'Stay' for a posed shot.  She is good with the sitting, but not so great with the staying since she likes to be within two feet of me at all times.  Here she is turning her head, trying really really hard not to hear me say 'Stay,' inching forward hoping I won't notice that she's moving.  She can be such a drama queen.

If you are interested in adopting Morgan, or know someone who is, please let me know.  She is a great companion, just not for kids.  We hate to see both of our dogs go, but with another little one on the way, it is time.

The Wonders of Play Doh

Unless you are a relative, or enjoy watching and wondering what is going through through the mind of an one and a half year old, this video might be as exciting as watching paint dry.  Playing with Play Doh has been added to Hope's list of faves.

Bedtime Stories

Saturday night after her bath, Hope curled up on a pillow and read a couple of Dr. Seuss books - Green Eggs and Ham, and Oh! The Places You'll Go.

Fall Fun

Last weekend, we took Hope to a local farm with a corn maze and other fun activities.  Although we did not go through the corn maze, we tried out several other of their activities.

Hope loved going down their slide.  It was high (for her), and she flew down - was not afraid at all.

 She crawled through their tunnels....

 Walked through their rock maze.....

 Walked through their rope maze.....

 And ate a Popsicle while we walked through the bamboo maze.

 Today, we took Hope to a local pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins.

 She touched them....

 And talked to them.....

 Her brightly colored sweater made her easy to spot when she took off running through the field.

 She saw some birds flying up in the sky.