"I wub you too Mommy!" - An Allie update

... music to my ears! The day your kid tells you they love you before you say it to them is the best day ever! It happened about 2 weeks ago, but I'm just getting to write about it now. Allie is really becoming quite the chatterbox. She's always been fairly linguistic, but she's moving on to 3,4, and even 5 word sentences - and they actually make sense! It's so much fun now because we can have conversations. I can talk to her and she finally talks back to me. YAY!

Developmentally she seems to be progressing nicely too. Allie could draw and color for HOURS. She's finally beyond the linear stage and has begun making cirles. She knows all 10 basic colors on sight (thank you so much, Crayola tub crayons, M&Ms, and Fruity Cheerios, and especially Sarah, who could sit in the tub and play school with Allie for hours if I'd let them!), can count to 5 (sometimes 8) in Spanish and English (we're working on Italian), and the basic 5 shapes on sight (circle, square, triangle, half moon, and rectangle). Letters are coming along slowly - she knows A,B, H, G, S, V, and Z.

Physically, she's 30lbs and built like her mommy (poor thing - right down to the hair!). Still has her blue eyes, but they aren't quite as deep blue as Sarah's) She's absolutely fearless and extremely sensitive - loves other kids, people, animals - she loves everybody! And her new things are trying to jump rope with a ShopVac hose, dancing like Sarah, and making up games like "Boo Mommy!". Cute!

Dentally, her incisors are still threatening, but not broken through. This has made for the crabbiest Allie yet, but comparitively, she's an angel.

I think that's about it for now!

Potter and Lilly

Lilly and Potter have a love-hate relationship. Here they are sharing a meal ...
... nuzzling up against each other ...

... and hanging out on the covered porch (that spot is just water).
These are the quiet moments. They are not all quiet, but they happen.

Rainbows

It's times like these when I know God hears me. I talk to him all the time, and when I'm at a crossroad and don't know which way to go, he shows me. Love that. This rainbow was directly behind our house. The other end went directly to St. Joe's church in town. It's a most hubling sight at night when it's all aglow, but it was more beautiful here. Ron took the pictures. Awesome!



The rainbow was much brighter than actually showed up, but we both erraneously had the flash on. Oh well - we have the whole summer to get more pics!

Achoo - BOO HOO

For the first time on the blog, I am going to vent. So unless you want to read my rantings, please pass on.

I have been around animals all my life. Cats, dogs, chickens, horses, cows, - if we didn't own it and I didn't ride it I was around it at least daily. I am allergic to dust, pollen, some grasses, and other weird seasonal unmentionables. Fine. We have finally gotten a dog. A beautiful dog. A sweet dog. An obedient dog. A dog that hasn't tried to bite me. And we all (especially me) love her. We brought her home Sunday. And oddly enough, guess who has been a red, itchy, sneezy, coughing-like-I-have-a-hairball, snotty, watery, blotchy, pissy, bitchy mess since ... uuuhhhhh ... Monday morning? I can't believe it. I'm beside myself.

So off to the doctor I go tomorrow to get poked and prodded and hopefully medicated (at least somewhat - I really would rather not take a daily allergy medication for the next 15 years), and off she goes for a deep cleansing grooming. We'll clean, steam, and hopefully have this all resolved this weekend. *sigh*

Cute pics of the day Part One

I absolutely love this picture of Sarah and Camilly!! Look at how mature Sarah looks - I can't believe how big she's getting ... sniff sniff ... anyway, Sarah was so excited today when she woke up - she forgot we had Lilly - she jumped out of bed in time to walk to the bus stop. The kids and the dog were all very well-behaved. It was a great outing first thing in the morning.
Allie and Lilly have an understanding already. Lilly is NOT allowed to touch Piggy (any of them). But they do love to hang out together on the floor.
Yeah, I'm not sure what that expression is either. Her ears aren't pinned back at all - they are super floppy and I'm talking to her while I took the pic. I can't believe how obedient she is already. Then again, I'm not letting her get away with any kind of crap. She does it my way. Period. We can touch her, poke her, lay on her, take her toys, and eat in front of her and she'll just sit there. Love this dog! At least so far.
The kids getting ready to take a nap. Lilly looks like she just wants to be left alone!
Finally, she can nap in peace. Allie's back in the bedroom talking to Pablo and Tyrone - hopefully she'll go down soon. I'm going to take up residence on the other couch and veg for a while. Saturday was pretty rough, and this weather changing all the time is playing games with my head. I'm not feeling so hot. Keep checking for more cute pics!

Here she is!

Here she is ... our little (or not so) Camilla! Ron and Sarah went to go pick her up from her Fommy (foster Mommy) today, and she'll be with us for a two week trial period (until she gets spayed). The rescue was wonderful allowing us provisional time with her, seeing as Ron has had a Rottie (named Goliath, and apparently he lived up to his name) and a Golden Retriever, and I've been bitten bunches of times but have never owned a dog.
They had just arrived home with these pics were taken, and she wanted to GO. She's crazy strong - even pulled Ron around - but it was me she dragged. I took her flimsy little lead for the first time and she yanked and took off. I'm plenty strong enough, but I was caught completely off guard (yes, shame on me) and I caught the end of the lead with my fingertip. Using my superhuman strength, I got a better grip on the lead but not before my body was going far too fast for my legs and I bit it. HARD. And rolled around on the gravel. And got nipped a bunch. But I didn't let go, like an outfielder making an amazing diving catch (I should get an ESPY. It was that good.) I am so proud of myself 'cause I was like Oh NO YOU DI'INT. DAWG!!! It was ON. Ron was proud of me too - for him to say that I was doing a good alpha impression - guess I was!
Sarah seems to have inherited my Chicken Shit Gene, although she's doing much better. Not having been around many (if any) dogs, this will be a true test of her mettle as well. As much as she wanted to walk her outside (oh sweet Jesus NO), I put Sarah to the task of walking her around the house so she could explore in a controlled environment. I don't think Lilly had any discipline where she came from. She knew to sit and that was it. Her manners will need some work. We're going to have her on a leash in the house for an undisclosed amount of time. It's safer for everyone. She's about 5-6 months old and I would gather close to if not slightly over 50lbs. And I'll have to get some good shots of her face because she looks to me like she's got a bit of Bull Terrier in there somewhere. Maybe that's wishful thinking. Maybe that's paranoia.
Maybe it's the ears. She just has this expression, and you'd think you were looking at a Pit Mix. If we cropped her ears she'd look pretty mean I'm quite sure. But here are the girls with her. Allie made quick friends with her by sharing her cereal. Lilly (or Milla, or Camilla) responded by sharing her rawhide in turn. I was as touched as I was grossed out.
I'm sure to be uploading lots more pictures - probably tomorrow! Right now all is quiet here, and I'm very happy to say she went into her new crate without incident and never said boo. As a matter of fact, she hasn't barked period. Not even once.

OH - before I go - I'm sure you are all wondering how Frank and Potter feel about Lilly. Well, they're seriously offended - probably rather pissed off. Frank did that weird talking growl thing and swatted at her good when she tried to squeeze behind the couch. And Lilly ran. And wouldn't go near the couch again. I won't jump to conclusions and say Frank is the boss, but in time hopefully Lilly and the cats (who are forced to be partners in crime now!) will amicably come to a truce.

Furry decisions

About three weeks ago, Ron, Sarah and I made the family decision that we were ready to get a dog. We had been talking about it for some time, and finally decided to go for it. I didn't want to go to a breeder or a puppy mill (oh I get sick thinking about them) - I've always adopted my cats so the way for us to go was through a rescue. I started screening dogs on PetFinder.com that met our criteria (baby, large, close by), and I think we found a winner!

Our first choice puppy is a 5 month old Boxer/German Shep mix named Camilla (you can find her by going to Camp Papillion Adoption and Rescue's website). She is absolutely adorable! I can't wait to rub her floppy ears. She looks like a Boxer body with GS colorings, a Boxer face and GS ears. WE LOVE HER! The director of her rescue has been WONDERFUL - very accomodating and polite and extremely helpful. However, it seems like her Fommy (Foster mommy) isn't quite so. I've been trying to pry information about Camilla out of her for two solid weeks to see if she's a good match for us - I haven't even heard boo. On the administrative end, we're set to go - passed every home/personal evaluation with flying colors, and were asked if we'd like to take her this weekend. Seeing as they know all about us and we know literally nothing about her ... not to mention food, leads, collar, ect. ... I don't know where this is going to end up. We all can't wait to see her, but if the Fommy doesn't want to give her up, there isn't much we can do.

Our Plan B is to get a Pitbull, but that may have to wait until we get a fence up (and that's no small feat putting a 6ft fence around 1 acre of woods! However, it would deter the 400lb bear the garbage men saw strolling down the road about a half mile from our house!). A friend of mine raised Rotties and now rescues Bullies and has offered to mentor me should we have to let Camilla go. They have a real cutie named Gabe and a few females coming in, and they would all be solid before she'll let them go (she's a trainer too).

I'll keep you all posted as the Furry drama continues to unravel!

The aforementioned Daffodil

Check him out. Just hangin' out like he owns the backyard. It really was the most perfect - symetrical, colored, proportioned daffodil I've ever seen. Sarah wanted to pick him in the worst way, but I wouldn't let her. I just thought it was too cool. I love that daffodil. I miss him.

Sarah's Pumpkin

Here is Sarah's pumpkin. I can't believe it's actually growing. Sarah brought it home close to two months ago after cultivating it in class for who knos how long. It was kept in a pot on our windowsill for a while, then whe Heather and Sarah claimed that they were bored, I told them to go find a hole and plant the pumpkin.
And so they did. The whole affair took them about two hours.
You can even see Herman, our wormin, peeking out of the ground.
For a while there it didn't look too promising for the pumpkin. It was still cold when he went out (we even had a frost or two) and his neck of the woods (literally) didn't get too much sunlight. He was planted in rocky red clay soil. No Miracle Gro, just really low grade dirt. The hole he's in was actually where I yanked the stump of a good sized birch tree out. Now with the trajectory of the sun shifting, the felling of trees, and an awful lot of Sarah-love (she checks it every day!) it looks like he just might make it after all! This is the first flower we saw, although there are two more buds. Wouldn't that be cool to go to your own front yard and harvest your pumpkin? We'll have to see how this one works out.

Fweek and Pah'er

Juat some cute pics of the cats before the next addition to the animal family here at Casa Marciante.

Me and the chicks

Here is me out of my chainsaw-weilding garb with my two precious girls.

I was going to write an entry reflecting on Mother's Day, but it just seemed too trite, I'm entirely too private, and I'm just not ready. Sheesh ... it's been over 13 years, and even though I have Gaga and Mamma, it just ain't the same. However, I will say this ... the past sure does help you appreciate what you have NOW - both your mamma and your kids - everyday. Each day I wake up is a day I celebrate and thank God profusely for the blessings that are my kids. Man, they are some rockin' kids.

Oh - and a shout out to Aunt Karin - just read it - thanks! :)

Daddy and the girls

These are for the grandparents. Too cute!

Backyard fun in a box

Allie catching a break from running like a looney bird with Sarah.
Sarah and Allie playing one of their games ... I don't know what it is, either the 'cano, the fwain, or I gotchoo ... but they really get into it and have a great time with this set we got from our neighbor. As the backyard gets it's makeover, this is the plaything. Seems to work pretty well ...
But not as good as an old-fashioned box! I LOVED playing with boxes when I was a kid. I'd go in there and draw and talk to myself for HOURS (not much has changed ... ha ha ha). This pic also highlights the very weird but revered lone daffodil in the middle of the yard. There ain't another one for - sheesh - 25 yards. And here this one blooms. It was a perfect flower, and it just hung out there. I love that flower.
Allie looking at Sarah playing in the box, not really understanding why it's so cool
So she checks it out! She was in there for a minute or two with Sarah, but didn't fully appreciate the thrill of rolling down the hill backwards. Guess we'll try that again next year.

Day at the Park

Ok, so this was a while ago. Like ... close to three weeks ago. You can tell because there are no leaves on the trees yet. And Sarah still has all her hair. But the pics are still cute.

Sarah and Ronnie bouncing away on those weird seesaws.
Allie on her favorite train - she could spen all day on this thing. She just goes round and round and round ...
And of course the obligatory picture of Allie in a cage.