Dogs, Cats, Valentine's Day & Birthday Party!

Well.... little Miss Jody has begun her Puppy Kindgergarden classes - I quickly found out that it is indeed more about training me than training the dog. She is actually doing quite well and has retained the things we learned last week. I'm hoping tomorrow night goes great, too. I had Jody spayed a couple of weeks ago..... poor baby girl was still out of it later that night when I got her back home.

These next two pictures I took just because I was playing around with the new camera and trying different things.... did I mention that I bought a new Canon Rebel ESI? I love it! I am going to take a photography class this Spring. Anyway.... Jody was transfixed on something outside my bedroom window and I snapped these.

This next one is a picture of Smokey ...as promised! I feel so bad for him.... the old guy is going to be 17 years old in the Spring and this puppy just tortures him. I am trying to teach Jody to leave him alone and I think she is getting better. She wants to play...he wants to sleep. He hisses and she seems to not get it!

Now...on to the kiddos. Suzanna is doing good..... staying busy with schoolwork and girl scouts. I am going to post a couple of pics of her at Brooke's birthday party (down below) but I wanted ya'll to see this awesome picture of her and Mike. This was taken by the professional photographer at the Daddy's Little Sweetheart Dance.

(ya know now that I think about it I don't think I ever asked him if it was okay to post pictures of them on here..... he'll let me know if not! LOL)Now... on to the birthday party weekend.....

First of all, we arrive at Maw Maw & Paw Paw's house and there are birthday gifts waiting....

I don't know if you can see it or not, but Brooke got a "Make Me Better Mommy" doll. In the pic she is giving the baby it's "mecine" because it has red glowing cheeks! She also got the double stroller and quickly found her other baby doll to put in.

On Saturday morning, Valentine's Day, we went to breakfast with my Dad. You can see here that Brooke has PawPaw wrapped around her little finger. She lovesss to brush her own teeth so you have to bribe her...or at least I do. She let Paw Paw help her though without much of a fuss.

This pink princess bear was Brookie's Valentine Day present from me. Also, you can see in this picture where her little eye is turned in. She has lazy eye and pretty poor vision - last week she went to the doctor and they fit her for glasses. I can't imagine that she will leave them on but the doctor says that she will notice such a difference in her eye sight that she will want to wear them. It seems that this "lazy" eye thing came on awful fast - I have looked and looked at pictures of her over the past two years and there is no indication whatsoever that she had any eye problems. Let's just pray that the glasses correct it and she doesn't have any other problems with it!

Brooke and I then went to visit Yoda and put his Valentine Day present on his little grave. Brooke kept saying... "Yo Yo Sleeping... I lay down" I wouldn't let her lay down on the ground but I did let her sit by him.

Then on Sunday it was time to "PAWWTY" as Brookie likes to say! There are so many great birthday party pictures, so here goes......

This is what Brooke saw when she walked in the door - a Tinkerbell 4-Wheeler from Maw Maw & Paw Paw. She thought this was pretty darn cool.

After having some lunch, Brooke blew out the candles on her Tinkerbell cake! She did pretty good, only needed two tries to get them both out!

This is Brookie and her cousin Peyton - I didn't know it, but I scheduled Brooke's party on Peyton's birthday...well of course the Birthday Girl had to have her own little piece of cake with candles and a present to open! So Brookie and Peyton are only 11 days apart in age.. Cute huh?

Then the wild child is ready to open her some gifts! She gets a kick out of throwing the paper around, I guess.

Here's the birthday girl with me and Suzanna and (cousin) Sami Jo.

"Let's see.... Yep...it'll fit me...." "How 'bout you Sissy...can we share clothes yet?"

I've been throwing balls around with this kiddo since she was big enough to hold one...now it's time to learn how to hit. She's gonna be my little ball player...and look... she picked that "crotch grab" up from watching the Cardinals on TV(I am a bit obsessed with my Cards but I didn't realize my baby girl was picking up bad habits like this)! "I've got the coolest Uncle Scot! Look at this.... a "My First Scooter"!" I hope the weather gets nice soon so this kiddo can play outside..... don't worry...she has a new helmet, and elbow/knee pads.

And last but not least.... here is Brookie with Maw Maw. Can you tell she is a bit spoiled??? By the way, that is a "Boot Ear" in front of her as she likes to call it. She lovessss root beer.

I've had a couple of people email me lately and ask how the situation with Brooke and her mother and/or grandma is going. Nothing has changed and I becuase I don't know what else to do at this point, I would just say PRAY that Brooke is has the best life imaginable! Speaking of praying, my friend Pam's little boy Jacob is having some difficulties again (he's the one who had the brain tumor). He had an MRI done in December and it showed no evidence of disease which is wonderful but the past few weeks he has been having some other dificulties with seizures and such. Their family could use some prayers and even some encouraging words on their website - the link is on the right side of my page. Also, please keep my cousin's little boy Caden in your prayers - he has Epilepsy and it isn't under control. He has seizure's frequently and with that comes other challenges for him and his mom and dad - the prayers is that they can find the right medication that will get the seizures under control.

A busy weekend ....calls for a new camera!

Well what a weekend! Sit back and enjoy this little picture show. I bought myself a new Canon Rebel XSI ..... can't wait to learn how to use all the functions! I plan on taking some photography classes.

So.... first of all... We have the Daddy's Little Sweetheart Dance for Suzanna and her Daddy. (By the way, I am proud to tell you that this is an event put on by the very wonderful parks and recreation system here in the great town of Wentzville.... and in case you didn't know.... I work there!)

Anyway...back to the dance. Preparations for her big night began at 10am with an appointment for a pedi and a mani, followed by a hair appointment at House of Beauty (if you live around here and haven't been there...try them out!) Then Suzanna and I had two hours to get her make up and dress on.... after a little "bump" in the road (which I won't detail but am mostly putting here for me and Suzanna to laugh at some day) she was all ready to go.

Look at those eyes! Mike...fasten your seatbelt.... the ride has just begun! :)

I love this picture....does he look like a proud Poppa? I went up to the park to see how my staff was getting along and to sneak a few pictures. I have to admit the pic by the professional photography is a bit better than mine... he was in my way and I couldn't get close enough!

We had a quick picture taken of the two of us... do ya'll think we look alike? Kidding!

Anyway, so I then rushed off to the next event....

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY BROOKIE!

I just can't believe my baby girl is 2! She is getting so big and so full of it. I'll have to save a couple of cute stories for a future post but lemme just say.... she is a pistol.

Here she is with her Great-Grandma Collins - I just love this picture. This little girl has an amazing personality and she is always happy. I love hearing her cute little laugh.

She loveeeed this gift! It is the baby alive that pee's and poops! Her Aunt Sheila got this for her and thought it would be a great tool to help with Potty Training! hahaha Glad it's at Grandma and Grandpa's house.... one toddler and a dog and a cat are enough pee and poop for me to deal with!

She's getting good at opening presents..... no box is too big for this monkey! At about the moment she took a dive on top she said "BIKE!"

And yes.... I got her the helmet to go along with it!

This spoiled little girl will have another birthday party next week in Alton with my family.... stay tuned for more pictures of that! Who knows I might even shoot a video. :)

So today.... I had to make up for all the time poor little baby Jody had to stay in her kennel over the weekend. We took a little drive out to Quail Ridge to go to the Dog Park ...unfortunately, it is closed for the winter. We went ahead and took advantage of the great weather though and took a walk around the park. We couldn't end the outing though without some updated pictures of this princess....by the way, she is 4 months old now. Next week on the 11th she is getting spayed and then the following week she starts Puppy Kingergarden!

As you can see, Jody's ears have definitely reached full maturity! I read in a Chihuahua book that if the ears weren't fully standing by 16 weeks, they probably wouldn't. I think she met that milestone... you think?

If you haven't been to any of our county parks - this is just a small glimpse of how beautiful they are. The county parks system has done an excellent job preserving land and providing some beautiful parks for us. Here are a couple of action shots for ya..... I thought these were pretty cool and as I said I'm looking forward to learning how to get the most out of this camera....

I really don't think Jody understands HOW small she is...she picks the biggest twig she can find. I'm not sure if this is a look of "HELP me mommy this thing is stuck in my little mouth" or "BACK UP LADY...this is my stick!"

Hope you enjoyed the picture show.... stay tuned! Now that I have a new camera I'll probably be posting more often.

I Miss Yoda!

This is the time of year that I dread the most! Cold, long and dark days -I'm tired of the cold and the short days. This is the reason that someday I will move South..... at least it's not too cold to get outside! So this weekend I was lying around because I have been sick with a respiratory infection and man the grief of missing Yoda hit me like a ton of bricks. I just want him to lay around with me so bad! Yoda was a snuggler and a cuddler... well, at least on his terms. If I was lying around the house, he was sure to be lying with me, under the covers and most likely snoring...very loud. Anyway.... I miss him. Jody is wonderful and I love her but she will never take the place of my Yoda. I enjoy every minute with her....well most minutes :) but there is a certain comfort that Yoda brought to me. He really was my best friend.

Don't get me wrong.... Jody and I are bonding very well. In fact, she is getting great at walking me on the leash... (seriously, she put the leash in her mouth and walks out in front of me). We are actually starting Puppy Kindergarten next week....it should be fun!

My boss sent me this. Get your Kleenex ready, it's sad but so true....

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS 1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful. 2. Give me time to understand what you want of me. 3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being. 4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you. 5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me. 6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it. 7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you. 8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak. 9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old. 10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so. I miss you Yoda - thank you for 8 great years! I can't wait for spring time - Yoda loved to be outside in the spring. Not so cold that it hurt his little paws and not so hot that he couldn't breathe. After 9-11 there was a parade here. Yoda went with me and he got a cover story..... That's all for now..... next week I promise to have good pics. Suzanna and Mike have the Daddy's Sweetheart Dance and Brookie's birthday is Saturday. I'll take lots of pics!