In Disguise

The kids love to dress up and make people laugh. Their latest outfits were donned in anticipation of their cousins coming.  Emma is usually the mastermind behind the costumes. Evan's dress-up name is "Butter," short for "Butter Milkshake." I have no idea where they got that name from. Evan goes along with his sister dressing him crazy because he likes to be funny. 

Isaiah, on the other hand, does not go along with it very willingly.

Puppy Love

About a week ago, we made good on our birthday promise to Emma and let her pick out her very own puppy. She had decided on a yellow lab.

We initially wanted to go the rescue/shelter route but after the rescue organization wanted to take fingerprints and run background checks, we told them to take a hike. It was almost that bad. The skinny of the story is this: I filled out a rather lengthy online application with essay questions about our home life and intentions for a new dog. The rescue organization then called two of our family members to check up on us. After that we then received an email from them telling us that although we sounded like a wonderful family and got glowing reviews, they needed to do additional research on us by contacting two more references of non-family members who knew us when we had a dog nine years ago. I guess they didn't like it when Michael said, "My dog lives outside and I live inside." I guess that was not a satisfactory answer.

So on to better things. We found a family whose dogs had just had puppies. Emma knew just which one she wanted. Not the one that Mom thought was cute. Not the one that Dad thought liked him. But her very own "Lizzy."

Needless to say, Emma and Evan are having fun with her.

Isaiah is another story. It's like a love/hate thing with him and Lizzy. He is very intrigued and interested in her but if she comes near him, he goes a little crazy. Observe:

Ok, what kind of sick mom would think this is funny?

You Have to Be Just a Little Bit Crazy To Do This

My mom and sister visited me a couple weeks ago.  While they were here they offered to help me with any projects I had in mind. I took them up on their offer.

The first matter of business was the game room. It was a paint patch-up job of chocolate brown on all four walls. Not a bad color, but not very fitting for a kids' play room. I wasn't sure what color or colors I wanted to paint the room. I had been thinking of doing stripes in four or five different colors until MJ asked me if I knew how much work that would be.

I thought about it.

Yikes, he was right. That would be a LOT of work. So I wasn't really sure where to go next. I mentioned doing the two and two wall colors. My mom shot that down as being an artistic no-no. She was an art major so I took her word for it. She then mentioned that my aunt had once painted a room four different colors.

But who would be crazy enough to do something like that? I knew just the girl.

Here are the before pictures:

And after pictures:

I like it. It's fun and bright and airy. But now what do I do with the rest of the room? Paint is the easy part for me. Decorations, not so much. 

Anyway, thanks for the help Mom and Jen.

What Have I Done?!

We celebrated Emma's birthday this weekend with our family who came down for the holiday weekend. Emma wanted a dolphin cake, so I made some dolphins out of Rice Krispies, dipped them in white chocolate and stuck them on the cake. Um, not quite as magnificent as I imagined. Oh well,  Emma liked it.

And then Emma opened her card from Mommy and Daddy.

A coupon valid for one PUPPY! I love that face! I love that I caught it on camera. She is soooo excited about getting a dog. She has wanted one forever and has her heart set on a yellow lab. I know it will be a good thing. It will teach her empathy and responsibility. I  know that childhood doesn't last forever.  I know that having a dog will be something she will always remember. 

But AAAGHHH what have I done? Help! Any advice from those of you juggling kids and dogs? 

How to Get Poop Out of Carpet

Just in case you needed to know how to get poop out of your carpet, here are some handy tips:

*Scrape as much off with a spoon and towel.

*Don't rub it in. 

*Use 1/2 tsp. dish soap to 1 cup of water to wet spot. Then pull as much fecal matter up with a towel. 

*Vacuum.

*Repeat a lot. 

Why would I think to share this information? You have one guess.

And he looks so sweet and innocent after being scrubbed down in the bathtub! 

So while I was doing dishes in the kitchen today, Isaiah was having a bowel movement in the playroom. I'm not sure how the offensive matter managed to get smeared all over his leg and then on the carpet and on the table and on the chair and in the hallway outside of the bathroom. When I discovered him, his diaper was still firmly attached to his bottom, little help that was.

What did his older 4-year-old brother do while this was happening, you ask? Just watch it all go down. Thanks, Evan.

Like I said in an earlier post, this kid is trouble. I need a cowbell and surveillance camera on him 24-7. 

Here's Isaiah caught red-handed: 

Ice water anyone?

Need some help at the office, Dad?

How does this thing start again?

It's a good thing he's such a cutie.