Drainage

Since our neighbor is the world's most fanatical power washer, we often time have an issue with water in our backyard. Seriously...our side of the fence is turning green because of how much he runs his sprinkler, power washes his house, deck, shed, dog, wife...

He is either outside power washing or cooking on the grill. Grilling out only slightly outnumbers the obscene number of times he washes his property.
So, Brian's mission this summer has been to improve drainage in our backyard. It's been a long project because of Brian's work schedule, but he's almost done! On one of the less humid days, all of us played outside while Brian worked in the yard.

This picture cracks me up. Just had to add it.

Laying on her blanket, staring at the trees. She loved being outside.

A little fun in the Cozy Coupe. I love the second picture because she looks like she's going so fast, but in reality she's not even moving.

Yes, this is the river that flows from our backyard when our neighbor, Captain Power Washer, decides to do his daily chores. Yay! It works! Good job, husband!

Charis is 2!

Charis turned 2 this past weekend! I can't believe my baby is 2. She woke up Saturday morning to a house full of balloons, streamers, and a Happy Birthday banner. For breakfast, a Toaster Streudel with 2 candles! Then we went to Bean's (grandma's) house to decorate and get everything ready. The guests starting arriving at 4:30. It was chaotic with that many people, checking on both kids, refilling food, and trying to feed both kiddos. But it was fun! Here's some pics from the party!

Let's play a little game!

Can you guess which picture is Atalie and which is Charis? Some are easy, but I think it's amazing how similar some are. I had to do black and white---otherwise it would be too easy!

1. Sunbathing:

2.Playtime!

3. Something mesmerizing about the faucet!

4. What is that thing on my chair?

5. First baths aren't so much fun.

6. First naps in the crib!

7. Snuggled up!

8. Enjoying the great outdoors (easy ones!)

Getting big!

She's getting big! 4 1/2 months old now, super close to rolling over, loves tummy time, rolls on top of rolls, and wearing 6-9 month clothing but still wears Newborn size shoes. And even those fall off with little effort on her part. Sheesh. Where is the time going????

THAT'S MY NAME!

I used to teach Kindergarten and I remember coming home with one of those seemingly cute educational songs stuck in my head. You know---Days of the Week sung to the Adam's Family theme song. Or something like "Today is Monday and it's a sunny day!" I've got loads of them.

So what do you do when a song is stuck in your head?

You sing it in its entirety.

This is not a quality Brian enjoys. I remember singing through a song and hearing him warn, "If I wake up in the middle of the night with that stuck in my head..." Teasingly, I'd sing a little louder and a lot longer.

So when I stopped teaching to stay at home, I thought I could breathe a sigh of relief. Brian, too. No singing those songs all day (at least for a while), so that means no songs stuck in my head. I mean, what 2 year old wants to know the 50 States Song in alphabetical order, sung to the tune of Turkey in the Straw?

That was before we realized that Charis would have a love for music. And a deep love for Bear in the Big Blue House. Which means lots of "Bear Cha-cha-cha," "Goodbye song," and "Happy Happy Birthday." She sings it when she gets up in the morning, she sings it during her playtime, and she wants us to sing it before bed.

You already know what I'm going to say.

Though I thought I'd gotten away from rolling over in the middle of the night and hearing cutesy songs in my head, alas....it wasn't to be.

Instead of rolling over and thinking, "Why am I awake? What's on the to-do list today?," I roll over and sing "What sounds like a couple of purple otters? Pip and Pop! Pip and Pop, that's their name!"

The best part? Brian hears songs in the middle of the night, too. And this time it's not my fault. Charis, unknowingly, has taken over the roll of "song-giver." And she sings it plenty loud and with more stamina and endurance that I could even hope to have.

That's okay. She'll only love Bear for a little while and she'll never be this small again. And I know that one day I'll look back and long for the days that she woke at 4 am singing her heart out.

Von Willebrand Factor

We noticed that last month Major, our very large 4-year-old doberman, had a small button-like growth on his belly.


So we made an appointment for surgery and my dad removed it. (He's a veterinarian, in case you were worried.)


He had trouble clotting after the surgery, so in addition to finding out what the growth was, he also had him tested for something called the Von Willebrand Factor. Apparently it causes trouble when it comes to clotting...bad when you have surgery, like he did.


Major tested positive for Melenoma and for the Von Willebrand disease (or syndrome, or factor...whichever it is). He has a more severe case of the blood disorder. Apparently you should have somewhere between 80-160 factor, and his is 4. Fortunately, it is something that fluctuates, so isn't always so low. It just happened to be very low when he had the surgery.


The growth was taken off with clean margins, which is another good thing.


Charis was thrilled to see him, of course. Major was thrilled to be home, too. Doped up, but thrilled.

Not so thrilled to be kept in the kitchen.
This is him, trying to look regal with that lovely E-collar on.



Now I just have to keep him still...