I meant to show you...

I didn't post this picture when it was taken, because it would have ruined my parents' spectacular surprise for the kids.  But it's so cute, I just have to share.  This picture was taken the day that my parents and I went to visit the litter Rudy came from, and picked Rudy out as the most perfectly adorable, friendly, waggy-tailed puppy in the bunch.  While he is currently a very small dog, he was a very VERY small dog way back when this picture was taken, almost 3 weeks ago.  Is there any way on Earth we could have resisted saying "yes" to this little cutie?  Those are my dad's hands.

Also ... what's more fun than a bucket of puppies?  Can you spot Rudy in the puppy pile? There are puppies from two different litters here.  The black-and-white ones were about two weeks older than the three solid-colored ones.

Christmas Morning, and Other Things

We had a quiet, laid-back Christmas morning at home with our family and Grandma and Grandpa.  Henry was terribly cute about his presents.  He was SO excited about each new thing he opened that he wanted to play with it right then, and absolutely didn't want to open any other presents because he was already busy playing.

It can be tough to get past all the ribbons and bows on a wrapped present.  Henry had to solicit help from Grandpa a number of times.

Here's a photo of Lily looking confused by a tiny little ball that said there was a towel inside.  It really had one mashed up tiny in there!  And you can see that Rudy just LOVED his Christmas present: a super-soft, fluffy baby dog bed!

This is Gregory's dream-come-true.  He saw an add a long time ago for a Nerf dart shooter that can fire up to THREE DARTS PER SECOND!  He has been talking relentlessly about it for months, just bouncing with excitement at the prospect of being able to get that many darts flying around the room at the same time.  He went to the store in October with all the money he had, and it still wasn't enough for this tantalizing toy.  So needless to say, he was ELATED to open this particular box on Christmas morning.  It was strapped down into its packaging in such a secure way that it took Ray, Lily, and Gregory an amazingly long time to get it extricated and set up for play.

Here's a cheering photo, taken just this morning.  Lily has been quite ill with pneumonia for over a week now.  I'm extremely happy to say that she's definitely doing better now!   

Why is poor Baby Rudy in jail???  It's because he has learned how to climb quite handily out of that cute little white pen that I set up for him a week ago.  He uses the little squares like the rungs of a ladder.  So ... a new wire kennel with a LID!  He actually hasn't objected to this little set-up at all.  It's supplied with his soft doggie bed, a good stash of toys, and a water bottle.  We move it around so he's in the same room with us, and he's pretty content!  Today is his 8-week birthday, and he has reached the hefty weight of 2 whole pounds!

Merry Christmas Eve!

It's Christmas Eve at our house, and things are quiet.  We're having some cruddy, windy, icy weather outside, plus both boys have colds and Lily has pneumonia.  So ... a quiet inside day at home, it is!!  I made Grandma Gross's cookies last night, which have a German name that I don't actually know.  They are flaky, layery, buttery yumminess!  I hope to make Almond Kringle later today, but that depends on whether there is any almond paste to be found around here.  Our Christmas dinner tomorrow will be at Mom and Dad's house, and a blissfully simple menu:  pot roast with veggies and potatoes cooked around it, and pumpkin pie for dessert.  No stress or chaos for anyone!!

What?  You want pictures?  You don't come on here to read my fascinating commentary about the minutae of our lives?  Well ... OK.  I have some pictures.  For starters, look at my incredible luck with plants (it IS luck, not skill!).  Both my amaryllis and Christmas cactus are blooming just in time for Christmas!  I don't have any idea what makes a Christmas cactus decide it's time to bloom.  I've had this one bloom at any and every time of year, but so far never actually on Christmas!  And this amaryllis Ibought on a whim during Black Friday shopping, and that fast it's blooming!

Pretty, yes?

In case you were wondering, the kids aren't tired of the doggie yet.  They still think he's a sweetie.

Rudy was bounding around the house (supervised!) yesterday, and came across this sock.  He picked it up and trotted around carrying it for a while, then took it to the living room carpet to rough it up a little.  It was just so terribly cute to watch.  That is actually a very small sock - it belongs to Gregory. 

Here's a cautious first meeting.  These two have been carefully avoiding each other since Rudy came to stay here.  Yesterday, Rudy decided he felt brave enough to tip-toe up to meet the cat, and Harold was cautiously willing.  It's insane how much smaller that dog is than that cat!!

Is he still cute?

Do YOU still think my baby dog is cute??  He still seems cute to me.

If that view was inconclusive for you, you can take a look at him from this angle to see if he might still be cute.

He's friendly and just a tiny bit f'rrrrrocious.  He doesn't mind being turned upside-down by careful hands during playtime. 

Rudy is getting used to spending time in this little cage, since he's just way too small and piddly to run free around the house.  Gregory has been SO kind, setting up his playthings right next to the little cage each time Rudy has to spend time in there, so that the little guy doesn't feel lonesome. 

Christmas is Coming

Just a few days till Christmas, and here are some pictures of our lead-up to Christmas.  For starters, here are the kids in the church Christmas program.  Lily was in the chorus/crowd, and Gregory was a shepherd.  I think you can tell in this picture that Lily is not feeling well at all, but she and Gregory both did a very nice job singing and reciting lines with their classes.

Here is the preschool and kindergarten class all dressed up as shepherds.  Gregory really didn't like the headdress he was given to wear, but he left it on and did his part very nicely. (Side note:  Gregory is reading along as I type this.  I DID NOT KNOW he was reading so well!  Woo-hoo, Gregory!)

And here we have the Christmas tree as a background for kids on Christmas vacation (still in their jammies!) holding their Christmas puppy.

I should be baking and cleaning and all sorts of Christmas-ey preparations.  But we have a new puppy and I am so sleep-deprived.  I have finally figured out a way to get something done around here, though.  Rudy is a TINY dog (1 lb. 10 oz. as of this morning), and he's so friendly and always wants to be right with us.  He is very much at risk for getting stomped on if he's on the floor (not to mention that the floor is very much at risk for getting piddled on!).  And he HAAAAATES his little kennel with a screaming, yelping, frantic, panicked passion.  So I put this little wire cage together and he's quite a bit happier in here.  He is safe from busy feet, but it's open and he can see us, plus the kids can easily reach in to pet him.  This little cage can scoot from room to room so he's never all alone.  As of this posting, he's asleep in that little kennel (he doesn't mind it so much when the door is open!).   I still haven't gotten anything useful done, but that's my own fault :-)

Meet RUDY!

Christmas has come early to our house.  This little guy was supposed to be released from his mommy on Christmas Eve, but his breeder called to say he was ready to come home with us a week earlier than expected because he was already weaned and eating well.  SO ... Meet Rudy (as in... hum it with me now ... Rudy the black-nosed puppy... had a very waggy tail!).  Rudy is a crossed breed called a "Teddy Bear", which is half bichon and half shih-tzu.  He's seven weeks old, and darned cute.

Grandma and Grandpa Breutzman are the providers of this WILDLY POPULAR Christmas present.  I tried to capture their euphoric happiness when Grandma unveiled this complete and total surprise to the kids last night, but they were all so excited and bouncing so much that I only got blurry pictures at first.  As things have settled down, I've gotten some pictures of very happy kids holding a super-sweet, friendly puppy.  So far he is a wonderful puppy - brave and friendly, calm and trusting.

He's not very big.  In case you can't read the number on the scale, it says 1 lb. 7-7/8 oz.

Since he's been home, he's done some eating...

And some sleeping...

And also, he has been a very very good boy about using his puppy potty pads and not our floor or his crate.  He's still a wee baby, and as of this posting he's in his kennel protesting bitterly.  I am sure that he misses his littermates and his dog mommy.  But signs point to him being a great little friend for all of us, once he settles in.

We Are Blessed

Every once in a while, there's a lull in the chaos, the activity, the noise, and the long to-do list, and I get a moment to realize again just how wonderful my life is.  Look at those children, happy and healthy, playing sweetly together, safe and comfortable in our home.  We are so very blessed.

Let It Snow!

It is just SO MUCH FUN to play outside in the snow!  These guys went outside as soon as Lily got home from school, and nearly 2 hours later they are still outside.  Henry got chilly and he's inside eating dinner... but Lily and Gregory are still at it.

Henry is big and strong enough to stomp around in fairly deep snow and keep right up with the big kids.  This is the first winter that he's not as wide as he is tall with his snow things on, and he's able to romp and stomp instead of waddling around like a penguin.

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!!!

You all know where this is headed, right?

Yes, of course!  It's a snowman.  The first of the season. 

What's that, you say?  It's the wonderful sight of bright LED flashers that Grandma Beverly sent to attach to the kids' coats so that they're visible when they're playing outside after dark.  It is getting dark so early right now - between 5 and 5:30, depending on cloud cover!  The kids were busily building snowmen till far after dark, but they were still safe and visible because of their flashies!

Henry's Beloved Hat

A few weeks ago, I opened up a box that came unexpectedly in the mail, and found this gorgeous snowflake-pattern blanket that Aunt Clara had made for Henry.  Henry was THRILLED to have his own new, special blanket, and has insisted on having it in his crib for every nap and nighttime since then.  Then, a couple weeks later, this little hat arrived, made from the same yarn as the darker blue of the blanket.  Henry immediately decided that they go together, and now he takes all his naps and night sleep with both that wonderful blanket AND his hat. 

In addition to wearing his hat every time he sleeps, he wants to wear it almost all the time around the house and anytime we go somewhere.  We *HAVE* other hats, but as far as Henry is concerned, this is THE HAT for him.  He's potty training so this sporty look he's modeling for you is the winter sweater, winter hat, dinosaur training underpants combo.  Very stylish.

Today, Henry isn't feeling very well, so he's lounging around the house in his jammies and that beloved hat.  Aunt Clara, many thanks for two such nice and well-loved gifts!

Post-Crazy Today!

I have been post-crazy today because we had an unexpected day off for SNOW today!  I have been getting farther and farther behind with pictures, so today's my chance to catch up!  So ... read through this post, and then keep going to see other new pictures that were posted earlier today.

News is that it's December!  Christmas decorations, Holiday Pops concerts, and SNOW!!!  Don't you love our $15 tree?  It was at one of those corner-of-the-road farm stands where you take what you like and drop your money into a locked mail box on the honor system.  It's a HUGE, beautiful tree, like the ones you can pay $75 for at Home Depot.  But the farmer at that corner charges $15 for every tree.  Nice, huh?

The kids had a wonderful time decorating the tree.  They're old enough to do a really excellent job of it these days!

See how Gregory set up ALL of our nativity scenes on the fish tank stand?  Lots of trees, shepherds, several Mary and Josephs, lots of stables... but somehow, our sets have all been scattered in such a way that there's just one Baby Jesus remaining.  Fitting, don't you think?

We got "some" snow overnight.  The kids' school was cancelled, so we've had a nice day at home.  Ray even took the day off because he had a "use or lose" vacation day that still needed to be used, and SEVERAL hours of snow removal that needed to be done. 

The kids lost NO time getting out into the first real snow of the year.  They shoveled in a quick breakfast and then headed out.  Oh, how I love that they are old enough to get in and out of their snow clothes by themselves!!

While Henry stomped around in the snow on the deck, the big kids played a long, long time just inside the forest in the back yard.