Why God Created Chocolate

Because the puppy has peed three times in the house today.

And sat and refused to move 6 times on a walk around the block. And not a very big block at that.

And because I spent a half-hour arguing with my 7-year-old daughter about what would be an appropriate outfit to wear for picture day.

And didn't win that fight.

And because the minute my son walked in the door, before he even put his backpack down, he complained that he was bored.

And because in the middle of a teleconference with several colleagues, the UPS guy rang the doorbell, and my colleagues got to listen to a cacophonous symphony of crazed dog barking. (Business tip: that's how you DON'T sound professional.)

And because now it's raining, so I'll be stuck in the house with the peeing puppy, the argumentative girl, the whining boy, and the crazed barking dog.

THAT is why God created chocolate.

Great Falls

The weather was beautiful this weekend, so we headed off to one of our favorite places - Great Falls. We weren't sure how Puppy Oliver would do on the hike, but he actually did great, so this will definitely stay in our weekend repertoire. We love Great Falls, we love hiking, and let's be honest, tired-out kids and tired-out dogs equals a quiet house for Mom and Dad.


Heading out on the hike

Trying to snap a picture of the kiddies mid-hike

This is me dropping the phone when Kid #1 drops Dog #2

So we try again in a little safer picture spot

Jack and Ellie found a good climbing tree along the way

I tell you, Mom's going to get a picture if it kills her (and everyone else around her)

Hello, Tired Puppy

Third Time's the Charm

The first summer that we tried to get Ellie to ride a bike without training wheels, she wasn't very enthusiastic. In fact, there were tears (mostly on my part) and some screaming (perhaps me as well?). So we set it aside. Last summer, we tried again. We may have added cussing to the repertoire that time around, perhaps some verbal threats. But still, no success - so we set it aside. I understand that some kids just don't like to ride bikes - but we love family bike rides, and training wheels really slow those down. So we tried again yesterday. And I'm happy to report the following:

(1) no tears
(2) no screaming
(3) no cussing
(4) no verbal threats
(5) NO TRAINING WHEELS!!

I should clarify that Ellie STILL isn't a fan of riding her bike. I guess some kids just aren't. But she CAN ride her bike. WITHOUT training wheels. To which I say - yay.

Again I say, yay.


I must say, Jared was very patient in working with Ellie. And little Oliver, he followed them wherever they went.

Jack pulled some cool moves on his skateboard while Jared worked with Ellie - and Oliver followed along.

Now please note - no hands from Jared (and Oliver followed along)

Look at that girl go! (And Oliver followed along)

And look at that boy while you're at it - and Oliver...

well, by that point he was pooped from all that following along.

The Definition of Peace and Quiet

For the love of all that is good and holy, PLEASE don't disturb them.

Filthy Beasts

This dog is a filthy beast. Sure he's cute, but you should see the bathtub after his bath

See what I mean? Filthy beast.

This girl is a filthy beast. Sure she's cute, but you should see her room after she's spent some time in there.

See what I mean? Filthy beast.

Runner Girl

Our Ellie is ... energetic. No matter what you do to exhaust her, she still wants more. So frankly it thrills me that she has expressed an interest in running with her dad. Because what better way to exhaust a kid than have her run and run 'til she can't run no more. So the Easter Bunny got her a new running outfit (she is a girly-girl after all - she needs the proper look), and she started running with Jared. Too soon to tell if this will stick, but here's hoping that we can burn a little Ellie Energy!

Happy Easter

I really did have a wonderful image of how our Easter morning would start out - but somehow I didn't envision how it REALLY started - which was with a frantic team effort to get the dang dog outside before he peed. So when we finally completed the madness, we kinda forgot about Easter - until the kids noticed their Easter baskets waiting for them.

The kids were a bit tired opening their Easter baskets, but they still enjoyed the loot. In addition to the yummy candy, Jack got a poster for his room, a nerf gun, an X-Games tee shirt, and a robotics kit. Ellie got a running outfit so she can jog with her dad, a Monster High doll, a Barbie fashion sketch pad, and a new yoga video and yoga mat so she can get her Namastay on.

Oh, and Oliver got a little mini Oliver to chew on. Don't worry, we didn't leave Otis out - he's the one dog who doesn't like dog toys or treats, so he got - a Twizzler. You've never seen a happier dog than Otis eating Twizzlers. It probably looks a lot like, well, ME eating Twizzlers.

Ellie wanted to be extra-sure that no one got her Easter stash, so she quickly hid it in her room. Her room is so messy that even she might be able to find it.

By this time, it was only 7am (we have long days around here, my friend) so we decided to decorate Easter eggs. Now we have tons of hard-boiled eggs, should we ever decide that we actually like hard-boiled eggs.

After church services, we headed over Peter and Robyn's for Easter dinner.

The kids posed nicely ....

before running off like crazed wildebeests to try and find the eggs

Luckily most of the kids bypassed the bushes right outside the door, so Patient Jack managed to make out ok

And Ellie exhibited the Eye of the Tiger - luckily, no one got in her way, or she might have cut them

And then it was time for the Sugar Rush

We finally rolled back home in the late evening - only to find that Puppy Oliver had somehow managed to get UP the stairs (past the gate) but then wasn't able to get back DOWN the stairs. So of course, without a way for him to get outside, we had a couple of welcoming puddles to deal with upon our arrival. When all was said and done, we were quite ready to crash out after a long but fun Easter. Happy Easter!

Besties

This is Jack's bestie, Matthew. They met in preschool, and have been best friends since. Matthew doesn't go to Jack's elementary school, but we still manage to get them together every few months - and the minute they get together, it's as if they just pick up where they last dropped off.

This is Ellie's bestie, Grace. Ellie's a first grade girl, which means that technically she claims a different best friend every week. But Grace lives across the street, and when they're both home, they're inseparable. But it's kinda like "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" - because if they get together, they'll want to eat dinner together, and if they eat dinner together, they'll want to do a sleepover. And if they do a sleepover....well, you get the point.

Honey Do Do Do

I write out plenty of Honey Do Lists that seem to collect dust, but this weekend, Jared went above and beyond the Honey Do.

First, he installed a stainless steel backsplash for me. No pictures, because, well, a backsplash just isn't that exciting. But still exciting for me, since I no longer have to look at the dingy grease stains behind my stove. Then he made a spanking new dog deck and stairs (coming out of the dog door) to accommodate our new longer doggie.

Jack got to do some drilling and sawing himself.

Despite my push for gender-neutral tasks, Ellie wanted no part whatsoever in the building activities.

So what did little doggie think of the new setup?

Well, he came out of it

And came down it - so we'll call that a success!

After that, Jared helped Ellie with her Earth Day school project, which was to make something out of recycled materials. She chose to make a piggy bank. We won't get into the irony of the fact that we actually had to go and BUY and then use and empty all of the materials for the 'recycling' activity. It's a usable bank that uses materials that in theory could have been found around the house, so we'll just go with that!

And then Jared helped Jack make his next robot - his bottle bot. It still needs a little more tweaking and some decorating, but it moves, which means success.


Let's cross our fingers for another successful Honey Do Do Do List next weekend!

Overheard at the Sorensons

"Otis, stop growling at Oliver"

"Oliver, stop chewing on Otis's ear"

"Otis, stop growling at Oliver"

"Oliver, wee pee outside! Outside! Someone take him outside quick!"

"Otis, stop growling at Oliver"

"Oliver, stop chewing on Otis's tail"

"Otis, stop growling at Oliver"

Spring Has Sprung

Finally, finally, we have not just one or two nice days, but a whole week of nice days stretched out in front of us. So we've been trying to get outside as much as we can. And since that also cuts down on the number of times Baby Oliver can pee on our floor, it's an added plus.


Roasting hot dogs out back

And don't forget the ooey gooey chocolatey s'mores

I think that's a thumbs-up

Put the Cap on Cancer Day at school

He Didn't Shoot His Eye Out

Jack just got his very first BB gun. And yes, he is very excited. And no, he did NOT shoot his eye out. So that's a good thing.


Loading up

Ready

Aim

Fire!

Bullseye! Or close enough for me!

Country Dog Hard

This past weekend, we took the kids and the dogs down to Riverside (my parents' place). With the long winter and the rain and finally a nice day projected, it was time to get the kids out in the fresh air to play. Plus, it was of course time to introduce little Oliver to his Uncle Hershey the Dog, and learn how dogs in the country play.

So, off we went. Hershey, as always, was the consummate gentleman. Even though he literally weights 140 pounds more than Oliver, he was super-gentle with him, and accepted all of Oliver's sloppy puppy kisses. That's a nice change of pace, since Otis now spends a good portion of his day snarling at Oliver and wishing him ill will. And to add to that, Oliver got to play country hard. Which means a lot of dirt came home with him. But that's ok, because he needs to know how to play country hard. Country dog hard, that is.


Oliver and Hershey meeting each other

We took a nice long walk - that creepy shadow is my mom - she's not creepy in person, though

Thankfully, Hershey only stepped on Oliver once

And yup, the walk did 'em both in for a while

But before you knew it, they were ready to play in some leaves

A little playing with Ellie

And let's round things out with a nice leaf nap