2011 - What Will You Bring?

Can you believe how big she's getting? Liv is 4 months old, 26 inches, and 16 pounds 10 ounces. That puts her in the 97% percentile across the board. She's a big baby, and has developed such an awesome personality.

Life's pretty crazy around these parts, 2011 is going to be a big year for my family. At the end of this month, we're closing on a new house in Alpine. I never thought that Bob and I would move to Utah County, it seems quite out of character for the two of us, but life seems to be full of surprises. Besides, Bob assures me that we're going to love it there and I am inclined to agree with him. I'll be sure to post some pictures, but it isn't officially ours yet, so I don't have any keys. It will be nice to be doubling our space and to be closer to Bob's work, especially since there's nothing holding us to Salt Lake now that I'm no longer working.

Did I mention that? My maternity leave turned into a permanent hiatus. I have loved staying at home with Olivia, she's an angel. Additionally (prepare yourself internet-only friends), I am seven months pregnant with a little boy who is currently referred to as 'Baby Brother.' (We're working on a name, we've got two months, right?) Apologies for the late update, but we kept it close to the chest until we were sure of a healthy pregnancy. The official due date is March 19th, which will be a couple of weeks after we can officially adopt Olivia!

So yeah, 2011 is going to be a great year for us. I suppose that you can say that when the Lord sees fit to bless us, he goes all out.

Finally, check out my dogs' blog for some interesting stats on my book reading in 2010. Something tells me that they are going to be barking on their blog more often...

Regret

We keep our dogs' food outside in the garage, storing a small amount (about 1/4 of a bag) in a sealed bucket in the house for convenience. This bowl also serves as a serving platform for Maggie's food, because Bob claims it is too difficult for her to bend all the way to the ground considering her height. As much as I mock him for these claims, Maggie does eat a lot better when her food is higher, and perhaps she just likes the idea that her food is higher than Sammi's.

When we left the house on Sunday to attend our 'Sunday Party' (aka That Hot Building Where I Listen to Children Sing About Jesus) we accidentally left the aforementioned food bucket sitting out, and not hidden in its usual closet. A plastic bucket with a snap-on lid? Piece of cake for a famished Weimaraner.

We came home and she had cleaned out the entire bucket, approximately 5-8 of her regular meals in a three hour period. We found her laying on her side, her stomach ridiculously distended. She spent hours laying underneath the evaporative cooler and panting.

Bob said, "I feel so bad for her! I know exactly what she's going through, having done it to myself so many times."

Mao and the Sentinel

Bob and I have a route we tend to use for our dog-walking. It is a loop through the neighborhood and at the far end of the loop there is a house. (somber music) A house wherein lies Mao and the Sentinel. (Scary music crescendos.)

As we approach the house (usually about two houses away) our dogs' mo hawk fur goes up, Maggie starts growling, Sammi slinks lower to the ground, and everyone starts walking slower. Suddenly, we spot the Sentinel (an adorable Australian Cattle Dog type of sweetheart) whose tail starts wagging and starts barking the meanest, most ferocious bark I've ever heard in my life. Then Mao, an adorable Beagle, runs up to the fence and howls repeatedly at the top of his 14-lb-dog lungs. (Note: Mao is the Beagle's real name, but we don't know the name of the Sentinel.)

This is considered an affront to our girls who lunge at the end of their leashes. Maggie growls and barks while Sammi does this high-pitched whine that I haven't quite figured out since usually she has no qualms about barking her head off like a fool.

An epic battle of scratching and barking ensues with us yelling our heads off and the dogs on the edge of their seat for the next block. It's a harrying experience, but one that the dogs look forward to on every walk. It's like saying to yourself, "Oh goodie! I didn't call my wife to tell her I would be late for dinner, and now we're going to have a gigantic fight about it! I can't wait! I hope that she calls me a worthless fattie and I get to call her a bitch!"

Politicos

I finally got around to changing my address and registering to vote with the Utah League of Bureaucracy (after a mere ten months) and I'm ready for the presidential elections coming this fall (perhaps the most anticipated event of this millennium, or so it seems).

To get the dogs pumped up, we've been encouraging them to endorse John McCain. These two bitches may be the only creatures in the world that become excited when they hear the words "John McCain." Everyone else is apathetic or mildly adverse, which is what our political system boils down to, the person that wins is the person that creates the least upset reaction, perhaps a man weeks away from a nursing home!

Regardless, everytime we come home or we're about to give them a treat, we shout out, "John McCain!!! John McCain!!!" Naturally, they jump out and freak out as they are prone to do.

We then took this a step further and gave Maggie Bob's old wallet. So for a time (before they chewed the wallet into tiny leather bits that clogged the vacuum for months) we would shout, "John McCain! John McCain!" And Sammi would jump up and down in the air while Maggie would run to try to hand us the wallet (she wanted to play fetch).

The point is, they've transferred $5,000 in funds over the internet to John McCain's campaign due to this training. I guess it worked a little too well...