Seiko is No More

Seiko the "watch-dog" stopped ticking yesterday. (Tracy named her Seiko because he said he wanted a watch dog--always the comedian!) He and Kristin took her to the vet and had her put to sleep. She was older than my niece, who is now 12, so they knew it was coming soon. She also couldn't get up on her own, had to have special food, and then she just got worse. They consulted with their vet, and they decided to put her down to keep her from suffering.

So, since Seiko hated the vet and had to have tranquilizers before going, they decided not to take her in the office since it would be too traumatic for her. So, the vet came out to the minivan and did it there in a semi-familiar place. Kristin said it went very fast and that it was calm. The girls, of course, said their good-byes before their parents took Seiko, and then they stayed at a neighbor's house for a bit. Kristin is taking it the hardest. Seiko was really her dog, and she will miss her the most. A sad ending to this year, especially for the Popes.

The Holly-days

Christmas this year was good, but it is good to be home. We all relax better when we're home, though we did enjoy seeing our family. Santa brought Alyssa a "puppy" as she calls her, but it is actually a 1 year old dog who weighs about 50 lbs. Holly is a good dog, and she has made herself right at home here in Texas. And, we are learning about her as well. For instance, she will jump up and bark at you when she wants to go out and play, but she just stands by the backdoor when she wants to potty or bask in the sunshine. She LOVES the couches and prefers the ends. She does like to play with dog toys, but she prefers to shop for them on her own. For example, she found a pink plastic watering can in the backyard, and she claimed it for her very own. She runs all over the back yard with it and has a grand time. She also found a hand-me-down slipper in Alyssa's room that she never wears, and she has adopted that as her chew toy for inside. She loves both her new toys, and she never touches the dog toy that was purchased for her - go figure!

We've also changed our television habits since Holly has joined our home. We've found a show called, "It's Me or the Dog," and it is one of our favorites now. It's all about training dogs to be part of the family so everyone, including the dog, gets along. Sleeping is getting better. Holly sleeps with the kids, but it's harder for them to get to sleep. So, we will probably put the kids down first, let them get to sleep, and then let Holly go in when we go to bed. That worked better last night. She spent her first night in her crate because she seemed to like it better - she wouldn't sleep anywhere else - maybe she just needed something familiar. Holly definitely prefers Richard to anyone else. He's her main person, and the top dog of the family, I suppose. She does like to play with the kids, but she did scratch Alyssa in the face for no reason. She's got to learn to calm down a bit around Alyssa, but we're working on it.

The kids have been enjoying their gifts. We're trying to bring them out in stages so they can appreciate each one fully and really play with it before something else distracts them. So far, so good with that. We had a great time with my family yesterday, although it took forever to get to see them. Jonathan and Alyssa both had the throwing up stomach virus, so we had to wait until everyone was well for a full 24 hours before we could see my mom or my nieces. We wouldn't want to give them any Christmas germs! My mom gave everyone in the family hats with lights on them - from L.L. Bean. We can use them to go on walks when camping, or just to read in the car at night, I guess. They were funny - especially Tracy and Richard!

Richard's birthday was low key, but nice. We had pizza and wings (which I picked up since everyone had been sick), a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake (chocolate with choc. chip cookie dough), and cards/gift/video game time. It was a nice day, and we all relaxed. The kids had fun reminding him all day that he was 35!

Rich and I have been planning some things to do to the house, so we'll keep you posted as we get things done. Our first task is to declutter and purge all the junk. I've been cleaning all morning and sorting out all the holiday clutter as a starting point. I got almost all of it finished, but I need to get up now and get the rest done. So, I'll leave you with some photos. Enjoy!

Sleet, wonderful sleet!

Well, we're off for a sleet day! It has been a great day. I got a ton of laundry done while watching a cheesy Christmas feel-good movie, baked banana bread and snuck some chocolate chips into it, read a non-thought-provoking magazine a bit, and relaxed. Can't beat that!

The kids have been cleaning their rooms and playing, and Alyssa just informed me that Richard and I are invited to a tea party at 9:28 sharp! She has no concept of time yet, but she was sure that was after she would be done. Judging from her room this morning, it may take that long!

Jonathan is about to lose a tooth - his first top tooth to fall out. So, the Tooth Fairy has to prepare to make a stop over the holidays. Maybe she can get directions from Santa.

We're preparing for a new addition to our family. It's funny how more thought and consideration has gone into getting a dog than into whether or not to have kids. We knew we wanted kids, and they're portable! :-) Dogs, however, have to be taken to a kennel when you go on vacation, or special arrangements have to be made. It just seems like more of a hassle than kids, but maybe we're wrong...........we're hoping so. Richard and I were sitting on the couch the other night enjoying the tree lights and the fire in the fireplace, and all of a sudden it hit me.............we're going to have a dog during the time we will be visiting my brother's house for 3 days for Christmas. So, I turned to Rich and told him this. He promptly said, "Crap! I never thought of that!" And, now reality has set in.

Don't get me wrong.........we are excited. I think it will be fun to have a dog, but we will not be able to be as spontaneous as Richard truly is by nature. So, we'll see what Richard comes up with for the trip to Tracy's house. They are dog people, but Seiko is old and cranky. She may not want a new one around. We'll just have to see.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Well, it FINALLY got cold in Texas! We had a storm blow through last night, but at least we didn't lose our power. (I think right now it is about 35 degrees outside, but it feels like 24 with the strong wind.) We did, however, have a huge clap of thunder that woke me up. It sounded like it was in our front yard! But, the kids slept through it, we got just enough rain, nothing is ruined, and now it is blissfully cold! I LOVE winter!!!! Glad I planned our fire drill for yesterday! :-)

Christmas is coming way too fast. We just got everything decorated, and I've only bought two stocking stuffers. I'm way behind. So, this weekend I will be out doing some lightening fast shopping with three "kids" in tow! Hopefully the 34 year old will watch the other two long enough for me to shop for him a bit!

Our pastor did preach on simplifying Christmas this year. His sermon was all about not putting such an emphasis on gifts, gatherings, and all the peripheral stuff. He challenged us to slow down, enjoy our families, and really celebrate the true meaning of the holiday. So far, I will have to say that we have simplified out of necessity, and it has been nice. We didn't put lights up outside, which I miss; we didn't cut down a real tree this year, and it has been just fine. I will probably bake some this weekend, but all in all, it has been a simpler year. I'm enjoying it so far.

Work today was very draining - nothing bad, just lots of stuff to do to wrap up the year. I am looking forward to the holiday break so I can stay up late, sleep in late, and snuggle up with a cup of cocoa by the fire! I think we all need a time of renewal.

Disney Montage

We had a blast last week at Disney World for Thanksgiving. The kids had a great time, and they got to meet a lot of the characters. Alyssa got to have a Princess Makeover, and the cast members throughout the park bowed and greeted her with, "Hello, Your Majesty." It was cute. We had our traditional Thanksgiving lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern, where it was served family style by waitresses in colonial costumes - which was a cool way to have Thanksgiving lunch. There's too much to write about our trip, so I'll post some photos and then do a list of favorite things later. Enjoy the pics!

This last picture is of Jonathan getting to participate in the Storytime with Belle outside the palace. He got to play the part of her father in the story. He did a great job, and he really felt special that he got picked. Alyssa dressed up as Aurora for her princess makeover, so she always posed with any Aurora she saw. It was cute.

Cub Scout Popcorn

Jonathan picked up his popcorn order this morning, and he earned himself a red pocket knife. He was so excited to have his first knife. Richard showed him how to be very careful with it, let him use it to open the popcorn box, and then we took it back...........for now at least. You just can't be too careful!

Walkathon!

We had a blast yesterday! Jonathan walked a lot, and so did I. We were both very tired last night. He raised $175 this year for the Walkathon, so "THANK YOU" to all of you who donated. The PTO hasn't announced the prize winners yet. I think they are announcing them this week. He completed lessons on nutrition, and he learned new exercises from a local gym owner.