Why Can't We Live There???

Buckle your seat belts and get ready for a photo dump! We've been home from our Colorado vacation for some six weeks, and I haven't done one single thing with our hundreds of photos. Consider yourself warned....

Yes, we went to Colorado for two weeks in early August. We began our trip at our family cabin near Pagosa Springs, where we stretch our legs on some acreage nearly every year.

The boys are always happy to hit the ground running, whether it be hiking, fishing, digging in the dirt, or whatever mood may strike them. Occasionally, we'll catch them in a loving mood.

Liam (8), Jackson and Garrett (6)

A new activity for us this year was shooting the boys' new BB gun. Everyone tried it out. Even moi.

Let's just say that it's a good thing we don't have to survive on what we shoot.

And let's also say that some of us look better in the safety glasses than others.
Although our "lake" was low enough to be called a pond, we did try to fish.
But this dead minnow that Garrett caught is the only fish we have to brag about.
He was so darn proud of that minnow! He carried it around until we told him we couldn't keep it. "But WHY?," he asked. "Because it's DEAD," we explained.

Marshall might have killed something for dinner.
Isn't that a great photo?! The hunting magazines will be calling me to post it in their latest and greatest; I know they will. I'm trying to decide if I should ask for big bucks or for a new home for the dog.

To clear things up: 1. No, that furry thing in Marshall's mouth was never living. It's his play raccoon. 2. The dog is not for sale at the moment. I do change my mind frequently, however. 3. He was an absolute angel on our trip, because he could run and romp all day long in the mountains. Now that we're back home where it's hotter than hades, he's anything but an angel. 4. Do you want him?

Another new activity for the boys this year was building this tepee.
They wanted a tree house or a fort of some kind, but Daddy nixed the idea and convinced them that a tepee was even better. It did turn out to be quite cool, and the boys spent hours out there.

One evening, we took a drive to look at other properties in our community. We ran across this mama deer and her THREE babies. I have never seen a deer with so many young! My heart went out to her as she frantically tried to keep them at her side while we snapped pictures from our car. It's tough work wrangling three little ones, and I speak from experience.
Of course, we hiked on a few different days. I can't remember the name of the hike that took us to the beautiful lake, but it was picturesque, to say the least.
The Archuletta County Fair took place while we were in town, so we took Jack to meet Jack.
For the record, it was Rick's idea to take a picture of his son next to a donkey. Son, I would never do such a thing.

Each of the boys took a try at the fake bull thing. (What's it called?) They all enjoyed it, but Garrett had the best belly laugh. When he lets loose and has a good laugh, it's the best medicine for me.
Liam played and won the hula hoop contest.
Yes, he did have competition, but I didn't take their pictures.

Mid-way through our vaca, we took a few days to stay in Ouray. Let me tell you something. I COULD LIVE THERE! It is so amazingly beautiful with mountains all around and every activity within walking distance.

On our way to Ouray, we stopped to get some pics. I believe this is near Georgetown, but Rick will correct me if I'm wrong. (I'm terrible with geography, people. And my memory failed me about the first day of motherhood, so trying to remember a specific geographical location 6 weeks after the fact...forget it!)

Anyway, we took various photos near Georgetown, and but this one cracks me up.
We wanted Marshall to sit nicely next to Liam, but as with all Labs, he thinks he's a lap dog and tried to climb into every one's lap.

But here's proof that he really was an angel.
He's so cuuute when he's being cute.

(No, that's not a muzzle around his snout. It's a gentle leader and works like a horse's halter. In other words, it's a life saver when I'm trying to walk him and don't want him to pull off my arms.)

Probably our favorite activity of the entire trip took place in Ouray. We paid for a driver to take us up to Imogene Pass in a four wheel drive truck.
Along the way, we were able to enjoy amazing scenery. This dilapidated mining home made us grateful for our own home.
The pictures don't do the flowers any justice at all. When Rick took this picture, we could literally see nothing but flowers all around us. I'm pretty sure this was a little slice of heaven.
A hairy and bumpy ride took us to the top, where winter greeted us. We were warm in our shorts at the beginning of the tour but teeth-chattering cold at the top with sleet falling on us.
This is where my mom will ask why we didn't wear pants and heavy coats. Ask your son-in-law.

BRRR!
We made it!!!
On the way down, our driver stopped and pulled the kids out. We had no idea what he was doing, but we trusted him well enough to know he wouldn't push them off the mountain. Instead, they all broke out singing "The Hills are Alive!" It was hilarious!
If you're interested in a scenic 4WD tour in Ouray, look up Keith. He was a fantastic tour guide with a lot of historical information, spot-on sense of humor, and amazing patience with kids.
No, we did not adopt a little girl. I can't remember her name (the whole memoryfailingmeproblem again), but she and her little brother became fast friends with my boys.

I gotta wrap this up and make dinner. As the song goes, back to life, back to reality. Why can't we just go back to Colorado???

By the way, aren't you glad I didn't dump hundreds of pics here?

Peace out!

Things That Make Me Go "Hmm"

If you've ever had young kids, you know how often they open the door to tell you all kinds of nonsense while they play in the backyard.

The door opens and I hear, "So and so hit me with the ball." The door closes, only to be reopened every 2.9 seconds for comments and questions such as these: "So and so threw the ball at the dog." "Are we allowed to dig in the garden?" "I hit a home run and the ball went over the fence! Can I go get it?" "Mom, do you like grub worms?" "Marshall's eating from the garden." "What are we doing today?" "What are we eating for lunch?" And two seconds later, "What are we eating for dinner tonight?"

Admittedly, I'll sometimes lock the door to stop the nonsense. Or I'll throw out the threat, "If you open that door again, you're coming in for a nap!" That one works like a charm.

Anyway, as I was cleaning my bedroom this morning, the boys and dogs were playing in the backyard. I believe they opened the door 52 times before I heard a new statement. Jackson yelled, "MARSHALL LOST A TOOTH AND I FOUND IT!"

"Okay, great. Yep, he's teething. SHUT THE DOOR," I yelled back. (I should always say 'Slam that door', since that's what they do.)

Jackson went back to play, and I didn't give Marshall's tooth another thought, until I walked through the kitchen 30 minutes later to find the lost-and-found tooth in a baggie on the kitchen counter.

I carried the tooth to Jackson and asked if he thought the tooth fairy should visit the pup. He laughed and said "No! I thought we could make a collection of his teeth."

Oh. Hmm.

Raising boys often leaves me scratching my head.

He's Growing on Us

Marshall, the pup, has been home for about 6 weeks now, and he only has one post on the blog? That's just not right. A good mommy brags about ALL of her children equally.

Here he is today at 3 1/2 months:
He's almost tripled in weight since we got him, and he's taller than Winston now.

How does Winston feel about it all? This look tells all:
Poor Winston! I keep telling him that he's still my #1 dog, but he remains very bitter about sharing his mommy. I can't blame him with all the nasty stunts that Marshall pulls. He won't let Winston get any of my love without jumping right in the middle of us. The brown boy likes to sneak up behind W and bite his legs at any given moment. Marshall also likes to nip at his jowls and steal his favorite toy. They go round and ROUND, even if I'm sure to give them both the exact same chew toy.

If you look a little closer at Marshall's nose, you'll see that he hasn't learned to back off.
We should have named him Scarface.

Although the two dogs still haven't figured out how to live peacefully under one roof, Marshall has otherwise settled into our family quite well. The boys love playing with him, and I enjoy training him. I'm taking him to a manners class once a week, and his trainer is very impressed with how calm he is for his age and breed.

I don't tell her that I drug him every day. I wouldn't want to give her any reason to call PETA on me.

Truthfully, the only time I drug him is when he's about to get more shots, in which case, I must give him Benadryl so that his lips and eyes don't triple in size due to another reaction. I'm not sure why, but I always end up with the high-maintenance animals.

But we love our new addition, and he is here to stay, right Daddy?

Making a Case for the Abandoned Blog

I've had a few friends ask if I'm okay, since the blog has been abandoned. I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm just a baseball mom, and that's the way baseball go.

Garrett is playing for the Angels this year.
He is an angel in real life most of the time. Ahem.

He's loving the sport even more this year, and I think he has big aspirations for MLB someday. The MLB may want to remember him. My only request, MLB, is that you allow him to live with his mommy forever, because I'm not sure he and I will be able to part EVER. Furthermore, MLB, he's quite the leftie and making many plays this year. His favorite positions are pitcher, catcher, and 1st base. I may be biased as his mommy, but he's the best little Angel out there.

Liam is a Dirtbag again this year. Of course, he's still loving the sport. He's enjoying 1st, 2nd, and left field this year. His hitting is improving by the day, and we're anxiously awaiting his first official homerun.
It might appear that he is crying in the above photo, but rest assured that we have taught him there are no tears in baseball. Instead, he decided to use eye black to paint his number (14) on his cheeks for the first game.

Jackson, if you'll remember, chose Jiu Jitsu over baseball this year.
However, two weeks into baseball season, he was regretting his decision. Raise your hand if you could see that coming.

Yea, I know. I saw it, too, but we needed to let him try something new. But just last week, he told me that he didn't really think he would miss Jiu Jitsu, so I pulled him out immediately. Why waste the time and money? Guess who will be playing fall baseball?

Baseball is not the only culprit for the chaos in our home. About 3 weeks ago, this photo jumped onto my cell phone, and I have no idea how this happened, but we have a new puppy.
If I blink away the fog in my mind, I seem to remember a conversation between Rick, Liam and myself. It went something like this:
Liam: Mommy, I love dogs. Can I have a chocolate lab?
Me: WHAT?!?! NO!
Rick: Mommy, hear him out.
Liam: Mommy, Winston loves you and follows you around. I want a dog that loves me and follows me and sleeps with me.
Me: Liam, we have a dog. Yes, Winston prefers me, but we don't need another dog. We are too busy with baseball and school, and two dogs are hard to travel with. Winston is the perfect dog...small, playful, loving.
Rick: Mommy, he's an animal lover just like you. How can you deny him? This would be a great way for him to learn some new responsibilities.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

I kept saying no, but we somehow wound up with a chocolate lab that Jackson named "Marshall".

Yes, he's cute and all that. And the boys, especially Liam and Garrett, love him.
No, he doesn't sleep with Liam, because he's still waking SOMEONE up at 2am for a potty break. That someone would not be the two males that begged for him. (Now, Rick will pipe in here to say that he helps sometimes, but you and I know that I'm the one getting up MOST nights with the little darling.)

Cute?
Yes, cute.

Is he loved? Yes. Is he a lot of work? YES. Is anyone regretting this decision? Yes, but they will remain nameless and work with him to make him a well-behaved member of the family.

So now, this busy family takes a puppy and his bag of chew toys to every game.

I must run and take my new sidekick on a potty run. I'll be back with a Lil Ron update.