Never Say Never...Our Pup Katie

Many think that we have lost the very last shred of rational thought around here....maybe they are right. Despite all logic and reasoning, we now have a wonderfully intelligent, beautiful, and sturdily bred German Shepherd Dog to add to our clan.

Announcing...Katie Vom Waldenhaus, puppy extraordinaire!

I am a firm believer in the phrase "Never say never..." The exact circumstances that one swears will never occur, or actions that they swear they will never take...often do in fact happen, exactly as said! This happens around here all the time anyway. And this time is no different. Jason was adamant that we would never have a dog (or any other breathing thing) around here...no fur, no drool, no messes in the backyard, none of that.

For the past year, the boys have been pleading for a doggie of their own. Now, we are typically not real animal lovers around here. I can't stand it when someones dog jumps on me, leaves fur on my clothes, or slobbers on my arm. Jason used to laugh when he saw some schmuck walking their dog in 20 degree temps or in the pouring rain. And I was convinced that the chaos of 4 children flying around here was definitely enough for any house, let alone adding a four-legged furball.

But then I started feeling sorry for the boys, and also feeling that their childhood would be incomplete without some sort of pet. Well, at some precise moment in time (I'm not sure what happens) some strange transformation takes place in one's mind. In that split second, you actually forget anything that you've ever thought before and you convince yourself that your NEW thought is exactly what you should do...of course! In this case, all it took was timing...just wait for the perfect moment (in this case, a theft from our driveway), put a plug in for a dog, and convince Jason that it was his idea :) It worked! "Well, we won't have a dog unless it's a German Shepherd. I won't have some tiny fluff ball, wimpy dog," he says. "Fine, " I say and begin Googling breeders. After much obsessive research on his part, and a hunch on my part, in less than 5 days, we had a pup in our house :)

Actually, to be fair, there was a bit more discussion than that. And planning...."Our dog will be brilliant! (him) Our dog will be beautiful! (me) Our dog will be obedient! (him) Our dog will protect us! (me) Our dog will hunt! (him) Our dog will love kids! (me)"

In the end, we found all of this in our GS...she has lovely markings, very smart, and HUGE. She is 3 months old and after only 3 weeks, I can barely carry her now and her paws are nearly as big as my hands!

Do I mind the fur and the slobber? What about the mess and extra work of a pup? Actually, it's just like your own kids...you don't mind the drool and mess if it is your own. She is learning the rules of the house (like not eating the boys' school papers) and can learn a trick with only one teaching (Frisbee!)...super smart. Katie is a keeper!

So, now my kids have a dog. And what do I get out of this? Actually, I have motives as well. My goal is to train her to run with me, so that I won't be afraid to run/walk at night AND to have her guard the house while we sleep. When a 110 pound dog has "got your back", you feel pretty confident and every great mama needs a bit of assistance in watching over her babies :)

First Day of School

Unbelievably, school is back in full swing! The past two years I have really avoided the thought of school starting, thinking that maybe if I don't acknowledge it, summer won't end? Illogical, I know. But it makes me feel more in control, until I realize that...ugh, everyone needs haircuts, new uniforms, crazily expensive shoes, something nutritious and exciting for lunch....and WHAT? all that needs to happen in 2 days?! Oops, guess I should stop procrastinating and face the inevitable.

We did manage to get all of that done, as usual. And the boys made it to class on time and looking fairly spiffy.

Sam is excited to be in 4th grade. This is the year he will begin Latin and the Progymnasmata (writing instruction). So far, he's doing well----memorization and language are his strength, so the Latin vocab (with gender), and verb endings are no sweat and his first attempt at writing fable has been tear-free :) Maybe he will be my multilingual or writing child?

Jack is loving 1st grade and he got one of our fav. teachers. She is sure tough and keeps them SUPER busy throughout the day, but she is fun and consistent. Jack is our math whiz and can whip out fact sheets in seconds and problem-solve in his head. Although he knows how to read, he avoids it (acting like he doesn't know how). And, I think that he has already been put in the lower reading group...annoying! He is definitely not the "language lover" that Sam is.

Although we are off to a good start, we have been delayed....by the second week of school, the flu has kept them home for ONE whole week! I am quite certain that it is H1N1 virus btw, because it has lasted forever in our typically hardy kids---news reports say that they are no longer calculating the cases, nor testing for it, and that if you have the flu, it is 99% likely to be "swine." So much for the hysteria...just recover and move on.

With this curriculum, any missed day creates much work to be finished at home, not to mention five days worth (which in my opinion, is torture for a parent)! The pile of books and papers is amazing. So, our strategy? Jason promised that if they were diligent in finishing it ALL, he would whisk them to Grandma's to play the Wii for 3 days over the holiday weekend. It worked! I've never seen them so focused or work so fast, especially with SO much to do!

The stack of missed work is complete. They are getting their game fix. And now I am left sitting in bed with chills and fever, spending my holiday coaxing Lydia into yet another nap (I think we slept a total of 5 hours this afternoon) :)