Goodbye Sweet Maxie Max

My brother Ryan and SIL Brooke had to help their sweet 8 year old rescue greyhound Max cross over so that he can chase rabbits. We always remind whoever has to do this very hard and painful job that all of our other cats and dogs will greet this one on the other side.

I am crying while typing this... Max was such a GREAT dog and we will all miss him!

DJ isnt....

spoiled is he? (gasp)

This made me soooooo happy.....

This morning in a family conference call with my Nevada City brother Michael and my Boulder family, my sister in law Brooke told me that she has an application on her IPhone that allows her to push a button and go right to my blog! WOW... who knew???! I just had to blog today so that they would have a something new to read!

My three year old nephew wanted to know what I was doing today so I told him that I was on vacation and going to a very pretty place where there are wild turkeys, hawks, and crows. (Of course I made the appropriate bird noises when naming each bird). I spent two very lovely days doing meditation and yoga at Spirit Rock. The grounds are so stunningly peaceful and beautiful. Here are a few pictures from my day (I tried to get the birds... but that just wasn't to be).

In Auntie Heaven

Guess who came for a very, way to short, visit? Yep... my sweet boys! I haven't seen them in far too long! I thought I would go in January, but what with getting DJ, I haven't been able to visit. I had a great time with them. Colton (who's 3yrs old) showed me how to work his mommy's IPhone. Gray, is a bit shyer, but had definitely warmed up to me by the end of the evening. All in all, we had so much fun playing together. Here are a few pics... I have more to download.

My Valentines

After a delicious breakfast we took DJ out for a wonderful walk. We had a great day and hope you did too!

Our New Hearthrob...

DJ our wonder dog! He is so silly, sweet and still such a pup. We are loving having him! I will post more pictures of him so you can see his complete handsome self.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I haven't posted in such a long time... life has felt so busy with no real spare time to write.

We did a crazy thing... we chose a dog based on three pictures and a brief description of his personality on-line! He was in a kill shelter so there was no chance to meet him prior to saying "YES!". My sweet BIL Richard picked him up for us and took him to Nevada City. I met him for the first time on Christmas Eve. He is a sweetie! He's a retriever, boxer, ridgeback mixie kind of dog, about a year old. He has a lovely red brown coat with a white belly, white paws, and the tip of his tail is white too. (pics to follow soon).

My brother Michael and Richard bathed him and gave him their own aggression test which he passed with flying colors! He is still a bit of a puppy, smart, curious but not destructive, and catching on to being house trained. He was a stray for a bit so he gets very scared by people and other dogs when were outside. (poor sweetie... but he will learn its ok). Were totally in love!

Deb's Babysitting is Back in Business!

Colcado... this post is for YOU!!

Several months ago our when our roof was being worked on, we discovered two baby morning doves on our balcony. Their momma bird would bring her babies first thing in the morning and then pick them up at dusk. When our roof was completed the birds stop coming. I was sad to them go, but understood that their momma thought our balcony was safe place to keep them.

Well, the other day I came home and saw something strange in the nest of leaves outside. When I looked closely it was two more baby birds! Their momma comes during the day to feed them. Here they are. The second picture was taken of them through my screen door so it isn't as clear. But, aren't they cute?

This morning when I woke up there were three baby birds... not just two. And, later there were two momma birds. But one baby and momma have gone now. But, I still have two out there.

Its funny to watch them fly since they don't fly very well yet. I can tell their aiming for a tree branch, but aren't able to fly directly there. They kind of swoop and swirl first. I love having them here.

Road Trip!!! Part One

Ovid and I went on a great road trip last week! We drove north, then east, through three states: Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, then took a left into Colorado. We spent three nights and two days with my adorable nephews:

This is baby Gray or Graybug as we affectionately call him. He is eight months old and so incredibly sweet! He cried only once when we were there & it was his auntie's fault. He loves to laugh, loves balls of all sizes, and is crazy about his older brother. This boy has the perfect baby's body. He's solid, has the cutest thighs and is strong! I have never met such a strong baby before!

My mom sent out an easel for Colton so he and I did some wild painting: including painting hands, making paint pies (you've heard of mud pies, right?) and standing with both feet in the paint bucket. Yep, some of the paint got on the paper... and a bath was definitely needed later! But, oh we had a great time of it!

This is Ovid and Colton at the Farmer's Market. I love going to Farmer's Markets and Boulder has a really great one. We tasted lots and bought some treats for later.

Here's Colton trying on his Auntie's reading glasses. This boy makes me LAUGH!

We had such a great time with all of them! It was definitely too short a stay... I miss them already!

Grateful

I think I have two of the world's cutest nephews! This picture was taken yesterday... baby Gray (on the left) is six months old today. He's one big boy... weighing just 5 lbs less than his 2 year old brother! I have said this a million times and will say it millions of times again... I am so very happy that they are part of my life.

Sweeeeeet!

My sweetie and I are in Nevada City celebrating Passover with my mom, my brother Michael & his partner Richard. We had a very low key Passover dinner with all of our favorite foods on Friday night. Michael invited a friend from work & her two adorable teenagers to join us for dinner. The kids were so much fun. They had never been to a Passover Dinner before, and bravely tried all of our foods. Liked them too! They also taught us all about raising and selling pigs. This city gurl never knew how much money you could make from one pig!

Yesterday, we talked to our Boulder family who had just returned from a week's vacation. Even though they were away for just a week it felt like six weeks! There's not much that squeezes my heart like, "I love Aunt Sissy" and the sound of my nephews giggling in the background.

We have had such a wonderful, relaxing time here. Its warm, quiet, and easy with lots of good food to eat. We get lots of dog loving and naps! Aaaaaahhh! Paradise!

Guess Who...

I get so see this weekend? Yep, Colton turns two years old this Sunday. I am flying out to celebrate his birthday. My mom went out today, Brooke's mom arrives tomorrow, and my brother Michael and I arrive on Saturday. I can barely believe that this sweet boy is already two.

I am also really excited about seeing this cutie pie because he has changed so much since November. He was only three weeks old then, but now at 3 months, he is giggling and cooing!

I can't wait to see everyone: the boys, Brooke, Ryan, my mom and Michael, and Brooke's mom too! I am in auntie heaven!

New Favorite

This is my new favorite picture of my nephew Colton. It shows off his adorable personality and new haircut.

Happy Birthday Dad!

I spent this past weekend in Southern California with my Dad and his wife, Gerrie, celebrating his 75th birthday. We had a great time eating lots of fabulous food, walking the beach, playing Apples to Apples, and just visiting.

Here is a picture of me and my dad:

This is a picture of me and Laura, Gerrie's eldest daughter. We had a hilarious time hanging out together. She has the same wicked wit and humor that my brother Michael has. Laura is a real sweetie!

There is was another picture with me, my dad, and Gerrie's other two daughters. The picture was great of all of them, but not me, so I am not posting it! LOL I had a wonderful visit... thank you Dad and Gerrie.

Boulder Love

Here are some pictures of my wonderful, cute, smart and silly nephews.

This is baby Gray who is 4 weeks old today. When he is awake he is very alert!

Here is Gray asleep on his daddy's knees wearing the 3-6 month old sweater that I knit for him. It fits him already. He's a big boy!

This is me and Colton washing the dishes. He loves to help... and get his hands wet too!

This Colton with my mom, Grammy Baabaa (Barbara) making blintzes. A dinner request from my brother Ryan.

Here is my very sweet sister-in-law Brooke with Gray. She and my brother are amazing parents! Patient, loving, but lots of fun too!

This isn't the best picture, but its one of my favorite memories from this time. Colton got a hold of Ryan's MP-3 player, so Ryan was helping him listen to the music. When Colton heard the music his face would light up and he would say, "singing!!!".

I am so utterly grateful for my family and these boys that have graced our lives. What joy they bring to us all!

Happiness is....

being in Boulder with my two utterly adorable nephews! It is fun to play with Colton! We've played trucks, tunnel, "I'm going to get you", gone for walks, washed dishes, made salad, and read books. There is NOTHING better than hearing a child laugh... you just have to laugh right along.

Baby Gray is 3 weeks old today and is weighing in at over 10 lbs! He is so sweet, easy and mellow. If he is crying that means you're changing his diaper, or haven't put him in the right position or its time for the "burrito wrap" (my brother is excellent at this) and binky. When he is awake, he is very alert, listening to all that is going on around him and following the motions with his eyes. Life doesn't get much better than this!

This Post Is For You Mom!

For her birthday last month, my mom asked me and my two brothers to write about the positive qualities that she taught us as children that made us into the wonderful people we are today. (My mom thinks we are great :D) Each of us responded in our own way. She really loved all of our responses and asked me to blog about mine. My way was to make a 3"x10" book for her called Mom Teachings.

I foRGoT OnE!

SHOOT! My sweet nephew says this word frequently and appropriately! It makes me laugh every time he uses it. Ok, here's an example: Colton has a little music box attached to his crib. One morning the strap had come off and he was trying unsuccessfully to re-connect it. When he couldn't do it he said, "shoot"! Oh my goodness, this is one smart boy with lots of personality! Were not sure where he picked up that word, but he sure knows how to use it!

Colton doesn't look very happy in this picture with his Aunt Sissy, but he is a very happy boy!

FaVorITe WorDs

I wanted to remember and share some of my nephew's favorite words and phrases. Here are my top two:

In recent years my brothers started calling me "sissy". When my nephew was born my brother and sister in law decided I would be called Aunt Sissy. Colton has learned to say sissy but it sounds like "she-she". Both my mom and I frequently call him and sing him songs over the phone and ask him questions. Every time the phone rings he would say, "she-she". When we arrived last Wednesday we pointed to me and asked him who I was, and he said "she-she". Then we pointed at my mom and asked him who she was, and he said, "mo' she-she!" (Mo' is more, of course).

Colton has a snuggle bear that he absolutely loves and carries everywhere with him in the house. He calls it his "be-be". And, he frequently says, "oh my be-be, my be-be" in a loving voice. He will also put his hand on your arm and look at you and say, "oh my she-she, my she-she" in a loving tone. It just melts your heart! So cute or toot as Colton would say!

This is a picture of him in the wagon we bought him for Christmas. Its a great wagon for small kiddos with two little seats facing each other, cup holders, seat belts and its really easy to maneuver. We took him out in it everyday which was really fun.

Nanny Chronicles

Me and my mom flew out to Boulder, CO on Wednesday to be the weekend nannies of my 18 month old nephew. Today was the last of our three full "nanny" days. We had a great time with that sweet boy! We've gone on lots of walks, wagon rides, to a swimming lesson, the Farmers Market, played in the park across the street and changed lots of diapers. We've laughed, teased, read books, thrown balls and basically, just enjoyed each others company. Its been such a treat to be here with him.

He has changed so much since I was here in April. His language is amazing. He says lots of words... and lots of words in his own language. This is such a great age. There are times when I think he could easily learn chinese, russian or speak the language of the Kalahari Bushmen.

I haven't taken many pictures this time because I have been too busy running after him or cleaning up or cooking!