Memorial Day Weekend: Part 2

Memorial Day weekend at the lake cabin wrapped just as relaxing and perfect as it started.

Sunday morning started with a road trip to Wal-Mart in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Andi wanted to grab a few "stock up" supplies and we also bought a new set of dinnerware for the cabin kitchen. My main motivation in going was to buy Tory one of these Bubble Mowers I saw at Wal-Mart a few weeks. I've been on the hunt for fun outdoor toys for Tory and I need two sets of activities - one for home, one for the cabin - preferably, different things to keep her interested. (Alright, I'm also a sucker for kids toys and I find the resistance to buying her everything in existence nearly impossible). Seriously though, wouldn't she just love a bubble mower? I think so. Unfortunately, they weren't any at the store so I'll have to buy one another day.

Andi's aunt Barb and uncle Ken drove up from the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon for a visit. We spent the cool, sunny afternoon taking a long pontoon ride all around the lake (as in ... all around the lake. I think it might have been Tory's first time visiting North Pipe Lake and she loved every single minute of being on the boat). I brought Tory's bubble bucket (one of the best summer toys for kids out there - love this thing!) and we blew bubbles, waved to the boats passing by and Tory "helped" Daddy by pushing all the buttons on the dashboard.

Captain Dad and his First Mate

Wearing Daddy's hat on the boat

We were bundled up in coats, pants and sweatshirts, but honestly the weather wasn't too unpleasant. Memorial Day weekend is never all that warm, despite our best wishes for it to instantly be summertime. I could almost feel summer within our reach, though. In a week or two, we'll be running around the yard in our swimming suits and teaching Tory to fish off the dock. Hooray for time at the lake!

Barb brought crab legs for dinner (Andi's all-time favorite) so we boiled a big feast for dinner -- crab legs, corn on the cob and red potatoes. Andi used his big stock pot (which he actually purchased for his Halloween costume last year) and it was perfect for steaming dinner out on the deck. I foresee many seafood boils on the patio this summer.

Today, Memorial Day Monday, Andi and I took Tory for a nature walk through the wooded trails near our lake cabin. We were all having so much fun! Tory literally squealed with excitement as she collected pine cones and sticks on the ground. Chloe's nose was in overdrive as she explored and sniffed all the smells along the trail. Andi and I looked at each other a bazillion times and said how happy cabin life makes us feel. So truly blessed to live the life we do together.

Little explorer

Classic Tory face

Trying out our Kelty backpack for the first time

Chloe 

A rare photo of just me

Love this girlie
Tory - 20 months

Our family of three ... for just a little bit longer

Sad to pack up and leave the cabin today after such a fun, relaxing weekend together, but I'm so looking forward to many summer weekends ahead at our favorite place on Earth.

Happy Birthday Pooch!

Today's Chloe the Dog's 8th birthday!

It's hard to believe I've been a mama to this little pooch for EIGHT years.

Poor Chloe doesn't often get a lot of blog attention these days, but I still love her just the same. I'll never forget the day I brought her home. It was one of the first big "adult decisions" I made for myself in the first years of living on my own. Life has changed quite a bit since the days we spent driving across the Dakota's for my job or trekking back to Nebraska. She was my pride and joy, then a sidekick in Andi and I's relationship, and now a big doggie sister to Tory who are learning to love each other more every day.

Since we traveled back to Nebraska this week for Christmas and spent most of Chloe's birthday week apart from her, Tory and I decided to make homemade dog biscuits for Chloe the other day. I found a dog biscuit cookie cutter in the dollar bin at Target and it seemed like just the thing to do for her. Here's the recipe I used:

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

1/2 cup water (more as you need it)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cups oats

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form dough. Roll out and shape. (No need to flour the working surface). Place on a non-stick lightly greased cookie sheet. Cook 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Sous Chef Tory helping in the kitchen
(Would it be so hard for this kiddo to smile once in a while for a picture)?

The dog biscuits turned out great and Chloe loved them! I made extra, wrapped them in cello bags, and gave them to all the special doggies in my life for Christmas presents.

The biscuits were cooling on the countertop when Andi arrived home from work and suddenly I heard him shout from the kitchen, "Hey! Are these dog treats?" I had to laugh as I shouted back, "Yes! The DOG BONE shaped ones!"

Take it from Andi ... these tasty treats are best left to the dogs.

Chloe Pup: Life with a Baby

My first baby hasn't gotten much play these days. All of a sudden, Tory Bean has stolen all the attention in our house. One day Chloe was the center of our world and the next day she wasn't. Poor thing.

Our friends and family often ask how Chloe's adjusting to life with a newborn and I have to say, she's been a good sport about it all. After having exclusive attention for 6 years, I wasn't sure how she'd adjust to sharing the spotlight. Chloe isn't Tory's biggest fan but she doesn't bother her either -- which is a big plus in bringing a new baby into the home with a pet. She's given Tory a sniff or two over the last two months, but otherwise stays her distance. Which is fine with me - I don't have to worry about Chloe messing with Tory if I leave the room for a minute.

Surprisingly, Chloe's become much more social to OTHER PEOPLE now that Tory's here. I think she realizes attention from Mom and Dad is limited so she better soak up any love she can get elsewhere. She seems less afraid of other dogs and thankful anytime we include her in an activity such as taking out the trash or taking a "once around" the neighborhood.

As much as Chloe may not love Tory, she supports her. Chloe follows me to the living room every single night for feedings and keeps me company in the wee hours of the night. If I'm pacing the room with the baby, she often follows along at my feet. When I take Tory to her nursery to be changed, Chloe follows us in there and lays patiently on the floor beside the crib.

Life with a baby is definitely different for a dog. I think she's coming around to Tory in her own way. Little does she realize, about the time she warms up to having a baby, Tory will be chasing her around the house!

Preparing to be a Big Sister

Chloe pup is 6 1/2 years old and very used to being Mommy's center of attention.

For years, I've spoiled her rotten with lots of ice cream licks, sleeping in bed when Daddy's away and her fair share of doggie treats. While in my eyes she does nothing wrong, Daddy is often frustrated with her lack of listening skills. (I prefer to believe she practices acute selective hearing.)

People like to ask how Chloe will handle her new little sister and I have to admit, I'm a little worried about her reaction. I know she won't hurt the baby, but I won't be surprised if she sulks in the corner for a few weeks as Mommy's attention is diverted to someone else. The all-knowing Internet and many baby books suggest playing tracks of baby cries or letting dogs smell baby's things to familiarize them with the upcoming change in household, but I never bought into all of that hoopla. She'll sense the change in family dynamic and adjust, just like the rest of us. Eventually ...

Well, apparently the change is happening faster than we expected. Our nightly ritual is to lay in bed for a half hour or so and watch t.v. I always tell Chloe she can lay in bed with us before we turn off the lights, but then she has to lay in her bed on the floor. Never once is she happy with us when we lower her to the ground. "Go lay down, Chloe" we tell her. It never fails, she gives us attitude - sitting next to the bed with a low-toned ruff. We tell her a few more times to go lay down and eventually she cooperates.

BUT! The last three night, Chloe has LISTENED to Daddy's instructions and it's completely freaking Andi and I out. As the t.v. turns off, he simply says "Go lay down, Chloe" and she immediately jumps off the bed and lays down in her bed. Immediately, as in, we only have to tell her once. The first time it happened, Andi and I looked at each other with confusion and then busted out in laughter. Did she really just do that? We thought it was a fluke until she did it again and again.

This proves two points: I think she knows Baby Sister is arriving any day and Mommy and Daddy need a cooperative pup. Also, she can understand exactly what we say all the time. What a little stinker!

Missing Daddy?

I just had to snap this photo of my little pooch this morning. There's some moments in life that warm your heart and this is one of them for me. How cute is this?

Andi's traveling for work this week and I want to say Chloe misses him while he's gone. But then again, she gets to sleep in bed with me when he's not here, we snuggle up and she gets plenty of my attention.

Just like this morning when she was all tucked into the covers, laying in Andi's spot in bed. Too cute!

Happy Halloween!

OK, OK, so I may not be the biggest fan of Halloween but I couldn't resist posting this pic:

Chloe's a postal worker for Halloween. Well, she was for about 30 seconds ... until she shook the hat off and started tugging at the costume. I couldn't resist. She got this costume for Christmas from Andi's dad (who's actually a postal worker). I think he found in on clearance for $2 or something. 

My friend Ellie's theory proves correct ... everyone's cuter in costume!

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life." ~ Mark Twain

It's part of the plan: rent a gorgeous lake cabin this summer with some of our closest friends. We spend most summer weekends together anyway - why not share a place we can all boat, grill, party and relax together?

Over the last few days, Andi and I spent our second weekend at the cabin and the first one sharing it with our couple friends. I've talked to quite a few people who were suprised we've entered into such an agreement with our friends, wondering how we'd "tolerate" each other? were we worried it would come between our friendship? I am happy to say cabin life this weekend was easy and fun. Everyone pitched in and helped cook, clean, etc. It was great to have close friends together to hang out on the lake, friends to sit by the fire with and to hit up the local towny bars, too.

Some of the group

Joe's grilling up some lunch

Andi's closest frineds
Brian (L), Joe (R)

Saturday forecasted 85 degrees and sunny and unfortunately it was rainy, windy and cold. Danielle and I made the best of it by grocery shopping for the weekend while the boys put the dock and pontoon in the water. The weather warmed up later in the afternoon so we were able to fish off the pontoon and sit outside, albeit bundled up in pants, hoodies and blankets. It is May in Minnesota after all, can't complain too much.

Andi caught a fish!

Brian did too ...

they were little and plentiful

Andi's friend Brian (one of the cabin renters) just got a new puppy named Indy who he brought to the lake this weekend. Chloe was not Indy's biggest fan - she chased and pounced on Chloe with her big puppy paws which didn't sit well with my little princess. So I spent most of the weekend breaking up the two!

Indy

My Chloe girl catching some rays

Saturday night we tried out Crosslake's bar shuttle. For $5 a head (seriously, $5!!) a shuttle bus picks you up at your house and takes you to the local towny bars. They'll take you from bar to bar if you call and then pick you up at bar close to take you home. Best. Service. Ever. We made good friends with the driver because I'm sure we'll see him plenty this summer.

Our first towny bar experience attributed to the following learnings:

1) Forever 21 must have had a gigantic sale. The amount of plether shirts and pants were endless.

2) It's OK to bring kids - toddlers even - to bars in town. Because why not, right? OMG.

3) Dirty dancing is big here. BIG. This will be a problem since dancing and I don't mix.

We achieved our 80's and sun on Sunday and spent most of the day on the water, soaking up the heat and doing plenty of fishing off the pontoon. The cabin's seriously my favorite place in the world these days. It's our own piece of paradise. A busy week then back to the cabin for Memorial Day where I'm guessing things could get a little crazy ...

Chloe Update

I'm happy to report my little girl is finally starting to feel better. After nearly 2 weeks of throwing up and very sparce eating, she's keeping food down again.

On Tuesday, the vet called to check up on her progress. Now I must interupt here to tell you that said vet has really redeemed herself this week. You see, I'm very finicky about the providers we use for Chloe. I once took her to the PetSmart near our old house for a haircut and upon entering the store, Chloe violently began shaking and pooped in the store entrance! As I drug her back to the grooming area, a lady with blue fake fingernails and tri-colored hair grabbed her from me and told me to come back in 4 hours. I never went back. And now we have the most amazing groomer who absolutely loves Chloe to pieces. If they can't see how special my little girl is, well, then they don't get my business. Period.

Back to the vet - well, the vet wasn't all that attentive the last few times we visited. Our old vet in Sioux Falls was so nice and attentive to her; he sat on the floor and talked with her and held her. I envision a vet being a lover of all animals and they must possess all of said qualities. So, I was considering switching to someone new until Dr. Bell lovingly called to check up on how little Chloe was feeling this week. I think this might be unheard of. I mean, she called personally - not a nurse or secretary but the vet herself to see how Chloe was doing. After I told Dr. Bell Chloe wasn't feeling any better, she perscribed her a sensitive tummy dog food. (The same kind that was perscribed to Chloe a while back when she had a similar issue). 

Chloe was thrilled and so far it's working. She gets 1/3 of a can 3 times a day and she practically licks her lips when I open the pantry door to get the food out. Which means Chloe's eating. Which means Chloe's not throwing up.

We still have 2 more cans of sensitive stomach food to get through, and then weening her back to regular dry dog food. Or maybe I'll talk to Dr. Bell about sensative stomach dog food for all the time? We will see...

Sick little girl

There's nothing worse than your little one being sick - no matter if it's a child or pet.

This week, my little pup Chloe has been throwing up every morning. Not the same way she would if she would've eaten a toy or something sketch in the back yard, she's been sick like clock work every morning when she wakes up. I hesitate in making a vet appointment every time she acts a little funny because we'd seriously be there every other week. On the other hand, I'd die if something happened to her so it's better to be safe than sorry. See the pickle I'm in? I'm sure it's the struggle every puppy (or baby) parent faces.

A few days ago I Googled her symptoms and All-Knowing Internet said she likely has an irritated stomach from not eating frequently enough. I scaled back the quantity of food I give her each day to 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup in the evening and increased the frequency. However, it didn't seem to help. Finally this morning - day 7 of the throwing up - I bit the bullet and called the vet.

Who's smarter you think - the folks at Google or the Animal Medical Clinic?

I think it's a tie.

The vet said the same thing I'd self-diagnosed. She seems to have an upset tummy from not eating frequently enough. And do you know what they prescribed her? Pepcid AC. Isn't that strange? I guess it doesn't hurt dogs. My co-worker suggested earlier today I give her some Pepto-Bismal. Maybe I should've done that and saved myself the $200 vet bill. At least they checked all her vitals and all tests came back normal.

So it sounds like she just needs to eat more to get better. The thing is, she's not one of those dogs who eats very much. Some dogs devour their dog food as fast as you dump it into their bowl. Chloe? She maybe eats a bite or two, maybe. So I'm not really sure what I can do to ensure she eats more frequently (aside from smearing peanut butter in her dish!).

Hope my little Chloe girl feels better soon. Breaks my heart so see her under the weather...

Chloe & Hank

My friend Val and I took our puppies for a walk today at Minnehaha Falls. I was a little nervous to take Chloe and Hank (Val's German Shepard Mix) for a walk together. Let's face it, Chloe doesn't always like to play nice. But I am very happy to report (and very suprised!) that both Chloe and Hank had a fantastic time!

I actually think Hank was good for Chloe. She wasn't so distracted or threatened by other dogs and calmly walked next to Hank throughout the busy park. Usually, we'd have to cinch Chloe up pretty tight and steer clear of any other dogs because she growls as they pass by. But with Hank by her side, she seemed to forget there were other dogs around. Chloe was more interested in sniffing the things Hank sniffed and smelling new, interesting things in the park.

Today's walk with Chloe and Hank was a great success! Good thing too ... we have many more walks in our future this spring/summer!

Lazy Saturday

It's been incredibly warm here the last 10 or so days. If, you know, you call 43 degrees and sun warm. But by Minnesota standards I do. We've been taking Chloe for walks every evening after work and she's absolutely loving being outside. I cringe every time she tramples through a puddle because I know it'll be more work later to give her a bath, blow-dry and brush her ... but it's all worth it. She's so happy outside and we are too.

Yesterday Andi snapped a few photos of our journey with his new Canon camera.

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Five years ago today, my little pooch Chloe was born. I feel like such a proud parent today - I can't believe she's so grown up already.  Seems like just yesterday I went to a small little town in Western Nebraska to pick out a little Yorkie puppy. I lived in a small apartment in Sioux Falls, SD at the time (which didn't allow dogs!) but I wanted one so badly and thought she'd be small enough to sneek her in. When I arrived at the house, this little black puff ball was so friendly and active - I knew she was the one I wanted.
In February she was big enough to take home. Chloe weighed about a pound when I got her; she was the size of my hand and was so tiny and scared. She become my little sidekick, traveling around North & South Dakota with me for my job and making many trips to Nebraska to see my family. Eventually we left South Dakota together and moved in with Andi. He wasn't so fond of her at first (it was mostly the not listening and accidents on the floor that turned him off!). And Chloe wasn't so fond of all his rules. But now ... we're a big happy family.

A few pics of Chloe throughout the years ...

Summertime Boating

Dreaming of shopping ...

Favorite summertime place - sunning in the backyard!

The time Andi took Chloe to get her haircut ...

Chasing squirrels in the park

Sitting pretty in Grandma's chair

Christmas Puppy

Happy birthday little girl!

O Christmas Tree

For those of you who rolled ot of bed in the wee hours of the morning to participate in Black Friday - I hope you found awesome deals that made the cold and crowds worth it. I myself did not partake. I'm not sure you could ever find me at a Black Friday. It's just not worth it to me. A: I think it's too early to decide what I'm buying for my friends and family and B: throwing elbows and ramming carts into others to wrangle the last DVD player is not something I"m willing to do. I'd rather pay extra for it. 

Instead, my day-after Thanksgiving tradition is decorating for Christmas. Every other year, I share this tradition with my parents in Nebraska (when it's our year to Celebrate Thanksgiving in Nebraska and Christmas in Minnesota). It's one of my favorite things to do with my mom and dad - we spend all day listening to Christmas music and pulling out childhood tree ornaments, antique Christmas tree displays passed down for generations and telling stories about where each item came from.

On Minnesota Thanksgiving / Nebraska Christmas years, I spend the day-after Thankgsgiving decorating my own house. I try to follow the same traditions (listening to Christmas music, reflecting on where each decoration came from) and it takes me ALL DAY to finish. Andi doesn't like to decorate (so I don't make him) but I can't wait for the day when I have a houseful of little ones who'll also help in the decorating!
I simply cannot wait to decorate for Christmas and I'm one of those who leaves their decorations up until February. I just love the warmth and happiness Christmastime brings all of us.

Here's a few photos of my little girl Chloe and our home ready for the holidays: