Lucy and Otis

Otis got to get out some more energy on Sunday when John and Megan came over to hang out. The two pups got along very well this time (their first meeting was a little hairy). Although, Otis did not like being the little guy.

 

 

 

All we did was sit around and talk (there was a football game on, too), but it was great to catch up. (John trying to look serious and not laugh at the same time.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I should say that the people sat around…there was no sitting happening with these two rascals!

Otis n’ Izzy

Otis has felt very cooped up these past few weeks due to all the snow, so we went and got Izzy this week.  This is the best way for Otis to get out some of his energy.  They loved it and Otis slept very well that night.

I think that this was they only moment that they both stopped moving!

Otis’s New Coat

Otis got a new coat this week from his Grandma. She calls it Otis's warm-ups, like what the basketball players wear out onto the court! There is even a zipper pocket for him to store his treats in. Since Eliza has been born, Otis knows who Grandma Steckbeck is and he gets so excited when we say she is coming over especially when she brings him gifts (and not Eliza)!

Mamma’s Got a Brand New Bag!

Camera bag that is. I got a new camera for Christmas and I am loving it! There is definitely a lot for me to learn. Kirk is enjoying picking it up as well. We treat it like our third child (1. Eliza 2. Otis). Hopefully, you can see a difference in the photos that we post, and we apologize for even more pictures of Eliza! (I am so sorry with how long this post has gotten! I will start using flickr soon, so that you can scroll through all the crazy parent shots!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

   

 

Two of a Kind

They have the same love of leaves.

Otis in 2007

Eliza 2009

Welcome Fall

This week was a fast one! We went to Preston's first birthday party on Wednesday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eliza has been pulling herself up onto her side (starting from her back), so a new season has begun in our household as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday, Preston came over to play for a while, and it's getting a little bit easier every time I have both of them together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cookie jar is Preston's favorite toy and on our list for Eliza down the road. It works on numbers as well as shapes (Preston really likes the circle).

 

 

 

 

He also has a puzzle that makes animal sounds when you put the pieces in. I don't think they had that when I was little! The puzzle is by Melissa and Doug.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preston was helping Otis make sure nobody came into the yard! Look out squirrels!

My Babies

Thanks to Alex and Sonja coming over this weekend (which you will see a post soon of what we made) we got some great shots of our two kiddos! Eliza is 22 weeks old now and Otis is 2!

Video!

So this is my first attempt to post video to the blog. For Christmas we got an amazing Sony Handycam, and I'm still figuring out all the awesome features. For now, enjoy this footage of Otis wrestling with Wesley just after Christmas.

A Summer Haircut!?

Did I go on a diet? It feels like it since I just lost some pounds thanks to the haircut mommy gave me! Now I can be cooler on our summer walks and look sharp for my girlfriend, Izzy (she lives across the street, and I'll tell you more about her later ;)

New Friends!

wow, i made a lot of new friends on saturday. dad and grandma and grandpa (did you know i have six of them?!) took me to a park for some sort of doggy egg hunt. something called EESTUR. it was lots of fun and i met some new friends. they were all very nice and i didn't bark at any of them, just smelled and played (and tangled up the leesh). i also got to run up and down a big hill, which was fun, and i got to get muddy and dirty, which i LOVE. at the end I got a big bag of huge dog biscuits. dad says they are too big for me though and he's going to make them smaller. look at the picture, i don't think they are too big. mom sure missed out, because she had to "work."My big buiscit

Otis' Newest Friend

So we say that Hayden was Otis's first friend since she stayed with us right after Otis arrived and as of this weekend Hayden has a little sister, Emerson! She weighs in a little over eight pounds (just like Otis), and he is excited to get to meet this new play-toy, I mean play-mate! We were able to see the new addition this weekend and pray that the Hults family has an easy (if that is possible) adjustment from one amazing child to two. We can't wait to get to know her more.

Proud Father Shot.

Playing around

Otis' First Snow

We had our first snow of the year and it was a wet one! It was the ice on the bottom that really made it. But Otis was a trouper and LOVED going out in it. It was all water for him. I don't think his tongue was ever in his mouth but instead taking full opportunity to drink up all he could...which then lead us to go out more. It seemed to be all part of his little plan! Well to say the least I didn't have to exercise for a few days after shoveling the driveway. We haven't picked up the snow blower from Kirk's parents yet so it was all up to my muscles to get the work done! I will add a picture of it clean to show of the size of the drive for you to feel my pain...or more like my soreness. And don't forget, there was ice underneath the snow too!

Showing off my tongue action here.

He is still out looking for leaves! I think this is the only one right now!

"ok, I'm done now....take me inside!"

So Tired...But So Happy!

We were really motivated to unpack the first week here since we were expecting our first house guest (the little yellow monster)! Between Hayden and Otis, Kirk and I were worn out all week! It was wonderful to spend four days with her while Mark and Lynn were running a conference. We had fun playing, cooking, and reading (as well as more laundry then ever before!). I don't think there was an hour that we didn't talk about which one pooped last or who needed to go soon! Hayden and Otis played really well together and she always wanted to pet him or take him around on the leash. "So soft" and "so little" is how she described "Odis." "I so happy" is said by her often and is a very catching phrase. It is amazing to see life through the simplicity of her eyes. She is a totally awesome little girl, which isn't surprising since she has totally awesome parents. We are excited to have them all down again soon to visit, but now without the one monster the other one is a piece of cake!