so this is what the holidays are like...i'm tired!

sorry for not letting you know how i am but i have been really busy. my parents have taken me all over the place for christmas and i have just been able to catch my breath after all the excitement! first we went up to meet my uncle wesley and grandma marilyn and grandpa stew. it was so much fun there since they let me run around and jump on wesley (that is until this white fluffy dog barked at me to stop). wesley is my new best friend but i don't think he likes me all that much. but grandma marilyn loved on me sooo much that i wasn't sure i wanted to leave. she said that she was going to keep me and that if mom and dad were ever mean to me that i was to call her and she would come right down and save me...so far i don't think that that is going to be a problem since i have worked my parents around my little white paw! well, we played and wesley and i shared food and treats!

then we left michigan and went to west lafayette where there were two more dogs! this time i was at grandma and grandpa smiley's house. they have poco and bailey who i am sure are nice dogs but they bark a lot and didn't want to play with a new puppy. it was a full christmas day with lots of people and lots of smells. i got to see my first friend hayden again! that was great and she let me chase her! she has great toys that fit right in my mouth too.

then it was back down to indianapolis to see my grandma and grandpa steckbeck and their two cats. the cats are twice the size of me and i think that they like me ok (that is, their tails didn't get as big this time as they had before)!

then i got to go see my uncle brett and morgan. i like running around there big basement and that was a big deal since dogs don't come into that house. mom made sure i was extra good and went to the bathroom outside all the time!

after all that i was so tired from being social (well maybe i could have gone to a few more parties)!

Santa Was Good

This year we were really blessed. Kirk got his Wii that he had been thinking of getting down the road for that past year. The greatest time was playing it with his grandparents. Curt got the highest score of the day! I had a big surprise and had New York City wrapped up in three boxes...well, kind of. So, sometime in the next six months we will have a week vacation in NYC which is a city that I love. Praying that you had a wonderful time with your family as well.

I Can't Wait for Show n' Tell!

So, I was clearly trying to show off my newest talent of flying to my parents, but it didn't go as well as I had planned. After reading one of my dad's graphic novels it had seemed simple enough. Just jump from a high place, and fly through the air, right? Well, I need to work on my cat like landing, to say the least. It didn't go so well. Dad wasn't happy and mom was crying (she is such a softy) as we trekked out into the snow. They took me to a doggy hospital, and I got some fun drugs...something called "more-feen"...it was very nice. Well, after some X-rays we found out that I just had a sprain/strain. My parents were very smiley, but it was still kind of a fog for me. I sure hope I wasn't drooling like a big dog! Well, after the doctor told my mom I couldn't run, mom laughed, and said that was impossible? So the doctor got creative and put a splint on me and now they let me play! I sure hope that you can see all my pups signatures through the fun colors! Another ten days of this and then I wont have to run on three legs or have a bag put on me every time I go pee! Dad is calling me Tiny Tim and saying that I am the most expensive Christmas decoration that they have! So if you see me you'll have to sign my cast so I can show n' tell it at school! Well, I have had a "ruff" day and am off for another nap.

Grandpa Turned 101!

We celebrated my Grandpa's 101st birthday which was December 10th! Abie is doing pretty well for his age and we had a great time visiting with him...which consists of talking about the same things over and over. He hasn't remembered us for the last few years but we did quiz him on his social security number and he still has that down! It is amazing what the brain can hold onto. So we pray that he continues to feel no pain and find only peace and joy in his memories of a very long and blessed life.

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!"

Feeling More Like Home

5438 is becoming home. This week I have been painting....and painting...and I still have lots more painting to go. Getting rid of the rainbow of colors has helped make this feel more like ours. The yellow is gone and part of the orange, still have the under-the-sea blue bath, white/brown sponge painted kitchen, & green bed to go!

More Thankful Than Ever!

So we spent the holiday with my Grandma Sara's side of the family at their 6th annual State Park Thanksgiving trip. I met a lot of new relatives like uncle Wyatt, uncle Brett, Grandpa Jerry, and I loved aunt Scout but she lives in Oregon and I wont see her much. But, I did get to go on my first hike! I was too slow for everybody and tried to pick up every leaf, so mom made me ride in dad's backpack, which is OK since it smells like him and all the places it has been (like Thailand which is where they met). Anyway, everyone thought that I did a great job hiking and didn't wiggle in the backpack at all. Hey, I tried to keep my eyes open but it all starts looking the same...tree after tree and since I can't hike my leg yet on them they don't interest me too much...I just like the leaves! Thanks to Grandma who let me out for a while to walk (that is until the hill got too steep for her and she had to pass me back to mom). Grandma never liked puppies until me...mom says that I must be really special if Grandma loves me so much. I like Grandma because she is always letting me out of my cage so that I can get into trouble...that is until mom sees me eating something so enticing from the floor! So we got back home Saturday and I was forced to take a bath before I was allowed on the couch, I guess that is the price I pay for hiking! So I am very thankful this year, just like my parents, for my family and my toys (since it is the only thing they let me chew now)!

This is me...doing what I love to do best when I am killing the time while my parents are forcing me in the yard and telling me to "go pee!" Still can't figure out what they are wanting but it is fun to watch them...and chew....

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!

Meet Otis!

So we have had him about two weeks now and he is so wonderful. We fell in love the first night. We moved on Saturday he arrived two days later! He is growing a lot right now. Around 2.5 lbs. at the moment and he will get to be about 10 lbs. He is now letting us sleep through the night (which is awesome!) and we are really trying to get him used to the crate. He is OK in there as long as he hears us talking and in the same room as he is. Otis is understanding the whole outside thing pretty well too, and once his schedule gets settled we will know more of when he needs to go. We definitely love to have him in our new home and look forward to training him more on come, sit, and put down.

New Digits

We changed our phone numbers to 317 area codes. Email us if you haven't gotten them yet.

image from flickr.

Moving Day!

So we are moving...with a bit bigger size vehicle than this! Thanks to family and friends for all your help! We will not have cable or Internet until Monday so call our cell phones if you need to reach us. We will be changing cell phone numbers soon but will email and post when that does happen. So here comes sore muscles and long days!

P.S. I am posting this a day early since we loose Internet tonight.
Picture from flickr.

Last Night Out

So it is our last night in Lafayette and we are walking over to our FAVORITE restaurant. Kokoro is a Japanese/Sushi restaurant run by a guy named Tony. He makes his own unique maki rolls (that are three times the size of the ones in this photo)! We will miss this eatery more than any other when we move. In honor of Tony: "My way or highway!"

Kirk's Last Day!

Today was Kirk's last day of work and he had to run a seminar until 5:30pm! He is very sad to no longer have his co-workers harass him everyday. It was bittersweet since he loved who he worked with and his new position will not offer the same kind of camaraderie.

Photo from flickr.

Our Home Before the Boxes!

We have LOVED our first home and can't wait to unpack and have a new house to make memories in.

Happy Halloween!

So after living here for two years we had only one tricker-treater...and there couldn't be a better one! Meet Dora (a.k.a. Hayden) who came in quickly took off that itchy wig and wanted to "pay" with "Kourk and Inn."

My Last Day!

Today is my last day of work for The Care Group. It has been a great job and I'll miss the people that I worked with, but I am definitely excited about doing something different. It hasn't hit me yet that I don't have to show up on Wednesday. I feel a bit free but can't wait to sleep in a bit more (of course my internal clock will only let me sleep until 7a.m.)! So I thought that this picture captured the feeling of joy very well.

Image from Flickr.

Our Last Game!

And after some concern...the Boilers pulled out a Homecoming win!

Wow, Monday was a BIG night!

So, reading below you see that we found out about a new addition to the family tonight, and now we know where he will be running around. We have a house! We found out at about 10pm that we got our first choice rental house! We were competing with two other couples, so we had no clue what to expect, but it all worked out. Lynne was so excited she was jumping up and down in the dining room. So here are some pics of our new place. It is a three bedroom and the third bedroom will be my office since I may be working from home a little bit early on. The office has the most amazing built-in bookshelves (yes, for which to place the spoils of my booksale addiction). There is a year-round sunroom, an amazing spacious kitchen with gas stove, a beautifully manicured and landscaped lawn, a two-car garage (hooray!), perfect hardwoods throughout, a fireplace, and a clean, coated, painted, and well-lit basement with an amazing washer and dryer room. Also, Lynne likes to remind me that the stone and brick in front look like a mini-ATO. :)

We were looking in the Broad Ripple area, and this house is on Capitol near 54th about 2 miles southeast of the ripple, and it was so much nicer than what we could find just south of the park. Also, it's near Meridian which is nice for Kirk since he may be working downtown once they secure him some office space. The neighborhood is VERY nice, but we are sad that we won't be there in time for trick-or-treaters this year. Tons of thanks goes to Sara, Jerry, Kevin, and Tammy for finding this place on their long "house-hunting" bike ride. This place was the best rental house they found, and we couldn't have agreed more!
Description: Nicely finished brick ranch in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. 3 nicely sized bedrooms, a sunroom, & a basement. Newer stainless steel appliances & hardwoods through-out. 1414 sq. ft. / 2828 sq. ft. with basement