Amos the New Puppy

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a huge animal person.  Sure, I love the cows.  But, I'm not extremely fond of pets.  Some I do fall in love with.  But, where we live and in our family, these pets are outside pets.  I guess what I don't love about some is their jumping up on you (I know it can be fixed) or the occasion that they chew up a package or two, and well, poop patrol.

However, I'm a bit of a sucker for a chocolate lab.  We had one growing up, and he was the best! Jeremy and I also got one when we first got married, and well, we woke up one day, and he was gone.  So, when my dad told me that a neighbor had a litter of Chesapeake Bay retrievers (and that they looked like a chocolate lab with curly hair), I was almost sold before I even saw them.

Everything in me said we didn't need one and that the puppy stage (where they're extra cute) would wear off quickly, but then we made the mistake of paying the puppies a visit.

This is now what you see in the yard every day.  Peter (of all of the kids) loves him most.  Seriously, he's outside with him for hours.  He loves to lead him, and he tries over and over again to put him in the dune buggy and ride around with him.  Imagine me seeing the little puppy run by the front door one way followed by Peter, then the other, (back and forth).  Finally Peter got him in there.  And now, when Peter isn't outside, the puppy is sleeping in the seat of that dune buggy.

I think they like each other. 

His name is Amos, and I'm so thankful we got him.  He's as sweet at they come, and he's proving to be a great little companion for the kids! 

I might become a pet lover after all.

Crazy Kids and Their Quotes

Obviously, these pictures were before I got tired of the hair over their ears and gave them choppy-non-professional-haircuts.  And, it was before our grass that never really turned super green died a quick death last week.  

Speaking of last week, we had a plumbing issue.  Our kitchen sink was backing up.  As Jeremy and I were talking about it, Carter perked up, "Hey guys!!  I have a pwoblem with my bathroom sink, too! You see, it doesn't work!" (It doesn't work because we turned the water to his room off after too many mishaps at naptime).  "Guyssss, we need to call da plumber!"

Jeremy: "You're looking at him."

Carter: (laughs).  "Oh Dad.  You're not da plumber.  You're just a player."

I choked on my water.

One evening before bed, Carter was tooting a lot and saying, "Excuse me!" a lot.  Finally he just looked at me and said, "Sowwy, Mom!  I'm just a gas tank."

When we went to pick out a puppy a few weeks ago, one of them was crying, and Carter ran up to it saying, "It's okay, little dog...twinkle, twinkle (and sang the whole song)."

On our way home from Amarillo last week, Peter pulled out his sword and said, "If anyone bees mean, I will sword day!"

When watching a cartoon about John Henry, Carter said, "Do you know what mighty means?  It means being bwave and strong!  I want to be a mighty man like John Henwy!"

At the end of a long prayer in Church, John Paul shouted in the quietness, "Amen, Momma!"

After I tell John Paul to do things lately, he's been getting that silly low voice again and saying, "Don't do it, get pankin!!!"  (I think he's had about three in his entire life).

He's pretty proud of his middle name.

We were at a friend's house and Peter, the really protective brother, saw some little girls try to pick Sophie up.  He ran to me shouting, "Dey don't do dat to Sophie!!!"

Peter has a bit of a crying moment in Church. John Paul (who cannot whisper) said on repeat, "Oh no!  Peder in twouble!" 

Many more funny things to come, I'm sure!

The Boys and their Favorite Books

I'm rarely in front of the camera, so as I was reading a night-time story to the boys, Jeremy snapped this shot.  And, what I've noticed in these photos is that 90% of the time I'm in my maybe 10-year-old Patagonia fleece.  It has teeny tiny holes in the sleeves, and it's super thin.  But, there's just something about it.  It keeps me warm/cozy.  It's part of my daily life at home usually.  Maybe that's a sign that I need to change things up a bit!

These guys are just getting to where they love a good book.  Really, it's still just Carter that sits and listens.  But, Peter loves to ask questions.  And, John Paul enjoys turning the pages.  So, it's a team effort.

We've gotten a lot of new books lately for birthdays.  Some of our latest favorites are Harry the Dirty Dog, Frog and Toad, Madeline, Corduroy, Stuck, and Little Blue Truck.

Ana had a list last week that we're checking out soon!  What are some of your favorites?