Sunny Day at the Beach...in January

So Mom & Dad called to tell me that they were on their way to the beach last Tuesday because it was supposed to be great weather and invited the girls and I along. It was amazing! I can't believe how warm it was, with hardly any wind. I can think of maybe one other time I've been to the Oregon Coast with weather like this - and so odd for it to be in January. The sunset was spectacular.

Since Anya's only other experience with the beach was in California, she was very distressed that we wouldn't let her go in the ocean. She is still talking about "no go ocean, toooooo cold."

Mom and Dad were nice enough to indulge me and hold the girls in various positions while I got some nice pictures of them. The light was gorgeous and so were the girls. Sean and I are going to try to go as a family more often when he can break away from work - from West Salem it seems like the beach is practically next door now! :) ha ha.

 

     

Yeah, yeah, I'll lighten these up in Photoshop eventually, but some people (cough*mom*cough*sean*cough) were complaining that I haven't posted anything for awhile. Happy now?

Lots more new pics on Flickr - click here.

Hey, Pickle Pants!

So as soon as we signed the papers for the house, I headed out to Dallas to pick up our new Siamese kitten. SkippyJon Jones was born November 1, 2008 and is the spitting image of his namesake from the series of books of the same name.

Anya is so excited about him she can hardly contain herself. She throws herself at him while talking in an almost inaudible high pitched voice. We have to watch her carefully so she doesn't overwhelm him. He is already dominating the dogs (if he sits at the top of the stairs, Sorka just runs back to her pen rather than come up), and Belle even allows him to snuggle up with her for an occasional nap.

He adores Willow (I think she smells like milk) and wants to be near her whenever she's awake. He's only 2.6 lbs, when I first put him in the cat basket I almost threw it when I picked it up because I was so used to heaving it up with Macavity in it.

So far he seems to be a really great cat - playful and fun, not timid, but quite happy to be a lap cat while I'm on the computer. Other than being a loudmouth and accidentally turning off my computer once, I think we picked a good one!

Oh I'm SkippyJon Jones
and I bounce on my bed
'cuz I like to eat pickles
that tickle my head!

You can find out more about the books here, they are hilarious.

Our New Home - It's Official

Try not to move the day after Christmas if you can avoid it. And really try to close your loan before moving...

As most of you know, we got a great deal on a house in West Salem and decided to go forward with renting out our Arithmetic house and moving. We were able to get some renters very quickly, and were planning to close by the end of the year, but then our lender started flaking on us. We were able to arrange with the seller to lease until the new house closed because our renters needed to move in on the 29th.

So we made the decision to move the day after Christmas so we didn't lose our renters! Then the loan process kept dragging on...and on...finally we switched lenders and after a few more mishaps caused by the first lender were able to close January 15. Now I can finally finish unpacking, and hang up curtains and pictures!

We've been here almost a month and it very much feels like home. The view of the canyon is gorgeous and we love the sound of the creek running through our backyard. I thought I would miss Arithmetic since that's literally where our babies were born, but it hasn't been as hard as I expected. This house seems like a good fit for us.

What's ironic is that after looking at probably 30+ houses, this is the very first one I looked at and drug Sean to an open house. Back then it was out of our price range, but as prices continued to drop it fell back in!

We'd love to show you around sometime - just excuse the mess while we finish unpacking! Our phone numbers have stayed the same, if want our new address just call or email.

New Designs at WhiteDogBlackDog.com

I've uploaded a few new designs - another version of the always popular "She is Fierce" line, and the cowboy photo of Eli on a mini video camera.

Cute Things that Anya Says and Does #6

• When we were grocery shopping the other day, the bag boy pushed the cart and helped me unload the groceries. As he was walking away, Anya said "he's very nice!"
• She loves the shopping carts that are shaped like cars and have steering wheels. She steers and hums the Imperial March while we drive. Loudly. Sometimes people look at me funny.
• All meals are still "munch"
• This morning I shooed Skippyjon off the table and she said "Mama, you be gentle. Be gentle with Skippy." Of course a little later she attempted to pick him up and throw him off the stair railing, so we're not sure what she thinks gentle means.
• She loves to play "Xbox 'troller" with Daddy. She also recognizes the Xbox commericals and squeals "xbox 360!" Her favorite is "soccers."
• When Willow cries, she pats her on the back and says "dat's okay baby. Don't cry Willow."
• She plays the recorder to Barney's theme song. She says she's playing "musicks"
• She can sing her ABC's, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and Jesus Loves Me.
• She says "ooooo" instead of you. "Ooooo sing it too, Mama?"
• Grandpa is still pretty much her favorite person. The other day when just Nana came over, she looked up and said sadly "Grandpa's not here." However, she's usually very excited about Nana too.
• Daddy is very pleased that she says "meatballs?" very hopefully when getting up from her afternoon nap most days.
• She is starting to assert her own preferences. She has two polka dot Elmo dresses that she requests frequently.
• When we shut Skippyjon into the laundry room, she says "he go lillerbox. Bounce in big boy bed". The Skippyjon in the books bounces on his big boy bed when sent to his room, so we think she thinks he's the real Skippyjon Jones...
• She tries to blame stinky diapers on Willow. "Anya, do you have a stinky diaper?" "No, dat's Willow."
• She has a little desk in mama's office (thanks, Uncle Matt!) and she will pick up a toy and announce that she's going to "work in my office".
• TV is "FeeVee"
• She is posessive of her toys - if Willow has something of hers, she says "No baby, dat's Anya's." But then she'll hand her something else and say "that ooooo toy"
• Pronouns are still a bit confusing. She and Daddy play steamroller, where he rolls around on the floor and rolls over her - she runs screaming to me and says "save you! save you!". She also says "my" instead of "I" often. "My want dat?"
• She will look around the room and say "What's goin' on?"

Not So Cute Things:

• She has to wear full zippered jammies at nap time, because otherwise she'll take off everything including her diaper. Poop everywhere.
• She has learned "no"
• When she wants something she asks once and then immediately turns on the water works if it's not in her hand in the next instant.