Goodbye to an old friend and hello to a new one

Two weeks ago, a tragic accident took the life of our big guard dog Zack. We are missing him. Well, most of us are. I think Posy, our cat, has not spent too much time mourning his absence, but the rest of us have. We got him when we were in Canada eight years ago. While he had his faults, he was a very smart watch dog who alerted us by different barks to various situations.Zack (right) with Buster

Colonel Strong Vincent wanted to get another puppy right away, while I was more hesitant. A puppy can be a LOT of work to train properly, and an intelligent dog, such as we wanted, needs a lot of attention and work daily. It's like having a two-year-old in the household, and I already have a human one to care for. I wasn't sure I wanted something more to take my time. But yesterday, after looking at a litter of border collie puppies and a litter of Australian Shepherd puppies, I was easily persuaded to get one. We settled on a 12-week-old male Aussie which we have named Cody. He seems like a very intelligent and eager-to-please little puppy, and we are looking forward to working and playing with him. Here are some pictures of our new little charge.

We've only had Cody a day, but he is already learning how to sit, come, and fetch a rope.

Cody exploring the yard.

Buster, our other dog, has taken to him quite nicely and will enjoy the companionship I believe. We all (except Posy again) are glad to have a new little furry friend.

A Very Hoppy Birthday

Jonathan celebrated his second birthday over the weekend. He is just starting to really talk, and "froggie" is one word he can say - although it sounds more like "foggy". Any time he sees a frog, he points to it excitedly and says, "foggie!'" So I decided to put on a frog party for him. After consulting my sisters, my mom, and the internet for good ideas, I decided to make a cake depicting the life cycle of a frog. Everything is edible except the two plastic frogs, the toothpicks, and candles. You can see the pictures enlarged by clicking on them.
Also, various food items on the menu got renamed to be "froggy friendly." Among other things, we served "lily pads" (sliced cucumbers) and "toadstools" (fresh mushrooms) with dip from a bell pepper frog.

We also served "flies" (raisins) and "frogie tongues" (fruit roll-ups) with "pond water" to drink (lime-ade and 7-up with lime sherbet on top to make it "scummy."

Colonel Strong Vincent got into the action by blowing up 360 balloons to create a "frog pond" for the little froggie guests to hop around in. He got to use his compresser which made it even more fun. To complete the pond atmosphere, he put on a tape of pond and water sounds while the little frogs played in the balloons.
Jonathan really seemed to enjoy his birthday and so did Alyssa and the guests. Here are a few more pictures of the fun. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Blowing out the candles.


Alyssa covered her eyes to count to 20 while the guests hid in the balloons. Then Jonathan copied her and said, "Two, five, eight, nine."

Kitchen Transformation

A few weeks ago, I decided to paint my kitchen blue. I've been itching to do it for a long time and finally decided to go ahead. I have a lot of blue and white pieces that already decorate my kitchen, and I thought dark blue walls would really show them off nicely. I love the results. Here are the before and after photos.