Gone to the Dogs

Meet Chopper

Meet Chopper's Dish

Well, of course Chopper's Dish goes on Ellie's head!
We had just recently had the opportunity to watch the Newcomb's dog . . . Chopper. The kids loved it! Chopper slept with our boys and played with our dog. He is a really good dog. Happy, too. Ellie would often walk up to Chopper and say "Chopper, I love you." So, Tommy, you better let us watch him when you leave. Our boys keep asking when is Mr. Newcomb leaving so Chopper can come over. (big smiley face here) Here are some cute pictures of Ellie turning Chopper's dish into a fashion piece. My daughter. . . she is soooo cute.

This Is Not Easy

Two different versions with color variation.

Okay . . . so I have been playing around for a little while on this image of Chloe and am having a time of it. Trying to teach myself about layers, color saturation, sharpening and not to mention a million other things that have turned my mind to mush. To me the image seems a bit bluish or grayish. Not sure why. I played with the blue and this was what I thought looked best. Now, I truly respect Jenny for what she has accomplished in teaching herself and doing all that work and editing for those of us she calls friends. This is not an easy task. So guess what??? I am going to order Photoshop for Dummies - I think I qualify. All kidding aside - I do love this picture. She is looking up and the grass behind her is truly that color. AHH HAA . . . maybe she seems a bit bluish because of the shade??? I am sure Jenny could tell me. What do you think?

My Oh My . . . What Fun!

Recently we went to a Mariner's game as a family. The kids and I drove around and met Daddy at work where he could have the opportunity to show us his office and meet his co-workers. He works in a beautiful building. On one side you can see the water and the view is just spectacular. The other side has a view of the city. If you get really close to the window and look down it gives you a sick feeling - seeing how high up in the air you are. Phillip works right downtown, so after that we strapped Chlobug into the front pack carrier and headed off to the game. We love getting the hotdogs (or polish sausages) before the entrance. I got a Buhner dog. It has grilled onions and and slab of cream cheese on top! SOOO YUMMY! I thought about taking pictures of it - but decided not to as I may look like a freakshow! (Like there aren't enough in the city!) After a good time trying to down the dog with Chloe reaching for every bite - off we went. Our seats were amazing. The picture you see above was taken from my seat. We were right behind Ichiro. Phillip got seats that were located in the family (no alcohol) section. It was really nice to not have to deal with anyone who might be three sheets to the wind. (Whatever that means???) There were families with newborns right next to us. The game was awesome. The weather was in the mid 70's. It was just a great evening spent with the family. Ethan was so excited that Daddy got him a "finger", as he calls it. Here is a cute picture with him holding it up. We had to keep warning the

kids to not whack the people in front of them with their fingers.
Ellie got a pink one. Ellie was so cute. We now call her the peanut monster. She LOVES peanuts.


Here she is peeling them ever so carefully with her fingers. Then she would pop that one in her mouth and hunt for more. It was hilarious to watch how diligent she was. She must be like her mama when it comes to food.









Here she is emptying the bag of Cracker Jack. This girl loves her snacks.

Another Picture of Chlobug

Chloe Marie . . . . she is growing bigger everyday. It is hard to not marvel at how fast time does pass by. It just seems like she was born yesterday. She is now almost 8 months old. She has her first tooth, and is steadily getting on all fours - posed for crawling. She has started eating rice cereal and has now moved on to big girl oatmeal cereal. She is my little love bug. I am truly thankful for the bestowment of her upon our family. May I not forget the preciousness of such a gift.

Sweet Pictures

Baseball season has been in full swing for awhile. We participate in our local homeschooling baseball league. It is such fun! Our boys love it. It gives them an opportunity to learn a sport, in a very friendly and sweet natured environment. We typically play soccer. This is our first year in baseball. Saturday the boys had a game - and it was beautiful outside. Here are just a couple of shots that I was able to capture. Tell me what you think - and be kind. I am just learning and trying to figure out my software and camera at the same time (no easy task for a mother of five) - however I believe it is important. I love - love - love having beautiful images of my family. They are so dear to me, and a picture can bring back so many memories. The first two pictures are of Chloe and Gabriel. Gabriel is all sweaty from playing. Chloe is drooling - but I still love these pictures. I love how Gabe's freckles are very visible. This always happens when he is in the sun. This next picture is not of baseball (obviously) but of a skirt and shirt that my dear friend, Amanda made and sent to Ellie. Isn't it soooo cute! I love it. I am going to take some more pics of her in outside - I think it will make for a cute picture in against some twigs and grass. Amanda sells both skirts and shirts that she has made on Ebay. You should check it out. They are very well made. Ellie wore it last Wednesday to her eye doctor appointment. She got SOOO MANY compliments. By the way - thank you for praying for her. All of a sudden her eyes are not crossing anymore - the doctor said he could not detect anything wrong - except for maybe a bit of farsightedness. That is normal and she probably will grow out of it. Praise the Lord!

Isaac was baptized!!!

We were observing the Lord's table on April 13th, 2008. We have what is called closed communion. This simply means that only members of our church are encouraged to participate in the observance. There are biblical reasons for this, of which I won't go into right now. This particular Sunday evening was scheduled to be a service of which we would be practicing this ordinance. I knew this ahead of time. What I did not know was that my son would also be baptized this evening. You see, right before the communion there is a break for everyone to have time to reflect, get their children from the nursery, and also explain to the older children why it is not wise for them to participate (if they are not members). As I was getting Chloe from the nursery, Phillip was explaining to the boys the biblical principles surrounding that of this ordinance. The Lord worked on Isaac's heart through this time of explanation and expressed a desire to become baptized thus also becoming a member of the church. He had accepted the Lord as his Saviour a couple of years ago, and felt ready for this first commandment given to believers. Phillip and Pastor both spoke with Isaac and it was agreed that he was indeed ready. So, here I come in from the nursery and both my husband and firstborn are gone! The next thing I know - it was announced that Isaac was getting baptized! I just started to cry! Then I remembered that I had my camera in my diaper bag - so my friend snapped some photos! I am thrilled to have it recorded - but mostly to have a son whose desire is to "walk in truth". May he continue to do so.

Sneaky Snake Ellie

You know those little cubes of beef bouillon? The type that you put in your soup for flavoring. Have you ever tasted one of those things? Disgusting! That's what you see here folks. My daughter is notorious for being a "sneaky snake." She often gets caught sneaking into the pantry and shutting the door behind her. She loves to rifle through the boxes and bags to find treats. It is not very hard to detect this sneaky snake. She often leaves clues to her goings ons. Trails of evidence can be found in crushed crackers left behind, rolling Gobstoppers on the floor or empty wrappers hidden behind the door. Well, this day she got it good! She snuck into the pantry and found my package of beef bouillon cubes. Well, the cubes are dark - like chocolate. She must have unwrapped one and popped the discovery into her mouth. Soon after she did so - out she came running, screaming like a wild woman! Yelling that the chocolate was yucky! "Yucky, Mamma - Yucky, Mamma," she was spitting and yelling! So what did I do in all of my compassion? I laughed soooo hard and snapped some pictures. I don't think she appreciated my giggles! My Ellie girl, the sneaky snake beef bouillon eater!

The Butterfly Experiment

This year for Gabriel's birthday my sister, Jessica, gave him a butterfly habitat. It was one of the neatest gifts any of my children have received. You are given a mesh enclosure and a certificate to send in for caterpillar larvae. After you receive the caterpillars you can witness them changing into cocoons and then change into butterflies. These particular butterflies are called "Painted Lady Monarchs" and are just beautiful. You are supposed to wait for a nice day. After the butterflies "hatched" we waited for a sunny day - while we did we fed them sugar water that had been sprayed onto flowers. We had five in all. One sunny Saturday afternoon we went outside and let the butterflies go. Here is a picture of one. Ellie loves butterflies and her excitement proved it. She giggled and laughed with pure delight. The boys had big smiles on their faces. It was so much fun to see "their butterflies" obtain freedom amongst the flowers and shrubs. This was a wonderful gift and has created a memory that shall last in the minds of our children as a particularly sweet one. I would recommend this gift to everyone! It was a success!

The Answer

Just a quick post before we go to bed . . .
Chlobug weighed in at 21 lbs. and 3 oz. I thought for sure she was like 22 lbs. or more. She just feels soooo heavy! Maybe it is because she is still "babyish" and not really supporting her own weight. Make sense? Hmmmmm. Well, thanks for playing along. The winner gets: satisfaction of being the winner. Jenny - way to go! Now don't even THINK of guessing mine!!!!

Weigh In

Chlobug had her 6 month well baby check up this Monday. Everyone always comments on how big she is. Jenny and I thought it would be fun to see if you can guess how much she weighed in at. She was 10 lbs. 3oz. at birth. Can you guess how much my little Chlobug weighs? She is in great health. The only concern is that she has a rash (dry skin) on her face that just will not go away. The doctor wrote a prescription for some hefty duty cortisone cream. On another note . . . Ellie also got to be seen. Her eyes have been crossing lately. I thought it might just be something she needs to grow out of, to be sure the doctor has recommended seeing a specialist. So off we go to the pediatric optometrist. I will keep everyone posted on the outcome of that appointment.

Have a wonderful day! I will post the amount that Chloe weighs in a couple of days - should be fun!