Monthly Archives: February 2021

Every photo I take of Hudson is of him snuggling or sleeping or being adorable, but don’t let that fool you- he’s the actual devil. He is constantly filled with energy (he seems to get an endorphin high from walks). He wants to bite everyone and everything. He is insane. He is, however, very good at going for walks, and quite jaunty and friendly to everyone he sees. He is getting the hang of potty training and I think he’s pretty smart. He is interested in the outdoors now that it’s not negative 15 degrees out. But 10/10 I would not recommend a puppy to anyone. When Olivia was a puppy, I was far less tired, had far less responsibility and I had no idea how bad puppies were, so 12 years ago, my puppy experience was different. But yeah, he’s giving me a run for my money. 

. 

The boys were busy at school and with Grandma Debbie. Xander’s tooth is SUPER loose (but still in his mouth). Xander also decided this week that he was going to become a basketball player. He is able to semi-successfully dribble a kickball at least 7 times in a row before it hits his foot and rolls away, so I think there’s promise there. After I agreed to sign him up, he quickly had a list of things he needed, including a sweat band and wrist bands, basketball shorts and basketball tank tops (and an actual basketball). I asked him if he actually wanted to play basketball or if it was more about the accessories, but he’s sure he’s ready to be a baller. So in March, he will begin 4/5 year old basketball class at the YMCA. Once we have all the gear, learning the skills is just a formality. 

On Friday we took Hudson to the vet for his next round of shots. The vet said he looks good and was very friendly, so that was nice to hear. He was exhausted after his big outing, although I am finding that you can bring a dog almost anywhere and if he’s in a bag, people smile and do not kick you out (Target and the bakery were both successful errands). 

On Saturday, the Nelson family came over for a very fun morning of playing. When I mentioned it to Xander a few days before, I said I was going to make sandwiches for lunch. 99% of the time, Xander is a clone of Nate- mild mannered, easy going- they are so similar. But when he said to me, “we should have ‘make your own pizzas’ I was reminded that he has some of me in him after all. Xander loves some quality programming and appreciates when the details are special. So make your own pizzas for 5 children became the new plan! And they did a great job! They spent the morning playing with Hudson and alternating between the playroom, basement and porch. All 5 whined when it was over, so that’s definitely a success. And Hudson slept the whole afternoon, so we’re going to have to have a repeat playdate soon! 

Tomorrow is March 1 and I think Spring is nearly here…

On Tuesday, Hudson made a new friend. My co-worker Stef brings her dog Huck to the office. Huck is a 6 month old Boston Terrier and he and Hudson played really well, although these pictures look slightly insane. We tried to get them to sit next to each other and pose, but that wasn’t happening.  

. 
 And once Stef left in the early afternoon, Hudson slept the entire rest of the day! Luckily he’s small, so I can still use my computer while he was asleep on my chest. 

On Wednesday, Xander came into our room and said he had something stuck in his tooth. When I flossed his teeth, I realized that his tooth was feeling strange because he had a LOOSE TOOTH!! I’m not exaggerating when I say that he had a full on Miss America reaction- hands flew up to cover his mouth, deep breath, shock/excitement/awe. He was VERY excited. I happened to have 2 new books about the tooth fairy that I’d bought the last time I was out and had tucked away in my closet for this moment. We had to drop everything and read about the Moose’s Loose Tooth and How to Catch a Tooth Fairy. 

Xander insisted I come home early and take him to the store to buy a special box for his tooth (despite the fact that I don’t think it’s going to fall out for at least a week, maybe 2). He had something very specific in mind and I was nervous that we wouldn’t find it. We were looking for a red, pirate treasure type chest. When we found EXACTLY what I just described, I was ECSTATIC! He carried it around the store for a while, but I could see that it wasn’t exactly right. He had some concerns about the Tooth Fairy’s ability to open it. We ended up in the fairy garden section and he found something a little less conventional than a box or a pillow (which is what I had as a kid). He knew right away that he wanted a tiny dog house to place his lost tooth. I was happy he found something and I think it will be a great place for the tooth fairy to leave something special for him. 

On Thursday, he wore a special, “I have a loose tooth” pin so that everyone knew his big news. 
. 

. 

The rest of the week has been uneventful. It is COLD outside. We are ready for the weather to warm up. 

Some cookie orders from the week- I got to use my blow torch for s’more macs. 

. 

On Tuesday, I brought Hudson to work with me and he did really well. He hung out, got to meet my co-workers and explore my office. After work, I needed to run 2 quick errands to the Dollar Tree and Michaels, so I decided to risk the possibility of getting kicked out of either store and I put him in a bag and carried him in with me. No one noticed him or said anything in the Dollar Tree. And in Michaels, no one seemed to notice until I got to the register and the check out woman said, “a puppy! How old?” and then told me that they don’t mind dogs as long as they are contained. I am going to need a bigger bag for when he gets to be 60 pounds. 

. 

On Thursday, it was the official Valentine party for both boys and it was also PJ day for both of them. 
. 

. 

I’ve been baking nonstop leading up to Valentine’s Day. 15 dozen cookies and 5 oversized “cake-style” macs later, I am DONE! I am exhausted. But I did get a lot of nice tags on social media and good feedback, so I think I’m doing a pretty good job. 

. 

My family doesn’t typically eat any of my cookies, but we had a mac “cake” (just a large macaron) on Saturday night and both boys and Nate all said, “wow! This is really good!” I should probably be offended by how surprised they sounded, but I will let that slide and just be happy they enjoyed it. 

It is 15 degrees BELOW zero, so everyone is huddled inside. On Saturday, we ventured out for a little while and headed to Petco for a few new toys and treats. I think everyone was trying to get their dogs out and about in a warm way, because it was madness! Hudson got to meet lots of new dogs and he was very good! He walked on his leash, he was friendly. I’m not sure how to best socialize a puppy during a pandemic, but we’re trying. 

Nate and Augustus went out yesterday and stopped at my favorite candy store for my favorite candy. When they got home, they hid it well for about 5 minutes, but then Augustus got the bag out and let me know they had a surprise for me. So lucky me got early Valentine’s candy. Today is Valentine’s Day and we had some special treats for the boys when they woke up. 

Valentine breakfast for dinner. 

It’s supposed to be another chilly week, but should warm up after that. Mother Nature needs to help us potty train this puppy and give us a little milder weather! 

Before Friday, we had a regular week. The boys have been busy in school. Xander’s pre-k class is working on doing research on different locations for a project. Gussie’s favorite thing is playing outside. 

. 

. 

Gussie has been really into sleeping on the floor (for the record, his brand new bunk bed is very comfortable, because I have slept in it). 

I’ve been baking Valentine cookies nonstop, but paused on those to make some puppy cookies to bring to our breeder and some baby shower cookies (pink baby Yodas!)
. 

It’s February and thus far, the weather has been very mild. It’s been a lovely winter. Obviously the day we got a puppy (who we need to potty train OUTSIDE) the temperature dropped to below zero and will be staying that way for the next week or more. 

So potty training has been awful (if that sounds familiar it’s because our sweet 3 year old is also not potty trained yet). It is SO cold outside that our little puppy is just so cold he huddles near our legs for survival. After reading a bunch of websites about potty training, I was slightly reassured when a few mentioned that puppies are developmentally ready by 12 weeks. Our dude is only 9 weeks, so it was helpful to remember just how little he is. We’ve switched to potty pads for now, hoping to teach him the word “potty” and associate treats with going potty and all the right steps. And eventually we’ll get his little butt outside. I’m trying to stay patient and know it’s a process. 

. 

. 

.  

. 

These photos make it seem like he’s just sleeping all the time. And he is an expert snuggler already. But he is also quite sassy. I forgot that puppies are actually the worst thing ever. First of all, having a puppy is the same as having a pet crocodile. He bites constantly. The boys are slightly afraid of him because he is just so chompy. He is curious, wants to chew on everything, and every time I turn around, he pees. Puppies are the WORST. But he is also so so cute. So snuggly. So sweet. He is our little baby. 

On Saturday, the boys played in their playroom for several hours. I have worked hard to fill the playroom with cool things for them (a couch, an Alexa, a cozy corner, etc) and they rarely play in there. So I was thrilled when they spent so much time in there. They had a dance party. They were very busy. So on Saturday night, we had family pick up time and all 4 of us worked hard to put the room back together after a busy day. 

. 
So now we have a little biting, peeing baby who we are getting used to. I am crossing my fingers that the weather warms up soon. 

Follow Hudson on insta and help me make him an influencer- 

What an exciting week for our family- Monday and Tuesday were just normal days, but Wednesday afternoon, we headed up north to spend a few days at Grandview Lodge. 4 days away, but when we packed, it felt like we were going for longer! But we had a lot of fun things planned, so we needed ice skates, helmets, sleds, winter gear, swim gear and Xander needed 9 stuffed animals, which meant that Augustus needed 9 stuffed animals, so that was almost a whole suitcase. 

The water was SUPER warm and after a few nerves, and a few trips down the slide with mom, the boys couldn’t be stopped! I think they went down the water slide 35 times. 

Being mid-week, we had the whole place to ourselves and it was fabulous! 

  

. 

  

Thursday, we had a wonderful breakfast and then were back to the pool for more swimming. 

We also had lots of time to relax. 

. 

Thursday afternoon, we went ice skating. 
 

.  
There were a few tears of frustration, but both boys skated a little bit. Nate had built some skate helpers, so that made it much easier! 

We ate delicious food the whole time and had lots of snacks in our room too. 
. 
On Thursday night, we had pizza and then had some drinks (kiddie cocktails were a hit!)

On Friday, we swam again after breakfast, and then headed to the sledding hill in the afternoon. 
. 

.  
Friday night, we ate dinner in an igloo! First of all, they look absolutely magical. Inside was surprisingly pleasant- not warm, but comfortable. 
. 

. 
For dessert, we had a fondue platter. It was SPECTACULAR!! I wished my stomach was bigger! 
. 

On Saturday morning, breakfast was a buffet, and the boys ate EVERYTHING. Xander had a donut, a muffin, a cinnamon roll, eggs, sausage, and fruit. I laughed when he came back with everything, but he ate almost all of it, so I think either our full schedule made him hungry or he’s growing. 

It was a fabulous few days of fun activities, mixed with a lot of relaxing. We were totally spoiled to go mid-week so everything was quiet and mostly private. Everywhere we went, there were just one or 2 other families at the same time. 

A few other photos from the week-

Monday and Tuesday were regular days at school for the boys. 

. 

On Thursday, Hudson turned 8 weeks old! 

I made some cookies 
. 

We got a rug for our living room (and then promptly covered it in toys!)

And today the boys spent the day with Grandma Debbie. I think they were happy to be back to a normal routine. Our vacation was super fun and we had time to relax, but anytime we are out of our normal routine, it’s a little exhausting. 

A regular week awaits…