What a difference a year makes!

Well, a year ago today, this is what I was doing... Just Hanging Out. We are headed to Ben's first round sub-state game in a bit, so I can't help but remember what happened at that game last year. The beginning of the journey we call Trey Rixey!

Look at him now!

XOXOXO

This free digital ecard made with Smilebox

Rub the beat!

IMG_0225 a video by wertfamily on Flickr.

I posted this video on Facebook a few days ago. Unfortunately, Papa and Gigi were not able to view it. What a shame! It's too good not to post here too. Enjoy!

Leah likes to watch the Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr. "Twist" is name of the DJ in the band. I am assuming that is the inspiration for Leah's performance, but really... who knows!

My sister says it has been too long since our last blog post...

And she's right. But I do have a few good excuses.

1. We are in the middle of basketball season (only one loss so far and just a few short weeks until the post-season).

2. I have started work on my transitional doctorate of physical therapy. Classes are online but my evenings have been spent reading 3 textbooks on health policy. Boring!

But here's what the kids have been up to:

Rhett is still loving school and counting down the days until his and Trey's birthday (27 days!). He has been taking advantage of the nice weather to learn how to ride his bike. He only needs a little help to get started and then he's off to go wherever he wants. He is reading 1st grade books from the school library and likes to read to Leah and Trey.

Leah can hardly wait for her turn to go to school. She loves to work on projects at home and is starting to write her name really well and can color in the lines better than her big brother. She MUST wear a dress or skirt to Daddy's games so she can cheer and dance for the Lady Broncos. Trey continues to get lots of love from his big sister.

Trey was 11 months old on Wednesday! I can't believe it has almost been a year since we spent 20 days at Wesley waiting for Trey to arrive and then waiting for him to come home. I am almost done with his first haircut. Yes, it has taken me 2 days, but Ben hasn't been home much this week so I have had to wrestle and cut by myself. Hopefully Trey will let me finish before Daddy's game tonight! He is cruising everywhere and getting into everything. I had to move the trash can yesterday... He continues to be easy-going but certainly has found his voice for those times he wants to get our attention. He has 2 teeth but 3 more are on their way. He eats ANYTHING and thankfully, has started to use a sippy (this took much longer than I anticipated).

Hope you enjoy the slide show!

Avalanche it is!

Rhett suggested Avalanche yesterday before Ben & I left to get the dog. I thought it was good in theory, but too long. Somehow I had a one syllable name in my head. But Rhett and the puppy have bonded so well, so quickly, we thought we'd go with Rhett's choice of name. Welcome to the family, Avalanche!

A new friend

Introducing...

Well we don't actually know yet. We can't decide on a name for this "little" guy yet.

Ben may not have been ready for another dog yet, but Momma was. Basketball starts next week and there will be more late nights for Dad so adding another man to the house was necessary.

He's a yellow lab-great pyrenees mix and one of the cutest guys I've ever seen. He will be 10 weeks old tomorrow and is going to be a BIG guy. He was one of nine and the last one left. The people we got him from said he was pretty calm once all the others were gone. He was good with the kids today and they were really good with him.

He's not really fast yet. Ben says he doesn't run like a dog, more like a steer. Pyrenees are nocturnal herding dogs. Full-grown, males weigh over 100 lbs. I never thought we'd have a dog like that! But once I saw the pictures of him, I was sold. Have I mentioned how cute he is?!

Here's what Wikipedia says about Great Pyreneese:

In nature, the Great Pyrenees is confident, gentle, and affectionate. While territorial and protective of his flock or family when necessary, his general demeanor is one of composure, both patient and tolerant. He is strong willed, independent and reserved, yet attentive, fearless and loyal to his charges both human and animal.

Here's to hoping for a long, loving relationship with what's-his-name.

(we'll keep you posted on that)

A good friend

We got Scar last year, Thanksgiving weekend. He was 8 weeks old. What a cutie!

This picture was taken this summer. He was a fun puppy. Rambunctious. He loved to play catch with a tennis ball or frisbee. He could catch a frisbee out of the air! Ben & Scar would play lots of catch together.

Scar was hit by a car in front of our home just after dark on October 14. The homestead has been pretty quiet since then. The cats are coming around more often and closer to the house. Ben was in a funk for a good 3 days. Scar was his first dog and they were good friends. He said he wasn't ready for another dog quite yet...