First Day of School

Bethany is in Mrs. Kidd's first grade class this year. She transitioned really easily into her new class. She says she misses Mrs. Phillips, but she is just fine with her new class. This was the easiest transition to a new class that we have ever had. Bethany is really growing up!

We survived the first week. Mornings are difficult with watching the pups and getting all of us fed and dressed. The pups need to be out for awhile in the morning because they have spent the night in their kennel cage and will spend the work day in there too. I hope they get control over their little bladders soon. Bethany's favorite things about the week were 1. going home and 2. recess. :) We are hoping for an incredible year. My classes are going fine so far. I am glad to be at the same school again this year. Life should be easier this year.

Puppy Love

Tippy and Daisy have been apart of our family now for three weeks. They are full of puppy wildness and craziness. We have all fallen in love with these wiggly bundles of fun. Tippy and Daisy sleep snuggled together in their kennel cage

The pups are very messy eaters. And all their messy meals turn into messy puppy poo. They are working on learning to use the puppy door. Little Daisy gets so excited to see me sometimes that she pees on my foot when I pick her up.

The girls love to chew on anything. They find the most interesting things in the yard. Daisy had a prize spoon that she carried around for several days. Tippy found a branch in a bush, and enjoys chewing on it for long periods of time. They especially like trying to nibble each others ears.

On occasion they do get tired of chasing each other, and lounge around. Tippy likes to have her head scratched, and Daisy is all about a belly rub. The pups have had a bath because they smelled like skunks. They were not interested in the water. Although, Daisy splashes the water out of her water bowl and always has soggy ears from drinking. They had their first haircut on Friday. All their puppy fuzz was trimmed off. They look so much older and bigger now. They are growing fast. They give great puppy kisses. :)

Glenville Friends Visit the Lake

The weekend before school started Tammy, Mindy and Charlie and their girls Camryn and Sophia came to our home to celebrate summer. We had not all been together in over a year. We think the last time was when Tammy had us over for a cookout last July.

We had a cook-in of hot dogs, chili, coleslaw, pasta salad, and chocolate chip cookies. I love my George Foreman grill. You can have grilled hot dogs with no smoke, fear of under cooking, or danger to pets, children, or husbands. After our cook-in, we suited up for a swim in the lake. Mindy, Tammy, and I swam around with our noodles. The girls went down the little slide in the kid's area. Then, they decided to bravely try the giant slide. The GIANT slide was very nerve racking for me. Thankfully, Bethany did not attempt to go down. Sophie hurt her little fingers on the edge of the slide. Charlie flew across the lake when he went down the big one. The little ones floated around on rafts for awhile.

After all our exercise we were hungry. We had dinner together at Las Trancas Mexican restaurant in Bridgeport. Then Charlie and Brian went to see a movie. We decided to have a last minute sleepover. We went to Target for supplies. We sat up late talking and looking at old pictures. The little ones watched a Barbie movie. A good time was had by all. We plan to get together soon, and hope another year never passes without a good dose of girlfriend fun.

A post with no pictures!

Jeanne and Natalie came to spend the week with me at the lake. It was a wonderful week, but I have no pictures to share because I kept having camera issues. The first day I forgot my camera. The second day I remembered my camera, but the battery was dead. The third day I charged the battery, but forgot to put it in my camera. Finally, I had my act together the day we brought the puppies home. I was saying cuss words by the end of the week over my camera.

Jeanne and Natalie came up Tuesday evening. Jeanne agreed to watch the girls for the evening, so that Brian and I could celebrate our eleventh wedding anniversary. Brian and I went to dinner, and to see the newest Harry Potter movie. Jeanne decided to take the girls to the only youth movie, which they hadn't seen. I had seen the preview, and it looked like a comedy even though it was rated PG. Jeanne decided to brave it, and take the girls to see "Aliens in the Attic". Jeanne called me while I was eating some delicious chicken Parmesan at Parkette restaurant, that she had to get the girls out of the movie that it had overtly sexual connotations and was scary. Not a great beginning to an evening, but a plan was made to go to target and buy a new movie to watch at my house. I met them there, and Bethany picked out Barbie Mermaid. A much better choice, than a ridiculous alien movie. Brian and I went on to see our movie.

When I got home, Jeanne had had some adventures with the girls, and was just then starting the Barbie Mermaid movie. I am unsure to the order of the events, and I am typing them third hand, so there maybe some straying from the actual truth of the situations.

The first event shows that there is strength in numbers and mob mentality can prevail even in a mob of two. Bethany and Natalie are usually very good listeners. Bethany's little heart tries to do what is right all the time. Jeanne took the girls for a walk along the lake. The girls decided to run, and would not stop no matter how many times Jeanne called for them to stop. Natalie decided since Bethany wasn't listening she didn't have to listen either and vice versa. Or maybe they were like my puppies, onto a scent and couldn't stop running toward it. The girls had fun running, but Jeanne didn't have fun chasing.

The second event of the evening proves that you can not trust a three year old or a six year old to practice good judgement when together. I am sure this is all Bethany's plan. It was far too sophisticated for Natalie to develop on her own. Jeanne was resting on the couch from the previous race. The girls were playing sweetly in Bethany's bedroom. Jeanne could hear them talking. Then there was a crash. Jeanne went to investigate. The girls were naked, except for donning winter coats. They had placed shower caps on their heads, and they were pouring water over each others heads. At least, Bethany had enough sense to have them stand in the bathtub, so that they wouldn't get water on the floor. The crash was the breaking of one of my blue drinking glasses from the kitchen. After all this excitement, Jeanne decided to spend the night with me instead of driving back to Weston for the night. The girls watched their Barbie Mermaid movie, and went to sleep.

The next day was excellent. We sat on the porch for awhile in the morning while the girls rode bikes in the driveway. We decided to go to Valley Worlds of Fun in Fairmont. They have a big slide that you have to ride on with a mat, bumper boats, bumper cars, tea cups, a little roller coaster, putt putt golf, bowling, arcade games, and bouncing toys. I haven't laughed so much in ages. I took Natalie down the slide with me. I was terrified the first trip down, because I was afraid I'd let go of her and she would fall. The second time down it was so much fun. Jeanne and I loved the bumper boats. It took us awhile to figure out how to drive them. We went around in circles for a bit. We tried to play putt putt, but after maybe five holes the girls had lost interest. The funniest thing was when we first started playing, Natalie held her club upside down. It just didn't work for her, so she eventually turned it up the right way. Our favorite game inside was smashing spiders. A little platform had lights with sensors that would blink on and off. You had to smash the "spider" with your foot when the light blinked on. Bethany and I played a game of air hockey. When we were finished the girls got to pick out prizes with their tickets. Bethany's prized find was a "China Fan". We were hungry when we left Valley Worlds of Fun, so we drove to a little diner called Poky Dot's. I love it. It is decorated with dots of course and lots of murals of people. The menu is good. I had a vegetable frittata. Natalie was so tired she had a little nap in Jeanne's lap. It was a great day together.

The third day of our trip was a hillbilly adventure. We decided to drive to Hovatter's Zoo in Kingwood. It is about an hour away from Bridgeport. We had a late lunch at Bob Evan's restaurant before we went. I had these caramel banana stuffed pancakes. They were awesome. After eating, we started on our way which was Interstate driving until we got off just past Morgantown. Then we got on some curvy roads, and drove forever out into no where. We found the zoo without getting lost in no where. I am still disturbed by the zoo. They had a gazillion animals caged on eight acres of land. The cages were not sized properly for the animals. There was no entertainment for the animals. The poor chimpanzees were just sitting in a concrete cell. No toys available for play. No branches to swing on. The cages were dirty. I saw no food or water for the animals. There were little tubes into each cage, where you could buy pellets from the zoo office to feed the animals. The animals were trained to come to the tube and wait for pellets. It was horrible. One little horse had an eye infection. I was really appalled. The girls liked getting so close to the animals though. They thought it was great. My favorite part was the prairie dogs. They had built themselves a colony of tunnels, and had freed themselves from their enclosure. This is not a good thing from the standpoint of West Virginia's ecosystem. The little creatures might just venture off into the wilds, and compete for space and food with our native animals. Jeanne said she felt the sorriest for a giant white Bengal tiger who was standing on top his little shelter in this tiny cage. I just can't convey the inappropriateness of the place in a paragraph or two. It was just a living hell for the animals.

After we left the zoo and drove back to the rest of the world, we went to Walmart to gather supplies for a picnic the following day at the farm. The next day, we went to the courthouse to sign some papers for my Dad in relation to selling his house in Virginia. Then we drove out to my Grandpa's farm. Since he passed away over a year ago, the farm has been divided among his children. My parents were given the great meadow behind the cabin. We had our picnic in the yard of the cabin on some blankets. We had chicken salad, water melon, celery with peanut butter, grapes, and whoopie pies. After we had full bellies we went for a walk around the meadow. Natalie picked handfuls of white clover. She wasn't interested in any other flowers blooming, just clovers. When our walk was complete we fixed up Lily's grave. The girls helped me plant some yellow mums and a yellow lily. We played inside the cabin for a bit, and planned how we might straighten things up so that we could stay there some. We would like our girls to have sentimental feelings of weeks on the farm like we have. My cousin Eric is building a house just across the field from the cabin. We are going to be neighbors. Changes happen sometimes dramatically to a place. I'd like to build a yurt for some camping fun.

Finally, we had our fill of farm fun and drove back to Weston. We shared our leftovers with PaPa. Bethany wanted to play Bingo, so we did. Papa played with us. It was a very nice time together. Bethany and I headed home soon after the game was over, because the next day was Saturday, puppy pick up day!

In the morning, Brian, Bethany, and I drove to Pittsburgh to pick up Daisy and Tippy. We arrived at the airport at one o'clock. We had a lot of time before the puppies arrived. We ate some lunch and found the baggage claim area where the pups would be delivered to us. We sat and read puppy training books together. Our puppies came off the plane to us around three thirty. We stopped at a rest stop on the way home for a potty break for them and us. We played with them for awhile, and drove the rest of the way home. Great Aunt Jean, Jeanne, and Natalie came to see the puppies that evening. The puppies were wild and crazy in the house. We are now playing outside only until we get our bladders under control. The girls are eating in the kitchen, and I will hold them in other parts of the house. Our puppy training book says that the connection between potty and outside will be established around fourteen weeks, so we have a bit of time before they will get the idea. I picked Daisy up last night from her kennel to take her outside, and she peeped on my foot as I was carrying her out the door. It is going to be awhile, but they will learn.

Meeting the puppies was our last event together. It was a great week, and I am so thankful that Jeanne and Natalie had some adventures with us. We had a really good time together. I want another week.

Tippie and Daisy

Here they are! Our sweet pups made it safely here from Missouri on Saturday. They were a little weary from travel by the time we got them home. They perked up, and started being crazy upon arrival in the backyard.

Tippie is the black and white dog, and Daisy is the buff one. Daisy is a digger. She was digging around in the yard today, and required a rinse before we could go to the vet for a check up. Daisy is the trouble maker. She is into everything. She likes to chew on rocks, and is eating the neighbors Hosta plant.

Tippie follows along. She is the good girl. She won't to anything to get into trouble on purpose. She is usually on the bottom in a dog fight. She doesn't give up though. As soon as Daisy lets her up, she starts another fight. They like to bite each others ears.

They are only eight and nine weeks old, so we have a lot of training to do with them before they can be left alone in the house or properly socialize with people. Currently, they like to nip Bethany's ankles. She is not happy about this. It will be a little bit before they can even hold their little bladders long enough to walk out of their kennel to the yard. Daisy, of course, is the one who keeps accidentally peeing on the carpet. Tippie seems to do better with the concept of pee outside only.

I am really glad that we have two girls. They will keep each other company when we are gone during the day. School starts on August 21 for us. I am not ready for school, but I never am. I love summer! I am thankful for the wild crazy puppy fun going on in our house. There is nothing like puppy love.

Puppies

We are adopting two cocker spaniel puppies from Missouri. They are coming this Saturday on an airplane. We are picking them up in Pittsburgh. They have been temporarily named by the breeder. We have been calling them by those names. I am not sure if we will be able to rename them, since we have been using the breeder's names.

The little black and white puppy is Bethany's baby. It's name is Tippie. She fell in love with it. I love its cute white paw and white stripe on its head.

This little golden beauty is Daisy. She is one week older than Tippie. She is going to be the big sister. We are looking forward to some crazy wild puppy fun.

We are counting the days until our newest family members come home, and we can smooch them. They are so incredibly smoochable.

US Botanic Garden

After Bethany and I left the Air and Space Museum, we walked to the American Indian Museum. We ate lunch at their cafe, which had different regions of American Indian food. We sat by window watching a waterfall. The building was very uniquely designed with lots of curves and a sandstone feel. The waterfall and pools were very refreshing.

The US Botanic Garden was a short jaunt from the American Indian Museum, so we walked over to it. We were able to tour the outside gardens, but were too late to visit the conservatory. We peeked in the windows, and saw some beautiful orchids and sculptures.

The garden was sectioned off into areas. There was a butterfly garden, the First Ladies Water Garden, regional plants, a rose garden, and an herb garden.

We could see the Capital building from the patio outside the Conservatory. We sat there for a while before we walked over to the metro to go home. Bethany didn't want to leave the little stream that had tiny fish and lily pads in it. The sun was blazing down hot, but that did not deter her fascination with the little creatures.

We had an excellent trip to Washington DC, despite both of us having a bit of a stomach virus while we were there. Bethany didn't get ill until the day we came home. There is so much to see. I am sure we will return to check out some more of the city.

Smithsonian Air and Space Muesum

Bethany is not shy. We went to a talk at the Air and Space Museum on the space station. A young man informed us about all the space stations that ever existed, how far they are from Earth, and what the astronauts have to wear during a space walk.

Bethany wanted to answer every question. She had her little hand up straight with determination. Finally, she was chosen to put on the space suit. She had to put on a space diaper. They wrapped tubing around her to represent the cooling system in the suit.

She put on the jumper and some oven mitts. Actual astronaut gloves are custom made for each individuals hands, whereas, the suits come in small, medium, and large. It was a very interesting talk. Bethany really enjoyed playing with all the hands on exhibits at the museum.

Monuments of Washington DC

One of our adventure trips this summer was to Washington DC. Bethany read a book about the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument this past winter, and was very interested in seeing them. So, I thought this would be an excellent time to go. We invited our friends Trina, Molly, Jake, and Christian to go with us on our trip. The first day in the city was spent looking at monuments and going to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We liked the monuments, but we absolutely LOVED the Muesum of Natural History! Bethany is still talking about seeing the world's largest diamond, the Hope Diamond. She doesn't think it is that big. We loved everything about the place. It was just totally our kind of thing---animals, minerals, dinosaurs, and plants.

We went to see the monuments in the morning, but it was just incredibly hot that day. We saw the Washington Monument the moment we came up from the subway station. We walked to it first. Then we headed toward the Lincoln Memorial, and came across the new World War II Memorial. It is one of the most beautiful monuments. It has huge fountains in the middle. There are columns for each of the fifty states. I took a picture of the kids by the West Virginia column. The monument is so massive I couldn't get a picture of the whole thing.

We walked to the Lincoln Memorial. The kids enjoyed chasing the geese along the reflecting pool. On the way back we stopped a the Vietnam Memorial. Bethany reached out and touched the wall in the most awe inspired way. She was really touched by the names of the people who died. I tried to get her to reenact the moment for a picture, but it turned out happy. :)

On the way toward the Museum of Natural History and lunch we walked along the Tidal Basin. Trina stopped to get ice cream for her kids. Bethany and I were standing along the edge of the basin watching some mallard ducks duck under the water, when Bethany fell in. I was standing directly beside her and grabbed her arms. It was quite unsettling. Poor girl had to walk around in wet shoes for awhile.

The first day in the city was hot and sticky, but successful. My feet were really tired. We were glad to take showers that evening. Bethany was especially glad to wash off Tidal Basin residue. It wasn't the cleanest body of water.

Lily

This is the last picture I took of my girl Lily. It was taken in the garden at the Garden and Sea Inn. I wanted to get her with a bunch of lillies. Lily just didn't recover from her renal failure in May. She refused to eat much of anything. She did perk up and seemed happy. I didn't expect her to die the day she did. She had been much, much sicker earlier in the spring. She slipped off in her sleep. Poor little thing. I miss her so much. I wander around the house doing everyday things and run across her stuff, or find myself pushing back muffins from the counter edge so that she won't steal them. I couldn't sleep well for a few nights, because she has slept on my feet for ten years. I didn't know what to do with my feet. The house is way too quiet without her scratching her ears, jingling her collar, without her snores, and scooting in and out her dog door. She was my shadow. She followed me from room to room. She was never more than a few feet from me if I was in the house. I have wonderful and crazy memories of our life with her. She was my girl.

Aseateague and Chincoteague Islands

Brian, Lily, and I took a little three day trip to Aseateague and Chincoteague Islands. We stayed at a very pet friendly bed and breakfast called the Garden and Sea Inn. Our room was upstairs in an old Victorian home. It was beautifully decorated in pinks and blues. The place was so incredibly pet friendly they had baskets on the porch with doggie towels to dry off your pooch when you come back to the inn from the beach. We had splendid breakfasts in the morning. So very yummy was their stuffed croissants with strawberries.

Chincoteague Island is a fully developed residential and commercial area. They have a cute main street with antique and gift shops, movie theater, and ice cream parlors. We spent an afternoon poking around town. We ate at a restaurant that sat directly on the sound side of the water. There was a dock just outside our table. A boat pulled up, and some folks came in for dinner.

The best part of the experience was Aseateague Island, which is a National Wildlife Refuge. There is no development on the island other than some restroom facilities, a lighthouse, and a visitor's center. It is wild and wonderful. We hiked a three mile trial out around marsh lands. We saw hundreds of snowy egrets and great egrets. There were red winged blackbirds everywhere. We saw some little black egrets too. We spied several turtles too. We also spent some time on the beach. There were two beach areas on the island for public use. One you drive your car to called Tom's Cove close to the visitor's center. The other one we walked out about about a mile and a half from the parking lot. Many people rode bikes to this beach. There were some folks there, the sand, water, and wind. The way a beach was meant to be.

The most attracting thing on the island is a wild herd of horses. We were able to see a mother and her baby trotting down the road. We wanted to hike out to see the herd. We started go, and were attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. We were ambushed as soon as we started down the trail. We had to fight them off by shaking violently. We still managed to get a bunch of them in the car with us and had to shoo them out for awhile. We both sustained several war wounds. I am not sure when would be the best time to see the horses, but probably after a frosty time period when the bugs aren't flying.

Busch Gardens Adventure

Our family outing during our trip to Suffolk was a day at Busch Gardens. I have many good pictures from that day. It was hard to choose just a few for this entry. The first picture is of Brian and Bethany on the ferry, which took us across the James River (I think.) You drive your car onto the boat on one side, and they drop you off on the other side in about twenty minutes. We fed the sea gulls crackers at the back of the boat. The birds follow the boat in hopes of a treat. We also saw a Great Blue Heron sitting on a piling.

It was incredibly crowded at the park the day we went on July 3. The girls got to ride the swings, a kiddie roller coaster, the carousel, a little Ferris wheel, and airplanes. It was just so incredibly packed with people. The lines for rides were not appealing. The girls shopped a bit.

We ate dinner in Germany. We were able to catch a show while we were eating of German folk dancing and music. I really liked this. The girls all got their faces painted.

There was a little water park in Elmo's World. It was a lot of fun for the little ones. Victoria ran around so much I couldn't get a good picture of her. She really enjoyed the water.

We had a lovely time together. The last picture is the whole gang resting after dinner.