west bound and down...

...loaded up and truckin' we're gonna do what they say can't be done.  We've got a long way to go and short time to get there, I'm west bound, just watch old Bandit run.

These next few weeks Patrick and I will be busy completing move number 9 together.  That's right.  We've moved 9 times... Don't believe me?  Count for yourself.

Phase One is pretty much complete.  That is, I am officially moved back in with my parents.  Since Patrick is leaving later this summer, and will miss the remainder of baby's bake time, and the first few month's of the aforementioned baby's life, we decided that I would need just a little help.  Patrick and my parents worked very hard to finish off their basement so I have a place to stay.  Now, when I say basement, don't think of a rinky-dink little dingy apartment.  We are talking 10 foot ceilings here people.  French doors out to my own private patio.  Plus the biggest walk in closet you've ever seen.  I get a master suite, a living room, a breakfast nook, and a nursery.  Oh, and can't forget - a basement apartment would not be complete without a mini fridge!  Too bad mine will be full of bottles of milk, not beer.  But I digress...

The dogs have been such great troopers through all of this (they've been through most of these moves too).  They just go along for the ride (literally and figuratively) and as long as their toys make the trip, they are seriously happy campers.  They've already discovered where the toy bucket is, and have pulled out all their favorites to show them around the new digs.

While I was packing they showed their true feelings about moving... Winston - "I'm over this already" and Jack - "I'm going where you go, Mom"

Here are some basic stats on Move 9 Phase 1:

-Months pregnant: 7 (if you prefer pregnancy data in weeks then it's 28)

-Boxes moved: 11

-Tanks moved: 2 (also the number of dogs moved)

-Gallons of Water moved:  75

-Fish moved:  9

-Complete Wardrobes moved: 1

-Hours in the car: 5

-Length (ft.) of moving van:  16

Phase Two (getting the rest of our stuff moved into storage) will be finished all too soon, just before block leave is over.  Should be equally as thrilling... In the meantime, we're taking a mini vaca for the next few days.  Check back soon to see how our second trek into the great Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC goes... In case you forgot, the first one went a little something like this.

my furry baby

Thanks for the Snugli, Aunt Kelly!

We LOVE it!

hmmm...

Apparently it was a rough morning...

First, Patrick called on his way to work to say "Good luck on your test!" to which my immediate response was, "Do you have the wrong number?"

No he didn't.  I just completely forgot about my glucose tolerance test this morning.  Thank goodness he called or my doctor's office would be very mad at me.  I quickly got ready to make the half hour drive up there (I was late) and scrambled out the door throwing things I thought I would need into my purse. 

For those of you who haven't had a glucose test, you have to wait around for an hour after drinking this sugar concoction before they can prick your finger and test your blood glucose levels.  I wanted to be sure I was very prepared for this hour long wait.  So I checked in, sat down, and went to take out something to entertain myself.  This is what I saw:

Are you kidding?  My TV remote?  Did I think it would work on the TVs in the waiting room?  I know it's a universal remote, but... seriously, what is wrong with me?

Good news - I passed both tests (they also test for iron levels to see if I'm anemic).  But just barely.  My glucose reading was 138.  My doctor's office considers 140 failing.  Good thing, I have seen other offices that consider failing at 130.  I do NOT want to have to do the 3 hour test that comes with a failing score, especially since I think I am coming down from my sugar high and I feel awful. 

More recent Sharkbait related news... I had my first experience with the infamous swollen feet syndrome.  On our way back home from MD Tuesday night.  My wonderful husband drove the whole 7 hours, and I woke up when we got home and could not walk.  My feet swelled so far past normal, I no longer had ankle joints.  I'm not talking cankles, I mean I literally could not physically move my feet at the joint.  I had to crawl up the stairs and into bed.  Miserable. 

That's all for now, folks.  I'm off to take my daily nap (new necessary development since I hit the 26 week mark). 

rare form

My dogs are looney toons most days, but last Friday I think they must've gotten into giggle juice.  They were acting downright crazy!  FYI:  giggle juice is a term that Carly's mom coined when she was little to cure any bad mood.  A glass of giggle juice (Kool-aid I think?) and you were all laughs and no sad faces. 

Anyways... Jack discovered something (a lizard maybe?) in our outdoor shower because he has been whimpering by the door all day.  As soon as I let him out he runs right to it.  He took to digging underneath it, and it was quite entertaining.  I've never seen him this enthused about something (other then cookies).

PS:  pardon the screaming... he twitched and for a split second I thought he was bitten by a snake (I've seen them around the island recently).

Then there was Winston.  He discovered a scrub brush that was sitting on the edge of a table outside.  I have no idea why he took to it, but he did.  Before I started filming he was very hesitant about it, until he got confident and he started barking like mad at it.  Once he got it off the table he repeated the hesitation. Once he determined it was not in fact dangerous, he threw it to himself and had a grand old time. 

And then this video is one we took of Jack a while ago.  He is incredibly motivated by food, and we wanted to see what he would do if we put him in their food bin.  Turns out he was more scared then excited.

pièce de résistance

n:  A French term referring to the best part or feature of something, a showpiece, or highlight. (thanks wikipedia)

For us, the p.d.r. in the nursery is how our whole "theme" came to be.  We'll call it... "All American Dog".  Seriously, would you expect anything else?  More fun things to come, but for now - here's our (ah-mazing) custom mobile.  Thanks to AndreaBeth at Sheep Creek Needlecraft for the most perfect piece of nursery decor!  PS: the following pictures absolutely do not do it justice...

  

In case you couldn't tell... the featured pups on the mobile are replicas of our very own Jack and Winston, and of course, my little Buddy.

another baby birthday

Still not Sharkbait... This time it's my other baby, Jack!  He turns 4 this month, we're guessing.  When he came into our lives back in May of '08, the shelter who found him estimated him to be about 11 months old.  Ergo, birthday in June.  He had a rough life before he came to us, a stray, hit by a car, and picked up by a shelter in Tennessee when he was only 5 months old. 

Seriously, he must have been the cutest puppy ever.  Just look at him now; I can't imagine him as a mini-Jacko!  So in honor of my little prince, here are some (definitely not all) of the things I love oh so much about him:

-The way he loves us is the pure definition of unconditional.  With his brother Winston he will clean his eyes and ears and teeth sometimes.  With me, is very, VERY protective.  My little shadow.  He won't let anyone come near me when I'm sleeping, not even Patrick.  And with Pat, he attacks him with kisses when he gets home from work every day, and looks at him with complete adoration and respect. 
-He will kiss your face off.  Seriously.

-He lets me hold him like a baby.
-Even though it can be annoying, it's still cute how he nudges your hand (most of the time pretty aggressively) for you to pet him when he feels he's not getting enough attention.
-He loves laying in the sunshine.

-Every time we leave the house (even to just get the mail) he anxiously awaits our return by watching out the window.

-He watches Pat cook every night.  Pat calls him his little sous-chef.  He usually just sits in his spot on a little rug in the kitchen... until something drops.
-He also loves to watch Pat fish, apparently.  That's a new discovery.
-His favorite toy is a tie between his hedgehog and his raccoon.  The poor raccoon appears to only have 3 legs because the 4th has been overly chewed loved.

-How he gets really excited for cookies, and when you ask him to 'shake' he puts BOTH his paws in your hand.  We call it a double shake.
-He nests in anything and everything.  He starts dancing around in circles pawing at whatever he's preparing to lay on.  Usually it's a blanket, sometimes it's laundry (both clean and dirty).  Which can result in him becoming entangled in clothing.

-He is SUPER curious.  Always looking, watching, waiting for something to happen.  My favorite is when he watches the fish in our tanks.
-When I get out of the shower he always, without fail, comes running to lick my feet dry.

-He lays with his paws crossed.  Our little fancy boy.

-He snuggles SO good.  I don't think he can sleep without human contact.
-He is oddly similar to a cat in that he has an incredible vertical jump.  It really is an amazing thing to witness.
-He can curl his lips, and they get stuck, and it looks like he could be growling, but really it's just a big goofy smile.

-The two things that make me laugh the most are how when he chases his tail he sits down to try and catch it, and will even try and go under his leg to be successful.  And also 'the butt-dance'.  This is when he tucks his butt under, not touching the ground, and proceeds to run around in quick little circles.  We can really get him to do it when he gets out of a bath  Once he is all dried off, he runs around like a MADMAN doing 'the butt-dance'.  Cutest/funniest things ever.

Again, this is just a short list of how fantastically lovable my little butt is.  But, I'm afraid if I list anymore reasons why I'm obsessed with him, the state of my "dog craziness" will become even more obvious then it already is. 

So here's to you Jackie, Jack Attack, Little Butt, and whatever other name you so lovingly come running to.  Happy birthday, to one of the lights of my life.  I don't know what I would do without my snuggle bug.  Love you baby dog.

dog bait?

We spent the last days of our very long weekend winding down on the beach.  With the heat index around 105, we waited until dusk to take the dogs down, and Patrick got to fish some.  He ended up only catching 5, foot-long sharks, which was really exciting for the dogs.  They both tried to eat them!  Winston even chased one back into the ocean.  Lunatics.

Patrick and his first shark

the boys watching dad de-hook shark #3

Winston trying to eat the shark out of the bucket

sandy, messy Jack

Win in heaven at the beach

Dad and his fishing buddies

boys at the beach

Jack could watch him do this all day (ps: so proud he's getting braver and walking right up to the water, Jack not Pat)

returning the last sharkie to the ocean

freedom isn't free

This Memorial Day, I am extremely thankful for all of the brave heroes who put their lives on the line everyday so we can have things like 96's (or 3 day weekends for you civilians) to celebrate them. 

Since it is a day of remembrance, I will fill you in on the list of military members in my family.  It includes (but is certainly not limited to) my grandfather who served in the Air Force in WWII, my grandmother who served in the Women's Army Air Corps in WWII, my dad who served in the Navy and my husband who currently serves in the Marine Corps.  My great uncle Al was the first general to die in Vietnam.  My recent genealogy research has also led me to relatives who fought in the Civil War, Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and one who even rode with Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.  Apparently it's in my blood.  And I am so proud of each and every one of my loved ones who has served, and so glad we have a day to honor them.

After weeks of hard work, my own Marine earned some relaxing days off, which we spent with friends.  Kirt and Steph came to visit us (we miss you guys already!) for a few days and the weather couldn't have been better.  We spent about 5 full days at the beach, and our nights included some concerts, a particularly delicious dinner, mini golf, go kart racing, and old traditions like wing night, the best ice cream shop in the world, and (trying to find) karaoke.  Pretty much, we had a blast. 

Patrick & Kirt heading out to boogey board the waves

Husbands or children?

Riding the "train" to our mini golf course

"it's all part of the golf experience"

 the crew at Molly's Beach Bar

 Ballyhoo's Wing Night

Three words: Key. Lime. Pie.  Ice cream that is.

Patrick & Kirt go-kart racing

Thanks to Steph for all the photos!  And thanks for visiting guys, can't wait to see you again soon!