Trenton and Sammy

As some of you may already know, I have a like/dislike relationship with our dog, Sammy. She has a few good qualities, such as: 1. good watch dog without the excessive barking 2. friend to Jesse and the rest of the family. Many of the dislikes includes the fact that she loves to eat my trees, bushes and flowers before they've been in the ground for even 24 hours. This includes removing the wire and protective covering we place around the trees and bushes. A few of her favorite chew toys also include kid's outside toys, shoes (when accidentally left outside) bark, my mop and anything else that proves to be "fun" in her eyes. Her favorite place to do her "duty" is on our grass or at the bottom of our front steps... even though she has 2 acres to do this. She can also escape from the dog pen even though it's more secure than Fort Knox. So, yes, she and I have gone rounds and rounds! BUT, how can I be mad at her when I look outside and see her following her little buddy, Trenton, around the yard? She and Trenton have developed a strong friendship... this usually includes Sammy following Trenton around the yard... always just a few steps behind him. They spend countless hours together exploring and walking... and, its cute to see Sammy stop walking when Trenton stops walking. Then, Trenton starts up again and so does Sammy. Yes, they share a bond that only a little boy and his dog can fully appreciate. When I see this it helps me to appreciate her just a tiny bit more too :) Trenton calls her "wuff, wuff"

(Yes, Trent is still in his pj bottoms. He goes outside first thing in the morning and I figure why change his clothes when I'll just be changing them again as soon as he's done...)

Great Grandpa and Grandma

Great Grandpa and Grandma Haveman stopped by last night on their way through to California. It had been about 2 years since we saw them last so, we were looking forward to having them here! We spent the evening visiting and being entertained by the kids. Katie and Tys showed off their singing skills and read them books. This morning they went with me to drop off Katie at school. She got to show them around her school and introduce them to her teacher. Then, the boys and I visited with them a little while longer before they had to leave. Here are a few pictures... Trent wasn't in a very good mood and didn't want his picture taken at all! I did get a quick one this morning but, it still wasn't very good...

The Boys and Their Tractor

The boys have a big-time love for their daddy's old tractor! Whenever they are outside to play, this is where you'll find them. They usually come back in the house with greasy hands and clothes from "working" on the tractor. And, Tys is always very good about turning off the tractor and placing the keys back in his pocket when they're done (imaginary) I can only imagine their excitement when Casey gets the tractor running and it actually moves! This isn't the greatest picture because I realized later that my camera was on the wrong setting.. but, you can see their smiles and that says it all!

Play-Do

The end of last week the kids spent three days in the house due to our winter weather conditions. We had winds, falling snow and rains that reminded us we live in Nevada, making our winters seem to drag on forever! Towards Saturday the kids were getting restless so I pulled out the Play-Do. Desperate times call for desperate measures! They had fun cutting and making all sorts of different creations. I took a couple of pictures since I despise Play-Do in the house and they don't get to play with it very often :) Tys didn't want his picture taken but, he was there having fun too...

Family Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend with Casey's parents, Marie and her friend Jill!! Marie arrived from Boise around dinner time on Friday evening, Mom & Dad arrived later that evening and Jill came Saturday afternoon. After hearing so many great things about Jill, it was so nice to meet her and get to know her! We had a great weekend filled with relaxation, visiting and entertainment by the kids! Of course, a trip from Grandpa wouldn't be complete without his yummy homemade waffles and syrup! Katie even sweet talked Grandpa into letting her have chocolate chips in her waffles :)

Trenton & Grandpa

Sunday morning ~ Tys and Katie with Oma. Too bad Trent wouldn't let us take his picture also...

After church, everyone left in their different directions for home. The weekend went by way too quickly but, we were thankful for that time and look forward to it happening again soon!

Trenton

Trenton is adusting to having his injured arm and doing things one handed! Infact after being in discomfort over the weekend, his arm no longer seems to bother him and he is acting like his usual, old self... climbing on things, teasing his siblings and playing with his toys. He DID get really upset whenever I gave him a bath but wouldn't let him sit and play for his usual, LONG amount of time! The most challenging part has been keeping that sling on him. It didn't stay on very well and he really didn't like it. Lately, we haven't been making him wear it all the time since the swelling in his fingers have gone down. The most challenging part for me is keeping the bandaging clean until he sees the ortho doc. next Tuesday! My parents surprised the kids and came down from Boise on Monday & Tuesday to see us. They enjoyed their time and it went very quickly. Today the weather is so beautiful! I am happy to see our grass turning green and my tulips coming up... it's a good day to take the kids to the park this afternoon.

Sunday afternoon nap with Daddy

Trent's broken arm

After 5 years and 3 kids, we are having our first experience with broken bones. Last night Trent broke the radius on his left arm (right above his wrist) He was sitting by his daddy and Uncle Joe on the couch when he decided to slide down off the couch head and hands first. He landed on his hands then, twisted his arm as he fell. The guys said that he laughed for just a second then, started crying and crying and, wouldn't let them touch his arm. I also tried looking at it and we noticed swelling right away. Of all our kids, Trent is the toughest when it comes to pain. He hardly ever cries when he "bonks" himself so, we figured that something was wrong. So, we finished putting Tys and Katie to bed and, Joe was gracious enough to stay with them while Casey and I took him to the E.R. Thankfully, our favorite doctor and one of our favorite nurses was working! An X-Ray showed a Greenstick fracture to his arm so they splinted it and gave him a sling to wear until I get him to see his Pediatrician next week. Trent wasn't at all happy about them messing with his arm and kept giving them his "look of death"! But, he was a trooper through the whole thing and hardly even cried. He cringes still whenever we touch it (ie. getting him dressed) and by the way he holds it I can tell that it hurts. He was pretty miserable last night and this morning but, with the help of medication, he's getting up and around this afternoon. He's learning how to do things one-handed!
Watching cartoons this morning... he made us take his favorite monster trucks and blankie to the ER with him. They even got their X-Rays taken too :)