Scooby Doo NOT Do That!

We have been enjoying life with our little puppy – who is not so little anymore. We guesstimate that he weighs close to 20 lbs. and he's roughly the size of my Cocker Spaniel, Lady Bug (RIP), for those of you who remember her. Needless to say, Scooby is growing like a weed.

For the most part, he has been a fantastic dog. James and I both agree he's the best dog we have ever owned. He hardly, if ever, barks. He really doesn't destroy anything, though I won't tempt him with anything I value. =) He is super friendly and LOVES our family. We could not love him more.

However.... recently, Scooby has decided to "test his boundaries" a little. I suppose he was tired of being a rule follower and wanted to see what true puppy life lived to the fullest was about. So... when I went to vacuum the house last week in preparation for my mom and sister coming for a visit, I found the vacuum like this...


In case you can't tell from the poor quality of my picture, that would be the vacuum cord in TWO pieces. I guess it worked out nicely because within 24 hours, I had a new vacuum. The tally now stands: Scooby - 1, House - 0.

We also noticed recently that the bottom part of the bannister on the kitchen staircase was looking a little worn. I wasn't sure why until I caught Scooby with the step in his mouth and some very guilty puppy eyes staring up at me. Here is the result of his indescretion:


Change tally to: Scooby -2, House - 0.

I may have mentioned this before, but if you know me well, then you know I have a slight (read: out of control) addiction to Sonic. I felt it was only fitting to bestow my love of said food chain to my sweet puupy. Since nothing in the world compares to Sonic ice pellets (why IS that?!?), I decided to treat Scooby to what was left of my ice once I finished my Route 44. Uh... I'm not sure, but I think it's safe to say we have another Sonic addict on our hands.



I bought Scooby a kiddie pool since he LOVES water and he has a ball outside splashing around in it and trying to eat the water. Since he gets pretty muddy after swimming, James had to give him a bath the other night. I don't understand why he loves the pool so much but, I'm pretty sure he was spewing puupy explitives at James during bathtime. Here is a very unhappy puppy:



He forgave us pretty quickly, though. These were taken just a few minutes later...



Here are a few random shots of our baby...



Baby Update:
I am exactly 4 wks 5 days pregnant and so far, my only two symptoms are extreme fatigue and the usual pulls and twinges you get early on. (Those are good signs.) So far, I'm not sick at all! This is a blessing as I tend to vomit my way through the first 14 weeks or so. Just so you know, I am prepping myself to hear "It's a Boy" for the third time in a row. I am still praying for a healthy baby girl, but I am expecting a boy. That being said, my fragile, emotional, hormonal self will not allow me to refer to this child as anything other than "he" for the time being. James and I havn't decided on a boy name (and probably won't until we know for sure), so for now, my baby is affectionately referred to as "Bubba". You may have already seen references to Bubba on my facebook, so I thought I would clarify why.

My first appointment is July 20, and I can't wait! I should have a sonogram pic to post then.

Am I really ready for this?!?

THINK PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to the due date calculator, I am due Feb. 23, 2010. Oh my. Such a long way to go! PLEASE pray this one's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are SO not doing this again, so this is it!!

John's Loose Tooth!

If ever I needed proof that my baby is not quite a baby anymore, I got it today in the form of my son losing his first tooth! I can hardly believe that he is old enough to be getting his grown up teeth. He was so brave when Daddy tugged it out. He didn't even cry... much. He has been informing us that he really wants the tooth fairy to bring him five dollars and a nickel. No, I don't know why, but I do know that he has said it so many times that one of us is going to have to scrounge up $5.05 before dawn. Whatever happened to the old days? The tooth fairy brought me a quarter. A whole quarter.

Soaking up the Galveston Sun

When I was younger we used to vacation on Galveston Island every summer. It was always a huge ordeal to load up the car, lug everything down to the beach, and then lug it all back to the beach house. Little did I know that I would one day live just shy of an hour from Galveston and our trips would become as simple as hopping in the car with our swimsuits. Amazing. Hurricane Ike did a number on Galveston and, sadly, there is much rebuilding still needed. However, I still love the island and I'm so grateful to be so close and enjoy it with my family. We took the kids on Sunday with my parents for some fun in the sun.

Duck Duck Goose!

My parents came down this weekend for a few days and surprised the boys. That was fun! One of the best parts about being home in Texas, I tell ya. On Saturday we took the kids to the pond in our neighborhood and fed the ducks. Many of the Mama ducks have recently had babies, so we wanted to see them before they grew up. We spotted at least four mamas still sitting on nests and one nest filled with eggs, but no mama. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

I'm Not Ready for This

Most of you know that we had John in Prince of Peace Lutheran School in California and I LOVED it. I was very sad to have to pull him out of Mrs. Garcia's class to move him to Texas. John had a bit of a traumatic start to his Kindergarten year, so rather than out him in another new school, I decided to home school him for the remaining 11 weeks. Mrs. Garcia was a wonderful help in making sure I had the necessary curriculum and lesson plans. I ended up enjoying watching John learn and spending the one on one time with him every day. He is a beautiful child inside and out with a heart of gold. I am so proud of him and the young man he is turning into.

This past Friday, we finished up his Kindergarten year and topped it off with our own award ceremony where I presented John with a Certificate of Completion of his Kindergarten year. He was very proud and is so excited to start first grade in the fall. I will not be homeschooling him next year, but I am grateful for the weeks we spent together and the gift that is my first born son.

My Baby is Growing Up…

…the furry kind, that is. Baby Scooby is now 11 weeks old and growing with a vengeance. It seems he gets bigger every night. This is not always a good thing, as his puppy habits are not improving as quickly as he is aging. It seems I bought out PetCo in an attempt fill my home with enough rawhides to keep his razor sharp teeth of death off my bannister and new furniture. So far, the furniture has survived, but the bottom step on my bannister has not fared as well. Luckily for Scooby, he is soooooooooo darn cute that I find it extremely difficult to punnish him. (Don't worry, I eventually find the strength.)

We filled out his AKC pedigree papers and in doing so, realized that "Scooby" is not all that impressive of a pedigree name. Considering that Scooby was sired by "Duke of Arlington" and "Hello Dolly Madison", who wants a puppy sired by Scooby Doo? (Yes, we hope to breed him.) We discussed it for days, and came up with the best we could do. Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby announce the newly minted "Sir Scooby of Sugar Land". Any better? Here are some recent pics of Sir Scooby…






Did I mention Scooby is very curious? Here he is getting acquainted with my camera lens.

We're Ready for Company!

Finally! Our house is in somewhat less chaotic order now. If you know me well, then you know I am slightly OCD. Just slightly, mind you. Or maybe I'm slightly neurotic. The jury is still out. Either way, when I decide to put my house in order, I don't stop – I don't even breathe – until it's done. There are still a lot of things we need to do. I have a lengthy list of odds and ends I need here and there, and we have big ticket items, too, such as remodeling the kitchen and replacing the hideous venetian blinds. But for now, the house is in working order and ready for company! I can hardly believe that most of the summer is already booked with visits from friends and family, but we still have some openings, so you better call me soon! We're the cheapest bed and breakfast this side of the Brazos River, I promise!

Here are a few pictures of the house as it's shaping up. Keep in mind that not a single room in the house is completely done. (Are they ever?) And I still have a lot of work to do on the boys' rooms. But these pics will (hopefully) satisfy your insatiable curiosity. =)

The Family Room:



Formal Living Room/Conservatory:

Formal Dining Room:

Master Bedroom:



Play Room:
Matt's Room:



John's Room:


Guest Room:


Game Room: