A Parade of Ridiculousness

As you go to bed at night it is always the same routine. Put the kids to bed, straighten up the house and as for last night, in light of the freakish amount of snow we got this weekend, daddy and I turned on the 11 o' clock news to check for school closures. We hear the usual. Outer lying schools will be get the day off but Spokane city schools have not had a snow day in 6 years. Why start now. My suspicions were confirmed and off to bed we go to get ready to tackle the next day. I have now discovered that you CANNOT always be prepared.

Act 1: Blaine checks the school closure lists before we wake all of the kids. No luck!! We get everyone out of bed, dressed and ready for school and then THERE IT IS!!! Under Matt Lauers little smile on the bottom of the T.V. screen. NO SCHOOL. Our district has decide to be the very last of the day to cancel school. Boy my kids (and myself) could have used the extra sleep!!!

Act 2: Daddy's truck has not been handling the snowy roads very well so he decides to run it to the Toyota garage. Just for a look. Come to find out the right axle is broken and basically we are lucky we have not been in a wreck. (Do not buy a Toyota Tundra. In only 20 thousand miles this has now happened twice.) Oh, and our dealer does not provide courtesy cars. After some very strong persuasion by my husband they agree to give us a car. They gave my 6 foot 5 inch husband a Toyota Scion to drive around in the snow. Did I mention the snow berms are taller than the car? Can you say "Big guy in a little car." Chris Farley has nothing on my hubby.

Act 3: It has been a crazy day so I decide to give up my ticket to the Gonzaga basketball game to stay home and take Makena to her first basketball practice with her new team. Daddy leaves and Makena friend is about to be picked up for her piano lessons. The road is so icy her moms car cannot make it up our road so I throw everyone in the car to run to the end of the street. As we wait Hayden continues to remind me that he has a poopy diaper and within seconds I hear funny noises coming from the back end of the car. Hayden has stuck his hands in his diaper and is holding a double fist full of, you guessed it, last nights dinner. It smells so bad he proceeds to start gagging and then puking all over the back of the car in disgust of his own gift. And did I mention the basketball practice I stayed home for got canceled too!!

Act 4: After cleaning the mess I call my sister to share my day. A few seconds into the conversation I her "@#%$ and %&#$. I just wrecked my car. Let me call you back." She spun into a ditch but was O.K.

It now is 7:22 and I think I will just go get into bed and start over again tomorrow. Does anyone know if we are expecting any school delays tomorrow???

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Today is Daddy's Birthday. So we have decided to compile a list about all of the things we love about Daddy. (Thanks for the idea Sara!!)

1. Daddy always turns my seat warmer on in the car for me, before I even get in. I love this about him. My buns are always warm and did I mention there is a high of 2 degrees today!

2. Da da pretty (Hayden)

3. Foot rubs before bed. He gives the best foot rubs. He can even do it in his sleep! (That's foot rubs.)

4. Daddy always likes to take us golfing and to the movies. (Makena)

5. He always keeps me in a realistic world. With out him I would be over involved, I would be overlapping commitments, buying things we already have, paying too much for the things that I do buy and probably spending too much money all together. Every big purchase we have ever made has been well thought out and impulse buying is kept to a minimum.

6. Daddy always wears cool belts like me. (Bryden)

7. I like to joke that he can never sit still but the truth is I love it. If there is any time in the day that we could be out doing SOMETHING, then we are out the door. Movies, golfing, boating, even going to Costco for some toilet paper and lunch.

8. He is a hard worker. He has always been a hard worker in both school, work and household chores. He has always gotten the job done and will hang and rehang pictures around the house for me. Someday I will find the perfect spot for those mirrors!!

9. He always seems to have a witty comment for everything. I can be completely upset with him and he can still make me laugh!!! A good friend of ours likes to call these comments "Blaineisms".

10. First and four most.... he loves and put us first in his life. Our kids adore him and I love that!

Pooper Holding Pooper

Oh, all the sweet things about puppies!! Little whimpers, sweet puppy breath and of course those late night snuggles after the kids wear him out. However, we do have one part of our routine we have not gotten down yet. Hayden hates to have a poopy diaper so it has to be changed immediately. If Duke is running around I cannot take my eyes off of him or he will poop on the carpet. So this is what we have come up with. I call it the pooper holding pooper move. This way I can have my eyes on both!!




This would be the root of all of the trouble around here these days. Hotch and Duke. But how can you resist those faces.
And the kids love them!!

Our Newest Family Member

This morning I woke up and was so excited to go watch Makena's Basketball game and then we were going to go shopping. Mostly I was looking for a new rug for the entryway. Some how, some way, I got a little side tracked and this is what I came home with!!!


His name is DUKE (after Dukes Canoe club in Kauai) and he is a Maltichon. That is half Maltese and half Bichon. He will be joining the Dodson 5 and our other side kick Hotch. Our five year old Bichon. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!!!!

Maybe it was the look on Makena's face when I asked her which one she wanted to take home. She actually cried and said "We get to take him home" How could YOU say no???

Back to Life Back to the Grind

It is a little sad to see 2007 go but we also have great things to look forward to in 2008. With mixed feelings it was up and back to the daily grind this morning. The Christmas tree is gone, the kids went back to school and daddy went back to work. As for Hayden and me, it is back to the usual. Within minutes of jumping into a quick shower Makena calls and needs her tennis shoe within the next 20 minutes. So out of the shower I go, only to notice on the way out that Bryden has forgotten his backpack. So off to both schools for the second time before 9:30 today and maybe, just maybe, a load or two of laundry will get done before it is back into the car to pick Bryden up from school. It is a really good thing for Hayden that we have DVD in the car.

However, I think that it wil be a McDonalds drive through lunch today.

Happy 2008 everyone!!!