Top Ten Reasons I'm Glad We Have Kayla (our Dog)

Troy doesn't think I love our dog very much, so I thought I would dedicate a post to Kayla.

10. She is very good with kids.

9. She minds well and is very sweet.

8. She hides under our comforter (on the floor) in our bedroom at night to try and sleep in the room with us.

7. She likes to sleep on pillows.

6. She likes to lay out in the sun to work on her tan.

5. She unconditionally loves us, even after we yell at her for doing something bad (rarely).

4. She provides another form of entertainment for Erica.

3. She motivates me to run in the morning by following me around in the hopes of going out.

2. When Troy is not home, I feel safe because she barks at anyone approaching the house. Otherwise, she hardly ever barks.

1. She cleans up the floor after Erica eats.

Got It!!

Walking and Scorpions

BIG NEWS...Erica started "walking" yesterday. Up to this point, she would only take a step here or there without really realizing it and immediately fall down. Yesterday, I think she decided it was time to walk. That is how she works; She won't do something no matter how many times we work with her and then all the sudden, one day, she will just start doing it on her own (i.e., sitting).

While I was making dinner, she pulled herself up on the wall, got balanced and went for it. She took at least 4 steps and then fell over. She busted up laughing like it was the funnest thing in the world. Then she tried it over and over. She got to where she could take a couple steps and then balance herself and go a little further. It was great. She entertained herself for about 30 minutes. I tried to get it on video, but any parent knows that as soon as the camera comes out, all camera-worthy moments immediately stop. We'll keep trying.

In other news...when we first moved to Tucson a year and a half ago (has it been that long already?) I was paranoid about rattlesnakes, scorpions, and tarantulas. I expected them to turn up everywhere in my house. Well, after a year of not seeing any of these things, I began to relax. Bad idea.

The night of our anniversary, Troy found this by our front door:

Scary!!!! These things are dangerous and I can't stop thinking about what would have happened if Erica came across this thing. The next day, Troy put caulking in all the possible holes by the front door. We are also going to spray around the house with scorpion killer stuff. FYI - If you use a black light at night and shine them on a scorpion, they will glow. I went scorpion hunting the other night while Troy was working late, but thankfully I didn't find anymore.


We also found this in our yard a few weeks ago:


At least these aren't poisonous.

5 Year Anniversary

August 16, 2008 - Five year anniversary

Troy planned a whole day of fun, including swimming, a movie and dinner.

We saw:

(The music was good, but the story not so much. I wouldn't recommend it).

We ate:

Thanks to the Parkers for watching Erica so we could celebrate.

We've had a wonderful 5 years and look forward to many more. Here are some of the things we've been blessed with over the last 5 years:

• Erica
• Our dog - Kayla
• Nancee graduated from law school
• Troy got his Masters in Mechanical Engineering
• Traveled to Hawaii 3 times
• Moved to Arizona
• Bought a home
• Played a lot of Boggle

I feel very blessed to have Troy in my life. He makes me so happy and I don't know how I survived without him. I hate to say goodbye to him every time he leaves for work and can't wait until he gets home in the evening. He treats me like a queen and is so patient with me. I love you, Troy!!!

Vote: Real Grass or Fake Grass?

The backyard continues... I don't know how to add one of those voting polls onto the blog and I'm too lazy to figure it out right now. So, you can just let me know in your comment whether you think this grass is real or fake.

Happy 11 Months!

Here by popular demand, more pictures of Erica! (At least her parents think she's popular. Are you happy now, Sonja?) She's 11 months old today.

"Of course I'll pose for the camera..."



"right before I try to eat it."

What do you think is more fun? A $100 walking toy, or a trashed-up empty diaper box? you guessed it! (I'm not suggesting we bought a $100 walking toy. But now you know why didn't.)

Who doesn't enjoy heartfelt kisses from a loved one? Even if that loved one licks her own butt before licking your face. *

* After reading this sentence, Nancee wanted to make it clear that Troy did this post... and Kayla didn't lick her butt directly before licking Erica's face. That would just be gross.

How Do You Know?

Yesterday afternoon, Erica started acting extremely fussy. Beyond ordinary fuss. She just got over a cold and she's teething. So, I thought maybe it was the teething or maybe an ear ache. I debated about calling the doctor, but I didn't want to be one of the first time moms that overreacted about everything. I'm actually very proud of the fact that we've made it over 10 months without a sick visit to the doctor. I decided to wait it out. She didn't have the greatest night and this morning she was still fussy. I finally broke down and called the doctor.

Thank goodness they actually had an appointment for this afternoon. Of course, right after I got off the phone, Erica started acting happier (but not totally herself, so I kept the appointment). Well, to make a long story short, the doctor found that she had a terrible ear ache. Erica started crying as soon as the doctor put the thing in her ear. Erica had barely touched that ear in the last 2 days. I had no idea it was hurting her. I'm so glad I went to the doctor and now we have her on lots of medicine. I wish I had called yesterday and got her in sooner, but I just didn't know what was wrong.

So my question to all of you, is how do you make the decision of when it is time to go to the doctor?

Top 10 Things We Think Erica Has Eaten

I'm a huge fan of Dave Letterman, especially his Top Ten list. I've decided to post my own list periodically. So here goes a list of the Top Ten things we think Erica has eaten:

(To be read in Letterman's voice)

10. Lint
9. Boogers
8. The dog's water
7. Cotton ball
6. Sunscreen
5. Sand
4. Toilet paper
3. A bug
2. Piece of the pool cover
and...
1. A magnet (we think)