the girl's an idiot.

sometimes i wonder why i do things.  one of those seems like a great idea at the time, then i no sooner end up regretting it, wondering if i really have gone mad.  take for instance, my walk with the kids in late january.  beautiful, 40 degree day, you would think jack would have marveled at the balmy weather the Lord had blessed us with.  but no.  tantrum?  sure!  snot and tears streaming down his face?  yes, please!  and a second helping!  which actually brings me to another walking story.

with ben out of town, bella's needs fell into my hands.  unfortunately.  not that i don't love the bulldog, but do i like her?  not really.  and honestly, the feeling is mutual.  always has been.  she's always been benji's biggest fan, shouting from the rooftops her love and adoration for that man.  (well, no, not really, but whatever...)  but with me, any chance she ever has, she takes her dewclaws and runs away.  far away.  like, get-in-the-truck-yell-out-the-window looking for her stupid self.  the plethora of stories i have of bella and i fighting for alpha female are countless.  really.  and neither of us is backing down anytime soon.

 7 years old and still acting like a spring chicken

so rather than hoping and wishing she won't run off when i let her outside, i have chose to walk her this week.  and don't let her fool you (me).  she does get walked.  she regularly walks with us, but ben's always in charge.  but, with me at the reigns, she acts a fool.  pulling, choking, half-vomiting, idiot.  try a harness, you say?  not gonna happen.  bulldogs were made for pulling.  i should say, american bulldogs were made for working.  their strength is in their shoulders.  these dogs were made to work on farms, herd cattle and piggies, even hunt for wild boar.  they also excel at weight pulling and schutzhund.  so yeah, slipping a harness around her only brings out that inner need to work.  i digress.

back to idiot-mode.  we're currently on day 5 now, walking our usual 3 mile course, and it literally takes us walking back down our street (aka getting tired) for her to walk like a sensible pooch.  i envy owners that have those dogs that traipse along at their side.  beanie would be weaving in and out of traffic, for sure.  and, i can say this because i've seen it happen (ca. 2008).

she is extremely cute though.  standard american bulldog.  she's very sweet, loves to cuddle, sleeps on her back, snores like an old man and loves jack to bits.  

taking another walk, this time down memory lane...

the teeny beanie, 5 weeks old

they were the best of friends

beanie & her brother kaboy (who belonged to our friends)

12 legs, 3 black noses, 5 eyes, lots of fluffy white hair... 

that's like 200 pounds of bulldog

 serious bedroom eyes

life was pretty sweet.  miss those boys.

first zoo visit of the year

we almost stayed home.  the valley was displaying some pretty intense cloud cover, and did i really want to walk around the zoo in the rain?  actually?  i wouldn't mind it.  and really, jack is resilient and didi would be nice and cozy in the stroller; i was willing to chance it.  oh, i'm so glad we did.  coming around the bend, dropping into eagle river and making the s-curves... anchorage was welcoming us with sunny blue skies.  from the back seat, jacked announced "it's 'nother bootiful day, mama!"  yes, indeed, my funny little human.  

hmm, i'd be interested in seeing the coffee shop exhibit...

first stop: polar bears

 i think he likes watching the wolverine because 

it's a lot like him - never. stops. moving.

 baby musk ox, several months old

 time for lunch

 mama, yook! acorn!

 another baby born this year

 didi's getting a smooch whether she wants one or not

hello, down there!

"one day all them bags gone get in your way..."

when ben leaves for a hunt, there is always so much prep involved that i usually get sucked into it.  washing must-have clothing items; the do-you-know-where-_____-is countless questioning; preparing meals; washing more clothes - and i don't even participate in these excursions!

so with that and the entire household getting sick yet again, my priorities got pushed back a few days.  i had pretty well finished all that i could in our 2100 square foot home.  the crawl space was tackled (still can't believe it), but the garage went untouched.  i can feel ok about that because last fall, we did a major clean up - two truck beds full of garbage to be exact.  so likely, there wouldn't have been much to do beside a sweep out and a mr. clean of the floors.  i'm waiting to do this until ben is back from kodiak as i know he'll make a super-mess unpacking.  count on it.

my last task performed, saved the worst for last, was dusting.  i reeeeeaaaaaally loathe dusting.  but.  i love the smell of pledge.  hmm.  so on monday morning, after bubs went to school and dylan took her morning nap, i pledged the hell out of our home; pine doors (fronts and backs) and trim work, furniture, window sills.  and while you're down on your hands and knees, you notice things that you can't see from 5'7" feet up.  so, i broke out the dyson and edged (where trim and carpet meet) the entire house, including  behind beds and dressers, behind the sofa, television.  blah!  i hate doing this, but regular vacuuming just doesn't cut it!

oh, and how i missed this when i started, i don't know, but on saturday, i cleaned out our spice cabinet.  ever check the expiration dates on your jarred spices?  don't.  if you're not sure when you bought it, just toss it.  i threw away a bottle of anise that said 2006 on it.  (although, i'm sure i hadn't used it since then either...)

so that's it, my friends.  boringest blog ever?  perhaps.  great feeling about completing 40 bags in 40 days?  you bet.  

our easter sunday

after breakfast, we headed outside for an easter egg hunt.  (dada) bunny attempted to hide the eggs, but mister jack was just too good.  he no sooner found one egg before he spotted another and another. the look on his face was pure elation and excitement.  and, i love me a happy jack!

 "mama, yook!  see my eds!"

 forever watching the airplanes

 and now, her too

jack sharing his easter booty

"yook, mama!  nother airpane!"

 dylan enjoying her one treat from the easter egg hunt: 

chocolate peep dipped in chocolate

just wanting to squish in fingers...

so mean mama took away fun-play-thing

so after our hunt but before naps, i pulled out the cookie dough i had mixed up the night before.  jack really enjoyed making cookies on st. patrick's day, so i thought that would be fun to do on easter.  found a cute bunny cookie cutter, perfect size for tiny hands.  i love how proud he is of his creations.  then, the amazement at watching them rise and bake!  he insisted we watch the whole time.  so, we gathered our new books from gramma d and sat in front of the oven while the 8 minutes ticked by.  it must have been while they were cooling that i lost him; he had moved onto bigger and better things aka a movie.  lately, his favorite is bambi, and i know this because he tells me "mama, dats my favrit movie.  i yike bambi."  again, what a change from a year ago... before, he wanted nothing to do with the television and now, he will sit and watch an entire movie.  it makes for nice quiet time around our house.  while he watched his movie, ben and i frosted cookies while dylan played at our feet.  it's always nice when the girl can walk around and not have to watch her back, literally.  she doesn't have to worry about getting knocked down, toys ripped from her sweaty palms or being told "no duey, dats MINE!"  poor girl, she's gonna be tough.

decorations by the parents

 my husband's kinda known for his decorating skillz...

 loves her dada

 and content with her mama

after late naps and homemade lasagna dinner, we headed back outside.  where the morning had been rather chilly, the afternoon turned surprisingly nice.  we managed a family picture and captured our babes playing together outside.  life with two just keeps getting better and better.

 unstable ground makes for an unstable walker

 love the squat

 she's a gross one

 already trying to climb the slide

 loves his sister