Jenna got ear tubes this week, but she's doing fine now. Megan has been plugging along at school and learning lots of new dance moves in her class. Roxy has been integrating into our house. She is learning tricks, and getting better at walks. Jenna is talking much better now, frequently combining 3 words into sentences. She is even developing a bit of a 2yr old attitude complete with a tantrum even now and then. We even took a new family photo with the dog.
We got a dog last week!! Roxy is a miniature Schnauzer, or Zwergschnauzer (for my German friends). She is of the black and silver variety. She is 9 weeks old now, and is starting to learn to keep pace with the family. Megan and Jenna are starting to adjust to her. Once Roxy (the dog) gets tired enough to sit and chew to relax, Jenna enjoys petting her. In fact, Jenna will even hold her occasionally and give her hugs. Of course, in the yard this afternoon Jenna cried when Roxy ran toward her. Megan hasn't quite adjusted to life with a dog either. She is a little more "scared" of Roxy. She thinks Roxy will try to "get her" and cries whenever I forget to stand between her and a leash-free dog. Still, Megan has enjoyed petting Roxy when Roxy is in cuddle mode. Megan's favorite part of having a pet has been taking care of the dog. She loves to pour Roxy's food, open and close her crate, and make sure Roxy has enough water.
Roxy is doing OK on her crate-training. I wouldn't call it house-training because she has occasional accidents in the house when I don't put a stop to it. But, using the crate method, we haven't had more than 1 accident in a day for over a week.
Oh, and in case you're wondering Rachel likes Roxy a lot too. Rachel's lap is Roxy's chosen place to snuggle before bedtime. Below is a video of the two of them playing the first night we had Roxy.
Today Megan drew on the carpet. With marker. Thankfully, I didn't over-react. I just said she had to help me clean up the mess she made. To her credit, she did help without complaining. The dry-erase marker came out of the carpet, so no permanent harm done.
Jenna and I had "date night" tonight. She discovered that she likes tortilla chips dipped in refried beans. I discovered a choking infant responds well to a good pounding on the back. She's fine now. I also discovered my little 19mo old can sing most of her ABC's and count to ten (except for seven). I don't know where she learned it, unless that big sister taught her.
Last week we had the flu. I mean everyone but Rachel, she is much tougher than anyone else I know. I thought I had a cold, which landed me in bed on Friday night with a fever. After 3 days of being in bed, I went to the doctor who laughed and said, "Do you wish you got a flu shot?" Then we found out the girls had it, and were graced with ear infections from the drainage. Jenna's ear infection didn't respond to antibiotics at first, so she had to get the strong stuff. At that point the doctor informed me that 6 ear infections in a year, and not responding well to antibiotics meant I need to call and ENT.
We pretty much stayed on the couch watching princess movies for several days. Here is a shot of Megan taking care of Jenna (scratching her back).
The first picture is of Rachel making a snow angel on our 10yr aniversary trip to Wolf Creek Colorado. We stayed in Pagosa Springs, which has a hot springs. The second picture is of me (justin) standing next to one of the places where the water comes out of the ground. Picture 3 is taken from a scenic overlook that we stopped at on our way back. I'll try and remember to post a picture of Rachel and I both on the slopes, and at the scenic overlook.
Today we were reminded how much the girls are growing by 2 events. Megan found out tonight that she can reach the light switches on her tiptoes. Crazy. Jenna, not wanting to be shown up, then discovered how to climb on our bed (we have a sort of high bed). Wow.
Our girls are getting HUGE! It just reminds me that they will not always be my little princesses, but will turn into princesses who move off and find their own prince one day. A good thing - but a tough truth to swallow.
I was able to go to the national meetings for the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Society of Biblical Literature a few weeks ago. It was a pretty amazing week for a nerd like me. I also got to see some great sites. I've included some pics below.
