polka-dotted baby

Lex was one of those lucky babies that gets the measles rash and fever from the vaccination. So on Friday she broke out in a crazy rash which got steadily worse 'til about sunday afternoon. Now she is just blotchy and getting better. She never got as sick as babies do when they have the measles but she looked terrible and felt terrible for a couple of days.

the pics were taken sat morning. I wish I would have taken one a day later at it's worst.



when I took her to the dr. a little girl said, "look! That baby has polka dots!" She thought it was just darling (though all the other people were horrified). The nurse when I took lex into the exam room said, "oh goodness, I am so sorry your baby looks like that." Glad she is on the mend and that it wasn't the real measles!

having second thoughts....

I have been thinking seriously about getting a dog for several months, talking to breeders, reading books, etc. Then I saw this dog on craigslist for cheap and jumped at the opportunity. These dogs (rhodesian ridgebacks) are hard to get. Most breeders sell the puppies "are spoken for" long before the litter is ready to leave mom. So, in a way it was an impulse buy

why am I having second thoughts.
#1. it is a DOG!! --do I really want a dog in my house?
#2. it will get BIG!! -- do I really want an 80-100 lb dog in my house?
#3. I need to train it! -- can I do a good job? If Calivn is any indication I am in big trouble.
#4. MONEY!! -- can I afford all the vet trips, dog toys, unexpected emergencies...? Would I rather have a dog than zoo passes, dance class for clare, etc?

Dave says I am retarded -- why wouldn't I think about this stuff before I buy a dog. I have been thinking about all of this! I guess the part of me that was undecided about dog ownership is coming out now that I have one. The fact that it is a puppy and a lot of work is hard but I am not really that worried about that. I am happy to work hard, provided the results will be good!

so far, things are going well. no accidents in the house. dog is friendly with the kids. esp. loves clare. calvin is AFRAID of the dog and runs around so the dog thinks it is another puppy and wants to chase and jump on him. I am trying so hard to calm down Calvin but he is driving me crazy. Since clare just lets the dog hang out it doesn't jump on her. I have been so impressed with clare --she is doing so well and follows my instructions as I tell her what to do if the dog jumps on her and after 2 days it won't jump on her.

more later. gotta go.

oh, dog names.. ..kids and dan named him bruce but dave says no way to that name.dave wants bronco (byu), tressel (ohio state), or Larry (USCD neurosurgery).

I love to see the temple

I took the kids down to see the temple this week. Clare LOVED it and was so excited to hear that dave and I got married there, was really impressed with the beautiful flowers, and reveled in every minute of it. She was tickled pink to touch the temple as well.



Calvin fell asleep on the way down there and was not a happy camper when I woke him up. And by not happy I mean he was crying as loud as he could for most of the time. That is why there are no pictures with him. It is not that I don't love him....he was just not very photogenic-- even though I did give him a great hair cut that morning. I am getting much better at my boy hair cuts. I even cut dan's hair a couple of weeks ago and he looks great. (He usually pays 30 at a high end salon so for him to like my hair cut really says something). Dave won't let me cut his hair becuase I had too many "ooops" moments back when I cut his hair when we were newly mairried. I am trying to convince him that I am MUCH better at it now, but he is not convinced! He spends more on hair care / year than I do and I would like to turn that around. okay, I did manage to get one pic of calvin...mid cry...

alexey 1 year stats

height - 28 inches (20%)
weight - 18lbs. 11 oz (15%)

6 teeth (3 on top and 3 on the bottom, weird, huh?)

words - "hi" "dan" (he leaves in 2 months and boy are we going to miss him!)

still not much hair

cute as can be!

silver lining

A few days ago I steped outside and learned what the phrase "silver lining" means as I saw the sun rays peeking out from behind the clouds. I am not a great photographer but it is still just so beautiful!