Shadows

Look at me. Two posts in one day! I'm on a roll! Don't get used to it. I'm back from taking Sarah to preschool dressed as you see below. She was so happy to wear her cute striped tights. When we came in the house, Alex noticed the sunlight and shadow of the blinds on the living room floor. He walked across it and turned around. Then he noticed that there was a little boy in the floor! So he started waving at him.

"Uh oh. You caught me!"
Then Lucas joined in.Aren't kids just so cute when they're discovering things for the first time?? I love this.

Independence

So... Is it bad to let my daughter be this independent? I asked her if she was going to wear an outfit she had on this morning to preschool. (basically the top in this picture and red, dark pink and light pink striped pants - Last year's Valentine's pants). She said yes. I said, "Okay, but it's really cold outside. You should put a long sleeve shirt under that one." She said okay, and went upstairs. This is how she came out. I have to take her in about an hour, and I'm not making her change. She really wants to wear that outfit. So? What do you think? Too independent? To church yesterday, she wore a very cute sweater and matching kaki skirt. (greens, browns, golds and oranges)... And bright red tights with white snowflakes on them. I let her wear it. Am I ruining her? No one made fun or anything... she's got a good friend (same one) in both places that likes what she wears... I don't know. I think she's cute. But definitely a little eccentric.

Look Who's growing up!

Audrey is getting just so big! She likes to do everything her older siblings do, and will stop at nothing to get the help she needs. She was just so sad this night when she had to eat strapped into her chair at the table while everyone else got to sit at the counter. So I put her up on the stool and let her give it a try. She kinda liked it. I wasn't so thrilled. My older three tend to fall off the stools still when they're not paying attention. Audrey's fall would seem so much farther and so much more painful. Plus, her scream would be just slightly more irritating. She's learned that if she wants attention, she has to be the loudest one in the room. She utilizes that new realized skill more than I'd care to admit. My house is always pretty noisy. But hey... I'm used to it by now! And no, this is not a typical dinner at the Farnsworth household. Jeff was out of town, and there was really no need to cook a big meal with leftovers that the kids probably would fight me on eating anyway. So it was corndogs, mac 'n cheese, apples and oranges. What a spread! Ironically, it was not one of their favorite meals anyway. They don't care much for mac 'n cheese or corndogs (weird kids!). Most of the fruit was gone, but we had an abundance of "leftovers" that night without me even cooking.

The Battle of Short vs. Long

Well, as you can see, short won out. Sandy is getting used to the new house and her new rules. She's had a few "accidents" here because I think she used to have a doggy door at her other place, and didn't know quite where to go here. As a result, we found that her long hair often acquired some of the mess, and began to smell less than fresh. I decided to cut a little off, just so she wouldn't be dragging it around getting it dirty. In the grooming process, I discovered a horrible amount of matted and tangled hair under that beautiful froo-froo top coat! How incredibly uncomfortable that must have been! So... about 4 hours and a huge mountain of hair later, she's shaved nearly bald, and looking ever so comfy! See for yourself...


Now, normally I don't dress the dog up. Maybe once in a while. But it's still pretty frigid here in Northern Utah, and she's probably never had hair this short since she was born. I wanted her to stay just a little warmer on her potty breaks outside in the snow rather than shocking her system with a new hair cut AND frigid cold, so we got her this hoodie. Sarah actually picked it out. She sure looks cute doesn't she?

The bows only lasted about 3 hours. They're nowhere to be found now. She probably shook or scratched them out. I'll probably keep her hair just a tad longer next winter.

Reaction

For those of you who wondered what Jeff's reaction to the post below was, here it is:

When he got home, Sandy was by the front door with Sarah. Since Jeff came in the garage door, he didn't see her until he walked all the way through the kitchen. Sarah knew he was coming and had a huge smile on her face. Jeff saw her and said, "What in the world is this?" He was clearly confused. At first, he thought it might be someone else's dog. Then he thought, "Is this our dog?" So he said, "Sarah, who is this?" The first thing Sarah said was actually quite hilarious. She said "We didn't steal her. A lady gave her to us at a house last night." Why she would want to reassure him that we weren't stealing, I have no clue. Now that he knew it was our dog, I could see the wheel's turning in his head. Here's what I imagine was running through his mind at that moment:

What did she (Ashleigh) do?

I thought we were trying to save money. (for a fence, TV, fix the Navigator suspension problem, refrigerator, etc...)

How much did she spend?

And probably some other things I missed or didn't pick up on. I asked him what he thought. With apprehension and confusion, he said, "She's cute." Then I proceeded to tell him that she was free, and quickly said why she was free so he didn't start to worry that there was something seriously wrong with her. (The owner was elderly and had been in and out of the hospital lately and couldn't take care of a puppy right now - along with her other Shih Tzu, and four other dogs that are living in her daughter's house with her) We seriously just lucked out. I saw the ad 8 minutes after it was posted, and was the first responder, so we got her.

Long story short: After hearing all the facts, Jeff is happy and excited to have a new dog in the house. We've both been missing Cosmoe lately, and have been talking about a new dog (what kind to get, when to get it, how much to spend, etc.). Jeff even said he had been thinking about starting to look online that very day he came home and found her here. I even thought about telling him to get me a puppy for Valentine's Day. So I'd say he's pleasantly surprised. We have been really happy with Sandy these last couple of days. She's very well mannered, yet playful. The kids absolutely adore her, and practically won't let her alone long enough to go to the bathroom! We were definitely blessed with a great find. Call me the "Deal Queen." I tend to find amazing deals on things we need or are looking for on KSL classifieds quite a bit.

Farnsworth #7

And no. That doesn't mean I'm pregnant again. Here's the newest addition to the Farnsworth household. As you all know, we lost Cosmoe last September. Since that very night, Sarah has been praying to "please bless that we can get a new dog" every single night. I guess four months of praying for it paid off! We found "Princess Suzy Racoon" (Her previous owner named her Suzy. Sarah added the Princess, and Racoon. Couldn't tell you why...) on KSL Classifieds last night for FREE! We've had her for less than a day, and she's been wonderful so far. She's 8 months old, already housebroken, but still a puppy, so still trainable, and she actually really likes the kids. She's been attached to Sarah's hip all morning long just following her around, and has been very calm and mellow. Now for the funny part: Jeff has no idea we have her! He's been out of town since Monday and is getting back this afternoon. He called me last night at about 5, and I found the ad and called for the dog right after, and immediately loaded everyone up and went to pick up our new baby girl! We've been discussing getting a new dog for some time, but were thinking we'd wait until spring after we put a fence in the back yard. Being a sucker for a good deal, I just couldn't pass up FREE! I don't think Jeff will mind... We shall see. Isn't she cute? We bathed her last night, and brushed her out and trimmed up some scraggly hairs this morning. I was thinking I'd shave her all like we used to do with Cosmoe, but it's really cold here, and she might be warmer with the longer coat. Plus, I think it's kind of cute! What do you think? Should we shave her? Or leave her long?

**After Jeff got home tonight, and we had a family vote on what to call our new dog, we decided on "Sandy Beach." We'll call her Sandy for short. Sandy because she's sandy colored and Beach because... well you'll just have to ask Jeff about that...

Passie Time

I think we've finally gotten the boys officially "off the passie." It's been a week or so, now, and we haven't given them one at all. We started by taking it away when they wanted to go outside over the summer (more because we didn't want them to lose them - they cost something like $2.00-$2.50 a piece!). Then, we started making them leave them at home when we went somewhere. Then we started snagging them up during the day when they put them down and were not looking. Eventually, we dropped passie use down to naptimes and bedtimes. A few weeks ago, I stopped giving them one during naps. They would ask for one, but I told them no, and let them whine about it until they fell asleep. It really only lasted about two minutes after I closed the door. (When they realized I wasn't coming back to give in to their whines.) About a week or so ago, I simply "forgot" to give them their passies at bedtime. They asked for them a few times, and have a few times since, but I think they're officially off! Hallelujah! My sweet little boys are growing up. And hopefully their teeth will not suffer from their prolonged exposure to the pacifier.

World Famous!

Or at least in the patent world. Jeff has finally received his first patent approval. Congratulations Jeff! It's too bad it only took the reviewers a year and a half to finally publish it! Had he still been working at Mobility Electronics in Scottsdale, this published patent would have come with a nice $1,000 bonus. Oh well. At least he has something approved and published to put on his resume to add to his value. Here's the link to all the information: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2008/0319732.html?query=PN/20080319732%2520OR%252020080319732&stemming=on
Congratulations Jeffrey Love!