Vacation!

Wow, who knew that settling into life with a puppy would prompt a much needed blog break? I knew it would be work, but the break part was unexpected. It's all good though. Murphy is fully comfortable in his new space, Sebastian is very much in love (and treats him as he would any younger sibling - complete with wrestling) and Ben and I are just flowing with the changes. Unfortunately, my break may be extended a tad bit longer. We decided to go spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Ben's mama in the Palm Springs area. Yes, we decided to take the puppy with us. Surely many fantastic photos and a few stories should result from this trip. I'm looking forward to finally having something "worth sharing" to contribute to this space again.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Hot tubs & warm weather, here we come!

It's a BOY!

A few days back I spotted this sweet little Irish Terrier on Petfinder.com. Wasatch Animal Rescue had rescued him from a puppy mill in Missouri and they were looking for a family that might be able to offer him some stability. Benjamin and I had decided that we still wanted to try to find the right dog, but that we weren't in a hurry about it (especially after our less than stellar experience with Jasper a few months back). We thought maybe sometime around Spring... Well, you know how that goes. We put the idea out there and manifested our match. So here he is: our nameless 4 month old cutie. We have narrowed the potential names down to just a few faves and are waiting to see how his personality unfolds.

Of course, being an Irish Terrier, it is only fitting that he bear an Irish name. What do you think? Fergus? Murphy? Finnegan? Clover? We're still open to suggestions... As you can see, Sebastian is in love. He is already covering the poor dog in kissins and huggins. A boy and his dog; perfection.

Our family is happy to finally have a canine friend in the house. Now we are just keeping our fingers crossed that my crazy deaf cat gives him some space and a warm welcome.

***Update: The winning name is MURPHY! We spent the day throwing names around and getting to know him a little bit. This evening we asked Sebastian what he thought the puppy's name should be. Actually, we asked him 3 times to be sure. Each time he answered "Murphy". The first time we asked he looked at us like we were crazy for not knowing; so matter-of-fact. It seems fitting that the boy would name his first real puppy friend. I'm sure going to enjoy watching them grow together.

Trick or Treat!

I had it all planned out. Jack O' lantern shaped pizza for dinner, a glass of wine each for Mama and Papa, Cupcakes as our "treat" and an eve of greeting costumed kidlets from our porch. We even gave the front porch an eerie glow and one carved pumpkin.

Sebastian was having loads of fun jumping on the sofa and helping Mama answer the door... and then he tried to escape with the crowd. We brought him back inside and he kept demanding "more kids!". We talked about why the kids were ringing our bell and taking treats before moving on to the next house. Sebastian thought about it all for a few minutes and then proclaimed, "Sebastian trick or treat! Sebastian ring bell!". So, we left Papa to tend the door and off we went with the intention of just hitting a couple houses on our block. Sebastian was having so much fun (and his smallness and precociousness was such a hit at each house) that we ended up making a loop around the block. We met some super friendly neighbors along the way who invited us over to a hot dog BBQ/hot cocoa shindig in their front yard. How could we pass that up?! Bas and I went home, fetched Papa, turned off the porch light and went over to mingle with the neighbors. It was all so very whimsical, unexpected and just plain fun. Of course, Bas scored enough candy to keep our household sweet for some time to come.

calming, cetering, changing.

We've got signs of Autumn & change raging in and out of our house this week. The nature table had a seasonal refresh, Benjamin built a fantastic plant stand out of scrap wood (in about an hour!) so that we could bring the plants in until Spring, the front porch has been made appropriately festive (the corn stalks are from our garden... the hay bales will be used to winterize the garden) & even dear Shiva the snake is preparing to shed.

The nature table/family altar is ripe with symbolism. Acorns for potential growth, winter squash for bounty and harvest, one of Shiva's previous sheddings for change & release. The Buddha is pretty much a staple year round reminding us to go within and to dance through the world from a place of calm strength. This tiny nook serves as a constantly cycling visual reminder of the changes to come within and without.

We're fully in the mood for Celebrating this season. Though more snow did flurry through here yesterday, Winter is just going to have to wait its turn.

Flannel sheets & hot cocoa.

SNOW!!! Our little house is cozy on the inside and blanketed in beauty on the outside. Delicious. This is the first serious snow of the season. The first snow that calls you to get out and jump around; to sit and gaze away the day at the largest window in the house. Our little family woke up yesterday and celebrated with peanut butter pancakes and homemade soy lattes. A very good day, indeed.

Though the roses are suffering accelerated deaths, I find myself joyful beyond measure. So beautiful!

The changing of the seasons blisses me out. I'll admit that I hope Fall lingers a bit more... but I am content to take what comes our way and make the best of it. Soakin' up the magic:

Freeing the inner child!

Even Miss Shasta was intrigued. She spent much of the day staring out the window and trying to figure out how to catch those annoyingly elusive snowflakes.

Two things are for sure. There were an abundance of smiles filling up our morning & we brought the potted plants indoors just in time (the day before!). Today it seems we are reverting back to the splendorous view of leaves falling, pumpkins on porches and grey skies. Methinks Mama Nature is just fooling with us, though. I predict more snow to come before season's end.

Even more Halloween fun: Boo at the Zoo!

We made it out of the house early Saturday for the trick or treat event at our local zoo. Good thing, too, because it was packed! Sebastian and Mama had a blast (and I dare say even Papa had way more fun than expected). Safe trick or treating, animals, train & carousel rides? What's not to love?

Bas' first lollipop! He finished the first and had the second open and in his mouth before we even realized there was a second.

Carousel fun with Papa!

Okay, okay... Mama was having more fun than most of the kids.

On the go at the zoo playground.

Mama's little hatchling.

Caterpillar wrangler.

Hanging on for dear life!

Can't catch me!

A fantastically fun filled day! In fact, the only tears of the day appeared when it was time to leave... and once settled in the car, he was passed out in seconds. 3 Halloween events down, 1 to go. These events have been a very welcome distraction from the 4 canine teeth working their way through the little guy's gums (Yes! All four at once! It is aawful.). Mama is so appreciative.

Pre-Halloween festivities!

Utah is *NOT* lacking in Halloween celebrations. Just this week we made it to two parties! You will note below that it was very hard to get a picture of Bas as he was zipping around with excitement.

Bas' first mustache: cupcake style!

Too much fun! Can't sit still!

Finally! I caught him just long enough to snap one... & he wiggled like crazy until I let him go.

Yes, he has 2 costumes. I had lofty ideas of painting his face into a Day-of-the-Dead-like skeleton. Reasoning hit just in time and saved us from a big creamy mess. He was completely happy to wear the Elmo costume to the party at the Unitarian church. In one weeks time, Sebastian decided that anything touching his chin or throat is unacceptable. When we dressed him in Elmo for the Little Gym party, much screaming and complaining ensued. Lucky we had the skeleton onesie at hand. So so cute even without the makeup. Halloween might be our fave holiday... We'll let you know after Winter Solstice.

The proper way to eat Mac 'N Cheese.

1. Inspect the goods.

2. Approach with caution.

3. Abandon all caution for the sake of experience.

4. Savor the moment... and reflect.

5. Rate your meal: All smiles = 2 thumbs up!

Mac 'N Cheese was one of Mama's fave treat meals way back when. This kid has good taste. Of course, we wouldn't settle for just any boxed mac. It's gotta be Annie's with chopped veggie dog. Looks like we will be experiencing more of the mac in our future. Next up, we try our hands at the homemade from scratch variety.