Ghetto Pool

Here in Arizona the weather stays warm (hot!) most of the year. It's the end of October and we're still getting days of 90 degree heat. So a few weeks ago I came home from work and the kids were out in the backyard with Scott playing in the water. Now right now, we're on a pretty tight budget, and playing in the water at our house usually means squirting each other with the hose or playing in the sprinklers. My children, however, have come up with what I like to call "The Ghetto Pool".

These bins are usually used to store all the outside toys. We keep them on the porch and for some reason the kids just love dumping everything out and filling them with water.

Aubyn and Maddie took turns with the hose.

I don't know what Aubyn needs the goggles for, since the water is only a foot and a half deep. LOL

I think we'll have to find a new water activity next year. The kids are definitely outgrowing their ghetto pools. :-)

Jax Can Jump!

So we've had Jax for a little more than two weeks now. We've all pretty much adjusted to our new routines (even Chewey, who I was worried would be overly aggressive with him!). We keep Jax in our bathroom at night and we have a fence in the doorway so he can still see out and we can see him. For the most part, this has worked great (more about that later!). He has gotten used to sleeping on his bed in there and we've gotten used to taking him out about once a night.




During the day, this is Jax's favorite place to sleep. I don't know what he'll do when he gets too big to fit in there, but for now, it's really cute!

As a normal, mischievous puppy, Jax is constantly looking for new things to get into and loves to jump on the furniture (and children!). He is quickly learning the words, "Good potty!" and "Off!" We are going on 3 days without an accident! Yay!

Don't let this innocent face fool you! His favorite activity is stealing shoes and hiding them under my bed. Since he is only 15 pounds, he can still fit under there. And it's quite entertaining when he tries to lick Chewey in the face. She hates it and starts barking at him immediately. He then goes tearing around the living room and into our bedroom and shoots under our bed. Chewey follows him, but as she's too big to get under the bed, she shoves her head under there and barks at him until he runs out the other side and back out the door. Both tails are wagging the whole time. Very funny!

I'm not quite sure how he got under Maddie's princess chair, but he did. The places this dog can squeeze into!

Jax decided today he needed something off of the counter. I don't officially approve of this behavior, but I do think it is funny. But he will be trained! :)

This is Jax's "area". We have his bed in here and we keep his food, water and toys in here at night. We put him in here everytime we leave the house, and until today this has worked out great. I came home today from picking up Aubyn and Jax was waiting at the garage door when we came in. He managed to JUMP the fence! Scott and I are trying to come up with a solution to this problem. Any suggestions?

Maddie's Birthday Bash!

On Saturday night we celebrated Maddie's birthday at Peter Piper Pizza. It ended up being a HUGE party, as we had 19 children show up. Everyone played some games, ate some pizza and had a blast!

Here's a picture of Maddie's cake and balloons. Maddie loves Dora the Explorer, and this is the second time she has had a Dora themed birthday. I tried to get her to choose someting else, but she wanted Dora, and in the end it was her party, so we let her do what she wanted.

While we were singing "Happy Birthday" Maddie just smiled and smiled. I think she was a little embarassed by all the attention, but she loved it too!

Every year I try to get a shot of the kids blowing out their candles. I have no idea why I love that shot so much, but I do. So here it is. LOL

Here is Maddie with a couple of her cousins and Aubyn. Amazingly enough, my sister arrived at the party BEFORE we did. Shocking, I know!

Maddie had so much fun opening her presents. Her friends and family spoiled her rotten and she ended up with some really nice things. She had so much fun at her party, and she can't wait for the next one!

Maddie in her party dress

I just had to give a little update of Maddie in her party dress. We are getting ready to leave for Peter Piper, and I think she looks soooo cute in her party dress. What do you think?

Maddie's Birthday Party!

Madisen turned 4 on September 29th, and we are celebrating tonight with a party at Peter Piper Pizza. Only a couple of people that we invited haven't RSVP'd yet, so we are expecting a crowd! I'm sure it'll be crazy, but tons of fun! I'll be posting photos from the party in the next few days, so be sure to check back!