Wonder Dog

Sometimes my dog irritates the living day lights out of me.

Sometimes I can’t imagine how life functioned for me before his constant stares and chronic happiness.

Sometimes I run 5 miles and wonder why he never slows, never breaths hard and I’m dieing . . . even though he hasn’t had a lick of exercise in a month . . . except for the potty outings . . . gotta love winter time.

Sometimes I thank God, literally, for a dog that doesn’t nip, isn’t possessive, territorial, was created without a mean bone in his body, doesn’t get into the trash, and all the above.

Just paying homage to wonder-dog, Byron.  He has truly grown on me . . . since the first few years of puppy-hood and teen-dog-hood.  He’s four years old now.

Loverly Sunday

My boys enjoying the great . . . and pretty cold . . . out of doors, the other day.  I’m sure glad we have several playgrounds around our complex!

I might completely bore you with photos now that I figured out a different way of uploading these pics . . . my computer wouldn’t do it with the flash uploader.  Crazy, old and diseased computer of mine.   This photo cracks me up . . . like a little old man and his dog, hanging out in some park . . . all ya need is some pigeons with Tobias throwing crumbs to the hords of  hungry birds.   Like the guy feeding the sea gulls in the middle of the grocery store parking lot yesterday.  Mass sea gull invasion . . . whilst people are trying to park and maneuvre around them.  Weird.

Such a cute dog, I will take the liberty to say . . . and he turned out to be such a great dog!  We had our moments of complete frustration . . . hint: puppy years . . . and he’s still very active but well behaved (with very little work from yours truly). I understand that not very many Jack Russells are like this.  Just to warn you.

Ah, here’s his favorite activity of all time.  Located at the expansive 25 acre dog park . . . Frisbee.  Yay!

Sorry for the grainy photo . . . his other favorite activity of all time.  Anything that can be chased, will be chased!

Oh yeah, another favorite activity . . . of course, this is after the chasing and the running and the frisbee fetch.  The boys look so solemn . . . not sure what had their attention at the time.

It was quite the sunset that day.  Last week sometime.  We’re all enjoying the dog park and the relatively warm evening.

I will end with this one.  I actually haven’t taken very many photos lately . . . as compared to normal. I love my little men . . . and my hubby!  So blessed, I am!  Not that we don’t have challenges and spats . . . but I know I’m cared for deeply and my boys are healthy and happy.  I’m grateful to God for this!!

God Bless!

ps . . . gotta go watch some tots.  Busy busy busy, they are! No wonder they need naps daily, plus a full nights sleep!

And I kinda like this statement . . . but I don’t have to go back again to do these things . . . perhaps I should attempt doing these things now, while they are still young.

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I’d finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging and less tugging.
– Diane Loomans, from “If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again”

messy but oh so cute!

Blog Post

It is Saturday.  I think . . . yeah, pretty sure it is Saturday.  Justin is on shift and the boys and I are livin’ it up here at our loverly home.

I’m not sure when, but somewhere along the way Tobias has decided the words ‘heavy’ and ‘big’ are interchangable. Which they are similiar . . .  interchangeable, probably not.

“Oh, Momma, this book is heavy,” Tobias’ correct usage of the word.

“Momma, you heavy,” probably the correct usage of the word.

“Momma, this is a heavy car and this is a baby car,” comparing a larger car to a smaller car.  I guess it works, but not really.

Recently ‘heavy’ has accumulated a new meaning  . . .  in Tobias-Land. When he is done with his meal . . . or he is presented with a food item he is not hungry for . . .

“No . . . I don’t want it . . . I heavy.”

Full, apparently, and heavy can be used in the same context.

Tobias 5/2008

So I’ve been stepping out our front door, for the past two weeks, to The Oregonian newspaper on my stoop.  As though we had a subscription, but we don’t.

Two guys were at my door about three weeks ago and said they would be delivering the paper for free and wanted my name, address and consent.  Looked legite . . . and they were standing at my door, so they already had my address.  But I expected it to be delivered over one weekend and that be the end.

We’re still getting it.  And I like it.  I like that its there everytime I step out the door. . . I like to read it during breakfast.  I like to feel like I’m getting the news, though it usually is a day old at that point.  But without tv and local, or otherwise, news . . . its been kinda nice.  News is the one thing I really enjoyed tuning into when we had tv.  Well, enjoy might be a strong word.  But I liked to feel connected to the world . . . even though it was the negative, media twisted world, it was still something.  My computer doesn’t play video because its old, cranky and, somedays, decides not to work at all.  So I don’t even attempt anymore.  I guess I could read it on here too . . . ah, I just don’t sit on this thing enough to do that . . . it is a desktop in the backroom (loosely called ‘the office’) and the heats never on and its relatively dimly lit and, well, not my idea of comfortable.

You know another subscription that I miss that I’m not even sure why it lapsed . . . National Geographic.  I gotta start that back up.  I don’t read magazines much but I like that one.

We take Byron to the dog park.  He loves the dog park.  He would explode without exercise at the dog park.  We went last night, in the clear but cold weather.  Around 5pm.  I call it the dog/kid park because the kiddos get just as much exercise as Byron.   There’s a Bullmastiff that is there sometimes.  His name is Bogart (sp).  He is so beautiful and he makes me miss my old Mastiff, Monti. He loves to lean all his mass weight against you while you scratch his back and talk to him . . . he rolls over and waits for you to scratch his belly . . . ignoring that he’s laying in mass mud and nastiness.   He bats Byron around like a fly, with his big old feet. I think I might love Bogart.

Unfortunately all my photos of Monti were pre-digital and I don’t have a scanner . . . but this dog looks just like Monti! I ran across this picture in Flicker and just stared at it . . . I was shocked and I think I cried.  I had Monti for 8 years before he passed on of old age.  He had a lot of health problems his whole life long but remains my favoritist dog!  And I’ll have another soon enough.

Well, my boys are ransacking my “office” . . . so I better go.  It doesn’t take long before they feel attention deprived.

Hope your weekend is relaxing and fulfilling!

God Bless!

Oh Puppy Days

I ran across these photos . . . that I was unaware that we had on disk, thanks to some lovely friends of ours that let us borrow their camera prior to buying our own.

Byron turned 4 years old last month. I forget he was a pup at one time.

Too cute!

Have a wonderful day!
God Bless!

Oh, Alright . . . I Love This Guy Too.

Byron read my post yesterday and cried into his wee, Jack Russell pillow until falling into fitful sleep.

He told me all about it on our jog this morning . . . how left out he felt.

I apologized profusely, of course.

Byron has survived the making of Mother Tucker (prego years) and has integrated into our family quite nicely.  In fact he fits right in . . . quirky, loves to go and just plain obnoxious . . .

And sometimes stinky.

I even pick up his poop . . . just like I clean the boy’s poop (kinda, except Byron goes in the grass, boys go in their pants, preferably diapers) . . . my life is a jolly ball of poop.

Byron likes 4 basic things.

*Food . . . this consists of dog food, people food, sticks, plastic/rubber toys, and cat poop.  I also had to help him pass a towel once. Yes, poop the towel. It was gross.

*Water . . . he is a hog for water, a term we use for horses that drink too much at one time, therefor getting sick.

*Dog Parks . . . I’m not quite sure what we would do without our local dog parks.

*Our Daily Walk/Jog . . . this is just mandatory for all involved.

Byron is not very cuddly, though he does love us so, he would would rather play . . . all the time, non-stop.

You know, there is a 5th thing that Byron would self-combust if he didn’t have regularly . . . a tree trunk, fire hydrant or anything that calls out “I need to be peed on”.

Byron completes us, as a family.

God Bless!

ps . . . good thing he’s cute cuz he sheds like mad! I need a new vacuum cleaner!!

Cool Down

The last few days have been much cooler than the few weeks prior. I walked this morning at 10:30am and it was still 65 degrees. Patchy sunshine, but still very cool. I enjoyed it. For one that enjoys the heat . . . mid-eighties to low-nineties is awesome . . . I do have to admit I relished the cool weather break.

I’ve had a bit of an attitude . . . one that was contained to my inner workings, but still present and nagging. I’m fine with not being the center of Justin’s world for a few short days and then, if I’m not reaffirmed and assured that, yes, I am the one and only for him (a tad dramatic) . . . well, my self-pity button gets pushed and I battle it or give into it. More lately, I’ve been battling it and I find that if I’m persistent that it does subside and our relationship is better for it.

And, get this, Justin has been gone for the better part of two weeks catching up with school . . . since, financially, we couldn’t get books until a month into the summer term. Now he has to cram for his online class and make up 4 tests and many many chapters of reading and an essay. On top of that he’s holding down his responsibilities . . . many of them new . . . at the fire house and . . . and, he’s working for Brooke’s Fire Department, pretty much everyday; doing odds and ends for them around the property. I have no idea, to this day, how he does this or where he gets the energy to even move one foot in front of the other at times, much less function on thought processing level after little to no sleep.

So, that, the above paragraph, that is what I’m getting jealous over. Cuz, face it, that’s what I’m battling. I’m jealous of his time and focus, etc. How frickin’ selfish can I possibly get? He does all this with an award-winning attitude.

So, I’m a bit repentant tonight. I’ve been convicted. He’s busy (understatement of the year) bettering our family with a future and I’m grumbling cuz he’s not here to help me pack and deal with discipline issues regarding two small toddlers . . . much less the personal one on one time I so miss with my best bud. Oh my. God help me understand what he’s dealing with . . . not just myself.

I went to my neighbor’s (who is also a good friend) church with her this past Sunday. People’s Church in Salem . . . its an Assemblies of God church . . . if that means anything really. The worship was very good and the word was right on. And then, yesterday, a friendly couple from the church stopped by with a loaf of bread from Great Harvest Bread Company, here in Salem . . . Apple Cinnamon. Oh my goodness gracious, grate balls of chicken crap!!! That has to be the best loaf of bread I have ever eaten in less than 24 hours . . . yes the kiddos helped a little but, mostly, it was my eating. Yeah . . . not something I can purchase every week cuz I would be 500 lbs by December but . . . once a month, maybe? This was accompanied with a nicely put together folder about their church and outreach programs and card thanking me for joining them Sunday. Very thoughtful . . . I didn’t feel like there was pressure to come back, just a thoughtful thank you.

It never ceases to amaze me that I take Byron, daily, on a 3 mile, plus, walk/jog . . . let him off leash for a minimum of 20 minutes to run about in a baseball field . . . take him out later in the afternoon while the boys run around the property (sometimes Byron too, though I’m not suppose to let him off leash . . . shhh, don’t tell on me) . . . and he is still playful and high energy when the day starts to draw to a close. These dogs, meaning the Jack Russell extraordinairs should all be on ranches and farms . . . or at least with property of some sort to run amok from the moment they wake until they crash at night. Thats all I have to say about that. And, no, we’re not getting rid of him . . . he’ll just have to deal with walks and baseball fields . . . and the occasional dog park excursion.

I think thats all I can conger up to blab about tonight. God’s grace is so abundantly available through this time in our lives . . . I really have no room or reason to whine.

God Bless!

Sunshine and Walks

I am officially in love with summer. I used to love spring and fall the mostest. But no more.  I love the summer.

No excuses to sit around, couped up in the house.  Nope.  All outdoors now . . . or at least knowing its option to drop in at the playground anytime without the worry or threat of rain.  Yeah man!

Lately, as in the last month and a half, I’ve been loading the tots in the double jogger and heading out to a playground I stumbled onto.  Located behind an elementary school a mile and a half from my front door.  Perfect for the amount of walk/jogging and half way the kiddos (and Byron, Jack Russell Extraordinair) get to play and run in the adjoining fields. Its quiet and people are rarely there, especially during our morning romp, so Byron is off leash.

Byron is a Jack Russell . . . all 20 lbs of him.  He’s not a big dog, by any stretch of the imagination.  He is also the most goofy friendly dog I have ever met! Especially towards other dogs.  But apparently the gentleman that came out of nowhere this morning with his own, large sized, dog off leash thought Byron was a cannibal and out to get his dog.  I have never seen anyone react to Byron in a negative way but I’m pretty sure if I didn’t intervene the guy would’ve taken my dog out . . . as in kicked him or something.  He was mad and glaring at me and cussing at his own dog (and/or me) and hitting his own dog.  I was shocked! Byron kinda looked at him and trotted back to me.  I didn’t say a frickin’ word, I just hitched By back on the leash and scampered back to my kids . . . who, thankfully, stayed in the playground area some distance away.

I understand there is a leash law.  I do.  And if I thought my dog was going to even annoy someone else, he would stay on leash, fo’ shizzle.  But, Byron will probably be off leash again, at the same park, tomorrow.  One dude in nearly 2 months . . . I think the odds are good we’ll be ok.

So, weird experience for the day.  Hopefully the only one.

Oh, another thing.  If Samuel falls down one more time and hurts himself today . . . I might have to look for professional help . . . for him.  Poor kid.

He’s fierce . . . He’s crazy . . . He’ll lick ya to death . . . its Byron Jack Russell Extraordinair!

Jack in Action

I have my moments, my days, and sometimes even a full week, that I don’t care much for the dog we chose to buy over 3 years ago.  He’s quirky, hyper (understatement) and kinda needy . . . like a kid but with hair and poop and pee . . . ok, maybe hair all over his body, that he consistently sprinkles all over my floor (couch, chairs, beds, cars, etc) is the only difference.  And he’s of the canine species . . . my kids aren’t.

But, over the years he has wormed his psychotic self into my dark and brittle heart.  So I’m finding I have more moments, days, and sometimes even a full week that I like that Byron is a intricate part of our daily lives.

And he is the sole reason we pay visits to the expansive dog park at Minto-Brown Park.  He loves it, we love it, the kiddos love it and everyone goes home happy . . . and tired.

Did I mention he has springs in his back legs.  He does, quite literally . . . we had them inserted as a pup, they automatically grew with his body.

Just Kidding.  Its all natural ability . . . “born with it”, as they say.

Wow, if I wasn’t annoyed, I would be impressed.

So, jumping (springing) is one, among many, activities that Byron Tucker loves to perform.

Running is his favorite of all time!  He can run and run and run and run . . . forever, I’m pretty sure.  He’s at his best when Justin is play-chasing with him.  As if he’d ever catch him.  I think he might believe, somewhere deep down, that he’s part Greyhound race-dog.

And he’s off!!

Nothin’ but backside!

Ope, here he comes!

Just a streak . . .

Aaannd, there he goes again!

Another favorite of the crazy species of Byron is fetch. This game can last hours on end and once you start . . . beware you are roped in long term.

The eldest spawn has located a chunk of a stick . . .

You’ll have to excuse the fuzziness of some these pics . . . a few of them are cropped way down . . . since the group of males were walking quite a bit in front of me (and I was walking while taking pictures . . . one eye on the digital screen and one eye on Samuel, since he was my responsibility while at the dog park).   Anyway . . . there goes Tobias with his treasure of a stick . . . proud he was!

At some point he chucked it . . . Byron located and retrieved it . . . and is now bringing it back . . .

Aaahh, and the hawt hubby relents and throws it again . . . starting the unending game of fetch.

Eventually he gets tired. I think our average stay at the dog park is about an hour . . . maybe a tiny bit longer.  If kiddos weren’t involved the trips would last longer but they get tired . . . and so do we.

After a trip to the dog park

And, occasionally (rarely), we get hot from the early summer sun. Um, this doesn’t happen often.  Poor Samuel turns beat red, immediately, in the heat . . . even before he’s sweating, he’s red in his face. Makes him look so much hotter than he is.

He’ll sleep good tonight!

Here’s to Byron!

God Bless!

dog park

Since the purchase of our pooch, Byron, 3 years ago, dog parks have been an active part of our weekly . . . if not . . . daily lives.   He is, as you probably are already aware, a Parson Russell Terrier . . . also known as a Jack Russell (I’m not sure if “Russell” is spelled with 2 L’s or not, who cares).  Jacks are notoriously high energy, they were bred that way for fox hunting purposes.  We are the idiots that bought a high energy breed of dog but now he has wormed his spring-like self into the center of our hearts . . . so he’s stuck with us.

Since the big move to Salemland we had yet to find a loverly dog park to take our exercise deprived animal, to wear out him adequately.  No amount of walks or jogs can squelch the amazing resilience of his Jack energy. But dog parks take a little bit of it out of him, thankfully.

3 weeks ago we found one.  A dog park.  25 acres of leash-less abound! So many dogs, so many acres of green grass to romp, pee, and poop . . . but mostly romp.  And it is so spread out that I don’t mind the kiddos walking on the bark paths with us, instead of squashed in the stroller to watch the going ons.  So, in a fashion, its a dog and kid park.

And, thankfully, summer is slowing taking over, so the weather has been oh so nice!

Here are some pictures of the outing yesterday, late afternoon.  We’ve been multiple times but I managed to remember my camera . . . and I managed to remember to take pictures once we arrived.

Setting out for a walk around 25 acres of off-leash glory!!

Byron, Tobias and Samuel . . . in the lush scenery.

Tobias, growing up . . . so good looking. I’m not biased in any way though.

Samuel at the dog park. Didn’t have time to edit this one before the real live Samuel woke up from naptime.  And now that he’s sitting on me, fresh from a nap, I’m going. He’s good looking too, by the way.

diet thwarted

Alright . . . some good friends of ours gave me a bag of popcorn kernels . . . is that what you call them before they’re popped? How old am I? Why don’t I know the answer to that?

Anyway . . . I have never popped popcorn outside of a prepackaged microwavable bag . . . careful opening it, its hot!

Ok, so I had a bit of the munchies (no I don’t smoke pot) yesterday and decided that that would be a healthier munchy than, say, cookies or candy . . . the two that were also on the mind’s list of yummy edibles.

If you weren’t aware I’m working on losing the next 20 lbs of flab that has stuck itself to my ribs (thighs, arms, fingers, butt, etc) and so healthy was gnawing at the back of my mind.

I read the directions (crazy!!) and decided it sounded easy peasy.  And it was easy peasy! And oh so good!!

If you choose to follow my diet ideas . . . be aware that tiny 1/3 cup of kernels pops a gigantic bowl of popcorn . . . the popcorn you then must drizzle with olive oil and salt it until tastes as though it came from the sea.

Yes, my friends . . . not so healthy after I mutilated it.  And I had one bowl (or barrel, whatever) . . . I did share with my boys, but how much can a 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old actually eat?

Then hubby came home and we were hanging out after the chitlins had drifted to sleep and I was going on and on about how good the “real” popcorn turned out, compared to crappy microwave popcorn.  I went on so much that he asked me to make some, that it sounded good.

Um . . . so I did.  And then I proceeded to eat over half the bowl (barrel) of popcorn cuz apparently he wasn’t as impressed or something.

So, diet didn’t go so well yesterday.

But, on a brighter note . . . I have started jogging outdoors in the wee morning hours, before the house wakes to the chaotic. I have found such solace in my time out . . . I take my crazy Jack, Byron, and we hit the pavement. I’m able to get home, take a shower, get dressed (for the day!!) and have breakfast on its way before the boys start screeching and talking from their cribs.

Mind you, its been COLD here . . . in the 35 or so when I start up at 6:45am . . . but I warm quickly the jostling of jogging and its been tolerable . . . though I’ve decided I still hate the rain.

So, one of my friends, K, and I are planning on a 5k in the fall . . small goal but not so small at the same time.  Maybe I’ll actually be in shape for it. weird

Ok, I’m going now.  Hubby is back to school and shift today . . . so I’m on my own . . . though I was pretty much ready for a day to myself, so thats cool . . . ask me in a week . . . I’ll be ready for him to be on break again.

God Bless!!

Upclose Byron . . . my crazy and obnoxious Jack Russell