Buying a Camera Can Be Hazardous to Your Dog's Health

Well, Jason got me a new camera for my birthday! He's been saying for the last how ever many months (since our Las Vegas trip...?) that he'd get me one for my birthday, and since my old camera would only take 6 or 7 pictures before the battery would die, it was practically useless. I'm hoping that since I have a camera now, I'll get back into the habit of blogging!

In other news, Abby, our dog, got into the trash while were at Best Buy buying the camera...she ate so much stuff (napkins, coffee grounds, bell peppers, possibly even meat packaging) that after we all got home and got it cleaned up, she started throwing up over and over again. After more than a dozen times in an hour, we took her to the emergency vet clinic and they said that it could be anything from just eating too much to a blockage or a failed pancreas. *yikes* So, they kept her overnight on IV and gave her medication to help and we were able to pick her up last night. She was so happy to come home! Before we went to pick her up, we went to Target and bought a metal trashcan with a lid (the kind you step on to get it to open), so hopefully this will NEVER happen again.

I Miss Blogging!

It's been almost 2 months since I blogged last. Apparently making my blog private had a bigger impact than I thought it would. LOL My main fear was that I was revealing too much info on here and it freaked me out that a total stranger might be able to see enough information to find us or something. But I went through and did a keyword search and fixed a few things. I don't know if I got it all, but it wasn't as bad as I thought...I guess I hadn't relaxed my guard as much as I had imagined! Maybe I'll revamp soon and go back to being public again...and maybe that will inspire me to blog more!

Long Awaited Update!

So, since I made my blog private, I've gotten out of the habit of posting! Sorry about that...the good news is, I have lots to share with you all! Including a video of Joey's Jr. Black Belt ceremony! Check it out...we're super proud of him!



Also, yesterday we went to Disneyland & California Adventures for the last time until we renew our passes sometime next year (hopefully). Emily is starting Kindergarten today, so I'll be posting pictures of her later. It's also Jason's birthday, so it's a busy week! LOL

Joey's Jr. Black Belt Test

Joey did so well on his test! There were a few times when he was getting frustrated with himself, and a few things he could use some extra polish on, but I cannot be more proud of him. =) He worked really hard during the weeks leading up to the test, practicing almost every day. There were a few things he couldn't practice at home, like sparring and breaking boards, but I know he tried his best during the test. He gets awarded his belt tomorrow, so we're really excited! I'll take pictures and video (with the proper camera--see notes below) and post it here later this week! Here are some pictures I captured from the video clips I have:

Sidenote: I know I promised a video of Joey's test, but I made a mistake! I used the wrong camera...*sigh* See, I have 2 cameras--a Kodak and a cheap digital video camera. The cheap one doesn't produce the best videos, but it's compatible with Windows Movie Maker, which is all I've got now. The Kodak produces slightly better quality videos, and has rechargable batteries...however, it only makes Quicktime compatible videos, and while I can play them on my computer, I can't edit them anymore. Once upon a time, I had Quicktime PRO on my desktop and my laptop ($40 EACH!) and then both computers had to be wiped clean and I don't want to pay for another subscription. *grrrr* So therefore, forgetting this little fact, I recorded a bunch of clips of Joey's test with the intention of putting them together into a slick video with music and descriptive slides and putting it on my blog...but on the wrong camera. So, until I can afford the right software again, I can't edit the movie. (And the sound is bad because everyone's talking in the background and at one point I was on the phone with Jason, so you really don't want to see the raw footage! haha)

Summer Stay-cation

Last year, we made plans to go to Lake Tahoe with all the extended family (inlaws and all), so Jason asked for this week off of work. Well, a few months after we made our plans, Russell & Jennifer announced they were pregnant and, knowing her history of bedrest with her first pregnancy, we cancelled our trip plans "just in case" while we could still get most of our money back. During the year, we tried to decide what we wanted to do during this week, but we could never really come up with anything. However, Jason was still going to take a week off of work!

So, we are now on a stay-cation. =) We've been having fun as a family so far this week and have have more things planned to come! Monday, we had a family barbeque here at our place to celebrate Lindsey's birthday. We had a great time visiting with everyone (except Grandma, who is out of town visiting her sister this week)! Yesterday, on Day 2 of our stay-cation, we got up super early and went to Disneyland for the morning!

We wanted to save a few bucks, so we got up early enough to eat breakfast here at home, and I made homemade iced white mocha's for the road (we usually go thru the Starbucks drive-thru on our way to DL...LOL). We left here at 7:30 in the morning, and the park opened at 8. By the time we arrived, parked, walked to the park (we skipped the tram), went through security and got in line for our first ride, it was already 9am! Unfortunately, we were on a time schedule because we had to be back home by 2pm because I had an appointment at 3 and Joey had Karate at 4:30 (which we don't want to miss because he's testing next week). So...we each picked a ride so we wouldn't waste time wandering around or fighting over what to go on next.

Jason picked the Matterhorn. This was a big deal, because since having our passes for almost a year, the kids have never been on this ride. A long time ago, they saw a kids show about rollercoasters and it gave an inside look at the Matterhorn...and they saw that there was a "monster" and that was that--they resolved never to go on it. After a few tears, we finally convinced them to give it a try. We waited in a short line and the whole time, they pouted--especially Matthew. They do not like "scary" rides... Well, to make a long story short, they loved it! Matthew yelled and laughed the whole time and wasn't even scared of the abominable snowman, and at the end he said it was "awesome"! Before we even got unbuckled, Emily said she wanted to go on it again. =D Joey didn't really like it, because, as he usually does the first time on rides, he closed his eyes and used he hands to plug his ears. So...since he wasn't holding on to anything, he was bounced around quite a bit. LOL That wasn't very fun for him, but if he had listened to me...hahaha

Joey picked Star Tours. This is a family favorite. We all really enjoy this ride, and as a bonus, I really enjoy watching Emily's face during this ride. LOL She is so cute. For the first time, we requested front row seating. It wasn't very crowded yet, so it was a short line, even with our special request. We got front row seating, and the kids loved it. Emily likes "Captain Rex" and the boys like going into light speed and watching the gun fights. I didn't really like sitting in the front, since you feel the least amount of motion up there--I think I prefer the back, or maybe the middle since you're surrounded by people enjoying the ride. But it was fun to do something new!

Emily picked Space Mountain. Even this early in the day, there was a 45 minute line...and we knew it would only get longer. Since we were on a time crunch, and well...since we *could*, we got fast-passes. Now, usually, the boys wait for us at the Exit. They have no interest in this ride whatsoever (remember, no "scary" rides). But, Emily has been on this ride 4 other times and this would make her 5th...so she's a pro. =) However, we really wanted to do this as a family today, so I asked Jason to go ahead and get 5 fastpasses, and I talked to the boys while he was away. I convinced them that it was just like going into light speed on Star Tours, and it's really cool! There are no big hills, it just goes around and around in a spiral. I also told them that if they went on it, they could have leftover ice cream cake for lunch. hahaha Well...we'll get to that...

Matthew picked Casey Jr's Circus Train. Since our fastpasses for Space Mountain weren't for a couple of hours, we went on this after Star Tours. The only other time we've been on this ride, it was dark, so Matthew was looking forward to sitting in a different car (the Wild Animal's cage) and seeing everything during the day. It was a cute little ride. Emily & Matt sat together, Jason & Joey sat in the back on the Caboose, so they rode it backwards, and I sat alone on a bench and looked on Facebook during the ride. LOL

Finally it was my turn to pick--and I picked Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. =) We went on it a lot last fall when we first got our passes, and we took a break, so it had been awhile since we'd been on it. Again, it's not one of Joey's favorites because he closes his eyes and plugs his ears--meaning he flops around the whole time, which is uncomfortable to say the least. LOL But he was a trooper and went on it. Everyone else loves the ride, so it was really fun. And, except for Splash Mountain, we pretty much conquered all the "mountains" that morning. =)

After Thunder Mountain, we had some time to kill--about an hour or so. So we went on the Mark Twain and Matthew tried to get us in with the captain, but he already had a family in there with him. One thing about Matthew--he has no fear when it comes to asking for special privileges at Disneyland. LOL It was a nice quiet ride.

By the time we got off the boat and walked around a bit, it was finally time for Space Mountain! Matthew & Joey decided they would try it, and by the time we got to the line, they were actually excited about it. I could tell Joey was more nervous than anything, but he was a trooper. Emily & I sat in the very front row, with Jason behind us and Matthew & Joey together behind him. The ride went perfectly, except for one little snafu--usually Emily has her eyes closed, but this time she kept them open the whole time...and when she saw the camera flash it kind of freaked her out and she started to cry! Poor girl...I couldn't figure out why she was crying at first, until we got down to the picture displays and I saw her face--she always has her eyes closed tight and kind of scrunches down in the seat, but this time, she was sitting up straight and her eyes were wide open--she had a look on her face kind of like, "What the????" hahaha! She wasn't crying then, so she must have started *after* the flashes. Poor girl! LOL

The boys, on the other hand, were thrilled! Matthew said he wanted to go on it again and again--he loved it! Joey liked it too, but if you asked him, he'd tell you that he thought it was too windy...he said his cheeks were flapping around. LOL But he had his eyes open and his ears unplugged so that he could hold on, so that's a good sign! hahaha Overall, they had a lot of fun and after 2 new rides (3 for Joey, who hadn't been on the Mark Twain before), they earned that ice cream cake lunch. ;o) By the time we left the park and got home, it was only 1:30, so we did pretty good for being there for only about 4 1/2 hours! The kids had ice cream cake for lunch as promised and Jason & I made a chicken salad out of some leftovers from the BBQ the night before...it was sooooo good!

Today, the kids are going to Granna's house while Jason and I go see some movies, tomorrow we're going back to Disneyland for another morning of fun, and Friday night we're going to a Dodger game. Overall, we're having a great time. We live in a great place for "stay-cationing"!

Food Inspiration

A couple of things we've made this week:

Instant Chocolate Pudding Popcicles

Homemade Iced White Mochas...yummmmm

A plate of meat....mmmmmmm (burgers, chicken kabobs marinated in Lawry's Hawaiian 30-minute marinade & hot dogs for the kids)

I just watched the finale of The Next Food Network Star and I'm so happy with who they chose to be the winner! (Actually, Jason & I were torn between both of the 2 finalists...we would have been happy with either, but I think I'll be more likely to watch the show they picked.) With this season over and the movie Julie & Julia coming out next weekend, I'm inspired to cook! We've been trying to cook at home more and eat out less, so this is good timing. We ate out a bit more in July than I would have liked but it's the start of a fresh month, so now is as good as time as any to get back on track. =)

Tomorrow we're going to have the family over for dinner, to celebrate Lindsey's birthday (my mother-in-law). We are going to have Bodacious Grilled Ribs (take 2...we tried this before and overcooked them, but they were still good!!) and we're going to make this awesome bacon-wrapped grilled Chicken sandwich recipe that Jason found this morning. After shopping all afternoon for the ingredients, I'm soooo excited. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I'm going to make a simple salad and I think Jenn is going to bring a potato casserole to add to the menu. I can't wait!

We Are Smitten

So, as most of you may know, I love dogs. Joey loves dogs. Jason loves dogs. Matthew & Emily even like dogs, if they have time to get used to them first. But I didn't think one would say they "loved" dogs until this weekend...*sigh*

Friday night, we went out to dinner with the family and then to the grocery store to buy stuff for our 4th of July party. When we got home, a lost/stray poodle mix was across the street and ran over to greet us. At first, we tried to ignore her because we didn't want her to think we were going to feed her or anything, but she kept coming over to us and at one time, she jumped into the back of our minivan while we were unloading the groceries! She followed us all into our apartment, despite our objections, and so after a quick talk, we decided we'd keep her until we found her owner, if she had one.

Well, since it was so late at night, I knew all the shelters and everything would be closed. I posted a "found dog" ad on Craigslist and found an emergency vet clinic that would be open the next day, even though it was a holiday. We wanted to see if she had a microchip or anything (she didn't have a collar or tags). So, Saturday morning, we trekked out to the vet and had her scanned, but no luck. No microchip...however, as we were pulling into the parking lot, I checked my email on my phone, and someone had contacted me via Craigslist. They described the dog to the tee, and explained how she had gotten out. And as it turns out, the owners live just down the street and one of them works across the street, which is why the dog was over there when we found her--she was looking for her owner.

So, after the kids finished crying (sad face), we took her back home and waited for the owner to come pick her up. They had some time to say goodbye and the reunion was bittersweet. A few hours later, I was messing around in the kitchen and caught myself looking out for where I put my feet and realized that I missed the dog! I talked to Jason and we decided that we all needed a dog now. It was the right time.

We immediately started looking for a dog. After taking an online quiz to find out what breed would work best for our family and lifestyle, we looked online at http://www.petfinder.com/ and described the type of dog we wanted. We found a few we were interested in, so we emailed and called a few shelters. On Sunday, we took a trip down to the pound and looked at the dogs there. Unfortunatley, they mostly had chihuahua mixes, and I've heard they are not too friendly with children. We wanted a small dog, but not a toy dog, because with kids, we wanted a dog that was "sturdy" and not too fragile. We went over to a pet store where they had an adoption event going on and there were only 2 small dogs left, and one of them was "unstable" because he had a history of abuse, and the other one had too long of hair and shed too much.

So, out of the 3 shelters I had contacted online, only one got back to us (still now, 3 days later, the other 2 never got back to us, so it's not just that I was being impatient...haha!). Bichons & Buddies specializes in the rescue of small dogs, and they really want to make sure the dogs go to safe homes, so I had to fill out an online application. We took the kids to Disneyland on Sunday night to watch the fireworks and Fantasmic, and while we were there, I was emailing back and forth with the person in charge of the shelter. She said we were approved and out of all the dogs they had, she knew of 2 we could choose from that she said would fit our profile: small, little to no shedding, quiet, good with children, preferrably female, affectionate, housetrained, slightly older so as not to chew on everything in sight...we weren't picky at all, right? ROFL

We set up an appointment to meet the next day at 10am, so the kids and I drove out to L.A. to meet the 2 possibilities: Gulliver and Jessica. Gulliver was a cute little boy dog, but he didn't show any interest in us. We took him for a walk, and he whined the whole time and looked nervous. When we went to a grassy area and just stood next to him, he was more interested in the bushes than getting our attention. I squatted down to his level and he didn't want to come even when I called to him. So, we took him back to the clinic and asked to meet Jessica.

Jessica came out a little more excited, because she had just came in from playing with the other doggies, and that scared Emily a little bit. She didn't want to go with us to walk to the dog, but I couldn't leave her alone in the clinic either, so I made her come. She walked behind us and cried the whole time...not really a great first impression! But the boys loved her, and they walked her this time. They took turns and when we went over to the same grassy area, she was trying to get our attention inbetween checking out the bushes and using the potty. When I got down at her level, she came right over and rolled over, exposing her belly to me. I praised her and petted her and she just loved it! We went back to the clinic, and as I took her and the kids inside, Emily decided to calm down and try petting her...and she was hooked! Within minutes we were sitting down with Jessica on the bench and Emily was hugging her neck, kissing her and begging me to bring her home with us! LOL

While we were talking it over with the rescue lady, Jessica made herself at home in between Emily & I on the bench and the boys were standing next to us, petting her. She was very calm and enjoyed the affection. I had a very good feeling about this dog, and we decided to adopt her right then. She fit all of our requests, and she was just darn adorable!!

The only "problem", if you could call it that...was the fact that her name was Jessica. My sister's name is Jessyca...and I just couldn't have a dog named after my sister. LOL I think Jessyca would kill me if I did! So, I asked if we could change her name, and she said, of course! So, we spent the day thinking of names and we finally decided on Abby. She is 3 years old, and is a Bichon/Cocker Spaniel mix according to the shelter (which I just found out is called a Cock-a-Chon LOL).

She has adjusted very well to her new home! She slept on the ottoman last night and didn't move the whole night. Her mannerisms are like she has always been here. =) We love her so much already!

Here's a couple of pictures that I took yesterday: