Interim

This last week things have finally gone back to normal, minus we haven't had the dogs. They've been away at Summer Camp, AKA Grandma and Grandpa's in Wyoming. From what I hear they're having a great time and doing exactly what they should with their "vacation." Louis is running and swimming everywhere, while Durbin is content laying in the grass and catching flies. We joke that the only thing Durbin will hurt is a fly; it's the only thing he'll ever go after. I'm excited to see the pictures my mom has taken. Apparently, in an attempt to limit his exposure to water, Durbin has taken to leaping across the water-filled ditches when it comes time to chase the cows in the neighboring field. And as I knew they would be, they're being spoiled beyond an inch of their lives, mainly with the attention they haven't been receiving at home since Zoey was born. And I'm sure they expect all attention to be paid retroactive.

Life without the dogs has been normal, yet more calm. We can plainly see the excitement they add to our lives, that's for sure. And it's amazing how much smoother and quicker we can get out of the house without 140 pounds bouncing around our feet. :-) But joking aside, we miss them, they're apart of our family, and we're excited to have them back. I won't deny, though, that it hasn't been the most awful thing in the world to have two less things to take care of for a couple of weeks. They will come back this weekend when my parents come to town to swap the dogs for my brother who flies in tonight. We'll get to spend a couple of days with him while he meets and gets to know his niece.

I'm very excited for Aaron and Zoey to interact. He has been amazing with kids since he was in college, just working part-time for the YMCA. On an outing to a public pool, the girls were afraid I was his girlfriend. We all agree he'd be an amazing teacher, and hope that one day in the near future he'll have his own baby (or there may be a few out there he hasn't learned about yet. Just kidding. :-D)

We aren't real sure what we'll do this weekend but I'm sure it will be enjoyable. So here are some random pictures until I have something more interesting to say. :-)

She started this cuteness the morning I was to leave for Denver/Santa Fe. She recognized the camera (my phone, but it looks more like a camera than a phone) so immediately straightened her shoulders, threw her head back, and grinned.

 My main goal was to take a picture of her playing with my childhood toys; that is Humpty Dumpty behind her. But she wanted to model instead. :-)

 In the midst of our busy start to June we, of course, had to make a pit-stop at the store. This was the second time she rode in the front part of the cart. She held on to the bars the entire time but was so interested in everything. If we didn't move for a few minutes, she'd start bucking her feet. The following weekend during our semi annual trip to Costco, she sat in the front of her stroller (also the 2nd time for that) and we didn't hear a peep out of her the entire 2 hours we were there. People commented left, right, and forward about what a happy baby she was. She even had a pee diaper but still never made a sound.

 Mom is such a cheese ball.

 You're gonna buy me some candy 'cause I'm so cute, right Mom?? I'd always ask my mom for a candy bar in the checkout lane too. In fact, that is her arm in front of the cart.

 Letting her do this - as my mom once said when I let Louis hump then play with a bed I just bought him - is very liberal of me. It's just so cute how she always wants to play in my closet. I used to spend days playing in my mother's closet; good to know things pass down from generation to generation. :-) She's already got a taste for fashion. :-)