For all the reasons they make me yell....

They sure do make me smile!  

Brady

Yep, we got another dog.  In truth, we've been talking about it for months.  Since October to be precise.  Brady is a yellow lab/husky mix that is just over a year old.  She comes to us from a young military couple who are not able to keep her anymore.  She's housebroken and listens pretty well.  She has lived in an apartment her entire life, so she's not used to being outside without someone.  But her energy levels match Rossi's! And that is what we wanted.  The two of them run and play most of the day.  Which means you can actually sit outside without Rossi constantly pestering you with one of his toys.

She loves the water; Rossi does not.  I remember when we got Rossi, knowing he was part lab, and being excited about getting him in the water only to get him home and discover that he hates it.  So I'm happy about her love for water.  I can't wait to take her to the river!  The first couple of pictures were taken the day we got her.

At least half of their waking hours are spent doing this....

and this.......

I took these yesterday.

She also likes to submerge her head.  If there's a pool with water in it, she play then jump in it for about 5 minutes to cool off.  Then she plays some more, then breaks for another dip.  

This is the extend of Rossi's love of water.

More playing

We've had her since Sunday.  The agreement with the other couple was to give it until today to see how she worked out with Rossi, the cats and Hannah.  She hasn't gotten aggressive at all.  David has done is usual kid training of pulling hard on her ears and tail.  I think it's safe to say that she's going to work out.  I like that she compliments Rossi so well.  It's so hard having a dog with so much energy.  The lab in Rossi means that he will continue with puppy like behavior for the better part of two more years.  Now, with Brady, he has someone around that has as much energy as him.  

Snow, the day after Christmas

I think mother nature forgot where we live!  As the weathermen predicted 6+ inches of snow, I laughed.  We don't get that much snow here.  Besides weathermen occasionally predict it, but it's rare that we actually get it.  So I didn't pay any attention to all that talk.  And laughed when I thought about the people running out to get last minute bread and milk.  Because that's what you do when they call for snow in the south - you panic.  As nature would have it, I was wrong.  It just so happens that we got over 6 inches.  I was all excited to take hannah out and make snow angels and snow cream and then come in and have hot chocolate.  I wanted to attempt my first snowman.  Hannah's been in snow a few times, and has always had fun.

Our backyard

Rossi in the snow.  He kept trying to eat it

as it was falling.  

She's perplexed by how to get the snow 

off her gloves.

This picture just makes me laugh!

I'm really not sure what's Hannah is

doing in this picture.

Cheese!

After he came home from a slow day at work, which he was so

happy for, he shoveled.  Bet he never thought he'd be shoveling

snow in Fayetteville!

She had a litte trouble figuring out how to walk in the snow.  It confused her and she kept trying to step over it rather than walk through it.  I made a snow angel but couldn't get Hannah to make one.  I also attempted a snow man, but having never made one, and not having anyone to assist, made it a goal I was not able to accomplish.  I couldn't get the second part of the snowman to form.  I later learned, from David, that I should've flattened the first ball out on the top.  Hannah lasted about 20  minutes outside.  Then she told me that her face was freezing. So we went inside and had hot chocolate with marshmallows.  I didn't get around to making the snow cream.  

Catch Up on the Life and TImes of Hannah Banana

I've had some issues with the computer program on my Mac, and I haven't been able to load any pictures for awhile.  Today, I was finally able to load pictures from the last month or so onto my computer.  Hence playing catch up.

The first three are from a walk/bike ride that Hannah, Rossi and I took a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving.  I'm not sure I'll be doing that again anytime soon!  Rossi still needs some training on a leash and Hannah needs help steering, which equaled a lot of work for me!  

She was so happy and proud of herself for pedaling all on her own!

One of the few moments I had them both going at the same time. 

Playing dress up, which is a pretty common occurrence in our household.  

The castle she built recently.  She's begun to really enjoy playing with her blocks.  

Goofy pets

Exactly what is says.  I took these pictures just a few days ago.  

Here's Pierro, sleeping on Hannah's new chair.  

And Rossi; goofy, goofy dog.  I picked up this toy for him on Monday.  I wanted a light-weight ball to toss around in the house with him.  It's hard to find a light-weight ball that he want eat in 10 minutes.  I did find one though.  See how much he likes it!  

The Rossi/doll spectacle at 10 pm last night

A little after 10 last night, I heard Hannah crying in her room.  I put her to bed at 730 and I know she had been asleep.  I went back there and she explained to  me, while sobbing, that Rossi had eaten her doll and her unicorn.  Now, as I mentioned, she had been asleep.  So she woke up and found the dog eating two of her favorite toys.  There were real tears involved!  My heart broke for her!  So much in fact, that I promised to take her today and get her a new doll and unicorn.  Geez, I'm such a sucker for that kid!  Now, what you have to understand is the doll Rossi ate was a mini barbie from a happy meal.  This is significant for two reasons; 1) i do not promote mcdonald's (especially happy meals) and never take my child there and 2) i dislike barbie and do not promote them in this house.  So, I have now been sucked into buying my daughter a barbie.  Dang dog!

The Calm

A blur of the last 3 weeks

Here's some pictures from our trip to Douglasville, visiting David's dad.  It was a nice trip, with nothing planned.  Here's Rossi at the dog park.

More playing

Hannah, on her favorite piece of playground equipment

Playing in the pool in the backyard

Cooling off grandpa

I guess she got a little thirty!

We found this ice cream parlor that gives free cones to kids and dogs so of course we had to go.  I thought Rossi would go straight for the dog bone but that was the last thing he wanted.  He didn't even look at the dog bone until every last lick of his ice cream was gone.  

Pictures from here and there

Here are some random photo's that have been taken over the last couple of months.




Hannah sure does love her Rossi.  Thank goodness, I think he likes the attention!

Hannah and Ethan dancing away to music only they could hear. ; )

According to Casey, this is why Hannah loves Aunt Casey, because Aunt Casey gives her blue cupcakes when mommie's not around.

Homemade oyster shots at Josh and Leah's.  David's concoction of beer, hot sauce, horseradish, and an oyster.

It gets you right there in your nose.  As for taste, it isn't bad at all.  Just slight nasal burn.

Other members of the Cernock family

Here's a little update on all the other members of our happy circus, er home.  The kitties, snuggled with me one morning.  Rossi, eating his christmas penguin.  I think it lasted 2 weeks.  And finally, the destruction of one of many Hannah toys by the dog.  Yes, it's pink finger paint.  All over the carpet.  On the kitchen floor.  On the freakin couch (transfer from his nose!)  I'd be so bored without everyone.  We are adopting another cat.  It's our friend Josh and Leah's cat.  If I weren't so familiar with the cat, we wouldn't be taking it.  However, it's a 15 lb love-ball.  It's indoor/outdoor.  I mean really, what's one more cat?  They're moving to DC, and downsizing greatly, and can not take Lucky.  We're taking it on the agreement that if DC doesn't work out, and they come back, they get the cat back.    

More Rossi and Hannah

I tell ya, it is truly a circus around here. Rossi and Hannah are non stop. They spend all day running up and down the hallway and around the living room and kitchen. Rossi is normally chasing Hannah. They play tug of war. Last week, I found them both hanging out in Rossi's kennel. Hannah had her play phone and a couple other toys in there, and they were sitting side by side. When I asked Hannah what she was doing, she said she was playing in Rossi's house. When we get home from somewhere, she runs to the guest room to let Rossi. She squat down in the dorr way and say things like "C'mon on Rossi, c'mon." She rides him like a horse, and wraps her arms around his neck and lets him drag her. That's only just the beginning! Honestly though, I love it. He's doing pretty good with all the other training. He did dig up all my collard plants but Labs are known to be diggers, so it looks like I might have to live with some digging here and there. If that's the worst of it, I think I can handle it. This past weekend we took Rossi and Hannah for a walk. Hannah actually rode along in her wagon. Towards the end of the walk, we put Rossi in the wagon with Hannah, and they just sat there together.

It really is because of Hannah

Two days ago, David and I found ourselves at a local shelter, and consequently, bringing a dog home. Long before I ever got pregnant, I always said that David and I would be in trouble when we had a child that could ask for a pet. See, David and I are both suckers for animals and I knew we'd have a hard time saying no when our own child asked. So Tuesday morning we all wake up at the same time. Hannah wants to know where her "yellow bella" is, to which David and I just ignore. As David is leaving to go get a pack of cigarettes, Hannah looks at David and says "Daddy, are you going to get my doggie." And that was it. Hours later we found ourselves at a shelter in Raeford. We played with 6 different dogs, and this one was the one Hannah said she wanted to take home. Keep in mind, she was not mimicking David or me. We hadn't said any of these things. This dog was not even my first choice, but how could I compete with Hannah saying she wanted it! So meet Rossi, our 13 week old lab/rott mix.