Colorful Vocabulary

Our little Remington has quite the vocabulary! He knows and speaks so many words. Maybe he'll start speaking in recognizable sentences! Here is a comprehensive list of things he knows:

doggie, book, head, belly, hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, knee, feet, toes, socks, shoes, coat, shirt, hat, ball, football (not to be confused with ball!), cars, bat, upstairs, bath, apple, banana, cheese, cracker, bacon (dog treats!), elk, moose, bear, cow, cat, fish, baby, love you, bye bye, momma, daddy, grandma, grandpa, milk, water, juice, chicken, thank you, please, more, uh-oh

He even knows some proper names: Brent, Allison (my nephew and niece), Daisy & Pickle (our friends' dogs) and of course, Squirt!

I'm sure this list will continue to grow just as his mischieviousness does! I need to go get him out of the pantry before he learns how to open the dog bacon!

Cabin Fever

Remington, Squirt and I went to the farm for the weekend that Nathan was out of town for work. I have been fighting a cold or some junk all week so I thought the comforts of home and being with my parents would help. I took Remington to get his haircut and that proved to be the beginning of the nightmare. He screamed and cried the whole time. I'm glad I didn't take him to some random salon in Highlands Ranch. Della did a great job trimming him up and was so patient with his tantrums. Later that night, we went to a high school basketball game. He enjoyed it as long as he was sitting on my lap. With a packed gym and being 4 months pregnant, I didn't need the extra body heat to keep me warm. Oh well, what's a mother to do. The next day, Remington slept for 5 hours...should have been another clue as to what was ahead. By that night at yet another hs bball game, he had a fever and just wanted to be held. He was a trooper. He woke up in the middle of the night crying so I took him out and set in the recliner with him. We both slept ok but by 5 am, his fever was so high that it burned me when he touched me. I gave him some Tylenol and changed him into a t-shirt and placed a cold washcloth on his head as long as he would let me. For the rest of the day, I had to hold him. He didn't eat anything and only drank 7up or orange juice. On Monday, mom and I decided to take him to the doctor since he wouldn't eat or walk anywhere. He was so pathetic. We got him to the doctor and they took blood. The doctor checked all the signs for a cold or flu but lungs/ears/nose and throat were all clear. She suggested he had a stomach bug of some kind which just takes time to get rid of. YUCK! So we took him back home and continued the fluid diet and holding therapy. I had called my doctor to get antibiotics for my cold. What a miserable weekend. Again, he didn't sleep well so again, I held him and slept in the recliner. By Tuesday, I was completely exhausted and supposed to drive back home. I decided to stay another day to rest and hopefully both of us would be better. Wednesday, we came home to a sick Nathan!

So here we are, all three of us sick and no one feeling good to take care of the others....Squirt isn't much of a nurse. So we suffered through a couple more days. By Friday, I felt pretty good...good enough to go grocery shopping. But once back home, it was nap time and baby holding.

Valentine's Day was spent napping and watching tv. How romantic!

Sunday we all had cabin fever so we went to Jason and Kim's for brunch. Nathan and Remington stayed there to watch the Daytona 500 while Kim and I went shopping....AHH! Life is back to normal!

Why I love Colorado!

Last Friday, I packed up Remington and Squirt for a long afternoon walk. It was a beautiful 63 degree WINTER day! We have had several warm days this winter and I hope it continues. After our walk, we stopped in the park because no one was there. The dog could roam freely (off her leash which is against the rules) and Remington could play on whatever. So far, he only enjoys the swings since he doesn't have to do the work to make them go. Here's a short video I took with my phone. Who knew that being pushed in a swing was so funny?!?

Another great thing about Colorado on days like this, being able to wear flipflops in winter!

A boy and his dog.

Remington loves his dog.

Squirt tolerates her boy.

Yes, he sits on the dog.

Silly Remington

As the days go by, our little Remington gets to be more and more fun. Here are some silly pictures of him.

Squirt looks terrified.

A new place to play?

A cleaner place to play!

Before

After

Bow Hunting 2008

Over Labor Day weekend, we went bow hunting NW of Rifle, CO. Nathan was counting down the days for opening day and has been planning for weeks. I enjoy going there because it is so peaceful. Squirt likes it too because she doesn't have to be on a leash and "gets" lots of people food. This was Remington's first trip obviously.

Saturday was beautiful. Squirt and I saw a bobcat checking out our camp. My protective mother mode kicked in fast as I grabbed the dog and Remington and got in the camper. I grabbed the gun and waited for it to come closer. No kill for me.

Sunday and Monday were miserable as it rained most of the time. It was also windy which made it really cold. Trying to keep Remington warm and occupied was difficult. I dressed him in clothes and then put his warm fuzzy pajamas back on. Trying to keep the dog out of the rain and mud was more difficult. We spent Monday morning in the car where it was warm and quiet so we could nap.

Remington, Squirt and I all shared a twin bed in our camper. The first night, I had Remington asleep and the dog curled up next to him. It was sweet.

It was nice to get home to a warm house, hot bath and a queen size bed all to myself!

Where's Waldo?

There is a dog in this picture. Can you find her?
Squirt is in the top left corner of the top picture.
Here's a close up of her hiding spot. She loves
camping in the rain!

New Addition

There's a new addition in the Toland household. It's going to make life more difficult for all of us. Squirt and Remington aren't going to like it at all. Nathan doesn't know about it yet because he's out of town hunting. Here it is.....

Since Remington took a tumble down a few steps on Wednesday, I put the gate up.

cookies

Today while I was working, I had to find something to occupy Remington's attention for more than two minutes. I put him in his chair and gave him a cookie. Much to the dog's dismay, she gets put outside for this activity because she always ends up with the cookie if left inside. Here are some pictures of Remington enjoying his cookie!

workspace

Our living room is 20X40 and my home office takes up about a 5X5 corner of it. Remington decides on a daily basis that I need to share my workspace with him and his toys. Some days even Squirt tries to stretch out and nap while he's playing at my feet. I guess I should feel blessed that my son and my dog love me so much that even when I haven't showered they want to be close to me!!!

The life of a Dog

Masha and I took Remington to the park a couple nights ago. He didn't enjoy it as much as Squirt did. The baby swing is still too big for Remington so he rocks back and forth and it scares me. The slide wasn't much fun for him either. But the dog, on the otherhand, had a blast "chasing" us on the swings and obviously she enjoyed the slide.

This is the life....

There are days when the dog doesn't go outside at all. She has become spoiled since I started working from home. Today was different. I let her outside this morning and when I checked to see what she was doing....

101 in 1001

I was inspired by a friend of mine to do this. Set out to accomplish 101 things in 1001 days. I have compiled my list of goals and set the the date of MARCH 8, 2011 to complete them. My list is to the right of my postings.
I stole the following guidelines from my friend's blog.
The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

A New Playmate

Our dog Squirt has discovered that Remington will respond to her. This morning he was laying on the floor rolling around yelling as he does. She decided she wanted to play with him. She did the "jump from side to side and bark" move that indicates play with me, chase me, come on! Remington squealed with delight and rolled over which made the dog run a lap. Squirt came back and barked at him and he yelled back. It was the cutest, funniest thing I've seen from the two of them. I wish I had it on video.

Dog Art

This is what I call Dog Working Hard. Nothing close to a masterpiece but entertaining nonetheless!

Christmas to Remember

Today is Remington's first Christmas. Last night we went out to Nathan's parents for dinner. This morning we drove back out there for opening presents and lunch. It had snowed overnight so it was absolutely beautiful. We take our dog Squirt with us because she's part of the family and loves the open space at their house. We had a great time opening gifts. Remington held Gamma Bonnie the whole time we opened gifts. We had lunch and were all getting ready to go the Mammaw and Poppop's house.

Nathan put all the gifts in the car and started it so it would be warm because it was still snowing. The dog decided she wanted in the car so Nathan left her in there. I got Remington buckled in and we were all headed out. I couldn't open the door to the car. It was locked! Our genius of a dog had stepped on the lock button and locked us out of the car! Remind you that the car is running. We didn't have an extra key. We tried to get her to step back on the lock or window buttons. Nathan and his dad tried to open the door using a coat hanger. Nothing worked. So we all packed up in Nathan's parents car and headed to Mammaw's house. We left the dog in our car with it running. We would stop by our house and get an extra key on the way home.

It was snowing and traffic was awful the whole way there. On the exit ramp to their house, Nathan's brother slid off into the ditch. We were two blocks from their house and Nathan's dad turned around. Why he didn't drop us off first, I don't know. We got to the car and Matt and Masha climbed in the back of the SUV. Off to the grandparents' house we go. When we got there, Nathan's uncle had backed into his cousin's new jeep and dented the bumber. Good times were being had by all. So after being there about an hour, we headed back to our house for the extra key. They left Remington and me at home to veg and stay warm.

Nathan and his parents stopped and got a small tank of gas just in case our car had ran out. When they got back to our car, it was still running, the window was rolled down and the dog was nowhere to be found. Nathan thought, "great, now our dog is missing. I can't go home without the dog, Tawnya will be devastated." When they opened the garage door, Squirt came running from somewhere and was so happy to see them. She had stepped on the window button and got out of there! Nathan said she hadn't been out of the car for very long because it was still warm inside. It was still snowing. What a traumatic experience for our little crazy dog!