Pictures

We spent some time at the dog park this weekend. August and Hazel do such a great job at making the most of what we're doing. Hazel can be found collecting sticks and writing words on the table in the small dog area. She also loves to walk up to the dog owners and chat with them about how cute their dog is...**this is supposed to say RAT, but it looks a bit like CAT. Hazel called me over to look at what she'd done by saying, "you're gonna be sooooo scarred by this!"

Every time we go to this park the kids run to this hill and start digging. I'm always on them about how gross I think it is because, well, we're at a dog park where dogs pee and poop on the same hill they are digging in. When I announced that we were going to the park they both ran for their gardening gloves so that they can dig without risk.

Of course Hazel has to lay on the ground to do the digging. It's always amazed me how different these kids are from each other. August, when he was a baby did not want his legs or arms to touch grass or sand. He'd try to balance himself on his bum while keeping his legs off the ground.
Hazel on the other hand would lay on the grass and wave her arms and legs around. I'll always remember putting her on the sand at golden gardens beach and having her wiggle and squirm her way INTO the sand so that she could feel it all.
They are still this way. August does not understand why people put sandals on in the sand. Hazel longs to run in the grass/sand without shoes on.
Ahh, these kids.

February has been...

brutal!
Seriously. Hazel has strep throat for the second time in 2008, Tank has had to go to the vet twice this month (once resulting in surgery!) and August has boils! Yes folks, BOILS!
I'm trying to look on the sunny side: Hazel is on antibiotics so she'll be free from sickness for the next few weeks...Tank, well, he'll just have to suffer through whatever befalls him next and August...hmmmm, can't really find the bright side to boils. Nope, nothing positive in that there affliction.

Today starts Mid-Winter break. The kids are off for the week and I'm just wishing we were somewhere else. Last year we went to Disney World. I can't help but wish that that was an annual trip.
From what the weather reports say it looks like yesterday and today will be the nicest for the week. So yesterday we went to Green Lake Park which looked like an ant hill by the time we got there. Trey took the dog around the lake while the kids played at the playground. I spent the time nerotically watching the kids move from one spot to the next.
Today it was just me and the kids. We had pancakes for breakfast and went to the dog park. Tank loves being free to run full speed. The kids love to look at all the other dogs. I think Hazel had picked out 5 breeds she will have when she's an adult: a Great Dane, a Husky, a puppy Golden Retriever, a Wiener dog and I can't remember the last one. She was embarrassed when I informed her that the Golden Retriever puppy wouldn't stay a puppy forever. The dog park we are lucky enough to live closest to has an area open to dogs on the water. Tank is rather confused by why the dogs actually go INTO the water but he does enjoy watching and pacing the shoreline. August and Hazel pass the time by climbing this great big tree that fell a few years ago.
After the dog park we went next door to the kids playground where Hazel ran into one of her good friends from school. So off she went to play house or some other girlie game which left August to roam the grounds looking for something to do. He couldn't convince his sister to do anything with her so he ended up sitting in the sun with me. Later I announced that we should start heading home for lunch so Hazel hugged her friend. It was rather sweet until I looked down and noticed that her friend was grabbing Hazel's butt. No, grabbing and SQUEEZING Hazel's butt. It was the strangest thing. As we walked away I asked Hazel if she noticed what her friend was doing, to which she replied, "yup, she was squeezing my butt and her pinky was close to my crack so I farted on it." August and I about fell on the floor from laughing so hard. That's my girl!

Once lunch was over and done with I started feeling my daily need for afternoon coffee and was able to convince the kids that Tank needed a good walk. Thankfully they were excited to go outside so we walked a mile down to the Green Lake Starbucks to have a nice pick-me-up.
I sometimes find it difficult to walk the dog and hold Hazel's hand as I feel like one arm is being pulled ahead and the other is being pulled behind so I asked if August would mind holding on to Hazel for a few blocks. Here's proof that they can be wonderful siblings:
And now we are home. The kids are in the back yard yelling at our neighbors about something or the other, Tank is sleeping peacefully on the couch and I'm getting ready to fix dinner. I'm ready for this month to end. We've got many things to look forward to this year, I'll just need to keep my focus on that.