Surprise!

We have some great news! Bryant is finally going to be a big brother! When I found out, I nearly fell on the floor. We had pretty much figured one kid was all we were going to get. We're still in shock, especially since I haven't been pregnant in eight years. Yikes. We got rid of most of our baby stuff a couple of years ago, so we're starting from scratch again. Morning sickness is hitting me hard. It wasn't this bad with Bryant. Our plans have all been changed, too. No more LASIK for me this summer. No cross-country road trip to Utah in late July-early August. That's when I'm due. Plus, every bit of extra money will be going toward preparing for baby. Thank goodness for tax returns!

Halloween

October has come and gone and so has our spooky holiday. Bryant was Indiana Jones. He looked great. I made a canvas goodie bag and Jeff made a leather whip for him to carry. The whip was confiscated soon afterwards. I guess we should have realized whips and seven-year-old boys don't mix. The streets were filled with trick-or-treaters - many of them without jackets, since the temperature didn't go below mid-sixties. As usual, Bryant and I went out while Jeff stayed home and handed out candy. We were gone for over two hours. At the end, Bryant was complaining about sore feet, but we had a lot of fun. The neighbors here love to go over the top with decorations. Even the spiders joined in the fun - see the photo? That was from the tree in our front yard!

Happy October!

The weather is beautiful here in sunny Florida! The high is in the mid-eighties and the skies are blue, blue, blue. We've had a rough few weeks. I bruised a nerve in my right wrist rendering me next to useless for about three weeks, then I got sick. And as everyone knows, if Mom doesn't do it, it doesn't get done. So I'm still playing catch-up. Fun.
The dog-training is going very well. I'm about ready to switch Chipper back to a regular collar since I haven't had to do any corrective training in a few days. He's calmed down quite a bit, even though he's still one of the most hyper dogs I've ever seen. He's so darn cute, though.
We found an awesome spelling website - SpellingCity.com. Love it, love it, LOVE IT! Bryant has never liked studying his spelling so much. And it works. His spelling tests come back so much better. Now to improve that handwriting...
Jeff is now a Premiums Manager at work. New team, new responsibilities. He's enjoying himself. He loves doing new things. He might complain about all the work he has to do in his new role, but he loves it.
Piano lessons aren't doing so hot for me. I've lost several students due to financial reasons. I still love doing it, but I don't think I'll continue teaching after this school year. I'll have finished my children's writing course by then and I'll have been published (fingers crossed) at least once.
Bryant is growing out his hair. It's driving me nuts. I want to cut it so bad. I made a deal with him - either I cut it or I style it. I had to go out and buy hair gel. He's seven years old and I spend more time on his hair than I do on mine some days. I have to make sure I get his 'wave' right. That's what he calls his cowlick. It's the best looking cowlick I've ever seen and frankly, I'm a little jealous. When his hair is short enough, he doesn't even have to comb it to look good. He's going to be such a ladies' man when he's older.

Book Fair Week

This week was the book fair at Bryant's school. I think it's the best week of the entire school year. I volunteer to work it all day, every day. This year, the theme was "African Safari". I dressed up appropriately and delivered an entire spiel to the classes as they came for their preview. "Jambo!" I would yell. Sometimes they replied, sometimes not. It was a lot of fun. I got known as the safari girl and kids would wave at me in the halls. One kid told me Bryant was really lucky because he got to have all the books at the book fair. I tried telling him that's not exactly how things worked, but I don't think he believed me.
Dog training is going well. Chipper is finally getting the hang of it (hallelujah!). We only have to discipline a few times a day. I'm loving the 'down' command and the 'wait' command. Sooo nice. We no longer feel we have to lock him up in his crate or put him outside when he acts like a pest because he's much better behaved. One note: make sure you have plenty of room to discipline when using a 'command' or pinch collar. I didn't do so well at that and I whacked my wrist pretty good against my piano bench leg. Ouch.

Doggy Training

We've started training Chipper today using The Perfect Dog training system. We're already impressed. He's learning not to pull on the leash and 'down'. Soon, we'll be able to say we have the perfect dog. (That was somewhat funny, a polite chuckle would be appreciated.) Hurray!

Hello, everybody!

We figured since we live so far away, this would be the best way to keep everyone up to speed. More to come...