Where does a Mastiff ride in a Car?

Anywhere she wants to!

Yes, this is our 35 pound, 13 week old Mastiff doing her cat impersonation and riding in the back window of our Camry on the way home from puppy class.

Bantam Bindi

Bindi will be 12 weeks old tomorrow.  I don’t think I can quite get a feel for how much she’s grown in size, however we did weigh her last night at the vet.  She’s 32.6 pounds.  Yep.  She’s gained 11 pounds in under 3 weeks. 

Last night was the second week of puppy kindergarten.  It’s so funny seeing the contrast between her and the other dog in the class, who probably ways 3 pounds. 

She’s starting to do well.  The main reason is that Kathie picked up some freeze dried liver treats.  She goes absolutely crazy for them.  She follows you around watching you for any kind of command.  So far she’s learned sit, down, come, stand and touch to some level.  She’s a pro at puppy pushups.  She’s also learning release.  Kathie was even able to get her to come when she was across the yard playing with the neighbors dog.  Those liver treats are THAT good.

She’s still pretty nippy, but it’s pretty limited to her ‘crazy’ puppy times. When she’s just outside or hanging out, she’s getting much better.  But if she gets the crazies, then it’s very difficult to get her to stop. We’re going to try a spray bottle next. 

Happy Birthday Braden!

Wow, five years old!  Where has the time gone!? 

Braden is very excited to be five and we’re very proud of him.  It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling, though, as it’s amazing how quickly they grow.

Last night after prayers, Braden said he couldn’t sleep.  That sparked another Bradenism conversation:

Braden: “I know, I can think about the really nice birthday presents I got.  That will help”

Me: “Good idea.  Happy Birthday, buddy”

Braden: “Happy Birthday. I’m very excited!”

Me: “Me too.  I’m very proud of you and I can’t believe you’re five years old already!”

Braden: “When is this talk going to be over?”

Me: “Now.  Good night.”

Busy!!!

Things are going well.  Ok, as well as they can when you have 3 small kids and a 10 week old puppy at home.  It’s Easter break this week and I’m guessing Kathie will probably go crazy fairly soon.

Braden continues with his gross and fine motor skills therapy sessions twice a week.  He is already getting tan from playing outside!  He loves playing with all his friends and (sometimes) his sister.  His birthday is next Monday and he’ll be five.  He’s very excited.

Emma is a constant:  A constant roller coaster of emotion.  She can be the sweetest girl one minute and a screaming devil child the next.  She’s very smart and I think she takes advantage of our lack of constant discipline at times.  Wait, I meant to say consistent there.  No, actually, with her it’s probably constant.  But I mostly joke about Emma and her fits.  She really is a sweet girl.  Her latest thing is pretending to be a baby, a momma or a daddy.  “I’m not Emma!  I’m a baby. Waahhhh”

Alex has had a rough week or so.  He hasn’t been feeling quite himself and we suspect it’s new teeth coming, but really aren’t sure.  No fever or other symptoms.  He’s just cranky a lot.  Ok, a lot for him… because he still is a very happy kid.  He’s also getting physical therapy once a week to help out with his core muscle tone.  But that doesn’t stop him from trying to climb everything in sight.  The other day he figured out he can get into the bathtub.  Or, rather, he figured out that he can get over the edge of the top and that gravity takes over from there.  He also really enjoys being outside and swinging.

Bindi is doing well.  Probably amazingly well for a 10 week old puppy, but it’s a little hard to judge when your embedded in the situation.  She has had a few accidents, but is house broken for the most part.  Of course we don’t really let her out without supervision yet, so there’s still some work there.  She’s getting a little better with the nipping and is starting to learn commands.  She came up to Emma the other day and Emma said “Sit!” and her little..um… moderately sized… butt plopped right down on the ground and she sat there looking for her treat.  At last measurement she was 27 pounds, but I think she’s growing in size faster than weight.

I know this is getting a bit long, so I’ll leave you with a Bradenism.  Braden took on himself to hide an Easter egg for Emma in his toolbox.  Then he wanted to give her a subtle hint, so he said “Emma, there’s an egg in the toolbox.  No.  Wait.  I didn’t mean that.  Um…. there’s an egg someplace where we carry lots of tools.”  Subtle he isn’t!