The Happiest Place on Earth

Yes, that is right. I went to Disneyland yesterday with my brother Justin, his wife and their kids, Ryenne and Tyler (3 year olds) and Alex (9 months old). Also my parents and other brother Paul were there, but let's be honest, it was Disneyland, it was all about the kids. :) They were so cute too, Ryenne met some princesses, whom she was enthralled with. Alex met Mickey Mouse, and he proceeded to give Mickey a kiss on the nose and grab onto his ears- it was pretty adorable. Tyler loved the Nemo submarine ride. I am posting a few pictures so you all can see how dang cute these kids really are.

Justin and his family, Tyler, Ryenne, and Megan holding Alex. Oh, and Mickey Mouse. (He's not a relation).
The kids, just hanging out.

Apparently I was as immersed in the submarine ride as Ryenne and Tyler. (Haha, get is- immersed?)

It rained in the afternoon and evening, which made for an...interesting time. In this picture Ryenne is trying to catch raindrops on her tongue. Megan tried to put a poncho on Tyler but he was not such a fan. But can you blame him- it would have covered up his cool pilot jacket!

Coming home

My sister got great news on Wednesday, she was able to take her baby home- hooray!

After driving to the hospital for practically 2 weeks, multiple times a day, she was definitely ready to bring Brayden home. He is doing well, gaining weight and he is almost back to his birth weight, so that is excellent. My mom is still in Utah helping out, and she says that Brayden has a fantastic disposition and, as you can see, he is a beautiful baby. I like the little guy. :) Here is another picture- so precious!

I was talking to my mom the other day on the phone and she said that she was having so much fun, she is loving it. Then she said, "hurry and have a baby." And I said, whoa, hold on there mama- there are a few steps I need to hit before that happens. And really, she ought to just be content with the grandkids she's got for the moment, because really, I'm not a baby making factory and I don't deliver on command.

Can't teach an old dog new tricks

There was a recent addition to our family. No, I'm not talking about my sister's baby, geesh, why does everyone assume that? I am talking about my parent's new dog, a greyhound named Hopi. (I have to put in a disclaimer at this point, I did not name this dog- she is about 4 years old, and actually raced at the tracks, so that was her racing name. In addition, I think that it is terrible to name a dog after a Native American tribe, and so I am working on a new name for her. I welcome any suggestions). Here is a picture:

I have learned so many random things about greyhounds, for instance, did you know that they don't know how to "operate" stairs? Meaning they've never used them before, and thus don't know how to walk up and down them. It took this dog a few weeks to get used to the stairs, but now she is a professional. Also, she sleeps approximately 20 hours a day. Talk about easy to take care of- no wonder people have pets and not children!

Also, and I don't know if this is true for all greyhounds or just this one, but she is a kleptomaniac. Yes, you read that correctly- she has an uncontrollable problem with stealing things. The other day there was some change on the floor in my room and she ate a quarter (literally, she swallowed it) and then she tried to eat a dime and nickel also. Another night I had a friend at the house whose keys were on the floor and Hopi came over, picked up the keys and started walking away. Then when I was doing laundry she came up to me, took the dryer sheet from my laundry basket and tried to take off. Such a foolish dog. But she is really sweet and friendly. Floyd is adjusting...slowly. He doesn't seem to amused in this photo does he?

Anyway, that is the update on the dog situation. I have to add more info about the nieces and nephews, but I will save that for another post- that is my little teaser- I've got to have some reason for you all to keep coming back!

More pictures from the hospital

Welcome Brayden James Pratt!!!

Elizabeth's baby, born January 1th, 8:18 pm. He weighed 5 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 inches long. Considering he was born 5 weeks early, he is in great shape! Isn't he beautiful?