When Mommy Comes to Town...

With Laura and David off at school and my dad in Hong Kong (post coming soon), John and my mom find themselves without much to do on the weekends. So, this weekend, we invited them down for a little visit. After they arrived Friday night we went to Izzy's Pizza Buffet (mmmmm!) and then my mom took me grocery shopping. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for my mom's ability to spoil us! This is what our kitchen looked like after we came home.

Saturday my mom and I spent some time at the mall and Costco (just imagine what my cupboards looked like after that), while the boys stayed home to play Rock Band on the Wii and play with the dog.
That evening, we went to eat at the Claim Jumper, and then we parted our separate ways to go home. And today, Toren and I have been eating like kings! It's been wonderful to enjoy a little life of luxury...and the fact that I won't need to go to the store for a month! Thanks SOOO MUCH mom!! We love you!!!!

The Beagle Meetup

We had a fairly exciting weekend, well Saturday. It was the first Saturday in a long time that Toren and I both had off work. And, it was Baxter's birthday, too! We decided to take him to the Beagle Meetup. I heard about the Meetup one time when Baxter and I were at the dog park. Basically, each month Beagle owners bring their Beagles to one dog park and let them run wild! Saturday was our first Beagle Meetup experience. Baxter absolutely LOVED it! He was going crazy! He spent most of the time leading a pack of about 4 or 5 all around the park at full speed. We realized it was time to go home about 45 minutes later when Baxter collapsed in the middle of the park absolutely exhausted. He slept the rest of the day...and most of Sunday too.

Isn't it funny to see all the Beagles sniffing around?

What a happy birthday!

Meeting the newest arrival.
Just playing around.

Post Meetup Bath. Can you tell Bax is ticked? He hates baths.

This video is short, but it gives you an idea of how fun the Beagle Meetup was. Yes, Baxter is the loud one.

The Whirley Pop

A couple Christmas's ago my grandparents got Toren and me a Whirley Pop.  

I've been lugging it around from place to place since then but I haven't taken the time to use it...until last night.  Boy do I regret not using it before!!  It just a matter of about 2 minutes Toren and I had movie-style Popcorn to enjoy while lounging around.  It was so delicious!!  It came with a popcorn recipe book and I already have plans to whip up some gourmet popcorn this week.  I can't wait!

Bread Makin'

My grandma gave me a bread machine for Christmas and, as soon as we moved into our new apartment, the bread making began.   I think I've already made about 6 loaves of bread in 2 and a half weeks!  I have to test out all the recipes and variations so I know which ones are my favorite.  I've also made good use of the timer feature, so I have warm, fresh bread when I get home from work or wake up in the morning. I absolutely love it!  Thanks Nana!!

Baxter's Redemption

Toren said the video I posted made Baxter look like a wuss, so I'm posting this one to redeem Baxter's doghood (at least the first half of the video should).

At the Dog Park

Poor Baxter spends a lot of each day cooped up in his crate, so we like to take him to the dog park every chance we get.  He absolutely LOVES it there.  He spends about the first 10 minutes sniffing and greeting all the dogs.  Then, he goes into prime Baxter mode: wreaking havoc.  He starts running all through the park, getting all the other dogs riled up.  He turns into the ring leader instantly (see picture 2).  The dogs start going wild!  And Baxter just can't get enough of it.  The funny part is that most of the dogs are at least twice his size.  Below are a couple pictures and a video from our last trip to the dog park.

As you can see in the video, Baxter does sometimes get a little pushed around by the big dogs, but he usually holds his own (see picture 1).  

Our favorite part about taking Baxter to the dog park is that when we go home Baxter is so worn out that he sleeps the rest of the day.

Get Excited...

Well, we've been busy as usual and blogging has become a back burner (as usual).  We do have a lot to blog about though.  To get you excited, here are a few things coming down the bloggin' pipeline:  getting hired as the math lab teacher at the high school, moving into a new apartment, taking Baxter to the dog park, and making the most delicious bread in my new bread maker.  Get excited!