The Keene Family

Okay, so we used to send Slider to the groomer to get a full bath, dry, brush out, nail trim, and ear clean every six weeks. Then we had a baby, and we started slacking. I still trim her toenails every other week, but you can forget the rest. In November we discovered that our pet supply store has a free u-wash, complete with soap, supplies, towels, and a dryer. We thought, we should do this! It's been five months, and Slider finally got a bath at the u-wash today! She rolled in something at my parents' house this weekend and had really gotten stinky (our favorite line around the house is, "Slider, you stink" from Top Gun). Slider is a very tolerant bather, although I suspect she does not enjoy it. In the summer we hose her down in the backyard and she stands there staring at us with a pathetic wimper until we tell her she can shake off and run around. Here she is getting scrubbed clean. For those of you who want more JT pictures, scroll down. This posting is dedicate...

I love having a birthday. This birthday was extra special (or so I kept telling everyone) because I turned 29 on the 29th. That's a golden birthday, in case you were wondering. I got several emails, phone calls, and wall writings, and that made me feel very special. Friday night Jim and I had a nice date night, Saturday I got a massage and spent some time reading in a coffee shop (ahhhh...), and Sunday was the big family celebration. Here I am opening JT's card (notice "mom" written on the front) at home Sunday afternoon. JT helped me show off my new Harley denim jacket from Jim. Jim's family joined us at my parents' house later on. I had joked last week that maybe everyone should get me 29 presents... and my mother-in-law did! She even numbered them and I opened them in order. Many of the gifts had a 1980 theme - movies, CDs, books, and more from the year I was born. One of the presents was a coin purse filled with 29 cents. And yes, you guessed it, all the c...

Last Sunday, we had the wonderful opportunity to have JT dedicated at our church. It's really more of a dedication of parenting: a commitment to give JT every chance to see and hear God and His love through us. All of JT's grandparents and his Aunt Jennifer were all there as well. After the service, JT got to munch on some special bread made just for him by Grandma Cole. It was his first experience with wheat. He's been having little toast cubes with his breakfast ever since, and he loves picking them up and chewing on them. Later on in the week, JT ate his toast in his high-chair. I got some prime footage, of course:

We got a new umbrella stroller and I love it. We took it for a test spin last night during a break from the rain, and JT seemed to like it too. Here he is testing it out. Notice he is wearing his serious face. :) JT and Jim went to Cabela's this week with one of Jim's friends for a Man Day. JT wore his Carhartt overalls so he would fit in. This week we had Aly over to hang out one night. We made chocolate chip mini muffins, and Aly did a great job mixing the ingredients together and getting the batter into the muffin cups. We enjoyed our muffins while watching a recent episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Good times! JT wakes up on his tummy more and more now. The other morning he was so curled up in a ball I just had to take a picture. His little bottom sticking up in the air was so adorable! JT has his first ear infection! We caught it right away because he wasn't eating as much as usual, and that was concerning. Not once in eight whole months has he turned away food! We ...

JT is eight months old! This week we got to visit Grandma Keene at her office. All the ladies were excited to see JT, and he even got a free toothbrush (notice how much he loves it already). This week we got to take the boat out a couple of times. It was so sunny and beautiful! JT left his sunglasses on for much longer this trip. Maybe he finally sees the benefit. :) Of course, he wears his life vest in the boat. This picture was taken while we were waiting to put in. Now that JT can roll to get to what he wants, poor Slider has to stay on her toes. No longer does she have the luxury of choosing when she wants to be near him and when she wants to be left alone. One minute, you're relaxing next to him and the next, your ear is getting pulled. (Or your tail... or your belly fur...) You'll notice that Slider's expression is exactly the same in both pictures. While we are thrilled with this docile behavior, we monitor it carefully... and we are already teaching JT to be gentl...

I like to call this picture "Who, me?" :) On to our list... New Thing #1: Waving bye-bye (not consistently, but sooo cute) New Thing #2: Eating avocado or banana all by himself New Thing #3: Moving around the room on his tummy New Thing #4: Sleeping in any position New Thing #5: Kicking, touching the wall, and more at swim lessons