Tis the season!

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I had to work but still had a plate of delicious food when I was done. I've enjoyed having 3 entire days with Matt. We went shopping on "black Friday" which I always wonder why I do that to myself (especially with a non-shopper). It is fun to buy gifts for the little kids. We bought a new bed and dresser this weekend which was a large purchase for us. It will be delivered in 2 to 4 weeks and we're so excited! Today we picked up our Christmas tree and just finished decorating it. My camera needs a new battery so I'll post pictures soon. The fence is also done so I'll get pictures of that too. The dogs (and humans) absolutely love their fenced in yard. The picture I've posted is one I took last week of Caleb. He is in the new bed we bought for Jo (hence the small size) and has his new favorite stuffed beaver toy which we bought Sophie for Christmas. I've also posted a picture of the dogs watching Matt rake the leaves in the yard.

More fence pictures!

Tom and Matt spent another weekend working on the fence recently. They had to build a support structure to span the section that crosses over the driveway. The pictures don't show but the fence is almost complete. I think there is just one day of work left before everything is complete. Between school and work we've been pretty busy around here. Sorry we haven't seen or talked to anyone lately. I'm dedicating some days in December to catching up with everyone.

Partial Fence

Prize winning pooches!

Two good dogs.

Jo was not a fan of her costume.

Cowboy Caleb and JoJo Piggy recieved 3rd place in the Peoria Petsmart Costume Contest last night. (Caleb says he would have won if it hadn't been for Jo). They were on their best behavior and very friendly to other dogs and children. People even commented that they wished their dog was so well behaved. So I was thinking that Caleb had grown up and become a good dog until this afternoon. I was bringing him inside when he got away from me and ran down the street chasing an elderly man and his dog he had seen walk through the yard earlier. He terrorized them until I could catch him and pull him away. I can't wait until that fence is done!!! I'll post pictures of what is done now. It looks so nice. The plumber is here now trying to clean out our plumbing. He has been working for almost an hour now. I hope he is able to fix it from inside so they don't have to do the more costly and time consuming job of installing an outside clean out drain. I should get a picture of the toilet sitting in the front lawn.

Back to his naughty tricks



Well Caleb was put back on steriods. This time he'll be on them for 3 months. He is already feeling better and getting into everything. When he's had steriods in the past he looses control of his bladder frequently. So far that hasn't happened and I hope it doesn't anytime soon. He is also on antibiotics for a skin infection and of course his pain medicine. I'll be staying home with him this weekend because Matt is going to Chicago for a medical school student council meeting and I have too much homework to be able to tag along. I'm really looking forward to the end of the semester!

During Matt's first year of medical school he was interviewed for the College of Medicine's publication Lifeline. Here is the link to the online version: http://www.med.uiuc.edu/administration/advancement/lifeline/2005.pdf

The picture that appears in the publication is also on the college's homepage along with about 10 others. If you go to the page (http://www.med.uiuc.edu/) and either watch for it or refresh you'll see him. Because of the phrase on the picture his friends tease him and call him "The Future."

I love fall!

The dogs love to spend the day looking outside and barking at the squirrels and rabbits in the yard. I walked by and found this deposit of toys.

School has been keeping both Matt and I very busy this past week. Matt is no longer in the hospital 6 days a week. He is following a doctor in private practice and has very good hours. He is spending his extra time preparing for his first big exam of the year which is at the end of next week. He has also been busy with TA duties as the 2nd year class just had their first big exam. Caleb is having trouble getting around again. The vet put him on pain relievers but wants to wait to see if he gets better on his own before starting steroids again. We hope he does as the side effects of the steroids are no fun. I'm counting down the days until I go part time at work. I love my job and my coworkers and would like to work more often but with school I need an extra day or two in the week. Speaking of that, I need to get back to homework now.

Yes that little blob is Jo. She has grown a lot but Caleb still towers over her.

Jo's birthday was Sunday and Caleb's is today (11th). Unfortunately I'm working on both of their birthdays and don't get to see them. They were sooo cute as little puppies! I want to get another dog but our house is way too small for two people and three dogs.

I have posted this picture for NUSC 540.

We had a nice relaxing day today. We took the dogs and visited with the Plunks and then stopped by Adam's football game before heading out to the campground to sit around the fire for a while and celebrate Mom's birthday. I had a good birthday. Matt brought me home a bag of candy (he said flower prices were outrageous) and then we went out to dinner. Today felt like a fall day, especially because the corn is turning brown and the leaves have started to fall. I'll be off work on Wednesday and I'm excited to bring out my fall decorations. So no updates until at least then because I will be doing school work for the next three nights when I get home from work. I did take many new pictures of the dogs (they got a new bed) but I'll load those later.

More pictures!

I put the bows back on Jo and one lasted until I got a picture.

Caleb guarding the new toys.

Two naughty dogs.

What a fun day today! Laura and I went shopping at the Dollar Tree. Who knew you could spend that much money in a store where everything is only $1. We stocked up on wrapping paper, halloween decorations, and other misc. items including a costume for Jo. You will have to wait until Halloween though. I also bought the dogs new toys. Instead of buying them different toys I bought two of the same thinking there would be no fighting. Well, now we know that Jo always wants whatever Caleb has and Caleb wants everything. The pictures above are of Caleb being naughty. He spent about 2 months on steriods for immune mediated polyarthritis and we are happy to see him back to his old self and off the steriods. The side effects seem to be gone except for the increased appetite. An hour after he's eaten he brings you his bowl because he's hungry again. After his haircut he is looking a little chunky. More of him to hug!

Haircuts!

The dogs had their hair cut today and the groomer said they both did great! I was happy to hear that. Jo did have bows on her ears but they only lasted 5 minutes. As usual, getting their pictures was difficult as they are always moving. These two are the only ones that are not blurry. Enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been on a stretch at work. Tomorrow is my last day and then I get a day off before I go back for 4 more. We decided that I am going to cut back on my work hours. I will be going part time in November. My coursework gets heavier each semester and now that Matt is gone 6 out of 7 days the poor puppies get no attention. I hope it will allow me to see more of my friends and family. I have not seen Torey and Taylor since July!! I am going to study now. I have my NRP (neonatal resuscitation) mock code renewal in the morning and I need to memorize all the questions to ask, order, and medication dosages. The last mock code I did the poor "baby" faced every problem you might encounter in the delivery room. Anyway, I've posted a couple Vegas pictures to hold you until I can post more.

What we have been up to

New valance & floor. Now just need to install baseboards and other finishing touches.

New faucet (ignore the pre-backsplash wall please)

New countertop

Can you believe we have been married a year?! This last year has been our busiest yet with the house, school, and the addition of Jo to the mix. We had a chance to have dinner together to celebrate. My dad had come over that day and helped me move the stove and fix some things around the house. Since the stove was out of commission I couldn't make dinner so we went out. We went to the world famous (according to Matt) Chinese buffet in East Peoria. It was packed but the food was so good. I love tofu but it never comes out right when I make it so I definitely eat it when I can. Anyway, enough of the food talk. The kitchen has come a very long way in the past few days. The tile is all laid and 75% of it is grouted. There are a couple loose tiles I need to go back and fix before I finish but I ran out of steam. I decided to decorate instead. Tonight I had a genius idea. The red silk dupioni table runners my mom made for the wedding are so beautiful and with only one table were going to waste. Then I had the idea to use them as a valance. So here is what I did. I folded one in half, made three pleats with a single stitch each and hung it up. Right now it is attached with safety pins because I'm trying it out. If I decide to make it permanent I think I will use velcro that way they could easily be taken down to clean and put back up. So I've posted a picture. Let me know what you think. I can't decide if the horizontal lines of the shade and the vertical pleats are too busy. This has become way too long. I'm going east tomorrow and won't be back until Monday night so I had better get back to my laundry and cooking. Enjoy the sneak peek of the "new" kitchen.

On the home front

My mom got Matt a pizza pizazz (sp?) for his birthday. We tried it out that night with a homemade pizza. It was delicious and so fast. Now he is always offering to make pizza.

Taylor wasn't sure that she liked the icing on her fingers

I have been trying to take advantage of my days off and try to finish some projects around the house. The kitchen has turned into a summer long project. We put the new countertops on and installed a new garbage disposal and faucet this week. Unfortunately, when we went to turn the water back on the valve broke. Tom was able to come try to fix it for us but when the water company came to turn off the water to the house outside that valve also broke. So, they will be coming back sometime in the coming week to dig up our front yard and replace parts. We do however have water now. I am hoping to accomplish many things today as my dad is coming up to teach me how to turn off the gas so I can move the stove to paint behind and tile under it. I will post before and after pictures of the kitchen when it is finally done. My goal is to get all the home improvement projects done before the semester begins. It will be sad to leave this house in 2 years after we put so much work into it but I'm hoping to move to a bigger house and Matt is hoping to move to a house that doesn't need any work so he doesn't have to help me anymore.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

Taylor turned 1 on the 25th and this was the picture on "Wonderful Ones". Jo and I attended her birthday party yesterday. I'll post pictures as soon as I find my camera card. After the party Jo and I went to visit with Nathan and Jodi. Nathan has been hard at work getting the house ready for Baby Nate. As sweet as our girls are I think this family is ready for a baby boy.

Taylor was content to sit in the stroller and take in the scenery

Matt and Torey watching the bison

A while back Mom brought the girls to Peoria and we all went to Wildlife Prairie State Park. (http://www.wildlifeprairiestatepark.org) We had a great day with perfect weather.

My Favorite Picture

Our Pups

Jo and "Piggy." If you ask her where she is she always seems to remember just where she left her and if she is going somewhere she has to get Piggy first. Lately Caleb has also taken an interest in her. With his track record of stuffed animal mutilation that is not good for Piggy.

Yes, that is Caleb on the table. He ate the cupcackes that were cooling and was working on a bag of potatoes when I found him. He looked so ashamed I couldn't help but laugh.

When Jo was a puppy. Caleb didn't know what to think of her so getting them this close for a picture was challenging.

Welcome

Welcome to our new family blog! We really don't get to see our family and friends as much as we would like so we decided to create this page to keep everyone up to date on the happenings in our lives. And it seems like the fastest way to post new pictures of the dogs. We welcome your comments!