The Life of Bella.

 When my parents go on trips up north, we watch their dogs for them.  It is truly chaos, but fun.  Feeding time has been tricky, because Bella is such a chow hound.  We have been working a lot with her on waiting patiently and not going after the other dogs' food.  I decided to put that to the test the last time we watched the dogs.  Boston is the slowest eater EVER!  I decided to let Bella eat in the same room.  Look at the restraint Bella is showing.  She literally stayed there until Boston walked away from the bowl.  Nicely done doggo!

Looking at this picture, it is unbelievable that Bella was just 7 pounds when we brought her home 6 months ago.  She is at least 50 pounds now and tall.

Poor Bailey puts up with so much harassment from her.  She literally will go nowhere without him.  If for some reason he is not moving fast enough.  She will grab him by the cheek and pull him.  Very rarely will he clap back at her.

Bella has chewed the antlers down to almost nothing.  Here she is with one of them in her mouth.  Sidney took this picture and refers to her as a walrus.   She has been the sweetest most fun dog.  She has one VERY gross habit.  She eats poop.  YUCK!  From my research, it turns out that is not uncommon.  We have never had a poop eating dog until now.  I have tried every gimmick on the market to no avail.  Most dog owners say they will grow out of it.  I hope so.  The saving grace is that she is not a licker.  Thank you!  I am not sure I could handle a poop eating dog that was a licker.

Killing It at Comps.

The Revive Team had their first competition last weekend, and they killed it!  These girls competed both a hip hop and a jazz dance.  They had so much fun getting ready, hanging out, and cheering each other on.

They joked that their 'Ruby Blue' costumes made them look like flight attendants.  I might agree.  Though, I did tell Kendall that I want her pants as hand me downs once the season is done.

They did very well.  Each of their dances won first place in their category.  They also received a first place overall trophy.  One of the girls commented that they appreciated how hard their coaches have been on them the past few months.  It really has made them better.

Valentine's Day Challenge - Our Story.

I do not typically participate in the various social media challenges.  However, there was a fun Valentine's one recently.  I enjoyed reading everyone else's, so I decided to do one for Kevin and I.  Terrell mentioned that I should capture it on the blog, so the girls will have this in the future.

Share your story! Valentine’s Day is coming! 🥰❤️

Here’s our story:

How’d you guys meet? The military

First date?  TGIFridays in ChristChurch New Zealand

How long have you been together? 1996

Married? August 1997

Age difference? 18 months

Who was interested first? He was

Who is taller? He is, of course

Who said I love you first? Kevin

Most impatient? Me

Most sensitive?   Kevin

Loudest? Me (but only when I am with my sister)

Most stubborn? Definitely Kevin (Sid inherited that gene)

Falls asleep first? Me

Cooks better: Neither of us

Better morning person: Me

Better driver: Kevin

Most competitive: Tied for that one

Funniest: Kevin

Where do you eat out most as a couple? Andrades

Who is more social? Kevin

Who is the neat freak? Me

Where was your first kiss? New Zealand

Who initiated your first kiss? Kevin

How long did it take to get serious? Not too long

Who picks where you go to dinner? Me

Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? Neither of us.

Who wears the pants in the relationship?  Kevin

Who has more tattoos? Me

Who sings better? Definitely me

Hogs the remote: Kevin

Spends the most? Me

Did you go to the same school? No

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together? South Pole Station, Antarctica

Who drives when you are going somewhere together? Kevin

Galentine's Day Tacos!

 Sidney asked if she could invite the ladies over to our house for a Galentine's celebration.  So, that is exactly what she did.  We decided to have taco's and my mom made each of us sugar cookies for dessert.

We all brought small gifts to exchange with one another.

It was a fun and tasty afternoon!

Conquering the Course.

 Sid has been working with Bailey on agility training.  She has set up several courses in our yard.  She looked on the internet and found an indoor dog agility course nearby.  She asked if we could sign up for a session.  She was curious to see how Bailey would do.  The first time through, he was a bit uncertain.  I think 'distracted' would be a better word, as there were so many new sights, sounds and smells.   Once Sid was able to get him focused, he did amazing.

The ball pit took the most effort to get him into, but he did it!

The ramp did not seem to phase him at all.

The tunnel was much longer than the one we had at home.  Sidney found a good strategy.  She would toss a treat into the center of the tunnel, then run to the other side and call Bailey out.

It was so much fun to watch them both at work.  Bailey was exhausted after about 20 minutes.  Sidney was very pleased with how well he  did.

Denver Dance Convention.

Kendall and I traveled to Denver in January for her first dance convention.  Her team did not compete, so the convention was optional for them.  We flew down early on Friday.  One of her team members and her mom were on the same flight, so we joined up and took the light rail from the airport.

For me, it was a very relaxing weekend. The weather was beautiful.  It was cold, but gorgeous and sunny.  I took a lot of walks and even found a nearby yoga class to attend.  Competitions were going at all hours, so we got our first exposure to how much hard work these dancers have put in.  The dances were amazing!

Kendall had two full days of masters classes and auditions.  She was exhausted, but happy.  

One of the evenings, we rounded up the team girls that were there and went out to Dave & Buster's.  

Teenage girls, what more is there to say?   It was the first of many fun weekends!