Poor Kovu!

We found a great vet the other week and decided to leave Kovu at their kennel while we were away last weekend. Part of the reason this vet is so awesome is that they do a free nail clipping while a dog is in the kennel. This is fantastic, especially since 2 different vets have tried to clip Kovu’s nails and were unsuccessful – he’s just too strong! This vet was actually able to do his back paws with no problem … but had to sedate him to do the front. While he was out, she decided to take a sample of a bump he’s had on his side for a couple of years. Good thing she did! Turns out it’s a mast cell tumor, which could eventually become cancerous. It also contains histamines and probably is part of the reason we had to give him those allergy shots for so long!! I wish we had met Dr. Crow a long time ago! She kept Kovu on Monday and cut the bump out. Thank goodness he can’t reach the incision with his mouth, so no huge cones bumping into walls and Alex! She did recommend putting a shirt on him to keep him from scratching the incision. Since it’s so cold, we put him in a fleece!

J & J’s Wedding

Last weekend was a very busy weekend! Tim took Friday off so we could drive to Columbia for Jaime and Josh’s wedding. Jaime and I have been friends since freshman year at USC, so I was very excited to spend a weekend celebrating her special day. We also had the chance to visit with Tim’s family, which was nice since we are now much further away from them than we used to be. We celebrated Great-Grandpa Strunck’s birthday and Aunt Brie’s birthday … needless to say, we were very tired when we got home Sunday night!!

He was so excited to be finally facing the front!	Finally stopped yelling at trucks and took a nap.
We sure do make a cute couple!	What’s a wedding without some karaoke?

Fun at the Fair

I took Alex to pre-school day at the fair last week with some of our friends from MOMS Club. The fair opened for 3 hours for kids under 5. Admission included music, snacks, little kid rides, and access to the animals. Alex enjoyed seeing the sights, especially the roosters in the animal tent. I think he liked the few rides we went on, though he was definitely a little nervous about them. Here is a picture of his very first ride on the spinning tea cups. Check out that concerned face! I think we’ll definitely to it again next year!

 

Riding in style in Reid’s stroller.

An attempt at a group shot.

Halloween 2012 Festivities

We took Alex on many Halloween adventures this year. (Can you believe I’ve managed to keep up this blog since last Halloween – I’m proud of myself!) We started off by visiting the Fort Fisher Aquarium for their Trick-or-Treating Under the Sea. They decorate all the tanks and even dress up their scuba divers. Alex didn’t care one bit for collecting candy, but he loved darting in-between other visitors to the Aquarium and watching the fish. Doesn’t he make a great pirate? (Yes, Tim and I made this outfit ourselves!)

 

We also took Grandma and Grandpa Murff to the pumpkin patch with us to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Alex has been calling pumpkins “balls” all month, so you can imagine how excited he was to run around in a field full of balls!

This pumpkin looks good.	Family Photo!
Alex worked on some art while Daddy carved his masterpiece.	Mr. Pirate Pumpkin

Our neighborhood is perfect for Trick-or-Treating with a toddler. I think 10-12 houses had a light on and we probably hit 8 of them. Alex wasn’t too impressed – he actually spent the whole time on Daddy’s shoulders because he was being really shy. Once we got him home and gave him his pumpkin, he was finally impressed with the candy. He’s actually only had maybe 3 or 4 pieces of candy before now … so I cracked up laughing when he quickly learned to say the word “candy”. He also seemed to prefer Snickers. He loved to give me one to open, he’d take a bite, then give the rest to Tim or me so he could open another one.

Ready for our Trick-or-Treaters!	Hitching a ride.
Ready to get warmed up.	Loving some Snickers!

Hurricane Sandy Can’t Stop Us!

We love watching USC football outside so Alex can play in the sandbox, throw balls, or paint and we can grill and be closer to the kegerator. Hurricane Sandy tried to stop us, but she’s no match for my creative husband! He hung up blankets and sheets to block the wind from our viewing area, allowing the heater to keep us warm. Check it out!

Gone Fishin’

Tim took Friday off so we could rent a 4x4 Jeep and take my parents and Alex for an adventure on the beach. You can drive on both the North and South beaches of Pleasure Island, but since our XTerra isn’t a 4x4, we don’t make it out very often. Even though the waves and wind were starting to pick up with Hurricane Sandy approaching, we still had tons of fun! Alex loved riding in the Jeep. Tim loved finally using his fishing poles he got from my parents and Great-Aunt Cyndi last Christmas. Unfortunately, he only caught two fish – one of which he had to throw back, but at least he finally got to give it a try!

First cast!	First Fish!
Alex was a little concerned for the fish.	Taking a break from the wind.
We need a jeep!	Just playing!
Cuddling with Grandma Murff.	Grandpa Murff and Alex brave the waves.

Power of Play

Alex and I played with a few other moms from our MOMS Club at Power of Play last week. Power of Play has a  bunch of indoor playgrounds, fast slides, and fun centers for kids of all ages to play in. It’s great during school hours, because we know the oldest child we might see would be a 4 or 5 year old – meaning our little ones can go crazy. This was actually the first time Alex and I played there, but I definitely see return trips in our future! Alex doesn’t usually cry when it’s time to leave, but he did this day! He had such a blast!

Climbing up …	… and up!
Yelling down the slide to be sure I’m at the bottom.	Here is comes! What a brave boy!

There is a HUGE playground towards the back of the building. By big, I mean almost the width and height of my house. Alex kept trying to conquer the first few steps so he could follow some new friends up and around. Long story short, I helped him up the steps, then stood back to watch. He played for quite a while, but then decided he didn’t actually want to come down the HUGE slides. I ended up having to crawl all the way up to show him the way down. After that, he mostly stuck with the centers … trucks, trains, and blocks of course!