Trick-or-Treat

Our first Beggar's Night in Bondurant was a successful one, with a big bag full of candy for Jasper and a fun night cruising the neighborhood in a wagon for Avery. Before we hit the road (sidewalk), Jasper asked why I didn't have a costume, so I went to my old standby - John Elway - and tossed on a jersey and an old Broncos helmet. We met the McMurray girls (Quinn and Delaney) and their dad Sean and the kids trick-or-treated for about an hour before wearing down.

Hawks' day

Had to leave Natalie at home on our annual trek to Iowa City with Jared and Heidi Gillespie, who thoughtfully share tickets to a game each year. Natalie was ill so she stayed home while we witnessed the Hawkeyes beat up on Minnesota.

She needs a walker

So, Avery walks all over the place, but never on her own. Whether it's her baby stroller, a chair or her music table (pictured), she finds something to push everywhere she goes, because she doesn't know yet that she really can walk on her own. She's getting better about maneuvering whatever it is she's using for balance, but occasionally gets it lodged against something and gets frustrated. (You can see that look in one of the pics, where she's stuck up against a chair.)

Work and play

Jasper's been big into working, construction, building and all that good stuff lately, and it looks like Avery digs it, too. They're working on their workbench in these pics, and Avery spent quite a bit of time taking tools out of the toolbox Jasper and I built for him, then immediately putting them back in. Jasper thinks it's great when I tell him to watch his fingers when he's using the plastic saw on the workbench - like it's a real one - so now he tells Avery to be careful, too.

We'll miss you, Cozmo

Cozmo, our 8-year-old boxer, died unexpectedly yesterday. Almost eight years to the day we met him on a small farm near Corning – six weeks old and playful, with floppy ears and those trademark boxer lips – he is gone after suffering what the vet could best guess was some sort of sudden cardiac attack. He chose us that day, we didn’t choose him. While the rest of his litter spent their time tripping on their oversized paws and whining for their mother, Cozmo loped over to me the only way a boxer puppy can, and nipped at my shoes until I picked him up. That was it. He was coming home with us. He was our buddy, and much more; a real part of our family – a “furry” child before our real kids were born. In recent years he took a backseat to those kids, but was wonderful with them. As worked up as he’d get to see new “friends” (people, dogs and all sorts of other creatures), he was just as gentle with Jasper and Avery, and a tad protective. He never let a wrestling match between the kids and I pass without letting me know which side he was on by nipping at my feet and letting out a bark or two. Around 1 p.m. Sunday Cozmo came inside after lounging outside in the sun for a bit, one of his favorite things to do. He let out a little yelp and we knew immediately something was wrong. He made it to the back door, like he wanted to go outside again, so we went out and sat with him for a minute before I rushed him to the vet. He didn’t survive the trip. Luckily, the kids weren't home at the time and, even more important, the vet said it seemed to happen so quick Cozmo didn't suffer.

He was our napping buddy, always ready to cuddle with us on the bed or couch. Sometimes it was a little too close, and he seemed to take up the space of three dogs, but it’s not going to be the same without him snuggling up to us. He liked to lick. Boy, did he lick. Anything and everything, and he made you make him stop, because he wasn’t going to otherwise. He had a knack for sneaking into photos. We often had to retake a posed photo that he wandered in to, usually with his tongue out. One of his favorite things to do was catch snowballs. I threw hundreds – thousands, maybe – of snowballs to him, at every angle and velocity I had, and I think he managed to catch every single one in his mouth. The look on his face as he watched me pack another snowball was the definition of intense. He was serious about the game, and he snapped to attention every time I asked if he wanted to play “snowball.” He spent the first four years of his life not knowing what “people” food tasted like and the last four acting like a Hoover, sucking up every single crumb the kids dropped. (He even stole a pumpkin muffin Natalie and Jasper made and left out for Santa a few years ago.) He couldn’t make up his mind. He really wanted to play ball – loved it – and more times than not he’d play along when I started a game of fetch. But rarely did he want to give that ball up. He loved chasing it. Loved chewing it. Loved bringing it back. But dropping it, not so much. I’d give up and he’d move on to playing with another one of his favorite outside toys – a popped soccer ball that flattened out into a Frisbee-like toy, and a rubber basketball that he carried around but somehow never popped. He was smart. Sort of. Cozmo knew many commands, and would shake with either front paw depending on if I said “right” or “left.” (Smart, right?) But then he’d go outside, kill a garter snake and roll around on it for an hour. (Not so smart.) He was sneaky. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be in the kids’ sandbox, and when we were looking he wouldn’t get in. But he left evidence of his time lying in what must’ve been his favorite cool spot, in the form of paw prints and full-body imprints. He was fast. And he liked to show off his speed. He’d get a wild hair every now and then and just feel the need to run all-out circles in the backyard – and sometimes inside – until it was out of his system. Then, back to normal. He had a special move. You knew when he was excited, or wanted to play, when he started turning side-to-side, nose-to-tail, almost spinning himself completely around in what I can only guess was pure joy. I think boxer lovers call this the kidney bean dance. Whatever you call it, it was a delight to watch and always brought a smile to our faces. Seeing him do the move every single time we walked into the house is going to be one of the things I miss most. He really liked water, except baths, wasn’t thrilled about stairs and hated my lawnmower as much as he hated getting his nails clipped. The one and only time I saw him nip at someone – and mean business – was the first time we tried to have them clipped. (That visit ended with Cozmo wearing a muzzle and a solemn look.) Speaking of looks, there was something about that face that melted our hearts. The expression he gave me Sunday morning when I woke him up as I opened the front door to get the paper is the same look he gave me when I first met him. Those big brown eyes and droopy lips made him look a little sad, but he was far from it. We’re the ones who look sad now, but soon the memories of our eight years together will overtake the sadness, and we’ll have nothing but great memories to look back on. We were lucky to find him, and I’d like to think he was lucky to find us. We sure will miss our buddy.

Making a Mess

Avery loves to make a mess. She also loves to take toys out of the bins, put them back, and take them out again. Here she is in the midst of making one of her messes. But as long as she's having fun, that's all that matters!

Avery's First Fireworks/BBQ

We went over to Aunt Sandy's house to watch fireworks. Avery loved them! She sat straight up in her stroller and kept her eyes on them the whole time without saying a word, it was so cute. And Jasper decided he wanted to move his chair away from the adults and enjoy the display himself..he is such a big boy! And before that, we headed over to Auty's house for a BBQ. The kids had so much fun playing in the pool and doing snakes and sparklers!

Happy Late 4th of July!

We've been a little consumed with house stuff this summer, if you didn't notice, and we've neglected our blog a little! But looking back at pictures, here we are enjoying the 4th of July holiday this year! The parade was H-O-T HOT, hence the washcloths that Aunt Sandy brought for people to cool down with. But Jasper stayed true to his love of parades and watched the whole thing. Although, at the very end he did say he was rather hot, so luckily it was almost over! Avery enjoyed most of the parade asleep on grandma debbie's lap :)en

Family Fair Day

We headed out to the Iowa State Fair this year with Grandma Vicki, Jason, Noah, and Great Grandpa Trissel. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, despite the rain. We enjoyed the big yellow slide, snakes, food, Little Hands on the Farm,

midway, and just being with each other! Me and Adam went back on Sunday to see the free "Boyz II Men" concert with Ami and Kyl Gillespie - loved it! Always a good time at the fair!

Meet The Teacher Night

Jasper will be starting 4 year old preschool in just a few short days in Bondurant.

Before going to school, we went to "meet the teacher" night so he could meet Ms. Kelli and check out his spot in the classroom. He was pretty excited to unload his school supplies in the right place, loved the reading nook, and got plenty of play time with some of the toys...oh, and he did take a quick second to actually say "hi" to his teacher.

Day 70: Carpet, appliances

Appliances were delivered and installed today, and the crew laid down the carpet over our steps and upstairs level. Looks great!

Day 69: Counters

Counters were installed today in the kitchen and all bathrooms. Toilets and mirrors and the vinyl flooring in our upstairs bathrooms and laundry room were installed, too. One bummer: they installed 'brushed nickel' doorknobs throughout the house instead of the 'oil rubbed bronze' that matches the rest of the fixtures. I assume those will be swapped out soon. Photos, from top to bottom, 1) Master bathroom vanity; 2) Looking over the kitchen island; 3) Looking from the far corner of the living room toward, from left, the kitchen, bathroom and office; 4) Kids' bathroom upstairs; 5) Kids bathroom upstairs, again; 6) Kitchen; 7) Laundry room vinyl flooring; 8) Downstairs bathroom; 9) Kitchen island; 10) Kitchen sink/counter.