Everyone loves the pumpkin costume

even Stella!

Family Picture

Family, shot? Where's Keith.  Look close.  Perfect one for Halloween week.

Had to post this one too, I think it might be one of the best pictures we've ever taken of Stella.  She must have just been happy to be i the picture.  Plus Olivia is cracking me up.

It's not easy being Stella

Stella moved back to Baxter in the initial move with Keith.  She loves my parents and is pretty good buddies with my dad.  Mostly because he gives her lots of treats.  She has been a little on the sad side.  I thought when I got back she would be happier, but she isn't quite her spunky self.  I'm sure she is missing our fenced in yard where she could run around and definitely the squirrels she gazes at for hours or the giant rabbits that probably would have eaten her if she ever did catch one.  And I'm sure she is missing her boyfriend Bruiser.  I hope she gets a little happier soon! 
Carter is going through this new phase with her.  He gets really mad when he drops his food on the floor and she eats it.  He tries to get it back and can't really understand why he can't.  So then I sneak a piece of the same type of food he thinks she ate, pretend to get it from Stella, give it to him and life is good again!

It's not easy being Stella....

I think she had this sticker stuck to her tail for at least 24 hours.

I don't think she likes it, what do you think?

It's not easy being a dog, when you live with these two!

Tonight I gave Stella some popcorn because I feel bad for the poor girl.  First off, she can barely see because her hair is so long.  Keith was going to take her in on his off Friday last week, but remembered at 6 pm that he was going to take her.  Hopefully we will squeeze that in this Friday! 

Keith said both boys chased her around for about 15 minutes, each with two large kitchen spoon in their hands.  Then Sunday afternoon, they were chasing her around with wipes trying to give her a nice little wet wipe bath.  Not that she couldn't use the bath, but good thing she is fast!  You should see all the things they try to clean with the wipes! 

My dog is driving me CRAZY!!!

For TWO weeks now, Stella stands at this cupboard and whines non-stop! I cannot figure out what she is whining at, so finally one night I took every single thing out of the cupboard hoping to appease her! I was a little bit concerned that I would find a mouse in there and Keith was at the gym while I did this. And it was a good thing I didn't find one because that would have totally freaked me out.

Unfortunately, my efforts did not solve the mystery. Keith has even pulled out the refrigerator and there was nothing behind there.

Anyone have any suggestions??? We are getting desperate here.

Grandma and Grandpa Bucklin's house...

Last weekend we went back to Iowa, it was a short trip but fun to see our family!

Do we have a piano player in our near future? DOUBT IT!!!! That is if they were gifted with my musical skills. However, if they have been blessed with my musical skills they will be impressed with how well they sound in the car singing with the radio cranked up. Not to brag, but I'm a pretty awesome singer in the car. (even though Keith says I don't know all the words to most songs)

Stella getting some love from Uncle Jeff! At least she still gets some attention.

Uh oh...somebody may put two and two together and figure out that all of the grand kids have been to Disney except him and his brother.

Stella's food...relocation #6...

Keeping Stella's food in the bathroom didn't really work out. She wasn't really eating. So for a couple months we resorted to keeping it on the counter and she would whine at the counter whenever she wanted it. This turned into somewhat of an annoyance. See Stella used to eat like one or two times a day maybe. Now, about every half hour she needs a little sip of water. And I don't know why the boys have such a strong fascination with playing with her dishes, but I swear they could hear those dishes hit the kitchen floor a mile away. The first thing they do when we get home from daycare is run to the dishes and try to play with them before we can get to them. At this point Keith has had it and put them in the basement!

Since we have the gate at the top of the stairs, Stella has to jump through the banisters and then go down stairs for her food. It's going OK so far. I don't think she is overly impressed. However, she can now eat in peace and get to it whenever she wants.

Little Miss Stella...It's not easy being a dog these days!

After testing six different locations, we no longer leave Stella's dog dishes on the floor. Tonight Keith so kindly protected her and her food so she could get a bite to eat.

I do feel bad for the poor girl, but on the bright side, she has been getting A LOT more table food in her diet. The boys think it is just the funniest thing to throw their food on the floor and feed her. She is even starting to get picky like them, skipping right over the vegetables. Last vet appointment she gained a pound, wonder why!