Animal Haters Unite

OK. So, I'm not really an animal "hater" but what I really do hate is people who treat their pets like people. You know who I'm talking about. Those who dress their cats in Christmas sweaters and carry their dogs in their purses.
Well, I had a run-in (literally) with just that type yesterday.

I was out for a run when a woman and her two dogs were stopped on the path ahead of me. The dogs were taking care of business. As I ran by, the German Shepherd lunged at me and bit a chunk out of the back of my upper left leg. No joke.

First, I was shocked and then I was really scared and then the pain hit. I've been running for years and I've never had a dog bite me!
While I gripped the back of my leg in horror, the woman just stood there and proceeded to deny that her dog actually bit me. "He must have just given you a little 'love nip'", she insisted. "He wouldn't bite anybody. He's just a puppy. You must be mistaken, he just didn't bite you." Well, canine punctures in my upper thigh showed her otherwise. (Lucky for me, I was wearing thick pants and not shorts) Once I showed her the blood and the bruises, she pulled her dog close to her and said, "Oh, he's just so scared. You've scared him." Seriously. I am not lying. Her dog had just sunk his teeth into my leg and HE was petrified? Well, it was at this point that my anger overruled my pain and fear and I think I may have started yelling at her through gritted teeth and tears, "HE's scared? I'm terrified, lady!"
She backed off a little but just kept telling me how her dog was just a puppy and how her dogs are her life and they are her babies, etc. I wanted to explain to her that I had 3 real babies at home--three actual living and breathing HUMAN babies who would appreciate a mother with all limbs in tact. But I managed to compose myself, memorize her name and number and continue on my way. (She did offer to give me a ride home, but like I wanted to take a back seat to the doggy carseats she probably had waiting in her car for each of her mangy mutts.) I walked for a good mile, crying and cooling off my temper but I was still a solid 5 miles from home so I eventually picked up my pace and ran the rest of the way home. Running helped calm my mood until I relayed my experience to Brent which scared Ally pretty bad. I think I might have been yelling again...




My leg still hurts pretty bad, but it's nothing a little antiseptic and some duck tape can't fix. Brent was the hero and patched me up nicely First-Aid-Kit-style. He took some pictures just in case we needed to go to the doctor later. I don't think that will be necessary. The woman's "babies" are well-cared for and are up to date on all their shots. I do wonder how she would feel if I let Keith or Cole gnaw on HER leg. Some people. Newsflash: PETS. ARE. NOT. PEOPLE!!!

OK. Now that I blew off my steam, here are some recent pics of my true babies. I'm not really sure what happened to my mad blogging-skills in March but if I want my family to start talking to me again, I better start blogging.

Half a Year

I cannot believe Ally will be 6 months old this week. She is growing up even faster than the boys. Maybe it just feels like it because her first 6 months has been easier than the train-wreck that was the first 6 months with twins as a first-time mom. Regardless, I feel like I mostly post about Keith and Cole and am therefore dedicating this post to my little girl.
Ally is the happiest little baby. Whenever I go get her from her bed, she squeals with excitement and smiles a mile wide. She also kicks her arms and legs in a way that reminds me of a cross between Richard Simmons' jumping jacks and the "Running Man" retro dance move. I can't help but pick her up and kiss her to death.
What Ally lacks in coordination, she makes up for in personality. She is incredibly social. She cranes her neck to watch the action, wherever it may be. She absolutely will not sleep anywhere but her bed because she is so distracted by all the living around her. And if she knows there is a party going on, she will not sleep. Whether it be playgroup or the Super Bowl party, she is in on the action. But even if she doesn't sleep, she's still pleasant. She can be a little fiesty when she doesn't like something (ie: mom attacking her with a nasal aspirator) or when she really wants something (ie: food, attention), but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. I respect a girl with a bit of an attitude. Fortunately, it's rare that anything really ruffles her.

I realized this week that I have very few pictures of the two of us together and so I attempted to take some myself. It didn't turn out great, but at least I have proof that I am her mom.

Ally continues to take "steamrollers", punches, whacks and all other physical abuse remarkably well. She actually seems to enjoy the boys talking nose-to-nose with her and licking her head. Who knew? I have drawn the line at the new game of throwing toys at her head. Once Keith throws a toy and gets put in his room, wouldn't you know that Cole throws a toy at her head so he can get in trouble too? Awesome. Will I ever come out on top with these two?

I honestly will not bat a single eyelash the first time she takes revenge on her brothers. In fact, I'll probably be cheering her on.

Ally has a special spot for her dad. Whenever he is in the room, she turns every which way so she can get a visual on him. I came home from running last week to find them "jumping" together. Brent was jumping rope in the garage and had the door open so he could watch her jump in her bouncer. When he would jump, so would she. It was hysterical. I had to get a picture of their first training session together. She's going to have to get in shape if she's going to take on her older brothers.

Christmas Vacation

It's a Burnett family tradition to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation every holiday season. Brent decided to go all out this year and spend Christmas Eve dressed up like Cousin Eddie.

It was a proud evening for me.

In case you've never seen this Christmas movie classic, here's a picture of "Clark" and "Cousin Eddie" in "the outfit." This is the best pic I could find, unfortunately.


In addition to Cousin Eddie gracing us with his presence, we had a great time in Sunriver with Brent's family.

Brent got in some skiing.

We went sledding. (The boys' enthusiasm is sadly accurately portrayed in these pics.)



The boys also found some new interests which include Foosball and "jumping parties". The jumping parties have continued at our house by way of Keith and Cole throwing our couch cushions on the floor and dive-bombing into them from the highest point possible.




Cousin Caden had the coveted toy of the season in his toy train. Said train was hidden several times to avoid child injury and conserve parental sanity. (You can just see the older cousins closing in on Caden's train.)

We had a fun time getting away for Christmas. Brent's parents spoiled us with a great place, delicious food and a "good old fashion family Christmas".

Fortunately, Cousin Eddie didn't wear his awesome outfit the entire vacation. :)

Miss Independent and Daily Dialogue

This little lady has a mind of her own. I couldn't figure out why she was being so fussy for the 4-5 weeks leading up to Christmas. After an exhausting few days over Christmas, it was time to let her "cry it out". Well, wouldn't you know as soon as I lay her down, she talked herself right to sleep? It turns out, I was only irritating her by walking her around to get her to fall asleep. She wants to do it herself. Go figure...Life is much better now--for everyone.


Now that I am not fighting Ally to go to sleep for 50% of my day, I have much more time to answer those burning questions spewing from my two inquisitive 2 year olds. Most of the questions are repeated at least (and I do NOT exaggerate) 30 times a day. No kidding.


"Where Baby Ally go?"
"Where Grandma go?"
"Where Grandpa go?"
"Where Debbie go?"
"Where Bucky go?"
"Where Dada go?"
"Does Mama know where Dada is?"
I typically answer this with, "You know where Dada is. Where is he?" And then sadly, they answer back, "Dada at work."

Some of Cole's best lines have come while noshing on string cheese. The most interesting this week came out of nowhere:
"I gonna punch Dada." (with fists ready)
"OK, Cole. You can punch Dada when he gets home. But you can't punch anyone else."
Surprisingly this has worked, so far. You can tell what Dad does as soon as he gets home from work. Keith and Cole are so excited to wrestle, fight and play hide and seek.
I mentioned to Brent that it's a good thing the boys are with me all day or they would never learn any manners. Brent explained that his job was to teach Keith and Cole how to "be men".



Awesome. So apparently, I should remain at ease when my son wants to punch the lights out of his dad since he is simply following through on his man-homework. I'm so proud. (Brent insists that Keith and Cole can tell the difference between "play-fighting" and the real thing. I disagree. How am I going to explain to some unsuspecting mom at the park, why my son socked her son in the gut? I can't possibly deny that my son ever learned that at home. That's exactly where he learned it!) Sigh...



Keith is one tough kid. He gets bumped around and shows little emotion. Most of the time, he's pretty happy working on puzzles, sticker-books, coloring or "reading" stories. Unless he feels very passionate about doing something, he is mellow to the core.






















Cole, on the other hand, eats up the sympathy. (Where did he get that drama?) While I was cutting his hair this week, he asked and answered his own question in a sympathetic voice, "Does that hurt? Yeahhh." He asks and answers similar questions when he falls. "Did Cole fall down? Yeahhh." "Did Cole bonk his head?" Yeahhhh." "Did Cole hurt finger? Yeahhh." You get the point.



Cole now jumps from crib to crib at will. It takes at least an hour and a half for them to go to bed at night. I'll hear a loud thud and then I can hear Keith cracking up. They'll wrestle around for awhile and then Cole will flop back into his bed. (This is repeated several times a night and each afternoon.) They were laughing so hard tonight that Brent went in to see what they were up to and they were each standing up in their own beds and had each other locked in a headlock, laughing hysterically.
Cole begs to go to bed and then can't wait to boot me or Brent out the door. "Mama shut door?" "Mama shut door?" And if we laugh at him, he says, "Cole funny." "Cole funny."



Keep in mind that each spoken phrase is repeated 2-7 times, depending on how long it takes me to repeat it back. Perhaps you have a glimpse into the fascinating dialogue that is my world.




Keith and Cole prior to me butchering their hair. I do not use the word "butcher" lightly. They were too distraught afterward for a post pic.

12 days of Christmas

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

12 Broken Ornaments

11 Nights of dancing

10 Online orders

9 Christmas movies

8 Carols butchered

7 Rounds of Egg-nog (Brent makes a killer froth)

6 Trips to Costco

5 Sleepless nights

4 Opened gifts

3 Returns

2 Two-year-olds

And a pretty baby Ally

We hope your December has been as crazy (in a good way), busy and blessed as our family's has been.

Merry Christmas!