A great snowshoe

Alex and I took Matthew for a great snowshoe hike this past sunday.  We packed up and hiked up to about 12,000 feet up to the Loch in Rocky mountain park.  It was so sunny and we had a great time!  Below are some pictures. 

While we were packing up the care Matthew rode his buzz light year car around in his long underwear and hat.  What a cute silly boy!

Up and up we went!  Alex was so sweet and carried Matthew on the way up.  I carried him down. 

And Up and Up.  The winter trail goes up the creek bed. This part is actually over what is a huge waterfall in the summer.  If you look wak down you can see little blobs, those are people at the bottom of the steep climb.  Alex made it 2/3rds of the way up with Matthew and then I had to take over.  It is seriously hard to climb straight up with a 17 month old on your back when you are at nearly 12, 000 feet!  The final view was totally worth it though!  What was even more fun than climbing up is literally slidding / rolling back down. 

The Loch!  We made it!  It was windy but spectacular!

Take a deep breath of this view and find peace!

Off for a fun day!

We got up early this morning and got ready to head off for a great day of snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park. Matthew was excited when he saw his backpack come out and he wanted to wear his hat util we left.

Boys!

Alex placed a board in a shelf on one of our bookshelves. Matthew quickly climbed up and stood on the top. Alex and Matthew thought it was great fun while I sat back and worried about Matthew falling. Silly boys!

A great hike!

A friend of mine took Matthew and I out to a spot in the eastern plains about 1.5 hours from Fort Collins this past weekend.  Matthew LOVED the hike and it was fun hiking with friends and be outside for awhile.  I had to keep reminding myself that it was January since it was sunny and 60 degrees out!

Matthew and I hiking at Pawnee Buttes

One of the Buttes

Matthew loved running and falling in the grasslands. 

"gee mom, can't a man get a little privacy?"

I put Matthew up on this rock and he absolutely loved it and wouldn't get down. 

The picture doesn't do the sunset justice!  It was so pretty.... and I forgot my camera so I had to shoot with my iPhone.  The best camera is the one you have with you I guess. 

This is over exposed but the light on the Buttes was gorgeous at the time!

Petunia update

Petunia spent some time with Virginia (a great raiser in our club) a few weeks ago. Maddie (co-raiser) and I have been working really hard to implement her recommendations. And oh my gosh... I thinks it's begining to work.

She is still a very high energy dog but she is responding to positive praise so much better than negative corrections. She is never allowed alone an is ALWAYS at our side - yep even in the bathroom. we are not keeping her on a tie down anymore and instead keep her tied to our waists at all times.

What is exciting is that others have noticed a chamge in her too. This week I have literally had 5+ people at work ask me which dog I had with me. When I said "oh this is still petunia" they were all shocked and commented on how much calmer she is now.
It is really hard to not let her get excited and to not let her play with other guide dog puppies.... But if it helps her become a guide dog then it is worth it!
Thanks Virginia for your help! The picture below is petunia snuggling in a corner during a group pregnancy visit I was running today.

Growing up so fast

Matthew looks so old in this picture. I can't believe he is 16 months old already!

My little helper

Matthew helped me move furniture and hang picture this past weekend. He seemed to enjoy helping push the couch and use the tools!

Fun Family Day

It was sunny and 55 degrees today so Alex and I took Matthew to the Denver zoo and then went to Boulder for dinner.  It was a great day!

Beautiful Lions

It looks so cuddly but....  see below

Even a simple yawn can look scary!

Matthew loved looking at all the big fish from the amazon.

He had a blast chasing all of the Geese that were on the zoo grounds.

"What do you want mom?  Can't you see I'm busy?"

Matthew's first ride on a carousel.  He loved it!

We went on the train too.  

A very tired Matthew kept demanding to wear Mommy's sunglasses.

Hippo!

So stubborn

It is amazing how stubborn my 15 month old son already is! He hates climbing up stairs and instead want to walk up them one foot at a time like the grown up do. He's too little to do this though. Tonight he discovered that if he grabs on the the railing then he can pull himself up one leg at a time. It is do funny to watch him!

Silly girl

Just an update on our petunia.... She is doing a bit better with the suggestions from vagina, so maybe there is hope after all.
I got a few comments from other raisers about petunia's litter mates. Apparently they are just as difficult as petunia. It makes me feel so much better to know that! One would think that by my 4th dog I would kind of have the raising thing down. Goes to show that we never stop learning!!

Below is a cute picture of petunia sleeping in the car on the way home from work last week. I will never understand how dogs can sleep in such strange positions.

A fun night with friends

Alex had to work a night shift tonight so Matthew and I had dinner with some friends. I think Matthew is in love with their 9 year old daughter. They are so cute! By the end of the night he was giving her kisses!

A fantastic day!

My friend Brianna and I went snowshoeing in Estes Park today.  I had such a great time!!!  I bought Matthew a new back pack and everything and everything.  It was super comfortable!  Enjoy the pictures below.

"Yo dude... you down with a hike?"  

"Dude!"

It was such a beautiful day! Matthew really seemed to enjoy the hike.  Whenever I stopped, he would kick his legs and say "mama go"

Nymph lake

Beautiful!

Mother and Son!

Dream lake really is a dream... It doesn't get prettier than this!

Beautiful...yet the wind was fierce... it was so cold that I was afraid that Matthew's nose would freeze!  : ) 

Two ladies and a man.

Can you tell that is is freezing?  The wind was bitter!!!!

Matthew is SOUND asleep by this point./

Can you find my boy in that pile of hats and scarfs?

Matthew and Woodie

Matthew and woodie had breakfast together the other day. Cream of wheat with nutella and peanut butter in it. Yumm!!

Learning as we go

Petunia has been a very challenging dog to raise! She is the worst garbage mouth I have ever seen and is a high energy dog. We were about at out wits end with her so we did some dog swapping for a few days with another raiser in our club.

After working with petunia she reminded us that it is important to praise what she does Good and not to just punish the bad. We do this with our son and don't know why we forgot to do it with petunia. So I send this out there for all those raisers struggling with difficult puppies... Remember to give them lots of positive reinforcement as they really do want to please us.

Below is a picture of Maybell, whom we watched while petunia was at "naughty dog boot camp".