Year 5, Day 260

Every year, around this time, Asheville's Highland Brewing releases their seasonal holiday beer, Cold Mountain, as well as a host of delicious varieties. It's an event we make room for annually, and today we brought not only Miles with us, but also (God help me) Brie, who after being on bedrest for almost two weeks … Continue reading Year 5, Day 260 →

Year 5, Day 228

By and large, Miles loves having a dog. What he DOESN'T love so much is that the dog has free will and generally moves much more quickly than he does. To say he's a bit jittery around Brie is an understatement; Miles flat out does not like having his feet on the ground at the … Continue reading Year 5, Day 228 →

Year 5, Day 227

"Brie is giving me a backrub! OH, YEAH...THAT'S NICE..." - Miles

Year 5, Day 221

In "Gee, that happened quickly" news, today Brie began losing her baby teeth. Losing at least two (that we were able to retrieve and the dog didn't swallow), Brie's transition to her adult doggy teeth raised obvious questions for Miles, who has only lost one tooth himself, and that one under somewhat less common circumstances. … Continue reading Year 5, Day 221 →

Year 5, Day 208

Having two children in the house, one human and one canine, can be frenetic and disorienting. In fact, it's getting harder for us to keep straight which child is which. With that in mind, I created this Venn diagram based on their general interests as a quick visual reference for clarity in those chaotic moments.

Year 5, Day 206

Miles stayed home sick today, but he still found the energy for some arts and crafts*. Jaclyn sent me pictures of some of his creations, including this self-portrait and drawing of Brie. He also drew a picture of me. Dear God, is that what he thinks I look like?? * LOTS of arts and crafts, … Continue reading Year 5, Day 206 →

Year 5, Day 205

Upon seeing our new training stick for Brie, Miles wanted to help us understand how to use it. He did so not by using the stick directly, but by role playing as a dog so we could use the stick on him. "ARF! ARF!"

Year 5, Day 196

For anyone wondering how Miles's drawing is progressing, he brought this picture home from school today: When asked if this was a picture of our house, Miles responded in the negative. "It's the house where Brie was," he clarified (meaning the home of our neighbor who was watching Brie while I was at work last … Continue reading Year 5, Day 196 →

Year 5, Day 179

Tonight, as I tried to find some degree of zen in doing the dishes amidst Miles's constant talking and Brie's excessive barking, Jaclyn added to the cacophony when Brie, constantly nipping at her feet, refused to listen to her commands to "sit" and "wait." "Ugh!" Jaclyn groused. "She thinks she's in charge of the house … Continue reading Year 5, Day 179 →

Year 5, Day 169

Movie night snuggling.