Calypso

Those of you that read my blog know that we gained a new family member (yet another girl!) over Christmas break.  Meet Calypso.  Calypso is a 7 week old Great Dane female puppy.  She is Harlequin (white with black spots) and has 1 green/brown eye and 1 blue eye.  She is spunky and sassy and also loves to cuddle.  A perfect combination!  

We had to travel a bit (2-1/2 hours one way on top of an 800 mile round trip!) to get our little lady.  She road back in the Yukon with myself and all 4 Little Byerlys.  Each kiddo (except the baby) took a turn or two holding her so she wasn't scared or stressed too badly by the long journey.  Some were happier than others to snuggle the puppy. 

Once we made it home safely the first phase of puppy ownership began.  Potty/crate training!  Let me tell you- this is NOT my favorite part of puppy life.  Getting up 2-3 times a night to let the puppy outside to go potty while also getting up 3-4 times a night to nurse little baby make for a very sleepy (and not just a bit grouchy) mommy.  The first 3 nights we had accidents in the crate.  Yuck.  On morning 4 I woke up to puppy screams, so I scooped her up and we went outside.  When I sat her down  she ran to the edge of the patio and did her business.  We went back inside for a "yay you pooped in the yard not the house" treat and I looked in the crate... NO POO! YAY! Happy dance!  It's the little things in life people!  She is very smart and knows now not to mess in the crate and will cry (very LOUDLY) in the night if she needs to be let out.  We are still working on not having accidents in the house during the daytime.  Having 4 Little Byerlys often means our house is noisy and very busy and sometimes we don't notice that she is sniffing around and needs to got out but we will get there.  For now we are just happy that night times are going smoothly so no one has to hose out the crate in 15 degree weather!  

Although... the little girls sometimes forget who is suppose to be in the crate. 

(Don't worry she's not actually tied in and she is having a blast.)

We are all very happy to have Calypso at home with us.  Even Sam, our 8 year old grumpy man cat, is playing with her.  Sometimes Calypso and the baby disagree on things like: who should or should not be chewing on baby toys, who should or should not be in the baby's chair and who or who should not be eating the dog's food, but for the most party everyone loves the puppy.  

 

Calypso is a sweet girl and loves to cuddle.  She often sleeps (during nap time- not at night) with one of the Little Byerlys.  Paige loves to curl up in the puppy bed with her and snooze.  She can already get onto the couch too so nap time is not safe from puppy snuggles for anyone.  

Everyone needs a snuggle buddy now and then.

Check back soon to see how puppy life is going and to see how quickly this cute little lady will grown into a horse sized pet.  

Thanks for checking on the 4 Little Byerlys.  Have a great day!

Happy Merry Birthday Eve Christmas New Years Day! Whew!

December into January is a crazy time at our house.  We have Caity's Birthday, Christmas, and New Years which is spent in Wyoming celebrating our Christmases with cousins and extended family. (That's a 400 mile each way trip by the way!)  It is hectic and crazy but my absolute favorite time of the year even with the subarctic temperatures and hurricane force winds that Wyoming provides.   I always loved receiving gifts as a child on Christmas but now I am able to give to my children, husband, family and friends and that is a true blessing that I enjoy very very much each year.  The joy that spreads across my daughters' faces as they open a gift that they had asked for or even a surprise gift they didn't expect but love is truly amazing to witness.  I love love love this experience!  

With that being said... it is exhausting! Ohmergawsh!!! Working, being mommy, buying and wrapping gifts, keeping gifts hid until they are wrapped so little snoopers don't ruin Christmas, cooking, traveling, and planning can wear a girl out!  I also have to make sure that Caity does't get the short stick when it comes to Birthdays.  A lot of people give her gifts wrapped in Christmas paper or a gift that says for your Birthday and Christmas.  Poor kid gets shorted sometimes so I always try to make sure that her special day isn't passed over in all the hustle and bustle.  This is actually getting easier as she gets older.  A 15 year old girl doesn't want a big bash at Chuck E Cheese after all.  She is content with a bonfire in the back yard, hanging out and listening to music with a few friends.  Easy peasy!  

Another job I take very seriously is making (or trying to make sure) that all 4 Little Byerlys receive approximately the same number or quality of gifts.  I don't want one daughter to receive a $600 iPad, 10 new outfits and 3 new pairs of sneakers and the other a $20 art set and 2 outfits.  I actually developed a checklist that helps me keep everyones gifts straight.  Total life saver!   

Another thing that I love about this time of year are the traditions that we have developed in our family.  I still remember very vividly and fondly the traditions that took place when I was a little girl and hope that my girls will remember ours.  One of our traditions is to open a Christmas Eve box each year after dinner on Christmas Eve.  I always include new PJs for each girl and then a gift to the entire family: movies and popcorn, games, gingerbread house kit to complete together, etc.  This year we received pjs, air hockey and Speak Out.  

I tried to get on of those majestic Christmas tree lights twinkling in the background pictures of the girls in their new pajamas.  This is what we got...

Its fuzzy and poorly lighted and the baby is screaming and trying to escape.  Nailed it! haha.

Then we moved on to game time!  Sadly daddy was out on a drilling rig working so he didn't get to play but the girls and I had a ton of fun playing.  Later I found these big girl selfies on my phone.  Kids!

After games we tracked Santa's movements for a bit on the Norad website.  Then it was off to bed so that Santa could work his magic in our home.  The little girls had been stricken with what Paige calls "the throw ups"  the night before and little baby still wasn't feeling well on Christmas Eve.  The only way she was content was if mommy was holding her and walking around bouncing.  Well, while on one of our many trips through the house I heard a rustling in the living room.  I peaked around the corner and THERE HE WAS! Santa himself caught in the act of delivering gifts to my girls.  I had my cell phone in my robe pocket and snapped a picture to show to the girls. 

Christmas morning arrived and Little Byerlys 2 & 3 woke the mommy up at 4am to see what Santa had delivered in the night!  They were all very excited to see the picture that I had snagged of him the night before and were also very happy with the gifts that he had left behind.  Daddy was still gone working so we held off on opening the gifts from Mom & Dad so that he could be there with us.  We played with our Santa toys and opened the small gifts and candy in our stockings.  Then we heard the good news that daddy was on his way home!  We quickly cleaned the entire house and started cooking a great meal for Daddy to enjoy after being out in the cold working.  Harlie had had too much fun and snuck a nap while the cleaning and cooking were happening. 

Yes I am eating pumpkin pie for breakfast in this picture.  It was a holiday- don't judge me! ;-) 

 

We finished cooking right before daddy walked through the door.  We ate a yummy meal and then got to open the remainder of the gifts.  Yay! Mom even snagged some awesome new tools from daddy!

The next step in our holiday festivities is to make the 7 hour(ish) drive to windy Casper, WY.  We met Aunt Tress, Uncle Chad, Hadly and Papa at Fiesta Guadalajara for dinner on the way into town then went on to Nana's to stay the night there.  We opened gifts with Nana, Papa Wayne, and Uncle Tristen when we got to Nana's house.  Fun!  The girls all got really cute clothes from Nana.  The next day we went shopping at the mall with Aunt Tress and everyone got haircuts.  Then we had lunch with Papa at the food court.  That night we went to Aunt Tress's house for a yummy ham Christmas dinner and gift exchange.  Again the girls made out like bandits and received lots of awesome toys.  I got some more tools from Papa- Woohoo and yummy treats from my sweet little sister.  Emma and Paige stayed the night with cousin Hadly.  The next morning Papa Wayne cooked us a pancake breakfast before we set out on an adventure.  The girls didn't know it yet but daddy and I had purchased an adorable Great Dane puppy!  So myself, Nana, the baby, Emma, cousin Hadly and Aunt Tress drove another 2-1/2 hours to Gillette, WY to pick her up.  We stopped off and visited the Rodenborg family first.  We don't get to see them very often now that they have moved North and we have moved South so it was fun to see them.  After lunch and visiting with them we went to pick up our new little lady, Calypso.  She was an instant hit... except with Harlie.  She doesn't much care for being nibbled on by the puppy.  Paige and Caity spent the day with Papa sledding and playing while we made the trip to Gillette. 

The next day we had yet another (and our final) Christmas with daddy's family in Casper.  We met at Aunt Kera's for breakfast and gift exchange.  Paige received a Mermaid Tail!  Boy was she excited!  All of the girls received fun gifts and cute clothes and had fun playing with the cousins.  Emma even spent the night and celebrated New Years Eve with cousins Maddy, Trevor, and Kloe. Paige spent the night with cousin Hadly again while Caity, the baby and I stayed at Nana's and watched one of Uncle Tristen's friend's baby while they celebrated the new year. 

 

After all of the celebrations, Christmas gifts and fun family time it was time to make the 400 mile drive back home.  We loaded the Yukon full of gifts, kids and a puppy and headed south.  The puppy and baby both traveled really well and the weather/road conditions were pretty mild.  We made it home safely and have lots of wonderful memories from our trip. 

I hope that your holiday was as wonderfully hectic and magical as ours was.  

Thanks for checking in on the 4 Little Byerlys.  Have a great day! 

Thanksgiving

Well today is Cyber Monday which means we have completed the 2016 Thanksgiving festivities.  We celebrated at home this year with our family of 6 and our best friends family.  We call it our Friendsgiving dinner.  It has become sort of a tradition.  Neither of us have family in the area and love spending the holiday together and have done it for the past several years.  We have spent the holiday at their home, at our home, and at an extended stay hotel after our friend's heart transplant.  We have made many memories together and are hopefully able to continue to do so for years to come.  Who did you spend Thanksgiving dinner with this year?

In years past I have spent the holiday in Minnesota with my father's side of the family.  I love the traditions that form over years and years of family holiday gatherings: swedish meatballs in the white bowl with black polka-dots, the marble game while dinner is cooking,  coffee and pastries for breakfast at the lodge, and meeting the new members of our ever growing family.  I always feel like this gathering is one that goes off without a hitch, every time.  My aunts are pros at hosting a flawless family gathering.  Everyone visits, laughs and enjoys the day in a calm, warm, and inviting environment.  I aspire to host like these women some day.  I love that the lodge where we hold Thanksgiving now (no longer at Grandma's as our family is too large and overwhelming for her to host us all) sets right at the edge of Mille Lacs Lake.  The water will be partially frozen and snow most likely on the ground.  The air will smell crisply of bitter cold and lake water while the lodge smells of yummy treats, roasting turkey and 2 dozen different sides.  Children playing, cousins catching up and grandma watching over us all.  Cherished memories are made on days like these.

I have also spent the holiday in Arkansas with my mother's side of the family.  There are also southern traditions that have developed:  Uncle Rick's yummy yeast rolls, old movies playing in the living room, Grandpa yelling about... something.  The atmosphere here is different but equally enjoyable.  My southern family has a way of filling up an entire room, floor to ceiling and wall to wall.  12 people setting at a table will be having 14 different conversations with 10 people talking at once and no one knowing what anyone else is saying.  It is one of my favorite things to just set and listen without speaking and try to follow all of the strands of conversation and the criss-crossing of conversational lines as someone inevitably answers someone else who was not speaking to them and then the chaos ensues.

Now that I am a mother of 4 and live 400 miles from my parents I have begun to host Thanksgiving at home with friends and sometimes family that travel every year to two to join us.  I can only hope that my girls will experience traditions as they form, fond and funny family moments and cherished memories as I did at our Thanksgiving dinners over the years.  I will always have those memories and hope to build many more with my girls.  I am thankful for that.  I hope my girls will remember that we always have Grandma Suzie's stuffing, Nana's 7 layer bars and Daddy's stinky smoked oysters.  I hope they notice that I always use the square white serving platter for the Turkey.  I pray they remember setting out our Thanksgiving decor right after Halloween and all of the fun and crazy times we have together.

What are you thankful for?  What are your family traditions?  Where do you spend Thanksgiving?

I hope that you enjoy this holiday as much as I do and take the time to slow down and look around.  Make a mental note of the people, the dishes served, the games played and the stories told.  Be thankful for it all.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

BAKE SALE

My little Byerly #2 will be visiting Belize with a group of students from her school over spring break.  She has asked me several times if I can think of any ways that she can work to raise money for her trip.  She suggested mowing yards (it's nearly winter), walking dogs (we live in the country-dogs roam free), baby setting (she has no CPR/first aid training) or getting a part time job (she's 12).   She googled ways for teenagers to earn money: garage sales (again, we live in the middle of nowhere), selling items on eBay (Like what? My jewelry? No thanks.) and getting paid to take surveys (you must be 13) were google's top suggestions.  

I felt bad that she was having such a hard time finding a suitable fit and admired her drive so I  suggested that she do a bake sale instead.  I had to work at the store on Saturday and offered to help her bake and set-up in front of the store so that she could sell her yummy treats all day.  

First of all, I did ALL the baking!  How does that always manage to happen?  Every time!  I bought all the supplies and made all of the treats.  To be fair she was at school while I was in the kitchen.  Harlie was a big help though.  (I haven't yet mastered imposing sarcasm into text so to clarify- that was sarcasm, she was not helpful. haha)

Emma did make her own sign and tip jar though.  I printed off a couple of price sheets and she was in business.  

She sat up her table and started selling around 9am.  At around 11am it started to sprinkle and the temperature dropped.  She was a trooper though!  She stuck it out in the cold dreary rain until nearly 3pm and then we moved her inside the store into an empty booth.  She sold 3/4 of the items we had prepared and made over $120.  I posted her Bake Sale on my Facebook page and several friends of the family stopped by to support her cause and many passersby stopped and indulged in some yummy goodness.  She appreciates every purchase and plans on having another sale in the spring before her trip! I am proud that she took the initiative and is trying to help raise her own spending $ for the trip and I hope she enjoys Belize!

Thanks for checking in on my 4 little Byerlys.  Have a great day!