Early mornings with Gerald

  A nice perk of getting a puppy that isn't 7-8 weeks old is that they can sleep through the night. Gerald was 12 1/2 weeks when we got him and slept till 6:30 his first night. Most mornings he's up around 6, never past 7. Kate and Abby have been told they can't come out of their room until 6:30. Kate is often out of her room at 6:30 on the dot so my early mornings have not been lonely. We have all enjoyed many cool mornings outsider together as we watch the sun come up over the mountains.

  One of the first mornings Gerald was with us, Ellie was up early as well. It worked out great that there was a leaf bug in our yard so not everyone was fighting over who got to play with or hold the puppy. Go figure. They each happily took turns holding the bug and then playing with Gerald.

Days at the park

  I'm sad to say that we haven't gone to the park nearly as much as I thought we would. I had it in my mind that we would go a few times a week, if not almost every day.  The nearest park is a 10 minute walk from our tlf, so not far, but we/I at bare minimum have to load up the baby and 2 year old into the stroller. I have to make sure both diapers are clean, baby has been fed, 2 year old has gold fish, water is full, bikes and helmets out for the older two, they need to be told a dozen times to get their shoes on and go potty... It just takes a whole lot. Like 45 minutes of yelling at everyone to get ready. So much fun.
  I need to be better at just up and going with no prep. Maybe next month.  We have had fun the times we've gone. It's always nice to get some fresh air and light exercise.

Our first trip to the park Daddy was able to come along with us.

 Abby and Kate had fun trying out the monkey-bars.

 The second park we tried out had a playground for younger tots and a climbing tower made for much older kiddos.

 Becca often sleeps on our walks to the park.

 This ladder caused lots of tears for Abby and Kate.  They totally lacked confidence in their ability to climb.  I chose to show them tough love because Ellie had no issues climbing to the top and making my heart stop multiple times.  I told Kate and Abby to figure it out.  If Ellie can do it, so can they.

 By the time we were ready to go home they were climbing up and down no problem.

 The best park we have found so far is right by the McDonald's on base. It's a couple miles away so we drive whenever we go and all the girls have a blast running from one playground to the next. 

 The little ride on's are cute.  Ellie especially loves them.

Kate and Abby have such fun with their imaginations. Here they were driving a ship past a bunch of sharks.  They always become super silly whenever they see me watching them.

 Reminding Kate and Abby that their little sister is watching them is a constant thing.  Monkey see, monkey do.

Meet Gerald

  Andrew and I have talked about if and when to get another dog for quite some time now.  We kind of decided to wait till the end of next year because I wouldn't have my hands so full with a new baby and rebellious toddler.  After getting here though, Andrew suggested getting a dog here because it would be easier potty training on hard floor and easier on our home back in Florida to not be peed on constantly. So my search began.
  After a week of constantly searching, I finally found an available breed we would be happy with. I called up the owner and arranged a time and place to meet. Truth or Consequences is a town 2 hours south of us that was halfway for both of us.
  We had a fun day planned at their museum but the lady bringing the puppies woke up with a fever and body aches. When she called to tell me I was bummed to have to drive further but she sounded so awful on the phone I wasn't upset at her. We ended up meeting her daughter in Las Cruces.
  They had three male puppies to choose from. Andrew's caveat with getting a puppy was that it be a male so we can name it Gerald, after the sea lion in Finding Dory.

  I thought it hilarious and readily agreed. The first two puppies out of the kennel were SO tiny I was afraid for what could happen if we took one of them home. The last puppy hiding in the back of the kennel was the size of the first two puppies combined. Thank heavens. After saving the life of the puppy Ellie was holding, twice, we gave back the tiny puppies and took the biggest one home. 

Kate and Abby were delighted to help our puppy drink and have a few bites of food.

 Daddy was happy to meet the little guy, too.

During the drive home Ellie was adorable playing peek-a-boo with me.  

   The ride home was long but uneventful. Duke was excited to meet his new baby brother but was quickly over this small, excited puppy that everyone seemed to think was the cutest thing ever. Duke has warmed up to Gerald the past 2 weeks but has growled at the little stinker a few times. I don't blame old Duke. I don't like being a chew toy either.

 Gerald still needs to be monitored around Ellie.  Neither one are gentle with the other.

 

Kate is a good helper most of the time. We are still trying to teach the girls how to discipline Gerald when he starts to bite a lot.

 He is an adorable little ball of fluff.

Out to Eat

  While we are here in Albuquerque, we want to eat out at new places at least once a week. Last weekend we went to County Line BBQ. The food was decent and we mostly enjoyed our time there. Ellie refused to sit still and eat her food so Andrew walked around the restaurant with her. There were a lot of cool items hung up on the walls that entertained them both.  Meanwhile, the girls (minus Ellie) and I had fun taking pictures.

  Once we were done and asked for the check, our waiter told us our bill had already been paid for by the couple that had been sitting across the room from us. We were totally taken aback. I couldn't tell you anything about the couple. I barely saw that there was someone sitting at that table because I was so busy looking after the girls. It was a very nice surprise and gave us a little faith in Albuquerque that there are kind people here.