You've Come a Long Way, Baby

That title has nothing to do with this post, other than it's been a couple months since I've written here, and I have a lot more miles on my truck now.

We went on a vacation in April. It was our first real family vacation ever. My sister, who also has six children (all still very young), went with us. When we started out for the road trip, one of her kids threw up. Because, why not? When we came home, an entirely different kid threw up. Just because if someone doesn't throw up in your car as you're leaving for a 6 hour road trip, you aren't really on vacation.

While we were there, we saw a show. This was another first. Taking six children to a real-live show is quite an experience. Imagine paying $300 to take kids to the bathroom for two hours.

Other than the expensive bathroom visits and the throwing up, it was a great trip.

I'm sure I've mentioned this, but we got another puppy. Her name is Eowyn, and she's a Great Dane. If anyone is wondering why I get dogs when I so clearly have too much to care for as it is, I will tell you. Every delivery guy who tries to walk onto my porch ends up running down the driveway, dropping packages as he goes. While that is pretty funny, I did not set out to terrify the UPS guy. But put a different guy in that scenario. See? Bad guys beware, my dogs will eat you.

Great Danes have a frightening bark. Eowyn, at only three months old, is already larger and scarier than Shucks. She is also a bad, bad, bad dog. You know how puppies are bad, and you have to teach them things? It's like that, only she is bigger than the kids and stronger than I. And she knows it.

My brother watched the dogs for us when we were gone. His first morning here, Shucks ran away in the rain, and Eowyn ate his dress shoes, when he was already late for work. He was not happy, but the dogs were thrilled. They both really like Mason.

We also have a parakeet. We did have two, Tweety and Shredder. We came home from mass one day to find Tweety singing happily (maniacally?) away, and Shredder dead at the bottom of the cage. I know she killed him - she's been so happy ever since. Of course we would get a murdery parakeet - anyone who gets past the dogs will have to deal with Tweety the Ripper.