Introducing...

Our newest addition to the family...Jools Yellowdog 131 Gxxxxxxxx. Yes, that's quite a name, but there's an explanation for it later, I promise!


Jools is a 9 week old yellow lab puppy that we brought home today. We were expecting to choose from a litter of seven, yellows and chocolates, males and females, but by the time we arrived only two yellow females remained. (No complaints from Mommy, this is what she wanted!) One was very quiet and had such pretty coloring, and then there was Jools who was quite playful and had scratches on her nose and lip from playing with her brothers and sisters. Since Jools was the one who was making me laugh with her antics, she's the one I wanted. It took a little bit of puppy dog eyes on my part to convince Mommy, but she quickly gave in.


On the way home, we noticed that Jools had a few fleas. Good thing she is so light colored or we might not have noticed right away! So, we took a side trip to the store to buy some flea shampoo and then high-tailed her right into the tub when we got home. Poor thing's world is suddenly turned upside down, then she has to take a bath too! What must she think of us?

Not the proudest moment of her young life, I'm sure.

Once the bath was over and she dried off a little, we showed Jools to her new bed. She crawled right in and fell asleep almost immediately! It's been a rough day ya know! She opened her eyes for a few minutes here and there, but she really didn't budge for a couple of hours. Even our dinner didn't arouse her! I kept trying to entice her with a toy and I even hand fed her some of her food. She liked that, but Mommy and Daddy said I shouldn't do that because we don't want to start her on a bad habit.

When it was time to go for a potty break, Jools' personality came out again! She played with her leash, with leaves on the ground, carried sticks all over, and happily bounced after me when I would run!

Sit Jools, sit! Well, maybe someday.

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Now, about her name. The people we got Jools from told us that most AKC registered dogs have four names. We don't really know if this is true, but what the heck. So let's work backwards:

You already know what the last name means. No brainer there.

'131' comes from the fact that we met the breeders in a parking lot along this numbered highway. So, it's in honor of how Daddy's childhood dog Cache le Poudre 'Pooter' got his name.

Since I always name my stuffed animals in a very descriptive way (such as Big Black Dog, Little Brown Dog, and Husky), 'Yellowdog' is in honor of me.

'Jools' is a longer story. There is a music show on BBC that Daddy enjoys watching called 'Later...with Jools Holland'. He got me interested in it when he started shaking my floppy stuffed dogs to rock songs as if they were dancing, and the phrase 'dog dancing song' was born. When our little Jools started feeling a little more comfortable with us this afternoon, she started flopping and bouncing around and we were reminded of it. No name was ever more fitting. The spelling may be a little unusual, but now you know why. We all like it, and so does Jools!

Welcome to the family Jools Yellowdog 131 Gxxxxxxxx! We're so happy to have you!

I'm School Bound!

I am officially enrolled in preschool for Fall 2008!!! After the torture of visiting five different preschools in the area and not being able to play with the kids there, we finally chose one and I'm really excited about it! If you'd like the link to their website, email my Mom and she'll be happy to send it to you. I think you'll agree that it's pretty impressive. In the meantime, it appears that my attempts to comb out my own hair after a bath need some work. Maybe it's something that I'll learn from my new teachers!

Easter Surprises!

Easter morning came and in my basket were some pretty neat toys, like some card games, stencils, and a new addition to my collection of "Cars" characters, Lizzy! What you can sort of see in the picture are the Cars marshmallow pops in the shapes of Sally and Lightning McQueen. I wasted no time in gobbling them right up!

I must give props to Mommy who has taken the title of NCAA bracket winner in the house...ALREADY!!! Her picks gave her a commanding lead over both mine and Daddy's, giving her the win before the first weekend of play was even complete! We'll get you back next year Mommy, so don't go thinking there'll be any repeats in your future!

Unfortunately, the Easter Egg Hunt we planned on going to yesterday was snowed out. That's right, one single snowstorm near the end of March brought us 14 inches of snow in less than 24 hours. So, what do you do when faced with that? Go sledding, of course!

This was the first time we'd been able to hit the hills all winter since either Mommy or I managed to have a cold whenever enough snow fell over a weekend. Daddy knew of some great hills near where he goes to school, so we all headed over there. This was taken when we all went down a hill and into a snow bank from the plowed parking lot to the left. It would have been funny if Mommy had gone further up the pile and down the other side!

This hill was the biggest and the best. I started out having to ride with someone but as I became more seasoned, I was able to start going down by myself. Look ma, no hands!

Joey and Mommy snow angels.

Is there a sledding event in the Olympics? I should start training for it because I'm a natural!

Oops, well even the best sledders lose hold of the rope sometimes. But what a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Easter Prep

It's that time of year again, when spring is in the air and colored egg water gets all over my clothes. Mommy got smart this year and gave me a smock and it seemed to do the trick!


Ta da, the finished product! Some eggs are colored and some have these nifty shrink-wrap designs. I sure hope the Easter Bunny likes them!

March Madness, Baby!

Woo hoo, it's time for the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament! Play starts today and last night, Mommy, Daddy, and I all filled out our brackets for a friendly little household pool. (Losers will treat the winner to a night of fun at Chuck E. Cheese, so I'll win regardless!) They told me the team names of each game and I picked the name that I liked the best or had the most fun saying. The folks both picked North Carolina to win it, but my picks were a little less obvious. Of particular interest is that I picked North Carolina, Memphis, and UCLA (all #1 seeds) to lose in the first round and the last #1, Kansas, to lose in the 2nd round. My final four are Tennessee, Gonzaga, Kentucky, and Duke, with Kentucky taking it. Miracles do happen, ya know!

Can I Interest You in Some Insurance?

Mommy and I met Grandma Elaine for a day of shopping and lunch. When she ran into a friend and stopped to chat with her, I found a way to pass the time. This insurance desk was sitting vacant right next to us, so I decided that they needed some help. Unfortunately the phone wasn't plugged in, but I'm sure I would have made a sale!

Jello Makes the Sickies Better

Mommy and I have been passing a cold back and forth for a couple of weeks now. It's my turn again but I decided I would help her make the Jello. I had to be careful since it was boiling hot water, but I did a great job stirring it until it was all disolved! I'll have to see if they have blue jello, because that would totally rock!

My Current Favorites

Because I know you are dying to know...


My Favorite Website - http://www.starfall.com/
Check me out, I'm pretty darn good at this computer thing! Although, you knew that already! This is a great website for preschoolers. I get to learn about words that start with certain letters of the alphabet, play games, and learn how to use a mouse all at the same time!


My Favorite Color - Blue
I am obsessed with blue. When I see something blue I have to remind everyone that it's my favorite color. When the librarian handed out noise makers to play while singing a song, I cried until the green one she gave me was replaced with blue. When the dog that holds the Guiness Book of World Records for popping balloons was on tv, I had to be consoled when she popped the blue ones! I may need therapy.
(See her in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoiFGva_JoY)


My Favorite TV Show - Doctor Who
Don't "Blink" or you'll miss my favorite episode! And yes I know it's pretty scary!
(Watch the trailer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/310.shtml)


My Favorite Movie - Cars
Duh! Lightning McQueen & Mater rule!
(See a trailer at http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/cars/)


My Favorite Commercial - The GE Ecomagination "Tree"
I make Daddy rewind the DVR when it comes on!
(See it at http://ge.ecomagination.com/site/index.html#ads/tv)


My Favorite Song - "Going on a Bear Hunt" by Greg & Steve
There are hand and body movements through the whole song and I have so much fun doing them! Unfortunately the sample doesn't include the awesome payoff at the end of it.
(Play a sample here - http://www.gregandsteve.com/kia.html)


My Favorite Food - French Fries & Chicken Nuggets
Of course! Is there really anything else?