Bedtime or Not

Chrystal Mccoy (@crickle1969) tweeted at 10:11 PM on Sun, Jun 30, 2013: It is 10 pm and Izzy decides it is playtime. #therestofthehouseissleeping #bedtime #crazydog (https://twitter.com/crickle1969/status/351538455832039426) Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download

An Exotic Pet

     I have had pets nearly all my life.  I say nearly because my husband and I did not get our first pet together until we'd been married for a little over 2.5 years.  And, then after that pet died we waited a year to get the two we have now.  Other than that, I have had at least one pet every day of my life.

     When I was growing up we had a total of 9 cats (no not all at once) and 4 dogs in our house.  The only time we only had one pet was the one cat we had when I was born until we got our first dog when I was three.  From that point on we had at least two pets in our home.  But, they were always just cats and dogs.  My brother had some sort of lizard or something for a short period of time, but it was just in his room and I had no interest in it.

     I love animals.  I would have loved to have had a horse, but I've never lived in a place where I could have one.  However, I think the coolest pet to have would be an Alpaca.  These animals are so cool!  They look similar to a llama.  They come in something like 22 colors and their fur is soft and warm.

     They don't have horns, hoofs, claws or incisors so they are pretty harmless.  They do get between 100 and 200 pounds, but you can pasture about 5 of them in just one acre.  They are gentle and easily trained.  They live for about 20 years.

     I've seen them at festivals and special events at some of our local attractions and have always been fascinated by them.   They were cherished by the Incans.  The softest ones were reserved for royalty. How can you not be entranced by an animal like that?

    Do you love animals?  What exotic pet would you like to have?

Izzy Loves the Snow!

Izzy says, "Oh JOYFUL DAY!"

By the way, I stopped recorded just as she squatted to poop.  You're welcome!

Basketball Games, Swim Teams and Vet Visits, Oh MY

It was a very busy Saturday for us.  Actually, it was a pretty typical Saturday for us.  I used my actual camera a lot today.  I've been kind of lax in using.  I've been depending on my cellphone camera way too much lately.  But, today I got some good shots.  So, I thought I'd share them.

Our first event of the day was a league game for my son's second basketball team.  Although, this is my son's first year playing for this team, the game was against a team that they had never beaten before.  Today, they beat them.

My son with the ball during the first half of the game

To make it sweeter one of the boys on the team they beat is a boy who abandoned our football team for "greener pastures."  It was an exciting game, too.  Our team ended up winning AT THE BUZZER... literally!

After the morning game, we had to split up.  One of our fur babies had to go see the vet.  She has a swollen, red paw pad and we needed to have it checked out.  So, my husband took her to the vet while my daughter and I headed to the YMCA.  Luckily, there is nothing seriously wrong with Izzy's paw.  Just some cream and antibiotics prescribed and she should be good as new very soon.

Izzy resting on the couch

My daughter's swim team had a pep rally/ swim practice today.  Next weekend is their big area district championships swim meet so they were bonding as a team today.  They had a special relay team practice, made posters to take to districts, and had pizza and worked on their "cheer" they will do on the pool deck at the start of the district competition.

My daughter and one of her swim buddies enjoying pizza

The swimmers all seemed to have a lot of fun.  This time of year is very exciting.  The district competition is when they can qualify to go to the "state" competition two weekends later.  It's also an extremely fun competition that takes place on the campus of Mizzou in Columbia, MO.

When the pep rally was over, my daughter and I had to meet my husband and son at the second basketball game of the day.  This was the last basketball game of the season for my son's first basketball team.  It is the feeder team for the high school that my kids will attend.  

My son in the white jersey

It was another very close and very exciting game.  Unfortunately, our team lost.  My son made a few really great plays, though, that led to scoring points.  They all played hard and received a trophy, but I'm still not sure for what place.  It was never specified.  

At this point we had a little down time.  We came home and hung out for a while.  My daughter decided to make brownies because she's obsessed with that after learning how to make them in her class at school.  

Then, we were off again.  We went to have supper out at a local restaurant before heading to the third and final basketball game of the day.  This one was a tournament game with the second team.  It was to determine who would play for first place and who would play in the 3rd place round.  

My son is #12

It was a disappointing loss.  Our team will have to play in the 3rd place round tomorrow.  The team made some mistakes and they seemed tired.  The refs were not great for this game, either, but I don't think they would have beat this team anyway.  It seemed everyone had fun, though.

Now, we are all home and the day is winding down.  The kids are showered and in bed.  I'm waiting my turn in the shower.   Even the puppies have claimed their spots on the bed.

Izzy in front, Livvy behind looking up

So now, I will say good night John Boy.

Good Night, John Boy!

Mom, mom, ma, mommy.......

I recently "shared" this bit o funny on my Facebook page...

Yes, this is a reality in my life.  The one who does this the most is my Livvy Girl.  She has the strongest nudging nose I've ever experienced on a dog.  She will flip my hand hard enough that the mouse to my laptop goes flying.  She actually managed to unplug the mouse from the computer once.  

Izzy on the other hand will just come lay on my lap as close as she can get to my computer or tablet and keep pushing back on whichever device I am using until it's too close to my body to use comfortably.  

Of course, it is not just my wonderful four legged children that do this.  My biped children will too.  It's like being on the phone or trying to watch a television show.  At least one of them is going to be forcing the attention issue.  Be assured my husband is included in this group as well.  

I'm so very blessed.