The Big Dig

Today, I had a meet-up with resident archaeologist, Tex O'Brien. He was in the area for the big dig at the historic Ft. O'Brien, which happens to be right out my back door. I did not want to miss this opportunity to see the legend in his element.

 He welcomed the crowd, and told us a little bit about how he goes about his explorations. Tex said a good pair of cargo pants is a must, as well as a trusty shovel and spatula. "I can't tell you enough how often a good spatula can get you out of a pretty nasty scrape," said Tex O'Brien.

 "You just feel it in your bones when you're onto something. Like today, I just knew I had to get out here and get a feel for the earth. In my second trip out today, I've already found a red rocket and a green fish! Do you know what this means in my field?"

Clearly, Tex was excited about what he had uncovered today at the dig site. I can't wait to see what he learns from these artifacts!

 Above, Tex O'Brien points out one of the dig spots that's yielded quite a bit of artifacts in this last outing. Tex was also quite willing to get his feet dirty. He said something about feeling the sand between his toes...or maybe that was me wishing for a beach vacation.

Tex also had his assistant, Ryker vonStryker out on the dig too. Tex likes to say Ryker works like an animal, whatever that's about...

Here Tex O'Brien said something about the way the building was constructed as well, but it was way over my head. I tell you, this guy is amazing!

It was an exciting day for sure. Tex said the site looked promising for more treasure, but he and vonStryker had a call from Mr. & Mrs. Cole to rescue a baby llama in Peru. Man, the life this guy leads...they should make a movie based on this guy - a handsome archaeologist with a goofy side kick off to save the world one adventure at a time. I bet it would make a killing! 

Tex O'Brien, safe travels and we look forward to your next adventure!

A Game of Chase

You see this guy?

Yeah, you...

This guy, has become the favorite go-to playmate of a certain one-year-old around our house. Every night before bed this week, Ryker and Owen have played Chase up and down the hall. Sometimes Ryker is into it and gets down into a 'play bow' and makes funny barks. Sometimes he looks to us for help, like "are you really going to let that kid hang on me?"

It has been fun to watch their relationship grow...our first born and our fur born! =) Just think, one day, Ryker and Owen are going to be running up to me asking if they can go on a walk by themselves. I'll say yes, and I'll follow behind stealthly in the Cozy Coup! 

Ryker, you have your quirks, but we're so glad you're our puppy!

Leader of the Pack

Last night after supper, we loaded up the kiddos and went to a nearby dog park. Owen, Ryker and I had found it earlier on a ride around town after Mr O decided he didn't need a nap. (I'm sure he'll deny it if you bring it up, but some two-legged bud
dy DID take a nap on the drive.)

When we got to the dog park, the sign said kids 9 and up allowed inside. I guess this makes sense, some of these big dogs might see Owen as a treat, and I'm sure they don't want me going Mama Bear on a dog going after my son. So, Joe and Owen out, Leanna and Ryker in.

Ryker is a funny dog. He gets soooo amped up when other dogs are around when we're inside or on a walk. However, when we get to the dog park, he kinda trots around, but mostly stays away from other dogs. He has issues...we know that.

But he loved it. He loved running around. He loved, ahem, marking everything. He loved being a dog. But, what's a dog to do when there ARE so many other dogs around? Show you're the big man on campus, of course.

Ryker, my 40lb, medium build, mystery-breed dog find the biggest, baddest male Doberman Pinscher to try and dominate. Thankfully, Mr Doby was not as bad as he looked and just growled and snapped. Oh, Ryker, you're such a nerd.

Meanwhile, back on the other side of the fence, Owen was having a blast!!

Joe and Owen were walking around on the perimeter of the park talking to all the dogs that came to check them out. O would squeal and try and pet the puppies through the fence. Daddy however was looking out and made sure all were safe. Though, O did get his arm through to pet the poofy little American Eskimo, and couldn't have been happier.

Oh, what a good day when you bring home both you're boys and they are both happy and exhausted -- a day well lived!

(an old pic, but shows my buddies together!)

The Adventures of No, No, Bad Dog: The Cubic Conundrum

Hello again, dear fans. It's been a while.

I was deep under cover...oh, who am I kidding. I was just messing around barking at neighborhood children coming home from school. LOOOOVVVEE IIITTT!!! =P

Anywho, as I was saying, it's been a while since my last mission, and as it's nearing Christmas and the Naughty/Nice list is getting checked, I felt I needed to spring into action.

As some of you might know, my fortress has been penetrated by the evil Cute Baby! The folks think I am such a good sport. Ha! So, what was I to do, but give them a little demonstration of my power and position in this household. Enter the "X" block.

Why X? Well, X marks the spot. X-cellent. X-citing. You get it!

Evil Cute Baby had once again sucked Leanna into his vortex of cuteness and they were playing on the floor with his wooden blocks when I started forming my plan. I like wood. I eat wood. This is what I shall do! So, when they weren't looking I swiped the X block! All I left behind was a little sliver, as a calling card you might say.

Leanna, of course, caught onto my plan, but didn't go in search of the X. So, when she was AGAIN busy with Cute Baby, I mysteriously manifested the missing block and began chomping. What happened, you ask!? She took it away and told me "No, No! Bad Dog!" Yes! I had succeeded! She remembered my name! She remembered my purpose.

Throughout the day, I repeatedly snuck the block back from wherever she had placed/hidden it. My mission was not complete.

Finally, after Joe came home, saw what I had done, he and Leanna decided the block was toast.

Success!!!

Cute Baby -- you are a mighty foe! I have won this round, but I will not let down my guard. (note from the ghost writer -- No, No, Bad Dog is sleeping while I recount his tale.)

Until next time!

Family Pics

Here's a few more of my favorite pictures from our photo shoot with Mr & Mrs Smith! Thanks again guys!

To Brush, or Not to Brush

...that is the question.

How bad is it that I can't brush my teeth during the day if I want to go somewhere. The minute Ryker sees me putting tooth paste on the tooth brush, he is gone. Under a bed, in a closet...somewhere cowering in fear from the impending doom of being put outside. So, invariably if I try to brush my teeth, it will take me an extra 10 minutes to get out the door after I wrangle the pupster.

So, should I just start brushing all the time throughout the day to desensitize him? Should I keep brush-ups in the car? Should I just carry around a tranq gun?

Oh Lordy! It's always something with this guy. What a nut.

And, yes, NoNoBadDog hadn't shown up in a long time, till Owen and I had to go somewhere the day Joe left on his last business trip. That's when NoNoBadDog decided to bite through the MIDDLE of a SINGLE board and wriggle out somehow. SERIOUSLY?? How do you do this? I was going to take a pic, but didn't have a chance before Bro-in-law fixed it for me.

Fun with the Flip

Took this video the other day with our new Flip camera.

It is currently titled, Brotherly Love. But, perhaps, another title could be Why They Say Living with Dogs Boosts Your Kids' Immune System.

Enjoy...more to come I'm sure!

The Holy Spirit Hour

Many of you may have heard the old phrase, the Witching Hour. A European term referring to the 12 a.m. hour or early hours where supernatural things happen. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that is dark outside, which makes just about anything creepy.

Well, I would like to introduce an new phrase, The Holy Spirit Hour.

You ask, "Now, what the heck is this?"

This is the hour where your animals go bonkers.

It shall be called this for a number of reasons. Like most Godly things, it is out of our understanding why our creatures find the spontaneous need to rampage through our house like their tails are on fire. Also, like the Holy Spirit, it can descend at any time, no matter the hour. So, be prepared.

The Holy Spirit Hour occured at the O'Brien household about 9 p.m. last night. RykerDog caught the spirit and went tearing up and down the hall. Squeaker Men were flying. Gummy Bear toys were flung. There was much hootin' and hollerin,' spinning of claws on hardwood floors and ruffling of carpet.

This is not just limited to my puppy. I have seen it in my dearly departed feline friend, Tailer. I have seen it in my outlaw pals, Bonny and Clyde, just to name a few. Let's face it peeps, it's real!

And I like it!

So here's to the Holy Spirit Hour. Proof once again that God has a big, big sense of humor!

Happy Birthday Buddy!!

Happy Third Birthday, RykerDog!!

We love you so much, and are so glad you are our pupster!

While I am not totally convinced you are three years old exactly, we'll run with it.

You have been such an awesome big brother to Owen. You've been a faithful friend to me during pregnancy, nursing and looking after this crazy kid. Your dad loves going on walks and runs with you, even if you are still out of control most of the time.

You are not perfect, but you are ours! Happy Birthday Buddy!

(and yes, in dogs years you are 21 this year, BUT we are NOT taking you drinking!)

((Thanks Lyd, for the awesome pic!))

Totally Wrong, but Interesting!

So, I was talking to my dog the other day, (yes, there is NOTHING wrong with this) and I realized something.

My dog, my wonderful red-fluffy-bunny of a crazy mutt, Ryker the WonderDog, NoNoBadDog, is smarter than my child.

Yep. I said it.

But really, he knows his name.

He can roll over by himself.

He can hold his head up.

He can go to the potty by himself.

He has a vocabulary.

Think about it:

Sit

Stay

No

Wait

Outside

Water

Go for a: ride, walk, get the mail, etc.

He's a genius.

Little dude??? Well, all I can say is we're working on amending this post soon! =)

The Most Interesting Pup in the World - 2

He bypassed the teenager stage, because he was never awkward, nor gangly. Just straight from adorable puppy to ruggedly handsome pupster. (or so he claims)

The Most Interesting Pup in the World...

He doesn't just tie a cherry stem into a knot. He creates origami crane masterpieces.

He is the most interesting pup in the world.

Got'em!

Ha! I have captured the snoozing, pillow-hog of a puppy in his natural habitat! Enjoy!

Silly Puppy

Aside from the continued stress of trying to raise up our puppy in the way he should go, he's also a super cute little dude.

Have I mentioned how much this little guys LOVES his pillows? Seriously, I don't think I have seen a fuzzy creature seek out, hone in on, gravitate toward pillows or piles as much as this dog. And who's to argue with him? Who doesn't love a pillow?

I love seeing him curled up with his chin lifted off by the pillow and snuggled in for a good nap. The goober also always seems to have his head raised, either on the side of his favorite chair or propped up on the edge of the coffee table, our shoe or something of the sort.

Is this a form of readiness? So he can hear all that is going around him? Or is this just another classic dose of Ryker-cuteness? Well, whatever it is, it makes me smile! =)

I know he's not on a pillow here, I don't have one on this computer, but it's still stinkin' cute!

It's Good to be Home,

...but not just quite yet.

This weekend was a whirl. Joe had his first out of town business trip to OK to present a new repair to an airline with a few of his co-workers. He did a great job leading the meeting, and are now looking forward to ironing out the details in hopes of getting their business, along with a few other repairs they discovered they could do for the company while they were there. Way to go Joe and co. Now, let's talk about visiting Boeing in WA some time soon!

Joe came back early Friday morning, came home and we hopped in the car. Sadly, we didn't really hop out of said car until about 11 hours later. We made a 'quick' trip to Las Cruces, NM, to send our love to his Grandpa O'Brien who is not doing very well. As a dad of 8 and a grandpa of many, this is one well-loved man and we wanted to make sure we could tell him so.

We got to say howdy to several of his aunts and cousins as well. His Aunt Mary graciously let us stay at their new house nestled between pecan groves with a beautiful view of the Organ Mountains in the background. Their 3 puppies also kept us company for our short stay. Thank you Mary and Steve for your hospitality!

We left out of Las Cruces early Sunday and made the 11-hour trek back to the Big D yesterday. Ugh, can we just say that all three of us -- me, Joe and O'Baby -- are DONE with long car rides for a while.

It is good to be home, but after last night and this morning, I realized I'm not quite home just yet. There's something missing. The clicking of little nails on the floor. The slurping of water from the kitchen. The swish of a fluffy red and black tail. The kiss of my pupster. Yeppers, RykerDog is still at the vet's. I'll rescue him soon enough (after they bathe him!!), and then I'll be home.

It's amazing how a little furball can work his way into your heart where life isn't just the same when he's not there. Little dude, I love ya!

Rykie's House

So Joe finished Rykie's house.

We put it in place last week or so.

To christen it and show his love and appreciate of Joe, Ryker has decided to eat it!


UUUUGHHHHHH!!!!!

He goes in it, he hides in it, he pulls his blanket in and out of it, so I know he likes it. I just wish I knew what to do for my dog. I'm sorry you keep having to hear this, but this is what goes on in my life. The anxiety medicine, what a joke. It does not seem to work for our puppy. I guess we really need to focus on training and praying.

But, here is the finished house (please note that that is Ryker's 'love' and not a reflection of Joe's handiwork. Did I mention it's insulated on all sides??

A Home for Ryker

I am so excited!

After a bit of persuasion from the cold weather and begging from the new blinds not to be eaten, Joe is building Ryker a little home of his own!

Here's our modern little design we're going for. I liked it better than the traditional, because it gives you a side that is not exposed to any wind, or so the idea is.
I do so hope he likes it. His cousin really likes hers, but as we know, Mr. Ryker is not easily swayed! I'll post pics of the finished product soon!

Ryker's Lame Christmas Present

Ryker received his Christmas present yesterday. And, boy was it lame.

You ask what it is?

It was a biannual trip to the veterinarian! Woohooo!

He was due for some vaccinations, but I also needed to go to get his tooth checked out. As some of you may have seen on facebook, Ryker decided he wanted to eat through the fence again while Joe and I were gone at a Christmas presentation. In his escape attempt, he chipped off a large chunck of his upper right canine. I was NOT a happy momma...many tears...many, many tears.

So, the doc checked him out. Said his tooth looked like it was ok so far, just something we have to watch and see to make sure it doesn't get infected or he does more damage to it since it there isn't much there to take much more. =( Poor pupster.

We also chatted about the reason behind his crazy behavior, and after chatting a bit and going over Ryker's history (including the weird seizure thing he had sever months ago), we decided that we would try a medicine to help with his separation anxiety. A few dogs in the study suffered seizures, so this was a concern. But we both agreed that what he goes through daily is not that much better.

So, after a costly little visit including the vaccines, heartworm, and new medicine we left and I rewarded my little dog with a nice visit to the park.

I would like to ask you all to pray for little Ryker as we start this new medicine and hope for good results and good health!

Oh, and don't worry...we have some treats for Ryker's stocking! =)

Adventures of No, No, Bad Dog - The Thanksgiving Edition

Hello dear readers,

It is I, No, No, Bad Dog returning for another enjoyable installment of my latest trials and tribulations.

As you all are aware of last week we celebrated a delectable holiday called Thanksgiving. I will refer to this as the Feast of the Big Bird!

My parents made the silly decision to leave me to visit Leanna's folks in Houston. I am not allowed to go, something about allergies and fencing not up to puppy code. So, for my first night of alone-ness, they left me at Doggie's Wonderland.

Oh, you'd think I'd have a great time frolicking and romping with 30-plus dogs my size also left over the Feast of the Big Bird. Truth is, you'd be right -- BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO TELL THE PARENTS THAT...GOT IT!?

I was picked up the next day by my aunt, Sarah, and you know what...they didn't even give her my leash! Said I didn't have one or something (we picked it up yesterday, my mom takes care of me!). So she has to get me to her car on a busy road with dogs barking and no leash...thank you, Sarah!

And so began my stay with the grandfolks and the cousin pups, Baily and Ursa. We had a good time. On a few occasions I had to go back to stay at my house while they ran errands because their new fence isn't quite Ryker-tested just yet. I was super excited the first time they dropped me off thinking Mom and Dad were home. THEY WERE NOT! The next time, I was not so excited, so when they showed up to pick me back up, I leaped into the car and told them to take me home and LOVE ME!!

Now, here's where it gets good peeps! On one such day when we were all at home, the grandfolks went inside to clean up a bit from all of our adventures in their massive yard! When they returned a while later, I was NOWHERE in site! NOWHERE!

The panic set in. They surveyed the yard. They saw no holes. No boards missing. They called, and nothing! Where did I go!!?? (teehee, if only they knew.)

Ursa and Bailey just set there looking at them giving away nothing of my secret. They decided that I must have scaled the fence and made a break for home. So they both jumped in their cars and headed over...only no pupster.

After an hour or two of searching the neighborhoods in two cars and talking to my dad, they decided to come home and search one more time there. My dad said if they were home and the garage door was open, I wouldn't leave. He was right...but not in the obvious way.

Holly checked upstairs and the attic -- nothing. Jim decided to try calling again...and that's where he heard my sad little whine.

He called again and finally realized I was under the deck in the back yard. Not just with my head stuck, butt in the air, but UNDER THE DECK. IN THE MIDDLE.

-- Here's the deck!--

See, I was on an adventure and I just couldn't manage to turn around and get back out, so I just stayed. Jim rescued me by unscrewing a few boards, and out I popped. I was fine, really, just a little stuck!

Really, what was all the fuss about?

Between the grandparents and dad, they decided not to tell mom. But someone let it slip out, and my story was told. I didn't get into too much trouble, but they did tell me not to do it again.

I'll do my best, but sometimes it's just hard!

Stay tuned for my next adventure! Who knows what can happen over Christmas, right!?

Patience and Understanding

These are two things I'm usually good at but I have encountered the one person who tries both of these for both me and for Ryker.

You may have heard me speak of her before. I shall call her Boxer Lady. She does not like us.

Way back when, when we first got Ryker, he was accompanying me to the car and caught a wiff of Boxer Lady and Boxer Dog. (she has a boxer, an 80+ lb male boxer). Ryker sprinted after them a little ways down from our house on the sidewalk. From the time I made it from the door to the dogs, they were growling and snapping. She then proceded to lambast me up oneside and down the other. Neat.

Anywhoo, since then, Joe and I have tried saying hi and waving to Boxer Lady and Boxer Dog when we see them. We get nothing in return. PERHAPS a look of disgust, but usually just a head down and move to the other side of the street.

Joe and I went garage sale hopping last Saturday and hit one up directly behind our house a bit. We left Ryker in the car and he started barking. Joe went to check on him only to report that Boxer Lady and Boxer Dog were walking by. He also noted that Boxer Lady stopped and looked like she was going to say something to Joe, but shook her head and kept walking.

THEN today, Ryker and I were saying goodbye to Joe as he left for the day. I usually wave from the poarch and Ryker eats leaves (don't ask me, I have no clue). But today, he caught a wiff and Joe did not warn us from his vantage point of the street. You guessed it. Boxer Lady and Boxer Dog.

Ryker started sprinting and whining. Joe and I both called. He stopped and started coming back where I grabbed his collar and said good dog as we went back to the house. (Please note, that Ryker DID listen and didn't leave our property! Go Ryk!) Meantime Boxer Lady has the look of fear in her eyes and is jerking up on 80 lb Boxer Dog's leash (also note that Ryk is 40 lbs and a head shorter). UGHHH!

This is the only dog Ryker has ever shown aggression towards and I believe it is because they tussled, the boxer is a bigger dog, he's protecting me and his territory AND most of all, they've never been introduced properly.

This lady grates at me. She makes me mad and sad. And the only conversations I've had with her is when she's yelling at me or accusing me. I try to be nice, I try to smile. But I think I am over it. AND if we're such the spawns of satan that we seem to be, why does she keep walking by our house??

It is silly I know. But I pray about it and just hope that God shows me what he'll have me do. In the meantime, I hope I just don't have to see her. Boo.