YouTube channel

All, in an effort to maximize Julian's web exposure ;), we are moving our operation to Youtube for a while since the Blogger site does not handle videos well.  Please check the YouTube link below for updates....

http://www.youtube.com/user/stuckinthemud1113

Hope everyone is having a great summer.

Terry

Little Boy

Some candid shots from this weekend....it's all about tractors, bikes and sunglasses at the moment...as long as "Julesy do it," it's considered acceptable.

Dancing Machine

Stuck in the Mud

Julesy is loving his new tractor from Papa Holt...he has taken to re-enacting a scene from his favorite truck book where the truck gets "stuck in the mud." It's "too hard" to get out and then the bush pokes him and makes his "butt hurt" in the last frame. Too funny.

Caught red handed

He looks so innocent doesn't he? Well he is and he isnt; we have a saying around our house nowadays that, when it's too quiet, something's going on. So when after dinner the other night we couldn't "find" Julesy because he had cordoned himself off in the pantry (as he often does to do some "hidin'" and catch up on some uninterrupted independence), Brenna peaked in and discovered this gluttonous scene. It seems someone found the cereal and felt it necessary to go to town on it. Snack right after dinner you barely ate? Sure kid, why not, do whatever you need to do, mommy and daddy will try again tomorrow to regain control ;-).

The Big Day

Julesy had a great birthday, and is definitely convinced that he is a "big boy" now! He wore his crown and had a pizza to celebrate, then dove into some presents that showed up in a shopping cart! We had fun unveiling his new easel and, as always, somebody ends up pooped in a chair with a "boggle*."

*Speaking of "boggle", since J's birthday, we all agreed (2 out of 3 anyway) that it was time to give up the bottle, because there are "babies that need them and big boys use cups" when they're 2. So we had a short but sweet "ceremony" where we let Julesy take each bottle and say bye-bye, as he put them in a bag. We left the bag on the porch for the stork to pick up for other babies to use. First night was a challenge, but after night three we are doing quite well...we'll see...stay tuned.

Egg Hunt

Julesy had a blast at our local Easter egg hunt this past weekend - it was held indoors due to rain, but the kids had a blast finding eggs (and even sharing with those less fortunate, see below), making crafts, hanging with friends and eating yummy cookies!

Happy 2nd Birthday Julesy!!

It's hard to believe that this tiny little bundle is now a full fledged little boy!! I am lost for words I think. I'll just say that being Julian's daddy has been the hardest thing I've ever loved. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

Happy Birthday little buddy!! Mommy & Daddy love you.

Julesy at 1 day old

Julesy at 1 year

Julesy at 2

Scootin'

A few pics of Julesy after we got him an impromptu little scooter last weekend. He was smitten with it and as you can see, after the requisite rear suspension adjustment, he had a blast trying it out!

Dancing

Ready-Set-Wrecking ball

Little Boy

Amazing what a little haircut can do...Julesy boy is looking all grown up!

Dickens (1996-2011)

After 13 great years together, we lost our faithful companion, Dickens, last week . Our great friend Dave Strickland surprised us with his introspective Eulogy for Dickens (see below) - this only emphasizes the impact this furry little bear had on us all. He was the sweetest, gentlest soul we have ever encountered and he will be sorely missed.

Our Mutual Friend

As I sat this morning, with my freshly arisen youngest daughter at an hour far too early for somber news, I received word of Dickens’ passing. Though he had lived a long and full life, this news still managed to open up deep feelings of loss even across the continent. A decade ago, I would have considered this odd. You see, the world is populated with two types of people: dog people and cat people. In my life experience, I had always considered myself a member of the former camp. But Dickens would have none of that.

Dickens arrived in the Holt/Zimmer household as a handsome and complicated new member of the family. It was through my lengthy association with Dickens that I realized the distinct traits I had long associated with dogs, my dogs, were perhaps not as well defined as I had assumed. Cats seemed to have more depth in expressing their emotions, while dogs were more static in their expressions. It was disheartening that happiness, fear, sadness and constipation were all characterized by the same expression among dogs. Dickens seemed to wield a colorful palette of moods and could emote on a level that approached human capacity. My time with Dickens was somewhat frustrating because I never had any desire to feel affection for cats and because I hate it when the baseless opinions that I hold strongly are proven wrong. It is especially disappointing when a cat serves in the role of destroyer of my illusions.

Dickens water torture

When I think of Dickens, I remember the process involved in assisting him in hydration. Dickens took some of the genetic hallmarks that characterized the Himalayan breed to the extreme. The fur around his bunched up eyes, nose and mouth did not simply frame his face, it created a concave helmet of hair that shot forward from his head, almost making seem as if he was being thrust backward at top speed. This also meant that when he dipped his head to sip from a bowl of water, the tips of that fur could be submerged even before his mouth and tongue could reach his goal. Thus, simply drinking from a bowl took on the appearance of bobbing for apples, the complete submergence of his face a requirement to appease his thirst. Ever the attendant parents, Terry and Brenna figured out a solution to this challenge. They purchased a “fountain” style bowl that featured a weak jet of water that rose in an arc allowing Dickens to drink. Failing that, because Dickens was nothing if not fickle, one could simply fill a syringe with water and shoot it out at a downward angle over the sink with the cat perched on the edge of the porcelain. When it was my responsibility to care for Dickens, and Edie, when the Holt/Zimmers left home, I accepted my daily tasks with equal parts incredulity and amusement. When I teased my friends relentlessly about the high maintenance nature of their pet, my jests were met cold stares suggesting that my ability to even execute the tasks assigned to me were being called into serious question – and that a replacement may need to be sought. Over the years, I learned the right way to empty the syringe in pursuit of the desired result; I saw the necessity in mounding his food in pyramid fashion; and, though I lamented the “duty”, I accepting the responsibility of grooming the feline in the absence of his parents, which often included extensive work in the field of fur and fecal maintenance.

For Terry and Brenna

When a long standing member of the family is lost, it is felt in many ways. For you both, the era of Dickens marks a period of your life that was extraordinary. All of your journeys featured Dickie riding shotgun: a constant and indelible presence throughout the rocky but beautiful waters of life. Like the most devoted parents, you both were able to see only the best in your boy. When I felt that the unique brand of Dickens chaos woulc create circumstances would result in exasperation or anger as an appropriate response, I more often saw your heads cocked to one side, a tsk-tsk-ing “oh Dickie” being elicited instead. In his years with us, you always gave him what he needed. When Dickens required a tissue to clear his watering eyes, you applied it. When he was lonely, you found him a new sister. When he needed someone to scratch his itch, you were, now and forever, his bitch.

Full of the Dickens

For me, I accept that my predisposition towards the canine species will always be more of an open question than it has been in the past – though it will never completely shift, as I consider this akin to a gender change in mid-life, possible but unlikely.

As Mae sits, bouncing on my knee, I remember an oft-used expression of those that grew up in a different era, in the Midwest – full of the dickens. Actually intended to describe one as being full of the devil, I think that we have established a new meaning that is ultimately far less sinister. May your days and thoughts always be filled with Dickens.

Bathy Time

Just playing with our new camera this week - Julesy, freshly 21 months old.

More Winter Fun

We have been getting more snow than we know what to do with and we have now amassed a 7' mountain in the front yard that Julian is still trying to summit. He consistently asks to "Shaaaaavuuulll", so we indulge him...when he's of course not busy vacuuming, mopping or sweeping.

Winter

Some random shots of the goings on at our house so far this winter. From hanging outside in our huge snow piles, to riding the tractor to cut down the Christmas tree, to trying on every pair shoes mommy and daddy own, to a great trip to Austin...we have had a busy winter already! See if you can pick out which shot is from Austin!