I Feel The Need . . . The Need For Speed.

I *love* October.  Everything about it.  The cool air, the leaves, the hooded sweatshirts, the pumpkins . . . okay, so really the only thing Las Vegas has in that list is the pumpkins.  And since it's the only real piece of October we get, we do it BIG.  We visit almost every pumpkin patch in the Valley and really get into the totally cheesy "fall" festivals.

And, of course, after visiting all these pumpkin patches, we can't slack on the decorating.  We learned out first year here that carving + 90 degree temps = disgusting mess so we've embraced the painted pumpkins.  I'd say we are really starting to get the hang of it too. :)

Matty got two gourds and a small pumpkin this year.  And Daddy ROCKED the paint job.

Jonathan and I each did our own, but we couldn't leave Oskar out, so he graciously allowed Jonathan to paint his for him. Lack of opposable thumbs really puts a damper on his painting skills.

Our community does a "Trunk-or-Treat" event at the park a few days before Halloween, which is perfect for us because Matty is still too small to really get into trick-or-treating and (to be honest) neither he (nor I) need all that candy in the house.  This year, he decided he wanted to be Daddy for Halloween.  We already had the flight suit; a little spiked hair and a tiny pair of aviators brought the whole thing together.

"That's right, Mommy.  I am . . . dangerous."

And it just wouldn't be Halloween without me dressing Oskar in a ridiculous costume and making him hide from me for about two weeks afterwards.  I found this one at PetSmart for 75% off, and I caught him mid-yawn, making it appear he was REALLY getting into character.  If I was good with Photoshop, I'd draw some flames coming out of his mouth. :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Desert Hiking

I love being a mom.  Don't get me wrong:  I really do.  But sometimes I miss the freedom of just being able to pack up my pup and go exploring.  Before Matty was born, Oskar and I used to just take off walking and see where we ended up.  Well, not so much in Korea, but in Germany--yes.  We'd venture off the beaten path, just the two of us, and usually end up seeing some pretty amazing things.  Our ability to just "get up and go" has dwindled with a little one; we have to schedule adventures around naptimes and meals and also take into account trails that Matty can walk (or I can handle doing while lugging a 30 pound kid around).  Needless to say, Oskar and I don't go exploring too often anymore.

But this morning, I decided that needed to change.  I needed to get out of the city; Oskar needed some exercise; and we both needed some QT together.  So I left Matty with his dad, and the two of us ventured to the edge of the city, where the blacktop ended in desert, and we just got out and walked.  Fellow Las Vegans--did you know the Red Rock Conservation area comes all the way up to the edge of the city?  You don't have to drive all the way out on Charleston to get to it.  

   

And so, we hiked.  Yes, it was hot.  Yes, we were walking through not-as-pretty-as-Indiana scenery.  But, for the first time in a long time, it was just me and my pup.  I could feel the stress melting out of my body (along with a few gallons of sweat.  It was 9AM but already in the 90s).  

The desert really is pretty in its own way, right?  I could have hiked much longer, but Oskar's tongue was soon dragging in the sand, and he was desperately searching for shade under a cactus.  

But it felt nice to get out of the city, even if it was only by a few miles, and just hike.  Looking forward to doing it again soon (but anytime you want to drop the temps, Mother Nature, I'd be fine with that).

A Boy and His Dog

I have to admit:  I was a little worried about how Oskar would react to MJ.  Oskar has been my love, my best friend, my baby for the past four years, and I wasn't quite sure how he was going to take having to be put second in my life.  

And, let's be honest, my dog isn't the friendliest.  He is a typical wiener dog:  fiercely loyal to those in his pack but, boy will you know if he does NOT consider you part of his pack.  His protectiveness is one of the things I both love and hate about him.  I love that he wants to save me from every dog, stranger, and leaf blowing across the street, but it can be a pain to introduce new friends to him, especially friends with kids, who are often terrified by such a loud bark coming out of such a small package.  And yes, let's not mince words:  he is not good with kids.  He doesn't bite, but he has a very low tolerance for the shenanigans of children--especially when those shenanigans involve yelling, chasing him around, pulling his ears, and yanking on his tail.

 Putting all this together, you can see why I was a nervous wreck about bringing a baby into the house. I knew he would never hurt MJ, but I worried that he would be jealous enough to snip at him or have to be kept outside or away from him at all times.  I just wanted all my boys to get along.

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about.  From the first time they met . . . 

. . . Oskar took an immediate protective vibe over MJ.  He was always there, watching us carefully . . .

. . . making sure we didn't hurt him.  If MJ cried, Oskar would jump up to alert us (as if we couldn't hear it).

And if MJ was within his reach, he was sure to be covered in kisses.  Yes, it was probably just Oskar trying to lick up spit-up, but it's cute anyway.

And it wasn't long before MJ started to take an interest in Oskar, too.  But Oskar would usually stay just out of reach, in case those clumsy fingers somehow managed to grab a handful of ear . . . 

. . . unless those hands had leftover food on them.

And once MJ started to get mobile, Oskar became his teacher . . . 

. . . and his source of entertainment.

Luckily, it seems my fears were unfounded.  Matty is in the full-fledged yelling, chasing, ear-pulling, tail-yanking phase . . . and Oskar takes it all in stride.  He may have grumpy days and times when he wants to be left alone but, for the most part, MJ gets away with so much more than any other kid EVER would.  And sometimes, when he thinks I'm not looking, he's actually even sweet to him . . . 

Most importantly, however, there are lots of smiles . . . 

. . . and laughs when it comes to the two of them.

I never have to look far to find either one of them.  Wherever one is, there's the other.

Nothing like the love between a boy and his dog.  My cup runneth over. :)

Road Trip!

One of the many things we are thankful for this Thanksgiving season is an amazing group of friends we've made through our time in the Air Force.  A large group of them are currently stationed in Tucson, Arizona, which just happens to be the half-way point between Las Vegas and Alamagordo, New Mexico, where Jonathan is currently training.  With only a few days to spare for the break, we decided the best thing to do to get the maximum amount of time together was to meet at this half-way spot, and our amazing group of friends opened up their hearts and homes to us during our stay.

So you know what that means. . . road trip!  That right:  it was me, an almost 4-month-old, and a wiener dog in a car for 7 hours (9 hours when it was all said and done).  It could have been a disaster, but both my boys were awesome; two stops for gas/feeding/diaper changes/potty, one major slow-down for construction, and two hairy traffic situations, and we all made it safely and--most importantly--sanely in Tucson.

I arrived in Tucson a few days before Jonathan so I could enjoy some time with some of my best girlfriends before he got there.  And while I enjoyed some much-needed girl time, Matty got the rockstar treatment from everyone he met, especially my friend's little girl Skylar.

After Jonathan arrived, we stayed a night in a hotel to enjoy some alone time as a family.  It was MJ's first time in a hotel but--of course--he rocked it.  No fussing, no screaming. . . just quality time with Mom and Dad, including some breakfast and SportsCenter in bed with Daddy in the morning (and yes, he really is watching SportsCenter in this picture).

The day after Thanksgiving we ignored the Black Friday deals and spent the day at Old Tucson with another group of friends of ours.  Jonathan and I had been there together when we were dating 6 years ago; it was strange to be there again, married with a kid.  

MJ didn't care so much about the park, and the Old Western "gunshow" even scared him a bit. . . but snuggles with Daddy were the highlight of his day. :)

He even got to ride the Old Tucson train curled up against Daddy's chest. . . 

The rest of our time in Tucson involved lots of time with family and friends, and even a girls' night out while the daddies watched the kiddos.  It was a much-needed break from the "single mom" life, and I wasn't ready for it to end!  Thank you again to all of our wonderful friends who made us feel so welcome during our stay.  

Oh, and if you're wondering if there was anything special for Oskar on this trip, well. . . he was reunited with his girlfriend Meg after over a year apart.  He was ecstatic at first but eventually gave up and just wanted to play with her toys.  It was as if no time or distance had passed between them at all.  But, then again, true love knows no limits. :)

Merry. . . Thanksgiving?

I've always made it a rule not to put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  I LOVE Christmas, but I do agree with the "one holiday at a time" rule.  However, since we're spending Thanksgiving away from home this year, including the day after Thanksgiving (the traditional put-up-the-tree day), I decided to decorate early.  I wanted the house to be cozy and Christmas-y when the boys and I returned from Tucson.  It was no easy task considering that all of our decorations were on the top shelf in our garage surrounded by odds and ends that are waiting to find their new home in Illinois (a bar? Yeah, like we have room for THAT in our house).  Anyways, with only a couple of falls, a few dropped boxes, and (luckily) no broken backs, I managed to decorate the inside of the house. . . all while MJ was napping. :)

And, of course, it wouldn't be Christmas unless half our light strands didn't work so, as soon as we return, a trip to Target will be in order to grab some lights for the banister. . . and I'm going to ATTEMPT to put up Christmas lights outside.  THAT should be even more interesting than the acrobatics I performed to get the decorations out of the garage!

Anyways, MJ was mesmerized when he woke up from his nap.  One guess at what he's looking at in this picture. . . 

And he continued to stare at the tree for the rest of the afternoon.  Pretty soon, I gave up trying to play with him and just gave him some tummy time in front of the lights.  Oskar decided to join him. :)

Merry. . . Thanksgiving, everyone?

Let Me Entertain You

Yesterday was my first day attempting a single parent TDY.  After more than a few tears and a couple of panic attacks, Jonathan headed out the door, leaving me behind with two faces looking at me expectantly:

"So, now what?"

After a couple of minutes of staring at each other blinking, I decided a day out was just what we needed. It was a beautiful day in Las Vegas so we headed to Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, only a short 10 minute drive away.  We had been here once before with Jonathan when it was 110 degrees, but I figured it might be much more pleasant to try it now when it was only in the mid-70's.

There is a gorgeous view of the mountains from the park, made even more magnificent by the recent drop in temperatures---low enough to get some SNOW on their peaks!

The park looks completely out of place in the middle of the desert, as it's GREEN and dotted with several natural ponds.  The area was actually an oasis used by settlers crossing Nevada.  It's the one place I can go in this town and pretend I'm back in Indiana (minus the mountains, of course!)

Oskar didn't know what to do with all this GRASS!  He was in heaven!

The place is CRAWLING with all kinds of birds, especially ducks.  Oskar was extremely well-behaved considering the circumstances, though he did eye them for a loooooong time as if to say, "You guys are LUCKY my mom is here and she won't let me off this leash."

But the ducks kept pushing their luck, getting closer and closer. . . 

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.  This picture was taken completely by accident.  I was trying to take a picture of the mountains when Oskar snapped and took off running after the ducks.  My phone went flying and somehow managed to take this picture of Oskar in action.

After walking around the park for about an hour, we were tired (and a little tired of the crowd--this place is VERY popular with locals. . . especially on the weekend) so we headed home.  It seemed to have been a hit, though, because Oskar slept the rest of the day, and when I asked Matty what he thought of our outing, I got this face:

Now I just have to figure out how to entertain them for the REST of our 4 month TDY. . .  ;)

A Play-date With My Other Child (the Furry One)

I've had a serious lack of posts about our "first-born" on here lately, but rest assured:  Oskar is still getting plenty of attention in the Wright household.  He LOVES his little brother, but he does get a little jealous about how much time MJ takes away from HIS time with Mommy.  So one recent afternoon, I left Matty with Jonathan and took Oskar to a local dog park for some "mommy and me" time.

I'll give Vegas credit:  it has a LOT of city parks, which I absolutely love.  They are currently building one right across from our sub-division, and I cannot WAIT until it's finished.  Until then, we've been scoping out various parks around the area, and I decided to take Oskar to Winding Trails Park today.

The park was small but not crowded (which I appreciate), and it had two separate doggy play areas, one for big dogs and one for small dogs.  Which do you think Oskar went to?

"What do you mean I'm not a big dog?!"

This park was a little LOT different from the dog park in Korea.  Mainly. . . there was no grass!  Ahh. . . life in the desert.

But it was MUCH bigger and with far less dog feces than the one in Korea, too, so Oskar and I were happy.  He had a blast running around and chasing his ball but, even though it's October, it's still EXTREMELY hot in Vegas, and it wasn't long before he began grabbing his ball and heading straight for the nearest shade tree.  Can you spot the wiener dog in this picture?

"Alright, Mom, this has been fun. . . but I am ROASTING out here!"

And the best thing about this dog park?  You have to take a car ride to get there! :)