Well, Boone has already proven his necessity in our house! If you don’t know it already, I am an accident-prone klutz. There are probably more klutzy people than me, but I do tend to make some awkward and embarrassing errors. They are usually hilarious... but, last Thursday’s would not have been.
On Thursday I was exhausted when I came home from work. I took Boone outside for a bit, brought him back in, and then started dinner. (Rosemary citrus chicken - yummy!) I had originally planned to grill the chicken, but Andy was coming home late so I decided to resort to option two. I seared the chicken on the stove and then placed it in an oven-safe pan and stuck it in the oven at 375. I went upstairs to read some Harry Potter. (I’m halfway through the Half Blood Prince now.)
In what must have been less than 10 minutes, my reading was interrupted by Boone making a huge ruckus. I go downstairs, and he’s sitting there barking up a storm. It takes one look to realize why. The entire stovetop is smoking, and I realize that the kitchen is full of smoke. Then my attention is drawn to the oven, where there is a nice little flaming fire raging on the bottom. Unbeknownst to me, a considerable part of the banana bread I made the previous Sunday fell out of the pan as it was baking and landed on top of one of the bottom coils. It was now on fire. I turned off the oven, opened it, pored a ton of baking soda on the fire... and then closed the oven again.
When Andy got home we had charbroiled chicken - fully cooked in only a half an hour. It was very good chicken. Thankfully I had taken the time to sear it, otherwise it would have been bone-dry! Boone got a big treat, and the new status of super-hero. Had he not have alerted me, the fire could have become much bigger!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Preparations (Old Site)
After receiving a few emails today inquiring about an update, I decided that I should probably post one up. I had planned to do it on Monday, but things have been a little hectic, and my camera battery was dead, so... yeah.
Why are we busy? Well, there’s the obvious answer in Boone. He had another vet appointment last week, and he enjoys seeing the vet! I think they enjoy him also because some of them come in for work on their day off just because he’s coming in. He was 22.7 pounds last Saturday. He’s a big boy! We have been mastering two things for the past week... fetch and the leash. Boone and I now play fetch for probably almost an hour collectively throughout the day. We got a rubber ball for him last weekend that is now his new favorite toy. He actually will bring it to me and drop it at my feet when he wants me to play. I love it! We took the advice of friends and vet and also purchased a harness to practice the leash thing. It is making a world of difference. I posted some 12 week old pictures to his album.
Work has picked up for both of us... summer is almost over, and the trees here must be confused because they are already turning red and brown. In August? Insanity... But with the hurricanes and other weather events still happening world wide, who knows what to expect right now? I’m just hoping that we do not have a repeat wind storm this year.
Last week we got to welcome in a new baby... my friend Carleigh had her little boy on Thursday. I got to go see them on Friday - he is very, very cute!
But keeping me up at night now are thoughts of our homestudy. A lot of you know that Andy and I started the adoption process six months ago. The first, long, step in the adoption process is to complete a homestudy. The culmination is a visit by a case worker to your home. During the visit you are interviewed together and separately, and you are showing your home so that the case worker can decide if you and your environment are acceptable for a child. Many of you know that we’ve hit some unexpected bumps during the homestudy process, which were mostly outside of our control, but we are back on track for our home visit next Friday, the 31st. I know that Andy and I are acceptable as parents, and I know that we have a good home. But I just can’t stop obsessing over the fact that one person gets to judge how adequate we are. I’ve come to terms with my fertility and I am excited about adoption. But there are some things that I don’t think I’ll ever completely understand... why does it have to be so difficult to adopt, when so many children either need a home or are in a bad one? I’ll drop my thoughts there...
So, that is what the Kovars have been doing for the last week and a half. Andy is very excited because the “best video game ever” came out yesterday... Bioshock. (He is sitting next to me playing it right now.) Oh, and I finished reading Book 5 of Harry Potter again... finally.... so I can now go see the movie, and I’m onto Book 6. Book 7 is in my bedroom, patiently waiting for me to hurry it up. Between Boone, work and homestudy I just do not have the time for reading that I used to!
Why are we busy? Well, there’s the obvious answer in Boone. He had another vet appointment last week, and he enjoys seeing the vet! I think they enjoy him also because some of them come in for work on their day off just because he’s coming in. He was 22.7 pounds last Saturday. He’s a big boy! We have been mastering two things for the past week... fetch and the leash. Boone and I now play fetch for probably almost an hour collectively throughout the day. We got a rubber ball for him last weekend that is now his new favorite toy. He actually will bring it to me and drop it at my feet when he wants me to play. I love it! We took the advice of friends and vet and also purchased a harness to practice the leash thing. It is making a world of difference. I posted some 12 week old pictures to his album.
Work has picked up for both of us... summer is almost over, and the trees here must be confused because they are already turning red and brown. In August? Insanity... But with the hurricanes and other weather events still happening world wide, who knows what to expect right now? I’m just hoping that we do not have a repeat wind storm this year.
Last week we got to welcome in a new baby... my friend Carleigh had her little boy on Thursday. I got to go see them on Friday - he is very, very cute!
But keeping me up at night now are thoughts of our homestudy. A lot of you know that Andy and I started the adoption process six months ago. The first, long, step in the adoption process is to complete a homestudy. The culmination is a visit by a case worker to your home. During the visit you are interviewed together and separately, and you are showing your home so that the case worker can decide if you and your environment are acceptable for a child. Many of you know that we’ve hit some unexpected bumps during the homestudy process, which were mostly outside of our control, but we are back on track for our home visit next Friday, the 31st. I know that Andy and I are acceptable as parents, and I know that we have a good home. But I just can’t stop obsessing over the fact that one person gets to judge how adequate we are. I’ve come to terms with my fertility and I am excited about adoption. But there are some things that I don’t think I’ll ever completely understand... why does it have to be so difficult to adopt, when so many children either need a home or are in a bad one? I’ll drop my thoughts there...
So, that is what the Kovars have been doing for the last week and a half. Andy is very excited because the “best video game ever” came out yesterday... Bioshock. (He is sitting next to me playing it right now.) Oh, and I finished reading Book 5 of Harry Potter again... finally.... so I can now go see the movie, and I’m onto Book 6. Book 7 is in my bedroom, patiently waiting for me to hurry it up. Between Boone, work and homestudy I just do not have the time for reading that I used to!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Boone is Eleven Weeks Old Today (Old Site)
Today Boone turned eleven weeks old, and he has now been with us for just over two weeks. These two weeks have definitely been different in our house. I am now sleeping when the puppy is sleeping, which means that I am going to bed one hour early and waking up two hours earlier than I used to. .. But, he is sleeping a solid six hours through the night - which I didn’t really expect at his age. However tired I may be, it is definitely worth it... Boone is developing into a wonderful dog!
I am pretty comfortable in saying that he is now house-broken. He only had three accidents total... and is already trained at going to sit by the back door when he needs to go out. I am amazed at this... I was expecting a much longer ... and messier ... experience.
His favorite toys are a big rope, a trainer ball (it is a big ball with a little ball inside), and tennis balls. His favorite game with all of the toys is the same... We throw it, he runs and grabs it, comes and runs a couple of circles around us and then drops down so that we can grab it and throw it again. He especially likes doing this in the back yard where he can run farther and faster. He’s quite the runner!
Boone understands several commands already... outside, home, in, off, sit, and down. Now I am working on stay, so far it is not very successful. He will lay down really quickly for me, but I think he jumps up faster than he went down! We’ve also started getting him used to a loose leash, and we still have a long way to go on that... for now, the leash spends a lot of time in his mouth.
Most of our neighbors have met Boone in the last two weeks, and I think he especially enjoys watching our neighbor’s big black lab, Shadow. Boone will sit inside the house, at the window by the front door, watching Shadow for over ten minutes. That’s a long time for this little puppy to sit still! We are excited to introduce him to Shadow and the other dogs on our street once he is fully immunized.
In the last week Boone changed considerably and is looking a lot older than he did when we first met him! He is good at letting me brush him, handle his paws and touch his mouth. He definitely is nipping - like a normal puppy. I was really excited a few days ago when he seemed to start understanding that his teeth don’t feel good to us. (We’ve been yelping when he bites us.) He has started giving us kisses instead... with the occasional nip... but that’s progress!
I am pretty comfortable in saying that he is now house-broken. He only had three accidents total... and is already trained at going to sit by the back door when he needs to go out. I am amazed at this... I was expecting a much longer ... and messier ... experience.
His favorite toys are a big rope, a trainer ball (it is a big ball with a little ball inside), and tennis balls. His favorite game with all of the toys is the same... We throw it, he runs and grabs it, comes and runs a couple of circles around us and then drops down so that we can grab it and throw it again. He especially likes doing this in the back yard where he can run farther and faster. He’s quite the runner!
Boone understands several commands already... outside, home, in, off, sit, and down. Now I am working on stay, so far it is not very successful. He will lay down really quickly for me, but I think he jumps up faster than he went down! We’ve also started getting him used to a loose leash, and we still have a long way to go on that... for now, the leash spends a lot of time in his mouth.
Most of our neighbors have met Boone in the last two weeks, and I think he especially enjoys watching our neighbor’s big black lab, Shadow. Boone will sit inside the house, at the window by the front door, watching Shadow for over ten minutes. That’s a long time for this little puppy to sit still! We are excited to introduce him to Shadow and the other dogs on our street once he is fully immunized.
In the last week Boone changed considerably and is looking a lot older than he did when we first met him! He is good at letting me brush him, handle his paws and touch his mouth. He definitely is nipping - like a normal puppy. I was really excited a few days ago when he seemed to start understanding that his teeth don’t feel good to us. (We’ve been yelping when he bites us.) He has started giving us kisses instead... with the occasional nip... but that’s progress!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Boyce Beacon and Beild (Old Site)
I’m a little tardy in getting this up... but better late than never, right? We spent a week in the Washington DC area for a family reunion on my Dad’s side. It was a lot of fun! (It was also quite humid!!!) I am posting a new photo album today to hold the pictures from DC... so the majority of them will be there. We accomplished quite a bit in DC/Virginia/Pennsylvania, it was a packed trip! Since I hadn’t been to DC since 8th grade, and don’t know when I will go back... I wanted to take advantage of the time we had!
Andy and I went early, leaving Washington State on Saturday. We met Daja and her family in Crystal City that night. The next morning we woke up and had our first DC metro experience. I think we looked a little helpless - four adults and three children trying to figure out the system map - but an attendant took pity on us and showed us how to work the system. We went over to the Foggy Bottom station and then walked to see the White House. From there we went down the mall, past the Washington, WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln and Korean memorials. My favorite of all of them was the WWII Memorial. It is a series of columns in an oval, one for each state and territory in the US. In the middle there is a huge, peaceful fountain. Inside there are a ton of quotes from the war, and there is also a field of stars on the back wall. I also really enjoyed the Lincoln Memorial, because as you look back from it you have a full view of the Washington Memorial, reflecting pool and the Capital. After seeing all of that we walked back to the Smithsonian station and took the metro back to Crystal City. We were exhausted, thirsty, and sore... but it was a fun day!
The next day we had to drive over to Pennsylvania for the real family reunion. Getting around DC was harder than I had imagined. In a five minute period we saw both the Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon. We hadn’t wanted to see either that day! We finally made it out of DC and survived the crazy Virginian and Maryland drivers to make it to Chambersburg. When we got there we spent some time visiting with family and then went to the local Wal Mart... great times in Pennsylvania! My sisters Keira and Liel arrived that night... and my parents started the beginning of an unwanted adventure with their airline. (They ended up finally making it probably 12 hours after they were scheduled to arrive.)
The next day was picture day. We all donned t-shirts that had been printed with the reunion logo (Boyce Beacon and Beild.) Pictures took awhile with so many people, but the kids seemed to enjoy their free time while they waited! Then we headed over to tour Gettysburg. The tour that we took gave us a lot of information that I wouldn’t have known on my own... it was very interesting to learn all about the three day battle. We could have stayed there for another day just to see more of the landmarks.
Wednesday was Hershey’s day. We went over to chocolate world and rode through their little tour. The kids got to make their own kisses, which they seemed to enjoy!
On Thursday Andy, Liel and I left a little earlier than the others and headed back to Arlington, VA for the Arlington National Cemetary. (This time it was going to be more than a detour trying to leave the state!) There we saw the Kennedy graves and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also got to see the changing of the guard, which was very interesting. Then we met everyone else in the Museum of Flight (or is it the Museum of Air and Space?) After that we walked over to the Museum of Natural History, and took a pit stop at a nice cool fountain, where almost everyone stuck their feet into the pool... it was very hot that day! I actually enjoyed the Museum of Natural History more than the Air and Space Museum. We eventually headed back to our hotel and had dinner... then everyone headed back out for a nighttime walk down the Mall. The WWII and Lincoln monuments were even better at night. My feet hurt really bad by the time we made it back to the hotel though!!!
The next day Andy and I took it easy... we were tuckered out! We went to the National Archives to see the constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. That was really very interesting. We wish that we would have gone with Daja’s family to the Postal Museum... and I kind of wanted to go to the Ford Theater... but oh well!
All in all this was a very fun trip... not the relaxation we had in Hawaii, but very informative, and it was nice to see so many relatives. It was hard to leave for home!
Andy and I went early, leaving Washington State on Saturday. We met Daja and her family in Crystal City that night. The next morning we woke up and had our first DC metro experience. I think we looked a little helpless - four adults and three children trying to figure out the system map - but an attendant took pity on us and showed us how to work the system. We went over to the Foggy Bottom station and then walked to see the White House. From there we went down the mall, past the Washington, WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln and Korean memorials. My favorite of all of them was the WWII Memorial. It is a series of columns in an oval, one for each state and territory in the US. In the middle there is a huge, peaceful fountain. Inside there are a ton of quotes from the war, and there is also a field of stars on the back wall. I also really enjoyed the Lincoln Memorial, because as you look back from it you have a full view of the Washington Memorial, reflecting pool and the Capital. After seeing all of that we walked back to the Smithsonian station and took the metro back to Crystal City. We were exhausted, thirsty, and sore... but it was a fun day!
The next day we had to drive over to Pennsylvania for the real family reunion. Getting around DC was harder than I had imagined. In a five minute period we saw both the Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon. We hadn’t wanted to see either that day! We finally made it out of DC and survived the crazy Virginian and Maryland drivers to make it to Chambersburg. When we got there we spent some time visiting with family and then went to the local Wal Mart... great times in Pennsylvania! My sisters Keira and Liel arrived that night... and my parents started the beginning of an unwanted adventure with their airline. (They ended up finally making it probably 12 hours after they were scheduled to arrive.)
The next day was picture day. We all donned t-shirts that had been printed with the reunion logo (Boyce Beacon and Beild.) Pictures took awhile with so many people, but the kids seemed to enjoy their free time while they waited! Then we headed over to tour Gettysburg. The tour that we took gave us a lot of information that I wouldn’t have known on my own... it was very interesting to learn all about the three day battle. We could have stayed there for another day just to see more of the landmarks.
Wednesday was Hershey’s day. We went over to chocolate world and rode through their little tour. The kids got to make their own kisses, which they seemed to enjoy!
On Thursday Andy, Liel and I left a little earlier than the others and headed back to Arlington, VA for the Arlington National Cemetary. (This time it was going to be more than a detour trying to leave the state!) There we saw the Kennedy graves and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also got to see the changing of the guard, which was very interesting. Then we met everyone else in the Museum of Flight (or is it the Museum of Air and Space?) After that we walked over to the Museum of Natural History, and took a pit stop at a nice cool fountain, where almost everyone stuck their feet into the pool... it was very hot that day! I actually enjoyed the Museum of Natural History more than the Air and Space Museum. We eventually headed back to our hotel and had dinner... then everyone headed back out for a nighttime walk down the Mall. The WWII and Lincoln monuments were even better at night. My feet hurt really bad by the time we made it back to the hotel though!!!
The next day Andy and I took it easy... we were tuckered out! We went to the National Archives to see the constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. That was really very interesting. We wish that we would have gone with Daja’s family to the Postal Museum... and I kind of wanted to go to the Ford Theater... but oh well!
All in all this was a very fun trip... not the relaxation we had in Hawaii, but very informative, and it was nice to see so many relatives. It was hard to leave for home!
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