Ollie

In mid-June we joyfully added a new addition to our family....a puppy!  We are pleased to introduce you to Sir Oliver Wyatt Spaulding... Ollie for short.  He is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and because of his regal heritage, he of course needed a very British regal name.  Oliver was just the perfect English name with a cute nickname. And Wyatt is his father's name. 

The boys had been asking us for a puppy for quite awhile after we visited our friends, the Lapours back in 2021 who also have a tri-color Cavalier like Ollie. We started to research the breed and really liked all the traits and characteristics--good natured, friendly, good with kids, easily trainable, smaller, snuggly but also active, doesn't shed too much, etc. The breed seemed to check all the boxes for us and what we were looking for in a dog. We did a lot of research and thinking and then decided that 2023 was a great time to get a dog with the kids' ages and now that I have a hybrid work schedule and am home a couple days a week.  We knew we wanted to get the puppy in the spring or summer since that would be easier weather-wise.  So we started calling breeders in Feb/March. We found breeders called Cavaliers of Grace Victoria Manor (so bougie!) out of Fall City.  The couple actually moved to Utah, but their family is still here and they still bring litters up to the area a couple times a year. We talked to them on the phone and fell in love with them instantly because they were so kind, were exactly from our area and one of their dogs (named Paris!) was pregnant and due in June which was our ideal timeframe. We also had first pick of a boy. So we paid a deposit and started to prepare.

Similar to having kids, you can never truly prepare.  You can get all the supplies and gear, but you never truly know how the experience will change your life. Ollie was born on April 19.  And about 2 months later we drove out to Duvall and met our breeders to pick him up on June 15 to bring him home. And what a sweet, wonderful, amazing, hard, and wild ride it's been since. He is such a wonderful dog and brings so much joy to our household. But it has definitely felt like we brought a 3rd kid into our lives. It's been a change to our routine and requires constant commitment because we want to have a really well trained dog. But also he's taught us so much about unconditional love and has helped us be more present and enjoy the simple things in life. Now I can't even imagine our family without Ollie.

Here are some of the most significant memories and highlights since June:

• Our neighbors got us connected to Lizz Watson--the most amazing dog trainer in the world. She has been a godsend. She's literally been with us since day one (she came over the day Ollie arrived!) I don't think we would have enjoyed having a puppy as much without Lizz. She has taught us so much (and is still teaching us) about how to be responsible dog owners and create a pleasant, obedient and well mannered dog.  Ollie just adores her and gets to go be with her and her husband Johnny at their farm in Fall City every week for doggy day camp.
• We had such a fun summer with Ollie--taking him outside to explore, taking him out for a day to Lake Kachess when James and the boys went camping with the Spauldings, taking him to the river in Idaho on our friend trip, going on lots of walks, and exposing him to as much as we could at a young age
• Tiara is another godsend who we met in the neighborhood. She comes twice a week to walk Ollie and play with him while we're at work. She is also a professional photographer so we get all these amazing photos of Ollie. Ollie just loves her and she is so wonderful.
• Unfortunately Ollie did something to his foot in our backyard around late October and he sadly broke a toe on his back foot. It took about 6-8 weeks for it to heal and he had to be in a bandage and wear a little bootie outside. He couldn't go for walks the entire time too.  Ugh it was so hard, but he was a trooper and did a great job. Now we feel like we can make it through anything after the ordeal.
• It was fun to celebrate holidays with Ollie--Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. He wasn't much of a fan of 4th of July though. He was still really little and was pretty traumatized by all the loud noises.  
• Ollie got neutered in mid-Dec and was a champ! He healed pretty quickly and it felt like an easy procedure after all the foot stuff
• We have a wonderful vet--Salish Veterinary Hospital just down the street from us--Ollie is in good hands
• Ollie now is well trained--potty trained, can sit, lie down, spin, "place" on his cot, walk alongside us, and we're always working on "leave it" and "drop it" as he loves to grab our socks, underwear, stuffed animals, etc. 
• Ollie loves to play tug of war and fetch with his toys.  He's also a major chewer and loves chew toys--especially the nylon "sticks" that we learned about from the vet
• One of my favorite things to do with Ollie is go on walks with him--we go all over our neighborhood and back in the trails.  He's a good explorer and loves to be outside
• One of the best feelings in the world is having Ollie on your lap and snuggling with him.  He is a great snuggler. He has taught me so much about slowing down, relaxing and being present. He helps me stop to rest by asking me to sit with him with his stick. Just a simple snuggle from Ollie can make your day and cheer you up.

I'm sure there's more, but those are the major things for now. Here are some photos of him the past few months as he's grown from April through February.

WE LOVE YOU OLLIE!!

Holiday Season 2023 recap in photos

Another wonderful and magical holiday season is in the books!  This year was especially fun because we got to share the holidays with Ollie. Santa even left some fun things for him under the tree too.  ;) Here is a recap in photos:

Molbaks with Nana & Pops (and Ollie!) 
Sadly this was the last year as Molbaks is now closed. :(

Christmas Tree Farm

Santa Visit with Grandparents

Santa Train

Nutcracker

Christmas Cookies with Cousins

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

A few other holiday traditions and events happened as well that I didn't have photos for such as James' and my annual trip to Bainbridge Island to do our Christmas shopping, driving around with the boys in their Pjs looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood, get togethers with girlfriends for Megs, wrapping Christmas gifts late into the nights, and a relaxing winter break as a family after the holidays.

These holiday traditions are fully ingrained now as I think we've done most all of them since the boys were born or were very little. And these traditions never get boring and are still just as special. Every year we ask the boys if they still want to do these things and they emphatically say yes. I think they are very foundational memories for their childhoods.  And how special that grandparents and aunties/uncles and cousins are involved in many of them too.  And now it's fun to bring Ollie along to many of them! 

And now we're moving into 2024.  Can't wait to see what the year brings!

Cameron's 9th Birthday

We celebrated Cameron's 9th birthday in a more unique way than usual this year.  Instead of a large birthday party with lots of friends, my good friend Amy who is Vander's mom suggested that we take Vander, Warner and Cameron (who are all good friends and who all have a birthday in early September) to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend. We have never been to Great Wolf Lodge so we jumped at the chance!  And what a great weekend!  Cam of course had a blast with his buddies playing on the waterslides and in the big wave pool and eating all the junk food. They stayed up late laughing and talking in their own little bunk room in the hotel room.  And Cam was really brave and even did the ropes course all by himself!  He actually overcame a lot of fears over the weekend because water slides make him nervous.  He did great and it was a really really fun weekend!

We can't believe Cameron is 9 now and going into 3rd grade! The time is flying by! But what an amazing kid he is and brings so much joy to our family. 

Here are some things we want to remember about Cameron at 9 years old:

• Actually many of the aspects I mentioned in Cameron at 8 years old are still very true today. He is still our big feeler and we really love that about him because we think it is so healthy that he shows his emotion and expresses emotion. He is getting better and better every year at managing his emotions in a healthy way as well. He is also still really into art, sports, video games, friends, etc. 
• As I mentioned last year, he had a challenging experience in 2nd grade with a tough kid in his class. He also had a challenging time in 1st grade with the same kid being in his class. This year he has a new teacher and a new classroom environment and so far it's been such a breath of fresh air. Cameron feels so calm and comforted in his new classroom environment. His teacher is very encouraging and understanding and he has great friends in his class as well.  We are so grateful that so far it seems he'll have a much better school experience this year. Can't wait to see how it all plays out!
• This year he skied in the winter, played Little League baseball in the spring and will play soccer again this fall. I think he also wants to try rec basketball in the winter. He is still very active and coordinated and just thrives so much in sports. It's really fun to watch him and cheer him on.
• Right now Cameron's good friends are Vander, Warner, Willa, Bella, Lilly, Ellis, and Torin. 
• Cameron still has a very strong bond with his brother. He misses him so far this fall as Nathan is now off to middle school and goes to school way earlier. I don't think I'm as fun in the morning as having his brother around. So that's been an adjustment. But they still love to do things together and have such a strong bond in their similar interests.  We'll see how things evolve this year with Nathan being in middle school. 
• Cameron's favorite activity is art and he continues to amaze us with his talented art abilities. He was invited to the school district art show again this year for the second time in a row!
• It's been especially great to observe Cameron with Ollie. He is so good with our puppy. Which is so interesting because before he had a pretty strong fear of dogs. But he spends time with Ollie, plays with him, helps take care of him. He bonds with him in his own special way. And now his fear of dogs has pretty much gone away! 
• Cameron really is such a great kid and such a pleasure to be around. He's kind, polite and respectful, but also is fun and silly.  I just feel so lucky to be his mom and can't wait to see all the growth and things he experiences in year 9!