Farewell Old Friend

This week we said goodbye to our beloved pug, George.


In March of 2003, Lance and I drove six hours in a blizzard (while Lance was high on Lortabs due to a broken collarbone) to pick up George from a breeder in Idaho. It was a rough beginning, but everyone who ever met that funny little puppy loved him.

Nearly seven years later, he is such a great and easy dog. Over the years, he has been dragged on campouts, vacations, and one cross-country move. He has been awakened nightly by crying babies, poked, climbed on and dressed up in Hawaiian shirts, Halloween costumes, and Christmas sweaters. We just couldn't ask for a more tolerant dog.Unfortunately, the years have caught up with him and he is suffering from various afflictions (the least of which is an unearthly odor). We know that our family is unable to give him the care and pampering that he deserves in his old age. We are so lucky to have found an organization who specializes in caring for aging pugs. They are giving him the attention that he needs in his advanced years.

We handed him over last Tuesday and they have reported that he is loving his new position as center of attention-- a position he has not enjoyed since we started having kids and took in Bluto in 2005.

Here are some pictures of George through the ages. You will notice that he has put on a few pounds and gained some gray hair over the years (but then again... so have I.)
Good luck George. We love and miss you, buddy.

Scenes from a Rasmussen Christmas

I love everything about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I love traditions and retelling the Nativity story. I love hanging out in jammies all day. I love relaxing and playing with new toys/movies/books. I love the food. This year was the first time we have ever celebrated Christmas by ourselves. While we missed our families-- it was an awesome Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we upheld our tradition of Busch Gardens.

I forgot my camera so you will have to take my word for it that it was very cool. Perfect weather (not too hot for jeans, not too cold for shorts), Christmas carols being played, and Christmas decorations throughout. Followed by a long nap and Family Home Evening.

Some pictures from Christmas Day:

We didn't have any carrots-- so this year Santa's reindeer had to make do with lettuce.

A Slovacek tradition-- a fire in the fireplace and Andy Williams on the cd player before the kids can come out of their rooms.

Lance vs. Tobin's Optimus Prime
(Optimus Prime won... that thing is impossible to transform!)

Zoie trying out her new digital camera on the cutest subject in the house

One of Tobin's favorite gifts. After years of feeling left out during "dress-up"... NO MORE!

The kids talking to my parents over the webcam. (They will be home by next Christmas!)

Our (apparently cross-eyed) little reindeer.

Operation Santa Claus

My kids love visiting Santa. Last year they saw him three times at Busch Gardens and twice at the mall. This year, I have avoided both places due to large crowds. Zoie reminded me yesterday that she hasn't seen him yet. In my naivete, I thought, "What a fun day! Let's go visit Santa!"

Commence Operation Santa Claus.

Tuesday, December 22nd.

10:15 am: Pack up Snugli carrier, double stroller and three kids
10:32 am: Arrive at mall and get in line to see Santa

11:07 am: Begin to realize that this mission will take up most of my day
11:36 am: Tobin has this compulsive need to touch everything-- including the posterior of the man standing in front of us (three times!)
11:58 am: Still in line. I begin to feel stupid for waiting so long, but feel committed at this point. Chase falls asleep in the Snugli and I am jealous.

12:23 pm: I am now on a first name basis with all adults around me and know their kids' names, ages and in some cases- their birth story (I kid you not!)
12:31 pm: Take some pictures of the kids... we're getting close!

12:43 pm: My kids sit on Santa and Mrs. Claus's lap. They speak for about 20 seconds while I snap a few pictures.

12:44 pm: Operation Santa Claus is a success!

I am amazed at how well-behaved the kids were for the past two hours (aside from the frequent goosing of the strange man in front of us) and am therefore suckered into walking over to the kids' play area-- stopping at every toy store on the way.

We, at last, leave the crowded mall around 2:15 pm. I think this picture of Chase says it all:

So, here is the crowning achievement of our day. Love and cherish this picture. Use it as a screen saver or blow it up to poster-size and frame it. I need to justify my day.

Willpower

40 chocolate chip cookies
36 pieces of chocolate fudge
38 homemade oreo cookies
29 peanut butter chocolate bars

After 5 straight hours of baking, the number of cookies that I consumed:
Zero

What a sad day....

Christmas Sunday

Each year my Mom sends my kids adorable Christmas outfits. This year was no exception. Each year I neglect to capture these outfits in good pictures. This year was no exception.

To make a VERY long story short: There is a reason that Zoie is shoeless in her photo and please excuse the spit-up all over Chase's sweater. We had an extremely harrowing Sunday morning, followed by wonderful, spiritually-uplifting church meetings.

It was so nice, after an unbelievably hectic few hours, to sing Christmas music and be reminded of the meaning of Christmas. It really helped me to keep things in perspective.

After all-- who cares if Zoie somehow lost all of her church shoes and wore brown canvas tennis shoes to church? Does it really matter if Chase regurgitated his breakfast on himself and both of his parents? And is there some kind of rule that mandates hair-brushing prior to church attendance?

Thanks for the outfits, Mom. I will continue to strive for the amazing pictures that have, thus far, eluded me.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Happy 3 Months

I was just putting Chase down for a nap this afternoon when it occurred to me that he is three months old today. I am not sure if three months is some kind of landmark occasion-- but I figured it is as good an excuse as any to have a photo shoot.


When he began getting grumpy (mind you, this was during his usual nap time), I took off his clothes and it cheered him right up.


Can I reiterate how much I love this kid?

Merry Christmas to us!

Lance and I weren't going to give each other Christmas gifts this year. There really isn't anything we need.

That is until we found an amazing deal on this (thank you Craigslist!):

So Happy Early Christmas! Its rocking at the Rasmussen house every night!

Reasons

Reasons for flying a family of 5 to Utah for only 3 days:

Reason #1- Chase's baby blessing. We have always blessed our children at home. It is such an amazing experience to be surrounded by family and friends when blessing the baby. I am so grateful to be married to a worthy priesthood holder. For Chase's blessing, we had Lance's entire immediate family there and our friends, the Nields-- who have been able to attend every one of our childrens' blessings.
Reason #2- Lance's sister, Kelly is leaving on her mission tomorrow. We are so proud of her. She is going to Chile and I can't wait to hear all about how thew MTC is kicking her butt! :)
Reason #3- To have a faux Christmas with the Rasmussen family. The kids LOVE getting together with their cousins and aunts and uncles and of course, Grandma and Grandpa. They were spoiled like crazy for three days and loved it.



Reason #4- On the 8 hour (including layover) plane ride out there, the kids were PERFECT! Even Chase did not so much as make a peep. It was dreamy.

Reason #5- We couldn't get enough of Rockband and karaoke with Lance's brother, Collin and his wife, Rebekah
Now, reasons why we are crazy for flying a family of 5 to Utah for only 3 days-

Reason #1- TOBIN. On the flight home, Tobin, Chase and I were seperated from Lance and Zoie by a few rows. I didn't mind at the time. Tobin is an easy-going, well-behaved kid. I was sure he would sleep on the 4 hour flight from Phoenix to Tampa. I was wrong. Instead, he talked non-stop. Loud. And he peed on the seat. I went to change him and it was only after a 20 minute wait for the bathroom that I discovered I had grabbed Chase's bag by accident. So I made Tobin wear a pair of Chase's sweatpants. Reminder: Tobin is 2 1/2. Chase is 2 1/2 months. Hilarious. And humiliating.Reason #2- Stomach bug. Zoie, me, and Tobin. Enough said.

Reason #3- Twenty degree weather.

Reason #4- There are so many friends that we love to visit out there that we did not have time to see. Next time, guys.

We had the best time and wished we could have been there longer. Thanks, Rasmussens! We love you guys.

Bad Mom

Zoie fell off of the top bunk yesterday during nap time. I heard a loud thud and a piercing scream-- the kind of scream that a kid can't fake. It was a scary few moments, trying to calm Zoie down to assess the damage. It wasn't hard to assess- her forehead was swollen to immense proportions. Once she calmed down and got some Motrin in her, she was back to her usual self and hasn't complained since.

None of this makes me a bad Mom. We have safety precautions on the top bunk. Zoie admits that she was hanging upside down talking to Tobin when she fell. There was nothing I could have done to prevent the accident.

What makes me a bad Mom is that I can't seem to look at her without noticing a striking resemblance:

Seriously, the pictures don't do this giant forehead lump justice. People were actually gasping as I walked her into preschool this morning. She is proud of her battle wounds and couldn't wait to show her friends.