more sad news.....

I can't believe I'm having to write this post......I can't believe what happened.....our beloved little doggie has died. We are a family with no pets.....I feel so sad!!

We woke up Saturday morning and noticed that Penny didn't seem to be around. We thought she must have gotten out of the yard, even though she'd never really gotten out before. Nate drove through the neighborhood, up and down every street, in and out of every cul-de-sac. I walked up and down the streets with Benjamin, asking every person I ran into if they'd seen a little black and white dog running around.....no one had. I immediately put together a "Lost Dog" flyer offering a reward for her safe return. We knew that if someone had Penny they may decide to keep her....she was so friendly and loving. As I was on the phone with the Humane Society, giving them a description of our Penny, Nate made a gruesome discovery.

With the small bits of evidence we found we have determined that Penny must have been killed and carried away by coyotes. We figure she must have heard something in the middle of the night and gone out to investigate....she probably thought she was going to play with something. She loved spending time chasing little field mice and lizards in our backyard. We've searched and searched for her remains, we'd really like the chance to bury her, but we haven't had any luck yet.

Penny was the best dog we ever could have hoped for. We searched for the best dog and once we laid eyes on her we knew she was the one. She was so gregarious and wanted nothing more than to sit in your lap and lick your face. The house feels so quiet without her. I miss hearing her clanking collar when she was running to greet me, I can hardly sleep without the sound of her snoring in her little dog bed at the foot of ours, and all those little snorts and snuffs when she was trying to find some remnant of Benjamin's dinner on the floor. I miss petting the soft spot on her squashed little nose and I miss the bare spot on her curly Q tail.

Benjamin hasn't really seemed to notice Penny being gone. It was the same when Oliver passed away. Of course, we had time to get used to Oliver being gone with all the doctor's visits, tests, medications, etc. We knew that Oliver was sick with cancer, that he hadn't eaten in weeks and that his death would end his suffering. Several days after Oliver was gone Benjamin told me the kitty had gone "night night." He's so intuitive and smart! With Penny gone I think Benjamin is just concerned because Nate and I have been so upset. He told Nate yesterday that "Mama sad." It just broke my heart!

I know that some day we will bring a new pet into our family. We even talked a bit today about what kind of dog we might like, but it made me miss Penny too badly. I think we'll have to take some time to heal the grief before we are ready to love a new furry friend. It just feels so weird not to have a pet, to not have to go to the pet store for anything, not have to worry about arranging for a pet sitter for an out of town trip. I'm sure we'll get used to it eventually. As for the rest of you with pets of your own.....make sure you hug them, hold them and love them while you can!

Huff Family Road Trip!

Well, this posting is LONG overdue. It's amazing how busy life can get sometimes...especially with a toddler! So, as part of our Huff family tradition, we took our summer road trip this June.We had the pleasure of traveling through 4 states!! Our destination.....Utah.

We left on Saturday morning headed for St. George, Utah. This is the town we stayed in while waiting for ICPC (state to state paperwork) to clear when we brought Benjamin home. We drove 7 hours through the desert, passing through Nevada, Arizona and into Utah. Benjamin slept in the car for about 2 hours the whole trip! He was just so curious about what was out his window and he wanted to listen to his "Backyardigans" music that we brought along on the iPod.
The next morning we headed up to the Salt Lake City area where Benjamin was born and his birthfamily still lives. We spent a few days just visiting with Vie and her family. Benjamin attended his first drumming circle, explored the mountains with Vie and was generally spoiled by everyone.....especially Grandma J! The first night we were there Grandma J took Benjamin to the store that she works to meet her co-workers. When they returned it looked like Benjamin had been to the County Fair! He had on a cowboy hat, a stuffed horse (that he sleeps with every night now), a balloon, and the dazed look of a child that has riden too many rides. The only thing missing was some puffy pink cotton candy! We all had such a great time visiting our Utah family!

Upon leaving Sandy City we drove the 5 hours to Springdale, Utah. This is the town just outside of Zion National Park. It's just a small town with a main road that has all the hotels, restaurants and tourist stops. We stayed at a hotel called "Flanigan's" which was just wonderful. They had a labrynth that was just a short little walk up a hill next to the hotel. We had fun our first morning walking around the labrynth and taking photos of the gorgeous red mountains.

Over the next several days we did some hiking all around Zion. I cant' even describe the beauty that we saw...it was just majestic.

The nicest thing about the trip was that once we parked our car at the hotel we didn't have to drive again! The town of Springdale has a shuttle bus that picks you up from one of 6 stops (one was just out in front of our hotel) and takes you to wherever you want to go. Each night we would take the shuttle to the restaurant of our choice for dinner and each day we rode the shuttle into Zion park. Once inside the park there is another shuttle that drives you through the 90 minute scenic drive. You can get off at one of the many spots and look around, hike, take photos and then hop on the next shuttle....they came every 6 minutes or so. Benjamin really liked riding the "choo choo bus" as he called it!

The first day in the park we decided to get off the shuttle bus to hike (walk) the "Riverside Walk." It was mostly paved or packed dirt and went along the Virgin River. Benjamin really got into the "hike" and seemed to be having such a great time. We walked for almost 2 hours and then Benjamin became very very tired. We got to the shuttle stop and I guess he figured we weren't going home if we got on the bus....he started saying "No Bus...NO BUS!" and "No Hike!" as loud as he could. By the time we got back to the hotel he tried to put himself to bed in the Pack n' Play!

The next day Benjamin was all excited to get on the "choo choo bus" and take a hike. We rode the shuttle to the "Weeping Rock" hike. It is a short but fairly steep hike. As soon as we stepped off the shuttle Benjamin began to say "No Hike" and Nate ended up having to carry him all the way to the top! It was so worth it though to see the hanging gardens and feel the cool mist from the water "weeping" from the sandstone rock.

Our last day at Zion we got smart....and brought our all terrain stroller into the park. We decided to do the "Emerald Pools" hike which was just a couple of hours of hiking. The last day was a bit warmer than the other days (Zion was experiencing abnormally cook weather while we were there...in the '70s with a light breeze...just perfect!) We stopped along the way to let Benjamin explore rocks, sticks, dirt and lizards!

The end of this trail ended at a pool (although not so emerald....or impressive!) with smooth, cool sandstone cliffs and several small waterfalls...it was just beautiful! Once we finished our hike and began to walk back to the shuttle bus, I looked down and saw that Benjamin had fallen deep asleep in his stroller....what a big week for such a big boy!

Goodbye Furry Friend

It is with much sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved friend Oliver. He really was a fantastic little kitty, always using the litter box, never scratching on the furniture and wanting nothing more than to be with his family. Oliver always knew if I felt sad or stressed out and would come to comfort me with his loud purring. I always felt better after petting his soft furry tummy or rubbing noses with him. He was just a sweet little fluffy orange lovey and I miss him already!

Two Monkeys & A Pirate......

I know.....it's been awhile since I've update the website....sorry!!! Life has been busy lately! Benjamin (and 40 of his closest friends and relatives) celebrated his 2nd birthday with a big Elmo birthday bash at That Pizza Place. It's sort of become a tradition to party at That Pizza Place since we were there for Benjamin's baby shower and his first birthday party. There was lots of fun to be had by all, loads of good pizza and cake and lots of fantastic presents for the birthday boy. Benjamin, of course, grew bored of opening gifts halfway through so it was up to Mommy and Daddy to continue for him. He was mostly interested riding the "horse" over in the corner by the video games. I don't think he's EVER going to get over his obsession with horses!

We were lucky enough that Benjamin's birthmom "Vie" was able to come out for the birthday party and spend a week at our house! I'm sure we bored her to death with our daily routine of playgroups, grocery shopping, walks at the harbor, etc. but we were thrilled that she was there! She gave Benjamin a skateboard (or as he calls it..."B-Bore") for his birthday. It's SUPER cool looking and very durable...it will last forever. He LOVES it and tries to jump on and ride whenever he gets the chance. I really think he knows HOW to ride the skateboard...he just can't get his 2 year old body to cooperate!

Benjamin was also the recipient of some birthday gifts through the mail. His Grandma J sent him some neat books and some stuff animals. One is a really soft beanie baby stuff monkey and the other is a furry stuffed monkey with bunny ears (Ben's birthday was several days before Easter!) Ever since Benjamin received these special monkeys he has to have them in bed with him every night. For those who were unaware....Benjamin already had a bedtime pal he was sleeping with every night....Uniqua, dressed as a pirate! For those of you who aren't lucky enough to watch cartoons made for 2 year olds, Uniqua is a character from Benjamin's all time (really his only) favorite tv show....The Backyardigans. Uniqua is a pink salamander looking character with dark pink dots. In one show she is a pirate looking for treasure, hence the pirate hat and pirate eye patch. This stuffed Uniqua also sings songs from the pirate show and tells us that "a pirate says arggghhhh!" So...now as I put Benjamin to bed, with his purple kitty pillow position just right (yes...it came clean....let's all say thanks to my wonderful husband Nate who braved putting it in the washing machine & dryer!) then I have to position the bear pillow just right. Then Benjamin puts his head on the kitty pillow and then, in this exact order, Uniqua, monkey and monkey bunny lay on the bear pillow. Then I have to cover them ALL with one blanket at a time (yes he still has the blanket thing going on too!) Then I am required to kiss each one goodnight! If one of these characters is missing he tells me "Mama.....Mama....arggghhhhh (for Uniqua) or "Ooo....Ooo (for the monkey.) I just hope by the time he goes away to college that he's over these weird nightime routines!! "Night Night Benjamin.....Night Night pirate Uniqua....Night Night Monkey....Night Night Monkey Bunny!"

Music To My Ears....

Well, yesterday was a particularly grueling day trying to shop with a toddler. Benjamin used to be such a great little shopper!! Now...he's perfectly happy as long as you are strolling him around but the second you try to wheel him into a store he begins to protest.....he's becoming more and more like his daddy every day!!

So after this shopping excursion The Huff family was in the car driving home. We were listening to the radio when a sort of sappy, mellow song came on the air...I wish I could remember what song it was!! Anyhow...pretty soon I can hear some noise coming from the back seat...it's Benjamin....singing his little heart out!!

"blew....ba...moum...la...la...lou....doo.....wee....da.....Mama.

Mamaaaaaaaa.....Dada....Dadaaaaaaaa....blah....wee....doo....la"

It just brought tears to my eyes to hear him sing like that!! He's such a precocious little boy...I couldn't be prouder to be his mommy......even when he's protesting a shopping excursion!

Ridin' the Range

Well....it's official....Benjamin wants to be a cowboy!! It all started earlier last week with a new word that Nate and I couldn't quite figure out. After some detailed conversation we finally discovered the in "Benjamin-ease" the word "hoo-haw" means "horse." He's obsessed with the hoo-haw. He first noticed it on his favorite show The Backyardigans....his two favorite episodes are "Ridin' the Range" with cowboy Tyrone and the "Cowboy Polka" (don't ask!!!).

So today I received some new summer clothes that I had ordered for Benjamin. In the box was the fishing hat I requested. I'm hoping that this summer he will FINALLY agree to wear a hat and sunglasses when he's outside!! I also found a cool pair of sunglasses that had arrived (they were only $1.97!) I opened the items and Benjamin wanted to wear the hat and sunglasses. Once they were on he began to strut around the house and move his shoulders up and down like he was dancing. Then he immediately grabbed his big stuffed doggie and began to "ride" the doggie all over the living room....it was hilarious! To see Benjamin riding his "hoo-haw" check out the link here: www.msnusers.com/huffadoption and click on the "documents" tab to the left.

Benjamin was surprisingly cooperative for the camera when I took this photo....towards the end though you can tell that he felt like a celebrity trying to get away from the paparazzi.....

How many blankets does it take???

I can only thank Nate for this new habit of Benjamin's.....there is no one else to blame!! As you may have read in a previous post, when Benjamin goes to bed (or "nigh nigh") he is quite particular about where his pillow is in relationship to the crib (by the way....the bear pillow if working out just great!) and he lays down the same way each time (like a stink bug!) and then you have to cover him with the blanket of his choice. Now, whenever Benjamin goes to bed he has to be covered by no less than 5 blankets! And not only does he need these 5 blankets in order to be able to sleep but you have to lay them out one at a time covering him from head to toe! The best part is that now (thanks to me!) you have to count out each blanket. 1......2.....3......4......5!! Since Benjamin was only able to count 2 before (not up to 2.....just 2) I guess it's good for learning his numbers!

Benjamin also tried a new class at "The Little Gym" the other day. When we arrived at the Little Gym Benjamin opened his mouth in awe as he saw a gigantic room full of red, blue and yellow cushions, parallel bars, balance beams, etc. He could not WAIT to get into that room to get started!! The teacher assured me that his age group, 19 mos. to 2.5 years (they call them the "beasts"), would not be required to sit on the red mat during class time. In fact, she said the mommies (and one grandpa last week!) should stay on the mat and participate in class and allow the babies to run around the room. This way they would eventually learn how to participate with the group. So, maybe I should have started out by saying that I tried out a new class at The Little Gym and Benjamin ran around like a crazy person!! Works for me!!!