Neighborhood Fun

 Rio always tries to walk on his feet while he crawls because of the grass. It is the most funny thing to watch. He has been doing it since he started crawling. We first noticed it on the soccer field at training and he still does it 4 months later.

 Rio could not get enough of the swing. We did it for about 10 minutes. For a 10 month old, thats amazing!

 Love, love, love these modern homes. They are a few blocks away from our house. One day, we will have Ezra build for us again. I absolutely love our home we are in now, but I am a huge fan of modern/contemporary houses and WILL someday dwell in one again! Huh Gabe :)

Since Rio's arrival, I have not spent as much time with the dogs as I used to. I really try to get them out once a day for a walk and to work on commands such as wait, stay, and come. Simple but beautiful!

We absolutely love our new neighborhood. Our street is a little hideaway. It is off a main street but is not busy at all. It has the most adorable, diverse homes. There is a park right by our house with a huge soccer field and gigantic playground. There is also a church right around the corner I can take the dogs off leash to explore and play freely.

Mommies Little Climber

Relentless...

We love watching Rio become confident and brave in his climbing endeavors. It was when he tried crawling over the gate when I got a little worried. He is only going to get more ambitious and daring in his climbing ventures. Here we go!

Rio and The Boys

Cheers to Childhood...

 “Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.”  

-Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

 “Childhood is the one story that stands by itself in every soul.” 

-Ivan Doig

 “Play is the highest form of research.” 

-Albert Einstein

  “I wept because I was re-experiencing the enthusiasm of my childhood; I was once again a child, and nothing in the world could cause me harm.”

-Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

 “When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” 

-Patrick Rothfuss

 “The smells of Christmas are the smells of childhood" 

-Richard Paul Evans

 "Little boys are just superheroes in disguise" 

-Art Moms

"It's the merry-hearted boys that make the best men!" 

-Irish Proverb

Blast From the Past... Miss Bella

Bella with her best bud Coheo... RIP

This does not happen that often to have Bella and Lolita in the same room, let alone on the same pillow! Bella loves to curl up in her little Bellaball.

Cute pic of the dogs and great pic of me :)

Our little clan... 2009 flashback.

Ashton took about 20 pictures and this was the best one... 

At the Smart homestead in WA.

Too cute. Bella was so little when we first got her. Now she is a 55 pounder!

Pit bulls are... Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the Virtues of Man, without his Vices. " -Unknown

Bella is amazing on walks. Rain or snow she is up for anything. We would both bundle up and hit the streets. She still has her own little boots for the snow season.  

My two sweeties.

This was the first day we brought Bella home. She loved the grass!

Bella looks soo skinny in the picture next to the little fatties Pedro & Lolita :)

Best buds

I wanted to post some older pictures of our sweet Bella. Since Rio's birth, she has been amazing with him. She likes to hang out with Rio and follow him wherever he goes. Rio will smack Bella, pull her ears, swat her nose, and hang on her collar non-stop. Bella just takes it- she appears like she actually enjoys the attention. We are so lucky to have her in our life. Bella is an example of pure courageousness. Not only can she not see, but she has 1-2 seizures a week and still wakes up every morning ready to take on another day. Whether we are on a walk, hanging out in the house, or exploring in the backyard, she is so spirited. American Pit Bull terries get such a bad name because of the negative media attention they constantly receive. There is never a bad dog, just a bad owner.

Kicking Back

When we returned from Washington, our new house was still not ready for us to move into. We were so lucky our good friend Jess let us stay with her and Parker until it was ready. In the meantime, Rio and I would go to the house to check on things and make sure work was actually getting done :) These are the makeshift pads I made for Rio's baba time. They worked... Phew!