Lost in Translation

Any group that is isolated long enough develops its own language. We think it's happening in our home. Every now and again Hailee will mangle a word so badly that only Todd and I can understand it. It's cute, but somehow we don't think it will go over as well in pre-school. Here are some of our favorites:

Dolled (bald)
Puffets (puppets)
Sleeping Bleauty
Yo-Yo's (instead of Oreos)
Whiner whiner (Weimaraner)
Flanks or Flankful (thanks or thankful)

Words she regularly mixes up:

Blind and Blonde (That woman is blonde. That means she can't see.)

Phrases:

I don't guess (I don't think so)

On the way home from Target today, Todd decided to help her out:
Hailee: Bleauty
Todd: Can you say Beau..Ty?
Hailee: Bleau...Ty
Todd: Can you say B?
Hailee: B
Todd: Can you say B..U?
Hailee: Blue
and so on until...
Hailee: I guess I'll just say Belle

Catching up

So there isn't much to catch up on. We had a rainy Memorial Day weekend and Todd spent most of the time sick. I guess it's just a sign that we really need to get the surgery done. The most eventful thing that happened was I gave Todd a haircut. Now this is something that Todd would have loved me to be doing since we got married, and something I swore I would never do. Todd loves getting his haircut (not necessarily the hair cutting part, but just having it cut) and he is kind of particular about how he likes it. He's been going to a place in the mall which has been pretty good. That is until the last time he went to get his haircut just before his Grandmother's funeral. I spend the next 30 minutes trying even it out and fix it with my fabric scissors (they were the sharpest pair I could find). After that experience he convinced me that I could do it. So we got a pair of hair scissors and we were ready to go. I have to say it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I've never cut a boys hair before, but with Todd walking me through it, it wasn't too bad. Now don't get me wrong, it doesn't look professional or anything, but it will at least pass and he likes it well enough.


The other fun thing that happened was my friend Lisa had her baby and Hailee and I went yesterday to see her. Hailee was so excited. Lisa and the baby, Adaline, were doing great and it was so fun to get to see them in the hospital.


Roslynn is still doing well and adjusting to our family. She loves playing with Hailee. After our morning walk she wants to check to see if Hailee is awake. The only problem with this is she likes to check by running into Hailee's room and licking her to see if she responds. This would usually wake Hailee up. I now have her trained so if Hailee isn't in the front room she waits until she hears Hailee's princess light. (My parents got Hailee a princess light for Christmas that talks and sings when it's turned on or off. Hailee loves it.) Today after our walk I fed her and she was sitting on her pillow while I did a few things on the computer. As soon as Hailee's light turned on she just ran in. The pictures just don't quite capture how excited she was, her little tail was just wagging and going crazy.

A taste of Oregon

We woke up to rain this morning and Roslynn was not impressed at all. When I took her out to go to the bathroom she went to the bathroom and came right back under the roof. This is really not like her at all. Usually she likes to go around and smell everything, taking as much time as she can. But today it was all business and quickly back in. We might need to invest in a rain jacket for Roslynn. I did a google search and sure enough there are lots or rain jackets for dogs. I couldn't believe the selection. Not only were there jackets, but sweaters, shoes, and complete outfits. The picture above was my favorite for Roslynn.

Retrolabyrinthine Section of the Vestibular Nerve

Doesn't that sound fun. We met with Todd's specialist and that is the next recommendation he has for us. We've scheduled the surgery for the end of August when Todd is done with his classes and before he starts work. We decided to schedule it and then cancel it if things change or don't feel right. Todd is looking forward to feeling normal again. The doctor said he should recover fully and has even had pilots go back to work after the surgery. I'm a little paranoid about this surgery so I had a few questions...(As a little back note, this doctor is the best specialist in the state and is very established in his career. He's probably in his mid to late 50's and has been doing this for a long time. I feel completely confident in him as a surgeon, I just worry with such a surgery.)

Nicole: So is this surgery very common?
Dr. Shelton: (relaxed) Oh yeah, I do at least 50 or so a year.
Nicole: (concerned voice) I guess you are in good practice then.
Dr. Shelton: (laughing) I don't usually get questions like that since I've gotten grey hair.

I'm glad he was good natured, I didn't mean it to sound like it came out, and I do completely trust him. I'm glad he has a good sense of humor as well.

2-Weeks

We have had Roslynn for two weeks now and I have to say that is as been wonderful. I was a little worried that Hailee would loose interest in the her, but just the opposite has occurred, they play so well together. Just a few nights ago she reminded me about when we were shopping at the mall before Christmas (see #3) and she wanted to wish for a dog. She is still so pleased to have a new member of the family. That being said of course they get on each others nerves a little bit, I'm not sure if it's good for Roslynn, but it's definitely good for Hailee. Sometimes Roslynn will want to cuddle too close to Hailee and I'll hear "Mom, Roslynn is on my pillow." Then just yesterday after we went for a walk in the canyon and Roslynn was sleeping in the backseat, I looked back to see Hailee petting her and not letting her sleep. So I guess it goes both ways. It's cute to see their relationship growing and them both adjusting to each other. Roslynn is also very concerned that we don't all sleep in the same room, she doesn't like leaving Hailee in her room. Any time Hailee wakes up in the middle of the night, Roslynn is the first one to get in there to check on her.

Roslynn's first bath at our house. Todd got to put on his swimsuit for it, and Hailee being the good little helper wanted her suit on as well. It was really cute and Roslynn did really good. She gets a bath once a week whether she needs it or not. :)

Afternoon naps. Will all the extra outside time we've been getting lately, Hailee has been much better at taking naps. I think the two of them wear each other out.

Roslynn and I have started taking an hour long walk in the morning. We go to a park close to our house and have a nice time walking together. Todd and Hailee are usually still sleeping, and by the time we get home Roslynn is ready to eat and take her morning nap while we can get ready for the day. This picture is a picture of my new favorite tree, I just think the blossoms are beautiful and I'm trying to figure out what the name is so I can plant one when we move.

Our routine is usually and hour walk in the morning, playing in the afternoon a couple of times, and a half an hour walk in the evening with Todd. Hailee loves all the play time with her. This past week we taught Roslynn how to play soccer. It was so much fun to teach her something new. She hits the ball with her front paws and her nose. Being part of the Cunningham family you need to know how to play soccer.

Tug-A-Board

Roslynn loves playing tug-a-war with her toy alligator. Todd has been playing with her, and she is really quite strong. Oh course Hailee saw the fun and wanted to join in. (For some reason she thinks it's called tug-a-board. No matter how many times I tell her differently she thinks I'm wrong when I call it tug-a-war.) I was a little worried that Roslynn would knock her down, but as soon as Hailee started playing with her she lightened up on tugging and her and Hailee had a great time. I am amazed how good she is at playing to the person's strength level, Roslynn even lets Hailee win sometimes.

Below is quiet time at the Cunningham house. After lunch we take Roslynn outside to play and get her nice and tired. Then I let Hailee watch a movie or some PBS kids shows. They both just crash in front of the TV. They have become nice little friends.

New Addition

Yes we have a new addition to our family, and we have had so much fun with her. Some friends of ours from the MBA program are moving to Japan so we are going to be watching their dog for them. Roslynn is a 2 year old Weimaraner, and she is so well trained. We got her on Monday and it's just been wonderful so far. Hailee, of course is in dog heaven. Monday morning I went and picked her up while Hailee was sleeping. When I got home Roslynn was excited to go see Todd (she loves Todd), then I heard Hailee waking up so I sent Roslynn in to see her. Hailee was so excited. She had to go play with her right then. (That is why in the pictures she has her pajamas on, she just couldn't wait.)


They have become good little friends and Roslynn is starting to obey Hailee's commands, and Hailee is better about giving her the right commands.


A lot of people have asked me what it's like to have a large dog in our apartment. So far what we've found is if we get her out and exercise her she is happy to sleep on her pillow the rest of the time. We still play in the house a little bit, but we get her pretty tired outside. We've all enjoyed spending time with her. It's cute to see her play differently with all of us. Above is a picture of her sleeping after playing outside.

Catching up

We have had a busy week or so. First and foremost we just want to say how excited we are for good weather. It's still been back and forth (temperature wise) but we've had lots of good weather.

I just love little pigtails in Hailee. Her hair is getting long enough and thick enough for braids. Now I understand why my mom loved putting out hair in braids, it's cute and hair doesn't get all tangled. It's made doing Hailee's hair so nice. Also notice the nice new tile entry way...

Graduation weekend Todd and DJ tiled our entry way. I thought it was a little bit of a crazy idea, but it turned out really good...and things got even crazier the next weekend they took the kitchen apart and tiled in there. We really couldn't have done it without DJ's help.

My mom and all of her sisters (and sister-in-laws) always get together for Women's Conference. Thursday while they were all there my Grandpa and uncle Ted made tamales. They were so good. Hailee ate 5. You could tell by her face how m uch she enjoyed them. Any time any one asked her how many she ate, she would proudly say "Five!" We got there in time to see how it all worked, so this next week I'm thinking about trying to make some on my own.

Yes, here are pictures of my kitchen in my dinning room....you might ask where is the dining room...it's in the living room of course. Yikes. I'm ready to have my house back. We just need to grout and seal it, so the end is almost in sight. It does look very nice, so I guess putting up with the mess for a little while really is worth it.

Friday Hailee spend the day with Todd while I went to Women's Conference. They got all the pieces down that didn't need to be cut. Saturday Hailee and I went to my aunts house to make cards and hang out. Todd and DJ spend the day cutting tiles and finishing up. When I got home on Friday, Hailee was sure to tell me that it was Todd that made the mess. Saturday when we got home and the house was still a mess she told Todd "Dad, clean up." I think she was worried that we would never get a dog. (one of the rules with a dog is that we have to clean up our things.)