The Truman Show...

So, we have a new member of our family. His name is Truman...and he is a Shih Tzu. He is adorable!!!

After a lot of research we decided that we were really looking for a Shih Tzu. They are really good with kids and dogs, they don't shed, and they are companion dogs. We decided to look slowly, and I put out a few feelers to some breeders...low and behold we heard from one that they knew a woman who had bought a pup but couldn't keep him. (she has 5 kids, including a 3 week old!) We met them yesterday, and it looked good, but we came back today to take him for a vet check. The vet report was excellent. He not only was in excellent health, but his personality was a real winner too! We decided to take him! We took him to get groomed, where his sweet personality was again praised. We drove to Boston to introduce him to the family, and we are home now for our first night together. Here are some pics of our new guy, named after Truman Capote (a small, slightly silly, slightly full of himself, but utterly charming man.)

Truman loves his new toys.

We got him shaved, and he looks cute but so much tinier!

He is so adorable!

Look at that face!!

I am sure there will be a lot more of the Truman show on the blog!

Games!

Today was rainy and thunder storming, but we barely noticed! Jason and Bryan came over and we wiied the day away!

I can't wait until Cat picks up our Wii Sports resort. What a cool package of games!

Later on we played a card game called Coloretto. As I said to Jason, it had just enough of a "screw your friends" element in it. It was a lot of fun!

After burgers, crab dip, smores and more, I am ready for bed!

A few videos...

OK, OK! I know I posted already, but these videos from the 99 were to cute!

In the first, Hank says "I love you" and crosses his hands over his chest, which is our sign for "I Love you." Its the first time he said it back to us (besides signing!)

Next, Hank does his best fake laugh and his best fake cry. Such a ham!!

A day at the beach

It was a GORGEOUS beach day!! Carla, Cat, Hank and I headed out to enjoy the gorgeous weather and the warm ocean.

Hank enjoyed digging in the sand...and running around!

He was quite the social butterfly.

Hank liked swimming with Carla best! He especially loved the cannon balls! When Mom did them, I splashed him a little too much!

We couldn't keep him away from the water!

I hope we have a few more like this!

A Nice End to a tough week

My grandmother passed away this week, and so we spent most of our week up in Boston. She was 93, and she was very alert and interactive until she passed. We had her funeral on Wednesday and she is buried near my father. Between this and some school meetings, technical issues, etc. it was a long week!

While we were up in town, we spent some time in my aunt's pool. It was neat to see Hank back in the pool that he had really enjoyed last year!

My uncle took these cute pics.

Hank floated, splashed and dunked!

We returned to the cape this morning. In the meantime I have a new computer, and I am happily blogging from my new macbook pro. I love it, but it will take a little getting use to. It is SUPER fast.

When we got to the cape, we were met by our friends Carla and Katie. We went to the Barnstable County Fair! I have an irrational love of fairs! It was a blast. We played a million games! It was great to have a kid to win for! Though Hank did reject one of my prizes (a big stuffed frog, which he slapped) we were able to trade it in and all was well!

Katie, Catherine and Carla gear up for an intense game!

We won Hank a Red Sox ball! Mama and son loved it.

We sat together in a giant chair! I have a picture of myself in this same chair at about 12. I have to go find it now.

After eating hotdogs, candy apples, root beer and more, we headed home with our goodies. After a quick dinner at Marc Antony's of pizza, we went to the beach to fly a kite!

Catherine had a lot of success at first! It was so pretty there.

By the time we left, this was as high as the kite got :)

The beach was clear and gorgeous. The sky was pink and it was a perfect place to be!

Katie helped Hank stay dry!

Hank surveys his domain.

Kites are fun :)

Kites in the air!

Carla and Hank chat and walk.

On the way home, prior to the beach, Hank showed off a bit! (and I played with my new iphone!)

He also got to try a little cotton candy!

It was just a lovely day! I think it will be nice tomorrow and Sunday, and I can't wait to get to the beach some more! It was even more perfect because we had such wonderful friends to share it with!

Just a quick update!

On Sunday, Cat, Hank and I met our newest relatives. Jessica is our sister-in-law and Jake is our new nephew/cousin!
I can't believe Hank was ever that small!


Then, we were excited to get a call to visit our friends, Carla and Katie! Always a blast!

Hank had a good time in a stare off with the puppies...and then spent the time chasing Cody around.

And kissing Casey :)

And kissing Cody again.

It was a great end to a really nice day!

Fun at the Craft Fair

So, today we spent the day at the Indie Arts festival in Rhode Island. This was my first time on the OTHER side fo the craft table! Though I didn't make millions, I had a very nice time, and I am definitely ready for more!

Here is a view of my tables. I shared a space with my good friend Rachel. Catherine went on emergency table-buying runs, and watched Mr. Crabby pants, aka Hank.


Here is another view of Rachel's and my space. We had a great spot, on the end, near the shade!

Rachel chased Hank as he tried to escape...but then he also had to stop and dance a bit.

A man needed to hit the bottle after a long day.

And then he needed to crash.

The rain held off and we had great weather. Our dinner at Longhorn practically cost the amount we ended up making! But, hey! We had a great time!

Bubbles and a Ball Game!

Today we had a lady's lunch. My grandmother and aunt came over for lunch. I made a Greek orzo salad, broccoli salad, and sauteed scallops and shrimp with leeks. For dessert we had lemon bars, assembled by my sous chef, Janine.

After dinner we work Hank up to show him that Janine and Leanne were playing in the yard. He started yelling "out, out!" so we all went out to play!

He loved watching the girls play, and Mama blow bubbles.
Then, it was time to join in...

Ball!

Wanna play?

Hank walked right over to Lee and plopped next to her. He proceeded to tell her a very detailed story.

Lee and Hank continue to have their heart-to-heart. Hank carefully copies all of Lee's leg movements.

Janine came over for a family shot!

A more relaxing family shot.

Hank and Aunty J play ball...

Next, the game takes a brief pause...

And we end with some bubbles.

It was a nice evening, and a playful end to a nice day! Tomorrow, getting ready for my first craft fair!

Playing in the yard...

Today we dropped Charlie off at her new home. Though there was a lot of crying, we all felt really good when we met everyone at her new home.

When we got home it was time for playing in the yard!

Hank wasn't so sure about this idea.

He liked it, but it was pretty chilly!

In the end, no one can resist the allure of water!

A Day at the Beach and a tough decision...

Today was a gorgeous beach day!

We started the morning with a brief Hula Hoop Lesson. Sadly, Janine was much better than Hank.

Hank loved playing in the sand and splashing in the water!

He did a lot of hitting at the sand, not too much digging.

He chilled out with his aunt.

And he loved walking around the beach.

He had a great time sitting in the surf, but my camera died before I could get those shots!

We ended the night with a rocking session for the older Murray kids!

Sadly, over the past few days, we have made a very, very hard decision. Our bulldog, Charlotte, who we have had for years, is going to a new home. She has been very jealous and upset since Hank was born, especially now that he is toddling. We were hoping that we could make it work, but Charlie is getting sick and losing hair. We took her to the vet and they said it was stress. After a lot of tears, and a lot of talking, we have realized that we need to find Charlie a new home. We will miss her, but we were assured we would get updates of how she is doing. This is one of the hardest decisions we have had to make, but we know it is best for Charlie.

Good Luck, Charlie!! We love you and we will miss you!! We wish you the best, sweets.