The Gracie Alexander Family

I agree that in general blogs are self-indulgent and nothing more than a series of mundane postings from an Author that finds themselves the most interesting thing going. We don't just think our stories are relevant and engaging, we actually believe that twisted reality! Our blog has definate potential to be the most self-indulgent group of postings on the web. So visit often!!

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Hooray for Camp Bow Wow and our Mardi Gras Pup!



FAT
TUESDAY!!






Gracie got her final shots from Dr. Joe Saturday morning. We were finally able to schedule Gracie's "Camper Evaluation Session" at Camp Bow Wow. She did great at the dog park, and still I was a little nervous. You see if she didn't pass the evaluation, then it was obviously a reflection on our parenting skills. We are already banned from one doggy daycare after the Willie Fiasco. Let's just say the pressure was on for little Gracie to perform. Throughout the day Ben checked the puppy cam and assured me that she was having fun. I held out until 3:00pm and at that point had to call and hear for myself. From all reports Gracie was having the time of her life and adjusted to the new routine almost immediately. We passed as parents! I recognize how utterly neurotic I am. Then again, what mother isn't at some point in time. I can't even keep bamboo alive, so technically I am not ready to care for a puppy. :) Then again, the bamboo didn't have Gracie's demanding bark.So Gracie will be spending at least three days a week in daycare. As much as I want her to like it, I have to admit I was hurt when I picked her up the first night and she really didn't miss me at all. Sure I got a couple puppy kisses and she was obviously sad to leave her new friends. I don't blame her for wanting to stay. They even celebrated Fat Tuesday. Gracie was part of a canine Mardi Gras celebration...purple beaded collar and all. (Camp Bow Wow provided the costumes.) Personally, I am looking forward to the Easter Egg hunt in April. No I am not making this stuff up... You can read all about it and even check out the puppy cam at www.mycbw.com/northglenn . What can I say, Princess Gracie deserves the best! Although at this point I am not exactly sure how I feel about them dressing my dog up. Mardi Gras or not, dressing up your pet is a little over the top, even for a neurotic mother like me.Costumes aside, day one at camp was a total success. I knew we had made the right decision when she fell sound asleep during the 10 minute ride home. She didn't even get car sick, which really was the biggest advantage to having a tuckered out pup. Let's just say that all our extra funds are going toward the "Detail Jenn's Car and Shampoo EVERYTHING fund".I have come to accept the fact that we are "those kind of people". You know, the ones that treat their pets like children. Gracie is living large being an only child in our house. And for those of you wondering, we don't see that changing anytime soon. We are still in training with puppy number one. So if, I mean WHEN you return to this blog to get an Alexander update, you can expect Gracie to play a central role in most every posting. Besides, her life really is far more exciting than ours!

Free Range Puppies!

We took Gracie to her first dog park on Sunday. Unfortunatey that included a car ride. I have never had a dog with such a sensitive tummy. She gets sick during even the shortest drive. Our poor little girl may never be a car dog. Oh and I wanted to apologize for not having pictures to document Gracie's first day at the dog park.In all the drama of getting car sick, we forgot the camera, so just close your eyes and imagine the happiest puppy on earth. She is a natural when it comes to socializing. As a matter of fact, she is quite the take charge girl ... a real camp coordinator. She was bossing around the other dogs every chance she got. She and I have sooo much in common. Ben says she is a Mama's girl. I think she and I just seem closer because we have a similar temperant or should I say tempermentS.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with a puppies car sickness problem?

Training Day for Gracie...





The more acurate description would be training day for Ben and Jenn. Gracie did a great job working on sit and walking with a leash. Well, up until the end. Like her Mother she has the attention span of a two year old (or a 4 month old puppy) and decided that playing with her new found best friend Tucker was much more fun. By the end I too felt that playing with Tucker was the better option. This parenting stuff is tough. Okay, I had to leave for work and my wonderful husband and Caylee did most the work. I was exhausted after 1/2 hour... I can only imagine how Ben was feeling. Thank goodness Caylee was there to assist. She went from being scared of Gracie to Master Dog Trainer in a few short hours.

Happy Birthday to Jenn!




For some reason 34 seems way older than 33. I think that is because the older I get, the faster time flies by. We had a wonderful fondu party... Ben was horrified when I told we were having 10 for fondu, and he managed to put it all together without a single snag. Okay, he did have to run to the grocery store for more oil at the last minute, and he made even that task seem effortless. Shelley and Caylee came from Pueblo to help me celebrate. Boden provided the musical entertainment on the harmonica. It was the best birthday week I have had in years. Brent, Boden and Kandye brought me tulips and so did Mark. Andy was here and Gracie got to play with his dog Bubba. And as if all that were not enough, Cassie, Dance and Serinity added the game Life to our Simpsons board game collection. I felt extremely loved ... extremely old... yet extremely loved!

Happy Birthday Gracie...






Our little girl is not so little anymore. She is growing up sooo fast. At 4 months she is nearly potty trained, will sit if you have the right treats, loves to play fetch and her favorite toy is a purple toothbrush. I guess it is never to early to learn good dental hygiene!

Meet our little Gracie ....

It was a huge decision, and we finally agreed that we were up to the challenge of caring for someone other than ourselves. We knew from the moment we met her, that Gracie was the "first child" we had been hoping for. It is hard to believe that it was only two months ago that this little fur ball became a part of our family. She is only 2 months old in this picture. Wait til you see how this little Collie has grown.

Meet the Alexander Family!!







Hi Everybody!

Yes, as most of you know we are terriable at keeping in touch. It is not that we don't love you .... we just don't have very good time management skills. So we thought that creating this blog would be a great way to keep y'all informed.

The big news is the Alexander Wedding of 2005. . And for those of you who are participating in the longevity pool ... we are still a loving couple after 7 months ... most days anyway. :) It was a perfect wedding ... we danced, we toasted, we dyed Easter Eggs and went fly fishing ... It was your traditional Scottish meets Hillbilly Wedding. We even managed to fit in the Colorado Avalanche theme song. It was definately our dream wedding. In the end, Mom actually approved of the Purple Converse. They really accentuated the tulips on my dress. However, the best part was how many people went out of their way to spend this special day with us ... We are very blessed to have all of you in our lives!