Tubing, toilet training, and travel (sort of)

Just a little update about what's been going on lately. On Monday we decided to drive up to Ruidoso, NM - it's about 2 hrs north of us. It's so beautiful there. Shaun actually went skiing there last week - yes, his first time and nothing got broken. So we took Jojo (we finally decided on a name) to a dog park they have there which was awesome. It's a big area fenced in so he was able to run free with the other dogs. We let him do that for about an hour then we went tubing at the Winter Park they have. We had so much fun, although Owen was a little upset that he couldn't go alone and he couldn't go on the hills higher up. But he still had fun.

I'm happy to announce that our 3 1/2 year old is finally . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . pooping on the potty. I haven't been this excited in I don't know how long. It's weird the things you get excited about once you have kids. This was a long and hard battle for Shaun and I. It's been 4 days now and no problems. Whoohoo!!!! Now, we just need to start working on making it through the night dry and we're done with the diapers - at least until the next one comes.

And here are some pictures of Owens trip to San Antonio yesterday, at least that's where he told us he was going. This is his new obsession. How much stuff can I stuff into one place. I think he's just reminiscing about all of our trips last year where the car was stuffed to the brim and we had the roof storage bag. Yes, that is a picnic table on top. We also have a broom, a trampoline cover, a water sprinkler, and who knows what else. I have no idea how he got in there (or out).

And just a little adoption update - we have almost everything in except our training form. We've watched the video and are almost done with the books we have to read. Our home study should be completed this week. Next is our phone interview with Love Basket and then I think we will be on to our profiles. It's crazy how fast this has gone.

Our new addition

No, not a baby yet - well, not of the human form. We got a puppy, which I totally said we were NOT going to do when we first started talking about dogs. Last Sunday, we went to the Animal Rescue League of El Paso (ARL) and fell in love with Baldwin. A male dog, 5-6 months old, about 25-30 lbs, boxer mix. We think he is mixed with an english pointer. He's so adorable. We first saw him through petfinder.com and read a little about him. ARL saved him on his last day of death row at the pound. Doesn't that just break your heart. So far he has been wonderful. He hasn't had any accidents - not even close calls. He loves his crate - we've tried to make it his sanctuary. We've told Owen "No Kids Allowed" in or around the crate (maybe I should put a sign), "Dogs Only". It's so weird he doesn't inhale his food like a certain lab that I know and he doesn't seem to like the treats we've gotten him. Does he know he's a dog? He's adjusted really well to us. He likes to nibble on things but I know that goes with the puppy phase. Unfortunately, he is off right now getting his manhood cut off but it's for the best. I hope he still loves us tomorrow. We are still debating about the name too. Baldwin is cute but it doesn't really have a nickname (Baldy - no, Winy - no). Owen loves JoJo. Not sure why but that's what he wants to call the puppy. I was trying to think of something relating to El Paso since that's where he is from but came up with nothing (I'm so not creative with names). Then I thought about Rex (as in T-Rex) because Owen loves dinosaurs and I thought Rex was a cute name. Owen liked it for about 20 min and then went back to JoJo. So that name may stick. We'll see. Any suggestions?