Physical Activities in Winter

This winter has been particularly cold and snowy.  We did manage to do some tubing/sledding and take a few walks.  The three homeschooled girls all take dance classes and Madelyn is heavily involved in cheerleading,  but overall the kids have been cooped up too much..  Mike and I purchased the girls a gymnastic mat as part of their Christmas gifts.  It's been a huge blessing.  The girls have been stretching several times each week to work on their flexibility.  Madelyn has even added neighborhood children into the stretching class.

I also allowed the girls to bring the gymnastic mat upstairs into the family room.  It's warmer upstairs and their is enough room without running into furniture.

Our poor puppy who has reached his full adult stature still has tons of energy.  When we run laps through the house up one staircase and down the other, the dog chases after the girls.  Allie particularly likes running with Dudley. 

In the afternoon and evening, Allie and Paige have been playing hide and seek with Dudley, our puppy.  One of the girls throws the ball into a different room.  Dudley chases the ball and the girls hide.  When he returns to the room carrying the ball, Dudley can't find the girls.  He is definitely not a scent dog.  It's so funny to watch him search the rooms, looking for the girls.  Frequently, he walks right past them and doesn't notice them unless someone moves or makes a sound. 

Now that the spring is slowly making its arrival, we're all hoping to spend lots of time outdoors soaking up the sunshine and fresh air.

Meet the Newest Member of the Family

Over Labor Day weekend we added a new member to our family.  Dudley is a good-natured cocker spaniel/Australian cattle dog mix.  He weighed in around 6 pounds when we brought him home.  Joe was so happy when he first met Dudley, that Joe had tears in his eyes.  Dudley is a high energy puppy, but he does calm down after a good play session.  The kids are creating an obstacle course for him in the back yard, so Dudley has a job to do each day.It took us a month to get him to stop trying to herd Paige and Allie to where he wanted them to go.  His obstacle helps channel that desire for work.

Here are some of the positives and negative with this breed combination:
Positives
1.  Lots of energy for play
2.  Very quiet.  I have only heard him bark a handful of times in 3 months.
3.  Very good with unfamiliar people.
4.  Easily potty trained.
5. Intelligent
6. Obedient
Negatives
1.  Herds small children
2.  Steals socks and tries to play keep away with them
3.  Believes that he's a lap dog
4.  Needs regular play periods or walks.

Overall, Dudley has been a great addition to our family.