Wam. Bam.

Thank you, m'am.

(David Bowie does the best introductions, non?)

The unthinkable has happened, guys.

I was accepted. To BYU's Master's Program. For English Literature.

!!!

I seriously couldn't believe it.

Granted, it is provisional that I get a B or higher in a Critical Theory class my first year.

Critical Theory?! I am the master of critical theory, guys.

Yep, that's what I'm telling myself.

(I'm not going to lie, though...when we decided to get a dog, I did it with the conviction that I wasn't going to be going back to school and would therefore have loads of time to watch a dog while raising two kids.

I'll figure it out, right?)

In any case, I've got a standing theory that someone on the Graduate Committee was either bribed or one of my recommendations was a blackmail letter that was accidentally uploaded.

But hey! I'll take it.

So, I am the goon squad and I'm coming to town. Beep beep.

Ok, maybe David Bowie isn't always the best for this kind of stuff?

Don't be sad, Bowie. You're still cool.

Master of Mayhem. Queen of Chaos.

That's me folks.

Adding a puppy into our (my) mix has been like adding a daily and constant tornado.

Toys! Scatter them!
Kids! Knock them over!
Walks! Do them all the time, always!

At the end of the day you will find me happily passed out in coma.

A COMA.

But seriously, these kids are keeping me on toes. I swear the minute I let up, they're all going to take over the house and Luke will come home to find me tied up in a closet.

(Well, that escalated quickly.)

But to make all the kid-induced mayhem more fun more me I make Finn push me on his bike:

I'm a real slave-driver, guys.

Really, I was trying to teach Finn how to ride the damn thing and after getting a teensy bit frustrated I kicked him off to show him how the pros do it.

Done and done.

As for Finn, he's like, really getting into this potty-training business (thank goodness). The end of diapers is so close I can taste it (that was seriously the grossest way to put it. Good job, me).

We went out twice today without him wearing diapers. No accidents.

Bam.

I am so very cautiously optimistic. I am a caution cone of optimism.

And Isla? She's getting THREE teeth at once. Her first three teeth ever. I'm like, really? Reallllly? I was sleeping for once and now you get three teeth? Great. The weirdest part is they're the same random top, side/fang teeth that Finn got first. Whatever, vampire baby.

But I dare say she is almost walking on her own.

How cute is that chubby little face? And she is such a little chubster. She weighed 20 lbs at her 9 month check-up.

Well, yep that's how much Finn weighed at 12 months.

And last but not least, Jüssi. My happy, little bundle of energy. Potty trained in 1 day and sleeps mostly through the night.

Hey kids, take a hint from your hairy, adopted sister, would you?

:)

We Got a Dog. Her Name is Jüssi.

And that's about it.

Bye.

Joke! Could I leave without a smattering of details?

No. No I could not.

We got the most adorable, mellow 9-week-old, purebred black Labrador puppy. Because what's another thing to take care of and clean up after and potty train? Bring it on.

We named her Jüssi (it's Swedish. Pronounced "you-see". We're just keeping in line with our European naming strategy for our kids, ja? Plus, I'm perpetually obsessed with all things Scandinavian.).

She is a super star. No accidents,  great with the kids, my new best friend, Luke's new best friend, sleeps better than Isla.

The works.

The only problem so far is that Finn is a teensy bit unsure about her motives. He starts running, she starts chasing and it all just goes a bit pear-shaped from there.

"No Jüssi, nooooooooo"

"Its fine, Finn. She's just playing..."

"Noooooooo"

You get the idea.

They get better every day, though. Today they were practically chums. It was brilliant.

As for Isla, she loves chasing Jüssi and Jüssi just looks at me like, "Who is this bald, slow puppy? I'm gonna go lick her face and sit in her lap. Yeah."

Bonus? She's Luke's first ever dog.

How cute is that?

So cute.

But really truly, it's just like having another kid. Gotta keep her on a schedule, make sure she's fed at the right time and then I have to get up in the middle of the night for one reason or another.

Best part is that it's like having a kid you can dump outside whenever you want to. And lets face it, that's the best kind of kid to have, right?

With no further adieu...les pictures: