Comfy, Cozy Couch

As of this moment we do not have a couch for our living room upstairs as our one and only couch is currently residing in the basement. But that is all about to change as I have just ordered our new couch for upstairs! Do I see a favorite reading spot on the new comfy, cozy couch in my future? Yes I do!

Heart Broken

It's been a very sad weekend at the Fain household. After having the dogs here for the night and most of yesterday it became apparent that they wouldn't work for our family for several reasons. Many tears have been shed by both of us, but we know we're doing the right thing for the dogs and our family. The blessing is that they were sent to us on a trial basis, and so they returned to the very loving home of the woman who rescued them. It breaks our hearts that they are not meant to be here with us, and we already miss them dearly.

Dance Dance!

Blythe loves music, and she loves to dance! It might not look like the traditional concept of what dancing is, but she "dances" never the less!

Newest Members of the Fain Family

Well, we have some exciting news! (NO! I'm NOT pregnant.) We are adopting two golden retrievers!! There is a fabulous organization in Spokane called the Inland Empire Golden Retriever Rescue. They rescue neglected golden retrievers from puppy mills, homes, and the pound. Matt and I really wanted to adopt a dog and save it's life, but we wanted a retriever or collie. We found the IEGRR, and we went out today to look at was initially just going to be one dog. We had a 1 year old male in mind, but upon arriving and playing with the dog it was pretty clear he wasn't the dog for our family. Then, out came "Pooh" (We WILL be changing her name. Any suggestions are so welcome!) and we were pretty smitten from the start. She's a mix, but a beautiful girl none the less. She has a very laid back personality, and she is very sweet. She's 2 so she's past the puppy phase, and she was rescued from the pound. She was given a "1" by and animal behaviorist which is the best score a dog can get. We are very excited about her!


As we were playing with Pooh another dog, Lucy, kept coming over to us. She is by far the friendliest dog I have ever met (aside from Matt's family's dog, Aggie) and she held a special connection with us as well. She's an older dog - 9 years old in fact. The woman who is fostering her right now told us her previous owners had gotten a new golden retriever puppy and just dropped Lucy off at the pound. How could anyone do that?! At one point I was bending down to say something to Blythe and she came over, sat right next to me, and put her little eyes right against my neck. She nuzzled in and let me just hug her for a few minutes. Well, that was all it took! So, she's coming to our house too! Even tho she may not live very much longer, she will have a great home for the rest of her years. I will say that for her age she has a LOT of spirit and playfulness.


Both dogs will probably come home with us next weekend for a trial run. If for some reason one or both of them don't work out with us, we can always take them back to the IEGRR. But for now, we're claiming them as ours!


PS. Blythe LOVES the dogs. The sniffed and licked her all over, and she loved every minute of it! Help us think of a new name for Pooh!

Delicious Cuteness

Complete and utter cuteness! I can't handle it!!

Just Peachy

We had our first guests in our new home this week! Matt's sister, Lizzie, and her fiance, Aaron, made the trip up to Spokane to see us. We had such a great time spending time with the two of them! It's strange to think that Blythe was almost 6 months the last time Lizzie saw her, and now she's a 13 month old pistol. So much has changed!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous while Aaron and Liz were here, and we took advantage of the break in heat we've been having to do some apple and peach picking out at Greenbluff. The sun was shining, the peaches and apples were ripe for the picking, and the taste-testing was magnificent. We love the northwest!

"These Feet Are Made For Walkin', and That's Just What They'll Do..."

That's right! Blythe took her first steps tonight! She ventured 3 solid steps before landing in the safe harbor of Mom's arms. We were so excited that we clapped and made all kinds of enthusiastic excitable-sounding yells. Blythe was rather confused as to why we were making such a big deal out of something she had absolutely no doubt she could accomplish. She is "B. Advanced" after all.

We weren't able to get her first steps on any kind of digital format, but I did manage to snap some pictures of a very cute girl in her PJs. She's just the best!


Blythe very up close and personal. This angle was her idea.

Cowmooflage

We are still doing Saturday Swim with Blythie, and she thoroughly enjoys it. That is, until she gets dunked. They assure us it's to help them get used to the water, and helps with safety, but it seems barbaric to us. The first picture is a nice, smiling Blythe happy in the pool. The second picture is immediately post dunk...poor little critter.

Minutes later we were warm and secure in our car. Here she is in her new car seat. As if it wasn't cute enough, the pattern of the car seat is called "cowmooflage" - so cute I can hardly stand it! Blythe has told me she quite likes facing forward, and will not be reverting back to the rear-facing riding position. I can't say I blame her!

House of Color

Well, we are finally moved into our new home! We absolutely love our house, and all the hours of painting and work we put into the house before we moved in have really paid off. The colors are so different and such a reflection of us. I've included a few for your viewing pleasure.

Our kitchen - so bright and cheerful!

The accent wall in our bedroom.

Blythe's "tropical smoothie" paradise. Soon we will put up a surfer girl border to match the tropical smoothie pinkness.
Our living room.

Home sweet home!

Me Gustan Las Enchiladas

Mexican fare is some of our favorite food, and Blythe seems to share our enthusiasm when it comes to mexican. She enjoys chicken enchiladas so much that she often decides to adorn portions of said enchiladas in her hair, on her face, and under her chin. Ever the foodie, Blythe feels that in order to really enjoy a food one must be immersed in it.

The house is coming along slowly but surely. We have finished painting the kitchen and living room with a few touch-ups needed. We have ordered the border for Miss B's room, and we are starting to paint the hallway and our bedroom. It's so wonderful to see everything coming together. It's really starting to feel like our home!

Busy Days

Sorry for the quiet on our end. We have been crazy busy painting the new house and getting it ready for us to move into in a couple of weeks. We promise to post pics of the house and more of our girl soon!

Miss B Turns 1!

What a fabulous day! Our sweet girl turns one and we get the keys to our new house all in one momentous day! Blythe had the most amazing day, and we are SO blessed to have the friends and family we do that celebrate her special day with as much enthusiasm as we do. Grammy Marilyn, Auntie Janet, and six of our friends and their families came over, and we had a BBQ at the new house! Matt grilled up some fabulous burgers on our shiny new grill (thanks Mom!) We ended the meal with red velvet cupcakes and pretty pink cream cheese frosting. Our girl got to have chocolate and vanilla ice cream as she was the honorary birthday girl. She had an amazing time, and the love of wonderful friends and family was felt by all!

Here she is opening her first present! She LOVED the ribbons.

Who says you can't wear your cake and eat it too? Too bad it isn't a bath night....


The birthday girl in her birthday crown.

It's Almost Official!

We are now home owners!! We signed the documents today, and will hopefully have keys in hand by tomorrow evening. We are so thrilled! The timing couldn't be better as Blythe will get to celebrate her first birthday in our new house. We won't have any furniture, but we'll have a grill and cupcakes. What else could one possibly need? Pictures of the new casa will be posted as soon as we can get inside the house!

In the mean time, here's a picture of our girl with her much beloved Grandpa Beecher. Such a cute pair.

My sweet baby girl - so much love!

Lil' Water Baby

We had our first water babies class with Blythe today, and she absolutely loved being in the pool! We were a little nervous that she might get too cold or that all that water would scare her. Not our girl. She splashed and she kicked. She squealed and she laughed. All in all - a great success! It was even more special because Matt got to go with us. He usually has to work during all the fun classes and activities we do during the week days, but because this class is on Saturday we had Dad with us to enjoy the warm pool water with us. A fabulous time was had all!

We also want to wish Grammy Marilyn a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! We love you!

Time For a New Post!

I know some of you are thinking "Yes! About time!", but things around the Fain household are quite busy. It's also nice *hint* to get some comments to let me know that people are actually reading this thing. :) To my loyal comment-makers, MUCH thanks for the great comments! On to the pictures!

One never knows what will happen when Daddy is in charge of...anything. So, the following photos can be attributed to my husband and his bizarre, but I have to admit, funny sense of humor.

After Miss B's bath we lotion her up so she has beautifully scented baby-soft skin. I usually run my hand through her hair so that she radiates Johnson's Baby smell all day. Here's what happens when Matt's in charge of lotioning the baby. (I promise she did not put her fingers in any outlets.)

From these pictures one might gather that our place is climate challenged. Not so. In fact, it was 86 degrees today. But, the hat was within Matt's reach and so on Blythe's head it went. It was hilarious!


The next one is just a cute picture of our sweet girl who will be ONE on July 11th!!! Talk about surreal. Cute top compliments of Mommy Susan and Auntie Liz - we love it!

Chocolate Kisses, Part 2

Blythie is a born chocolate lover, this we know. What we did not know, however, is that she will not let anything get in her way of having chocolate in her belly! Matt sat down with a nice bowl of sugar free chocolate pudding, and she went straight for him. Not content to sit in front of him patiently and wait for the chocolate to come to her, she made the move to get closer to the chocolate. The chocolate frenzy ensued - chocolate on Dad's shirt, chocolate on her sock, chocolate on the carpet, chocolate on Mom's shirt, chocolate all over! The girl was only content when she scored her desired seat - close to the spoon on Dad's lap with the pudding within reach. Did we mention she likes chocolate? (One of the pictures is a bit blurry - she won't keep still!)

Up Close and Personal

Blythe has been able to pull herself to a standing position for some time now, but I realized this morning that I had not captured this incredible feat on film! So, as she was making her way along the laundry basket I snapped a few photos. Then, the camera "captured" (pun intended - my attempt at humor this morning) her abandoning the laundry basket and crawling closer and closer to the shiny silver camera Mom was holding. Without further ado, here is Miss B - up close and personal!

More Fun with Dan and Katie

On Saturday we headed out to Coeur d'Alene to have some fun with a group of my buddies at the local KOA. Blythe loved being on the swing with her uncle Dan. Pardon my startled expression - she almost grabbed a bee!

Here she is with her little flirty smile!

Amongst the Lilacs

Today was a perfect day for a walk in the park. The Lilac Garden is in bloom right now, and the varying colors of white and purple were a treasure to behold. A photo opportunity was a must!



Matt's brother and his girlfriend are visiting this week. Blythe loves having them around, and they seem to be just as enamored with her. Here they are in the Japanese Garden!

10 Months!

That's right folks, in two short months Blythe will be 1 year old! When did that happen?! She is slowly becoming more a toddler than an infant in front of my very own eyes. She now says "Uh oh" and "Hi" and "Da Da" back to us when we speak to her. It's so fantastic to see this little person evolving and maturing, but also slightly bittersweet to know she's growing out of the baby phase.

She loves to play with the ceiling fan switches. She squeals with delight when she's in range of being able to grasp them.


This was taken on her 10 month date. It's blurry because this child is never still!