Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Phoebe makes herself at home

Meet Phoebe!

In true Krentz style, last week we got into our heads that we desperately needed a dog. We had talked off and on about getting a pup over the years, but never put too much thought into it. Well, now that baby #3 is taking its sweet time, we decided that it was time to take the plunge and find us a canine companion. We visited all the local shelters over the weekend, and did a LOT of searching and emailing Craigslist and Ebay people. Unfortunately, all of the rescue dogs we found that fit our "needs" list (affectionate, mellow, smart, not bark-y or wary of strangers, not a puppy, not a pure bred with health concerns...) were not good with kids, especially young kids. So, we started thinking about getting a dog from a breeder, but balked at the price tag... $2000??? Seriously?? Then I stumbled on a fantastic opportunity called a "Guardian Home." Families who pass all the rigorous testing and interviews (just kidding, but almost!) get to take home the pick of the litter for FREE, as long as they agree to let their dog have puppies twice (all paid for and taken care of by the breeders), then their dog is fixed and is theirs forever! Oh, did I mention that the Guardian family gets paid for the years their dog is breeding to cover costs? So I emailed a bunch of breeders of labradoodles and Goldendoodles and Poodle poodles and Miniature Goldens and Yankee doodle dandies, and this afternoon got in contact by a breeder in Gig harbor with a 7-month-old Miniature Golden Retriever (part poodle and part Cocker Spaniel, but mainly Golden). We jumped at the opportunity-- Kevin and I left work early, picked up the kids early, and drove down to meet our dog!! She is amazing!!! She immediately ran to us and tumbled into our laps and licked our faces. She is small (20 lbs, full grown), and really gorgeous with silky ears, and a curly back and fluffy tail. Seriously, she looks EXACTLY like Jesse would if he were a dog! And she totally acts like him, too! Except no tantrums and screaming fits! In fact, we are not even sure if she knows how to bark-- we have not heard a peep out of her. And the best part ever-- she walked right up to Obie, they sniffed, and both went on their merry way. Oberon now just gives Phoebe a certain look and Phoebe scurries away.

The name? Well, her real name is "Kaya's Cupid," or "Cupid" for short, and aside from the fact that it is a dumb name, every time Jesse called her using Cupid, it sounded exactly like "Stupid"... and we just can't be calling our dog stupid. So Kevin came up with Phoebe-- meaning "bright and shining" in Greek, and it so totally fits her, so now her official unofficial name is Phoebe Violet (that was Elena's vote) Kaya's Cupid, or Phoebe for short.

Three generations of Hildebrandt women

My niece, Molly, was in town this week for a conference, and brought along her darling baby, Eleanor, and her mom (my sister), Marian. Even though I had to work, and Molly had to attend and present at the conference, we got some quality time to eat and drink and laugh and talk (and of course, the requisite trip to a children's consignment shop!) I even got to run Eleanor in my experiment on Infant Perception of Beauty. Eleanor is such an amazingly wonderful baby!! She is all smiles, and has a perfectly sweet and mellow temperament. She also is very bright and active and taught herself the "army scoot" in the three days she was here! We have a video of my kids chanting "Go Eleanor! Go Eleanor!" while she scooted herself inch-worm style across my living room. And how wonderful it was to see my womenfolk!! I feel immediately myself and at-home with Marian and Molly. I have known them and loved them my entire life; Marian helped raise me, and Molly was my first little sister. I miss them already. Someone remind me why I am living a million miles away from all of my closest family and friends?

Happiest Mother Ever

On Mother's Day, the kids showered me with drawings, homemade brooches, yarn and bead necklaces, and laminated bookmarks. On the card Elena made, it read "HABE MUTHA DA." Who knew that she was learning Swedish? The best part was the sheer and utter JOY that emanated from every pore of her little body. While Jesse was NOT particularly interested in showering me with gifts ("Mommy, where is my cocoa? Get up! I want my cocoa and TV! TV! TV!")...Ellie was absolutely beside herself with excitement to give me gifts and profess her love and affection. Apparently, she had been working with Kevin for several days after school on cards and drawings in anticipation of the big day. Honestly, she is the sweetest kid ever. Ever since she was a tiny baby, she has been so full of love. When she was only a year old she would say with such feeling, "KANK YOU!!!" whenever anyone gave her something, or helped her, or even when she gave something to someone else. Who does that??? What child on the face of the earth is so amazingly wonderful???

I will spare you an equally passionate diatribe expressing my love for my son... for now. I will simply leave you with this:

HAPPIEST MOTHER EVER.