Reading Day

Louie and I finally got to participate again in our public school district’s annual reading day after a 3 year break. We had a wonderful time reading a book about a sweet Newfoundland dog to two different classes of 2nd graders. Louie was as patient and loving as ever. The first picture is of Louie with his favorite teacher.  I'm so proud of my sweet boy!

Goodbye Summer; Hello School

After our New York and South Carolina trips we spent the rest of the summer traveling back and forth between Little Rock and Monticello where we spent time with Natalie's Arkansas grandparents.  Below is a picture of Natalie touching the tooth of an alligator at a Monticello bank.  It was her idea to pose like this.

We also made a visit to Natalie's old school where she enjoyed seeing some of her old friends.

Sissy came for a visit and the three of us drove to Louisville Arkansas to visit my 96 year old grandmother.  It was a very wonderful, special time.

We also made a visit to the zoo where Natalie got to see her very favorite "animal” - an owl. 

We enjoyed riding on the new zoo train.

...and the carousel 

Since we were traveling for 90% of the summer, Katie and Louie had been staying at Newfoundland Doggie Camp.  Natalie was so excited to have them home (so was I :-). She was especially thrilled to be reunited with her best buddy Louie.

Soon it was time for orientation night at Natalie's new school.  We were both happy to find out that four of her best friends from her old school were in her class. 

Dinner with more wonderful friends, Donna and Mitch

Natalie was nervous, but brave when I dropped her off for her first day at her new school.  The little fashionista wasn't thrilled about having to wear a uniform, but she was rockin' it anyway. I stayed for a bit and watched through an observation window. The students sat on a carpet on their assigned seats (Natalie was lucky enough to be between two classmates from her old school.) As the introduction to the class was going on one of Natalie's classmates mentioned her grandparent recently died. Natalie raised her hands next and then told the group that her Daddy died. She was very matter of fact about it. We still talk about Gary almost every day and regularly watch videos of him and Natalie together. Even though death is a complicated subject Natalie seems to grasp the fact that her Daddy's love lives on. There is a children's book about this called "Always By My Side" that Natalie frequently asks to read.

Natalie's new school is absolutely fantastic.  Natalie has been going for almost 3 weeks now and she is very happy there.  Her teachers are wonderful!  

Natalie was recently tested for both Physical and Occupational Therapy. She still qualifies for both so she will continue to receive PT and OT for another year. Natalie barely qualified in PT, so I am certain that this is her last year of that. She started back in swimming lessons recently and will start dance class next Monday. She is going to a new dance school and will learn ballet, tap and jazz (all in a one hour class). I predict that the combination of PT, swimming and dance will help Natalie's gross motor skills catch up to age appropriate levels very soon. OT is going to take more time and a lot more work. Natalie's fine motor skills are still severely delayed. However, both of her therapists are amazed by the progress she has made. She is great about paying attention and working hard. I am very proud of her. Next on Natalie's agenda: Dancing With the Stars. She asks me every day how many more days until her favorite show starts.

Moments in May

Since I'm on a kick of trying to catch up on my blog posts I thought I would post some miscellaneous pictures that show what Natalie and I have been doing lately.  From all the recent posts you can see that our lives have been extremely full.  I am actually ready for some quiet time now, but I'm guessing Natalie is not.  She loves to be on the go and be around people as much as possible.

One of the things we love to do on an almost daily basis is turn on some loud, happy music and dance around the house for about 30 minutes.  The other day Natalie wanted to wear one of her fancy dresses during our dance.  She loves it when I pick her up, spin her around and then throw her on the bed.  This particular time I was captivated by the way she looked in her red dress against the blue and white material, so I asked her to be still so I could take a couple of pictures.

Hanging out with her friend at a birthday party.

Natalie's little boy friend requested princesses and race cars on his birthday cake.  It was a definite crowd pleaser.

One of my favorite moments in May was when I took Louie to visit Natalie's class at school.  We gave them all a lesson on how to introduce yourself to a dog you don't know.

Natalie was so proud to have HER dog at school.
She enjoyed introducing Louie to all of her friends.

Springtime Fun

Katie and Louie enjoying a Springtime Walk

 All the girls in Natalie's class just got their costumes for the upcoming recital at the end of May.  Natalie is thrilled with hers.

At the beginning of April Natalie started swimming lessons.  Her teacher is very sweet and patient and Natalie is loving her classes.

Natalie with a couple of friends at school.  I love how her friend has her hand on Natalie's back. They are all such sweet girls.

A rare site: Natalie wearing jeans.  She wore them to the park and immediately changed back into a dress when we got home.

Natalie and the Easter Bunny

Easter Day

The Hunt is on...

Heading out for another trip to the Tunnel Park

Getting dollies ready for bed.  I asked Natalie about the blocks on top of each dolly.  She said that was their snack :)

Natalie lined my bottle collection up and was so proud of her work.  

Here's to hoping for a long spring and a delay of the hot summer days.

A Holiday Card From the Happy Haus

Katie the Newf: Protector and Transporter

In the two years that Natalie has lived at The Happy Haus I have watched her relationships with the Newfs evolve.  Louie took to Natalie immediately and they quickly developed a very sweet bond.  Katie, on the other hand, was quite wary of Natalie and therefore needed to be watched at all times when the two girls were in the same room.  After about a year I began to feel more comfortable with their interaction as Natalie matured and learned more about manners around doggies.  About 18 months after Natalie came home I no longer had any concerns about the two girls being together.  However, I always felt like Katie simply felt neutral about Natalie…that she didn't care if Natalie was part of our family or not.

A few days ago I was walking Katie while pushing Natalie in her stroller.  We were almost home when suddenly a familiar Boston Terrier started running towards us.  Katie had an encounter with this dog back in 2007 when she was about 10 months old.   As she did previously, Katie acted nonchalant when the dog approached.  She didn't bark, move a muscle or seem to be on alert at all.  The dog's owner quickly followed.  Natalie asked if she could pet the dog.  I asked if the dog likes people - especially children.  We were assured that it did and the owner picked it up so that Natalie could reach its head to pet it.  The Boston Terrier acted very friendly, so I was surprised when Katie dropped her indifferent attitude and at lightening speed threw herself between Natalie and the other dog and pinned the dog to the ground.  At the time I didn't realize that Katie was protecting "her" Natalie.  I was just concerned about the fate of the little dog, but other than having a back covered with Newf drool it was completely unharmed.  Katie's intention was not to harm or she easily could have done so.  Her intention was to remove a possible threat to her girl.

Whenever Natalie expresses fear about the evil sea witch from "The Little Mermaid" or the mean man from "Beauty & the Beast" coming to get her I always explain that lots of people work to keep her safe.  I tell her that her teachers will keep her safe at school and when she is at home Katie, Louie and I will keep her safe.  I always believed this to be true of the Newfs after reading so many stories about Newfoundland dogs putting themselves between their humans and danger.  Seeing Katie's protective nature in action warmed my heart.


Unlike her brother Louie, who is not a fan of draft work, Katie also enjoys pulling Natalie around in her cart.

Happy Birthday U.S.A.!

Dressing Up and Dressing Down

Have I mentioned before that Natalie is obsessed with fashion?  She picks out her own clothes everyday and 99% of the time she chooses a dress.  She loves dresses so much that she often begs me to wear one too.  Yesterday I did, so we decided to take a few pictures because as Natalie said, "We match".  Maybe not in the color or style of dress, but the fact that we both had dresses on was good enough for her.










Water play days started at school last week.  Natalie is having a blast splashing around with her friends at school.