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Odin \\ 10 months

Odin Report - 10 months

Sometimes it seems like we’ve had Odin for such a long time now – he’s become such a big part of our lives. Other times, it seems like he was a teeny pup just yesterday.

Christmas out at the lake was fantastic, as expected. We went on lots of long walks, played in the snow, & spoiled Odin completely. I’m not sure he understood why he got to open a bunch of fun new toys, but he did figure out how to open them all.

Odin

Odin + the tree

He loved his little namesake ornament

Puppy + Couch

Odin’s favourite couch cushion when he escapes his pen

Odin Snuggles

January started out tough for Odin with both of us back at work full time. He managed to finally figure out how to escape his 3 foot pen, while we were at a movie. We replaced it with a 4 foot pen. It lasted a week before he also found a way out of that one. His favourite thing to do when he escapes? Unzip a couch cushion & chew its insides. Now we’re keeping him in his travel kennel during the day.

Southland off leash dog park Southland off leash dog park Southland off leash dog park Southland off leash dog park

This month we took him to Southland off-leash dog park for the first time & I think we’re hooked now. Odin is so good at circling back & checking in with us & plays so nice with the other dogs. We’re working up to 6 km in preparation for a birthday hike in April.

Odin cuddles Odin cuddles Odin walk Odin cuddles Odin cuddles

Speaking of Birthdays, we also hosted my sister in law’s this month. Odin’s always so good when we host parties, & this time was no exception. As usual, he put himself to bed when he got tired around 11 pm. Smart pup, we were up significantly later.

Sarah's Birthday

Sarah’s Birthday Party

Sar's Birthday

Kisses for the pup

Odin Love

<3

As usual, I have a little video to recap his 10th month. I didn’t remember to save as many videos off snapchat this time around, so it’s a little shorter. Enjoy!

Love you, little guy! xx

2017 Resolutions

Bullet Journal Resolution

​You can’t walk into a gym or fitness class this month without​ ​it becoming immediately apparent that it’s January.While I personally​ ​stand by the fact that the best time to make change is when you’re ready to do so I ​also​ ​t​end to recommit to my goals in the new year. Like a brand new notebook, a fresh outlook on your goals is just what I need sometimes.

Now I realize most people posted their resolutions much earlier in January, but well, I didn’t. Clearly. I’m not even sure why.​ Oh well.​ I figure this is better late than never, as I have been working on a few different things​ behind the scenes & I’d like to share how that’s going​.

One of the biggest changes to my goals setting this year is the added element of tracking. I’ve kept a bullet journal for a few years now, & it’s constantly evolving. The tracking aspect is something I started with my latest journal, & I really love it. I’m finding it keeps me more accountable to my goals because I’m so much more aware of where I need to reevaluate. This is such a good example of why I think change needs to happen as soon as you feel you need it. I started this fresh journal, with tracking goals a couple months ago, instead of waiting for the new year.

I’ve set up my BuJo to document on a weekly basis. I find tracking within a shorter time frame much easier. I like the idea of a monthly tracker, however, so far I don’t find it really works. We’ll see how that goes over the course of this year. I’m interested to see what changes. I’m sure both my method & my actual goals will evolve, & that’s what I love most about this style of journal: the flexibility.

Currently, my weekly goals are mostly health-related. I’m trying to drink more water, get some kind of fitness in several times a week, eat well, walk daily, & get to sleep before 11 pm. In addition, I’m trying to be more aware of what I spend on a weekly basis. I find it easier to hold myself accountable this way, so I’m tracking that too. We have a big trip coming up this year, & I’d like to have some extra spending money tucked away.

Bullet Journal Resolution

So that’s where I stand on New Years Resolutions this year. I’m taking a little more active role in what I’d like to accomplish, & hoping it continues to work well for me!

What do you think of New Years Resolutions? Do you have any goals, big or small, for this year?

Odin \\ 9 months

I’m a little behind on this month’s Odin update. His 9 month “birthday” happened to fall on Christmas Eve, & I thought I’d have time to pull together a video & edit some photos while I was out at the lake, but we spent time playing games, going for walks, skating, hot tubbing, skiing, & eating instead. No complaints.

Odin & Jake watching football

Pre-haircut

Sunny naps

December was a particularly great month for Odin, since N was home for pretty much the entire month. Hanging out & playing with dad everyday? No pen time? I think it was pretty amazing.

Odin & Rudolph

Hanging with a reindeer

Someone’s got a new haircut!

Bed hangs

Unfortunately, we did run into a couple little setbacks because of this. For one, he had more access to his stuffed toys than he normally would, so Molly, Garth, & Ned all bit the dust despite my attempts to sew them back together.

Christmas Parties

Bring your dog to work day! 😉

Please play with me, Akela.

Playing with Rosie

Family Photo

He also got used to being out of his pen all day so going back is an adjustment. That’s a story for next month though because December was all about playtime, cuddles, & relaxing.

Storm Mountain naps

a fluffy new toy

Odin’s favourite things this month include: walks, ear scratches, belly rubs, aggressively chewing his toys, playing, making new friends (humans or otherwise), snow.

Odin’s dislikes: when mom & dad leave him, jumping into the back of the car, puppy teeth.

Of course, I also have a little video compilation from Odin’s 9 month of life. Unfortunately, the original had some issues, so the We Edit free logo is on this version. You can still see his cute face though. 😉

Welcome to 2017, bud!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Our Holiday Traditions

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. The whole month of December is just one of the best, & I think that has a lot to do with how steeped in tradition it is. Everyone has their own slightly different way of prepping for Christmas, & I love hearing the different stories.

I like to wait until December 1 to get into Christmas mode. When I worked at Starbucks, we switched our displays over on November 1, & that always brought out the Grinch in me, so now I hold off until well after Remembrance Day. The only thing I do before then is take a family photo & order Christmas cards. We did this particularly early this year since N’s schedule was so crazy, but that gave me extra time to procrastinate on my cards (I’m still writing some this week! Ha!).

The first real Christmassy thing we like to do is decorate. I added another stocking to our mantle this year for Odin, & I can’t wait for him to figure out what those silly socks hanging from the fireplace mean. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t pulled his down yet – I wrapped up his little treats just this week!

Step one for decorating: Odin meets Rudolf.

Most of our Christmas decor is straight out of the 80s. I’ve inherited so many things from my parents, & although they’re a little on the tacky side sometimes, I actually love them. They’re all great memories from my childhood. I’m a sucker for something with a story behind it, & almost every single one has that. We even have some handmade wool tree & snowflake ornaments that my Nana made years ago.

He really wanted some of Nana’s tree decorations

Odin helping decorate

Waiting patiently

Next, I like to hit the Scouts Canada Christmas Tree lot. We’ve gotten a real Christmas Tree the last two years, & I don’t plan on stopping this tradition anytime soon, even if we aren’t always around for the holidays. A real tree makes the whole house smell like Christmas like nothing else can (except maybe mulled wine). They’re definitely more work, but I think they’re so worth it. My family almost always bought their trees from the Scouts lot. I love watching the kids get involved in the whole process and enjoy supporting our local Scouts, a program my brother & I both grew up with. We go to the 31st group’s lot at the Holy Cross Anglican Church on 19th Street NW.

Picking up our tree from the lot

Letting #TreeMcTreeface settle in

Pre-decor

Helpers

It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least a couple parties. This year, we kicked things off with my office holiday party. It’s always a lot of fun. We book a room at the hotel so we can thoroughly enjoy the night. It’s always filled with lots of wine & even more dancing.

L & I

After a few drinks

Coworker friends

My handsome date

My parents also always host a cocktail party. My mom puts out an awesome spread. It’s a great evening filled with the best people, lots of drinks, & some delicious appetizers. My mom always puts out the best spread. No one ever goes hungry at her house. We always stay overnight because another tradition kicks off early the next morning: the Banff Ski Trip.

Odin was ready to greet everyone

Mom’s awesome spread

Tree Substitute

SIL & Odin, two of the best

Mom, Sar, & I

The whole crew

Tequila!

Unfortunately, this year, it was insanely cold for our trip. Nonetheless, we got up, put on our gear, & drove to Lake Louise. A couple others from our group were planning to meet us in the afternoon. We purchased Louise Plus Cards, & headed up the mountain on the chair lift. A blustery – 41 greeted us at the summit, & we decided it wasn’t worth getting frostbite over & took advantage of their offer to issue us a snowcheque for anytime in the next year.

FIrst chair

Top of the Word: -41C

Instead, we headed into Banff for some lunch, followed by a dip in the hot tub at the hotel. We started the drinking festivities earlier than any other year, which made for a hilarious gift exchange before we headed out on the town.

Drinks at Park

Delicious cocktails instead of skiing

Hotel Time

11th Annual Ski Trip

Having a moment

Girls photo. Oops.

Aww

& that brings us to the final week before Christmas. We’ve got a few evenings with friends planned before the big weekend, but that’s about it for our pre-Christmas traditions.

How do you prepare for the holidays? Do you embrace the crazy December schedule, or do you like to hunker down?

Odin \\ eight months

Odin Report Eight Months

Eight months! Man, eight-month-old Odin is a trip.

His personality has really started to shine over the last month. He’s also become so much more protective of me lately. He alerts me to every noise & is much more keen to snuggle on the couch. N has been away a bit longer this rotation which makes me wonder what he thinks is going on there – maybe that he’s the little man of the house.

Majestic Odin

Odin at the office

Majestic Odin

Odin Naps

Odin Cuddles

Majestic Odin

Odin Snuggles

Majestic Odin

Lately, he’s been doing really well while I’m away at work so I’ve been leaving him longer all the time. Unfortunately, we jumped the gun a little & paid the price for giving him too much freedom last week. We’ve now got some couch cushions to patch. He’s back in the ex pen during the day this week & that seems to be going well. I feel a little bad leaving him with such limited space, but it gets easier as he handles it better.

Odin Halloween

Odin & Adam at Halloween

Odin & Adam at Halloween

Odin getting some snuggles

Odin getting some snuggles

A walk along the bluff

A walk along the bluff

Majestic Odin

Majestic Odin

Recycling makes great toys for puppies & babies

Recycling makes great toys for puppies & babies

Majestic Odin

Barking at the head on the mantle (“protecting me”)

I splurged this month & bought us a little pre-christmas gift. Pajamas! They are better than I could have ever expected. I love matching Odin so much. He seems fine with them too. I’m pretty excited that he doesn’t try to chew them like he does his harness!

Odin Christmas

Odin Christmas

a very comfy watchdog

Odin Christmas

Only slightly embarrassed to be matching with mommy

Once again, I’ve got a little a video. This time I compiled it on my computer so it’s a little bit better quality. I can’t believe how much he’s grown since we got him. Looking back at photos from when we first got him is surreal.

Love you, little guy!

Lest we forget – Remembrance Day 2016

Remembrance Day 2016

Thank you to our veterans and current soldier for your sacrifices & your service so that we can have this wonderful freedom. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we spend a moment in silence to remember you.

Today, Odin, N, & I walked over to memorial drive Remembrance Day ceremony. Every year they set out crosses to honour the fallen soldiers from Southern Alberta. It was a beautiful day for an outdoor ceremony. I was impressed by the number of people who turned up. We met up with a friend who is a second lieutenant in the army from lunch after, & he said there were over 10,000 people at the war museum ceremony.

Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016

As we walked back up the bluff afterwards it was hard not to feel incredibly grateful for this life we lead.

Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016 Remembrance Day 2016

Thank you for protecting these freedoms. We are so very grateful.

Odin \\ seven months

odin-2As I type this, Odin is snuggled against my legs on the couch. He’s becoming so much more cuddly lately & we are enjoying it so much. There’s nothing better than settling in to relax for the evening & having him join us. I just love it.

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I had thought his growth had totally slowed, but I saw a few recent photos of him in my arms & he’s definitely still growing. I’m so curious how big he’ll end up being. This month, he’s almost spent more time with my parents. He’s behaved himself so well, which they attribute to how hard we’ve been working on his training. I think we’ve also gotten really lucky with his personality. He’s a pretty chill guy after he says his hellos (I mean, for a puppy). He’s also so friendly & happy. It’s so great.

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odinthanksgiving

Odin & Mommy

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Playing with a new toy

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We’re still working on him going full days on his own. It’s been hard to completely doggy proof his area of the house, so even though we have a doggy gate, he hangs out in his ex pen when we’re away. I know we have to pull the trigger eventually, but he’s been going through a bit of a digging phase lately. He also chews his soft toys to death so I’m curious if he’d go for other things when we’re away. I’m going to start trying to leave him in the back of the house for short periods this week. We’re hoping he’ll have an easier time being alone if he has a little more space. Fingers crossed.

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Car Rides

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Playing with friends

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New furrrrniture

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with Daddy’s shoes, for scale.

Right now Odin loves snuggles, his family, playing with friends, digging up paving stones, chewing the faces off squishy toys, canned dog food, shoe laces, kisses, belly rubs, & long walks.

Odin doesn’t like when mommy leaves for the day, when daddy has to go back to work, jumping into the car, having his teeth brushed, the blender, & the vacuum.

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Odin & Garth, best buddies

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Once again, I have a little video compilation from his last month. I love looking back on these so much. I’m a little late with this seven month check in, but I know I’ll enjoy looking back on these as he continues to grow.

We love you, Odin!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Happy Thanksgiving!

Odin de Boer

Happy Thanksgiving! I feel so lucky to have more than I can begin to list to be thankful for. Most importantly though, I’m thankful for my wonderful friends & family. I only go to spend the day with one of my boys, but my family more than made up for it with a fabulous evening together.

I headed over to my parents house early in the day yesterday to start dinner. They were driving back from the lake that afternoon & joined in to help with dinner around 4. This was my second time cooking a turkey all on my own, & holy it’s a big job. I have to admit, I’m also thankful that my family is a once a year turkey family. I love to cook, but I don’t find turkey dinner a fun meal to cook. It’s a lot of waiting & basting, & hoping it all comes together well.

My parents have an amazing Viking range, which makes cooking a total joy!

My parents have an amazing Viking range, which makes cooking a total joy!

Playing with Odin while Tom the Turkey cooks!

Playing with Odin while Tom the Turkey cooks!

It wouldn't be fall in Calgary without a little snow.

It wouldn’t be fall in Calgary without a little snow.

Thankfully, my skills held up well & dinner turned out fabulous. I also made a delicious butternut squash sage soup (from the Practical Paleo cookbook I’m always going on about). My parents took care of the mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, yams, & onions. Everything came together so well, & we were joined by my brother’s girlfriend & her father.

Table's all set!

Table’s all set!

Bringing out the nice china

Bringing out the nice china

My turkey masterpiece

My turkey masterpiece

First course: Butternut squash sage soup

First course: Butternut squash sage soup

Dad carving the turkey

Dad carving the turkey

With one of my boys

With one of my boys

Dad & his pal, Odin

Dad & his pal, Odin

Belly rubs from Uncle Adam are the best!

Belly rubs from Uncle Adam are the best!

I hope your Thanksgiving was equally lovely, wherever you are (or will be, if you celebrate American Thanksgiving in a few weeks). From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

September Challenge \\ Finale

November Project Sunrise

Home stretch! The final week is more or less over, & I think it’s been a pretty successful month for everyone. Some of the girls set some pretty lofty fundraiser & health goals, which I totally respect. Go big or go home, right?

As for me, I’m feeling pretty awesome. It’s been a pretty successful month & I’m really pleased with some of the side effects I’ve experienced from #SoberSeptember (& paleo). So pleased, in facet, that I’m thinking of continuing it a little longer. I’d like to commit to a mostly Sober October as well. I’m out of town the first two weekends, so I know they won’t be perfect, but I’d like to make a conscious effort to continue eating pretty strict paleo & staying away from alcohol. I’ll allow myself a couple cheats, but N will be away again so it seems like a good opportunity to keep working hard. We’ve decided that if it goes well, we’ll go for pizza & oysters at a new (to us) spot to celebrate a great fall. Seems like a fair trade off to me.

Amazing Bam Bam Shrimp from the Domestic Man blog

Amazing Bam Bam Shrimp from the Domestic Man blog

Roast Sirloin & Adair Caesar Salad, side of spiralled potatoes

Roast Sirloin & Adair Caesar Salad, side of spiralled potatoes

Cheat Breakfast: Anju KFC

Cheat Breakfast: Anju KFC

Roast chicken with veggies

Roast chicken with veggies

Vietnamese lettuce wraps by Nom Nom Paleo are a new staple in our house

Vietnamese lettuce wraps by Nom Nom Paleo are a new staple in our house

Homemade Almond Butter Chocolate Cups

Homemade Almond Butter Chocolate Cups

Braised beef with carrots & arugula

Braised beef with carrots & arugula

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Snacks with hubs: Duck Liver Mousse from Peasant Cheese (the best), homemade pickled carrots, & olives.

Snacks with hubs: Duck Liver Mousse from Peasant Cheese (the best), homemade pickled carrots, & olives.

I sometimes forget just how great I feel when I eat paleo. I generally average under 8 hours of sleep per night. With morning workouts & evening commitments, I’ve been getting less sleep lately, but have way more energy. It’s my favourite side-effect. (I’m sure the extra workouts have been helping too.) I’d also normally break out at some point this month, but my skin showed no real signs of a breakout. Even my psoriasis seems to be laying low. It’s been a great reminder that I should make more of an effort to eat this way more consistently.

Bocce Handstands

Bocce Handstands

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Daily bike to work. It’s getting quiet in the cage at work.

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Spin with some lovely ladies!

Early AM

Ready for an early morning workout!

The best part of this whole month for me was joining November Project. I’m totally hooked & can see myself continuing to attend. I’m not sure if I’ll always be able to make it both Mondays & Wednesdays, but I’d love to go as often as possible. I actually don’t have to get up too much earlier than I normally would & I just pack my bag, prep my meals, & lay out my workout clothes the night before. This week I also got back in the pool, which was a humbling experience. I hope to make it out to a practice once in a while this year – it’s such a good challenge for me.

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Early morning abs

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Speech time!

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Group Hug!

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Crab walks

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Amazing sunrise after the 600s workout

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Banner for our sister city, LA.

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On the fundraising side, I’m at 60% of my goal for the month. I’ve added my $65 donation to the mix for the cheat meals & drinks. I’m pretty happy that I managed to mostly stick to my goal, aside from in Kelowna. I even went out a few times with friends without having more than the wine I was allowed, so I don’t feel like I missed out on too much this month. Thank you to everyone who donated to my campaign. If you would still like to donate, today’s the day. This it it! (We made it, ladies!!) Check out my campaign page for more information or to add a donation to the cause. All proceeds go to cervical cancer research at the BC Cancer Foundation.

Thank you for your support! #FuckCancer

Odin \\ six months

odin-1

Happy Half Birthday, Odin! Our little buddy officially reached the six month milestone on Saturday. I’ve been looking back at photos & it’s so unreal how much he’s grown & changed since we first brought him home in May. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still very much a puppy, but he’s calmed significantly & learned so much. He’s also grown substantially. I mean, look at this progression here:

odin-8.16.26 weeks

8 wks, 16 wks, & 26 weeks

odin-16 & 26 wks


16 wks & 26 wks

He reliably sits, shakes, & lays down for us now, so I think I’ll be able to more easily get photos that show his growth better. For a while, I was just happy to get one without him moving! The most recent photos in that little collage were taken last week, & he’s so shaggy right now. We’re getting him groomed this week since he can barely see at this point. It’s adorable, but he’s run into N’s legs a couple times. They play pretty intensely.

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Loves his Kong & his mat

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Belly rubs

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Cuddles after a trip. This lasted like three seconds.

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Cuddles generally last under 5 minutes

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Really, really into paper

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Bye bye baby teeth!

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Cuddles with daddy

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Cuddles & crazy eyes

He’s still not that into cuddles, but he’s started to seek them out from time to time. It’s generally short lived, but I’m totally relishing it.  He’s also really into paper & destroyed a whole bunch of bills one day. I’m not sure how he managed to get to them, but hasn’t jumped out of his pen, but I won’t complain. We just can’t leave any paper around him. He even ate the label off the front of his kennel! He seems to have lost most, if not all, of his baby teeth at this point. He seemed to have a rough go of teething, so we’re pretty stoked to be out of that phase & back to eating normally.

He’s been such a gem around kids too. I’m so glad to have some friends with toddlers so he could be exposed to them early. He’s always been really gentle. I took him to some Beakerhead stuff & there were so many kids. He never got rough with them & let them manhandle him without complaint. I was so impressed. He was also great with my coworker’s young son when I brought him in to the office. It’s such a relief to not have to worry about him around kids, especially as more of our friends start having them!

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Leading the way through a maze of bottles!

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He was a bigger hit than the bunnies at nibbles!

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A fuzzy pup in a fuzzy car! (Taste of That Thing in the Desert)

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Sharing her pumpkins with O

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Charming the Beakerhead volunteers

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A very tired doodle after a night at Taste of That Thing in the Desert. I belted him in to stop my passenger warning from beeping.

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& being his charming self with my coworkers

N is still working a lot up North, so I took him out the BC on my own for September long. The weather wasn’t amazing, but we made lots of time for some nice walks. I think he really loves being out there. There’s so much for him to explore. He can’t quite go on hikes yet, but we’ve been taking him on longer & longer walks when we have the time. I love taking him down to the river & exploring around St Patrick’s Island or Prince’s Island Park.

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“Hikes” at the lake

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Just the sweetest little face

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Not such a little guy anymore

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Snuggly

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Working on being a water dog!

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My boys!

Once again, I’ve overloaded this post with photos. I really can’t help it though – he’s so darned cute! We love him so much! I also put together a little video for YouTube. It’s pretty low quality, but I still really enjoy documenting his growth on video.

& is anyone really gonna complain about puppy videos? I didn’t think so.

 

We love you Odin!

xx,

Mom (& Dad)

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