OOOhhhhh, look at the pretty light..............

Here we are at the area now known as "the disaster area". Or, also known as, our river property. When we pulled up we noticed most of the snow is gone, so that means we need to buck up and get to cleaning up this mess. Looking around, I was so overwhelmed. Trees down everywhere, branches all over...............not good. So, we sat there and looked at it for awhile, and I told Joe that when he got done cutting some of the branches with the chain-saw, I would burn them. (I really don't think we want to put me in the controls of a chain-saw. First of all, those things are heavy, second of all, they are louder than hell, third, I would probably cut my leg off. Not that that ever stopped any one I know from using one. Out here in the woods, people get hurt with chainsaws on a daily basis. Just ask the Gribbles. )

Anyway, Joe carefully uses the chainsaw, and I start putting branches in these huge bonfires that we have created around our property. Normally, we only have one bonfire, but this is a special occasion, so we have two. These fires are creating so much smoke, that I thought the fire trucks would arrive at any minute, with the hoses out and ready to put out the forest fire that we must have created. But, then I remembered that we are in Prichard, Idaho.............and who knows how long it could take the emergency crews to arrive. Probably at least an hour. Definitely too late.

So, we just kept piling more flammables on the fires..... wood, brush, oil, gas........Creating a "white man's fire", as my dad would say.

So, Joe is still out there plugging away, and Danielle and I are in the house enjoying our new discovery.............We are actually connected to wireless internet up here in the boondocks. Wow, we are getting a signal from one of our neighbors, I guess. Who knew you could even GET wireless up here in the sticks!!! Anyway, we are enjoying it while we can.......lord knows it won't last for long..............unlike the pile of brush that is covering our property............

Happy Birthday Daddy.............

These days I mostly call him dad. But, on my bad days, I revert back to "daddy". You know how it is girls, even when your all grown up, he's still your "daddy". Especially when you need a shoulder to cry on.

So, its his 56th birthday today, and I just want him to know how lucky I am to be his daughter. I truly am blessed. After all these years, we have still remained so close. His burdens are mine, mine are his. We each want the best for each other, we truly have a connection that I think not many fathers and daughters have. He probably knows me better than anyone, and knows how my day has been before I even tell him. And I can tell just how his has been, just by looking in his eyes. It is a dead give-away in our eyes, as that is ONE of the outside things I got from him. You know, when it comes down to it, I'm sure I look much like my mom, but on the inside, I am my dad. And I thank him for being such a great person to be like.

I love you, daddy. Have a great day.

Look at this mansion...............

with the cute picket fence and the covered porch....how American...... This is the fixer house that Joe and I have been looking at and put an offer in on. This morning we learned that the offer was...............................yes, accepted. I am super happy, but nervous. Scared, but intrigued. We offered almost 20,000 dollars less than the asking price and they accepted. Wow. I think they needed to get out of it, and had borrowed some money thinking it would close sooner than it did. So, we had them right where we wanted them............that sounds mean. But actually, they are selling it, we didn't make them accept our offer, and they are gonna be rid of this house. Just what they wanted.

So, it has alot of curb appeal, I think. When you drive by or walk up to it, you are like..............oh, so cute. Then you walk in. And it is then that you realize why they didn't show pictures of the inside of the house online. No one would have went to look at it. Well, it's probably not that bad but it is definitely a fixer. But, there is really nothing structurally wrong with it, it needs paint, flooring, new counter tops, time, and love. Maybe more, when we actually get in there. But it is contingent on an inspection that will be done sometime in the next few days, and then depending on the outcome of that.............we will take it, or leave it. So, wish us luck!!!!!!!! Looks like were gonna need it.

Fav song AND video of the month.........

It is Dierks Bentley............Long Trip Alone.

Wow, what a great album. What a great song. He just released the new video and it is awesome also. Gotta see it, you don't know what you're missing!!!!

Iceburg, Dead Ahead........

Yep, we're going on a cruise. Alaska, here we come. We have never been on a cruise before, so those of you who have had a bad cruise experience, just keep it to yourself, would ya??? Just kidding. We would love to hear about how you almost fell overboard..............

Danielle is super excited about it. I have been showing her all the brochures and pictures I have and she just can't wait.

Oh, last weekend we were watching the titanic, she had never seen it before and it was on HBO or something, and at the end when everything was going to pot, you know, life boats, life jackets, sinking ship.........I looked over at her and she had this look of horror on her face and was like..."Mom, is that real???" And then I realized that it was probably not a good idea for her to see that show before we go on a cruise. Especially in icy waters. So, I explained to her that it was a long time ago, and stuff like that just doesn't happen any more, etc. So, now I am focusing on letting her know all the good things about cruising. Hopefully she has already forgot about that movie, and if not, we aren't going till June, so it will be "all good" by then. Poor thing.

No title necessary

This is how I felt after I learned last Thursday that I booked a seven day cruise on the week that my daughter has her dance recital that she has been diligently rehearsing for now for months. We even have her very expensive but very cute outfit picked out and paid for.

To make a VERY long story short, I was able to call my travel agent and beg her to switch our cruise to the following week. She happily called me back and told me my problem was solved. Thank goodness for nice travel agent lady. She deserves a big huge tip or something. Although, I think we have spent enough money for awhile..............have you checked out the prices of cruises lately???????????? Wow. It's literally shocking after you add in all the taxes a fees and crap. But, I'm sure it will be worth every penny.

The Story of My Life.............

OMG, this is the story of my life lately. Why can't I find anything????? Lately I have lost just about every important document I need. I look, and look, and look. And then look some more. Library books are lost and then finally found, danielle's homework, a title to a car, you name it, if we have it here, that means I have looked for it for at least an hour before it was found. Crazy, I know. So, when my debit and credit cards were not in my purse on Saturday, I had a sneaking suspicion that they were NOT stolen from my purse, but that I misplaced the crazy things somewhere. So, after looking for 2 days, I looked all over my car, my house, my purse, everywhere I could think of, I called the bank to issue me new cards and stop the previous ones from working. I knew in the back of my head that the minute I hung up the phone after cancelling them, they would mysteriously show up. So, after I hung up, I went about my business and they didn't show up. I did a few errands and came back home to do my Monday cleaning. No, I don't just clean on Monday, but I will call today's cleaning "Mondays cleaning". So, I am on my hands and knees dusting the bottom of my dining room table and the chair legs ( because I think my neighbors have started up a dust factory and they are sending their new products straight over here.........) and what did I see. Dust. Well yes, but what else? Yep, you guessed it, my credit and debit cards. Who knew. My dog, who usually chews up every single little thing he finds on the floor that is not his, did not even touch these. Go figure. So, they are useless. Can't use 'em. Gotta wait for the "speedy" mail to come before I can go buy stuff. Oh this could be bad. Or as my husband would say "good".

You Find Out Who Your Friends Are............

I was listening to my good old favorite country music station, and a cool new song came on. I absolutely LOVE Tracy Lawrence, I have all of his old albums, but he just disappeared for awhile. I think I heard something about legal problems or something. Anyway, I could tell it was him just from his voice, and thanks to my car radio, it tells me who it is and what the songs name is just in case I missed it...........So, the song's name is "you find out who your friends are....". Wow. It has a super good tune to it, and I was listening to the words very carefully and they just hit home to me. It's about friends, and how sometimes you come upon bad times, and you figure out who your true friends really are. The lyrics are just sooooooo true. So, here's the chorus:

You find out who you're friends are

Some body's gonna drop everything

Run out and crank up their car

Hit the gas, get there fast

Never stop to think 'what's in it for me'

or 'it's way too far'

They just show on up with their big old heart

You find out who you're friends are

As I was listening to it, it made me think of some of the friends we have. Some of these people are family members also, but these people will literally do exactly what this song says. You need help-they are there. Bad day-they are there. Natural disaster-they are there. Need your dog watched at the last minute-they are there. Need help taking trees off a roof-they are there. Need help cutting wood-they are there. Need your child watched at the last minute-there. Need someone to help move furniture-there. Heck, even if you need bailed out of jail-they are right there. Getting into a fight-they are there sticking up for you. Death of a loved one-they are there. These people don't even think twice. They literally just come.

No, these people aren't just there when you are having good times, they are there standing in line when you are having the bad times, also. We all know the ones who are only there to have tons of fun when the going is good, but THESE people are there through the GOOD, and BAD. And let me tell you, these are the ones we want beside us when the times are good. It's just in there hearts to be there when the crappy stuff happens too. It is truly amazing. Truly humbling to me. These are the people that I look up to and hope that by their example, I am able to be that kind of friend also.

So, you all know who you are...................Thank you, we are truly blessed with your friendship.

March MADness.............

It's over for the Zags. I really figured it would be. Not to sound negative or anything, but they just aren't playing ball like were used to. Some of it I am sure is because of the loss of Josh Heytvelt. But, I really don't like to think one person could carry a team, so I don't believe they would have had a better outcome with him. Just my opinion.

Last night's game against the Hoosiers was really ugly. The Zags were playing terrible. The worst they have played all year. They were just plain and simply out played. Their percentages of shots made was absolutely ridiculous. Lowest percentage all year. It just wasn't their night. Too bad, because I LOVE to watch them play, but even last night I sort of had to turn away at times. But, their still my fave team around. See ya next year boys!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I still don't think I can bring myself to say.................go cougs....But, hopefully they go far in this tournament, being a local team and all. There having an awesome year.

Here's my two cents.............

The federal courts decided Thursday that there will be no more field burning in Idaho. Except, of course, on the five Indian Reservations. What??? How ridiculous is that. I guess the reason is because the federal courts do not have jurisdiction over the reservations. It makes no sense to me.

First of all, I would like to be on record, that I actually think it is crap that Idaho farmers must stop burning their fields. They have been doing this forever. They really have no other alternative that is feasible. Small farmers will have to sell their property because they will not be able to afford the changes needed to replace the effects the burning has on their harvests. Larger farms will have many negative effects also. It was stated in one news paper article that the benefits of the bluegrass growing on the prairie GREATLY outweighs the effects of the burning of the fields once per year. If we don't have the bluegrass fields, the quality of air will be reduced. Who studied science in school. Who learned the effects that plants have on cleaning the air????? Obviously some people were sleeping through that class. Oh, and if there are no more farmers on the prairie, guess what is gonna happen..................yep, you guessed it...........Housing developments. Right on top of the aquifer. Great...............that's just what we need. More uncontrolled growth.

I have read so many articles in the paper about people complaining about the burning. Usually it is a little old lady that has asthma and she has to go to the hospital a couple times a year because of the effects of the smoke. Ok, if the smoke is really effecting her, I feel SOME compassion for her. Some. I mean, if I had trouble with asthma, I would not move in directly north of these fields that have been burned once a year since the beginning of time. Kinda like I would not live in a house boat if I was afraid of the water. Kinda like I wouldn't move into a heavily forested area if I was deathly allergic to pollen. Go on a vacation for 2 days, lady. I mean, come on people, give the farmers some credit here. They have looked into every other possible option. The state ruled that they could not even find another feasible option. But, little old lady with asthma files a lawsuit ( along with others, I'm sure) and the federal courts finally come to a decision, no more field burning. Oh, unless you are on a reservation. That makes sense. We actually get more of the effects from the reservation burning to the south of us then the burning that happens in the field right across from our house.

The first year we moved here on the Rathdrum prairie, we saw that huge cloud of smoke and wondered what it was. Then we found out it was field burning. Yes, you could smell it. A little. Yes, you could see it. Yes, it made it look like a haze was over the area. This literally only lasted 1 day. At the most. Then the smoke was long gone. I grew up in a mining town where we all used wood stoves all winter long. I will tell you that the smoke from the those chimneys was way more potent than any smoke I have seen along this prairie. But even that did not bother me. I wasn't about to lobby for every damn house in the town to get a gas furnace so we didn't smell wood smoke. It just seems weird to me. So, there is my two cents. For whatever it is worth. I know this is a VERY controversial subject. But then again, I love to give my opinion on controversial subjects. Maybe no one wants to hear it, but that's another story.

Yee Haw!!!!!

On our long car trip home from Boise, Danielle asked me............"Mom, can you change the radio station to country, please." I wouldn't have thought this was weird, but she usually wants the station turned to "hip-hop" type rap music like snoop-dog or something. ( I think her only reason for doing this has got to be to irritate her dad.............) So, I turned it to country. Then I looked back at her and I was like..........."Why?" and she pointed over to Neiko and said " Because I want him to go to sleep."

Out in Po-Dunk

Is that how you spell that???? I have not used proper grammar in so long...............:-)

Anyway, these pictures are of Zims Hot Springs Resort, near McCall, Idaho. The story is, the motel that I made reservations for did not have a swimming pool. Ok, that does not seem like such a big deal to me...........But let me tell ya, my daughter thought that her world was gonna come crashing down when we got inside the grand old Super 8 and she noticed that there was no pool in sight. Heck, you can't be picky when you have a dog in tow. The choices were dogs allowed, or pool. Not both. So thats how it came to be.

So, after about an hour of shopping, we went back to the hotel and 2 minutes after sitting down on our beds Danielle was like............" I'm Booooooorrrrrreeeddddd". Ok. So, upon further observation, there really aren't too many kid friendly activities going on in McCall on a Sunday at about 6:30 pm. No movie theatre, no shopping malls, they have a skating rink but we went there and they were having a "shuffle-board" type tournament with grown adults, so there was no open skating. Bummer. So, we looked and looked through the yellow pages. I found a theatre that shows one show at a time in Cascade about 30 miles away. That was one option. Then, I saw it. There are a bunch of natural hot springs in the country around McCall. I got on the phone and called the closest one I could find and they said they were open till 10:00pm. Wow. We're there.

When we got there it was totally what I had expected and more. Old, out-dated building that was built by hand back in like 1700 or something. Quiet older gentleman behind the counter looking like he wished everyone would just go home so he could get back to bed. The steam was coming up around the outdoor pools behind us. The pools could have used some "re-furbishing" but they were huge. One of them was Olympic sized and the temp in that was about 95- 98 degrees. The other smaller pool was about 104-110 degrees. Steaming hot. Steam was rolling out of these pools and the water was coming straight out of the ground into pipes that fed the pools. Danielle was very intrigued. It didn't take her long to slip off her pants and jump in the water. Oooooohhhh, how good that felt. There were like 3 other people there besides us. Perfect.

So, I took a couple of pictures, got in the "cooler" pool and then slipped into the "burning" pool and relaxed. You can only be in there for like 15 minutes tops or I think your brain will fry like an egg or something. Anyway, I thought, what the heck, I'll try it. It felt HOT. Hey, when I had to go to the bathroom I went inside and went to the little girls room and guess what??? Even the toilet water was hot. Yep, the seats felt nice and warm and everything. Strange, I know. I think I might figure out a way to get our water in the toilets at home hot. It feels nice and toasty when you sit down....................Heck, who cares if our heating bill goes up. :-)

So, in the future, I am NOT going to pass these type of places up and say how cheesy they would be and how I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that. Although, I bet people have died in that hotter pool.............. I am going to drag my butt in there and experience po-dunk. We are sooooo glad we did. You should too.

Oh, one more thing. Up on the fence by the pool there was a list of rules. You know, like, no diving, no splashing...............well, the last one said.........no spawning. My mom, Joe and I laughed at it but Danielle noticed it about 30 minutes into our swim and she was like..."mom, what does spawning mean?", and at first I was like, "I'm not sure honey" and I was looking to my mom and Joe for help and they just sat there. So finally I was like..." Oh, I think it is like when fish lay eggs in the water or something. So no laying eggs." She kind of looked at me funny and continued on with her swimming.

Hello, from the top of the world...........

Here's Danielle and Neiko, sitting on a rock, at the top of Whitebird Pass, about 1 hour out of Lewiston, Idaho. I had to have Joe pull over and take advantage of the great photo-op. So, there they are.

Update on Boise Invention Convention:

We went, we had tons of fun checking out all of the cool exhibits that they have there at the Discovery Center of Idaho, and of course, all of the cool inventions!!! That's the good news. Now for the bad news.........Danielle did not win. I know, it is awful. Unfortunately, I spent so much time trying to prepare my daughter for this terrible moment, that I forgot to prepare myself. As I realized that the hope in her eyes was fading away, I just about lost it. The only reason that tears didn't fall continuously from my eyes, was that I knew it might crush her. She was a trooper. She got up, made a comment about how she wished she could have won, and asked if we could go see some of the exhibits that we had not seen yet. What??? Where did I get this strong child??? I know for sure that I would not have handled that situation as bravely as she did when I was a kid. Actually, I know that I did not handle the situation as bravely as she did as an adult. Wow. I really was impressed. I still have a lump in my throat just thinking about it.

So, as I am writing this, I am NOT crying, (because she is in the room next to me), but I am starting to get a "momma bear" attitude. I wanted to protect my "cub" from getting hurt. I wasn't able to. But I am so proud of her. I really couldn't be more proud of her even if she would have won. She has already won first prize, as far as I am concerned.

Darn those other talented kids, anyway. Why couldn't they have been home with the flu or something!!!!! Just kidding...................really.

The dating scene for a 50+ year old............

Have you ever wondered how the dating scene looks for a 50 something year old. Yeah, me neither. But, I get to hear all kinds of funny stories right from the woman who is currently living it. Yep, my mother. So, I have come up with "names" for all of these guys that she has told me about. It's actually pretty pathetic. So girls, whatever you do, just try to stay in a relationship during your "golden" years, because as we have seen, there's nothin' but the slim pickin's left after that.





1. Fake Picture Guy: this guy posts a picture on his online profile for a dating website. Well, when you meet him, you realize pretty fast that this is an old picture. Yep, at least 20 years old. I guess he wanted it to be a surprise that he had grey hair and wrinkles.........





2. Drunk Guy: this guy goes to a concert with my mom and he is totally blasted. Yep, before the concert. So, he continues to drink, and fall down, and drink, and fall down, and so on.....





3. Drunk Guy II: this guy loves to have a tottie or two. Especially before he's about to drive. Ask the cop who gave him the citation. Now he calls my mom to she if SHE can pick HIM up to go to a movie. I don't think so......





4. Broken Neck Guy: Yep, this one is a dandy. He didn't break his neck once, not even twice, he has broken it a grand total of 4 times. He has to rearrange his whole body in his seat before he can even look at ya. Sounds fun.





5. Farmer Guy: This guy says he loves to see movies. Oh goody, so does my mom. She asks him what the last movie he saw in theatres was..................His answer..............The Titanic. Oh, that just came out last year..................right???????????





6. Slow Guy: This guy says he just loves to hike. Sounds good. But upon further observation, you realize that there is actually not much hiking being done, more of stopping to take a breather and enjoying the scenery.





7. Many Questions Guy: This gentleman came right out and told my mom that he doesn't approve of any women who have tatoos, belly rings, shaved hair (yep, down there), or anything else he deemed inappropriate. OK then. What great conversation to have on the first date!!!





8. Boondocks Guy: This guy lives 20 miles up a dirt road on top of a mountain in the middle of no where. I'm sure it's just beautiful up there, living off the land, eating chipmunk stew, ................Honey, keep pluckin' those chickens, I'll be back in 3 hours, I have to run to the store for more oil for our lanterns.





9. After the Fact Guy: This guy loves to call my mom on the phone. But only really late at night after he has had an adventurous day alone. Then, and only then, is he ready for some companionship. We get the picture, Romeo.

10. I Like Myself Guy: This guy likes himself so much that he thinks everyone likes him that much. Only, we don't like him, so get over yourself already!!!! Oh, and he LOVES to hear himself talk, and talk, and talk......





Well, so far that's all I can come up with. Isn't that sad. I mean, my mom certainly doesn't act her age. For that matter she doesn't even LOOK her age. And most of these guys are like on their death bead, looking for companions to sing them hymns as they gently drift off too..................sleep.


So, if any of you can think of a "good" man, send them our way, and I'll make up a name for them. :-)

The story of the cell phone from hell.........

Yep, I have come to the conclusion that that is what it is. We got Danielle a cell phone about 3 months ago and she was just loving life. She carried it everywhere. She listened to the ring tones for about 4 hours per day.............just going through each and every irritating one, over and over.

You know, her phone has like 3 times the ring tones as mine does. Go figure. Circus music, nascar noise, loud tones, soft tones, jingles, can-can's, you get the picture...........

So, she had about 200 minutes to start with. We explained to her that she shouldn't use them all at once, because we were not going to buy more until like, two months or something. So thank god they were not charging minutes to listen to ring tones. Oh, and if you don't buy minutes every 60 days, I think you loose them and stuff like that. So, after about 3 weeks, she had only used about 7 minutes. She was quite the responsible cell phone user. She got all her kicks out of listening to the ring tones...............Cheap entertainment.

Anyway, about 4 weeks into it, she lost her phone. Now, if you know me, and you know my house, you will know that this is a bad thing. I was thinking there was no possible way this phone would ever show up again. Oh, and no.........we couldn't just call it, because responsible cell phone user had it turned off in order to save the battery. So, I searched her entire room. This was not fun at all. I found tons of stuff that I would never want to find again. Sticky suckers, tons of MC D's toys, garbage, dog treats, dirty laundry, but no phone. So I searched the basement. I also found tons of yucky stuff. I believe I found enough popcorn under the cushions of our couch to feed an entire family in Africa for like a year. At least. But no phone.

So a month later I was cleaning out my car. I know, I probably should do this more than once a month.....and there it was. The cell phone was just laying on the floor in between the seat and the door. Luckily the thing didn't fall out of the car!!! Or maybe not????

So, for 2 weeks I have been trying to reactivate this phone from hell. I have been online, and as I am almost ready to close the transaction, a screen pops up and says..." We're sorry, your reactivation process has had a problem. Please call 1-800.....eat-crap and we will be happy to assist you. " So, I call the number, I enter in 30 digit codes for like 20 minutes, just to find out that I don't have all the codes I need. So I try to get to an operator, and let me tell you , this is nearly impossible. After holding for like 30 minutes, I get a friendly-Pakistani-lady, and I couldn't understand a single word she said, and then I realized I just told her it was ok to put me on hold. What???? No.........( I try to say ) But, she already did it. And then the elevator music starts up again and about 4 seconds later, the call is disconnected. It figures. If I could just see these people in person, I swear I would pull out my umbrella on them. My really big umbrella.

It's no fun being sick!!!!

Our whole house is full of sick people!!!! It's probably about time to quarantine the place. It is not good. Danielle was really sick about 2 weeks ago and I took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with something called walking pneumonia. So, she was on some strong antibiotics and lots of rest. She missed her basketball game and some school, and skiing. So, she started to get a little better, then about a week later she took another turn for the worse. Huge fever, vomiting, pain, etc. So, it was Sunday and I had to take her to the immediate care. I was so worried her pneumonia was getting worse!! So, they did and X-ray and said that the pneumonia was coming along fine, and the progress was good and that wasn't what was making her so sick. So, after some more tests, they sent us home with another antibiotic and some yucky medicine for nausea. Finally today she is feeling a bit better. She missed school yesterday and today she is home again. Maybe tomorrow..............

Joe came home from work yesterday and he was so tired he passed out on the couch. my dad came over and he couldn't even keep his eyes open for that. So about 3 seconds after my dad walked in the door Joe was snoring again...... :-) He flew to Salt Lake this morning, we'll keep our fingers crossed about his condition. They may have trouble waking him when his flight is over, he may just have to continue on with the flight and end up in someplace like......................Cambodia?????

I have been on antibiotics for about 5 days for a sinus infection. I feel like I have developed the flu on top of that. No, its not enough just to take care of a sick child, I have to be sick myself. How ridiculous is that. I barely have the energy to get myself out of bed and clean up her vomit that sprayed all across her bed and carpet...................yuck. The laundry is piling up!!!!!

That's the story of our week so far. Fun, Fun. Hopefully we will all be feeling chipper by Thursday, because we are off to Boise for the grand invention convention. We will probably all have to share the driving, I think all of us are too tired to drive the whole way ourselves. So, happy thoughts, people. Happy thoughts.

My current favorite quote

I couldn't agree with me more............

~author unknown

Walking With Grandma

I saw this poem at the spring arts and craft fair I went to today. It would have been a good addition to the previous post about my mom.......So here it is.............Oh, and check out the picture of my mom and Danielle at Disneyland on the carousel, cute, huh!!!!

I like to walk with grandma,

Her steps are short like mine.

She doesn't say "Now hurry up",

She always takes her time.

I like to walk with grandma,

Her eyes see things like mine do -

Wee pebbles bright, a funny cloud,

Half hidden drops of dew.

Most people have to hurry,

They don't stop and see

I'm glad that God made Grandma.

Unrushed, and young like me.

~Poem by Thena Smith~

Neiko's favorite toy

I am sure if you have a dog, you know what I'm talking about. Actually, I believe the same thing applies to young kids.......

Neiko's favorite toy is not one of the "doggie" toys that we have carefully selected for him from a pet shop. These include, special chew toys, special toys that are supposed to clean his teeth, balls, ropes, etc. Nope, these really don't spark his interest. The ones that he wants are the ones that aren't even toys to start with. He absolutely loves cups. Small cups. He will play with them forever. Sometimes he loses these cups underneath our coffee table, and he is a little too big to crawl under there and get them, so after a couple minutes of trying to reach it, he gives up.

So this morning, we noticed that his favorite cup was underneath the coffee table. We got it out of there and he immediately started playing with it. He was so happy to have it. So, thirty minutes later, he still had the cup. He was still playing with it. We were all talking to him like " Oh, Neiko, you just love your little toy, don't ya, boy..." "Oh Neiko, you are so happy with the toy, huh, boy..." etc. So, the phone rang and it was my mom. And I was filling her in about the cup, and about how happy neiko was to have it back. I was like " he just hasn't let it go since we got it out from under the table. " I thought this was super cute and kept on talking to my mom. Finally Danielle went over to Neiko because she was gonna play with him and the toy. Upon closer examination, she realized that the cup had a small crack in the bottom and it was actually stuck to his toe nail. It would not come off. He couldn't let it go even if he wanted to. So, I felt really bad because I was totally oblivious to the fact that this cup was actually attached to his foot. Luckily, we only had to perform a small surgical procedure to remove the apparatus from his foot....( just kidding...) But, it's really too bad he can't talk. I'm sure he was probably thinking......" Are you guys really that stupid???? The toy is fricken STUCK to me!!! Help me!!!. I HATE this toy!!!!

Sorry Neik........