Plod (p lod)

It's been a week! We had our ups and down. Len celebrated her 6 month birthday.. well let's be really. Matt and I prided ourselves on making it 6 months. Len could have cared less. We had the day off so it worked perfect to have Jess come and take some shots. We are already seeing changes from one shoot to the next. She was able to sit up more on this one but we also worked harder at getting a smile because we knew she could deliver one. She's really starting to show her personality. There's nothing like hearing her laugh things out while we play. 

Because she is 6 months old, she also had her last day at Commerce. Many people were not happy about it. Ironically her and I were the most okay with it. She's doing so well at daycare and is happy to go and they've are playing with her and letting her roll around. At my office she gets hung up on chairs and furniture and becomes easily irritated. I was so happy that we had this time but I'm also happy that she's got a place where she's growing. I won't forget changing her on my file cabinets or having her sleep beside me while I work on reports or rocking while I was on a conference call. I watched her roll over on my floor and I was lucky to enjoy our time together.

Another happening was that we brought a dog home. After a few visits and some big decisions, we brought home a rescue dog, an English Pointer, Sam. He needs some love and some work as he has some basic discipline but seems to not want to always perform. We have been on some walks around the neighborhood. It's getting us out as a family. I'm glad it's been nice out this past week to get to know him a bit better.

Matt, Eric, and him went pheasant hunting on Sunday. There were a few mishaps but we had to remind ourselves he hasn't been with us a week and we need to be patient with him.

The lows this past week have been around the Dakota Access Pipeline. We've been dealing with the protests since this summer and this week they've become very visible in our lives. This week, the daycare went on lockdown twice this week as the protesting mob either marched by their front door or was within a couple blocks. It's aggravating for us for many reasons. I'm ready to see some resolution versus just waiting for the cold weather for the problem to solve itself. I think we are beyond that. This month we've seen so many protests between the DAPL and the feelings on Trump. I realize that Eleanor is protected from it right now due to her innocence but it makes me wonder how we are going to have these tough questions as she begins to grasp an understanding of the world around her. 

Best meal: We had another opportunity to have supper with Kevin, Jan, and Rick before they took off back home. The only way it could have been better is if Kevin would have sat beside me!

MJR looks at counter: Who's muffins are these?
ALR: Eric's.
MJR: Eric did you know you bought gluten free muffins?
Eric: What?
MJR: You paid like $2 a muffin because they are gluten free. 
Eric: I wanted muffins, they looked good.
MJR: Okay, well, they have other muffins that are cheaper.
The next day.
Eric: I ate my muffin this morning and it was Amazing!
A week later.
MJR looks at counter: who's muffins are there?
ALR: I bought them from Dan's, 2 for 1. They have gluten so they will taste like crap compared to Eric's.