At the Coulee, Coulee Cabanna-ahhhhhh

In May of 2000, Reg and I were scanning the classifieds as we routinely did in search of a Lab. Living in Tacoma we were in prime hunting lab territory, just a matter of finding the right pup. We had our eyes peeled for a AKC yellow lab, female, English style. The ad said they had black and yellow labs, males and females for a price well below our budget. We called to see what was wrong with the dogs that they were such a steal. There was a litter of 10, the yellow girls were gone but they had a few black. The following weekend we made the 110 mile drive to Chehalis, WA to meet the momma, poppa and their pups. Coulee was born on a beautiful farm to gorgeous parents. A tubby black male greeted us when we walked into an enclosure, he had just grabbed a mouthful of kibble and then waddled over to Regan and tumbled onto his feet. It was love at first sight, he had chosen us. We were told he was the runt and that they had bottle fed him to keep pace with his siblings. Safe to say he was never referred to as a runt again.

 Coulee traveled with us to 6 different states via airplane and car. He went wherever we went until Preston came along. Once he had Pres, he kept a close eye. While Reg was deployed he gladly took on security chores and made sure to get as close as possible when I cried. He loved to chase a tennis ball, sleep on top of you, wrestle with the closest person or animal, provide loads of unconditional love and bark.  There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't get in trouble for stepping, bumping or barking but always came back to heap on love. Really hard to write about him as he was the best companion we could have ever asked for. When we moved to Hawaii last year my parents took care of him for us. This last year he was showered with attention, we will never be able to thank my parents enough. 2 months ago we found out he had bone cancer, Friday it caught up with him. Hoping that when we get to Heaven he will be there to tumble at our feet once again. Love you dog-dog.

Coulee Cascade Halsted

March 13, 2000 - September 21, 2012

Otherwise, we are doing just fine. My mom went back to California on Saturday after being here for 5 weeks. She stuck around an extra couple of weekes to ensure Alexa transitioned in to daycare well and to attend grandparents day at Preston's school. Both events went over well. Check out the pictures to see our adventures and I have included some videos for some entertainment.

Family of Five

All is going well here at the Hawaiian Halsted Hacienda. We are supposedly getting into fall but very hard to tell with the weather and leaves not changing. Odd thing living here in paradise. We are relying on other cues to signal a change in seasons. School started, football is gearing up and days are getting a bit shorter. Summer must be over.

Kindergarten for Preston is going very well. We have taken a few opportunities to chat with his teacher to ensure he is comfortable with school, both in and out of the class. Great to see him do his homework and really grasp concepts. Pres has put gymnastics behind him, we are keeping up with karate and swim, soccer to start in January. He is also attending an after school program that he enjoys. Reg picked him up and he was sad to leave. We are not near as fun as herds of kids.

Alexa is coming up on 12 weeks. She is currently 13.3 lbs of fair-skinned, brunette, blue eyed beauty. She is spending a lot of time getting familiar with her hands, staring at her fists and fingering different textures.  She has a great smile that comes so easy. She loves her family talking or singing to her. Lots of her day is spent lounging in her swing, bouncer, play mat or the jumper. Eating and sleeping are still her main priorities. Alexa celebrated Labor Day by hitting the sack at 9pm and sleeping until 7am. Glorius! Hoping she intends to make that part of her routine.

Reg and Karl are back to regular work weeks. Work having it's ups and downs for both. Reg is facing an under staffed office while Karl deals with a very long delay in construction.

With Karl back to work Alexa's care became a concern. We are on the wait list for a slot at the CDC. It was sounding like it would take another 1-2 months before it would become available. Karl started searching out interim alternative care. Not very pleased with the options we were going to have to settle for something. Luckily, while chatting with Bob, he volunteered Carol to come for another visit to look after Alexa! We are very blessed to have such supportive family. Nice to have peace of mind when we go off to work. Alexa and Grandma have done so well together. Grandma seems to be having a good time and Alexa continues to be a healthy, happy baby. Life is good. As of the 10th Alexa will start at the CDC. We have checked out the facility and are thrilled with the teachers, routine, facility and proximity to Regan. Grandma is going to stick around until the 22nd so she can partake in Grandparents day at Preston's school on the 21st. Lucky kiddo...not very often that a military brat gets to have grandparents on hand for these type of events. We sure will miss her when she gets to go back to her real life. Thanks again, Mom.

We are back to weekend adventures but are squad is now 5 rather than 3. Makes us pine for a van but we are having a great time. Love having us all together. Check out the pics if you get the chance.

Fall tv we are looking towards:
Football (house divided between college and NFL)
New Girl
Modern Family

Upcoming events:
Grandparents Day
Preston's 5th Birthday and Regan's 37th (man that guy is getting old...that would explain all that gray)
Halloween (we hear Spiderman will be making an appearance but who will be his sidekick?)