Agility Training

In Benson news this week he has shown an affinity for sticks.  He loves to chase them when thrown and he gnaws on them every chance he's outside.

Caroline has done really well with him this week. She has not been hiding upstairs nearly as often.  She's still not keen that we got a dog, but she's been much more interactive with him.  Right now her big concern is the stairs.  Benson has been testing climbing the stairs more and more.  He's made it up to the fourth stair, however Caroline said he made it all the way up to the landing between the two floors, (but she's the only one to witness that).  She (nor I) really want him upstairs.  I love the little guy, but I'd like to keep dog hair to one floor. 
Caroline likes to keep Benson doing the right thing.  She's quick to tell him "no" if he's chewing on something he shouldn't.  She's all up in his business all the time, (which is still much better than her hiding from him).  She has been working on 'Sit. Stay. & Come.' with Benson.  She gets some of his kibble out and works with him.  He's been following her directions really well, which boosts her confidence.  Todd's been working on Down, but he doesn't get that one yet.

Sit. Stay.

Come.

Todd and Josiah got Benson a new elevated food and drink dish.  When Benson is unsure of something, he likes to sniff it out from a distance.  He'll keep his hind legs firmly planted while he inches up with his front legs so that his body is very stretched.  The first day, he ate and drank in a very stretched out position.

Todd has made each kid pick up one of Benson's poops this week.  None were too excited.  I was watching from the window when he was out with Caroline and she was so very reluctant.  She had her hands firmly planted behind her back.  When the deposit was found, she picked up one small piece and was DONE.  She was not happy to do it.  We may have to invest in a pooper scooper to make the task slightly more palatable.


Most of our outside time has been in the mornings because it gets so crazy hot by the afternoons.  The kids wanted to play dodge ball with Benson's many tennis balls.  We broke up into teams - Henry and Caroline against Josiah and I.  The problem is, only one out of the four of us has good aim.  Henry can pelt us like it's nobody's business.  He has both accuracy and power behind his throws.  Most games have ended with injuries he's inflicted.  What?  I was just playing the game.  Henry came up with a new game as well.  He called it, 'Agility Training.'  He stood with his back to the fence and asked the three of us to throw tennis balls at him and he had to dodge them all.  We had fun trying to get back at him.  Then Josiah wanted a go at the wall.  Next Caroline wanted a turn.  We warned her not to do it.  We told her Henry's balls hurt.  She wasn't going to be intimidated.  She wanted a go.  And he hit her.  Hard.  And she cried.  I had enough wisdom not to go to the wall.  But despite the injuries, we still have played both games nearly every morning this week.

Henry hit Caroline and he's looking back to see if he's in trouble. And Caroline's face quickly turned to tears.

One evening this week, Henry said that he wanted to put on a concert for us.  It was an unusual thing for Henry to put on a show.  Typically he's a supporting role in Josiah's shows, but never one of his own making.  I went upstairs.  The boys turned on the record player and started dancing to the music.  I didn't recognize the song at first til it got to the refrain, Shake Your Booty.  Caroline was sitting next to me dying laughing.  They got Todd up for a show later and he, of course, recognized the song right away.  It was his old record they were playing.

It has been really hot here.  The kids have had several water gun fights to cool off throughout the week.  Today we made it out to our neighborhood pool.  Typically the boys wear swim shirts because they have such fair skin.  Henry wanted to take his off today, which was fine, but once the shirt was off the frat boy came out.  He was beating his chest like Tarzan.  He was playing with his tiny belly like it could talk.  When we got home, they were invited to their neighbor friend's pool, so they were over there for another hour.  They should sleep well tonight.

During church service this morning, Caroline was singing along more than she's ever done before.   We are still at home watching it on TV and they have the words of the songs at the bottom of the screen.  Caroline decided to sing all the words as quickly as possible.  So if the woman on TV was singing a long drawn-out worshipful, "Ohhhhhhh," Caroline went on singing the rest of the words ahead of the singer.  I heard Henry astutely remark, "You sing fast."  She continued her quick singing, not paying a bit of attention to the music or beat, for all the songs.  At one point she turned to Todd and said, "I finished before her."  No doubt.  I was sitting at a table behind them trying not to laugh out loud.  I was happy to see she was reading the words so well, though.  Her reading has gotten exponentially better in the past couple of months.  It is really cool to hear her read with much more fluidity.