We took a road trip recently!  I didn't give Osker much room in the backseat!

My human-brother, Matt, came to visit last week!  He helped put up siding on the long side of the garage.  It was a bit tricky to keep the long boards level over that distance.

Mom cut the boards.

Matt nailed them up!

Wires are starting to thread through the walls along with the plumbing!  Have to make lots of decisions about where appliances, lights, switches and outlets will be.

Siding is now under control all the way around to the back side of the house!!

Sometimes we get our own bowl of popcorn!!  I can catch it, Osker can't.  Osker got "fixed" yesterday!  He doesn't seem to mind!

Last week Dad made his favorite 4-layer coffee cake.  It was about half gone when Osker snuck his paws onto the counter while Dad was napping and ate the top 2 layers off the coffeecake!!  Boy was he in trouble for that one!  The funny part is that Dad thought Mom did it!!  The gross part is that Dad still ate the coffeecake (he nuked it first)!

Not too much progress last week due to slushy snow, cold temps, and rain.  Electrician came on Friday.  We started nailing up the outlet and switch boxes, installing recessed lights, and blocking for ceiling lights.  Had to run to town a couple times for supplies.

These are the gecko clamps that hold each piece of siding at the correct distance from the last one and allow hands free nailing!  Very clever!

Made progress on the front and moving around to the west side!

First afternoon:
Mom got going on the siding!  She is really enjoying taking the time to figure out the saw, nail gun, and reading a measuring tape!!

Second afternoon:
Still too chilly to work outside in the mornings.  The sun hits the house about 10:30 am.

Third afternoon:
It will take another person to help with long lengths over the windows and doors.

Dad is installing the recessed lighting in the porch roof.  The electrician came yesterday.  He's going to supervise the wiring and have Dad do all the hard work!

Me and Osker get pooped out by the end of the day. We've been going on daily jogs, playing ball, and sometimes sneaking off for our own romp through the woods!

It's been a little slow around here during the holidays, but today we're back on it!  We had gutters installed before Christmas, right before an inch of rain fell.  It sure helps with the mud problem!  Mom and Mike have started installing tongue and groove pine boards on the soffetts, or porch ceilings.  They finished the back of the garage today.

We had a quiet Christmas.  The thing I had to teach Osker was that all presents are mine.  Even if his name is on it, it's still mine.

BTW, the "keep Osker out of the chicken house" project seems to be working!  We're getting 2 to 3 eggs per day now!  Don't worry though... he's still in trouble.  He pulled a 13x9 cake pan off the counter and scarfed about a quarter of a carrot cake!!!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!


We hope all your dreams come true!


With Love,
Zoey and Osker

Carpenter Mike helped us nail up the first row of siding on the house so it will be straight and level!!!  Still working on staining exterior trim, but it's too cold most of the day to get much done.

Me and Osker were digging a hole that was next to a batch of burrs.  He got em baddd.  He also got caught eating a chicken egg!!  Mom and Dad figured he's just small enough to get in the little chicken house door.  Now Dad is on a mission to determine how the chickens can have free range while keeping Osker out.  He's conducting chicken IQ studies on how well they climb ladders, jump from hay bale to hay bale, and fly through narrow openings!!  At least they figured out what was causing Osker's badddd gas!!