With 3 small children, this hardly seems to be the right time of our lives to go puppy shopping. However, within just a few days of each other, my dogophobic 4-year old had several traumatizing canine encounters, with blood curdling screams and curling up trembling in the fetal position. So, my husband and I couldn't help but notice that his fears were intensifying...not only that, they seemed to be rubbing off on his fearless younger brother. So, we took a ride to the country one afternoon to test the waters so to speak and see if JK would be okay around puppies--specifically labradoodle puppies, a breed I fell in love with when searching for dog information online. Growing up, we had a golden retriever as our family pet, so I always hinted that one day I'd really like to have a golden again or a yellow lab. My husband always laughed in my face and said "yeah right!" It is amazing how your child's well-being seems to soften hearts--my husband was actually open to adding a puppy to our family! Back to the labradoodles-- these little critters are labs bred to a poodle and are supposed to have great personalities and also hypo-allergenic, non-shedding hair. Besides all that, who couldn't love a face like this!?


So, I just had to drive out and see these little ones for myself! I had to hold JK for the first 10 minutes, but then he got down and started to warm up and actually held one of the puppies. Placing a call to my husband on my cell phone, we just couldn't make a decision if it was what we were supposed to do or not--we knew full well what work it is to take care of a puppy and I knew I'd be carrying the bulk of the burden since he travels on business several nights a week. So, we left the doodle farm puppy less. But, JK couldn't stop talking about them and wanted to bring "Ellie" home with him real soon. My husband flew in from his business trip the next night and decided to meet us at the breeders and see for himself what the puppies were like. All the way there, I prayed if we were going to bring this puppy home with us, that it would be a smooth transition for everyone (us and the puppy) and that she'd bring joy to our family. When we got to the breeders, we all held Ellie and the rest is history. We couldn't ask for a better puppy--she is great with kids and very loving. Before I had kids, picking up dog poop was a royal pain in the hiney and giving a dog a bath was an extremely stressful moment. Three children later, however, picking up dog poop just fits in nicely with my daily routine. And giving a dog a bath? Why, that's a piece of cake compared to having a divine part in shaping little lives for eternity! I have given little Ellie a bath at least 4 times in the last 2 weeks. Not because I wanted to, but because she has stepped in her feces and spread it from one end of her "room" (a downstairs bathroom) to the other. Besides the gross fecal stuff, there is something so utterly precious to be caring for one of God's little helpless creatures along with my children, who are in total awe and fascination of this clumsy little being. And I can't tell you the last time I've been out walking before 6am to witness the wonder of a full moon and a host of stars. Having a puppy sends you outdoors in all hours of the day or night. The calm and peace before the day begins is just a neat thing to experience and something that I had forgotten all about in the chaos of my life. How fun to be heading out on an adventure with my 2 year old to walk the puppy at 7pm in the black frigid night. JC's little fleece footed pjs, cute white keds, and sweet blond bowl-haircut are too much to take in...not to mention the cute fluffy puppy romping around my feet! The excitement of a 2-year old heading out on a backyard adventure with a flashlight in hand is too cute! We head out into the brisk dark night, down the steps, and into the yard to repeatedly tell Ellie to "go potty, go potty, go potty"...truly a mother-son bonding experience. And to top it off, JC says "look at stars, Mommy." And again, the childlike wonder resurfaces and I once more witness the beauty of the heavens. Praying for a puppy to add joy to our lives seemed like sort of a silly request to make...I didn't know a simple prayer would add unmistakable joy and appreciation of my Creator.

Here's a picture of the kids at Halloween along with Ellie dressed up in a baby doll dress.



Well, onto other fun things at our house, we've decided to stay home most of the week on account of our rough week last week. We've just been so busy running and seeing friends and doing fun things, but it's truly wearing on the kids and their Mommy! I think we're going to limit some of our activities. It has been truly a restful week just playing in the backyard and playing with puppy. The kids seem happier and less stressed too. I know I am! Here's a sweet pictures of the boys in the backyard playing Tarzan.


Little MG is starting to show that her good nature ends when food comes into play! She's starting to pitch fits when the boys get something at the dinner table that she doesn't get. So, tonight when the boys got their ice cream, she pitched a fit until I got one out for her--here's the debut of MG and her first ice cream bar! She ate it like a real champ and made her chocolate-loving mommy proud! :-)