Merry Christmas 2013

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  Kelsey can't wait to open her presents in the morning.  This is her Christmas dress this year and we want to thank you for it.  We used her Baxter Boo gift card that she won from their photo contest.  So, thank you to all of you who voted and shared.

We hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas.

Family Christmas Photos

Dixie dressed up in a cute Santa hat.  

She was such a good sport.  I love this girl so much.

Simon was Santa's little helper.

He was not very into his costume, but I managed to keep him dressed long enough to get a cute shot.

Tucker dressed up as Santa Paws.  

This was his first time wearing a costume 

and he was such a good boy.

The Boys

Aren't they handsome?!

The Three Amigos

This photo is Christmas card cute!

It's amazing what can be accomplished with cookies.

And the outtakes...

Someone had a little too much egg nog.

Simon was apparently in the mood for Christmas carols, while Tucker was dreaming of some fabulous Christmas cookies.

And Kelsey, let's just hope Santa Paws doesn't see this photo.

Hope you all have a wonderful and merry Christmas!

My Big Outing

Can you guess where Mom and Grandma took me?

We went to Bass Pro because they allow dogs in there (as long as you agree to clean up after your own dog if he/she happens to make a mess).  Do you see that big bear behind me?  I wasn't even scared!

This one made me a little more nervous though.

I felt tiny next to this big one.

We found a huge rocking chair too.

I guess this guy behind me was thirsty...but someone might want to let him know the water there is a bit "fishy."

YOu can't tell, but I am sitting in front of a huge-normous fish tank.  I got excited and started wagging my bushy tail.  This one fish came right up to the glass behind me because he loved it so much.

I got to walk across a little bridge with a stream that had live fish in it.

Mom had me take a picture with these guys...

and these guys for Aunt Nancy.

Then we went to the Santa area, but it was too crowded to visit with Santa that day.  I did meet a few friendly kids.  I was very well-behaved, let them pet me, and I gave the baby kisses too.

My dream came true!  I love fireplaces (Mom, not so much) and this one was huge.  Mom has to watch me around fireplaces because I am so interested in them.

There was a man sitting near the fireplace who thought I was the coolest thing ever because I love posing for my pictures.  Hope you enjoyed my outing too.  

Mom and I have several dog cookie orders to fill this week, so we will be busy, busy, busy.

Santa Fail and Success

On Saturday, Kelsey went to visit Santa.  We went to one where you could do your own pictures.  Even though it was an event for dogs, Santa wasn't great with Kelsey.  And, to be honest, he looked a little creepy in our photo.  So , later on, we went to a different event.  Everyone there was so helpful.  They tried to make Kelsey look good and tried to get her attention so she would look at the camera.  It was a much better experience.

Kelsey got to wear her new Christmas dress that came in the mail Friday night.  Perfect timing!  And, it even fit her perfectly (which is a rare event).  We picked this one out from Baxter Boo using our gift certificate we won from that photo contest a while back.  So, thank you to those of you who helped by voting and sharing.  Kelsey was really good for Santa, so I bet she will be on his nice list this year.

Family Portraits

This sweet boy is Tucker.  He is the same age as Kelsey.  He is an absolute sweetheart with tons of energy.  He will instantly become anyone's best friend.  Tucker loves balls and anything that squeaks.  When given something with a new squeaker, he will squeak it until it dies.

Tucker and Kelsey are best buddies.  

They absolutely love chasing each other.

Tucker was adopted about a month and a half after Kelsey.  And you can tell that Kelsey has been comfortable with him since day one.

And here is the family portrait.  From left to right is Kelsey, Simon, Dixie, and Tucker.

We adopted Dixie when I was still in high school.  She is around 15 or so years old now.  She is starting to get weaker, but still has the spirit of a puppy.  Simon is about 7 now and is still the most mellow guy I have ever known.  He loves coming over to visit.  Hope you enjoyed seeing the whole family.

Precious

Is this not the sweetest thing ever?!

Kelsey loves basking in the morning sunshine on cold days.

And I love how she used her toys as pillows.

Happy Saturday!

Thanksgiving...A Little Late

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We are most thankful for a great family (the two-legged and four-legged varieties), supportive friends, a roof over our heads, and food in our bellies.  Kelsey had a great time.  We went to my parents' house for some yummy enchiladas (I  am a super picky eater and the smell of Thanksgiving foods really bugs me, so my mom was super sweet and made cheese enchiladas since they are one of my favorites).  Kelsey got lots of loves from her Grandma and Grandpa.  We also did some super cute photos with all four of the dogs together that I will share later.  And today, we were surprised with a few drops of rain, which was awesome!

Happy Halloween 2013

My beautiful little Kelsey, modeling her new Halloween bow from Isabella Foo Foo's Bows.

I love her sweet little face so much. 

Can't make it through pictures without that tongue slipping out at least once.  She is so good at that.

Kelsey was the cutest little Snow White for Halloween this year.  Grandma added the bling to her costume to make it look more princessy.  Julie, who made Kelsey's Halloween bow, made the little custom hair bow for Kelsey's costume.

Last year, Kelsey was interested in the trick-or-treaters, but was also scared of getting close to them.  This year, she was very brave and did so well.  She had a special moment with a tiny baby girl dressed as a lamb...the two made eye contact and could not take their eyes off of each other.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  Then, Kelsey got to hang out with our neighbor friends by the fireplace.  I think she enjoyed herself this year more than any year so far.

Costume Fun

On Saturday, Kelsey went to her first costume contest.  We aren't revealing this year's costume here until Halloween (you will have to check back later for that).  But, this is her costume from her 2nd Halloween...still fits (wish I could say the same for my clothes lol).  Kelsey did not win, but I truly think she was the cutest, prettiest, and her costume fit her very well.  She was also the only dog to be able to perform a trick when it was her time to show her costume.  I am so proud of how well she behaved.

This is what Kelsey earned for her participation.  The grand prize winner was a cat in a very detailed construction outfit.  It was very detailed and well thought out, but we would have disqualified him for unsportsman like behavior.  During the group photo, he reached across and smacked Kelsey in the face so hard, that everyone gasped and turned to see what happened.  Kelsey didn't even bark, growl, or bite back.  She wasn't even looking at the cat or causing him any distress; it just came out of nowhere.  We still had fun, and the guy at the checkout loved her sweet costume so much, he went and picked a few cookies from the treat bar just for her!  We hope you all have a wonderful Halloween and we can't wait to show you her pretty new costume very soon!

Kelsey and Abbi

It has been a while, but not much has been going on here.  It has been too hot to go outside much, but we have started getting an occasional cool day, and we are definitely looking forward to more of those.  

This is Kelsey with her kitty friend, Abbi.

Abbi doesn't seem to realize that Kelsey is a dog, and Kelsey has been very sweet to Abbi.  She even shared her bed.  Kelsey loves going to visit the kitties, which is a shocker since she doesn't have kitties at home.

This is something Kelsey and I have started for fun.  We are baking yummy dog cookies.  We are only doing local pick ups for now, but feel free to check out our page that we started.

Kelsey's Cookies

Visiting With Family

 Simon came over on Monday for some play time with Kelsey and visiting with me.  This boy is the most mellow little guy I have ever met.  He loves exploring Kelsey's yard and riding in her stroller.  He got to try out Kelsey's new dog stroller last time he was here and loved it.  This time, when we went into the garage, he walked right up to the stroller because he wanted to go for a ride.

 Then, the internet and tv were down and I was going nuts.  I don't have a smart phone to keep me entertained, had shows that I was going to miss since the DVR would not be recording, and I am used to going to sleep with the tv on softly in the background.  So, we packed our bags and went to have a sleepover at my parents' house (Kelsey's Grandma and Grandpa).  Kelsey was so excited because she loves to visit Grandma, their pups, and her Grandpa loves her lots.  This little cutie is Tucker.  He slept next to me while I was watching tv on the couch.  He goes nuts for things that squeak, tennis balls, and the toys that you stick empty water bottles in so they can make a crunching sound.  He also loves to play fetch.  He has so much energy and plays super hard, but naps just as hard too.

Kelsey kept me up most of the night because she was antsy.  Tucker decided he wanted to sleep with us.  He snuggled right up against me the whole entire night!  He is such a lover and will form and instant bond with anyone he meets who will give him loves or throw his toy for him.  This picture was taken in the morning after their slumber party.  We also got lots of time in visiting with Dixie (our other dog who is not pictured).  She is about 15 or 16 years old but still has the spirit and enthusiasm of a pup.  I really enjoy being able to visit here because we got her when I was still in high school.  And yay, we are so happy to have internet and tv back!

Aqua Polka Dot Bikini

Took a break from blogging for a short while, but we are back.  It's been so hot that going out for pictures and adventures is not much fun (and we are not morning people/puppies), and can actually be quite miserable.  I have not mastered indoor photography yet, and those pictures just never quite turn out how I would like them.  One day, I will hopefully take my first photography course.  We were also kind of bummed about that unfair contest.  

So I saw some dog bikinis online and thought they were hysterical.  The price was right and I could not resist the polka dots or the ruffle on the bottom.  I bought Kelsey's bikini as a joke, but it actually looked pretty stinkin' cute on her...my little swimsuit model.  The swimsuit was supposed to be light blue, but ended up being aqua...which I found looks quite nice on Kelsey.

Could my little Kelsey Monkey get any cuter?!  I absolutely love this photo and have to keep looking back at it.  What a little poser she is, and how lucky am I to be her Mommy?!  She is such a sweetie pie.

Monkey Collar

A few days ago, a package came in the mail for Kelsey!  She was so excited and had to stick her nose into the package before I could even see what it was.  

Aunt Marylin made Kelsey a special monkey collar  Can you see it even has a little monkey button on it?!  The work on it is absolutely beautiful; Aunt Marylin is definitely talented.  Thank you, Aunt Marylin.

Looking a little skeptical in this one because...We got the results on the contest voting and Kelsey had placed 7th out of 24 for the number of Facebook "likes"  and there were going to be 13 winners (1 for the cover, and 12 for inside the calendar).  We thought we had a good chance because that voting was supposed to have a "strong influence" on the judges' final decisions and Kelsey was a strong contender based on voting.  They did not choose Kelsey.  In fact, they chose some photos with way less "likes" than Kelsey's.  Kelsey was the only one to place that high in the contest and get skipped over.  When we looked at the results, it just didn't seem right.  We are okay with losing (we don't win a lot actually), but it was so misleading to say that voting was such a big part when it became obvious that it was not.  I asked them to remove Kelsey's photos because I do not want them using her sweet picture for their own gain when they are definitely not being fair.