What a Workout!

January brings lots of New Year's resolutions for many people.  Because most people don't keep their own resolutions, Mommy has her students write resolutions for other people in their lives.  For example, I would tell Hunter he must refrain from barking at the tiniest noise; it can become really annoying!  And Dixie needs to "man-up," not be so nervous, and go for it no matter what IT is!  I mean really Dixie, it's okay if you jump on top of me; after all, I jump on you all the time!

Mommy's resolution is to get in better shape this year.  She's hoping that since her thyroid seems to be under control (so far), she can accomplish her goal.  She's trying to be more diligent with her workouts and  I recently tried to help her!  She was attempting to follow a body toning workout step-by-step in a magazine.   I'm sure my assistance was very helpful.  What do you think?

Here's to keeping your resolve in 2014!
Jenna


PS: Please don't think that just because I'm helping her means Mommy is actually keeping her resolve . . . some days she does; some days she doesn't!  [sigh]  Not everyone can be pawfect like me!

The Countdown . . .

Because of several snowstorms and really cold temps this winter, many of the morning radio stations Mommy listens to have begun a countdown to spring.  As of today, there are FIFTY more days of winter!  That number seems like a lot to some people and only a hop, skip, and a jump to others.  At our house, there is only one person who counts the days to that deadline and that's Daddy!  He hates winter.  Probably because he has to clean off the driveway and doesn't get to stay home from work when the ground is white.  The rest of us, including Mommy, love winter!

There is no telling what will happen when the groundhog pokes his head out in a few days.  Mommy recently saw her shadow, but we're not sure what that says about  the seasons.  All we know for certain is that this is the tallest she will ever be!

No matter what happens in the coming weeks, enjoy the moment!
Hunter, Dixie & Jenna

Snow Much Fun!

Mommy had to return to work Thursday.  [sigh]  She did luck up with a one-hour delay, but it's not the same as being home with us all day!  We had SNOW much fun on Wednesday.  Even if the temperature was only in the single digits!  Mommy bundled up in her best winter wear and took us out to play.  I wonder where my winter wear is?  Hunter says it's all over the house!  (I do tend to shed more than the others for some reason . . . )  Maybe he's just jealous of my full-length black fur coat?  Yes, I know he has a yummy chocolate one of his very own, but it's not as beautiful in his old age as it once was.

We took tons of pictures (no surprise there) on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.  If you look closely, you can see evidence of how Mommy spent her day off on Monday.  She has straight hair in these pics!  Don't worry, it's only until she washes it!  As soon as the water hits, those curls bounce back with a vengeance!  I'm surprised you can't see it curling up in all that snow!

She loves to take a good selfie with us.  Hunter was the only one of us who would slow down long enough to pose with her this week!  He loves to give her kisses!  (Technically I'm in one of these, but it's only because I want her to throw a toy for me!)

The snow really piled up on Tuesday night at the front door.  When Mommy opened the door, it spilled in on the hardwood floors. She should have known better, but just couldn't resist taking a peek.  Thankfully, Dixie was willing to be the clean up crew!  Mommy tried so hard during the last snow to capture the snow piled up in the mullions of the door before it melted.  The sun and camera angle just kept defeating her.  Apparently the trick is to wait until dark!

Hunter, Dixie and I really played hard in the snow.  We fought over our new "flying squirrel" constantly.  We actually had all three toys (exactly alike) outside, but we kept losing two of them and were forced to share.  Ugh!  This is not a skill in which I excel!

I stupidly took a white stuffed toy out in the snow Tuesday afternoon.  When Mommy threw it for me, it became caught up in a small tree.  Being the gentleman he is, Hunter retrieved it for me!  Mommy finally confiscated it from me before I lost it in the snow.

With the temperature remaining fairly low, we will probably have a few more days of fun in the snow!  After school hours, of course.  I can't wait!

Until the next snow . . . maybe this weekend???
Jenna

Here We Snow Again!

Whoo-hoo!!!  Mommy had a half day Tuesday (after being off on Monday for the holiday) and a snow day Wednesday!!  What a great week so far!  We received about eight inches, give or take a few, depending on which snow drift you are standing in.  (Yes, that sentence ends in a preposition, but sometimes it just sounds weird to fix it!!  And since Mommy is a grammar teacher, she gave us permission to write it!)

We'll write more later when we know how many days we have off (because of course, we are hoping for more than one!!).  In the meantime we are going to try to stay warm in our ONE degree temperature!!!  (And to our friends in Minne-SNOW-ta, we know that ONE degree is NOTHING!!!!)

Stay warm!

Hunter, Dixie & Jenna

Girls Morning In

This past weekend we had company at our house.  Uncle Jeff and his friend Andy visited so they could go hunting with Daddy.  It was late nights of man talk and early mornings of coffee and goose decoys.  Mommy said there was a LOT of testosterone in the house!

Once the men (minus Hunter) left the house each morning, we girls had a PAWJAMA PARTY!!  We all snuggled into the bed with Mommy to catch up on our beauty sleep.  Mommy keeps an extra sheet on top of the bed just for these occasions.  We were able to catch a couple more hours of sleep before Mommy's day had to begin.  Hunter joined us too, but he didn't snuggle in bed with us.  He was content to lie on the floor next to the bed and keep a watch out for any guys that might want to crash our party.  Very nice of him since he's a guy too!

Girls love pawjama parties, but I guess this wasn't a typical pawjama party.  Mommy tells me when she was young, she used to love having friends over to spend the night.  It was a night of eating pizza, baking cookies, watching movies, telling stories, and lots of laughing.  Our pajama party unfortunately did not include pizza and cookies (much to Jenna's disappointment).

Instead it entailed curling up on either side of Mommy and making a "Mommy Sandwich."  That's what Hunter called it.  Jenna took one side, and I took the other.  Hunter tells me he used to create Mommy Sandwiches all the time when he was younger.  He would snuggle up on one side of Mommy, and Daddy would take the other.  She said she could hardly move!  I personally think we actually made a "Mommy Oreo."  Jenna and I were the dark cookie halves and Mommy was the white filling.   We made one sweet cookie!

Hoping you can enjoy your very own Pawjama Party soon!
Dixie

Paws Script:  Please excuse the cell phone pics; the "real" camera was with Daddy in the field!

Double Paws Script: Sending a bark out to our adopted Aunt Gwen for the inspiration for this post!

A Bark for HELP!!

I've been in this family for three and a half years.  They love me and take great care of me.  I have a handsome big brother who looks out for me.  I have a sister with whom I can play and run around nonstop.  Despite all of the advantages that come with being a part of this family, there is one part I do NOT like.

I DO NOT like it when my toys get too close to Hunter! 

He doesn't sit or lie near my toys on purpose.  Usually I am playing by myself or with Jenna and the ball just simply gets away from me.  It rolls close to Hunter's paws, or legs, or face, or back, or belly, and I just freeze!  I cannot take one step closer to retrieving that ball.  It kills me to admit my fear.  I know deep down he won't hurt me, but he is SO BIG!!!!  

My only option is to bark for help!  If I bark nonstop then one of two things will happen.  Either Mommy will yell at me to pick up my toy (she knows this particular bark even when she isn't in the same room) or Hunter will finally grow tired of my barking and move to be away from me.  I'm not proud of this behavior, but what choice do I have?

If you've had a similar experience, please feel free to write to me with advice.  Until then, I'll be barking my head off!
Dixie

Uh Oh Nachos!

Food seems to be a popular spot on our blog lately.  Mommy was making herself a tiny snack last weekend and wanted some nachos.  She was using a store brand grated cheese (which she rarely buys) and had a bit of difficulty opening the bag.  She cut the top off the bag like you're supposed to, but it wouldn't open.  She used her fingers to try to pull the edges of the "zipper" apart, but to no avail.  Finally, she put those lovely, expensive teeth Grandmommy and Poppa paid good money for many years ago to work and voila!  The bag popped open . . . all over the place!  Cheese went flying and we went scrambling!

Good thing Mommy's camera was nearby (really, it was!) to capture the moment.

It was a Christmas miracle!  Yummmmmmm!
Jenna


PS: You can't tell it in the picture, but that really is only a salad plate full of nachos; it's NOT a dinner plate . . . just in case you were wondering!

Uh Oh Spaghetti-O!

I'm sure you've all heard that dawgs should not eat table scraps.  My parents believe and follow that rule most of the time, but every once in a while they feel pretty generous.  Daddy recently indulged in a can of Spaghetti-O's (please don't judge him for eating them or Mommy for buying them for him) and a grilled cheese sandwich.  He isn't crazy about the crusts on his sandwich, so he decided to toss them to us.  I caught mine first.  Next up was Jenna (who never misses), followed by Hunter.  When it was Hunter's turn, Jenna popped her big head up just in time to snatch it out of the air and steal it away!  Daddy decided he would make it up to Hunter by allowing Hunter to lick the remnants of the Spaghetti-O's from the bowl.  Boy oh boy, was Hunter lucky!

I was not so lucky in this scenario.  Hunter had tiny round noodles flying in all directions!  Several landed on me.  As delicious as that might sound, they weren't within licking distance of my tongue.  They were however, within licking distance of Jenna's tongue.  She proceeded to lick them right off me!  How humiliating!  Not to mention unfair since I didn't get a bite of them!  Even worse, about twenty minutes later when I needed to go out to potty, Mommy looked down and saw that I still had a couple noodles stuck to my head!  I was so embarrassed!  At least she didn't use her tongue to help me pick them off.  She grabbed them quickly and didn't even stop for her camera.  Whew!

I hope it will be a while before Daddy indulges in that particular meal again . . . but not so long until he decides to share with us!

Dixie Noodle

Clean Up Crew

I have realized the holidays are a wonderful time of the year!!!  It's too bad they're over and life has to return to normal around here.  The best part of the holidays for me was all of the EXTRA DELICIOUS FOOD!!!  I'm talking fudge (wasn't allowed to have any), chocolate covered pretzels (nope, none of that either), pecan brittle (score!), gingerbread house trimmings (score again!), and extra dawg treats too!  Santa Paws lived up to his end of our deal and brought me exactly what I asked for: FOOD!  I've been feasting for two weeks.  Part of my feast was thanks in part to a tiny little visitor we had . . .

Mr. A's presence made all of our lives wonderful.  He brought food with him that we normally do not have in the house: goldfish crackers, Cheerios, bologna, and more.  Even better was that he tends to drop some of that food and he's on our level!  It was great to sit nearby as he ate a meal or a snack.

I was sort of jealous of Hunter (and that never happens) because Hunter was truly on Mr. A's level.  Hunter could sit or stand at the dining room table and be right at Mr. A's tiny hands (not to mention the rest of the delicious looking plates up there).

I had to stand and stretch a bit to have that same advantage.  

Meal time was even better once Mr. A got up from the table and we could lick out his booster seat.  I never knew heaven would come in a small plastic chair!  We were a great clean up crew.

Aunt Kelly doesn't believe Mommy is feeding us enough.  Her mantra for the week was, "Feed Your Dawgs!"  Mommy told her we ate exactly what the vet suggested (which isn't nearly enough in my humble opinion).  Dixie and I were at the vet's office a couple days before Christmas and had gained a couple pounds since our last visit.  Dixie is forcing me to tell you that she weighed two tenths of a pound less than I did!  How humiliating!  Oh well, the diet has begun as the new year gets underway . . .

If you're in need of a fantastic clean up crew, you know who to call.
Jenna

Our New Girl

There's a new girl in town!  Well, she was in town for about four days.  She's gone now, but we can't wait until she comes to visit again!  Our human cousin, Miss C, is the best thing since sliced bread!

Hunter says that when she first visited three or four years ago that she was a tiny bit intimidated by him.  He was so big and she was so small.  She used to insist that she be carried from one piece of furniture or counter top to another!  She also did NOT like being kissed on the mouth by him.  But as he knows, with age comes wisdom!

Now that Miss C is the ripe old age of seven (that's forty-nine in dawg years), she LOVES us dawgs!  She allowed us to lick and kiss on her any time we wanted.  Aunt Kelly wasn't as thrilled by all of this loving, but thankfully Miss C ignored the pleas of her mom and let the licking continue!  She also liked snuggling up to us.  We snuggled on the sofa, on the bed, on the floor.  Miss C was super helpful to Mommy by paying attention to when we needed to go out and potty or just to play.  She also allowed us to sneak an extra treat (or five) when she and Mommy were building a gingerbread house.

Now that she's gone home, it's quiet around these parts without her.  Hopefully she'll be back soon.  I'm pretty sure she likes me best, but don't tell the others.  We'll keep it just between us!

Love to Miss C (who also loves reading our blog),
Dixie Doodle

SNOW DAY!!!!

So far the new year  is off to a GREAT start for Mommy!!!!  She went to work for one day (grumpy about it, but she did it), and the very next day she had a SNOW DAY!  You should have seen her do the happy dance when she received the phone call the night before!

She did what most people would do if given a chance: she slept in . . . until 6:30!  I know that doesn't seem like sleeping in, but it's an hour and a half later than she usually wakes up.  She took advantage of her extra day to take down the Christmas decorations.  Well, everything inside.  Those swags and ribbons on the lamp post, mailbox, fence gates, and front door will have to wait until the big thaw.  Don't worry, we'll blend right in with the rest of the Yankees!  By 7:30 this morning, she had all of the ornaments off the Christmas tree and scattered across the kitchen table.  As she started slowly removing all signs of Christmas, she also started doing some serious cleaning.  Boy, was our house dirty!

The only thing left at the end of the day was a very dry tree waiting for Daddy to haul it outside.   Actually, the lights were still on the tree.  Mommy didn't want a large dark green thing sitting in the middle of the room if Daddy wasn't willing to take it outside in the negative wind chill when he arrived home (after all, some people still have to work even when it snows).  So she left the lights on it just in case . . . they'll be removed when Daddy is ready to move the tree!

Mommy did celebrate her snow day by staying in her pajamas all day!  The only time she put something else on was to take us outside to play.  At that point, she bundled up like we were back in Minnesota: ski bibs, heaviest Columbia jacket (with the lining in it), scarf, headband to cover the ears, big gloves, and muck boots.  She was only cold when she took off one glove to take pictures of us.  We had a great time!  For me, it brought back great memories of my home state.  I LOVE SNOW!!!

I think Dixie and Jenna had a good time too!  

Dixie insisted on playing with a tennis ball even though it disappeared into the snow every time it dropped.  

Jenna and I preferred our frisbees.  I had to remind Dixie at one point that I was still the boss around here 

by winning our tug-of-war for the frisbee!

Mommy tried and tried to get a similar snow face picture of me, 

but I didn't feel like cooperating and Mommy's hand was about to freeze!

I hope you will be blessed (or cursed in Daddy's opinion as he cranked up the snow blower this morning) with some snow days of your own!  Although Mommy has already had two this winter, she is always hoping for more!  Me too!

Happy Winter,

Hunter

Ringing in 2014

Happy New Year!!!  

As Daddy would say, we haven't spoken to you all year!  (Yes, we know it's corny, but we still use it every year!)

Things were a bit last crazy around here last night.  We've had six additional people in the house this past week including two children!  The humans all went out to eat their favorite kind of cuisine, Mexican, and left us home alone.  That's when things got a little out of hand!

We started off nice and calm  . . .

. . . but then party fever took over!

Dixie thought we were getting a little ruff and she didn't want to get in trouble. . . 

 . . . so she decided to turn in early and rang in the new year from her crate.

Poor Hunter.  The evening may have been too much for the old guy!

Wishing you peace, happiness, good health, 

and anything else your heart desires in 2014!

Hunter, Dixie & Jenna