Birthday Surprises!!!

Hello everyone!  I was planning to write last week about how we celebrated Daddy's birthday, but a few surprises came along and I've been too busy to write!  Grandma, Poppa, and Great Aunt Frances arrived last Thursday afternoon for a long weekend.  Daddy said they decided to visit on HIS  birthday weekend, so that he could surprise Mommy with her birthday gift NEXT weekend (when she will turn forty).  HE LIED!!!

On Friday morning (Daddy's birthday), Mommy got up and made him breakfast and then he headed off to work for a day of continuous meetings.  Mommy and her family went shopping and antiquing Friday morning and then headed to one of their favorite places for lunch, Pizza by Elizabeths (yes, it's plural).  As they were eating, Mommy had a BIG SURPRISE!  Daddy hadn't gone to work; instead he had gone to the airport to pick up Mommy's college roommate, Dodie, and Mommy's buddy from high school, Holly!!!!  They came into the restaurant carrying matching tee shirts for everyone and a tiara for Mommy!  Mommy was THRILLED to see her friends!!!  It had been two weeks since she'd seen Holly, but two years since she'd seen Dodie!

 

Since it was actually Daddy's birthday, he requested a low country boil for his birthday dinner later that evening.  He really wanted crawfish in his boil, but he had to settle for crabs instead.  We followed Uncle Jeff's step-by-step directions and had a wonderful dinner.  At least we were told it was wonderful.  No one would share with us dawgs.  Can't you just imagine Jenna tearing into a crab?!?!?!

Everyone enjoyed the meal, and it continued even when the power went out due to a storm. 

Mommy's birthday surprise continued into Saturday morning.  All the ladies of the house (except for Dixie and Jenna) went to a nearby spa for a day of pampering.  They had sooooo much fun.  Dixie and Jenna were a little bit put out that they couldn't go.  I'm sure the girls would have had fun, but they would have been into the bubble baths, body wraps, scrubs, and more and the day would have turned into a disaster. 

 

Saturday night's dessert was birthday cake and s'mores around the fire pit.  Grandma brought with her an old fashioned seven (tiny) layer caramel cake just like Great Granny used to make.  The only difference was the buttercream icing with polka dots to make it more festive for the birthday boy and girl (and I use those terms liberally at this point in my parents' lives).  Mommy chose candles that doubled as sparklers, but they didn't have as much pizazz as she had hoped for!  She also just used the number of candles in the package instead of trying to find the MANY that would be required to celebrate two birthdays.

After cake, we went out to the fire pit for s'mores.  I personally LOVE making s'mores!!!  I don't actually get to enjoy the finished product, but my parents are happy to toss a few marshmallows my way every now and then.  This was Jenna's first time with s'mores.   She loved the marshmallows too.  She did get too close to the fire from time to time, but I never noticed any smoke coming from her tail.  

 

It was a fabulous weekend full of family, friends, and fun.  Daddy has officially moved into first place for Husband of the Year.  He has been planning this weekend since January!  It's an amazing feat for him to keep a secret for that long.  Seriously!  Good for Daddy!  I really thought he was going to blow it a few times.  He told me all about it because he knew I would never reveal a secret.  I'm not sure if the same can be said for my sisters . . .

Happy Birthday to Daddy, Mommy, and my cousin Sam (yesterday)!!

Keeper of the Secrets,
Hunter

Conversation Between the Wires

A conversation overheard and dutifully reported by Hunter (perhaps gleefully too) . . .

Jenna:  Why do you think we have to stay in our crates when Mommy and Daddy are out?

Hunter:  Seriously?  Have you seen the mess you make with toilet paper?

Dixie:  Yep.  That is definitely the reason.

Hunter:  Don't act like you're innocent, Dixie.  Remember a certain collection of wine corks you chewed up all over the house?  You were stuck in your crate long before Jenna came along.  I think you stay in your crates because they know that is the only time I can take advantage of the sofa.

Jenna:  They're trying to blame the condition of the sofa on us girls, but we know you were wallowing on it a full eight years before we were even alive!

Hunter:  [sigh]  Those were the good 'ole days!  If you two will excuse me, I'm going to enjoy the sofa.

Dixie:  You know, Jenna, I really don't understand why you arrived on the scene last and you have the room with the view.  From your crate, you can look out and watch the birds as they come and go.  I look out and see nothing but carpet.  And Hunter snoring on the sofa!

Jenna:  It's because I'm loved.

Dixie:  And you've got the best access to the air vent.  I'd like a little breeze every now and then.  Besides those stinky ones that come from you!

Jenna:  It's simple.  I'm loved.  Or at least I think I'm loved . . . I've noticed you have two blankets and I only have one.

Dixie:  It's called more love.  I even have a stuffed animal that matches one of my blankets.

Jenna:   Well, my blanket matches my collar.  That makes me the most stylish girl here (not counting Mommy, of course).

Dixie:  My crate is taller than yours.

Jenna:  By an INCH!  I hardly think that matters.

Dixie:  Well, I don't have to have a special latch to prevent my escape.

Jenna:  Escape? Why would I want to leave?

Dixie:  Well, I can see Mommy and Daddy when I'm crated.  What can you see?  The sofa arm?

Jenna:  Nope.  Birds!  Ha!

Dixie:  Hmpf!  No matter what, I think we can both say these are our Girl Caves.  I like to hide out in mine all the time and you're starting to sleep in yours more often just because you want to.  We're both loved.  Hunter has been here the longest, and he doesn't have a Man Cave.

Hunter:  Yes, I do.

Jenna:  I thought you were asleep.

Hunter:  I can't sleep with all of your yapping going on.

Dixie:  So, where's your Man Cave?

Hunter:  It's called the HOUSE.

Don't Burst My Bubbles!

Since summer is here, Mommy thought she would break out the bubbles.  She loves to play with bubbles and unfortunately for her all she has to play with is us!  Mommy might need to invite the neighborhood kids over to play since we don't get as excited about bubbles as she'd like.  This was Jenna's first experience with bubbles (at least to our knowledge) and she wasn't all that impressed.  Jenna ran around a few times, but when she realized that "eating" the bubbles wasn't all that satisfying, she quickly became bored. 

The Jaws of Life

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I only chased the bubbles once.  I couldn't totally disappoint Mommy.  But of course, there aren't any good pictures of me . . .  we only have pictures of the oldest, the privileged, the chosen one!  Hunter was the one who was most excited by the bubbles.

You would have thought he was a puppy by the way he was running all over the yard trying to catch the bubbles.  I think seeing Hunter with so much energy did Mommy's heart good.  He LOVED playing with the bubbles!

Which way did they go?

 

 

Oh well, I guess we can't play with tennis balls ALL the time . . . but it sure would be nice! 

Dixie

Fifth of July

How did you spend the holiday yesterday?  Daddy had to go to work and be the grill master for the other employees.  He doesn't get the day off.  [sigh]  Mommy worked around the house doing some deep cleaning because we have our second round of company coming next week.

Mommy is not a big fan of the Fourth simply because she usually has to spend most of the day by herself.  She would love to have our family come for a visit (Grandma and Poppa used to), but now we have two cousins whose birthdays are right before the holiday, so it kind of prevents the grandparents from visiting us.  Bummer!  Another reason why Mommy doesn't enjoy the day is because Daddy spends all day at the grill at work, so he never wants to grill when he comes home.

This year was different.  Mommy said it turned out to be one of the best Fourths we've had in a while.  Daddy was able to come home much earlier than he usually does.  After watching a movie together, we all went out to play.  Daddy decided to give us some practice with the deadfowl trainer.  It's basically a plastic dead duck whose head wobbles around (like a real dead duck).  I may let Dixie win when it comes to tennis balls, but she is not going to beat me at duck retrieving.  Nothing is getting between me and the ducks!  Except Hunter.  He wanted to participate so badly, but he just couldn't keep up with us pups.  Every once in a while Daddy would throw it short so Hunter could retrieve it.  Hunter had so much fun.  The poor guy was suffering for it afterwards when he was hobbling around.  His arthritis can be a real pain sometimes. 

Another reason it was a great evening is because Daddy had refrained from eating a hotdawg at work.  That meant he was willing to have one for dinner.  Yippee!!  You must understand, Mommy is a SERIOUS hotdawg fan!!!  She loves her dawgs smothered in sooooo many toppings, she usually has to break out a fork to eat it.

 

After dinner, they sat on the deck enjoying music until it grew dark and they could enjoy the neighborhood fireworks.  We had quite a few REAL fireworks leftover from past years (you know, the kind that actually leave the ground; the kind that aren't sold around here).  But Daddy is so afraid of ruining his hunting dawgs with the loud noises, that he decided to take the fireworks to the neighbors.  The kids next door were so thankful and excited.  There was also another house across the street that had MAJOR fireworks.  We just sat back and enjoyed the show!

 

Well, everyone enjoyed the show except Hunter.  Poor guy.  He's not a big fan of the Fourth either.  He barked with EVERY snap, crackle, and bang he heard.  He really doesn't like loud noises.  Dixie and I were pros.  We weren't bothered by the fireworks at all.  It was loads of fun.  We had a great evening. 

 

 

I hope you had great Fourth of July too,
Jenna

I'm in Collar Heaven !

Mommy was thinking about us when she was in Annapolis and we have proof.  She bought each of us a new collar while she was gone.  She's been thinking about buying new collars for us to celebrate the summer season, but just didn't think we really needed them.  Well, not until she found a really cute dawg store in Annapolis.

I am literally tickled pink with my new collar!  It is the perfect collar for me, and Mommy said she didn't have to think twice about which one to choose for me.  It has TENNIS BALLS on it!!!!  Yippee!!  I can have my tennis balls and wear them too! 

Hunter's collar looks very handsome on him.  Mommy bought him a collar that has on it the nautical flags from A to Z.  It really does look good with his brown fur.

Then there is Jenna's new collar.  It took Mommy two trips to that cute little pet boutique to decide which one to buy for Jenna.  There wasn't a collar that called out JENNA when Mommy walked by.  At least that what's Mommy told me.  I interpreted that to mean there wasn't a collar that had a garbage disposal on it, or a cruise line buffet, or even a simple hot dawg and fries!  When Mommy thinks of Jenna, Mommy thinks FOOD!  (Perhaps because Jenna herself is always thinking FOOD!)  Finally Mommy chose a collar with dawg bones all over it.  She had a lot of help from Aunt Holly in this decision making process.  It's as close to the perfect collar for Jenna as could be found.

Unfortunately, my collar has already become a little dirty.  I think it's because Jenna is jealous that her collar isn't as perfect as mine and so she's been chasing me around the yard.  Either way, I look good!  Dawg gone good, if you ask me!

I hope you have a great Fourth of July!  We'll be wagging our tails and waving our flags as we set off fireworks! 

Happy Birthday, America!
Dixie  Doodle (not to be confused with Yankee Doodle)

Historic Visit from Aunt Holly

Last week Aunt Holly came up for a few days.  She and Mommy decided to make their travels low-key this year since they took a nice long vacation to California last year.  This year's trip was strictly educational and historical (well, at least the first part of the week).  They spent a couple days in Annapolis and a day in Gettysburg. 

They made it a point to eat seafood for EVERY meal while they were in Annapolis!  (However they weren't successful in finding clam chowder for breakfast like they did in San Francisco last year!!  Yep, they're weird like that sometimes.)

They took a great walking tour of the city that included tons of history and the Naval Academy.

While at the Academy, Mommy considered becoming a midshipman . . . for a whole minute!  Don't you think she looks cute in this hat?  Too bad a full white uniform wouldn't be very slimming!  Not to mention how seasick she might be on a daily basis!

 

Did you know this week is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg?  That's a really long time in dawg years.  While in Gettysburg, they met a famous person and had their picture taken with him. 

 

Mommy even tried on his hat!

 

The power went out at the visitor center while they were there.  Mommy thought they needed something to keep them occupied while waiting for it to come back on, so she tried on the hat of the Confederates.  It took a while to get a decent smile and even now Aunt Holly isn't sure it was a total success!  Mommy and Aunt Holly have a tradition of taking pictures of Mommy in crazy hats while on their trips.  I'm not sure why Aunt Holly never tries them on . . .

They saw LOTS of Civil War re-enactors at the many monuments throughout the cemetery. 

Those people were serious about their "jobs."

 

After engaging their minds, Mommy and Aunt Holly chilled out at our house scrapbooking.  Mommy is way behind on her books.  She is trying to work on baby books for both of her new nephews, but it is slow going.  If you start wondering what Mommy is doing this summer (besides what you read in the posts we dawgs are writing), I can guarantee she is scrapbooking!

Aunt Holly is back home now, but Mommy has plenty to keep her occupied besides scrapbooking.  After all, more company is on the way!

Hunter

PS:  We want to send a bark out to our cousins who are celebrating birthdays this week:
Kate turns four on Tuesday and Avery turns one on Wednesday!  Happy Birthday!  Don't forget to put some birthday cake in the mail for us!  Jenna will take two pieces please.