On the first day of Christmas...

Twelve more days until Christmas! I don't know about all of you but it's been a blur these past few weeks.  We don't know our holiday travel plans yet so that's wreaking havoc on my planning skills. It's been a whirlwind of shopping, parties, baking (lots of baking!), cleaning and decorating. 

At times it has been a little stressful but once Joe comes home from work and the fire is on, the lights are off, and the Christmas tree is lit up everything is ok again.  It's amazing what the glow of Christmas lights can do...it softens everything just a bit so it looks beautiful.

Abbey looking adorable in front of the tree

Duke and Abbey snoozing away while we clean (probably their muddy pawprints!)

My recent chalkboard art attempt. It will go on my mantle.

Me and Duke doing our best pose

Hope these next few days are filled with love, joy, and all things merry. Take a moment to breathe deeply and appreciate everything you have.  It all goes by too fast.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

~kc

Sleepy dogs

It's been a while since I've bored you all with puppy pictures.  Here's a sleepy tribute to the pups--it's hard work!

For some reason Duke chose my mom's coffee table instead of the couch

That's Abbey with her arm around Duke. So cute!

They're so cute when they're asleep (and quiet)

After a walk, Duke prefers laying down on the air conditioning vent...smart dog

So sleepy. Please leave me alone.

Abbey prefers to sleep on the back of the sofa

I love their floppy ears

What are you looking at?

The problem with sleeping on the back of the sofa is that Abbey tends to fall. That's my foot supporting her

And when I remove the foot...down she goes into my lap

Hope you enjoyed your puppy fix today. Time for a nap!
~kc

So big so fast!

Remember this picture?

The two of them could fit in the dog bed together...even if they fell out of it.  There was plenty of room for their tiny little puppy bodies.

And now...

They can barely fit on it alone let alone together!  Which means they end up wrestling.

Crazy puppies. But oh so cute.

~Kc

The little things

 When I'm having a bad day I look at pictures of my puppies.  They immediately bring a smile to my face. They make me feel like a superhero.  It makes me excited to finish up my work and head home because their little butt waggle of excitement is purely for me. 

Sorry for the shaky video. I'm still getting the hang of it.  The pups crack me up.  Abbey is a hoarder and toy thief. She feels compelled to have control of every toy under the sun.  Poor Duke doesn't stand a chance!

They like to play under our arm chairs. They can sit under there and "talk" to each other.

They have mastered the stairs. Thank goodness for baby gates.

And when I'm having a bad day and they come snuggle up on my lap all the bad disappears.

~kc

Dog days of summer

The pups had a vet appointment this past weekend. They are 11 pounds already! When we got them they were just over 5.5 pounds...they are getting so big.  But, they are still adorable.  Here are a few photos of the cuteness for your viewing pleasure.

They hated the water but Abbey loved to float! Spoiled? Maybe....

Duke is looking for trouble

It was hot. The coolest spot was wrapped around the bowl of ice!

Abbey desperately wanted to fit both of the toys in her mouth.

Such great travelers. Slept the entire trip 8 hour car ride.

Shhh....can't you see that I'm sleeping?

Enjoy!
Kc

Puppy love

It's amazing how quickly these adorable faces melt your heart.  They may drive me nuts with the house training and the multiple wake up calls at night but when they snuggle into your lap it just makes everything alright.

I completely understand why they say dogs make you healthier.  They make the little things not so big and allow you to enjoy life.  I've met more of my neighbors in the past few weeks, spent more time outside enjoying the summer air, and more time on the floor playing. 

Now, if we can get the house training finished then they really would be the most perfect pets in the world!

~kc

My heart is melting!

If only I can sleep this soundly...especially when they cry at night!

I just love those floppy ears.  They officially have names! We've named the boy Duke after my husbands love of Duke University (grr) and the mascot of my undergrad alma mater the James Madison Duke dog.  The girl is named Abbey after Westminster Abbey--one our favorite places that we visited on our honeymoon. 

Happy "early" birthday to me!

I just had the biggest surprise ever today! I took the day off to go furniture shopping with my husband in High Point, NC.  We stopped for lunch and then hit the road to come home. I was thinking that we'd sneak in a quick trip to the outlets on the way home.  My husband started to take some back roads but I'm not very familiar with the area so I didn't know that we were going the complete opposite of home!  After a little bit of driving in the country I was getting so frustrated with him!  Just as I was about to get furious with him he pulls up to a house and said we're making a quick stop to get your birthday present.  What?? My birthday isn't for weeks!  Then I see this cute little face peering at me from the yard.

And then I saw this cute little guy with her.

At first I was afraid Joe was going to make me choose. Then I realized that I got both! Talk about a huge surprise! We'd been talking about getting a dog later this summer but I didn't realize that he'd been doing all this work for months! They are adorable!

Our lives are forever different! Let's hope the first night goes as well as it can!

~kc