~ Best Shot Monday – Woof ~

So a couple of years ago I waxed nostalgic about how much I would look back with fondness at the ways in which having a dog would enrich my kid’s memories of their childhood.  I grew up with pets, but they never really felt totally a part of the family.  Maybe it was because they didn’t mind, weren’t the least bit trained or generally embarrassed the living tar out of me whenever we took them to the vet – or worse – when they bolted out of the house and I had to run after them screaming like a banshee!  I did say enrich, right?

Five years ago we became proud puppy parents for the first time.  He’s very much my husband’s dog, and over the years he’s become even that even more so as my patience with his antics grows thin.  I suppose spending much of 2007 and 2008 home with him on maternity leave didn’t help in the way of bonding.  Instead, I was busy keeping him away from the babies, bottles, and burp chunks he licked off the floor – gross, right?

There’s far too many stories I could share about the ever-widening gap between my early affection and more recent annoyance with our four-legged friend.   I suppose we’ll continue to make our peace and perhaps someday we’ll come back around to enjoying one another’s company.  Until then, my Best Shot this week shows how I’ll adjust to life with what looks like two canine companions!

Crunching

~ My Second, First Haircut ~

My little lady is growing up.  I think this month, when she turned 17 months old, it hit me more than I expected.  To see her toddling around, so big and yet still so very much a baby I couldn’t believe I’d brought her home from the hosptial when Calder was that same age!   Here she is walking, talking and trying her darndest to keep up with her big brother.  While it’s a reminder that time is passing far more quickly than I may realize on a daily basis, I’m also very happy not to be back at the newborn stage right now. We are truly beginning to see the personalities of our kiddos and share in the excitement and joy they find in the most mundane things. 

Haircut 1

As Seneca and I enjoyed some girl time at the salon for her very first haircut, I realized that this time around, I didn’t really know what to do.  With Calder it was easy to just cut it clean and voila, he became a big boy.  So, I relied on the expertise of my super-talented stylist to work her magic.   

She sat perfectly still, her little arms outstretched so she could reach the armrests of the chair.  She looks slightly terrified, but I’m sure that she’ll be all-girl when it comes to gettin’ dolled up!

Haircut 2

Haircut 3

The squinty eyes are too much here!  Between her chubby cheeks and full pouty-lips, she looks like she’s on the verge of tears!

Haircut 4

And then…a sucker makes the whole experience that much sweeter!  Seriously, I could just gobble up those chunky little fingers!

Haircut 5

I realized, only here at my computer, that I never got a complete finished shot!  Seeing as how I had to wrestle my lipgloss from her surprisingly strong grasp, I’m fairly certain she won’t mind a little primping sometime soon for a special photoshoot!  Plus, her run-in with Impetigo (just the first of our brush with illness in the past 3 weeks) has cleared up nicely, leaving her cheeks kissably soft once again.

Best Shot Monday ~ A Boy and His Horse

In the final weeks of 2009, we saw not one, not two, but three computers completely crash in our household!  Thankfully, we didn’t lose too much in the way of pictures and videos!  While it was scary and a little disconcerting to be disconnected for a while, we realized that it was also somewhat of a blessing.  Our evenings weren’t spent working or wasting time online.  Now that we have our new laptops, we are trying to be more disciplined about putting them away and unplugging for a while.

Since I haven’t had a way to process or a place to put many pictures, I haven’t had my camera out lately.  But I did manage to capture a few sweet shots earlier this month.  These two absolutely melt my heart.  I love the pure joy he takes out of playing with his new toy.  Nearing 3-years-old, he continues to amaze me each and every day with his new observations, comments, and insights.  Something about these pictures makes me know they’ll find a place in an open-house collage someday down the road!

New Toy 2

January

Swing by Tracey’s for more Best Shot Monday.