The Oldroyd Family

All 3 dogs have their spots for when I nap on the couch. No matter where they are in the house, when I lie down, they come running and settle in. Pepper behind my knees, Roxy on my side, and Hank in front of me. I love it!

We have a darling new neighbor named Alicia, and she has a hobby of fostering puppies! This litter was just a few weeks old and their mom needed surgery. Alicia had 2 that she let the kids and I hold & feed bottles to. It was a dream come true for some animal lovers! I think I see foster puppies in my future!

I just love these two!

This handsome boy is 2 years old today. He is such a good dog & we love him to pieces!

Max is home sick.  Hank is right by his side taking care of him!  What a good puppy!

We have loved having Hank as part of our family.  I'm a big sucker for his cute face & fun personality.  Even though he has been crate trained from the beginning, its not his favorite place.  This is what happens every night when I tell him to get in his crate for the night.  I feel like he's saying, "How 'bout you rub my belly instead!"  Who can resist that face & polka dot tummy?

Hank lost his manhood on Tuesday.  He had no idea what was coming.  I dropped him off early in the morning at the Humane Society.  Max was very concerned about him all day. When I went to pick him up in the afternoon, I watched as dog after dog walked out all droopy & drousy.  But then there came Hank... hyper as ever & happy to see me! (sigh)   We headed straight to Petsmart to get him a "cone of shame."  He was pretty ticked about it but is pretty used to it now.  We're supposed to keep him calm and not jumping for several days.  Ummmm.... not doing so well on that.  He's crazy!  But we love him!

Disclaimer:  You probably shouldn't read this if you're easily disturbed, grossed out or don't have children. So let me set this up for you... you all know I have 3 kids & 3 dogs.  And today (& every Wednesday for the next few months) I'll also have Ike, my almost 4-year-old nephew.  Which is really fun - the kids love having him here to play & he loves being here. Where today went wrong is when I decided, on this lovely Spring day (what, it's still January?  Well its Spring here!)  to WALK with all of them, including the dogs to the park for a picnic lunch. I'll also need to throw in that my oldest Chihuahua, Roxy, HATES walks, & apparently #2 dog, Pepper, does too, now, because of Hank. So here I am, pushing a stroller of no kids - just lunch - because they all want to walk.  I'm also holding Hank's leash which leaves the 4 kids to fight (THE WHOLE TIME) over who gets to walk the other two dogs.  Which, by the way, are havin...

We have a new addition to the family!  Hank is a mix of a miniature beagle & cocker spaniel - but just looks like a beagle!  He was born on October 17th.  We love him & he's SO sweet!  And smart! He came in to our family through Aunt Marianne.  She sent Jennie Jo & I to pick him up on December 16th. But she works long hours as a nurse & Hank just needs people too much so he came to live with us!  The only ones in who aren't very accepting of Hank are Roxy & Pepper.  They'll adjust... right? Welcome Hank!  We love you!

Sure helped keep them occupied while I was getting Max's room ready for Grammy & Grandpa Great's visit!

1.  Sam called me when I was out the other night because half of Roxy's face was swollen. This has happened before but it was after shots & her entire face swelled up WAY worse than this.  I was so scared at the time I rushed her to the Vet ER where I paid a couple hundred dollars for them to give her Benadryl.  So I figured it out myself this time.  Still don't know what happened this time though! 2.  I love this baby! 3.  This is Sam's wrist.  No wonder it hurts so bad!  The pins are in there to stabilize the bones so he can't turn his arm & pop the tendon that the doctor fixed the torn ligament with.  They'll come out in 3 weeks.

Our youngest dog, Pepper, warmed up to the kids right away. She's always been ever so patient with them & they have learned to be so soft (most of the time) with her & give lots of kisses. Pepper is ever the snuggler & has taken advantage of Alexa being sick by snuggling right up to her to watch PBS cartoons each morning. Roxy, on the other hand, didn't take to the babies right away. For most of their lives, she has observed from a distance, never letting them get close enough to touch. But things are starting to change. She actually lets them pet her occasionally. Much to my surprise, I looked over at the couch where Nathan was sitting yesterday to find her on her back, begging him for a belly rub. This, my friends, is major progress. She was content to lay there by him, that is, until he started poking her in the eye. Then she was done. I know dogs are not for everyone but I am so glad that I have them if only for the reason that it has taught my kids t...