Two Februarys

Way-too-early buds and blossoms (the daffodil was purchased, but the other blooms came of their own accord), growing grass that had to be mowed, sunshine as well as rain.

Then... suddenly, Winter came. After a season bereft of snow, it came and came and came. And we were glad.

Anniversary Tree 2013

Some of us are growing, some of us have a few more grey hairs, one of us is substantially smaller, thanks to the long illness of last winter, but all of us are more connected, more in love with each other, and can't imagine a better little family to be blessed with.

To read more about our Anniversary Tree, click here.

The End is Near

Its been another seven weeks that has felt like both an eternity and a blink of the eye. So much of our time and energy goes into getting these furry babies to their launching point. The day they get to go to their forever family is a big day for them and they don't even know it.

Squirmy little adorable hooligans, weeks four through seven of their lives are all about learning to eat and play with each other without the guidance of their Mama, and starting to learn what "No!" and "Good Dog!" mean.

And those weeks are also about learning to shift their trust toward the two-legged mammals that stand so tall above them.

They won't be this little and cute for long, but each one is guaranteed to become a faithful companion.

A faithful companion with insatiable curiosity and a never-ending well of enthusiasm for play.

Pearl went to her home this morning. Nora and Scout and Cooper and Pirate and the sweet female that doesn't have a name yet will all be gone by Sunday.

But we aren't sad. Rather, we're excited for the lives they get to go lead without our constant supervision. It will be the first taste of real Summer freedom for us this year. There is lots of talk around here of taking entire days to go visit Grandma, a zoo trip with cousins, a stay at the beach, a mountain camping trip, and so much more.

So here's to Endings that are also Beginnings...

Puppies!

I know... I've been terribly bad about posting puppy pictures this time around. Want to see what I see several times a day during their romp and eating sessions?

 

 Their seventh week is almost here... the time they get to go become members of a new family.

We so look forward to that time around here.

For the families whose excitement grows by the day, and for the puppies who will now get undivided attention, and for us, because we get to rest!

The first puppy to leave will go home on Friday afternoon. His name is Rusko. His little face has changed so much since this picture was taken two weeks ago.

There was only one little girl  puppy this time around. Her name is Willow. Her owner tried to get a puppy out of our very first litter, but it didn't work out. Double the happiness for her AND us. We're so glad she got the one she wanted.

This next little guy will answer to the name Bentley... his family have been waiting to meet him for an entire year. They thought they wanted a girl, but he won their heart over the very first time their eyes met.

The resident litter chunk-o pup, who weighs in a full pound and a half heavier than the next in size, is going to live far away in Idaho. His name is Jax. He hasn't had the chance to meet his family yet, but continues to eat his way toward his go-home date with much anticipation.

This not-so-little guy (look how he fills out the weigh-in bag!) just met his new family last night. In our experience, people don't tend to register for a yellow pup when they see that the Daddy is a black and the Mama is a chocolate. But genetics are funny, and there are usually a couple of yellows that end up needing a home. When they arrived at our snowy home in the dark of evening, it was with a wait-and-see attitude. One look at that face and it was all over, no question. This pup is theirs. He might get the name Chaco, but with such short notice (we tapped into our waiting list to find them), they haven't quite made up their mind yet.

 And last, but certainly not least, is our other Bentley. Yes, two families, independently chose the same name. Wouldn't you like to say that you have TWO BENTLEYS parked outside? I would. Although on second thought, I'm not sure they would handle the snow and gravel that well. This Bentley is going to be best friends with twin boys. How's that for the perfect life of a Labrador?