Puppy Surprise...

I don't know if "Puppy Surprise" toys had as much of an impact on you as they did on me, but as a child, mine played a big roll in my life...do you remember them?  The weird looking fluffy haired dog that has a "SURPRISE" number of babies in her velcro enclosed tummy?

wait for it.....

My sweet little Princess Polly is absolutely head over heals for dogs, and so, last year for Christmas, I tracked down a vintage puppy surprise toy for her {or maybe Santa tracked it down, I can't remember}.  Anyway, she just loves it!  But it still hasn't stopped her {or any other child in our home for that matter} from begging for a REAL puppy.  So after our long drive to Alberta and our long drive home...

...my wonderful husband and I promised the kids that they would get a special reward for being so good and helpful in the car {and I must say, I have incredible kids, they were awesome travellers}!  So when the kids and I rolled up, Jordan came running out to meet us...he then escorted us inside the house to find...

A special new addition to the family!  His name is RAMBO {yes, we are big Sylvester Stallone fans} and he is our little {for now at least} red Doberman Pinscher puppy.  He is 11 weeks old and I am completely smitten, as are the kids.  

I am so impressed with my sweet children.  They have taken on the responsibility of having a puppy like little champs.  They have each stepped up to the responsibilities of feeding him, wiping up his little accidents, they've even taken on full-time pooper-scooper duty in the back yard!

{I promise Wilson likes Rambo too, he's just not super thrilled with his Mom's obsession with picture taking!}

Growing up on an acreage, I always had the opportunity of having constant litters of puppies and kittens.  I also started raising rabbits in High School, and I learned so much from those experiences.  Jordan grew up always having a dog, as well as horses, and so we both have reaped the benefits of growing up with pets.  We have always wanted to get the kids a puppy, because we feel like there's no better way to teach our kids about birth, life and death than to care for animals.  Over the course of our marriage; years of school...and moving...and changing our minds, we've always had a reason to wait for one thing or another to happen before getting a pet...I think doctor Seuss says it best...

"Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused 

that you'll start in to race

down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,

headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.

Waiting for a  train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

NO!

That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape..."

~Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss~

So we took the plunge!  We finally decided that there would never be a PERFECT time to get a puppy, but there's no time like the present right?!?  And even if I have to repeat in my head "No complaining Lise-Anne, no regrets Lise-Anne" a zillion times every day for the next...{what's the life expectancy of a dog again...?} well anyway...it'll be worth it...

He's a Michel now...and there's no going back from that!