The Mess Maker Meets her Match

Nick and I were playing a game at the dining room table this evening and Ori got a hold of Nick's pay stub.  She chewed it up and spit it out making a mess under the table.  At the end of the game, I went to clean up the mess and Molly beat me to it!  She cleaned up the entire floor minus 1 piece! 

She did a similar thing this morning with a cardboard paper towel roll this morning.  She spent 15 min eating the cardboard Ori chewed up while I was showering!  At least it's high in fiber!

My crazy girls!

Lousy Alarm Clock

Yesterday morning I was trying to steal a few more minutes of sleep before I got up for the day.  Nick had left and O was snuggled up next to me.  Moo decided to sit by the closed door and wait.  Until she got tired of waiting that is.  She jumped up on the bed, sat down on top of me and proceeded to paw at my leg repeatedly.  She wasn't taking no for an answer!  I asked her how many cookies her daddy bribed her with to do this, but she wasn't telling!  I finally got up and our routine resumed with a few good yodels from Moo thrown in for good measure.  I'm laughing about it now, but I certainly wasn't happy at 7:15!!  Nick fed the girls all weekend and he isn't quite as generous as I am with the portions so she must have been extra hungry and anxious for the breakfast train!  A roundabout complement from Miss Moo if you will.  Good thing she's cute!

Thank you Patti!

Patti from Woof!  otherwise known as fairy dog mother has done it again and sent the girls 2 beautiful blankets.  They're beautiful and we love them very much!

Don't look at me...

Ok, I'm ready now!

She loves that huge green cuz and her new blankie!!

Moo isn't so convinced she wants to sit on the blanket

the cookie quickly changed her mind!

wrapped in the lovely blanket (gimme that cookie dad!)

my 2 pretty girls together

Awww, can we have them now?

Posing pretty

Such good girls!

the blankets by themselves... aren't they great?

These blankets will be fabulous for snuggling and for keeping beds looking fun and festive!  We are so spoiled over here-- thanks again Patti!

Memories

I woke up this morning with Tinker on my mind.  I drove to work and could feel her in my arms, my memory and senses heavy with the last time I held her.  I could feel her body pressed against me that day even after she crossed the bridge.  Still warm and full of the love that she gave to me every day we had together.  I tried to move my mind to a happy thought and I saw Charli walking through the Petco door with Tink in her arms.  I could feel Tink in my arms like the first time I held her everything so new and filled with life.  Charli handed her to me and I didn't let her go....  memories so vivid, forever etched in my mind and in my senses.  The first and the last...

Sometimes I think we did things backwards.  I was given my heart dog so early in life that now things will never be the same.  I guess things are never the same regardless.  In my effort to control the tears this morning, I thought of how God cares enough about me to send such a perfect little dog into my life when I needed her the most.  He demonstrated His love to me in so many tiny ways with the gift of Tinker.  And for that I am eternally grateful.

On our walk last night I was thinking about how different things are now.  When we first adopted Tink we were new doggy parents, everything so new, so particular and so important.  We had only 1, so precious and sweet and we doted and learned together.  We still dote and learn, but we're slightly more seasoned having several fosters come through and now our 2 beautiful heathens here (whom I love dearly).  I chuckled at the somewhat inaccurate but comforting thought that Tink taught me how to love so much that it takes 2 dogs instead of 1 for me to give all the love I have to give.  (This is while Ori is eating every plant she can get her mouth on and Moo is distracted by yet another fire hydrant : )

It's been over 8 months and while I don't think that time heals, I do think love heals.  It takes time to learn to love and to use the love I've been given differently.  I wouldn't trade these 2 girls in for anything, but my heart still aches over my Tink.  The sharpness surprised me this morning as the ache has been dull for a little while.  Grief is a lifelong process but fortunately for us, so is love.  No matter how it hurts, I will choose to love.

The new green cuz

So we had a little Christmas here with a recent Amazon order coming through our house this afternoon.  In 1 of the 4 boxes was a green "good cuz."  I ordered a medium because that's what I thought the dino cuz was.  HA!  The dino is a small and Ori's eyes shot wide open when I pulled him out of the box.  He's so big that O had to figure out how to fit him in her mouth.  Sometimes I catch her carrying him by the foot.  The cuz for O is like doggy crack.  I've caught her pawing up at the dining room table when cuz is in time out.  She goes crazy over them and loves to kill them.  The squeaker is on the back of this cuz rather than under the feet and she's already working on getting the squeaker out.  We're keeping an extra close eye out whenever he's being played with!

What is more exciting than O playing with the good cuz is Moo playing with it!  Nick called me out into the living room to have me witness Molly chewing on the same green cuz trying to get the squeaker out!  I sat there in disbelief watching Moo chew and chew and work to get the squeaker!  What was equally amazing was Ori's behavior while Moo had the cuz.  She watched Molly and sat near her but not once did she get into Molly's space or try to take it from her.  (Ha, slightly different story than watching O try to jump over the back side of the couch to get it from me earlier this evening!)  O was originally chewing on a bone (a coveted bone might I add) and when the cuz started squeaking in Moo's mouth poor O wasn't sure what to do!  It totally made my evening to watch Moo chew on the good cuz.  These 2 girls are so good for each other!  Walking this evening Moo did fabulous keeping up with Ori and while she sleeps a lot more she's still chewing on bones, bullys, and now a cuz!

We also picked up a small tug-a-jug in the Amazon order and that seems to be a fun interactive game for the 2 girls with at least 1 human.  Ori pulls on the rope and when the kibble spills out like a pinata both she and Moo scramble to pick it up as fast as they can!  Molly hasn't quite figured out how to get the kibble out and Ori left to her own devices tried to rip the rope apart!

It's 9:30 and Ori is finally looking tired.  We spend over 5 hours in the evenings working to tire her out with walks, playing with toys and chewing on bones.  She's a blast to watch and play with and we're happy to help her find appropriate things to chew on!  She jumps a good 3 feet in the air up to grab a cuz or other toy from our hands.  Her back end is so strong that it end above her front end in the jump.  She's crazy and we love her so.

Ori did start the morning off by destroying a box of tissues though.  Ha!  Maybe her nose was running... or maybe she was cranky that she didn't get any coffee from my mug : ) 

Ori Really Does...

...Love her Mommy! The past few weeks Ori and I have had somewhat of a love/hate relationship.  I love her but hate some of her actions!!  As a result, our time together has almost been "going through the motions" with feeding, walking, etc.  This week however, things have mellowed and the softer side of O is reemerging.  Every night Ori jumps up in bed and snuggles in on 1 side, laying there all cute like "what?  I sleep here too!"  Last night, I snuggled up next to her and she pressed in real tight against me near my heart like Tink used to.  She must have known I needed some puppy love (and that I was her only shot from getting put in her crate for the night) but it was really nice.  I fell asleep with O cuddled up next to me and slept quite peacefully.


I was in the back tonight talking with Linds while Nick was vacuuming and Ori came and sought me out!  She jumped up on the bed and snuggled up.  Then back out on the couch, she was doing her best to jump in my lap and snuggle some more!  She's just in a Mommy mood I guess and that's totally cool with me : ) As I type this she's pressed tight against me.  Chances are good that if she's this snuggly now, she'll only get better as she gets older!

Sometimes I joke with Nick and Ori and ask "when are you turning 10?"  I love my "golden" dogs so much that sometimes it still amazes me that we adopted a 4 year old pup.  The older dogs just seem to "get it" with certain things.  I know Ori will get there...in a few years or so.  I mean, she's already such an amazing little girl, given more time, love and consistency, she's going to be that much MORE amazing!  But in the meantime, she's pulling puppy antics grabbing trash and weeds on our walks, destroying pens and chewing up paper towels, knocking my coffee cup over to drink the drops at the bottom, harassing Molly while she's pooping, etc etc.  I usually still laugh at her antics, but every once in a while it's not quite so funny! (Ok, so our next door neighbors think it's pretty funny outside, but still!)

Everything seems to cycle in this house and I'm happy that we've come back around to a nice little routine that includes some meaningful snuggle time with Miss O (and Miss Moo!  She doesn't miss out on her snuggle time on the couch either!)

We have 2 fabulous little girls.... : )

Glory Glory Crazy Ori!

Oh my little girl is so full of life and loves to find mischief!  Yesterday evening on our walk she was scared of a bush, complete with her hackles up and all.  Then Molly peed on her head which saved Ori a step because she would have rolled in it!  This evening, she smelled some guys beautiful roses and proceeded to take a big bite out of them!  Oh crazy girl!

Saturday night taking pictures after a beautiful evening!

The weather over here has been absolutely beautiful!  We've been spending some nice time outside and sitting out on the balcony.  Both girls went out this afternoon on the balcony so I joined them while I finished some of my paperwork.  

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Moo hurt what looked like her leg. Of course on a long weekend in the middle of no where.  We thought it was her elbow but after Dr. Haver looked at it, he determined it was her shoulder.  Just over a week later with some nice resting Molly is back up and running at about 90% normal.  She's doing the stairs again and going for longer walks but I'm still trying to keep her from jumping off the furniture!  She's had a nice twinkle in her eye and appears to be feeling pretty good!

There are so many crazy stories that I could share about Ori that happen each and every day.  Nick and I find ourselves laughing at her over so many crazy things.  Her poor dino cuz has now lost both feet and some spines.  Nick cut the feet off last night when we saw she was 1/2 way through both of them.  Knowing dogs that have got into surgery from eating cuz feet, we opted for the cuz to have surgery instead!

Ori loves to drink coffee...she steals my cup when I'm finished in the morning (or sooner if I'm not careful) and licks out the bottom of it.  She's always looking for a new friend on our walks and remembers where people have been in the past, continuing to stop there for many walks after the initial encounter.  She wakes up every morning happy and ready to romp and play, jumping on the bed waking me with a kiss and run move!  We're getting the potty training down.  She goes to the door and we take her out, no questions asked.  She goes right away outside or lays down in the sun and looks up at us to say "what?  it's nice out!"  She still tries to tease Moo but Moo puts her right in her place.  Ori always backs down.

Miss Moo continues to be happy and healthy over here and with her shoulder almost healed she's just about keeping up with Ori! (minus all the extra laps O does!)  She loves her food, loves to sing and loves to be where we're at.  Sometimes she comes into the middle room while I'm sewing and lays down chewing on her kong.  (When Ori isn't in the room trying to save loofa dog from the trash that was emptied weeks ago!)  Molly is even keeled, dependable, and easy going.  Sometimes she craves attention and we're happy to indulge her.  Other times, she prefers to sleep on her own bed and we let her be.  All in all, we're a pretty happy little family : )