Bailey is 15!

Bailey is 15-years-old today! He's old, can't see or hear very well and tends to be crabby, but Belle tries to keep him young. They're more foes than friends, but, every once in awhile, they'll lie together. They can be ornery, but they're definitely a blessing to our family.

February Birthdays

Happy birthday to N and Belle! N is six today and Belle will be one tomorrow. 

N had fun celebrating the day with one of his brothers and some of his classmates at the Big Apple's Ballocity.

First Snow

Even though it has snowed three times so far this winter, our first big snow storm arrived last night. The boys are always eager to shovel the porch, deck and sidewalks while I plow the driveway.

It's a lot of work for them but helps me quite a bit. They have fun too, though, especially when they pile enough snow up to build igloos and tunnels.

Of course, Belle, like most Labs, likes to play in the snow too.

A BIG Puppy

Belle is almost 8-months-old now. She sure is a BIG puppy!

Dirty Dog

Belle was naughty today, but she had fun and made us laugh!

The Farm

We've been in Nebraska at my in-laws' farm with lots of family for the last week where the boys have had fun traipsing around with grandpa looking for work to be done. They've become really good at spotting and digging up musk thistles (or carduus nutans), an invasive weed, in the pastures. J can even drive everyone around on the Polaris Ranger for this task. The boys had fun taking a break from farm work to play with their first, second and third cousins but, as usual, were anxious to return to the farm for their favorite pastime of riding and driving tractors. J even learned how to drive the '62 Ford 2000 which is a nostalgic tractor at this family farm.

It's Belle's first time at the farm and she has had fun here too. She likes jumping in and out of the cattle tank to cool down . . . well, except when the cattle are in the corral. She keeps her distance from them and barks a lot. Most of all though, she likes the fresh air and wide open space.

She has been just as tuckered out as the boys at the end of each day!

Oh, Belle!

Belle is almost 4-months-old now and still growing like a weed. She's coming along with housetraining and starts a basic obedience class soon. She's a cute, loving and fun but ornery puppy. I couldn't keep her from running through our driveway culvert today. It's halfway full of water, so it made me nervous. She definitely needs to learn to sit and stay!

Growing Like A Weed

Belle sure is growing! This is her at almost 12-weeks-old.

Belle

This is Belle, our new loving and playful nine-week-old yellow Lab. Her name means beautiful and she represents it well. It's been an entertaining week of watching her explore and settle in at our house. She certainly doesn't replace Hank, but she's definitely a healthy addition to our family.