The Four-legged Child

 Christmas is a very happy time at our home, but Christmas gift exchange time

 ramps up the excitement and volume.

Peaches gets as excited as my two-legged kids when it comes to opening Christmas gifts.

Since she doesn't have opposable thumbs she relies on Allison to help her.

But once they are out of the wrapping it's game on!

Most of the pictures I have of her during the minute or two after opening her gift 

were just blurs of white and brown fur.  

Like this...

and this.  

Then she very patiently sits while everyone finishes opening their gifts, hoping that there might be something else tucked away for her.  

I wonder how long it will be before the Puppetmaster strikes again.  

Does Peaches Want a Treat?

You betcha!

Dog Day Afternoon

Peaches is enjoying her post morning squirrel hunt nap near the sunny breakfast room door.

No sounds but the clothes dryer 

and her impressive snoring that lets me know that she is out but good!  

Not a bad life, huh?  

Could she possibly be comfortable?

Kicking Back on the Weekend

Around the Peter's ranch we don't watch TV during the week during the school year,

at least while the kids are awake.

So on the weekends when the homework is caught up the boy has his own style of kickin' back.  

Now that SEC football season has started he multi-tasks by watching football while playing a video game online with his friends.

Peaches is all smiles since she has her favorite littermate's full attention.

Except that the littermate likes to play with her toys. 

Maybe that part isn't so great.  

Klingon

I have a cling-on who keeps a pretty close watch on me during the day.  

Somebody's missing her litter mates while they are at school.

Over the River and Through the Woods

It's time once again to travel 700 miles north to see the other side of the family.  

The big change this trip is that Ben got to help with driving.

He needed some interstate practice.

I am still not used to this picture.

Wasn't it just last week that he was riding in the backseat?

In a booster seat?

Yikes, time flies!

Allison and I held down the fort in the backseat.  

Lots of chatting and sleeping.

As a trip should be - ideally you should load up the car, get buckled in, 

and then have someone gently wake you when you arrive at said destination.  

Right?

This trip we decided to take Miss Peaches.

Although she pretty much had run of the back end of the van 

she spend most of the trip between Allison and me.  

We girls gotta stick together.

Blackbeary looks kind of lonely back there.

By hour 10 or so of the trip Peaches did go back and sleep in her bed.

I will be glad when beaming places gets perfected.

You know, like in the old Star Trek episodes.  

That would be my favorite way to travel.

But in the meantime, having uninterrupted car time 

with my hubs and kids isn't too bad.

Pre-rinse

Continuing on a theme...

Peaches, in self-less service to our family, takes it upon herself to make sure that our dishes

are truly rinsed and ready for the dishwasher.

With a tongue like hers she can practically lick both sides of a spatula at once.

She loves her job.

Connect the Dots

Something about all of those freckles makes me want to grab

a sharpie and start connecting the dots.

Rest assured it would be a full-contact activity. 

This is not the face of a dog who wants to have her dots connected.

At all.

The Puppetmaster

Today is our Peaches' 5th birthday.

It seems that one of her favorite past times is making puppets out of her stuffed animals.

At any given time there are one, two, or twelve fiberfill tumbleweeds rolling across my wooden floors. 

If we weren't talking about stuffed animals here,

what she is doing would create quite a gruesome scene.

This is Justin Beaver. 

He used to have big buck teeth, ears, and a big flat flap of a tail. 

Sadly he has been reduced to a unidentifiable critter.

The rest of the clan include Blackbeary, Coocoocachu (a very mangled walrus), and Chuck the duck.

While I was taking pictures of the motley crew, the Puppetmaster struck!

Poor Chuck was forced to be a part of the Puppetmaster's downward facing dog.

Even though the toys take a beating around here, Peaches has been a welcome addition to our family.

Happy birthday Peaches!

It's a Tough Job...

I have a very tough job around here.

This boy thinks he is my master. 

He must not be too smart.  

I mean its not me who has to fill my food bowl.

When I scratch at the door someone always comes to open it for me. 

He seems to get a real kick out of rubbing my belly.

These kids assume that they are welcome in my bed.

Have they never heard of personal space? I mean really!

They think that I actually enjoy these belly scratches.

I hope she is getting something out of all of this cuddling.

Yep, barely tolerating all of this attention.

Bwahaha!

This dog cracks me up everyday.  That expression says it all.

I love this dog!

Poinsettia Update:  They are still hanging in there but man, those things are messy. 

Especially with Miss Swishy Tail. 

Canine Field Trip

I love going in the car.  When it is just Mommy and me I get to sit up front.

My mommy told me that it was too pretty to stay inside today so we were going to the park to take a walk.

I have sufficiently terrorized all of the squirrels and birds in my yard so it is time to share my talents with others.

With my magnificent hound dog proboscis I plan to sniff out anything that might be threatening the park.  (You're welcome.)

There are ducks around here somewhere!  I can tell we are getting close!! 

Is it too soon to think that spring has sprung?

Alabama Snow, Part Trois

 Hi.  It's me again, Peaches. 
As you can see by looking out my window, it has snowed again. 

*yawn*

I spend way too much time indoors when there is snow on the ground.  When it snows I can't keep my short, yet shapely legs and belly dry.  My ears get really cold too. 

All of the snow this winter has really cut into my squirrel chasing and bird terrorizing. 

The chipmunks are running amok without my regular perimeter checks.

Will this winter ever end? 

 I am starting to lose my girlish figure since being stuck inside most of the winter.

Aw, forget it.  Wake me when it's spring. 

Bathtime

Today Peaches the Wonder Bassett Hound got a bath.  Yea, I know it is raining but trust me, it was time.  She was getting to be quite a funky hound dog. 

I have found the trick to having a calm bath time with Peaches is to give her a bath when the littlemates, er, kids aren't around.  I picked her up and took her to the tub without any hysterics or drama.  This is the look I got throughout her bath.

Of course she had to give herself a bath after I gave her a bath.

I am pretty sure she has forgiven me for the bath, especially since I wrapped up a heating pad in a towel for her to dry on.  Sitting on a warm pad makes up for a host of sins of the master (like giving baths on a rainy day).



Dear Snow - Time For You To Go!

I am amazed that after 5 days we have so much snow left!  We have lots of ice left on our neighborhood roads - although the kids and I were able to make our way out of the 'hood today.  The kids were out of school yet again - a full week of weather days. 

The sunshine and above-freezing temps (33 degrees!  Woop!)  make the ice a little slushier but it is freezing back slicker than ever.  Hopefully the higher temps and rain that we are forcasted to get this weekend will help this snow melt on into our wintertime memories. 

Peaches will run around for a short time but then comes inside and hunkers down in her bed to warm up. 

She is ready to be able to chase squirrels and harrass birds without freezing her belly and toes.