A Magical Time of the YEAR !

It has been sooooo COLD here that when Mom runs her errands I have been staying home.  Avalon and I get to hang together and talk about our Santa wish list and take long naps together.  There is also this funny white stuff that the grown ups have been putting down on the icy ground that makes my feet feel like hot potatoes.  Mom has been looking for doggie boots but she says all of the stores are sold out.  That will be a new one - boots on my feet ??

First, I just need to tell you about this guy called "Elf on the Shelf" that Mom and Dad call Elvis. He comes at night to visit me in my kennel and tells me all about Santa and Santa's workshop.   He is magical but only can move around at night when everyone is sleeping.  However, I get to see him and he knows puppy talk which is sooo cool.  I have someone to talk to at night but sometimes I stay up too late talking to him that I have problems getting up in the morning.  I am jumping ahead of myself but just the other day another "Elf" came to our house and he told me he is my forever ELF.  Sparky is his name.  Now I have two Elf's to talk to at night.

Mom, Dad and I did our "Giving Donation" and "Activity Donation" last weekend.  It was soooooo COLD that I even wore a doggie coat under my service vest.   First, we gathered dog food and warm blankets and towels for our local Humane Shelter.   Mom and I also went to our grocery store and
bought more puppy food and puppy treats.  On Saturday with the temp in the low teens and very windy we headed out and dropped off the puppy stuff then went to the grocery store to ring bells so people would put money in a red bucket.  We had candy to give out and music to play.  We were in the entrance of the store but you could still see your breath so Dad and Mom took turns taking me inside to warm up.  It was much better inside where it was warm and sheltered from the wind.

 The next day was a road trip to the Wahoo Care Center.  There was a Christmas party there with many treats. Mom and Dad brought gifts for Grandma Maryann along with something called white elephant gifts.  I know what an elephant looks like and I didn't see any so not sure what that was all about.  Good times were had by all.   It was still VERY COLD outside but I heard it was to warm up soon.  I hope so because I am tired of staying inside.  We even have not been going for our daily walk/bike rides lately.  I want to get out and RUN !!

 Next, I want to tell you about a wonderful time I had with Mom, Miss M, Miss K, Grandma T and Grandpa D.  We went back to the grocery store to bell ring again!  This time is was much warmer and people stopped and talked to us.  Miss M watched over me and kept me in line while Miss K played her violin.  Lots of people
stopped to listen to her play then would put money in that red bucket again.  My Grandma K even stopped to visit and rang the bell some along with a reporter who interviewed Miss M, Miss K and Mom.   We had candy to give out again this time so with the great music and treats a lot of money went in the bucket.  At least that is what I think ??  Sometimes they had to get the stick that was hanging by the bucket to push the money down so that must have meant the bucket was full.

After we rang the bell everyone came back to our house for what I heard Mom say was an early Christmas with me.  However, there was one problem.  I was so tired that I curled up on my blanket and took a long nap.  Since I was so quiet Mom and Dad forgot about me and I did not get to open gifts with everyone.  I was a little upset about this since this is my first Christmas that when I woke up I ran around the house doing the crazy dance.  That was a mistake - knocked a few things over and that put me in the mud room.  After everyone left Mom came over and we went back over to the Christmas tree and she showed me all of the gifts.  Mom received a real special one from Miss M and Miss K. Dad said she almost started crying.  I had asked Elvis to ask Santa to bring Miss M and Miss K their Santa gifts from here early and he did.  Since Miss M can not have a puppy at her house I asked Santa to bring her one that did not shed and she could have.  He runs on batteries instead of puppy food and is called Chip.  Miss K got a great big pot for making jams, jelly and other food.  I hope she got some stuff to make canned puppy food for me.   I was really excited to see Miss M the next day that I spent two hours working on her commands.

 Christmas Day actually came and things were a buzzing around here.  First, we went for a wet walk around the lake.  I thought the white stuff was suppose to be here at Christmas but it was rain and warm weather.  I heard Mom and Dad say this is really weird for Christmas in Nebraska.  Next, Mom got all of the dishes out that she made the night before and started them cooking.  The house smelled sooo good that I could not wait for Christmas dinner, however that was not what Avalon and I got for dinner later.   Next, a whole bunch of family and friends came over.   They opened those gifts that were under the Christmas tree that Mom kept telling me to "leave it".  Avalon and I even had gifts but had to wait till evening to open ours. Avalon had to stay in the mud room till after dinner.  I stayed out in the living room with all the guests but it was mostly in my kennel.  I just could not control myself with all of the excitement. Elvis and Sparky came through and later when everyone was gone we went downstairs and there were our Santa gifts.  I got everything I asked for so I ran over to Elvis and thanked him. For some reason he just laid there like a lump of coal but later that night he came to my kennel and explained why.  He told me though I can't tell Mom and Dad.

 Christmas is a magical time of the year !

From Our Family to Your Family - I Hope you had a 

Merry Christmas  :)

Let it Snow - let it Snow !!

I am getting ahead of myself but I just have to tell you about that funny white stuff Avalon said was coming.  Well, it came !!  Mom said it was just a little and there will be times it will be a lot more but it was the first time for me !!  First, Dad took me out to break and I got my first taste of the white stuff called snow then later we went for a walk and Avalon and I got to play in the snow.  It was COLD and wet and you could even eat it even though it really did not have any taste.    We played for so long that our feet started to get really cold and my paws got numb.  I loved playing in the snow but was actually glad when we came in to warm up.  Mom put nice warm towels down for us in the mud room and Avalon and I snuggled till we warmed up.  I am sad to say though the snow was gone the next day.  Mom said it has to stay below freezing - what ever that means - for the snow to stay.

Mom says the Holidays can be a very busy time of the year but it has been kind of slow around here.  Mom said I am still recovering from my surgery which meant that I got to stay home with Avalon when Mom went and ran errands.  We cuddled up in the mud room and talked girl talk along with making our Santa list.  Glad Santa can read minds because neither Avalon or I can write.  I hope Santa brings me a lot of toys to play with! Mom did some more Christmas decorating and found our Christmas decorations.   I think Avalon and I look pretty stunning in them.

 This week though we did have two big adventures.  First, Grandma T, Miss M, me and Mom went to a really cool puppy place.  It looked like a big puppy play room but we were the only ones there.  It is called Innovative Training and the cool trainers were Gary and Kathy Platt.

When we arrived I was acting my normal "Wild Child" as I heard them call me, but then all of a sudden some really special treats came out and command training started and I was so focused.   Mr. Gary worked with me on commands first, then Mrs. Kathy worked with me then last Miss M.   Mom and Grandma T just watched but I could hear them talking that we are going to get to come back and do this again.   I guess they are called private lessons but whatever they are called I am really excited - It was FUN !  I even heard something about a puppy camp.   Click on the link to the right to read all about them !!.
                               

A few days later Mom and I were invited to a Senior Christmas party with Miss M, Miss K and Grandma T.  I think it was a friend of Grandma T's.  Mom got a late start on getting dressed and was running late when they came to pick us up so Miss M took me out to break and we waited for Mom. It didn't take her long and we were on our way.   When we arrived we went up the elevator to find Grandma T's friend.  It was cool being up in the air looking down over all of the cool Christmas decorations. I had my Christmas decoration on along with my training vest so lots of nice people stopped and talked to us.  Everyone was sooo happy that I left my "Wild Child" at home and did a very good job representing Guide/Service puppies in training.  However, it was a close call at the end.  I had some big business to do and I tried to let Miss M know but I think they thought I was just stopping to sniff food but I really was trying to tell them I needed to go outside.  I did by best and waited and within seconds after we left and were outside I left them a reminder of me.  However, Mom picked it up and we took it home.
After the party we came home and Dad had all of the Christmas lights on and the house looked so pretty. Dad fed us dinner then we all went downstairs to decorate the family Christmas tree.  Mom said her two legged kids are the ones to decorate it but this year her four legged girls were going to get to do it.  Avalon and I were really excited.  Decorating, listening to Christmas music and Dad watching something called basketball on the TV.  Basketball sure looks funny compared to football but he still gets just as excited.

Last - After our weekend walk today with Dad, Mom, Avalon and me - Miss M and Grandma T surprised me and came over and we went for a walk.  Miss M had some treats so I did a little command training with her.   Before we came home I had a deposit for them however, they didn't have any of my special deposit bags so Grandma T had to run to her house and get a plastic sack.

Hope you are enjoying the Holidays !!