sounds of household renovations....

Trent : "ARGH! What a disaster.....this is f@%*ing stupid!!!!!

Lexi: (finger wagging) "Daddy, you really shouldn't say stupid. Say 'stinky' "

Did I ever tell you that I don't like painting. I used to love it. Now, with 4 kids and a million other things to do, notsomuch.

Sir Winston of Deebee

Cost of one Great Dane puppy in 1998 - $850

Cost of mileage to the airport, plane ticket from Halifax, Nova Soctia for said puppy - $250

Cost of vet bills, kennel fees, couch replacement X2, cleaning supplies (did you know danes can even get slobber on the ceilings?), truckloads of kibble and giant sized bones - +$5000.....i don't even want to think about the exact amount...

Cost of 9 years of faithful companionship and unwavering affection - PRICELESS

Happy 9th Birthday Winston! I can't imagine our family without you!

Because I live in a house full of little people who love any excuse for a birthday party, we even had a celebratory party complete with shiney paper hats and cake. Normally, I'm not the type of person who would have a birthday party for a dog but I was easily persuaded for this occassion. After all, it is extremely rare to be blessed with 9 years of slobber hair covered carpets loyal, giant-sized companionship. Even at his advanced age, Winston is still able to play a good game of fetch (with a soccer ball) and sneak into the kitchen with the hope that someone has left the cupboard doors open or some tasty morsel left on the counter.

I'm in the process of digging out some of his "baby pics" for a future post.

worthy advise....

If, on the rare occasion that you are allowed to sleep for an uninterrupted 15 hours and if said "luxury" comes at the expense of your significant other, it's probably not a good idea to greet the day by stating, "man, I'm still tired!!". This is particularly true if while you were sleeping, your wife not only cleaned up the supper dishes, did the bedtime routine times 4, dealt with a cranky and willful 3 year old who felt that sleep was for the weak and then woke up with child #3 at 4:00 a.m. and proceeded to watch colourful cartoon characters cavort across the t.v. screen until the sun made its appearance on the horizon. The fact that you managed to relocate to the couch in the living room, blanket and pillow in hand and then return to your previous coma-like state whilst the house was cleaned and games of My Little Pony were played around you, wasn't really all that helpful. It's a good thing that I love him like crazy!