When I was 4 years old my parents got us a collie puppy. I loved her. She was my favorite thing in the entire world. I slept with her in her crate. I played with her all day. She was everything to me. Her name was Shelley. I remember she would chase my brother, sister, and me around the house for forever until we were all so exhausted. There was only one problem...she peed in the house as soon as my dad would get home from work. My parents decided to get rid of her because of it. And my little heart was broken. I remember saying good bye to her. I remember telling her one day I'd see her in heaven and that I'd love her forever and that I'd never forget her. I never did forget her. I still wonder what happened to her.
Ever since that day I wanted a puppy. I begged for a dog often. My parents became missionaries and we were traveling often for meetings. They said it wasn't the right time for us to have a dog with us traveling so much and then eventually leaving the country. When my parents decided to not be missionaries any more, I continued to ask for a dog but we still never got one...until I was 17. One day I came home and there he was...Duke. My mom and my little sister and brother had gone to the pound and picked him out. I remember being a little crushed. I'd wanted a dog my whole life and now at 17 when I was in school, working part time, and about to graduate and move on with my life...we got a dog. I wasn't at a place in my life where I could really put time into a dog and besides Catherine and Carl were obsessed with him and he slept with them every night. He was their dog at that point.
I loved Duke and did bond with him and actually he ended up becoming my dog because I lived with my dad for the first 2.5 years of Ruy's life and then we moved back in again for 2.5 years when Nathan and I were married while we were saving for our house. Then when my parents divorced and I wasn't living going to be living with my dad any more because we bought a house, Duke came to live with us because my Dad couldn't take care of him with the kinds of hours he worked. I've lived with him for about 10.5 of his 13 years...longer than anyone else in our family, my kids all grew up with him and none of them remember a time without him. He's the best with them and I love him so much.
But I still have always wanted to go and pick out my own puppy. Just something my heart still ached for. My kids have also been asking for a puppy for some time, especially Ruy and Jude. So when the kids couldn't come up with anything for their Christmas lists...we decided we'd get them a puppy. But when we went to look at the puppies...I fell in love with BOTH of the puppies that were there. I couldn't leave without knowing Willow was mine. I just fell in love with them both instantly. So...that's how we ended up deciding on getting two pups. I knew it was going to be a crap ton of work but I knew I had so much love to give.
Keeping them a secret from the kids for 5 weeks was SO hard. But I knew it would be the best Christmas surprise ever!!! Nathan got off work on Christmas Eve morning and went and picked them up.
We had the kids go wait in the boys' room and Nathan brought them inside in a big box. We called them out and when they opened up the box...two sweet little pups popped out! You can watch the video below to see how the surprise went!!!
The kids were so happy and so excited. I hadn't seen Ruy smile like that in a long time and it was completely amazing to see him so happy.
We named them Willow and Lennon and they are the sweetest most full of energy little things you'll ever meet. We spent Christmas Eve getting them settled in, going to Petco to get them their beds and bowls etc. and then just playing in the yard with them and loving on them. It was by far my favorite Christmas ever.
My heart feels so full and so happy. I know this is going to be an adventure and a lot of training (and cleaning up pee :) but it's going to be so worth it.
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