R.I.P. Elmo & Mermaid 11/13/2008

This morning Zak discovered that the Monster that lives in our house (a.k.a. Lexi) went on a chewing spree sometime in the middle of the night. Pieces of one of Arielle's Elmo slippers and a Little Mermaid figure were scattered all over the living room floor. When Arielle discovered what had happened she burst into tears! Funny thing is that she was more devistated about the Elmo slipper than the mermaid doll even though she had just taken it to school for show and tell and I haven't seen her wearing the slippers for months. It took some convincing that the slippers weren't going to fit her for much longer along with reassurance that we would buy new ones in order to stop her from sobbing.

~Momma to Bug~

Two of a Kind

I feel as though I have been in a blogging slump lately, mostly due to the fact that all I do is spend time at my computer so it's the last thing I want to do when the day is done. I haven't had a shortage of things to take pictures of though that is for sure. Lexi has found a new favorite spot in the house. She puts her front paws up on a storage cube/end table that we have in front of the window and stares out at the neighbor dogs from there. When she is out in the yard she can usually be found sitting or running along the neighbor dogs fences. Lately she has started whining really loud I guess because she wants to meet her fencemates face-to-face. This window is the perfect view to Hooch (our name for him because he looks just like the dog in the movie Turner & Hooch) and the weiner dogs yards. Lexi must be thinking it is heaven to have such a fantastic view to their yards. Arielle was happy to participate the other day too. The photos are just too cute!

~Momma to Bug~

Funny Faces!

Arielle wanted to show everyone her funny faces! I discovered that she's not at all camera shy...




We don't like to get bored around here!

Doesn't it look like Lexi is wearing a tiarra? Well she's not! It's a craft that Arielle made and hung up in the window. Lexi just happened to be sitting in front of it when I took her picture. This is definitely Lexi's favorite spot in the house. Actually both of the dogs love it here at this window in the study. We bought a dog bed to put in this very spot before Lexi was even around. When Lexi was a little puppy she would make herself fit on the bed with Sierra like this...

The Looking Glass

Tonight as I was tucking Arielle into bed, the Monster came into her room. We knew Lexi was in there because she immediately started putting her big wet nose all over us to let us know she was there. This made Arielle and I giggle then we had the following brief conversation which just filled my heart with pure, sweet goodness:

Momma: Are you sad that we got Lexi? Or are you happy?

Bug: Why?

Momma: Because she chews on us and knocks you down and sometimes she's not a good girl.

Bug: Yes but when she is good we are happy!

If only I could see the world through her EYES and make all of the bad stuff dissapear.

These pictures were taken right after we got Lexi when she was 3-4 months old and before she weighed MORE than Arielle. Knock downs back then were just fun and games and the monster hadn't reared it's ugly {but oh so cute} head yet!

The Monster in our Backyard

Looking at Lexi you would think she is such a good dog {9 month old Puppy} and for the most part she really is GOOD. However, our big yard is her domain and there is no stopping her when she is out there. I'm not kidding you, every time Arielle {the 3 year old kid} or Sierra {the ten year old dog} step foot in the backyard Lexi knocks them over faster than a speeding bullet. I fear for both of their safety and long for the days when Arielle could just run out to her playground without getting TRAMPLED on and Sierra could chase her ball without being used as a HURDLE and/or chew toy. Just yesterday, I saw Lexi knock Sierra down to the ground and heard Sierra wince. Minutes later Sierra begged me to throw her ball {something she should not being doing at her age, let alone not two minutes after a Lexi take-down} and I did so feeling sorry for her. Down she went wincing even louder this time unable to walk back to me without limping. And today, upon arrival of my mother which makes both dogs act uncontrollably excited, Lexi knocked Arielle down inside the house and left a big scratch on her cheek.

So I have to ask myself...WHAT WAS I THINKING when I got a puppy? Don't worry, Lexi will soon grow up and be a real dog but for now we'll have to be on the lookout. And we are getting back at her in our own little cruel (non-harmful) ways...

Lexi did not like wearing a tutu at all! She is staring out the window wondering, "Just wait until the next time you step foot out into MY backyard...I'll get you then!"

Love hate relationship

Lexi, also known around the house as Monster and Doodle, has become Arielle's best friend and worst enemy all at the same time. We refer to her as the Monster because everytime she walks into a room she knocks stuff over with her clumsy, big paws or her hard, wagging tail. This drives Arielle crazy because she works so hard to organize her stuff and the minute it gets out of order she yells, "No Monster!". Other times she'll say, "Monster, come get me" and they'll chase each other around the house. Every time they play together Lexi just mouths Arielle's hands and arms but you never know if Arielle is going to laugh or cry about it. Lexi, being the dominant dog that she is, likes to sit on other dogs and people every chance she gets. This particular day Arielle was lying on the floor when Lexi walked over to her and sat right down on her tummy like this was the best seat in the house. Of course I ran to grab my camera right away but Lexi ran after me. I wish I could have taken a picture of that but we couldn't get Lexi to do it again. Instead, I took a few pictures of Arielle copying Lexi's every move.

The Many Faces of Arielle

I was a little camera happy this week but that is only because I haven't gotten what I would call a "frame-worthy" photo of Arielle for the longest time. I am determined to keep trying but Arielle is determined not to let me. Thank goodness for digital cameras!






The puppy on the other hand is being extremely cooperative in the photo department!

I'm All Ears!

What can I say? Isn't she adorable?

Lexi *Doodle*

I knew it would happen, I just didn't know what it would be. Lexi chewed something else...this time it was not just the cap to a child's souvenier cup. It was one of the stair railing banisters.

The saga of the Lion Cup continues....

Alas, our dear puppy got a hold of the infamous Lion Cup yesterday and chewed the cap to it. I think I saw a tear forming in Arielle's eye when I broke the news to her. We don't know if Lexi got the cup off the table or if Arielle left it on the floor but this was a lesson for all of us. ***Keep all valuable possessions out of puppy height range***This is hard for Arielle to do because she and Lexi are the same size! They are becoming the best of friends despite Lexi's desire to chew on Arielle and all of her belongings. I can't help but think of what the next casualty will be...hopefully nothing that is expensive to replace but if it is you will hear about it!

Oh and you should know that we decided to keep the Lion Cup and use it like a "big girl cup" at the dinner table with a straw.

Meet the Newest Member of the McMahan Clan

Her name is Lexi...short for Alexis Marie. She was born on Christmas day which makes her 3 months old tomorrow. Her hair is black and tan and is a half breed (half Alaskan Malamute, half German Shepard). She's already weighing in at 18 pounds and her paws are bigger than her face...they are about the size of a baseball! Her favorite activities are running away with our shoes, digging in the sandbox and pulling Arielle's clothes (with Arielle in them). She is very hungry all the time and goes completely insane after she eats. Thank God for a big, grassy yard!

At first we thought that the puppy would be great for Arielle but Zak and I are enjoying her more than anybody. Sierra, our ten year old Shepard/Husky mix had fun playing with Lexi the first day that we brought her home but now her tired old bones can't keep up with the puppy. Alas, there is no rest for the weary and until Sierra can show Lexi who is the boss there will be no end to the taunting, nipping and jumping. We had hoped they could be playmates but this may just be a love-hate relationship in the making. Arielle has learned to tell Lexi, NO BITING (like Swiper, no swiping!-it's a Dora thing). Other than that she doesn't have much else to say to Lexi.

Although a puppy is nothing like a baby, they sure do satisfy the craving for one (at least for now)...