Day 393 - Tutu Terrific Tweet Pea!

The other night, while Mom & I were leaving Neil's place after prayers, the girls were trotting across the parking lot, in their matching sweaters. Tweet Pea had a squeaky toy in her mouth. We spotted a fellow walking 2 dogs, with a 3rd dog off leash. Uh-oh. The girls spotted the other dogs & immediately started barking, tails up. The 3rd dog trots over & the sniffing begins. The 3rd dog tries to sniff Oceana & she's having none of it! Of course, Valentina just shoves her snout right up the 3rd dog's backside. Oh so polite! Naturally the 3rd dog whips around as if to say, 'EXCUSE ME?!' At which point the 3rd dog decides she doesn't want anything to do with the girls. Valentina takes off after the 3rd dog, rather aggressively, toy in her mouth & shaking her head violently back & forth. It was so funny. I've never seen her behave like that! It was as though she thought she was a Rottweiler!

Anyhow... Today I slept until 1300. I managed to stay up until about 0100. I took some photos of Valentina today in her tutu. Her what? Yes, her tutu. My friend, Julie, who I went to high school with, curled with, played volleyball, and learned piano from, has started making tutus. They are adorable! Whether you are a big kid or a little kid, or a dog, she has a colourful tutu for everyone! Here's her facebook page - Tutu Terrific by Julie - & be sure to 'like' her, as she does free giveaways every so many fans.  Here are the photos from Valentina's Ballerina debut!

xxxxMV&O

 Meet Angelina

 plié

 Pthhhhht!

 Pirouette!

Day 337 - And That's More Like It!!!

Wow! What a stunner of a day today was! I was so shocked when I stepped out onto the deck & was blasted with warm air! What a concept! I can't believe it! It's almost like, *gasp* summer! Whoo hoo! Bring it on!


I took the dogs for a walk to EVIC to see Joe, as it's been awhile. We chit chatted about this & that. Hard to believe next weekend is one year since their wedding! Time is flying by! The girls are becoming quite the guard dogs. They would give a little growl at every person who walked into the centre! 


However, the best part of my day was when we walked back & found a few cows & calves in front of the house. Valentina spots them & goes charging over, barking the entire way. She was running around one of the cows like it was on fire. It was the funniest thing I think I've ever seen. Do wiener dogs generally herd cattle when given the chance? That poor cow didn't know what was going on. It couldn't keep track of Valentina as she ran circles around it... I'm still chuckling! What a dog...


I took the recycling (finally Mom & Jaco are saying) & forgot to take the back way into Bragg Creek. On weekends when the weather is wonderful, the traffic can get pretty ridiculous at the 4-way stop. It took me about 15 minutes to get through the intersection! Crazy! 


I'm hoping tomorrow will be just as stunning. The Fall foliage is at it's peak right now... I just love the look of bright yellow poplar leaves dancing in the wind, the white bark of the trees & the perfect blue skies sitting as a backdrop. If only it would hold on... Another month of Fall & one less of winter would suit me just fine. 


I managed to do my injection myself today, but I'm starting to feel some bone pain, so I'm off to bed... Have a great rest of the weekend & get some Vitamin D while the gettin's good!


xxxxMJV&O

 Oceana & Papa passed out for the night...

Papa in his jeans - what a looker!

Day 331 - Dog Tag

Today was pretty low key. Much like the past 5 or 6 days. I've got a nasty pain in my arm that doesn't seem to want to leave me. Bah! I decided to take the dogs for a walk & nearly pee'd my pants laughing while doing so.

Oceana doesn't like to go for a walk. She usually plants her back feet & refuses until you tug on her leash. She doesn't quite get it. Meanwhile, you grab your jacket & Valentina is all over the place! I thought I could get away without a leash for Oceana, but no. I carried her to the road & then put her down. She didn't want to walk, so I 'nudged' her from behind for a short ways. When she realized what was happening, she did her best to beat it back to the house. Ha! I grabbed the leash from the back seat of the car & we were off.

I threw the ball for Valentina down the driveway, while Oceana grumpily trotted alongside me. Valentina would drop the ball into my hand & be off like a rocket in the next moment, anxiously awaiting my next pitch. When suddenly it struck me. If I put both dogs on the same leash & throw the ball, Oceana will be FORCED to run alongside Valentina while she obsessively chases the ball. Perfect! Both dogs get exercise!

I thought I was going to die of laughter. Oh. My. Goodness. Poor Oceana didn't know what hit her. Valentina was dragging her all over the yard. I was gasping for air when the ball rolled across a mud puddle to the other side. Valentina was trying to get the ball & Oceana was NOT going in the puddle to help her sister out. 

When I got back to the house, I called Jaco out to show him my ingenious exercise idea. I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. Here's the video we managed to capture. This was the END of the exercise session, as decided by Oceana. I hope you get a chuckle out of it. Next time I'll use the harnesses to save the occasional whiplash & help them (Valentina) pull a little easier. Let me know what you think! :o)

xxxx MJV&O

Polar Opposites

Although you'd never know they would ever want to be apart...

Day 305 - Newborn Photos... OH BOY!!!

While Jaco & I had a brilliant sleep in the trailer, Collet, Dave & Ezekiel did NOT. Little EJ was feeling pretty rough & spent most of the night fussing, crying & feeding. Oh dear. I was going to have to make it a swift & effective photo shoot. I started getting things ready - hot water bottles, blankets in the dryer, setting up props, checking exposures... For what, I'm not really sure.


We shot inside first. Lil' EJ cried every time he left his Mama's arms. He pee'd on the blanket, which ran onto the basket, which ran onto the box, which ran onto the carpet. Then he pee'd on Mama. Then he pee'd on Papa. Thank goodness I was holding the camera! :o) He was NOT loving any of this photo business. We thought we could get him to sleep & then simply shoot whatever we wanted. He had other plans.


It wasn't until we went outside, as a last resort, that he peacefully fell asleep in the warmth of the sun. He was as limp as a rag doll. I couldn't believe it! I didn't think I'd see the day! We managed to get some wonderful shots & I'm excited to have survived my first newborn shoot! Yay! I'm pleased with the results & excited to edit the shots & send them off to Mama & Papa... 


On a side note, I'll also know to bring Valentina with me next time. I had left her at home, as I didn't know if there would be any issues staying with Jenn's parents & of course, the new baby. Unfortunately, as soon as Harrison saw me, 'Tina?' was the first thing out of his mouth. And Ezra had been waiting all day to see 'Nini'. We had a near meltdown when he found out she wasn't with me. Whoops. Aunty Jill's bad. I've learned that lesson!


Jaco & I left for home about 1700. Only 3 hours behind schedule. But at least we got some fabulous photos! Yay! Tomorrow is round 4 - 1/3 of the way there! Amen to that! Here's hoping it goes smoothly! 


xxxxx
MJV

Big Brother Ezra helps out!

Introducing Ezekiel Jasher... Enjoy!